US 12,229,544 B2
System and method for software update in aircraft
Daniele Berdah, Montréal (CA); and James Mood, Mansfield, MA (US)
Assigned to PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP., Longueuil (CA)
Filed by PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP., Longueuil (CA)
Filed on Feb. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/672,454.
Prior Publication US 2023/0259348 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 8/65 (2018.01)
CPC G06F 8/65 (2013.01) 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of updating software on an electronic engine controller (EEC) of an engine of an aircraft, the method comprising:
communicatively coupling a client electronic device to a data acquisition and transmission unit mounted to the aircraft, the data acquisition and transmission unit being communicatively coupled to the EEC and configured to receive aviation data indicative of a performance of the engine during operation of the engine and communicate the aviation data remotely of the aircraft;
receiving a user-initiated command from an operator at an input of the client electronic device;
in response to receiving the user-initiated command at the input of the client electronic device, obtaining software data at the data acquisition and transmission unit mounted to the aircraft, the software data comprising a software loader configured to be executed by the data acquisition and transmission unit and one or more software files containing an update to a software configuration of the EEC;
executing, at the data acquisition and transmission unit, the software loader to install the one or more software files into the EEC and thereby modify the software configuration of the EEC according to the update, the executing of the software loader comprising placing the EEC in a programming mode for the EEC to receive the one or more software files, validate the one or more software files upon receipt prior to storage into a memory associated with the EEC, and store the one or more software files in the memory associated with the EEC;
monitoring, at the data acquisition and transmission unit, a software loading process in real-time during the executing of the software loader installing the one or more software files into the EEC; and
exiting the programming mode after the installing of the one or more software files into the EEC.