US 12,330,787 B2
Retrofit wireless controller for aircraft passenger seats
Haytham Hakla, Montreal (CA)
Assigned to B/E Aerospace, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed by B/E Aerospace, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC (US)
Filed on Oct. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/964,693.
Prior Publication US 2024/0124140 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. B64D 11/00 (2006.01); G06F 3/04847 (2022.01); G08C 17/02 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 11/00155 (2014.12) [G06F 3/04847 (2013.01); G08C 17/02 (2013.01); B64D 2011/0053 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for remote control of a passenger control unit (PCU), the system comprising:
a wireless controller physically and operatively coupled between an aircraft-based passenger control unit (PCU) and a control module of the PCU,
the PCU comprising a plurality of switches, each switch associated with at least one peripheral device,
the wireless controller comprising a plurality of contacts, at least one contact mapped to each switch of the PCU;
a wireless receiver communicatively coupled to the wireless controller, the wireless receiver configured to receive a contact signal from a mobile device associated with a user,
and
encoded instructions storable by a non-transitory storage medium of the mobile device and executable by at least one processor of the mobile device, the encoded instructions configured to cause the mobile device to:
establish a wireless link to the wireless receiver according to at least one wireless protocol;
recognize at least one of the user or the at least one peripheral device;
load a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the recognized user or peripheral device, the GUI comprising a plurality of virtual contacts corresponding to the plurality of contacts;
and
when a virtual contact is engaged by the user, transmit the contact signal to the wireless controller via the wireless link, the contact signal indicative of the engaged virtual contact;
wherein based on the received contact signal, the wireless controller is configured to engage the contact corresponding to the engaged virtual contact, the engaged contact detectable by the PCU control module as an engagement of the switch to which the engaged contact is mapped.