METHOD AND DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATION ON A COMMUNICATION LINK BETWEEN AN AIRCRAFT AND A GROUND STATION

• US 20090077626A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Aiebus France
• Inventors: Boucard, Pascal, Colle-Morlec, Cecile, Leclercq, Agnes
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24

Abstract

A communication method on a communication link between an aircraft and a ground station, the communication capable of being configured according to a plurality of safety levels in which, when the aircraft sends a request to a ground station to modify the safety level of the communication from a previous safety level to a new safety level and the aircraft does not receive an acknowledgement of the request by the ground station, the aircraft still accepts messages from the ground station according to the new security level.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method for communication on a communication link between an aircraft and a ground station, the communication link being capable of being configured according to a plurality of security levels, wherein, when the aircraft sends a request to the ground station with a view to modifying the security level of the communication from an old security level to a new security level and the aircraft does not receive any acknowledgment of the request by the ground station, the aircraft nevertheless accepts the messages received from the ground station according to the new security level.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein, when the aircraft does not receive the acknowledgment and the new security level corresponds to a security level higher than the old security level, the aircraft additionally accepts the messages received from the ground station according to the old security level.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein, when the aircraft does not receive the acknowledgment and the new security level corresponds to a security level higher than the old security level, the aircraft continues to send messages to the ground station according to the old security level as long as the aircraft has not received any acknowledgment from the ground station relating to the change of security level.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein, when the aircraft does not receive the acknowledgment and the new security level corresponds to a security level lower than the old security level, the aircraft rejects the messages received from the ground station according to the old security level.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein, when the aircraft does not receive the acknowledgment and the new security level corresponds to a security level lower than the old security level, the aircraft sends messages to the ground station according to the new security level.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein, when the aircraft receives from the ground station a message whose security level corresponds to the new security level, the aircraft considers that the request to change the security level of the communication has been acknowledged by the ground station.

18. A method according to claim 12, wherein the security level of the communication is a function of the type of message transmitted.

19. A method according to claim 12, wherein the communication is capable of being configured according to:

a first level corresponding to absence of security of the communication with respect to risks of attack by a pirate;

a second security level corresponding to authentication of an emitter of a message;

or

a third security level corresponding to authentication of the emitter of a message, as well as to encryption of messages transmitted on a data link.

21. An aircraft comprising a device capable of implementing the method according to claim 12.

20. A device for communication on a communication link between an aircraft and a ground station, the communication being capable of being configured according to a plurality of security levels, the device comprising:

means for emitting/receiving messages on the communication link;

communication management means connected to the emitting/receiving means;

communication monitoring means comprising first means capable of analyzing a message received by the emitting/receiving means to determine a security level corresponding to the message;

means for storing in memory an old and a new security level when the aircraft sends to the ground station a request to change the security level of the communication;

means for storing in memory a communication state corresponding to an acknowledgment or to an absence of acknowledgment, by the ground station, of a request to change the security level of the communication, sent by the aircraft to the ground station; and

in the communication monitoring means;

second means for comparing the security level corresponding to the received message with the new security level stored in memory and for furnishing a comparison result; and

third means for determining an action relating to acceptance of the received message as a function of the comparison result furnished by the second means and of the value of the communication state stored in memory.

22. An aircraft comprising a communication monitoring device according to claim 20.