Aircraft communications system for transmitting data

• US 10,560,182 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Matyas, Michael Edward, Lee, Stephen Y., Sandell, Gordon Robert Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Awet
• Application Number:
  US15/472,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20180287692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 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: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A method and system for an aircraft communications system. The aircraft communications system comprises an Internet protocol network router and an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router. The Internet protocol network router, located within an aircraft, is configured to transmit data to a group of ground stations remote to the aircraft using an Internet protocol communications link. The aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router, located within the aircraft, is connected to the Internet protocol network router. The aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is configured to transmit the data from aircraft systems to the group of ground stations using at least one of an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system communications link or, via the Internet protocol network router, using at least one of an Internet protocol communications link.

Claims

1. An aircraft communications system comprising:

an Internet protocol network router in an aircraft, wherein the Internet protocol network router is configured to transmit data to a group of ground stations remote to the aircraft using an aggregated Internet protocol communications link, the aggregated Internet protocol communications link comprising a plurality of Internet protocol communications links, wherein the Internet protocol network router is configured, when the aggregated Internet protocol communications link has been selected, to select one of the plurality of Internet protocol communications links according to a policy, the policy comprising a group of rules for selecting the Internet protocol communications link according to a plurality of factors, the plurality of factors including load-balancing, a type of data to be transmitted, an amount of data to be transmitted, and a ground station for which the data is directed;

an interface configured receive user input, the user input provides one of enablement and disablement of the use of the Internet protocol communications link; and

an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router in the aircraft, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is connected to the Internet protocol network router, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is configured to transmit the data from aircraft systems to the group of ground stations using at least one of an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system communications link or the Internet protocol communications link, and wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is configured to refrain from transmitting the data using the Internet protocol communications link when the Internet protocol communications link is disabled.

2. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router selects the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system communications link for transmitting the data from a group comprising a satellite communications link, a very high frequency communications link, and a high frequency communications link.

3. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein when the aircraft communications and reporting system network router selects the aggregated Internet protocol communications link, the Internet protocol network router selects the Internet protocol communications link from a group comprising a terrestrial wireless networking communications link, a cellular terrestrial communications link, an L band satellite communications link, a Ku band satellite communications link, and a Ka band satellite communications link.

4. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein an aircraft system in the aircraft is connected to the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router, and wherein the aircraft system sets an indicator in a media selection field that, subject to configured communication link preferences, indicates that the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link.

5. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router sets an indicator in a destination field in the data in which the indicator indicates to the Internet protocol network router that the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link.

6. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router determines whether the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link based on at least one of an identification of an aircraft system generating the data or configured communications link preferences.

7. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is configured to transmit the data unrelated to safety through the Internet protocol communications link.

8. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router transmits the data without dividing the data into blocks when transmitting the data to the group of ground stations using the Internet protocol communications link.

9. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises at least one of flight phase event data, flight plans, weather information, equipment health and maintenance data, ping messages, test messages, or flight crew messages.

10. The aircraft communications system of claim 1, wherein when the aggregated Internet protocol communications link has been selected, selecting one of the plurality of Internet protocol communications links according an originating aircraft system from which the data originated.

11. A method for transmitting data with an aircraft communications system, the method comprising:

receiving the data from aircraft systems in an aircraft at an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router in an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system in the aircraft;

receiving user input, wherein the user input provides one of enablement and disablement of an Internet protocol communications link;

selecting at least one of an aircraft communications addressing and reporting system communications link or an aggregated Internet protocol communications link to send the data received from the aircraft systems to a group of ground stations, the aggregated Internet protocol communications link comprising a plurality of Internet protocol communications links, when the aggregated Internet protocol communications link has been selected, selecting one of the plurality of Internet protocol communications links according to a policy, the policy comprising a group of rules for selecting the Internet protocol communications link according to a plurality of factors, the plurality of factors including load-balancing, a type of data to be transmitted, an amount of data to be transmitted, and a ground station for which the data is directed; and

transmitting the data using an Internet protocol network router when the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router selects the Internet protocol communications link for transmitting the data and when the Internet protocol communications link is not disabled, wherein the Internet protocol network router is configured to transmit data to the group of ground stations remote to the aircraft using the Internet protocol communications link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router selects the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system communications link for transmitting the data from a group comprising a satellite communications link, a very high frequency communications link, and a high frequency communications link.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

selecting, by the Internet protocol network router, the Internet protocol communications link from a group comprising a terrestrial wireless networking communications link, a cellular terrestrial communications link, an L band satellite communications link, a Ku band satellite communications link, and a Ka band satellite communications link when the aircraft communications and reporting system network router selects the aggregated Internet protocol communications link.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein an aircraft system in the aircraft is connected to the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router further comprising:

setting, by the aircraft system, an indicator in a media selection field in that, subject to configured communication link preferences, indicates that the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

setting, by the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router, an indicator in a destination field in data in which the indicator indicates to the Internet protocol network router that the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining, by the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router, whether the data is to be sent using the Internet protocol communications link based on an identification of an aircraft system generating the data and on configured communications link preferences.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router is configured to transmit data unrelated to safety through the Internet protocol communications link.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system network router transmits the data without dividing the data into blocks when transmitting the data to the group of ground stations using the Internet protocol communications link.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the data comprises at least one of flight phase event data, flight plans, weather information, equipment health and maintenance data, ping messages, test messages, or flight crew messages.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein when the aggregated Internet protocol communications link has been selected, selecting one of the plurality of Internet protocol communications links according an originating aircraft system from which the data originated.