System for managing mobile internet protocol addresses in an airborne wireless cellular network

• US 10,200,111 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogo Business Aviation LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gogo LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lauer, Bryan A., Stamatopoulos, Jerry, Rashid, Anjum, Tobin, Joseph A., Walsh, Patrick J., Arntzen, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choudhury, Faisal
• Application Number:
  US15/717,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20180019803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 370316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

The Aircraft Mobile IP Address System provides wireless communication services to passengers who are located onboard an aircraft by storing data indicative of the individually identified wireless devices located onboard the aircraft. The System assigns a single IP address to each Point-to-Point Protocol link which connects the aircraft network to the ground-based communication network but also creates an IP subnet onboard the aircraft. The IP subnet utilizes a plurality of IP addresses for each Point-to-Point link thereby to enable each passenger wireless device to be uniquely identified with their own IP address. This is enabled since both Point-to-Point Protocol IPCP endpoints have pre-defined IP address pools and/or topology configured; each Point-to-Point Protocol endpoint can utilize a greater number of IP addresses than one per link. Such an approach does not change IPCP or other EVDO protocols/messaging but does allow this address to be directly visible to the ground-based communication network.

Claims

1. A method for routing data to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft in-flight, comprising:

receiving, at one or more computing devices fixedly connected to the aircraft in-flight and via a first Air-To-Ground Modem, a first portion of a data stream via an Internet Protocol (IP) Tunnel, the data stream including data packets having content that is to be delivered to a particular passenger wireless device onboard the aircraft in-flight;

stripping off, by the one or more computing devices, a first Care-of IP (Internet Protocol) Address from the first portion of the data stream, the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;

routing the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream, the Destination IP Address uniquely identifying the particular passenger wireless device within an aircraft communication network to which the particular passenger wireless device is communicatively connected; and

subsequent to stripping off the first Care-of IP Address from the first portion of the data stream, the IP Tunnel is transferred from being received via the first Air-To-Ground Modem to being received via a second Air-To-Ground Modem, and the method further comprises;

receiving, at the one or more computing devices and via the second Air-To-Ground Modem, a second portion of the data stream, the second portion of the data stream including a second Care-of IP Address assigned to the second Air-To-Ground Modem instead of the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;

stripping off the second Care-of IP Address assigned to the second Air-To-Ground Modem from the second portion of the data stream in lieu of stripping off the first Care-of IP Address; and

routing the stripped-off second portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on the Destination Address remaining in the stripped-off second portion of the data stream.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising hosting, by the one or more computing devices, a Home Address with which the first Care-of IP Address and the second Care-of IP Address are associated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Home Address is assigned by a Home Address Server that is terrestrially disposed.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising updating, by the one or more computing devices, a first Mobile IP binding corresponding to the first Care-of IP Address and a second Mobile IP binding corresponding to the second Care-of IP Address at the Home Address Server.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein routing the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream comprises routing the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address comprising the Home Address hosted by the one or more computing devices and an IP address portion that is unique within the aircraft communication network and assigned to the particular passenger wireless device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem and the second Care-of IP Address assigned to the second Air-To-Ground Modem from an Air-To-Ground Communications Unit disposed at the aircraft and in which the first Air-To-Ground Modem and the second Air-To-Ground Modem are included.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first Care-of IP Address and the second Care-of IP Address is a respective simple IP address.

8. A method for routing data to a passenger wireless device located onboard an aircraft in-flight, comprising:

hosting, at one or more computing devices that are onboard the aircraft in-flight, a Home Address used to transparently transmit data packets between an aircraft network onboard the aircraft in-flight and a ground-based Access Network;

stripping off, by the one or more computing devices, a first Care-of IP (Internet Protocol) Address from a first portion of a data stream received onto the aircraft in-flight from the ground-based Access Network via a first Air-To-Ground Modem and an Internet Protocol (IP) Tunnel, the data stream including data packets having content that is to be delivered to a particular passenger wireless device communicatively connected to the aircraft network, and the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;

routing, by the one or more computing devices, the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream, the Destination IP Address uniquely identifying the particular passenger wireless device within the aircraft network and including the Home Address; and

