Serial networking fiber-to-the-seat inflight entertainment system
View Patent ↗An entertainment system that exhibits advantages of fiber-to-the-seat systems, has improved failure recovery characteristics, and reduces the connection components is disclosed. In one aspect, an inflight entertainment system comprises a plurality of head end line replaceable units physically interconnected in a ring configuration and a plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units physically interconnected in a serial configuration, wherein two of the serially-connected networking line replaceable units at the edge of the serial configuration are physically interconnected with two of the head end line replaceable units, respectively, wherein a loop-free head end data path is maintained between active head end line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the head end data path, and wherein one or more loop-free serially-connected networking data paths are maintained between at least one of the two head end line replaceable units and active serially-connected networking line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the serially-connected networking data paths.
1. An inflight entertainment system, comprising:
a plurality of head end line replaceable units physically interconnected in a ring configuration; and
a plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units physically interconnected in a serial configuration,
wherein two of the serially-connected networking line replaceable units at the edge of the serial configuration are physically interconnected with two of the head end line replaceable units, respectively,
wherein a loop-free head end data path is maintained between active head end line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the head end data path, and
wherein one or more loop-free serially-connected networking data paths are maintained between at least one of the two head end line replaceable units and active networking line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the serially-connected networking data paths, the loop-free serially-connected networking data paths being maintained by removing a selected link from a previous serially-connected networking data path, the selected link being selected using hop count information.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selected link is further selected to minimize the maximum number of hops between any of the active serially-connected networking line replaceable units and either of the two head end line replaceable units.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the loop-free serially-connected networking data paths are further maintained by adding the selected link to a previous serially-connected networking data path in response to detecting a failure on the previous serially-connected networking data path.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the failure is a link failure.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the failure is a line replaceable unit failure.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the loop-free head end data path is maintained by removing a selected link from a previous head end data path in response to detecting a loop on the previous head end data path.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the loop-free head end data path is maintained by adding a selected link to a previous head end data path in response to detecting a failure on the previous head end data path.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the failure is a link failure.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the failure is a line replaceable unit failure.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units comprises at least one video display line replaceable unit.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units comprises at least one cabin management terminal line replaceable unit.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units comprises at least one on board network interface line replaceable unit.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the on board network interface line replaceable unit provides connectivity to a public address system.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the on board network interface line replaceable unit provides connectivity to a flight management system.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units comprises at least one off board network interface line replaceable unit.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units comprises at least one data loader line replaceable unit.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one application server.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one audio server.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one video server.
20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one file server.
21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one game server.
22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least one passenger flight information system server.
23. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least two head end line replaceable units within the plurality of head end line replaceable units are of a single hardware design configuration.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the head end line replaceable units within the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least two different types of servers selected from among the following types of servers: application servers, video servers, file servers, game servers and passenger flight information system servers.
25. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least three head end line replaceable units.
26. A head end line replaceable unit for an inflight entertainment system, comprising:
a plurality of fiber optic transceivers; and
a processor communicatively coupled with the transceivers, wherein under control of the processor the head end line replaceable unit transmits a presence message on a link via a first one of the transceivers, receives the presence message on a link via a second one of the transceivers, and in response to receiving the presence message removes one of the links from participation in a loop-free head end data path between a plurality of head end line replaceable units,
wherein under control of the processor the head end line replaceable unit transmits to a serial networking line replaceable unit via a third one of the transceivers a second presence message having a hop count.
27. A serial networking line replaceable unit for an inflight entertainment system, comprising:
a plurality of fiber optic transceivers; and
a processor communicatively coupled with the transceivers, wherein under control of the processor the serial networking line replaceable unit receives a presence message having a received hop count on a link via a first one of the transceivers, increments the hop count and transmits the presence message having an incremented hop count on a link via a second one of the fiber optic transceivers, and wherein under control of the processor the serial networking line replaceable unit regulates participation of one of the links in a loop-free serial networking data path between a head end line replaceable unit and a plurality of serial networking line replaceable units based at least in part on the received hop count.
28. An inflight entertainment system, comprising:
a plurality of head end line replaceable units physically interconnected in a ring configuration; and
a plurality of serially-connected networking line replaceable units physically interconnected in a serial configuration,
wherein two of the serially-connected networking line replaceable units at the edge of the serial configuration are physically interconnected with two of the head end line replaceable units, respectively,
wherein a loop-free head end data path is maintained between active head end line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the head end data path,
wherein one or more loop-free serially-connected networking data paths are maintained between at least one of the two head end line replaceable units and active networking line replaceable units by regulating link participation in the serially-connected networking data paths, and
wherein the loop-free serially-connected networking data paths is maintained by removing a selected link from a previous serially-connected networking data path, the selected link being selected to minimize the maximum number of hops between any of the active serially-connected networking line replaceable units and either of the two head end line replaceable units.
29. The system of claim 28 , wherein the loop-free serially-connected networking data paths are further maintained by adding the selected link to a previous serially-connected networking data path in response to detecting a failure on the previous serially-connected networking data path.
30. The system of claim 28 , wherein the loop-free head end data path is maintained by removing the selected link from a previous head end data path in response to detecting a loop on the previous head end data path.
31. The system of claim 28 , wherein the loop-free head end data path is maintained by adding the selected link to a previous head end data path in response to detecting a failure on the previous head end data path.
32. The system of claim 28 , wherein the plurality of head end line replaceable units comprises at least three head end line replaceable units.