CN108569409B - Passenger seat pairing system and method - Google Patents
Passenger seat pairing system and method Download PDFInfo
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- CN108569409B CN108569409B CN201810204866.2A CN201810204866A CN108569409B CN 108569409 B CN108569409 B CN 108569409B CN 201810204866 A CN201810204866 A CN 201810204866A CN 108569409 B CN108569409 B CN 108569409B
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Abstract
The invention relates to a passenger seat pairing system and method. Systems and methods for pairing a passenger's personal electronic device with a passenger seat in a vehicle using PWM light identification and allowing the personal electronic device to control functions and features within the passenger seat are provided. The system includes an on-board video system having an in-seat display system for installation in a vehicle. The on-board video system is configured to communicate a PWM light identification from a monitor of the in-seat display system, the PWM light identification captured by an imaging device of the personal electronic device. The on-board video system receives pairing information corresponding to the captured light identification from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link. The on-board video system then verifies the pairing information and pairs the personal electronic device to the passenger seat and authorizes the personal electronic device to control passenger seat functions associated with the passenger seat.
Description
Cross Reference to Related Applications
The present application claims priority from the copending U.S. patent application serial No. 14/693,541 filed on 22 th 4 th 2015 as part of the continuation application. The priority of the aforementioned prior patent application is expressly claimed and the disclosure of the prior application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Technical Field
The field of the invention relates generally to in-seat functions and features for vehicles, and more particularly to systems and methods for pairing a passenger's personal electronic device with a passenger seat using optical identification communication so that the personal electronic device can be used to control in-seat functions and features within a vehicle, such as entertainment systems (e.g., video/audio programs), comfort systems (e.g., seat adjustments), and environmental systems (e.g., air conditioning).
Background
Many public carrier vehicles (e.g., aircraft, passenger trains, buses, cruise ships, etc.) have individualized functional equipment dedicated to a particular passenger seat that may be used by passengers, such as adjustable seats, adjustable environmental controls, adjustable lighting, telephone systems, video and/or audio entertainment systems, attendant communication systems, etc. For example, many commercial aircraft have personalized video and audio entertainment systems, commonly referred to as "on-board entertainment" or "IFE" systems.
As one example of passenger seat functionality, entertainment systems for passenger vehicles (e.g., commercial airlines) typically have a video display mounted at each passenger seat. For example, a video display may be provided at each passenger seat, e.g., mounted at each seat back of the passenger seat, and/or mounted on the cabin wall, and/or may be deployable from armrests of the seats at the partition (i.e., the first row of cabin segments). Many of these systems allow each passenger to select and play video from multiple video channels and/or audio channels or even individually from a video library. These video displays may also provide access to gaming, communication applications (e.g., telephone services, messaging, etc.), internet browsing, and other computer applications. Such displays are sometimes referred to as smart monitors because of their ability to provide computer applications and to process and store data internally.
To operate the seat functions (e.g., personalized audio/video systems), controls are provided on or near the passenger seat that allow the passenger to control the seat functions. The control may be a physical button or an on-screen interface displayed, for example, on a video display of the entertainment system. For example, some commercial aircraft entertainment systems have an on-screen interface for controlling reading lights, activating crew call signals, and controlling audio/video entertainment.
It has become quite common for travelers to carry personal electronic devices (e.g., cellular telephones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, and other portable electronic devices) with wireless communication capabilities. This includes passengers traveling on all types of transportation vehicles including public carriers such as airplanes, passenger trains, buses, pleasure boats, sightseeing vehicles such as ships, boats, buses, automobiles, etc. Many of these personal electronic devices have the ability to execute application software programs ("apps") to perform various functions, including controlling other devices and systems.
Thus, U.S. patent application publication No. 2015/0017915 to hennonequin et al has proposed establishing a communication link between a passenger's mobile electronic device and a local base station installed in an aircraft and associated with a particular seat. The mobile electronic device can then control various functional equipment via the communication link using a control software application installed on the mobile electronic device. Pairing of the mobile electronic device with the local base station is performed using near field communication ("NFC"), bluetooth, or Apple ibeacon (tm), or by scanning a barcode on the local base station using the optical components of the mobile electronic device. However, this approach allows anyone to pair their mobile electronic device with a local base station for a particular seat and control the functional equipment of that seat even if that person is not assigned to and/or sitting on that seat.
Similarly, U.S. patent application publication 2015/0017915 to ayote proposes establishing a communication link between a passenger's mobile electronic device and an NFC terminal installed at a particular seat in an aircraft. The NFC module is connected to a central passenger communication system. Pairing of the mobile electronic device with the passenger communication system is accomplished by the mobile electronic device sending a message with registration information (e.g., a PIN) to the passenger communication system via the NFC terminal. The passenger communication system then verifies the registration information, for example by comparing the PIN with an expected PIN or with information stored in the passenger communication system corresponding to the PIN. The mobile electronic device can then control various functional equipment via the communication link using an interface with a menu or list of services and features presented to the passenger on the mobile electronic device.
U.S. patent No. 8,806,521 to Keen et al proposes pairing a passenger's mobile electronic device with an in-flight entertainment system by: the bar code is displayed on a video display at the particular passenger seat and scanned with a camera in the passenger's personal electronic device. The system is limited to providing and redeeming coupons on a machine and does not use personal electronic devices to control any seating functions. Furthermore, because the on-board entertainment system may be shut down, uninstalled, or otherwise unavailable (e.g., during the display of a message or other content), it is undesirable to utilize the display of the on-board entertainment system for pairing.
Disclosure of Invention
In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a novel system for pairing a personal electronic device (also referred to as "PED") of a passenger with a seat in a vehicle to control the seat function for the passenger using the personal electronic device. The passenger seats may be in any type of vehicle, but are typically in public carrier vehicles (e.g., commercial aircraft, passenger trains, buses, ships, ferries, etc.). The personal electronic device may be any suitable electronic device, such as a mobile/cellular telephone, mobile/cellular smart phone, tablet computer, personal computer, laptop computer, or other portable handheld or other suitable portable electronic device. Smart phones are well suited because they are common, especially for passengers, and they often have many functions.
The passenger seat pairing system includes an on-board management system configured to be installed in a vehicle. Of course, if the on-board management system is configured to be installed in a vehicle, it may also be actually installed in the vehicle. The on-board management system includes: a data server having a processor, a memory, and a data storage device; and an on-board/vehicle wireless communication module and management software applications. The vehicle wireless communication module is configured to establish a wireless communication link with the wireless communication module of the personal electronic device and receive information transmitted from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link.
The system also includes a device pairing software applicationThe device pairing software application is configured to program the personal electronic device to provide the desired functionality to the overall system. The device pairing software application is stored on a non-transitory computer program carrier (e.g., hard drive, server, CD-ROM, DVD, etc.). Device pairing software applications will typically be made available for download and/or installation onto personal electronic devices, for example, through web sites or application ("app") stores (e.g., iTunes) accessible via the internet TM ) Etc. to perform the above-described downloading and/or installation. As described further below, the personal electronic device itself need not be a component of the system, but may be part of the system. The device pairing software application is configured to program a personal electronic device for specific functions according to the embodiments described below.
In an embodiment where the system includes a personal electronic device of a passenger, the personal electronic device has a processor, a memory, a wireless communication module, and a device pairing software application. The wireless communication module is configured to establish a wireless communication link with an on-board management system mounted on the vehicle. For example, the wireless communication module may be a cellular base station module, wi-Fi module, NFC module, bluetooth module, or other suitable wireless communication transceiver system.
The passenger seat pairing system may also include one or more seat function controllers for controlling one or more passenger seat functions associated with a particular passenger seat of a passenger. For example, the seat function controller may be configured to control seat functions, such as controlling an on-board entertainment system (e.g., IFE), an air conditioning system, a seat lighting system, a seat conditioning system, a service call system, and the like. The seat function controller receives instructions (e.g., electronic signals) and controls the seat function based on the instructions.
