System and method for sending and receiving air traffic network messages using different protocols

• US 10,425,505 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: McGuffin, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Rownak
• Application Number:
  US15/484,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20180295218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 370316
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method comprises: receiving a selection of at least one of: an initial air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol and an initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system; determining if a second communications protocol was selected; if the second communications protocol was selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in a first communications protocol, and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol; and at least one of sending an ATC message in the selected communications protocol and receiving an ATC message in the selected communications protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a selection of an air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol based upon a selection of at least one of;

the ATC message communications protocol and a controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system, wherein each CPDLC system is configured to use either a first communications protocol or a second communications protocol;

determining if the second communications protocol was selected;

if the second communications protocol was determined to be selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in the first communications protocol, and an ATC message configured to be sent in the first communications protocol, wherein trapping the received ATC message or the to be sent ATC message encoded in the first communications protocol is performed without disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol; and

at least one of sending an ATC message in the selected ATC message communications protocol and receiving an ATC message in the selected ATC message communications protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of at least one of:

the ATC message communications protocol and the second communications protocol of a controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system comprises receiving a selection of one of a Future Air Navigation System 1/A (FANS 1/A) CPDLC system and a protected mode CPDLC system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the second communications protocol was selected comprises determining if at least one of:

at least one of an Aeronautical Telecommunications Networks/Open Systems Interconnect (ATN/OSI) and an ATN/Internet Protocol (ATN/IP) protocol was selected; and

a protected mode-CPDLC (PM-CPDLC) system using at least one of the ATN/OSI and the ATN/IP protocol was selected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if an ATC message is trapped, then disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein disconnecting the datalink further comprises sending at least one disconnect message.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of sending an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C) message, and receiving an ADS-C message.

7. A system, comprising:

a first system comprising;

a first system processor circuit;

a first system memory circuit coupled to the first system processor circuit,

wherein the first system memory circuit comprises;

a navigation system; and

a first datalink applications system;

wherein the first system is configured to encode and decode an Air Traffic Control (ATC) message using a first communications protocol;

a second system, coupled to the first system, comprising;

a second system processor circuit; and

a second system memory circuit, coupled to the second system processor circuit, comprising;

at least one router;

a second datalink applications system; and

a communications protocol control application system;

wherein the second system is configured to encode and decode an ATC message using a second communications protocol;

wherein the second system is further configured to;

receive a selection of an ATC message communications protocol based upon a selection of at least one of;

the ATC message communications protocol, and a datalink applications system, wherein each datalink applications system is configured to use either the first communications protocol or the second communications protocol;

determine if the second communications protocol was selected; and

if the second communications protocol was determined to be selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in the first communications protocol and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol, wherein trapping the received ATC message or the to be sent ATC message encoded in the first communications protocol is performed without disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol;

wherein the first system is configured to be coupled to at least one input/output device and at least one sensor; and

wherein the second system is configured to be coupled to a communications system and at least one input/output device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the second system further comprises a data processing system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first datalink applications system comprises:

a first air traffic control (ATC) datalink application sub-system;

a first airline operations center (AOC) datalink application sub-system;

wherein the first system is further configured to encode and decode the ATC message using the first communications protocol, and

to encode and decode at least one of an airline operational message and an administrative control message.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if an ATC message is trapped, then disconnect a datalink using the first communications protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein disconnect the datalink further comprises sending at least one disconnect message.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first datalink applications system comprises an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C) subsystem.

13. A program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable medium on which program instructions, configured to be executed by a programmable processor, are embodied, wherein the program instructions are operable to:

receive a selection of an air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol based upon a selection of at least one of;

the ATC message communications protocol and a controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system, wherein each CPDLC system is configured to either a first communications protocol or a second communications protocol;

determine if the second communications protocol was selected;

if the second communications protocol was determined to be selected, trap at least one of a received ATC message in the first communications protocol, and an ATC message configured to be sent in the first communications protocol, wherein trapping the received ATC message or the to be sent ATC message encoded in the first communications protocol is performed without disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol; and

at least one of send an ATC message in the selected ATC message communications protocol and receive an ATC message in the selected ATC message communications protocol.

14. The program product of claim 13, wherein receive the selection of at least one of:

the ATC message communications protocol and the second communications protocol of a CPDLC system comprises receive a selection of one of a Future Air Navigation System 1/A (FANS 1/A) CPDLC system and a protected mode CPDLC system.

15. The program product of claim 13, wherein determine if the second communications protocol was selected comprises determine if at least one of:

at least one of an Aeronautical Telecommunications Networks/Open Systems Interconnect (ATN/OSI) and an ATN/Internet Protocol (ATN/IP) protocol was selected; and

a protected mode-CPDLC (PM-CPDLC) system using at least one of the ATN/OSI and the ATN/IP protocol was selected.

16. The program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are further operable to, if an ATC message is trapped, disconnect datalink using the first communications protocol.

17. The program product of claim 16, wherein disconnect the datalink further comprises send at least one disconnect message.

18. The program product of claim 13, wherein the program instructions are further operable to at least one of send an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADS-C), and receive an ADS-C message.