OPEN WIRELESS ARCHITECTURE (OWA) UNIFIED AIRBORNE AND TERRESTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE

• US 20140029571A1
• Filed: 07/27/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dexi Lu, Jianhong Hu, Michael Lu, Wei Lu
• Inventors: LU, WEI, LU, DEXI, LU, MICHAEL, HU, JIANHONG
• Granted Patent: US 9,319,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/083 wherein at least one of the access points is a moving node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/16 Performing reselection for specific purposes

Abstract

This invention relates to an Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) unified airborne and terrestrial communications architecture providing optimal high-speed connections with open radio transmission technologies (RTTs) between aircrafts and ground cells, and between different aircrafts in Ad-Hoc or Mesh network group, to construct the multi-dimensional unified information delivery platform across the airborne networks and the terrestrial networks wherein the same OWA mobile device or OWA mobile computer can be used seamlessly and continuously both in the aircrafts and on the ground.

Claims

1. An Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) unified airborne and terrestrial networking method, said method comprising:

a) connecting an aircraft with Ground Cells or Ground Airports in both up-link (from Ground to aircraft) and down-link (from aircraft to Ground), or connecting one aircraft with another aircraft in an Ad-Hoc or Mesh network Group, through OWA.Air Transceiver in said aircraft,

b) connecting with said OWA.Air Transceiver in both said up-link and said down-link with predictable airborne mobile handover protocol, and connecting with terrestrial network and backbone Ground Network, through OWA.Ground Transceiver in said Ground Cell,

c) constructing and organizing In-Flight wireless mobile network in aircraft cabins through OWA.onBoard Wireless Router and Access Point, and connecting to said Ground Network through said OWA.Air Transceiver,

d) connecting OWA.inFlight Mobile Device or OWA Mobile Device to said OWA.onBoard Wireless Router and Access Point for In-Flight mode with said In-Flight wireless mobile network in aircraft cabins, and switching to Terrestrial mode with said Ground Network when said aircraft returns to or arrive at Ground Airports, and

e) synchronizing and managing said OWA Mobile Devices between said Terrestrial mode and said In-Flight mode through OWA Mobile Cloud VMS (Virtual Mobile Server) on the ground when mobile users travel across airborne networks and terrestrial networks, and supporting many processing tasks and modules pushed from said OWA Mobile Devices to said OWA Mobile Cloud VMS to optimize the wireless transmission performance and wireless system performance.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA.Ground Transceivers actively and adaptively sends narrow beams to said OWA.Air Transceivers based on beam-forming technology to ensure broadband high-speed connections in up-link (from ground to aircraft) channels.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA Mobile Device or said OWA.inFlight Mobile Device is synchronized between said Terrestrial mode and said In-Flight mode, wherein said OWA Mobile Device and said OWA.inFlight Mobile Device are same device across said Terrestrial mode and said In-Flight mode.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein both said OWA.Air Transceivers and said OWA.Ground Transceivers support open radio transmission technologies (RTTs), wherein said RTTs include Code Division Multiplex Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiplex Access (TDMA), OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex Access), SDMA (Space Division Multiplex Access) and their combinations.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein search order of connection modes between said OWA.inFlight Mobile Device and said OWA.onBoard Wireless Router and Access Point is re-configured or re-set by mobile users or aircrafts wherein by default, said search order is by WLAN.Air (Modified wireless local area network for airborne in-flight connection), WPAN.Air (Modified wireless personal access network for airborne in-flight connection), WLAN (Standard wireless local area network with reduced and lowest possible transmitting power for airborne in-flight connection), WPAN (Standard wireless personal access network or personal area network with reduced and lowest possible transmitting power for airborne in-flight connection) and Wireline connection.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein said WLAN.Air and said WPAN.Air are the safest modes for said In-Flight connection, completely in compliance with airborne communication regulations and guidelines.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA.Air Transceivers and said OWA.Ground Transceivers find the best possible said RTTs for both said up-link and said down-link connections before next airborne mobile handover occurs based on preloaded airborne navigation information and ground cells'"'"' information.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein an In-Flight Pilot Signal will automatically switch said OWA Mobile Device from said Terrestrial mode to said In-Flight mode completely, so that said OWA Mobile Device does not have to power off when on board said aircrafts.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the time to release or turnoff said In-Flight Pilot Signal may vary based on different airborne regulations and rulings in different regions, and in most situations, said In-Flight Pilot Signal is turned off only after said aircrafts return to Airport Gates.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein processing tasks and modules pushed from said OWA Mobile Devices to said OWA Mobile Cloud VMS comprise signal processing, networking processing and application processing for said OWA Mobile Devices.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said Ad-Hoc or Mesh network group builds an airborne network among group member aircrafts when said group member aircrafts fly over ocean area where there are no ground cells available for ground connection, but there is always at least one said group member aircraft close to an airport or a ground cell in said Ad-Hoc or Mesh network group to connect with ground networks, either before landing, after take-off or passing by.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA.Air Transceiver in one aircraft supports multiple said RTTs and adaptively connects to other said OWA.Air Transceiver in other aircraft with selected said RTT connection in said Ad-Hoc or Mesh network group.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA Mobile Device allows allocating multiple air interfaces into an external air interface card and mobile users change wireless standards by updating said air interface card without having to change said OWA mobile device.

14. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said airborne networks can use Satellite channel to update said ground cells information, said airports information and airborne navigation routing information, and adjust said airborne mobile handover protocol as well as update said Ad-Hoc or Mesh network group information for said group member aircrafts.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA Mobile Device pushes applications to and synchronizes applications with said OWA Mobile Cloud VMS, wherein multiple OWA Mobile Devices can share same said OWA Mobile Cloud VMS.

16. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said In-Flight Pilot Signal can be generated from said OWA.onBoard Wireless Router and Access Point or said OWA.Air Transceiver.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said OWA Mobile Device, said OWA.Air Transceiver and said OWA.Ground Transceiver can be any mobile device and wireless transceiver supporting multiple said RTTs.

18. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein both said up-link and said down-link between said OWA.Air Transceiver and said OWA.Ground Transceiver are by open said RTTs for different wireless services and service areas, and said up-link or said down-link is reconfigurable to be either broadband high-speed link or regular link by different said RTTs.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each said OWA.Air Transceiver is capable to support multiple connections to either said OWA.Ground Transceiver, said ground network, or to other said OWA.Air Transceiver in other aircraft.

20. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each aircraft is equipped with one or multiple said OWA.Air Transceivers for constructing unified airborne and terrestrial networks.