Patent ID: 7420476

Claim:
A programmable computing and display device for upgrading a cockpit instrument panel of an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of processing units, wherein: each processing unit includes a processor for executing one or more protocol stacks and a memory that stores the one or more protocol stacks, each protocol stack being logical instructions that embody control functionality of a control program for a system of the aircraft or operational functionality of an interactive, military-related program; each processing unit includes a local interface that operatively couples the processor and the memory of the processing unit; and each processing unit includes a network interface; a network backbone operatively coupled to the network interface of each processing unit so as to establish a network among the processing units for the exchange of network data traffic; at least one display to display video graphics resulting from the execution of one of the protocol stacks by a corresponding one of the processing units to a cockpit crew member; and a modular assembly that retains the processing units, the network backbone and the display such that the network of processing units is contained inside the modular assembly.