SYSTEM FOR CREATING AN AIR-TO-GROUND IP TUNNEL IN AN AIRBORNE WIRELESS CELLULAR NETWORK TO DIFFERENTIATE INDIVIDUAL PASSENGERS

• US 20090010200A1
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gogo Business Aviation LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Aircell LLC (GOGO Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rashid, Anjum, Arntzen, Steven J., Lauer, Bryan A., Walsh, Patrick J., Stamatopoulos, Jerry, Tobin, Joseph A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,081,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/316
• 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 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/083 wherein at least one of the access points is a moving node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

The Aircraft Air-To-Ground IP Tunnel System provides wireless communication services to passengers located onboard an aircraft by storing data indicative of the individually identified passenger wireless devices located onboard the aircraft. The Aircraft Air-To-Ground IP Tunnel System assigns a single IP address to each Point-to-Point Protocol link connecting the aircraft network to the ground-based communication network and creates an IP subnet onboard the aircraft. The IP subnet utilizes a plurality of IP addresses for each Point-to-Point link, enabling each passenger wireless device to be uniquely identified with their own IP address. This is enabled since both Point-to-Point Protocol IPCP endpoints have pre-defined IP address pools and/or topology configured, so each Point-to-Point Protocol endpoint can utilize a greater number of IP addresses than one per link. Such an approach does not change IPCP or other EVDO protocols/messaging but allows this address to be directly visible to the ground-based communication network.

Claims

1. A system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:

aircraft network means, located in said aircraft, for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft;

ground-based Access Network means for exchanging communication signals with at least one ground-based communication network; and

Air-To-Ground network means for radio frequency communications between said aircraft network means and said ground-based Access Network means for tunneling data packets, independent of the multiple IP addresses associated with the multitude of passenger wireless devices on the aircraft, between said aircraft network means and said ground-based Access Network means, comprising;

data concentrator means, located on said aircraft, for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft to at least one aggregate data stream; and

data disaggregation means, located in said ground-based Access Network means, for disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding ground-based communications network.

2. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said Air-To-Ground network means comprises:

Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol means for establishing a router-to-router Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection between the Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) located in the ground-based Access Network and the Air-To-Ground modem located in the aircraft.

3. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol means comprises:

Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) functioning as the L2TP Access Concentrator (LAC) and Air-To-Ground modem acts as a L2TP Network Server (LNS).

4. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said Air-To-Ground network means further comprises:

Layer 3 Tunneling Protocol means for terminates just before the Air-To-Ground Modem on the aircraft and NAT does not need to be performed on the aircraft. The other end of IP Tunnel terminates just after the Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) on the ground.

5. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said Air-To-Ground network means further comprises:

aircraft-based NAT means, located onboard the aircraft, for mapping the passenger wireless device IP address to an IP address and an ethereal source port that is unique for the particular passenger wireless device.

6. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 5 wherein said Air-To-Ground network means further comprises:

ground-based NAT means for using the same static NAPT mapping of said aircraft-based NAT means to convert IP addresses received from the aircraft back to the passenger wireless device IP address.

7. The system for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said Air-To-Ground network means further comprises:

data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding ground-based communications network to at least one aggregate data stream; and

data disaggregation means for disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.

8. A method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:

generating in an aircraft network, located in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft;

exchanging communication signals in a ground-based Access Network with at least one ground-based communication network; and

using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network between said aircraft network and said ground-based Access Network for tunneling data packets, independent of the multiple IP addresses associated with the multitude of passenger wireless devices on the aircraft, between said aircraft network and said ground-based Access Network, comprising;

data concentrating on said aircraft, for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft to at least one aggregate data stream; and

data disaggregating in said ground-based Access Network, said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding ground-based communications network.

9. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 8 wherein said step of using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network comprises:

establishing in a Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol a router-to-router Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection between the Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) located in the ground-based Access Network and the Air-To-Ground modem located in the aircraft.

10. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 8 wherein said step of establishing in a Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol comprises:

using a Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) as the L2TP Access Concentrator (LAC) and the Air-To-Ground modem as a L2TP Network Server (LNS).

11. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 8 wherein step of using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network further comprises:

terminating a Layer 3 Tunneling Protocol just before the Air-To-Ground Modem on the aircraft and NAT does not need to be performed on the aircraft, and the other end of the IP Tunnel terminates just after the Packet Data Serving Node (PDSN) on the ground.

12. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 8 wherein step of using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network further comprises:

mapping, onboard the aircraft, the passenger wireless device IP address to an IP address and an ethereal source port that is unique for the particular passenger wireless device.

13. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 12 wherein step of using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network further comprises:

using in a ground-based NAT the same static NAPT mapping as said step of mapping, onboard the aircraft, to convert IP addresses received from the aircraft back to the passenger wireless device IP address.

14. The method for providing individual ground-based Access Network IP addresses of claim 8 wherein step of using radio frequency communications in an Air-To-Ground network further comprises:

converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding ground-based communications network to at least one aggregate data stream; and

disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.