Methods and systems for a transportation vehicle are provided. One method includes initializing a first browser at an electronic device to communicate with a remote virtual loader having access to data for an in-flight entertainment (IFE) system of an aircraft; authenticating the first browser by the remote virtual loader; providing IFE data for the IFE system to the first browser by the remote virtual loader with an instruction to grant access to the IFE data by a second browser of the electronic device, the second browser authenticated by the IFE system to send information to the IFE system; and transferring the IFE data from the electronic device to the IFE system by the second browser that obtains access to the IFE data from the first browser in response to the instruction from the remote virtual loader.

An aircraft cabin system includes: a cabin server that stores an application and a graphical attribute; and a plurality of modular displays connected to the cabin server via a network. Each of the modular displays includes: a modular display dock hardwired to the network; and a modular display body that is detachably attached and electrically connected to the modular display dock. The modular display body includes: a touch screen that displays a GUI; and a processor. The processor sends, to the cabin server, a request for the application and the graphical attribute when the modular display body is coupled to the modular display dock, the cabin server sends, to the modular display body via the modular display dock, the application and the graphical attribute in response to the request.

A method is disclosed herein, including detecting, by a processor, a signal received from a camera, the signal including an image. The method further includes processing, by the processor, the received signal to identify an image included in the signal and determining, by the processor, that the signal includes a discreet message, the discreet message is embedded within an image. The method further includes decrypting, by the processor, the discreet message embedded within the signal and sending, by the processor, the decrypted message to be displayed.

An entertainment and connectivity system includes a processor for transferring information between a vehicle based user device and a server to validate a user's government identity before granting the user device access to the internet. The vehicle based server has an internet protocol address and communicates with user devices. The user devices each have an onboard internet protocol address mapped to the internet protocol address of the vehicle based server. A processor associated with the vehicle based server receives requests for internet service originating from the user devices. The requests include travel information or internet subscription plan information for a user of each of the user devices. The vehicle based server, or a ground based server that receives the request, generates an internet connection authorization decision based on validation of the user's government identity or the user's internet subscription plan information. The connection authorization decisions are then used to control whether the internet connections are established to the user devices. If the internet connections are established, internet session information for the user devices, including for each user device the onboard internet protocol address mapped to the internet protocol address of the vehicle based server, is stored in a ground based server and can be retrieved to identify the government identity of a user or a user's internet subscription plan information for each of the user devices.

Systems and methods are described for controlling seat actuation and other controls using an in-flight entertainment system of an aircraft or other vehicle. The system can include an electronic control unit configured to send commands to actuate a passenger seat based on input received via a passenger controlled device. The electronic control unit or a related peripheral component is configured to receive a flight phase notification. If the flight phase notification indicates a taxi, take-off or landing phase, the electronic control unit sends a command to disable actuation of the passenger seat. Such command could also be sent if the flight phase notification is not received for a predefined time period.

Examples for logical to physical mapping of aircraft electronic components are presented. A system may include aircraft electronic components coupled sequentially to a power wire, corresponding controllers, and a master computing device. The computing device may receive a first identifier for a first component from a first controller in response to the first controller receiving power at a first time from the power wire and a second identifier for a second component from a second controller in response to the second controller receiving power at a second time from the power wire. The second time is subsequent to the first time. The computing device determines locations for the first and second component within the aircraft based on an order of reception of the identifiers.

A method for managing passenger comfort. A passenger mobile device is connected with a vehicle computer system in a vehicle using a near-field communications reader for a passenger seat. Passenger comfort preferences associated with the passenger seat are identified by the vehicle computer system based on changes made to an environment in the vehicle by a passenger. Passenger comfort preferences made to the environment by the passenger are sent from the vehicle computer system to the passenger mobile device, which are associated with different current states. New comfort preferences are received by the vehicle computer system from the passenger mobile device when the passenger mobile device detects a change in a current state of the passenger. Signals are sent by the vehicle computer system to a number of vehicle systems to change the environment using the new comfort preferences, enabling an increase in the passenger comfort in the vehicle.

A monitoring module (6) for a seat (10) of a passenger aircraft (2), which seat (10) contains at least one element (12 a-g) having at least two states (Z1,2), comprises at least one sensor (14a-g) for the element (12a-g), having state information (16) corresponding to the current state (Z1,2), a readout unit (18) having a communication channel (20) for the state information (16) to the sensor (14a-g) and a communication interface (22) for the state information (16) to a monitoring unit (8) of the passenger aircraft (2). The sensor (14a-g) is a camera or a capacitive seat occupancy sensor. A monitoring device (4) for a passenger aircraft (2) contains monitoring modules (6) and a monitoring unit (8), which is configured for at least two of the monitoring modules (6) together. A passenger aircraft (2) contains a monitoring module (6) and/or a monitoring device (4).

There is described herein a method and system for the configuration of vehicle management components using in-vehicle position detection. The in-vehicle position detection may also be used for providing a floor plan of the vehicle. In some embodiments, in-vehicle position detection may be used concurrently for configuring vehicle management components and for providing floor plans.

A wireless charging device and an aircraft monument including the same. The device or monument includes a support surface having a visual indicator embedded therein configured to be illuminated by an underlying charging assembly to indicate a location on the support surface for wirelessly charging a portable electronic device. The wireless charging assembly further includes an induction coil aligned beneath the visual indicator and a fiber optic panel optically coupled to an electrically-powered light source. In use, visible light emitted by the fiber optic panel is transmitted through the visual indicator to illuminate the visual indicator to indicate to a user the location to place the portable electronic device to be charged.