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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
CONNECTOR DEVICE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2022/123245
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A connector device for connection to an inflight passenger entertainment, IFE, system which comprises a connector arranged to be coupled with a counterpart connector of the IFE system, and an air-interface transceiver for bi-directional over-air communication, such as Bluetooth, with a personal electronic device, FED.

Inventors:
WRIGHT JOHN (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB2021/053214
Publication Date:
June 16, 2022
Filing Date:
December 08, 2021
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
IFPL GROUP LTD (GB)
International Classes:
B64D11/00; H04L67/12; H04N21/214; H04N21/41; H04N21/414; H04N21/4363; H04W12/50
Foreign References:
US20170182957A12017-06-29
US20180091843A12018-03-29
US10433262B12019-10-01
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
BARKER BRETTELL LLP (GB)
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Claims:
CLAIMS 1. A connector device for connection to an inflight passenger entertainment, IFE, system which comprises a connector arranged to be coupled with a counterpart connector of the IFE system, and an air-interface transceiver for bi-directional over-air communication with a personal electronic device, PED. 2. The connector device of claim 1 which is arranged to be connected to the IFE system by way of a cable or a wire. 3. The connector device of claim 2 which is arranged to be connected to the IFE by way of a hard-wired connection. 4. A connector device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the air-interface is configured to exchange data with the PED over a distance of less than 10m. 5. A connector device as claimed in claim 4 in which the air-interface is configured to exchange data with the PED using UHF radio frequencies, which frequencies lie in the range from 2.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz. 6. A connector device as claimed in claim 1 in which the transceiver incorporates an antenna which is incorporated with signal processing circuitry. 7. A connector device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the connector comprises a jack or socket which is arranged to be coupled with a plug or connector which is attached to a PED, or other device, by way of a wire. 8. A connector device as claimed in any preceding claim which is arranged to exchange data, power and/or signaling with the IFE system by way of a Universal Serial Bus, USB, communications protocol. 9. A connector device as claimed in any preceding claim which comprises a signal processor which is arranged to receive a control signal input from a user’s PED and output a suitable control signal to the IFE system. 10. A connector device as claimed in claim 9 in which the signal processor is arranged to receive the input control signal in a first communications protocol, and generate an output signal, encoded in accordance with a different communications protocol, for transmission to the IFE system. 11. A connector device as claimed in claim 9 in which the signal processor, or a memory of the connector device, is arranged to store a look-up table of control input signals from a PED in relation to first communications protocol and the translation or equivalent (or which corresponds to) output control command signal for the IFE system in a different communications protocol. 12. A connector device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the signal processor, in conjunction with the transceiver, is arranged to effect a pairing between the PED and the connector device. 13. Machine-readable instructions for installation onto a user’s personal electronic device, PED, which are arranged to generate a graphic user interface presented on a display of the PED to enable the user to select a required inflight entertainment control function, and may be configured to effect control of a Bluetooth® transceiver of the PED to emit the required signal for receipt by the connector device.
Description:
CONNECTOR DEVICE Technical Field The present invention relates to an improved connector device, for use with, in particular although not exclusively, inflight entertainment systems. Background Inflight entertainment systems (IFE) provide a passenger with access to audio-media content as well as allow certain passenger control functions, such as lighting control, air flow, and attendant call. To perform these functions, the passenger has to switch the IFE system on and then access the functions. Alternatively, the passenger has to locate and use the Passenger Control Unit (PCU), which is usually a tethered device to perform such functions. Many existing installed IFE systems do not support Bluetooth® connectivity. Existing installed IFE systems are expensive to upgrade to pair with Bluetooth® devices, such as PEDs and headphones/earbuds. Most installed IFE systems have an expected service life well in excess of five years and therefore often fall behind consumer product advancement. Most installed IFE systems have connections to external peripheral devices such as USB ports for charging, audio sockets for plugging in headphones etc. These are easy to replace and locate and offer operational economical benefits for the airlines to maintain the systems in an operational configuration. Passenger touch points (as they are referred to – i.e. audio and USB jacks) receive an incredible amount of abuse throughout their lifetime and are frequently replaced. For an airline to economically update their installed system to keep pace with consumer electronics upgrading these passenger touch points a simple replacement of the current older technology is desirable. Summary According to the invention there is a connector device for connection to an inflight passenger entertainment system which comprises a connector arranged to be coupled with a counterpart connector, and air-interface transceiver for bi-directional over-air communication with a personal electronic device, PED. The connector device may be arranged to be connected to the IFE by way of a cable or a wire. The connector device may be arranged to be connected to the IFE by way of a