WIRELESS BLACK BOX COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20110149849A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Edwin Brownrig
• Original Assignee: Edwin Brownrig
• Inventors: BROWNRIG, EDWIN
• Application Number:
  US12/909,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide wireless black box communication systems and methods. According to some embodiments, a wireless black-box flight recorder network system can generally comprise an earth-station server and a plurality of aircraft based clients. The earth-station server can be configured to transmit and receive wireless data messages. The earth-station server can be coupled to or comprise a storage medium for storing data recorded about an aircraft. The plurality of aircraft based clients can each comprise a device to receive aircraft data. The clients can also each comprise a client controller configured to implement a client process. The client process of at least one of the aircraft based client can select a transmission path to the earth-station server that is an indirect link to the earth-station server through at least one of the other aircraft based clients. The indirect link can be used to transmit aircraft data to the earth-station server for storing said data in the storage medium. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also claimed and described.

Claims

1. A wireless network system comprising:

an earth-station server configured to receive and transmit data packets to one or more of a plurality of mobile, airborne communication nodes, the plurality of mobile, airborne communication nodes comprising a first airborne client and a second airborne client;

at least one processor associated with at least one of the earth-station server, the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

establish one or more temporary communication routes between the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server, and as positions of the first airborne client and the second airborne client change, establish other temporary communication routes between the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a first alternative route via the plurality of satellite clients by exchanging in-memory routing tree link information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to maintain a table of alternate routes comprising at least one newly discovered route.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to analyze at least one of the data packets to determine if the at least one data packet has been sent on a second alternative route unknown to a respective one of the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to count a number of hops between a source node associated with the at least one data packet and a respective one of the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to sort the table of alternate routes and replace the first alternative route with the second alternative route when a respective one of the first airborne client, the second airborne client, and the earth-station server loses the first alternative route.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first airborne client and the second airborne client are airplanes.

8. A wireless black-box flight recorder network system comprising:

an earth-station server configured to transmit and receive wireless data messages, the earth-station server coupled to a storage medium for storing data recorded about an aircraft;

and a plurality of aircraft based clients each comprising a device to receive aircraft data and each comprising a client controller configured to implement a client process, wherein the client process of at least one of the aircraft based clients selects a transmission path to the earth-station server that is an indirect link to the earth-station server through at least one of the other aircraft based clients, and wherein the indirect link is used to transmit aircraft data to the earth-station server for storing said data in the storage medium.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the earth-station server comprises a digital controller configured to maintain a map of data packet transmission paths of the plurality of aircraft based clients.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the aircraft-based clients and earth-station server are configured to perform wireless transmission of data using at least one of WiMAX, 4G, and CMDA.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the client controller associated with at least one of the aircraft-based clients serves as an in-flight router configure to route data messages to the earth-station server and other of the aircraft-based clients.

12. A wireless network system for serving as a system to transmit, receive, and store data associated with aircraft client including data recorded on airplanes indicative of airplane performance and operation, the wireless network system comprising:

an earth station server comprising a first node controller and a first node transceiver, said first node controller implementing a first node process that includes controlling said first node transceiver, said first node process including receiving and transmitting data packets via said first node radio transceiver;

a plurality of mobile-airborne-second nodes each including a second node controller and a second node radio transceiver, said second node controller implementing a second node process that includes controlling of said second node radio transceiver, said second node process including receiving and transmitting data packets via said second node radio transceiver, wherein said second node process of each of said second nodes includes selecting a data transmission path to said earth station server that is direct or through at least one of the remainder of said plurality of mobile-airborne-second nodes; and

wherein said selected path to said earth station server utilizes the least number of other mobile-airborne-second nodes, such that said transmission path from each of said mobile-airborne-second nodes to said earth station server is optimized and the first node controller approves changes to the selected transmission path.

13. The wireless network system of claim 12, wherein each of the mobile-airborne-second nodes is disposed within an airplane and comprises a data device configured to receive data about airplane performance and operation and provide the data to the second node radio transceiver.

14. The wireless network system of claim 12, wherein each of the mobile-airborne-second nodes, when implementing said second node process, continues to determine whether the mobile-airborne-second node is airborne.

15. The wireless network system of claim 12, wherein the earth station server is located proximate a body of water and comprises a plurality of data servers for storing information about a plurality of planes.

16. A wireless network system for serving as a system to transmit, receive, and store data associated with aircraft client including data recorded on airplanes indicative of airplane performance and operation, the wireless network system comprising:

a first server node including a first node controller and a first node radio modem, said first node controller implementing a first node process that includes controlling of said first node radio modem, said first node process including receiving and transmitting data packets via said first node radio modem;

a plurality of second nodes each including a second node controller implementing a second node process that includes controlling a second node radio modem, said second node process including receiving and transmitting data packets via said second node radio modem, wherein said second node process of each of said second nodes includes initiating a radio transmission path to said first node that is a link to said first node through at least one of the remainder of said plurality of second nodes; and

wherein said first node process dynamically updates a second node link tree comprising second node link entries and dynamically modifies the second node link tree so that the data packet transmission from the first node is optimized.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the second nodes is an airplane communication device and said first node process further comprises:

logic for comparing a selected link from one of the plurality of said second nodes to said first node to a current second node link entry in said second node link tree; and

logic for dynamically updating said second node link tree when said comparison meets predetermined conditions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said first node process further comprises:

logic for determining if one of the plurality of said second nodes is authentic;

logic for determining if one of the plurality of said second nodes is already in said second node link tree if one of the plurality of said second nodes is determined to be authentic; and

logic for inserting one of the plurality of said second nodes in said second node link tree if one of the plurality of said second nodes is authentic and is not already in said second node link tree.

19. A method for receiving and/or recording data about a plurality of airplanes to ensure that airplane operation and performance data is maintained, the method comprising:

providing an earth-station server node implementing a first node process including receiving and sending data packets via RF transmissions;

providing a plurality of second airborne-based nodes, each second airborne-based node providing a second node process including sending and receiving data packet via RF transmission, maintaining a send/receive data buffer in digital memory, and selecting a transmission path to said first node that is one of a direct link to said first node and an indirect link to said first node through at least one of the remainder of said plurality of second airborne-based nodes based upon path data determined through a pooning process; and

maintaining a second node link tree having second node link entries at one of the earth-station server node or second airborne-based node.

20. The method of claim 19, the first node process further comprising:

comparing a selected link from one of the plurality of said second airborne-based nodes to said earth-station server node to a second node link entry in said second node link tree; and

dynamically updating said second node link tree when said comparison meets at least one of several predetermined conditions.

21. The method of claim 19, the first node process further comprising:

determining if one of the plurality of said second airborne-based nodes is authentic;

deleting one of the plurality of said second airborne-based nodes from said second node link tree if one of the plurality of said second airborne-based nodes is already in said second node link tree; and

inserting one of the plurality of said second airborne-based nodes in said second node tree if said second node is authentic.

22. The method of claim 19, further configuring the earth-station server node as a gateway to transmit and receive data messages to another network enabling airplane operation and performance data to be transmitted via said another network.

23. An airplane-client node in a network, the network including an earth-station server node having a server radio modem and a server controller which implements a server process that includes controlling the server node to receive and transmit data packets via said server node to other nodes in the network, the airplane-client node comprising:

a client node radio modem;

a client node controller;

said client node controller implementing a process including receiving and transmitting data packets via said client modem; and

selecting a radio transmission path to said server node that is one of a direct link to said server node and an indirect link to said server node through at least one other client node and;

implementing a process to update said radio transmission path in response to transmission path data and authorization to update the path received from said server node.

24. The airplane-client node of claim 23, wherein said transmission path data is chosen from the group comprising data identifying:

a path to said server node through the minimum number of client nodes;

a path to the server node through the most robust additional client nodes;

a path to the server node through the client node with the least amount of traffic; and

a path to the server node through the fastest client nodes.

25. The airplane-client node of claim 23, further comprising components to receive data about an airplane'"'"'s operation and performance, said components coupled to the client node controller to enable the client node radio modem to transmit airplane related data to an intended recipient.