AERONAUTICAL AD-HOC NETWORKS

• US 20090092074A1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Sydney
• Original Assignee: University of Sydney
• Inventors: Sakhaee, Ehssan, Jamalipour, Abbas
• Application Number:
  US12/094,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092074A1
• 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 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communications network architecture (200) enabling a first aircraft (102) to establish a communication path with a second aircraft (105) is disclosed. The architecture comprises a satellite network layer (111) enabling the first aircraft (102) to establish the communication path with the second aircraft (105) via a satellite, a terrestrial network layer (110) enabling the first aircraft (102) to establish the communication path with the second aircraft (105) via the satellite and an associated ground station, and an aircraft network layer (202) enabling the first aircraft (102) to establish the communication path with the second aircraft (105) via another aircraft.

Claims

1. A method of establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying another aircraft;

determining relative velocities between at least some of the first aircraft the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first aircraft, said second aircraft and said other aircraft to thereby form the communication path.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the step of determining relative velocities comprises transmitting a communications packet from the second aircraft via the other aircraft to the first aircraft, and determining the Doppler shift associated with the communications packet; and

the step of matching the relative velocities against the criterion comprises determining if the Doppler shift is less than a threshold.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of matching the relative velocities against the criterion comprises determining if each of said relative velocities are less than a threshold.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

the step of matching the relative velocities against the criterion comprises determining if successive pairs of the relative velocities are less than a threshold.

6. A communication network architecture according to claim 5, wherein the communication path between the first aircraft and the second aircraft via the other aircraft is established according to the method of claim 1.

5. A communications network architecture enabling a first aircraft to establish a communication path with a second aircraft, said architecture comprising:

a satellite network layer enabling the first aircraft to establish said communication path with the second aircraft via a satellite;

a terrestrial network layer enabling the first aircraft to establish said communication path with the second aircraft via the satellite, and an associated ground station; and

an aircraft network layer enabling the first aircraft to establish said communication path with the second aircraft via another aircraft.

7. A system for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the system comprising:

means for identifying another aircraft;

means for determining relative velocities between at least some of the first aircraft the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

means for matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

means for establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first aircraft, said second aircraft and said other aircraft to thereby form the communication path.

8. A system for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the system comprising:

one or more memories for storing a program; and

one or more processor for executing the program, said program comprising;

code for identifying another aircraft;

code for determining relative velocities between at least some of the first aircraft the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

code for matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

code for establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first aircraft, said second aircraft and said other aircraft to thereby form the communication path.

9. A computer program for directing one or more processors to execute a procedure for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, said program comprising:

code for identifying another aircraft;

code for determining relative velocities between at least some of the first aircraft the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

code for matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

code for establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first aircraft, said second aircraft and said other aircraft to thereby form the communication path.

10. A computer readable medium upon which is recorded a computer program for directing one or more processors to execute a procedure for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, said program comprising:

code for identifying another aircraft;

code for determining relative velocities between at least some of the first aircraft the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

code for matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

code for establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first aircraft, said second aircraft and said other aircraft to thereby form the communication path.

11. A communication message communicated using any one of the above-noted methods or systems.

12. A method of establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying another aircraft;

determining relative velocities between some or all of the first aircraft, the second aircraft and the other aircraft;

matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, said communication path between the first aircraft and the second aircraft via said other aircraft.

13. A method of establishing, in-motion, a communication path between a first mobile platform and a second mobile platform, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying another mobile platform;

determining relative velocities between at least some of the first mobile platform the second mobile platform and the other mobile platform;

matching the relative velocities against a criterion; and

establishing, if said relative velocities match the criterion, communication path segments between successive pairs of said first mobile platform, said second mobile platform and said other mobile platform to thereby form the communication path.

14. A method of establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a plurality of other aircraft;

determining relative velocities between some or all of the first aircraft, the second aircraft and the plurality of other aircraft;

selecting at least some of the plurality of aircraft dependent upon the relative velocities; and

establishing successive communication path segments between successive pairs of the at least some of the plurality of aircraft, wherein a concatenation of said successive communication path segments forms said communication path.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the selecting step comprises selecting from the plurality of aircraft those successive pairs of aircraft whose corresponding successive communication path segments when concatenated form a communication path having an estimated duration that exceeds a predetermined minimum duration.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

the selecting step selects more than one set of successive pairs of aircraft whose corresponding successive communication path segments when concatenated form a communication path having an estimated duration that exceeds the predetermined minimum duration; and

the selected set comprising the fewest aircraft is used to establish the communication path.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

the selecting step selects more than one set of successive pairs of aircraft whose corresponding successive communication path segments when concatenated form a communication path having an estimated duration that exceeds the predetermined minimum duration; and

the selected set comprising those successive pairs of aircraft whose corresponding successive communication path segments when concatenated form a communication path having a maximum estimated duration is used to establish the communication path.

18. A method according to claim 14, wherein the selecting step utilizes one of the following methods:

choose longest duration path as herein defined;

send on longest duration path as herein defined; and

radial routing as herein defined.

19. A system for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, the system comprising:

one or more memories for storing a program; and

one or more processor for executing the program, said program comprising;

code for identifying a plurality of other aircraft;

code for determining relative velocities between some or all of the first aircraft, the second aircraft and the plurality of other aircraft;

code for selecting at least some of the plurality of aircraft dependent upon the relative velocities; and

code for establishing successive communication path segments between successive pairs of the at least some of the plurality of aircraft, wherein a concatenation of said successive communication path segments forms said communication path.

20. A computer readable medium upon which is recorded a computer program for directing one or more processors to execute a procedure for establishing, in-flight, a communication path between a first aircraft and a second aircraft, said program comprising:

code for identifying a plurality of other aircraft;

code for determining relative velocities between some or all of the first aircraft, the second aircraft and the plurality of other aircraft;

code for selecting at least some of the plurality of aircraft dependent upon the relative velocities; and

code for establishing successive communication path segments between successive pairs of the at least some of the plurality of aircraft, wherein a concatenation of said successive communication path segments forms said communication path.