Cockpit Display Graphics Gateway for Off-Board Rendering Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) aircraft cockpit display systems (CDS) lack the ability to display custom rendered graphics and are limited in upgrading to meet evolving computing needs, necessitating the addition of external devices that increase cockpit complexity and weight.
Innovation Solution
An off-board graphics rendering gateway system utilizing off-board processors and Ethernet communication to provide custom graphics and video data to the CDS via fiber optics, allowing seamless integration with existing CDS systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If external devices are added to the cockpit to provide custom graphics and applications, then the functionality and adaptability of the display system is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the external processing capabilities with the existing COTS CDS by integrating an off-board processor that communicates through the existing Ethernet infrastructure. This combines the adaptability of custom graphics processing with the reliability of the certified display system, avoiding the need for separate external devices while maintaining enhanced functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The off-board processor serves multiple functions: it provides custom graphics rendering, runs additional user applications, and communicates through the existing Ethernet network infrastructure. This multi-functional approach enhances adaptability without adding dedicated single-purpose devices to the cockpit.
2Adaptability or versatility
If external devices are added to the cockpit to provide custom graphics and applications, then the functionality and adaptability of the display system is improved, but the weight of the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the graphics processing functionality from the physical cockpit environment and relocates it to an off-board processor. This separates the computational workload from the cockpit displays, allowing custom graphics to be generated remotely and transmitted digitally, thereby avoiding the weight penalty of additional physical cockpit equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of adding physical display devices to the cockpit with a digital communication approach. Custom graphics are transmitted via Ethernet data streams rather than requiring additional physical display hardware, significantly reducing the weight increase associated with enhanced functionality.
3Reliability
If COTS CDS protocols are used to display custom graphics, then the reliability and compatibility are maintained, but the ability to display custom rendered graphics is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary off-board processor that acts as a bridge between custom graphics applications and the COTS CDS system. This intermediary renders custom graphics using modern computing capabilities and transmits them through standardized Ethernet protocols, enabling custom graphics display while maintaining compatibility with existing reliable display infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the graphics processing function from the display function. The off-board processor handles custom graphics rendering while the COTS CDS handles reliable display output. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in its strength while working together through standardized communication protocols.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables custom graphics display without adding weight or complexity, maintaining determinism and reliability by offloading high-intensity computing and rendering tasks to external devices.
Implementation Method 1
The off-board processor provides the graphical data to the cockpit display subsystem over a fiber optic cable
Implementation Method 2
the graphics gateway sub-processor exchanges data and information with the cockpit display subsystem over Ethernet cables to provide synchronization
Data Source
AI summary
A cockpit display system for an aircraft including an off-board graphics rendering gateway system providing additional cockpit display and other functionality. The cockpit display system includes a cockpit display subsystem having a display, a subsystem processor and integrated modular avionics (IMA) with user applications and cockpit display software. The cockpit display system also includes an off-board processor for processing aircraft functionality applications that are not available on the cockpit display subsystem, where the off-board processor provides graphical data over fiber optics to the cockpit display subsystem to be displayed by the cockpit display subsystem. The off-board processor includes a graphics gateway sub-processor that is in communication with the cockpit display subsystem, where the graphics gateway sub-processor exchanges data and information with the cockpit display subsystem over Ethernet cables to provide synchronization with the graphical data provided by the off-board processor to the cockpit display subsystem.