In one embodiment, the system is configured to pair a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat occupied by a passenger using an electronic boarding pass received by and stored on the personal electronic device. Boarding passes typically include or are associated with the following: the specific passenger seat (e.g., seat number or seat location) of the passenger, as well as passenger information (e.g., passenger name) and itinerary information (e.g., airline number (e.g., flight number), departure date and time, destination, optically readable ticket code (e.g., QR code or bar code), passenger loyalty code or frequent flyer number, etc.). In this case, the on-board management system is configured to receive pairing information from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link, wherein the pairing information includes a passenger seat identifier for identifying a passenger seat of the passenger and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the personal electronic device. The on-board management system is further configured to pair the electronic device to the passenger seat using the pairing information and authorize the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the passenger seat. The term "pairing" and other grammatical forms (e.g., "pairing") refer to a personal electronic device being associated with a passenger seat such that communications received by an on-board management system from the personal electronic device are recognized as being related to the passenger seat and/or to such communications associated with the passenger seat controlling seat functions. In some cases, the seat function is uniquely associated with the passenger seat.
In a boarding pass embodiment, the device pairing software application is configured to program the personal electronic device to receive an electronic boarding pass, determine the passenger seat from the electronic boarding pass, and transmit pairing information including the passenger seat and the personal electronic device identifier to the on-board management system via a wireless communication link. The device pairing software application is further configured to program the personal electronic device to transmit control instructions to control at least one passenger seat function. For example, the application may display a user interface on a display of the personal electronic device for allowing the passenger to control the passenger seat functions. For example, the user interface may be used to control a video entertainment system having an intelligent monitor mounted near a passenger seat in a vehicle. Thus, the user interface may include video selection options and video play controls, such as "play", "fast forward", "rewind", and volume controls, among others. When the passenger interacts with the interface, the personal electronic device transmits instructions for controlling the passenger seat functions based on the passenger's selection on the user interface. The seat function controller then controls the seat function based on the instruction.
In another feature of the system, the seat function controller may be controlled via an on-board management system. For example, the seat function controller may be a separate component from the on-board management system and/or it may include a passenger service system separate from and in communication with the on-board management system. In this case, the instructions transmitted by the personal electronic device may be received by the on-board management system via a wireless communication link. The onboard management system then sends management system instructions to a seat function controller (e.g., passenger service system) that controls the seat functions based on the instructions. In this case, the on-board management system receives the instruction transmitted from the personal electronic device, and then transmits a management system instruction based on the instruction to the seat function controller and/or the personal service system. The seat function controller and/or the passenger service system are configured to receive management system instructions and control the seat function based on the management system instructions received from the onboard management system, wherein the management system instructions received from the onboard management system are based on the control instructions received from the personal electronic device. Alternatively, the seat function controller may be integrated with the on-board management system such that the on-board management system is configured to receive instructions from the personal electronic device and control the seat function based on the instructions.
Alternatively, the instructions transmitted by the personal electronic device may be received directly by the seat function controller.
In another embodiment of the passenger seat pairing system, the passenger inventory is consulted to pair the personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat on the vehicle. The on-board management system is configured to receive and store passenger inventory data including each passenger identity associated with a respective passenger seat of each passenger. The on-board management system is further configured to receive pairing information from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link, including passenger identification data and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the personal electronic device. The on-board management system is configured to use the passenger identification data and the passenger inventory to determine the identity of the passenger on the passenger inventory and the passenger seats assigned to the passenger. Finally, the on-board management system may pair the electronic device to the passenger seat and authorize the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the passenger seat.
The device pairing software application may be similar to the application described in the above embodiments, except that it is configured to program the personal electronic device to access the passenger identification data and transmit pairing information including the passenger identification data and the personal electronic device identifier to the on-board management system via the wireless communication link. The device pairing software application in this embodiment is also configured to program the personal electronic device to transmit control instructions to control at least one passenger seat function, similar or substantially similar to the boarding pass embodiments described above. Alternatively, the device pairing application may be a generic factory-installed application that accesses a website on the onboard management system that allows passengers to enter pairing information.
The passenger inventory embodiments may also include additional features and aspects of the above embodiments, such as various configurations of seat function controllers, inclusion of personal electronic devices, and on-board management systems, seat function controllers, and personal service systems, among others.
In yet another embodiment, a system for pairing a personal electronic device of a passenger with a passenger seat in a vehicle is provided. The system includes an on-board management system for installation in a vehicle, wherein the on-board management system includes a server and a vehicle wireless communication module configured to establish a wireless communication link with a personal electronic device. The on-board management system is further configured to receive and store a passenger inventory including the assigned passenger seats for each passenger and the identity of each passenger. In addition, the web page is provided by the on-board management system and is accessible to the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link for the passenger to communicate to the on-board management system a request to pair the personal electronic device with the seat and passenger identification data.
After the on-board management system receives the request and the passenger identification data, the on-board management system determines whether a passenger seat is assigned to the passenger based on the passenger identification data and the passenger inventory, and if so, pairs the personal electronic device to the assigned passenger seat based on a personal electronic device identifier associated with the communication from the personal electronic device, and authorizes the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the assigned passenger seat.
In yet another embodiment of the passenger seat pairing system, the seat identification device may be used to pair a passenger's personal electronic device with the passenger's seat. The seat identification devices are configured to be positioned adjacent to each passenger seat and are further configured to communicate a passenger seat identification for identifying a particular passenger seat proximate to the respective seat identification device. The passenger seat identification communicated by the passenger seat identification device may be detected by the passenger's personal electronic device. As some examples, the seat identification device may be an NFC terminal, a radio frequency identification tag ("RFID tag"), a bluetooth module, an optically readable code, or the like. Thus, the device pairing software application is configured to program the personal electronic device to receive a radio signal or read an optical code depending on the type of passenger seat identification device.
The on-board management system is configured to receive pairing information from a personal electronic device that includes a passenger seat identifier based on a passenger seat identification obtained from the seat identification device and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the personal electronic device. The on-board management system is configured to pair the personal electronic device to the passenger seat using the pairing information and authorize the personal electronic device to control at least one function associated with the passenger seat.
Further, the device pairing software application is similar to the application of the above embodiments, except that it is configured to program the personal electronic device to detect the passenger seat identification from the passenger seat identification device. Similar to the above, the device pairing software application is configured to program the personal electronic device to transmit pairing information to the on-board management system via the wireless communication link, the pairing information including a passenger seat identifier based on the passenger seat identification from the seat identification device and the personal electronic device identifier. The device pairing software application in this embodiment is also configured to program the personal electronic device to transmit control instructions to control at least one passenger seat function, similar or substantially similar to the boarding pass embodiments described above.
Seat identification device embodiments may also include additional features and aspects of the above-described embodiments, such as, for example, seat function controllers, inclusion of personal electronic devices, and various configurations of on-board management systems, seat function controllers, and passenger service systems.
In yet another embodiment of an on-board passenger seat pairing system for pairing a passenger's personal electronic device with a seat in a vehicle to control seat function, a new light identification displayed on a monitor mounted at the passenger's seat may be used to facilitate pairing. The passenger seat pairing system includes an on-board video system (e.g., IFE system) that includes an on-board management system that is the same or similar to that described above. The on-board video system also has an in-seat display system mounted at the seat. The on-board video system has a video monitor and may also have a computing device for processing audio/video entertainment. The in-seat display system is in operative communication with an on-board video system, such as network communication or bus communication. For example, the vehicle may have a central on-board management system in network communication with an in-seat display system installed at each seat of the vehicle. Alternatively, the on-board management system and the in-seat display system may be integrated together, or there may be an on-board management system installed at each seat and operatively coupled to the respective in-seat display.
The on-board video system is configured to communicate with the monitor and the seat an optical identification that can be captured by an imaging device of the passenger's personal electronic device. The optical signature is a pulse width modulated communication generated by modulating the backlight of the monitor. A system and method for displaying pulse width modulated communications by modulating light (e.g., backlight of a monitor) is described in U.S. patent No. 9,166,810 filed on 24, 5, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example, the optical identifier may encode a binary code corresponding to a seat code associated with the seat. The code is converted into a pulse width modulated flash mode of the backlight, typically in the frequency range from 1kHz to 20 kHz. Optical identification communication has a number of significant advantages over other ways of transmitting seat identification codes. Optical identification communications have a faster response time than many radio frequency communications (e.g., bluetooth communications, and other optical code reading methods (e.g., QR codes, bar codes), etc.). Optical identification communications typically do not require links, pairing, or login using a user name and/or password as required, for example, for bluetooth, wi-Fi, etc.
