Aircraft web content communications system with air-to-ground and satellite links and associated methods

• US 10,206,204 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Lynch, Michael J., Keen, R. Michael, Frisco, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doshi, Akshay
• Application Number:
  US14/813,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communications system is for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having PEDs, and the communications system may include a ground-based communications network, and a satellite-based communications network. The system may include at least one access point in the aircraft for providing a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft to receive a web content request from a given PED and transmit corresponding web content to the given PED. An air-to-ground communications device in the aircraft may cooperate with the at least one access point for sending the web content request to the ground-based communications network defining a return link. Further, a satellite communications device in the aircraft may cooperate with the at least one access point for receiving the corresponding web content from the satellite-based communications network defining a forward link.

Claims

1. A communications system of an aircraft that enables personal electronic devices (PEDs) located within the aircraft to receive wireless data communications from outside the aircraft, the communications system comprising:

at least one access point in the aircraft that provides a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft to receive a content request from a given PED of the PEDs and transmit corresponding content to the given PED;

an air-to-ground communications device in the aircraft in communication with said at least one access point that sends the content request to a ground-based communications network;

a satellite communications device in the aircraft in communication with said at least one access point and a satellite-based communications network, wherein the satellite communication device is configured to receive the corresponding content at a higher data rate than the air-to-ground communication device; and

at least one network selection controller that determines whether to receive the corresponding content through said air-to-ground communications device or said satellite communications device based on a determination that one of a higher needed channel capacity or a lower needed channel capacity is required to receive the corresponding content, with said at least one network selection controller determining;

to receive the corresponding content using said satellite communications device, responsive to a determination a higher needed channel capacity is required to receive the corresponding content from outside the aircraft for relay of the corresponding content to the given PED located within the aircraft, and

to receive the corresponding content using said air-to-ground communications device, responsive to a determination a lower needed channel capacity is required to receive the corresponding content from outside the aircraft for relay of the corresponding content to the given PEP located within the aircraft.

2. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the corresponding content comprises at least one static web page.

3. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the corresponding content comprises at least one dynamic web page.

4. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the corresponding content comprises streaming video.

5. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the corresponding content comprises streaming audio.

6. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one access point comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN access point.

7. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one access point comprises at least one picocell.

8. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one network selection controller determines the corresponding content to be received requires a higher needed channel capacity based on the corresponding content comprising multimedia content.

9. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one network selection controller determines the corresponding content to be received requires a lower needed channel capacity based on the corresponding content comprises text-based or static content.

10. A method for operating an aircraft communication system within an aircraft that enables personal electronic devices (PEDs) located within the aircraft to receive wireless data communications from outside the aircraft from at least one of a ground-based communications network and a satellite-based communications network, the method comprising:

operating at least one access point of the aircraft communication system in the aircraft that provides a wireless local area network (W LAN) within the aircraft to receive a content request from a given PED of the PEDs and transmit corresponding content to the given PED;

operating an air-to-ground communications device of the aircraft communication system in the aircraft in communication with said at least one access point that sends the content request to a ground-based communications network;

operating a satellite communications device of the aircraft communication system in the aircraft in communication with said at least one access point and a satellite-based communications network, wherein the satellite communication device is configured to receive the corresponding content at a higher data rate than the air-to-ground communication device; and

operating at least one network selection controller of the aircraft communication system to determine whether to receive the corresponding content through said air-to-ground communications device or said satellite communications device based on one of a higher needed channel capacity or a lower needed channel capacity required to receive the corresponding content, operating said at least one network selection controller to determine;

to receive the corresponding content using said satellite communications device, responsive to a determination a higher needed channel capacity is required to receive the corresponding content from outside the aircraft to relay the corresponding content to the given PED located within the aircraft, and

to receive the corresponding content using said air-to-ground communications device, responsive to a determination a lower needed channel capacity is required to receive the corresponding content from outside the aircraft to relay the corresponding content to the given PEP located within the aircraft.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the corresponding content comprises at least one static web page.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the corresponding content comprises at least one dynamic web page.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the corresponding content comprises streaming video.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein the corresponding content comprises streaming audio.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the at least one access point comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN access point.

16. The method according to claim 10 wherein the at least one access point comprises at least one picocell.