VDL2 Power Control

• US 20130094470A1
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Inventors: ZENG, Dongsong
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,862 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC

Abstract

Power control of a digital datalink system within an aeronautical telecommunication network is described herein. According to embodiments, the system is configured to calculate the transmission power of an air-based communication station, based on the transmission power used by a ground-based communication station, wherein the transmission power of the air-based communication station is sot to a decibel level higher than or equal to the transmission power of the ground-based communication station.

Claims

1. A method in a ground-based communication station for power control of a digital datalink system within an aeronautical telecommunication network, comprising:

determining a channel spatial capacity requirement of the ground-based communication station;

determining a transmission power of the ground-based communication station based on the spatial capacity requirement;

issuing information representing the determined transmission power to one or more air-based communication stations within a coverage area zone of the ground-based communication station, wherein a transmission power of each of the air-based communication stations is calculated and set to a decibel level higher than or equal to the transmission power of the ground-based communication station; and

receiving data from each of the air-based communication stations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial capacity requirement of a ground-based communication station is defined as a ratio of channel capacity over its coverage area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information issued is a Ground Station Information Frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information issued is received periodically by the ground-based communication station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ground-based communication station is a Very High Frequency Mode 2 radio.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the air-based communication stations is an aircraft comprising a Very High Frequency Mode 2 radio.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission power of the one or more air-based communication stations changes when a handoff is initiated.

8. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer useable hardware medium including control logic stored therein, the control logic when executed by one or more processors causing the processor to perform operations to control power of a digital datalink system within an aeronautical telecommunication network, the operations comprising:

determining a channel spatial capacity requirement of the ground-based communication station;

determining a transmission power of the ground-based communication station based on the spatial capacity requirement;

issuing information representing the determined transmission power to a plurality of air-based communication stations within a coverage area zone of the ground-based communication station, wherein a transmission power of each of the air-based communication stations is calculated and set to a decibel level higher than or equal to the transmission power of the ground-based communication station; and

receiving data from each of the air-based communication stations.

9. A method in an air-based communication station for power control of a digital datalink system within an aeronautical telecommunication network, comprising:

receiving data from one or more ground-based communication stations, wherein the data represents the respective transmission powers of the ground-based communication stations;

selecting a ground-based communication station from the plurality of ground-based communication stations;

calculating a transmission power of the air-based communication station based on the transmission power of the selected ground-based communication station;

wherein the transmission power of the air-based communication station is calculated and set to a fixed decibel level higher than or equal to the transmission power of the ground-based communication station; and

issuing information to the selected ground-based communication station.

10. An air-based communication station, comprising:

a receiver module configured to receive data from one or more ground-based communication stations, wherein the data represents respective transmission powers of the ground-based communication stations;

a processor configured to select a ground-based communication station from the one or more ground-based communication stations and calculate a transmission power of the air-based communication station based on the transmission power of the selected ground-based communication station;

wherein the transmission power of the air-based communication station is calculated and set to a decibel level higher than or equal to the transmission power of the ground-based communication station; and

a transmitter module configured to issue information to the selected ground-based communication station.