In this regard, the personal electronic device includes a device pairing software application similar to that described above that programs the personal electronic device to receive the light identification displayed on the monitor using an imaging device (e.g., a camera that captures an image of the light identification) of the personal electronic device. The personal electronic device may process the image of the light identification, including decoding the light identification. The personal electronic device generates an optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification. The personal electronic device then transmits pairing information including the optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification and the personal electronic device identification for identifying the personal electronic device to the on-board video system via the wireless communication link.
The on-board video system is configured to receive pairing information from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link. The on-board video system determines whether the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid. In other words, the on-board video system determines whether the optical identification code corresponds to the optical identification displayed on the monitor. When the optical identification code is valid, then the on-board video system pairs the personal electronic device to the seat and authorizes the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the seat.
Once paired and authorized, the personal electronic device sends control instructions to the on-board management system via the wireless communication link, and the on-board management system controls at least one passenger seat function based on the control instructions received from the personal electronic device. For example, the passenger seat pairing system may include one or more seat function controllers configured to control seat functions, e.g., control an on-board entertainment system (e.g., IFE), an air conditioning system, a seat lighting system, a seat conditioning system, a service call system, and the like. The seat function controller receives control instructions via the on-board video system and controls the seat functions based on the instructions.
In another aspect of the optical identification embodiment, upon receiving an optical identification code corresponding to an optical identification displayed on the monitor, the on-board video system may be configured to prevent any other personal electronic device from pairing to a particular seat using the optical identification. This is a security feature that prevents others from pairing to a particular seat (e.g., an adjacent passenger pointing a camera on his personal electronic device at the first passenger's monitor) using the same optical identification.
In yet another aspect, the optical identification embodiment may also utilize the passenger inventory to verify pairing. In this case, the pairing information sent by the personal electronic device also includes passenger identification data stored by the device pairing software application, such as passenger name (which may be encrypted or converted to a code). Accordingly, the on-board video system also receives passenger identification data from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link. The on-board video system is further configured to store passenger inventory data including each passenger identity associated with the assigned passenger seat of each passenger. The on-board video system then attempts to authenticate the personal electronic device for the passenger paired to the seat before pairing and authorizing the personal electronic device. The on-board video system uses the passenger inventory to determine whether the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to the passenger identity on the passenger inventory and the associated assigned passenger seat. In other words, the system determines whether a personal electronic device attempting to pair to a particular seat belongs to a passenger having an assigned passenger seat. The system is configured to pair the personal electronic device and authorize the personal electronic device to control the seat function only when the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to the passenger identity and the associated assigned passenger seat, i.e., verify the pairing of the personal electronic device to a particular seat by the passenger inventory. If not, pairing is denied.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method for pairing a passenger's personal electronic device with a seat in a vehicle using light identification communication for controlling seat functions. In one embodiment, the method includes displaying a light identification associated with a seat on a monitor mounted at a passenger's seat via pulse width modulated communication generated by modulating a backlight of the monitor. Pairing information is received from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link. The pairing information includes an optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification received by the personal electronic device and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the personal electronic device. It is then determined whether the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid. For example, the validity of the optical identification code may be determined by determining whether the optical identification code matches a seat code corresponding to the seat for which pairing is attempted. When the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is determined to be valid, then the personal electronic device is paired to the seat and is also authorized to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the seat. Pairing and authorization is denied when the optical identification code is invalid.
In further aspects of the method of pairing using optical identification communication, the method may include any of the additional aspects and features of the onboard passenger seat pairing system described herein for utilizing optical identification communication.
In yet another aspect of the invention, any of the passenger seat pairing systems described herein can be installed in a vehicle (e.g., an aircraft, train, automobile, bus, or other vehicle). Furthermore, while the above-described embodiments are applied to pairing a single personal electronic device to a passenger seat of a passenger, typically the system may perform the same function of pairing personal electronic devices to passenger seats for multiple passengers, including until all passengers in a vehicle are paired.
Drawings
The foregoing and other aspects of the embodiments are described in further detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein the description of like elements shall apply to all relevant described embodiments, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for pairing a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat in a vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a system for pairing a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat in a vehicle in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a system for pairing a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat in a vehicle in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a device pairing software application for a personal electronic device;
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for a device pairing software application for a server;
FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for issuing commands to a seat function controller;
FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary web page viewed by a personal electronic device for use with a vehicle as an aircraft;
FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a system for pairing a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat in a vehicle using optical identification communication in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for pairing a personal electronic device to a particular passenger seat in a vehicle using optical identification communication.
Detailed Description
The present invention relates to a system for pairing a passenger's personal electronic device with a passenger seat and controlling the seat functions associated with the passenger seat. Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a passenger seat pairing system 100 is shown. The system 100 includes an on-board management system 102 configured to be installed in a vehicle 101. On-board management system 102 is a computer system for operating various functions on vehicle 101. For example, on-board management system 102 may include an audio/video entertainment system, an on-board internet service system, and/or other on-board electronic systems.
On-board management system 102 includes a server 104, which may be merely a computer or information processing device to service requests from other programs and/or computing devices (i.e., clients). The server 104 includes: one or more computer processors 106, memory 108, one or more storage devices 110 (e.g., hard disk drives or Solid State Drives (SSDs)) for electronically storing digital files, and system software 112 for programming server 104 to perform the functions of on-board management system 102 as described in more detail below.
On-board management system 102 also includes a vehicle wireless communication module 114 in operative communication with server 104 such that server 104 may communicate wirelessly with other devices (e.g., personal electronic device 120). The vehicle wireless communication module 114 may be any suitable wireless communication module, such as a Wi-Fi module, NFC module, bluetooth module, cellular base station module, or other suitable wireless communication transceiver system. Typically, the vehicle wireless communication module 114 is a Wi-Fi module, because almost all personal electronic devices 120 have a Wi-Fi communication module for connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
Alternatively, the vehicle wireless communication module 114 may include a plurality of wireless communication modules, such as a plurality of Wi-Fi modules, NFC modules, or bluetooth modules, distributed throughout the vehicle 101. For example, an NFC module may be provided at each passenger seat 130 within the vehicle 101, or several Wi-Fi or bluetooth modules may be spaced apart throughout the vehicle 101 to provide sufficient signal strength to communicate with personal electronic devices 120 located throughout the vehicle. An aircraft typically includes one or more Wireless Access Points (WAPs). The plurality of vehicle wireless communication modules 114 are each in operative communication with the server 104, for example, via a local area network or other suitable network.
The vehicle wireless communication module 114 is configured to establish a wireless communication link 125 with the personal electronic device 120, for example, a link with a wireless communication module 124 of the personal electronic device 120. The wireless communication module 124 is of the same type as the vehicle wireless communication module 114 and operates in accordance with a communication standard compatible with the vehicle wireless communication module 114 (e.g., wi-Fi, bluetooth, NFC, etc.).
On-board management system 102 is configured, at least in part, by system software 112 programming system 102, to receive pairing information 123 from a personal electronic device via wireless communication link 125. Pairing information 123 includes a passenger seat identifier that identifies the passenger's passenger seat (e.g., seat 130 a) as assigned on the electronic boarding pass accessed by personal electronic device 120. The passenger seat identifier may be an actual seat number or code associated with the passenger seat 130 a. The pairing information also includes a personal electronic device identifier that identifies the personal electronic device that was used to pair with the passenger seat 130 a. For example, the personal electronic device identifier may be a passenger name of a passenger owning the personal electronic device 120, a code generated by the device pairing software application 126 executing on the personal electronic device 120, a serial number or other identification code for the personal electronic device (e.g., a wireless communication address, an international mobile station equipment identification code ("IMEI"), a mobile equipment identification code ("MEID"), a SIM card identifier, a media access control address, etc.).
On-board management system 102 is also configured and programmed to pair personal electronic device 120 with passenger seat 130a identified by a passenger seat identifier using pairing information 123. As defined above, the term "pairing" and other grammatical forms (e.g., "pairing") refer to a personal electronic device being associated with a particular passenger seat 130 such that communications received by the on-board management system 102 from the personal electronic device 120 are recognized as being related to that passenger seat 130 and/or to such communications control seat functions 140 associated with the particular passenger seat 130.
