Patent ID: 8306689

Claim:
A net-centric aircraft avionics diagnostics and automated maintenance environment system, comprising: a storage medium on which is stored diagnostic data concerning the operation of systems of an aircraft, diagnostic data of aircraft systems, and BIT data for an avionics unit under test; an organizational level diagnostics avionics tester comprising a processor to execute diagnostics software for gathering, storing, and processing avionics diagnostics information linked to an interface device comprising data acquisition hardware, standard interfaces for the avionics unit under test, and instrumentation for troubleshooting the unit under test, wherein organizational level diagnostics avionics tester is in network communication with an organizational level automated maintenance environment server which transports the avionics diagnostic information throughout the automated maintenance environment and wherein the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester derives directed test program set results based upon BIT data, observables, and historical test result information and presents a list of possible test program entry points and a percentage confidence level for each entry point; a common intermediate level tester for testing a plurality of avionics modular assembles; and an intermediate level maintenance environment server that stores historical maintenance data for use by the common intermediate level tester and by the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester; wherein the intermediate level server calculates intermediate level test program entry points based on historical test data stored at the intermediate level and the avionics diagnostics information received from the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester if intermediate level repairs are determined to be needed by the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester and transmits the intermediate level test program entry points to the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester.