DIRECT AIRCRAFT-TO-AIRCRAFT DATA LINK COMMUNICATION

• US 20090134981A1
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Shafaat, Syed Tahir, Brown, John Allin
• Granted Patent: US 7,808,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/313
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for direct communication between aircraft, which may involve receiving tactical and strategic information related to proximate aircraft for improved flight planning. The systems and methods presented herein may be implemented, for example, in a first aircraft having a data link component adapted to process information, a storage component adapted to store information related to the first aircraft, access to a plurality of onboard data sources, and a communication interface component adapted to directly communicate with a second aircraft via a communication link. The first aircraft may include a user interface component adapted to interact with the data link component to retrieve the information related to the second aircraft from the storage component, generate a request message with the information related to the second aircraft, and communicate with the communication interface component to directly transmit the generated request message to the second aircraft via the communication link.

Claims

1. A system for a first aircraft comprising:

a data link component adapted to process information;

a storage component adapted to store information related to the first aircraft;

a communication interface component adapted to directly communicate with a second aircraft via a communication link; and

a user interface component adapted to interact with the data link component to;

retrieve the information related to the first aircraft from the storage component;

generate a request message with the information related to the first aircraft; and

communicate with the communication interface component to directly transmit the generated request message to the second aircraft via the communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data sources that generate in-flight information related to the first aircraft, wherein the generated information is stored in the storage component.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of data sources include at least one of an aircraft identity data source, a turbulence data source, a weather radar data source, a wind data source, a temperature data source, a traffic data source, a braking action data source, and an aircraft systems data source.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information related to the first aircraft includes identification information of the first aircraft.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication link comprises a radio frequency (RF) communication link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the request message comprises a text message.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface component is adapted to receive a response message from the second aircraft.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the response message comprises information related to the second aircraft including identification information related to the second aircraft.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the response message comprises a text message.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display component adapted to display proximate in-flight traffic including an image of the second aircraft.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the display component is adapted to comprise at least one of a traffic display, a strategic weather display, a tactical weather display, and a display element of a flight management function.

12. A method adapted for use by a first aircraft, the method comprising:

identifying and selecting a second aircraft for communication therewith;

transmitting a request for information directly to the second aircraft via a communication link; and

receiving the requested information directly from the second aircraft via the communication link.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing the information received from the second aircraft.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating an alternate flight plan based on the information received from the second aircraft.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting a request for information comprises transmitting a message to the second aircraft as the request for information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the requested information comprises receiving a message from the second aircraft as a response to the request for information.

17. Software encoded in one or more computer readable media and when executed operable to provide a first aircraft the capability to communicate with a second aircraft, the software further operable to:

identify and select the second aircraft for communication therewith;

transmit a request for information directly to the second aircraft via a communication link; and

receive the requested information directly from the second aircraft via the communication link.

18. The software of claim 17, further operable to store the information received from the second aircraft.

19. The software of claim 17, further operable to generate an alternate flight plan based on the information received from the second aircraft.

20. The software of claim 17, wherein being operable to transmit a request for information comprises being operable to transmit a message to the second aircraft as the request for information, and wherein being operable to receive the requested information comprises being operable to receive a message from the second aircraft as a response to the request for information.