In addition, the onboard administration system 102 authorizes the personal electronic device 120 to control one or more passenger-seat functions 140 associated with the particular passenger seat 130. As some examples, on-board management system 102 may authorize personal electronic device 120 by: receiving instructions 122 from the personal electronic device 120 to control the seating function 140; setting authorization settings within the on-board management system 102, the personal electronic device 120, the seat function 140, and/or the seat function controller 150 to allow the personal electronic device to control the seat function 140; or other suitable manner that allows the personal electronic device 120 to control the passenger seat function 140. When pairing the personal electronic devices 120, the onboard passenger system 102 can write pairing records to the paired personal electronic devices and the passenger seat database 109.
The system 100 also includes a device pairing software application 126 configured to program the personal electronic device 120. The device pairing software application 126 is stored on a non-transitory computer program carrier (e.g., hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD, flash memory or other storage device, etc.). For example, the device pairing software application 126 may be stored on a storage device 172 of an application Store ("App Store") 170 (e.g., an application Store operated by apple corporation under ITUNES trademark, an application Store operated by GOOGLE corporation under GOOGLE PLAY trademark, or an application Store operated by Microsoft Corporation under WINDOWS Store trademark). Alternatively, it may be a web server of web site 170 operated by a vendor of on-board management system 102 (e.g., manufacturer or carrier operating vehicle 101 (e.g., commercial airline, train operator, cruise ship, bus line, etc.)). Device pairing software application 126 can also be stored on-board management system 102, for example, in storage device 110. In any event, the device pairing software application 126 is available for download to the personal electronic device 120. Once downloaded to the personal electronic device 120, the device pairing software application 126 is installed on the personal electronic device 120 and the installed version of the device pairing software application 126 is stored on the personal electronic device 120, for example, in the storage device 162 of the personal electronic device 120.
The device pairing software application 126 is configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to perform the desired functions of the personal electronic device 120 as described below. In this first embodiment of the system 100, the device pairing software application 126 is configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to receive the electronic boarding pass 121, for example, from a carrier operating the vehicle 101 or from a travel agency selling travel tickets associated with the electronic boarding pass 121. The electronic boarding pass 121 generally includes or is associated with the following: the specific passenger seat (e.g., seat number or seat location) of the passenger as well as passenger information (e.g., passenger name) and travel information (e.g., route number (e.g., flight number), departure date and time, destination, optically readable ticket code (e.g., QR code or bar code), passenger loyalty number or frequent flyer number, etc.). The device pairing software application 126 may be configured to receive the electronic boarding pass 121 through authenticated communication with the issuer of the electronic boarding pass 121. For example, the device pairing software application 126 may require the user to provide login credentials (e.g., a user name and/or password), the application 126 transmitting the login credentials to the issuer's internet web server system. The web server system verifies the credentials and only when verified, the web server system sends the electronic boarding pass 121 to the device pairing software application 126 on the personal electronic device 120.
The device pairing software application 126 accesses passenger seat data for identifying the passenger seat from the electronic boarding pass 121. The device pairing software application 126 then transmits the passenger seat identifier, which may be the same passenger seat data accessed from the electronic boarding pass, or which may generate a passenger seat identifier recognizable by the on-board management system 102 based on the passenger seat data accessed from the electronic boarding pass. The application 126 also accesses a personal electronic device identifier, which may be implemented by reading the identifier from the personal electronic device 120 or by generating the personal electronic device identifier.
The device pairing software application 126 is also configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to transmit pairing information 122 including the passenger seat identifier and the personal electronic device identifier to the on-board management system 102 via the wireless communication link 125.
The device pairing software application 126 is also configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to control the passenger seat functions 140. As described more fully below, the passenger seat functions 140 are associated with the passenger seat 301 and may include functions such as: entertainment system 141, intelligent monitor 142, lighting system 143, attendant call system 144, seat adjustment system 145, dining service system 146, telephone service 147, air conditioning system 148, or other functions that are comfortable or convenient for the passengers. The device pairing application 126 includes a seat function control module that allows the passenger to select a particular seat function 140 from a menu of seat functions 140 to control. Upon selection of a desired seating function 140, the application 126 displays a user interface of the selected seating function 140. For example, for entertainment system 141, application 126 displays various control screens on touch screen display 127 of personal electronic device 120. For example, the entertainment options screen may display video programming (e.g., movies, television programming, etc.) and audio programming from which the passenger may select a desired program using the application 126 on the passenger's personal electronic device 120. The application 126 may also include a screen of audio/video controls on the touch screen display 127 (or other user input devices on the personal electronic device 120, e.g., keyboard, joystick, touchpad, mouse, input buttons, etc.) that the passenger may operate to control audio/video playback (e.g., play/pause, fast forward, rewind, volume controls, etc.). The application 126 includes a user interface with one or more control screens for controlling the respective seating functions 140.
The device pairing software application 126 is configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to transmit control instructions 122 for controlling the seat function 140 based on the operation of the passenger on the user interface for the seat function. As described below, the system 100 may be configured in various ways for the instructions 122 transmitted by the personal electronic device 120 to control the seating function 140.
In one aspect, system 100 is configured to have personal electronic device 120 transmit control instructions 122 to on-board management system 102 via wireless communication link 125. The onboard management system 102 is configured to receive the control instructions 122 from the personal electronic device 120 and then transmit the management system instructions to the seat function controller 150 for the particular seat function 140 being controlled or directly to the particular seat function 140 (e.g., the seat function 140 may have an integrated seat function controller or may not require a seat function controller). In another aspect, the seat function controller 150 may be integrated with the on-board management system 102 or the seat function controller 150 may be separate from the on-board management system 102. In the event that the onboard management system sends management system instructions to the seat function controller 150, then the seat function controller 150 controls the seat function 140 based on the management system instructions. The management system instructions may be the same control signals as control instructions 122 or they may be different signals generated by on-board management system 102 based on control instructions 122.
In another manner of controlling the seat function 140 from the personal electronic device 120, the personal electronic device 120 and the seat function 140 and/or the seat function controller 150 may be configured to establish the seat function wireless communication link 129 directly between the personal electronic device 120 and the seat function 140 and/or the seat function controller 150. The seat function wireless communication link 129 may use any suitable wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi, NFC, bluetooth, cellular, etc. In this case, the seat function 140 and/or the seat function controller 150 includes a wireless communication module 149 and a wireless communication module 159, respectively.
Each seat function 140 may be operatively coupled to a respective seat function controller 150 that controls the seat function 140. For example, the system 102 may have an entertainment system controller 151, a lighting system controller 152, an intelligent monitor controller 153, a seat adjustment controller 154, an attendant call controller 155, a dining service controller 156, a telephone system controller 157, an air conditioning system controller 158, and other controllers 150 for any other seating functions 140. Each seat function 140 may have a dedicated seat function controller 150, or multiple or even all of the seat functions 140 may be controlled by a single seat function controller 150. In other words, two or more seat function controllers 150 may be integrated into a single seat function controller 150. For example, the passenger service system 161 may be a seat function controller 150 for a plurality of seat functions 140 (e.g., attendant calls 144, dining services 146, and entertainment systems 149).
As described above, the personal electronic device 120 is not necessarily an element of the system 100, but in some embodiments, the personal electronic device 120 may be an element of the system 100. The personal electronic device 120 may be any suitable electronic device that is portable enough that a passenger may carry it to the vehicle and use it at the passenger's seat 130. The electronic device 120 must also be configured to communicate wirelessly with the on-board management system 102 using the wireless communication module 124 and/or, in some embodiments, with the seat function 140 and/or the seat function controller 150. As some examples, personal electronic device 120 may be a mobile/cellular telephone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a laptop computer, or other suitable handheld or portable electronic device. Personal electronic device 120 includes a processor 128, memory 160 (e.g., RAM, DRAM, ROM, etc.), storage device 162 (e.g., hard drive, flash memory, SSD, etc.), and display 127 (e.g., LCD display, LED display, OLED display, etc.), input device 127 (e.g., touch screen, mouse, touch pad, keyboard, buttons, etc.). In addition to the wireless communication module 124, the personal electronic device 120 may also include a wireless communication module 164, such as an NFC module, a Bluetooth module, a cellular base station module, a Wi-Fi module, and the like. The personal electronic device 120 may be configured and programmed by the device pairing software application 126 to perform functions as described herein.
