Verification of trustworthiness of position information transmitted from an aircraft via a communications satellite

• US 10,036,813 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Nyikos, Siobvan M., Ayyagari, Arun, Eigle, Ted, Richards, William R., Woodward, Tracy L., McCormick, Bernell R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao L
• Application Number:
  US14/941,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 34235749, 34235759, 34235763, 342455, 342456, 701301, 701533, 340981
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2045/0065 Black boxes, devices automatically broadcasting distress signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/396 Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]

Abstract

An apparatus and method of verifying the trustworthiness of position information from an onboard tracking system on an aircraft. An onboard tracking system message comprising onboard tracking system position information indicating a first position of the aircraft is generated by the onboard tracking system and transmitted to an off board aircraft tracking system via a communications satellite in a satellite communications system. The satellite communications system adds a header comprising transmitter position information identifying a second position for transmission of the onboard tracking system message received by the communications satellite to the onboard tracking system message to form a message. The message is received from the satellite communications system by the off board aircraft tracking system and the first position from the onboard tracking system message is compared to the second position from the header to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

Claims

1. A method of verifying trustworthiness of position information transmitted from an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a message from a satellite communications system, the message comprising;

an onboard tracking system message from an onboard tracking system on the aircraft comprising onboard tracking system position information indicating a first position for the aircraft determined by the onboard tracking system, and

a header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprising transmitter position information identifying a second position determined by the satellite communications system for transmission of the onboard tracking system message received by a communications satellite in the satellite communications system;

comparing the first position from the onboard tracking system message to the second position from the header to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy, thereby enabling taking an action using the onboard tracking system position information with a reduced concern that the onboard tracking system position information is not trustworthy; and

taking the action using the onboard tracking system position information from the onboard tracking system message in response to a determination that the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position for the aircraft is determined by the onboard tracking system using navigation signals from a satellite navigation system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications satellite is an Iridium communications satellite and the satellite communications system is an Iridium satellite communications system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the onboard tracking system position information is determined to be trustworthy when the first position is within a threshold distance from the second position.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprises accuracy information identifying an accuracy of the second position and further comprising using the accuracy information from the header to determine the threshold distance.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the onboard tracking system message comprises an indication of accuracy of the first position;

the header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprises accuracy information identifying an accuracy of the second position; and

comparing the accuracy of the first position to the accuracy of the second position to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein taking the action in response to the determination that the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy comprises:

using the onboard tracking system position information to take the action by conducting a search and rescue operation.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining a third position for the aircraft from other position information for the aircraft; and

comparing the first position from the onboard tracking system message to the third position determined from the other position information to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the other position information is selected from:

a filed flight plan for the aircraft created before the aircraft is in flight;

an active flight plan for the aircraft modified while the aircraft is in flight;

track information comprising a plurality of past positions of the aircraft;

automatic dependent surveillance broadcast position information from an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast from the aircraft; and

surveillance radar position information from a surveillance radar.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message from a satellite communications system, the message comprising;

an onboard tracking system message from an onboard tracking system on an aircraft comprising onboard tracking system position information indicating a first position for the aircraft determined by the onboard tracking system, and

a header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprising transmitter position information identifying a second position determined by the satellite communication system for a transmission of the onboard tracking system message received by a communications satellite in the satellite communications system; and

a comparator configured to compare the first position from the onboard tracking system message to the second position from the header to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy, thereby enabling taking an action using the onboard tracking system position information with a reduced concern that the onboard tracking system position information is not trustworthy.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first position for the aircraft is determined by the onboard tracking system using navigation signals from a satellite navigation system.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the communications satellite is an Iridium communications satellite and the satellite communications system is an Iridium satellite communications system.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the comparator is configured to determine that the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy when the first position is within a threshold distance from the second position.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprises accuracy information identifying an accuracy of the second position and further comprising a threshold distance calculator configured to use the accuracy information from the header to determine the threshold distance.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the onboard tracking system message comprises an indication of accuracy of the first position;

the header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprises accuracy information identifying an accuracy of the second position; and

the comparator is configured to compare the accuracy of the first position to the accuracy of the second position to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the comparator is configured to compare the first position from the onboard tracking system message to a third position determined from other position information to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the other position information is selected from:

a filed flight plan for the aircraft created before the aircraft is in flight;

an active flight plan for the aircraft modified while the aircraft is in flight;

track information comprising a plurality of past positions of the aircraft;

automatic dependent surveillance broadcast position information from an automatic dependent surveillance broadcast from the aircraft; and

surveillance radar position information from a surveillance radar.

18. A method of verifying trustworthiness of position information transmitted from an aircraft, comprising:

receiving a message from a satellite communications system, the message comprising;

an onboard tracking system message from an onboard tracking system on the aircraft comprising onboard tracking system position information indicating a first position for the aircraft and an indication of accuracy of the first position determined by the onboard tracking system, and

a header added to the onboard tracking system message by the satellite communications system comprising transmitter position information identifying a second position determined by the satellite communication system for transmission of the onboard tracking system message received by a communications satellite in the satellite communications system and accuracy information identifying an accuracy of the second position;

comparing the accuracy of the first position from the onboard tracking system message to the accuracy of the second position from the header to determine whether the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy, thereby enabling taking an action using the onboard tracking system position information with a reduced concern that the onboard tracking system position information is not trustworthy; and

taking the action using the onboard tracking system position information from the onboard tracking system message in response to a determination that the onboard tracking system position information is trustworthy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the onboard tracking system position information is determined to be trustworthy when the accuracy of the first position is not less than the accuracy of the second position.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the first position for the aircraft and the accuracy of the first position is determined by the onboard tracking system using navigation signals from a satellite navigation system; and

the second position for the transmission and the accuracy of the second position is determined based on a position of the communications satellite and characteristics of the transmission between the onboard tracking system and the communications satellite.