hard-wired connection. The air-interface transceiver may be configured to exchange data with the PED over a distance of less than 10m, this may be effected using UHF radio frequencies, and these frequencies may lie in the range from 2.402 GHz to 2.480 GHz. The air-interface transceiver is preferably configured to communicate with the PED by way of the Bluetooth® communication scheme. The connector device may be termed a remote wireless jack. The connector device may be termed a remote Bluetooth® jack. The transceiver may incorporate an antenna which is incorporated with, or connected to, signal processing circuitry. The circuitry may be embodied as a chipset. The connector device may be configured (for example by way of its dimensions or packaging) to be installed into part of a passenger seat, which may be the passenger seat of the intended user or a passenger seat which neighbours the passenger seat of the intended user. More generally, the connector device may be arranged to be installed within the space or area provided for the passenger, being incorporated into a suitable host structure. The connector of the connector device may comprise a jack or socket which is arranged to be coupled with a plug which is attached to a PED (or other device) by way of a wire. The connector may comprise one or more apertures for receipt of one or more pins of a counterpart connector. The connector may be arranged to receive a USB-conformant counterpart connector. The connector device may be arranged to exchange data, power and/or signaling with the IFE by way of a Universal Serial Bus, USB, communications protocol. The connector device may comprise a signal processor which is arranged to receive a control signal input (from a user’s PED) and output a suitable control signal to the IFE, and vice versa. The signal processor may be arranged to receive the input control signal in a first communications protocol (for example, Bluetooth®), and generate an output signal, encoded in accordance with a different communications protocol (such as USB), and/or vice versa. The signal processor may be arranged to store a look-up table of control input signals (from a PED) in relation to first communications protocol and the translation or equivalent (or which corresponds to) output control command signal (for the IFE) in a different communications protocol. The signal processor, in conjunction with the transceiver, may be arranged to effect a pairing between the PED and the connector device. The pairing may comprise a handshake, which may comprise a messaging or signaling exchange. The connector device may comprise a data processor. The connector device may comprise a memory. Said data processor and/or memory may be part of or associated with the signal processor. The connector device may comprise a controller, which may be arranged to manage and/or implement at some of the functionality of the device. The controller may comprise a data processor. The connector device may be sized and/or shaped to fit into an aperture which substantially corresponds to an ARINC oval aperture. Such an aperture may be compliant with ARINC 628 part II. The dimensions of the aperture may be 1mm high and/or 10mm between centres and/or width of 21mm and/or end radius 5.5mm. A further aspect of the invention may comprise machine-readable instructions, which may be implemented as a software application, for installation onto a user’s PED which are arranged to generate a GUI (presented on a display of the PED) to enable the user to select a required IFE control function, and may be configured to effect control of a Bluetooth® transceiver of the PED to emit the required signal for receipt by the connector device. The present invention may comprise one or more additional or alternative features, either singularly or in combination, as described in the description and/or as shown in drawings. Brief Description of the drawings Various embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a connector device of the invention installed in two different locations, Figure 2 shows a schematic layout of an IFE system which includes a connector device, and Figure 3 shows a simplified illustration of the principal features/functional modules of the connector device Detailed Description There is now described a novel connector device, for use with an inflight entertainment system, IFE. The connector device is henceforth termed a Bluetooth® Remote Jack, BRJ. In overview, the BRJ allows a passenger to conveniently use their personal electronic device, PED, to effect IFE functionality control. The BRJ comprises a Bluetooth® transceiver and a (physical) connector (which allows mechanical engagement and electrical connection) to a counterpart connector. The BRJ also includes a signal processor which is configured to translate incoming command control signals from a PED in the Bluetooth ® protocol, to the (equivalent) command signal in accordance with the USB protocol, and/or vice versa. The BRJ is a single entity which contains the principal components mentioned above. An advantage of this is that its installation and replacement are both significantly facilitated. The existing installed IFE system (to which the BRJ is to be installed) requires no operation changes further simplifying the change from an operational perspective. Reference is made to Figure 2 which shows how the BRJ can be connected to an existing IFE system. Figure 3 shows the principal components of the BRJ in schematic form. We have realised that Bluetooth® can offer much more than an upgrade to the audio capability of the installed system. In the current context, Bluetooth® also provides a wireless data communications capability that can be leveraged by other external devices such as smartphones, tablets and the like (Personal Electronic Devices - PEDs). The PED can therefore connect to the IFE system wirelessly and securely enabling such functions as attendant call, light on/off etc. An issue to be overcome during the development and subsequent deployment of BRJ lies in the environment into which it is installed. Bluetooth® communications are established by pairing two devices to establish a secure peer-to-peer link. The devices to be connected search for each other via a broadcast signal. However, in an aircraft cabin environment