Turning now to fig. 2, a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a passenger pairing system 200 is shown. In the embodiment of fig. 2, the passenger inventory 105 accessed and stored by the onboard administration system 102 is used to pair the personal electronic device 120 to a particular passenger seat 130a on the vehicle 101. The system 200 is similar to the system 100 described above and includes many of the same components having the same or similar configurations and functions. Accordingly, unless not indicated or otherwise described, descriptions of elements in system 100 having like reference numbers to system 200 are applicable to system 200. Accordingly, on-board management system 102 is configured, at least in part, by software program 112 to receive and store passenger inventory 105. The passenger list 105 includes, for each journey on the vehicle 101, a passenger identity associated with the passenger's assigned passenger seat 130 for that journey. On-board management system 102 may receive passenger inventory 105 by any suitable means (e.g., by electronically downloading from an operator operating the vehicle via a communication network or transmitting data from a storage device (e.g., flash drive, CD, DVD, storage disk, SSD, etc.) or other system on-board vehicle 101). On-board management system 102 stores passenger inventory 105 on storage device 110.
On-board management system 102 is also configured, at least in part, by software program 112 programming system 102, to receive pairing information 122 from personal electronic device 120 via wireless communication link 125. Pairing information 122 includes passenger identification data (e.g., passenger name, identification card number, or other data that may be cross-referenced with the identity of the passenger on the passenger list) as well as a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the particular personal electronic device 120 paired to the passenger seat 130a. This is similar to system 100, except that the pairing information includes passenger identification data instead of a passenger seat identifier. The personal electronic device identifier may be as described above with respect to system 100.
On-board management system 102 is configured to use the passenger identification data to determine the identity of the passenger on passenger list 105. For example, on-board management system 102 may be configured to search for and identify a passenger identity that matches or best matches passenger identification data received in pairing information 122. Because the passenger identity is associated with the passenger seat 130a on the passenger inventory 105, the on-board management system 102 also uses the passenger inventory 105 to determine the passenger seat 130a assigned to the passenger.
As described above for system 100, on-board management system 102 is also configured and programmed to pair personal electronic device 120 to passenger seat 130a and authorize personal electronic device 120 to control one or more passenger seat functions 140 associated with a particular passenger seat 130 a.
The device pairing software application 126 of the system 200 is similar to the application 126 of the system 100, except that the device pairing software application 126 of the system 200 is configured to transmit pairing information 122 that includes passenger identification data instead of a passenger seat identifier. Thus, the device pairing software application 126 is configured to access passenger identification data. The device pairing software application 126 can access the passenger identification data by any suitable method, for example, the passenger entering passenger personal information data (e.g., passenger name, passenger identification information (e.g., user name, identification card number)), which can itself be used by the on-board management system 102 to match and identify the identity of the passenger on the passenger inventory 105, or the device pairing software application 126 can analyze and/or process the passenger personal information data to access and/or generate the passenger identification data. For example, the passenger may enter a name and/or other personal information into the device pairing software application 126 and register a user name and password. Then, when the passenger wishes to pair the personal electronic device 120, the application 126 asks the passenger to log in using the user name and password. Then, when the user name and password are authenticated by the device pairing software application 126, the application 126 accesses the passenger identification data and transmits pairing information to the on-board management system 102. Alternatively, the device pairing software application 126 can be configured the same or similar to that described for the system 100. As described above, the application 126 obtains the electronic boarding pass 121, and then accesses passenger identification data (e.g., passenger name, etc.) from the electronic boarding pass 121.
Other features of the system 200 are the same as described above for the system 100, including but not limited to the personal electronic device 120, the seat function 140, the seat function controller 150, and its configuration and operation for controlling the seat function 140.
Referring now to fig. 3, a schematic diagram of yet another embodiment of a passenger pairing system 300 is shown. In the embodiment of fig. 3, the seat identification device 131 is used to pair the personal electronic device 120 to a particular passenger seat 130 of a passenger. Likewise, system 300 is similar to systems 100 and 200 described above and includes many of the same components having the same or similar configurations and functions. Accordingly, unless not otherwise indicated, descriptions of elements of systems 100 and 200 having like reference numbers to system 300 apply to system 300.
In the system 300, the seat identification devices 131a, 131b, 131c, and 131d are configured to be positioned adjacent to each of the passenger seats 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d, respectively. The seat identification devices 131 are configured to communicate a passenger seat identification for identifying a particular passenger seat in the vicinity of the respective seat identification device 131. For example, the seat identification device may be an NFC terminal, a radio frequency identification tag ("RFID" tag), a Bluetooth module, an optically readable code, or other suitable device that may be detected by the personal electronic device 120. Preferably, the passenger seat identifications communicated by a particular passenger seat identification device 131 may be individually detected by the personal electronic device 120 without detecting other identifications from other passenger seat identification devices 131. This can be achieved by: the passenger seat identification device 131 is configured to transmit the seat identification only within a very small proximity such that the personal electronic device 120 must be placed very close to the device 131 in order to receive the passenger seat identification, or the passenger seat identification device 131 is configured to transmit the seat identification only when an input is received for transmission (e.g., a tap from the personal electronic device 120 or a button).
In system 300, on-board management system 102 is configured, at least in part, through software program 112, to receive pairing information 122 from personal electronic device 120 via wireless communication link 125. The pairing information 122 includes a passenger seat identifier based on the passenger seat identification obtained from the seat identification device 131 and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the particular personal electronic device 120 paired to the passenger seat 130 a. This is similar to system 100, except that the passenger seat identifier is based on a passenger seat identification obtained from a seat identification device other than electronic boarding pass 121. The personal electronic device identifier may be as described above with respect to system 100.
As described above for system 100, on-board management system 102 is also configured and programmed to pair personal electronic device 120 to passenger seat 130a using pairing information 122 and authorize personal electronic device 120 to control one or more passenger seat functions 140 associated with a particular passenger seat 130 a.
The device pairing software application 126 for the system 300 is similar to the application 126 of the system 100, except that the device pairing software application 126 for the system 300 is further configured to detect a passenger seat identification from the seat identification device 131 and then transmit a passenger seat identifier based on the passenger seat identification from the seat identification device 131 to the on-board management system 102 via the wireless communication link 125. Thus, the device pairing software application 126 is configured to program the personal electronic device 120 to detect the passenger seat identification from the seat identification device 131. In the case where the seat identification device 131 transmits a radio signal, the personal electronic device 120 and the application 126 are configured to receive the radio signal and obtain the passenger seat identification. For an optically readable seat identification device 131, the personal electronic device 120 has a camera or other optical sensor for detecting the device 131 and obtaining the passenger seat identification. For example, for a QR code or bar code, the personal electronic device and/or application 126 includes a code reader program for reading the code. The device pairing software application 126 then processes the passenger seat identification into a passenger seat identifier (which may be the same or different than the passenger seat identification) that is transmitted to the on-board management system 102.
The system 300 may also be configured to authenticate the pairing of the personal electronic device 120 with the passenger seat 130a, for example, by verifying the pairing using the passenger list 105 and/or the electronic boarding pass 121. The device pairing software application 126 is also configured to access passenger seat data identifying the assigned passenger seat assigned to the passenger. For example, as described above for system 100, the device pairing software application may obtain the assigned passenger seat from an electronic boarding pass received by personal electronic device 120. The device pairing software application 126 transmits the assigned passenger seat identifiers identifying the assigned passenger seats to the on-board management system 102 via the wireless communication link 125. The on-board management system is further configured to receive the assigned passenger seat identifier and determine whether the assigned passenger seat matches a passenger seat associated with the passenger seat identifier. The onboard administration system 102 is then configured to pair the personal electronic device 120 to the passenger seat only if the passenger seat matches the assigned passenger seat, and/or to authorize the personal electronic device to control the seat function 140 associated with the passenger seat.
