Automatic airplane seat location mapping

• US 20060246892A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Shetty, Sudhakar S., vonDoenhoff, Roger C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

During a system reconfiguration, a selected column or column of wireless units, such as associated with airplane seats, are powered up. The first unit in the column detects a ground and begins a wireless identification process with an access point which allows the system to determine a corresponding physical location for each node'"'"'s logical address. The first unit then closes a switch, which connects the ground to the next unit. As the next unit detects the ground on the line, such as a token line, the second unit communicates with the AP. This process continues sequentially down the column until the last unit is assigned a physical location/address. The next column of units can then be powered up and identified.

Claims

1. A method for identifying units in a wireless network comprising an access point (AP) and at least one column of wireless units, the method comprising:

supplying power to the units in a first column;

providing a ground signal to a first unit in the first column;

transmitting physical location/address information between the first unit and the AP;

providing the ground signal to a second unit in the first column; and

transmitting physical location/address information between the second unit and the AP.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sequentially providing the ground signal to subsequent units in the first column and transmitting physical location/address information between the unit detecting the ground signal and the AP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the ground signal to the second unit comprises closing a switch in the first unit to connect the ground signal in the first unit to the second unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises a server configured to communicate with the wireless units through the AP.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying power to the units in a second column after physical location/address information has been transmitted between the last unit in the first column and the AP;

providing a ground signal to a first unit in the second column;

transmitting physical location/address information between the first unit in the second column and the AP;

providing the ground signal to a second unit in the second column; and

transmitting physical location/address information between the second unit in the second column and the AP.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the supplying is with a power supply coupled to every unit in a column.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the wireless units is part of an airplane passenger seat.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the physical location/address information comprises an association process between the unit and the AP.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first column comprises a plurality of groupings of the wireless units.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the second column comprises a plurality of groupings of the wireless units.

11. A wireless network, comprising:

an access point (AP);

a first wireless unit capable of wireless communication with the AP, wherein the first wireless unit includes a first switch;

a second wireless unit capable of wireless communication with the AP, wherein the second wireless unit includes a second switch;

a first line segment connected to a ground and to the first wireless unit; and

a second line segment connected the first switch and to the second wireless unit, wherein the first switch is operable to connect the ground to the second wireless unit.

12. The wireless network of claim 11, further comprising a server in communication with the AP.

13. The wireless network of claim 12, further comprising a power supply coupled to the first and second wireless units and the server.

14. The wireless network of claim 11, wherein each wireless unit is associated with an airplane seat.

15. The wireless network of claim 11, wherein the first switch connects the second wireless unit to ground after physical location/address information is communicated between the first wireless unit and the AP.

16. The wireless network of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of wireless units in a column and a plurality of line segments connecting adjacent wireless units, wherein each wireless unit comprises a switch operable to connect the ground to a subsequent wireless unit.

17. The wireless network of claim 11, wherein the first and second wireless units form a first column, the network further comprising a plurality of wireless units forming a second column.

18. A method for automatically identifying seats located in a plurality of columns in an airplane, wherein the first seat in each column of seats is connected to a ground, the method comprising:

determining a column of seats for reconfiguration;

supplying power to the column of seats;

assigning a physical location/address to the first seat in the column;

propagating the ground to a second seat in the column; and

assigning a physical location/address to the second seat in the column.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising continuing to propagate the ground and assigning a physical location/address sequentially to subsequent seats in the column until the last seat in the column has been reconfigured.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining a second column of seats for reconfiguration, supplying power to the second column, and sequentially propagating ground and assigning a physical location/address to each seat in the second column.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the propagating comprises operating a switch to connect the ground from a current seat to a directly adjacent subsequent seat.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the assigning is in a wireless network.

23. A system in an airplane for identifying seats, comprising:

an access point (AP);

a server in communication with the AP;

a first column of seats, wherein each seat is associated with a wireless unit and a switch;

a first power supply coupled to the server for supplying power to the first column of seats;

a first serial ground line connectable to adjacent wireless units in the first column by the switches in the seats, wherein the first ground line is sequentially connected to subsequent seats in the first column as each seat is identified to the AP;

a second column of seats, wherein each seat is associated with a wireless unit and a switch;

a second power supply coupled to the server for supplying power to the second column of seats; and

a second serial ground line connectable to adjacent wireless units in the second column by the switches in the seats, wherein the ground line is sequentially connected to subsequent seats in the second column as each seat is identified to the AP.