System and a computer-implemented method for multi path communication with an unmanned aerial vehicle during a mission

• US 10,609,555 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Villar, Victor Perez
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Meng
• Application Number:
  US15/425,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• 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: H04K 2203/18 for wireless local area networks or WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/20 Countermeasures against jamming in radar G01S7/36; interference suppression in receivers H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/226 Selection of non-jammed channel for communication spectrum sharing arrangements H04W16/14; selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/92 related to allowing or preventing remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0819 Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

A system and a method of multi path communication to improve communication between an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and ground control during a mission is disclosed. A database previously stores a plurality of secure data links to be used on networks during the mission for communicating and are managed for simultaneously distributing data flow among data links according to coverage and UAV location preventing third parties may compromise security of a mission. The database may be updated during the mission if needed.

Claims

1. A system for multi path communication for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) the system comprising:

a database configured to store a plurality of secure data links to be used on one or more networks during a mission where the UAV flies across one or more regions; and

the UAV, wherein;

the UAV is configured to communicate on one or more networks using a plurality of secured data links that are established via a key exchange;

the UAV is configured to dynamically determine availability of the secured data links during the mission; and

the UAV is configured for simultaneously distributing data flow among the determined available secured data links according to a geographical coverage defined by the database for each of the secured data links and a location of the UAV.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the geographical coverage data for each secured data link defines an overall volume of coverage for the secured data link in the form of a convex hull.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the UAV is configured to select one of the secured data links in the database in response to determining that the secured data link is compatible with a current location of the UAV and geographical coverage data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the UAV is configured to operate the database upon remotely receiving an instruction from an authenticated entity using a secured data link.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

a delete operation performed on an element of the database is confirmed with the authenticated entity by the communicating unit using an alternative secured data link.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the authenticated entity is ground control or a different UAV.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each secured data link in the database is tagged with a separate encryption key.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the UAV is configured to communicate using multi path TCP (MPTCP) and a plurality of secured data links in the database are marked as MP_CAPABLE.

9. A computer-implemented method of multi path communication for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:

storing in a database a plurality of secure data links to be used on one or more networks during a mission where the UAV flies across one or more regions;

communicating data flow on one or more networks using a plurality of secured data links that are established via a key exchange;

dynamically determining availability of the secured data links during the mission; and

simultaneously distributing data flow among the determined available secured data links according to a geographical coverage defined by the database for each of the secured data links and a location of the UAV.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

the geographical coverage data for each secured data link defines an overall volume of coverage for the secured data link in the form of a convex hull.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

an authentication step wherein the authentication is associated with a session and a secured data link.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein:

wherein the authentication step is triggered whenever one of the secured data links is dropped or a new data link is used.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

dynamically determining availability of the secured data links during the mission comprises decomposing the mission into overlapping convex volumes.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

the geographical coverage data for each secured data link is defined in the form of vertices that each include a latitude, longitude, and height.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for multi path communication for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) during a mission, storing computer code instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of multi path communication for the UAV during a mission where the UAV flies across one or more regions, the method comprising:

storing in a database a plurality of secure data links to be used on one or more networks during the mission;

communicating data flow on one or more networks using a plurality of secured data links that are established via a key exchange;

dynamically determining availability of the secured data links during the mission; and

simultaneously distributing data flow among the determined available secured data links according to a geographical coverage defined by the database for each of the secured data links and a location of the UAV.