Another way to authenticate the pairing uses the passenger list 105. The device pairing software application 126 is also configured to access passenger identification data as described above for the system 200. The device pairing software application 126 transmits the passenger identification data to the on-board management system via a wireless communication link. As described above for system 200, on-board management system 102 is further configured to receive and store passenger inventory data including each passenger identity associated with each passenger's respective assigned passenger seat. Also as described above for system 200, on-board management system 102 receives the passenger identification data and uses the passenger identification data to determine the identity of the passenger on the passenger inventory. The onboard management system then determines whether the assigned passenger seat matches the passenger seat associated with the passenger seat identifier. The on-board management system 102 is configured to pair the personal electronic device 120 to the passenger seat only if the passenger seat matches the assigned passenger seat, and/or to authorize the personal electronic device to control the seat function 140 associated with the passenger seat.
Other features of the system 300 are the same as those described above for the systems 100 and 200, including but not limited to the personal electronic device 120, the seat function 140, the seat function controller 150, and their configuration and operation for controlling the seat function 140.
Referring now to fig. 8, a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a passenger pairing system 800 is shown. The passenger seat pairing system 800 illustrated in fig. 8 utilizes optical identification communication to pair the passenger's personal electronic device 120 to the passenger's particular passenger seat 130. Likewise, system 800 is similar to system 100, system 200, and system 300 described above, and includes many of the same components having the same or similar configurations and functions. Accordingly, unless incompatible or otherwise described, descriptions of elements in system 100, system 200, and system 300 having the same reference numerals as system 800 may be applied to system 800.
Each in-seat display system 804 includes a computing device 806 and a monitor 808 (e.g., LCD, LED, OLED or other display) and an audio output interface for outputting audio (e.g., to a headphone jack) operatively coupled to the computing device. For example, the in-seat display system 804 may be an intelligent monitor having a computing device 806 and a monitor 808.
The on-board management system 102 and the in-seat display system 804 are in operative communication with each other, for example, via a communication network (e.g., ethernet, wi-Fi network, wireless USB network, etc.) or a data bus communication. In the embodiment shown in fig. 8, the on-board management system 102 may be a central management system in network communication with each in-seat display system 804 installed at each seat 130. Alternatively, the on-board management system 102 and the in-seat display system 804 may be integrated. For example, the smart monitor may include and perform all of the functions of the on-board management system 102 and the in-seat display system. In yet another alternative embodiment, the on-board video system 802 may include an on-board management system 102 mounted at each seat and operatively coupled to a respective in-seat display system 804.
The on-board video system 802 is configured to pair the personal electronic device 120 of the passenger to the seat of the passenger on the vehicle using optical identification communication and to allow the personal electronic device 120 to control at least one seat function of the seat. An on-board video system 802, including the on-board management system 102 and an in-seat display system, is configured to display on a monitor 808 an optical identifier (e.g., a flashing pulse width modulation pattern) associated with a particular seat 130 paired with the personal electronic device 120. The optical signature is a pulse width modulated communication generated by modulating the backlight of monitor 808. The light identification may be captured by the imaging device 166 of the personal electronic device 120. As described above, a system and method for displaying pulse width modulated communications by modulating light (e.g., backlight of a monitor) is described in U.S. patent No. 9,166,810 filed on 5/24/2013.
In one embodiment, the on-board video system 802 assigns a seat code associated with the seat 130. The on-board video system 802 converts the seat code to a binary code corresponding to the seat code associated with the seat and then converts the binary code to a pulse width modulated blinking pattern of the backlight of the monitor 808, typically in the frequency range of 1kHz to 20 kHz. This optical identification transmission of the pairing code has significant advantages over the alternative way of transmitting the seat identification code. Optical identification communications have a faster response time than many radio frequency communications (e.g., bluetooth communications) and other optical code reading methods (e.g., QR codes, bar codes, etc.). Optical identification communications typically do not require any linking, pairing, or login using a user name and/or password (e.g., as required for bluetooth, wi-Fi, etc.).
The personal electronic device 120 is similar to the personal electronic device 120 described above, except that the device pairing software application 126 also programs the personal electronic device 120 for optical identification pairing. The personal electronic device 120 is configured, at least in part, through the device pairing software application 126, to receive the optical identification displayed on the monitor 808 using the camera 166 (or other imaging device) of the personal electronic device 120. When the light indicia is displayed on monitor 808, camera 166 captures one or more images of the light indicia. The personal electronic device 120 processes one or more images of the light identification, including decoding the light identification. For example, the device pairing software application 126 may decode the light-identified image and determine the binary code used by the on-board video system 802 to generate the light identification. The personal electronic device 120 generates an optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification (e.g., corresponding to the decoded binary code). Personal electronic device 120 then transmits pairing information to on-board video system 802 via wireless communication link 125 that includes the optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification and the personal electronic device identifier for identifying personal electronic device 120.
The on-board video system 802 receives pairing information from the personal electronic device 120 via the wireless communication link 125. The on-board video system 802 then processes the pairing information, including determining whether the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid, and also identifying the seat associated with the optical identification code. On-board video system 802 determines whether the optical identification code corresponds to an optical identification displayed on a monitor. In the case where the optical identification code transmitted by the personal electronic device 120 is a binary code derived from decoding the optical identification, validity may be determined by simply checking whether the optical identification code matches the original binary code. If the light identification code is some other code that is generated from the processing of one or more images of the light identification, the on-board video system 802 decodes the light identification code and determines if it matches the seat code used to generate the light identification. The on-board video system 802 identifies the seat 130 associated with the optical identification code by looking up to determine which seat is associated with the decoded optical identification code.
When the on-board video system 802 determines that the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid, then the on-board video system pairs the personal electronic device to the seat as described above and authorizes the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the seat.
Once the personal electronic device 120 is paired and authorized for the seat 130, the on-board video system 802 allows the personal electronic device 120 to control the seat function 140. The personal electronic device 120 uses the device pairing software application 126 to send control instructions to the on-board video system 802 via a wireless communication link, and the on-board video system 802 receives the control instructions and controls one or more seating functions in accordance with the control instructions. As described above, the passenger seat pairing system 800 can include one or more seat function controllers 150 configured to control the seat functions 140.
As described above, the system 800 may also be configured to authenticate/verify pairing of the personal electronic device 120 with the passenger seat 130 using the electronic boarding pass 121. The on-board video system 802 or the management system 102 is then configured to pair the personal electronic device 120 to the passenger seat 130 only when the passenger seat 130 matches the assigned passenger seat, and/or to authorize the personal electronic device to control the seat function 140 associated with the passenger seat 130.
The system 800 may also be configured to authenticate/verify a pairing using the passenger inventory 105 to verify the pairing, similar to the passenger inventory verification described above with respect to the system 300. Pairing information sent by the personal electronic device 120 also includes passenger identification data (e.g., passenger name (which may be encrypted or converted to a code)) stored by the device pairing software application 126. Accordingly, the on-board video system 802 also receives passenger identification data from the personal electronic device 120 via the wireless communication link 125. The on-board video system 802 stores passenger inventory data 105 including each passenger identity associated with each passenger's assigned passenger seat. The on-board video system 802 then attempts to authenticate the personal electronic device 120 for the passenger paired to the seat 130 before pairing and authorizing the personal electronic device. The on-board video system 802 uses the passenger inventory 105 to determine whether the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to the passenger identity on the passenger inventory 105 and the associated assigned passenger seat. The on-board video system 802 is configured to pair the personal electronic device 120 and authorize the personal electronic device 120 to control the seat function 140 only when the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to the passenger identity and the associated assigned passenger seat (i.e., the pairing of the personal electronic device with a particular seat is verified by the passenger inventory). If not, the pairing is refused.
The on-board video system 802 may also have a security feature that prevents more than one personal electronic device from pairing to a particular seat. The on-board video system 802 is configured to prevent or inhibit any other personal electronic device from pairing to a particular seat using the light identification after receiving the light identification code corresponding to the light identification displayed on the monitor 808 from the first personal electronic device 120. This prevents others (e.g., adjacent passengers or people looking across the shoulders of passengers) from pointing the camera of their personal electronic device at monitor 808 and attempting to pair to a particular seat using the same light identification. Furthermore, each optical identifier is unique and can be used only once. The unique optical identifier may be generated by known techniques, such as by employing a timestamp in combination with other information (e.g., a seat number, an IP address, or a MAC number of the computing device), by way of illustrative and non-limiting example.