the proximity of neighbouring devices could present a problem. It is unlikely to find a plethora of devices trying to establish a simultaneous connection, but if the situation did arise the issue would not be welcomed by the airline operator or the travelling passengers. Furthermore, from an electronic device compliance perspective three hundred BRJs pinging their credentials would likely cause certification issues. To overcome this, our system has adopted a method disclosed in US20120015605A1, which is incorporated by reference, whereby the pairing is performed based on proximity. In this way, only the devices in close proximity can be paired. Pairing is achieved within the BRJ itself via a switch which could be a traditional type i.e. push-to-contact or via a touch-enabled switch, such as capacitive touch, which is operated by a user. Once activated the device pairs with the local device to establish the wireless connection. During a flight the established Bluetooth® pairing which has been established is permanently maintained, again to minimise simultaneous connections but also to provide more convenience to the travelling user. Once disconnected i.e. via power being removed from the system or the device being withdrawn from proximity, the Bluetooth® connection is lost and would have to be re-established. Bluetooth® beaconing can be implemented by the BRJ. Bluetooth® beacons are hardware transmitters - a class of Bluetooth® low energy devices that broadcast their identifier data to nearby PEDs. The technology enables smartphones, tablets, laptops, notebooks and other devices to perform actions when in close proximity to a beacon. This can be implemented in such a way to add intelligence to the communications, causing, for instance, an application installed on the user’s PED to be opened and to display relevant information. This could be to display specific information on the IFE screen such as a welcome message, personalisation information or to be able to leverage IFPL’s AdPower™ technology. In the case of a purely audio BRJ the device would for the foreseeable future have Bluetooth® audio and traditional plug-in audio functionality (for example a physical electric jack/socket). This would, for example enable two people to listen to the same audio stream if they so wish. This can be understood as the BRJ having two output ports, one by way of a physical electrical connection and the other by way of an air-interface. In order to implement the control functionality offered to the user, the BRJ stores (in a memory thereof) commands which relate to those control commands offered to the user through use of their PED. These can be for control of audio-visual material being output by the IFE, such as play, pause, volume control, forward, backward etc. These could be standardised, or known, codes. Non-standard codes could be implemented to initiate specific instructions for communicating with, and controlling the IFE system. The PED may have a software application installed which generates a GUI which provides the possibility for the user to effect one or more of the following parameters/actions: Attendant call Volume control At-seat lighting Play Pause Fast-forward Rewind IFE content menu selection On receipt of a control signal from the PED, the signal processor of the BRJ identifies the codified/encoded signal and then uses stored data to translates this into a communications protocol which is suitable for receipt by the IFE. This may be a USB signaling protocol. Conveniently, this may already be a communications protocol which the IFE is arranged to process (for example from a tethered control device). All Bluetooth® devices suffer latency i.e. the lag between the signal being generated at the host (i.e. the IFE system) and the receiving system (headphones). In most instances the latency is not an issue however within an aircraft situation, where a screen may be 18’’-24” from the viewers eyes, latency could be problematic. Non-standard CODECs may be used to tune the performance of the bi-directional link in order to minimise latency. The risks to product performance and implementation primarily revolve around multiple simultaneous pairings. This might lead to a privacy breach in worst cases or user annoyance at the other extreme. Our implementation of the BRJ may includeoptimsiation power levels and antenna design, with the risk of multiple pairings is significantly minimised. The BRJ is advantagously sized and shaped to allow the unit to be installed in ergonomically and aesthetically designed positions. The packaging can be custom-configured to match with seat arms, seat backs, side panels, footwells etc., or in any suitable host structure within the passenger-specific space. Figure 1 shows the BRJ as installed in the backs of the forward seat and the rearward part of an armrest of a forward seat. The BRJ may be of particular importance in premium passenger environments such as business jets, first class and business class, where the IFE can be somewhat remote from the passenger and an airline operator may feel that causing the higher-paying passenger to reach out of their seat is not desirable. Therefore, allowing the passenger to effect IFE control from the comfort of their seat is desirable. As mentioned previously, one of the key benefits of the BRJ lies in the simplicity of the upgrade path. Remove an existing device and provided the existing IFE system has USB connectivity, plug in the BRJ and access the Bluetooth® functionality. In a modified embodiment, the pairing process between the PED and the BRJ may be optimized to mitigate the risks outlined above. For example, we may limit the time the device is discoverable / in pairing mode to help reduce the probability of pairing to wrong device. We also may limit the type of devices to which the Bluetooth® module of the BRJ will pair e.g. it will not pair to Bluetooth® keyboard. In another variant embodiment the BRJ may comprise a user control, such as a button, which causes the BRJ to activate pairing mode. The size/extent of the Bluetooth® ‘bubble’ generated by the transceiver of the BRJ may be configured to be below a standard extent of field generated for Bluetooth. In this way of localization the risk of attempted paring to a PED of passenger in another seat is minimized.