Apparatus and method for communications management

• US 10,341,011 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Inventors: Hudson, Peter Noble, Eissa, Rania Hamdi, Al-Ameri, Monadl Abd Al-Abbas Mansour
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngo, Nguyen H
• Application Number:
  US15/749,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 370216, 370241, 370242, 370248, 370252, 370316
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

Apparatus for on-board management of communications in a mobile node comprising a communications system configured to effect wireless data communication between the mobile node and another node by means of at least one supported wireless communications link, wherein the apparatus comprises a node manoeuvre planning module and a dynamic route planner; the node manoeuvre planning module being configured to:

• • identify that a wireless communications link associated with the mobile node (i) has been lost, degraded or is otherwise not optimal, and/or (ii) would violate an emissions control restriction;
  • define a desired wireless communications link between the mobile node and the other node to (i) support wireless communications therebetween, and/or (ii) comply with the emissions control restriction;
  • determine an attitude and/or position of the mobile node with respect to the other node required to support the desired wireless communications link;
  • derive a node manoeuvre plan including data representative of the determined attitude and/or position of the mobile node and generate a plan metric in respect of the node manoeuvre plan; and
  • transmit node manoeuvre plan data to the dynamic route planner, wherein the node manoeuvre plan data is configured to cause the dynamic route planner (11) to derive a route plan designed to manoeuvre the mobile node to the determined attitude and/or position; the dynamic route planner being configured to:
  • in response to receipt of the node manoeuvre plan data, generate a route plan designed to manoeuvre the mobile node to the determined attitude and/or position and generate corresponding route plan data; and
  • provide the route plan data and data representative of the plan metric to a node authority with a request for authorisation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for on-board management of communications in a mobile node comprising a communications system configured to effect wireless data communication between said mobile node and another node by means of at least one supported wireless communications link, wherein said apparatus comprises a node manoeuvre planning module and a dynamic route planner;

said node manoeuvre planning module being configured to;

identify that a wireless communications link associated with said mobile node (i) has been lost, degraded or is otherwise not optimal, and/or (ii) would violate an emissions control restriction;

define a desired wireless communications link between said mobile node and said other node to (i) support wireless communications therebetween, and/or (ii) comply with said emissions control restriction;

determine an attitude and/or position of said mobile node with respect to said other node required to support said desired wireless communications link;

derive a node manoeuvre plan including data representative of said determined attitude and/or position of said mobile node and generate a plan metric in respect of said node manoeuvre plan; and

transmit node manoeuvre plan data to said dynamic route planner, wherein said node manoeuvre plan data is configured to cause said dynamic route planner to derive a route plan designed to manoeuvre said mobile node to said determined attitude and/or position;

said dynamic route planner being configured to;

in response to receipt of said node manoeuvre plan data, generate a route plan designed to manoeuvre said mobile node to said determined attitude and/or position and generate corresponding route plan data; and

provide said route plan data and data representative of said plan metric to a node authority with a request for authorisation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mobile node includes a positioning system, and the node manoeuvre planning module is configured to determine a current attitude and/or position of said mobile node using data from said positioning system.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said node manoeuvre plan includes attribute data indicative of a period of time to maintain said attitude and/or position of said mobile node.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said node manoeuvre planning module is communicably coupled to a communications manager associated with said mobile node, said communications manager being configured to receive data indicative that an antenna associated with a communications link being used by said mobile node is not optimally oriented with respect to said other node, and in response thereto, generate a node manoeuvre request and provide said node manoeuvre request to said node manoeuvre planning module, said node manoeuvre planning module being configured to generate said node manoeuvre plan and provide data representative thereof to said communications manager for transmission to said dynamic route planning module.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said node manoeuvre planning module is communicably coupled to a communications manager, said communications manager being configured to receive data indicative that a wireless communications link associated with said mobile node has been lost or degraded, and in response thereto, generate a node manoeuvre request and provide said node manoeuvre request to said node manoeuvre planning module, said node manoeuvre planning module being configured to generate said node manoeuvre plan and provide data representative thereof to said communications planner for transmission to said dynamic route planning module.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said node manoeuvre planning module is communicably coupled to a communications manager, said communications manager being configured to receive data indicative of emissions control restrictions associated with said mobile node and/or said other node, and in response thereto, generate a node manoeuvre request and provide said node manoeuvre request to said node manoeuvre planning module, said node manoeuvre planning module being configured to generate said node manoeuvre plan and provide data representative thereof to said communications manager for transmission to said dynamic route planning module.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said node manoeuvre plan request includes attributes defining situational/environmental data representative of situational and/or environmental conditions in respect of said mobile node and/or affecting said wireless communications link, said situational/environmental data being received, by said communications manager, from one or more systems and/or functions of said mobile node.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said node manoeuvre planning module is configured to derive said node manoeuvre plan using data representative of one or more of node velocity, antenna location, pointing and gain characteristics at said mobile node and/or said other node, mission environment, constraints, communications requirements in respect of said data to be transmitted, and predicted future trajectory of said other node over a predetermined period of time.

9. A management system for a mobile platform, comprising a platform management module and the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said platform management module is configured to receive, from said node authority, data indicative of a positive or negative authorisation response and, in the event of a positive authorisation response, cause said node manoeuvre plan to be effected.

10. A method of on-board management of communications in a mobile node comprising a communications system configured to effect wireless data communication between said mobile node and another node by means of at least one supported wireless communications link, the method comprising:

identifying that a wireless communications link associated with said mobile node (i) has been lost, degraded or is otherwise not optimal, and/or (ii) would violate an emissions control restriction;

defining a desired wireless communications link between said mobile node and said other node to (i) support wireless communications therebetween, and/or (ii) comply with said emissions control restriction;

determining an attitude and/or position of said mobile node with respect to said other node required to support said desired wireless communications link;

deriving a node manoeuvre plan including data representative of said determined attitude and/or position of said mobile node and generating a plan metric in respect of said node manoeuvre plan; and

transmitting node manoeuvre plan data to a dynamic route planner, wherein said node manoeuvre plan data is configured to cause said dynamic route planner to derive a route plan designed to manoeuvre said mobile node to said determined attitude and/or position;

in response to receipt of said node manoeuvre plan data, generating a route plan designed to manoeuvre said mobile node to said determined attitude and/or position and generating corresponding route plan data; and

providing said route plan data and data representative of said plan metric to a node authority with a request for authorisation.