AIRCRAFT CABIN PERSONAL TELEPHONE MICROCELL

• US 20080090567A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: GILBERT, DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/431
• 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 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An on-board base station, comprising an interface device on board an aircraft that interfaces with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, an RF detector that detects RF emissions of the separate wireless device, a controller coupled to the RF detector, that controls RF emissions of the separate wireless device, as a function of detected RF emissions, and an RF repeater communicatively coupled to the controller. The controller controls the RF repeater to receive and send signals between the antenna and the interface device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level.

Claims

1. An on-board base station, comprising:

an interface device on board an aircraft that interfaces with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system;

an RF detector that detects RF emissions of the separate wireless device;

a controller coupled to the RF detector, that controls RF emissions of the separate wireless device, as a function of detected RF emissions; and

an RF repeater communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller controls the RF repeater to receive and send signals between the antenna and the interface device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level.

2. The on-board base station of claim 1, wherein the interface device includes a microcell communicatively coupled to the RF repeater.

3. The on-board base station of claim 1, wherein the predetermined level is a level above which RF emissions interfere with aircraft systems.

4. The on-board base station of claim 1, further comprising an antenna in a cabin of the aircraft that receives output signals from the separate wireless device and conveys the output signals to said interface device.

5. The on-board base station of claim 4, further comprising a media converter that conveys the signals between said antenna and said RF repeater.

6. The on-board base station of claim 4, further comprising a media converter that conveys the signals between said antenna and said interface device.

7. The on-board base station of claim 1, wherein the wireless device comprises a cellular device.

8. The on-board base station of claim 1, further comprising:

an external antenna that respectively transmits and receives direct cellular signals to and from the wireless device when the aircraft is on the ground.

9. The on-board base station of claim 1, further comprising:

an air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft that converts signals received from the wireless device to protocols of an air-to-ground system and that converts signals received from the air-to-ground system to protocols of the wireless device.

10. The on-board base station of claim 9, wherein the air-to-ground system is a SATCOM system and wherein the air-to-ground gateway is a SATCOM gateway.

11. The on-board base station of claim 1, wherein said interface device receives signals from and transmitting signals to the wireless device, receives signals from and transmitting signals to an air-to-ground system, and interfaces through the air-to-ground system to a cellular network and then with a public switched telephone network to register the wireless device as a roaming subscriber on the contacted cellular network.

12. An on-board base station, comprising;

means on board an aircraft for interfacing with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system;

means for controlling RF emissions of the separate wireless device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level, the predetermined level being a level above which RF emissions will interfere with aircraft systems, wherein said means for interfacing receives signals from and transmits signals to the separate wireless device and receives signals from and transmits signals to the wireless bearer system;

means for repeating communicatively coupled to said means for controlling and to said means for interfacing; and

means for detecting unwanted RF emissions above the predetermined level and unsupported cellphone types, wherein said means for interfacing minimizes the RF emission from the wireless device.

13. The on-board base station of claim 12, wherein said means for controlling alerts crew members of the aircraft to the unwanted RF emissions and unsupported cellphone types detected by said means for detecting.

14. The on-board base station of claim 12, wherein the wireless bearer system is a SATCOM system, and wherein said means for interfacing also interfaces through the SATCOM system to a cellular network and then with a public switched telephone network to register the wireless phone as a roaming subscriber on the contacted cellular network.

15. An on-board base station implemented method of two-way communications using separate wireless devices on board an aircraft, said method comprising the steps of:

interfacing on board the aircraft with the separate wireless devise of users inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system;

controlling an RF repeater to receive and send signals between an antenna and a microcell;

detecting RF emissions from the separate wireless devices above a predetermined level; and

controlling RF emissions of the separate wireless devices as a function of the detected RF emissions to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the pre-determined level is a level above which RF emissions may interfere with aircraft systems.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein interfacing with a wireless bearer system comprises transmitting between an aircraft-based mobile satellite terminal and a satellite vehicle in space.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein interfacing with a wireless bearer system comprises transmitting between a ground mobile satellite terminal and a satellite vehicle in space.