Turning to fig. 9, a method 900 for pairing a personal electronic device 120 to a passenger seat 130 and authorizing the personal electronic device 120 to control a seat function 140 for the passenger seat 130 using the system 800 will now be described. It should be appreciated that methods 400 and 500 for the operations of the personal electronic device 120 and the on-board management system 102 described above may be performed within the method 900.
In step 902, the in-seat video system 802 assigns a seat code corresponding to a particular passenger seat 130. At step 904, the on-board video system 802 generates an optical identification pattern (e.g., binary code) corresponding to the seat code. At step 906, the on-board video system displays the optical identification on a monitor 808 of the in-seat display system 804. At step 908, the personal electronic device 120 captures an image of the light identification using the camera 166. At step 910, the personal electronic device 120 decodes the optical identification captured in the image and generates an optical identification code using the decoded optical identification. At step 912, personal electronic device 120 sends pairing information, including the optical identification code and the personal electronic device identifier, to on-board video system 802 via wireless communication link 125.
In step 914, the on-board video system 802 receives pairing information sent from the personal electronic device 120 via the wireless communication link 125. At step 914, on-board video system 802 determines whether the optical identification code is valid. If the optical identification code is valid, the on-board video system 802 pairs the personal electronic device 120 to the seat 130 and authorizes the personal electronic device 120 to control the seat control function 140 of the seat 130 at step 916. If the optical identification code is invalid, the on-board video system 802 may display an error message on the monitor 808. At step 920, the method 900 may optionally use boarding pass and/or passenger inventory authentication/verification processing prior to step 918.
At step 922, the on-board video system prevents any other personal electronic device 120 from attempting to pair to the seat 130 using the light identifier displayed on the monitor 808.
At step 924, the personal electronic device 120 sends control instructions for controlling the seat function 140 for the seat 130 to the on-board video system 802 via the wireless communication link 125. In step 926, the on-board video system 802 receives control instructions from the personal electronic device 120 via the wireless communication link 125. In step 928, the on-board video system 802 controls the seat function 140 based on control instructions received from the personal electronic device 120.
In another aspect, any of systems 100, 200, and/or 300 may be configured to be responsible for exchanging passengers from his/her assigned passenger seat listed on boarding passes or in a passenger inventory or for assigning passengers to incorrect seats. In one embodiment, on-board management system 102 further includes cabin attendant terminal 107 and a cabin software application (which may be integrated with software program 112 or a separate application) that displays a cabin attendant user interface for viewing registered (e.g., paired) personal electronic devices 120 and optionally paired passenger seats. The cabin software application is configured to allow authorized crews to select registered personal electronic devices and pair and authorize the personal electronic devices to specific passenger seats. The cabin software application may also be configured to allow authorized crews to override the authentication described above such that the passenger's personal electronic devices may be paired and authorized to passenger seats other than the passenger's assigned passenger seats.
Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method 400 of operation of the device pairing software application 126 for the personal electronic device 120. After the application 126 is started or launched as indicated by the start marker 402, the application waits for a pairing request in block 404. If no pairing request is received, as shown in decision 406, the application continues to wait for the input of a request. The wait process described herein may be a polling process, so the logic checks for receipt of pairing requests at predetermined intervals, or the wait process described herein may be event driven.
If a pairing request is received, processing logic thereafter queries whether the necessary information is available and valid, as shown in decision 408. Preferably, the electronic ticket has been transferred to the personal electronic device 120 from which the software application 126 has extracted the necessary information, such as seat number, flight or route number, confirmation number and identifying passenger information.
If the necessary information is not available or invalid, the software application 126 requests information from the passenger in block 410. The passenger may read a bar code or Quick Response (QR) code on the print ticket using a camera device on the personal electronic device 120 to provide the missing information. Alternatively, the user may input information into an input field presented by the software application 126 manually or using voice input. As yet another alternative, the passenger may place the personal electronic device 120 within range of the NFC terminal at the seat to provide the seat number to the software application 126. Instead of NFC terminals, the seat information may be via bluetooth communication, RFID tag or Apple iBeacon at the passenger's seat TM Is transferred to the personal electronic device. After the information is entered in block 410, the logic again determines whether the necessary information is available and valid as shown in decision 408. If the necessary information is available and valid, the logic sends the necessary information to the server 104 of the on-board management system 102, as shown in process block 412.
Thereafter, the logic waits to receive authorization approval from the server 104 in block 415. If approval is received as indicated in decision indicia 416, the software application 126 displays controls for interacting with the seat function controller 140 or 150 and transmitting commands to the seat function controller 140 or 150 as indicated in block 418. The control commands may be transmitted directly from the personal electronic device 120 to the seat function controller 140 or 150 or first to the on-board management system 102, which in turn sends the appropriate commands to the seat function controller 140 or 150. Alternatively, after receiving authorization for pairing, the display control may be executed by another software application, as well as transmitting the command.
As shown at decision 420, the software application 126 continues to check whether the authorization has been revoked. On some airlines, a passenger may wish to swap to another seat and the vehicle attendant may cause the server 104 to revoke previous authorization. The check for revocation may be in the form of monitoring revocation messages from the server 104 or applications running on the seat function controller 140 or 150. If the authorization is revoked, the software application 126 displays a message to notify the passenger, as shown in block 422. Thereafter, the logic returns to block 404 to await another pairing request. If the authorization has not been revoked, the software application 126 continues to display controls and transmit commands entered by the passenger. Authorization is typically revoked when a journey or flight is completed and the seat is made available to another passenger. As described herein with respect to fig. 4-6, waiting or monitoring may be performed by polling at predetermined intervals or as an event-driven process.
Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method 500 for operation of the device pairing software application 177 of the server 104. After the application 126 is launched or started as indicated by the start marker 502, the application waits for a pairing request in block 504. The pairing request may come from a device pairing software application 126 installed on the personal electronic device 120. Alternatively, the pairing request may be submitted via a web page 700 as shown in fig. 7.
In particular, on-board management system 102 preferably provides web page 700 for passengers who do not have device pairing software application 126 installed on their personal electronic devices. Fig. 7 shows an exemplary web page 700 for a particular case in which the vehicle is an aircraft. The passenger may access the web page 700 using a browser on his personal electronic device 120 to enter the passenger identification. Because web page 700 is provided by on-board management system 102, the on-board management system may access data indicating the flight number, departure place, destination, and other information, and may display some of this information on web page 700. The passenger enters their identification information into the data entry fields 702, 704, 706, and/or 708 of the web page 700 and submits the data via the input/submit field 710 or by pressing a return or carriage return on the keypad. The logic of fig. 5 operated by the on-board management system accepts the submitted data as passenger identification information and pairing request.
Returning to FIG. 5, if no pairing request is received, the device pairing application 177 of the server 104 continues to wait for the input of a request, as shown in decision 506. If a pairing request is received, the logic next queries whether the request is from a passenger, as shown at decision 508, rather than from a vehicle attendant. If the pairing request is from a passenger, then the logic queries whether the number of the seat requesting pairing matches the passenger's information, as shown at decision 510. If the information available to server 104 indicates that the requested seat is assigned to another passenger for the journey or flight, then the logic communicates a message to the passenger as shown in block 512. Thereafter, the logic returns to block 504 to wait for another pairing request.
If a seat is assigned to the passenger, i.e., the information matches, the software application 177 of the server 104 authorizes the pairing in block 513. This is also the case if the pairing request is submitted by a vehicle attendant. As previously mentioned, a passenger may wish to change seats. The vehicle attendant can adapt to this situation by entering a pairing request to override the information in the server 104 that a different passenger has been assigned to the seat. The crew member may enter the request through a crew panel in communication with the server 104 or through a mobile device available to only the crew member of the vehicle in communication with the server 104. Alternatively, the mobile device may be a personal electronic device 120 operated by a crew member, but which is installed with a software application available only to the crew member.
As shown in decision block 514, the server software application 177 monitors when the journey or flight is completed. If the flight is complete, authorization for the pairing is revoked in block 516. As previously discussed, the authorization is typically revoked upon completion of the journey or flight and the seat made available to another passenger. Otherwise, the server software application 177 continues to monitor the completion of the travel or flight and additional pairing requests. The revocation of authorization upon completion of a journey or flight may alternatively be implemented as a manual command entered by a flight attendant.
Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow chart for issuing commands to the seat function controller 140 or 150. The flow chart is for logic that may be executed by the server 104, the seat function controllers 140 and 150, or both. After the software application is started or started as indicated by start marker 602, the logic waits for a command from the personal electronic device 120 in block 604. The command may be received directly from the personal electronic device 120 or indirectly through the server 104.
Thereafter, in decision block 606, logic determines whether the command is from a personal electronic device paired with the seat. For example, the logic accesses the database 109 of the server 104 to determine with which seat the personal electronic device 120 is paired. If the personal electronic device 120 that initiated the command is not paired with the seat, the command is denied in block 608. This may include informing the personal electronic device 120 that the command has been denied.
If the personal electronic device 120 is paired with the seat, the command is transmitted or executed as shown in block 610. For example, logic may be executed on the smart monitor 149 or 159, where the smart monitor may directly execute the command, e.g., pause video playback if the command is for pausing video playback. Alternatively, the logic may be executed by the server 104, with the server 104 transmitting appropriate commands, for example, to the seat function 140 or controller 150, for example, for seat adjustment. As yet another alternative, if the logic of fig. 6 is executed on the seat function controller 140 or 150, the command may be sent directly from the personal electronic device 120 to the seat function controller 140 or 150.
While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that the above description is not intended to limit the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and variations of many aspects of the invention have been disclosed and described herein, such disclosure is provided for purposes of illustration and description only. Accordingly, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, not all of the components described in the embodiments are required, and the invention may include any suitable combination of the described components, and the general shape and relative dimensions of the components of the invention may be modified. Accordingly, the embodiments are intended to illustrate alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited, except as by the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (18)
1. A system for pairing a personal electronic device PED of a passenger with a seat in a vehicle and controlling seat functions for the seat, the system comprising:
an on-board video system configured to be installed in a vehicle, the on-board video system comprising an on-board management system and an in-seat display system in network communication with the on-board management system;
The on-board management system has a server and a vehicle wireless communication module configured to establish a wireless communication link with the personal electronic device;
the in-seat display system has a video monitor mounted at a seat in the vehicle;
wherein the on-board video system is configured to: using the monitor to communicate an optical identification associated with the seat via pulse width modulated communications generated by modulating a backlight of the monitor; receiving pairing information from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link, the pairing information comprising: 1) An optical identification code generated by the personal electronic device based on an optical identification received by an imaging device of the personal electronic device, the optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification; and 2) a personal electronic device identifier that identifies the personal electronic device; and determining whether the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid, and
wherein the on-board video system is further configured to:
receiving passenger identification data from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link;
Storing passenger inventory data including each passenger identity associated with a respective assigned passenger seat;
determining, using the passenger inventory data, whether the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to a passenger identity and an associated assigned passenger seat; and is also provided with
Pairing the personal electronic device to the seat and authorizing the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the seat only if 1) the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the light identification correspond to a passenger identity and an associated assigned passenger seat, and 2) a light identification code received from the personal electronic device is determined to be valid.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical identification corresponds to a seating code associated with the seat and the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is a cursor-to-seating code conversion received by the personal electronic device, and the on-board video system determines whether the optical identification code is valid by determining whether the optical identification code matches the seating code.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board video system is configured to prevent any other personal electronic device from pairing to the seat using the optical identification after receiving the optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification from the first personal electronic device.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board video system is configured to assign a seat code to the seat and generate the optical identification based on the seat code.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
a device pairing software application stored on a non-transitory computer program carrier and configured to program the personal electronic device to receive the optical identification using an imaging device on the personal electronic device, convert the optical identification into an optical identification code, transmit pairing information including the optical identification code and the personal electronic device identifier to the on-board management system via the wireless communication link, and transmit control instructions to control the at least one passenger seat function.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a seat function controller mounted in the vehicle and configured to control the at least one passenger seat function based on control instructions transmitted from the personal electronic device.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the seat function controller comprises a passenger service system in communication with the on-board management system, the passenger service system configured to control the at least one passenger seat function based on management system instructions received from the on-board management system, wherein the management system instructions are based on control instructions received from the personal electronic device.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitor is an intelligent monitor configured to perform at least one passenger seat function based on control instructions transmitted from the personal electronic device.
9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a personal electronic device of the passenger, the personal electronic device having: a processor; a memory; a storage device; an image forming apparatus; a wireless communication module configured to establish a wireless communication link with the on-board management system; and a device pairing software application installed on the personal electronic device and configured to program the personal electronic device to receive the optical identification using the imaging device, convert the optical identification into an optical identification code, transmit pairing information including the optical identification code and the personal electronic device identifier to the on-board management system via the wireless communication link, and transmit control instructions to control the at least one passenger seat function.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board video system is further configured to control seat functions based on control instructions received from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one seating function comprises at least two or more of: an on-board entertainment system, an air conditioning system, a lighting system, a telephone communication system, an on-board dining service request system, an attendant call system, a passenger status system, and a seat adjustment system.
12. A method for pairing a personal electronic device PED of a passenger with a seat in a vehicle and controlling seat functions for the seat, the method comprising:
passing an optical identification associated with a seat of the passenger from a monitor via pulse width modulated communication generated by modulating a backlight of the monitor installed at the seat;
receiving pairing information from the personal electronic device via a wireless communication link, the pairing information including an optical identification code corresponding to an optical identification received by the personal electronic device and a personal electronic device identifier for identifying the personal electronic device;
Determining whether an optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is valid;
receiving passenger identification data from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link;
storing passenger inventory data including each passenger identity associated with a respective assigned passenger seat;
determining, using the passenger inventory data, whether the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the optical identification correspond to a passenger identity and an associated assigned passenger seat; and
pairing the personal electronic device to the seat and authorizing the personal electronic device to control at least one passenger seat function associated with the seat only if 1) the passenger identification data and the seat associated with the light identification correspond to a passenger identity and an associated assigned passenger seat, and 2) a light identification code received from the personal electronic device is determined to be valid.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the optical identification corresponds to a seat code associated with the seat and the optical identification code received from the personal electronic device is a cursor received by the personal electronic device to seat code conversion, and determining whether the optical identification code is valid comprises determining whether the optical identification code matches the seat code.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
after pairing the personal electronic device to the seat, any other personal electronic device is prevented from being paired to the seat using the cursor.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
after receiving the optical identification code corresponding to the optical identification from the first personal electronic device, any other personal electronic device is prevented from pairing to the seat using the optical identification.
16. The method of claim 12, further comprising: a seat code is assigned to the seat and the optical identification is generated based on the seat code.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving control instructions from the personal electronic device via the wireless communication link; and
the at least one passenger seat function is controlled based on control instructions received from the personal electronic device.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one seating function comprises at least two or more of: an on-board entertainment system, an air conditioning system, a lighting system, a telephone communication system, an on-board dining service request system, an attendant call system, a passenger status system, and a seat adjustment system.
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| ES2969587T3 (en) * | 2019-09-03 | 2024-05-21 | Esmart Tech Sa | Device pairing system and methods |
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- 2018-03-06 DE DE102018105113.1A patent/DE102018105113A1/en active Pending
- 2018-03-13 CN CN202310655386.9A patent/CN116567272A/en active Pending
- 2018-03-13 CN CN201810204866.2A patent/CN108569409B/en active Active
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0149444A2 (en) * | 1984-01-04 | 1985-07-24 | VOEST-ALPINE Aktiengesellschaft | Apparatus for the aeration of rotten material |
| CN1451123A (en) * | 2000-07-07 | 2003-10-22 | 牟恒善 | Interactive data Transmission system |
| WO2015124446A1 (en) * | 2014-02-18 | 2015-08-27 | Latecoere | Method and system for transmitting data in an aircraft |
| EP3096522A1 (en) * | 2015-05-19 | 2016-11-23 | Panasonic Avionics Corporation | Wireless content loader for entertainment system |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN116567272A (en) | 2023-08-08 |
| DE102018105113A1 (en) | 2018-09-13 |
| CN108569409A (en) | 2018-09-25 |
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