COMMUNICATION OF AVIONIC DATA

• US 20150156789A1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Scheid, Paul Raymond, Beacham, William H. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

An example avionic data communication method includes determining one or more available communication channels within a plurality of communication channel types, selecting one of the plurality of available communication channels using a channel controller, the channel controller configured to determine the quality of service of the available communication channels and to select one of the plurality of available communication channels having a cost threshold value that is not less than the cost threshold value of another channel type within the plurality of available channel types. The method further includes communicating data between an aircraft and a ground-based system using the selected one of the plurality of available channel types.

Claims

1. An avionic data communication method comprising:

determining one or more available communication channels within a plurality of communication channel types;

selecting one of the plurality of available communication channels using a channel controller, the channel controller configured to determine the quality of service of the available communication channels and to select one of the plurality of available communication channels having a cost threshold value that is not less than the cost threshold value of another channel type within the plurality of available channel types; and

communicating data between an aircraft and a ground-based system using the selected one of the plurality of available channel types.

2. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the costs associated with communicating using each of the plurality of available channel types are stored in a database that is accessed by a controller when initiating communication of the selected data.

3. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of available channels includes a channel selected from a group that comprises a cellular channel, an Ethernet channel, a WiFi channel, and a WiMax or LTE channel.

4. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the selected channel has a lower quality of service than another of the plurality of available communication channels.

5. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, communicating the type of data using the selected channel.

6. The avionic data communication method of claim 5, wherein the communicating comprises communicating the type of data between an aircraft and a ground-based system.

7. The avionic data communication method of claim 6, wherein the cost-of-transmission threshold changes in response to changes in position of the aircraft relative to the ground-based system.

8. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, including prioritizing the communication of critical data above other types of data.

9. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are at the same geographical location.

10. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of channels are different types of communication channels.

11. The avionic data communication method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft is stationary relative to the ground-based system during the communicating.

12. An avionic data communication arrangement, comprising:

a channel controller configured to select a communication channel from a plurality of available communication channels, the selected communication channel having a quality of service that is not less than the quality of service of another communication channel within the plurality of available channels; and

a transmitter configured to communicate the selected data using the selected communication channel.

13. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein the plurality of available communications channels are at the same geographical location.

14. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein the plurality of available communications channels are different types of communication channels.

15. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is configured to communicate the selected data between an aircraft that is stationary relative to a ground-based system.

16. An avionic data communication arrangement of claim 15, wherein the cost-of-transmission threshold changes in response to changes in position of the aircraft relative to the ground-based system.

17. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein the established communication channel is selected from a group comprising that comprises a cellular channel, an Ethernet channel, a WiFi channel, and a WiMax or LTE channel.

18. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein a switcher module is configured to determine the plurality of available communication channels.

19. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, wherein the channel controller is a separate controller from the data controller.

20. The avionic data communication arrangement of claim 12, further comprising a data controller module configured to select data for transmission that has an associated cost-of-transmission that does not exceed a cost-of-transmission threshold for the established channel.