subsequent to stripping off the first Care-of IP Address from the first portion of the data stream, the IP Tunnel is transferred from being received onto the aircraft in-flight via the first Air-To-Ground Modem to being received onto the aircraft in-flight via a second Air-To-Ground Modem, and the method further comprises;

stripping off, by the one or more computing devices, a second Care-of IP Address from a second portion of the data stream in lieu of stripping off the first Care-of IP Address, the second Care-of IP Address assigned to the second Air-To-Ground Modem via which the second portion of the data stream is received from the ground-based Access Network onto the aircraft in-flight; and

routing the stripped-off second portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off second portion of the data stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining the first Care-of IP address and the second Care-of IP address from an Air-To-Ground Communications Unit that is disposed on board the aircraft in-flight, the Air-To-Ground Communications Unit including the first Air-To-Ground Modem and the second Air-To-Ground Modem.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating, by the one or more computing devices, a set of Mobile IP bindings at a Home Address Server corresponding to the Home Address, the set of Mobile IP bindings including a first Mobile IP binding corresponding to the first Care-of IP Address and a second Mobile IP binding corresponding to the second Care-of IP Address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the Home Address is assigned by the Home Address Server, and the Home Address Server is terrestrially disposed.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight via the IP Tunnel supported by the first Air-To-Ground Modem, and the second portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight via the IP Tunnel supported by the second Air-To-Ground Modem upon the transfer of the IP Tunnel from being supported by the first Air-To-Ground Modem to being supported by the second Air-To-Ground Modem.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein routing the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream comprises routing the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address comprising the Home Address hosted by the one or more computing devices and an IP address portion that is unique within the aircraft network and assigned to the particular passenger wireless device.

14. A system for routing data to a plurality of passenger wireless devices located onboard an aircraft in-flight, the system comprising:

a plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems, each of which is assigned a respective Care-of IP (Internet Protocol) Address and is disposed onboard the aircraft in-flight; and

an Air-To-Ground Processor Unit fixedly disposed onboard the aircraft in-flight and communicatively connected to an onboard aircraft network to which the plurality of passenger wireless devices are communicatively connected, the Air-To-Ground Processor Unit configured to;

strip off a first Care-of IP Address from a first portion of a data stream received, via an Internet Protocol (IP) Tunnel, onto the aircraft in-flight via a first Air-To-Ground Modem included in the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems, the data stream including data packets having content that is to be delivered to a particular passenger wireless device communicatively connected to the onboard aircraft network, and the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;

route the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream, the Destination IP Address uniquely indicating the particular passenger wireless device within the onboard aircraft network; and

subsequent to stripping off the first Care-of IP Address from the first portion of the data stream, the IP Tunnel is transferred from being received onto the aircraft in-flight via the first Air-To-Ground Modem to being received onto the aircraft in-flight via a second Air-to-Ground Modem, and the method further comprises;

strip off a second Care-of IP Address from a second portion of the data stream in lieu of stripping off the first Care-of IP Address, the second Care-of IP Address assigned to the second Air-To-Ground Modem included in the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems and via which the second portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight; and

route the stripped-off second portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off second portion of the data stream.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the respective Care-of IP Addresses are provided to the Air-To-Ground Processor Unit by the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the Air-To-Ground Processor Unit hosts a Home Address, and wherein the Destination IP Address uniquely indicating the particular passenger wireless device within the onboard aircraft network includes the Home Address and an IP address portion uniquely indicating the particular passenger wireless device within the onboard aircraft network.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the Air-To-Ground Processor Unit updates, with a Home Address Server, respective Mobile IP bindings corresponding to the respective Care-of IP Addresses assigned to the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems, and wherein the Home Address Server is disposed terrestrially.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the Home Address is assigned by the Home Address Server.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight via the IP Tunnel supported by the first Air-To-Ground Modem, and

the second portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight via the IP Tunnel upon the transfer of the IP Tunnel from being supported by the first Air-To-Ground Modem to being supported by the second Air-To-Ground Modem.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the first Care-of IP Address and the second Care-of IP Address is a respective simple IP address.