Aircraft display and control system with virtual backplane architecture

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention discloses an aircraft control system which improves system flexibility, scalability, redundancy, and separation.
The system uses a "virtual backplane" architecture which maximizes system flexibility and scalability and allows easy integration of new functions.
The architecture comprises four major components: processing modules; input/output modules (i.
e.
I/O modules); database modules; and an aircraft wide system network.
Inter module communication occurs via the aircraft wide system network thereby eliminating the need for point to point communication and making modules independent of physical location or what modular unit(MU) they are in.
Predetermined periodic and deterministic broadcast techniques improve the safety and communications efficiency of the system.
The key concept behind the invention is that all modules in the system operate independently from each other and communicate through the system bus.
With this concept it will be understood that modules are no longer tied to where they are physically located or what MU they are in.
A key element to the invention is the virtual backplane architecture.
This communications architecture permits significant improvements in system design over the prior art.
The architecture allows a high degree of system integration and scalability by allowing all data generated by any function or module within the system to be globally available to any other function or module.
Data is not confined to within a modular unit, but rather is also available to any other modules in any other modular units connected to the system bus.
This eliminates the need for many dedicated point-to-point wiring requirements and also allows seamless integration of functions across the entire network.
The result are modules which are not tied to or limited in any way by their physical location or what MU they are in.
Modular units (MUs) house the majority of system components.
The MUs are hardware cabinets containing field replaceable modules (e