Hybrid Air-to-Ground and Satellite System Traffic Management

• US 20160119938A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frerking, Melvin D., Wei, Bo, Radpour, Assad
• Granted Patent: US 9,848,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• 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: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/1446 wherein at least one of the networks is unlicensed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/328 by altitude
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A technique for providing users with in-flight connectivity includes a method for operating a communications system on an aircraft comprising allocating to a communications session between equipment on the aircraft and other equipment, a first bandwidth allocation of a selected communications system selected from the group consisting of a satellite communications system and an air-to-ground communications system. The allocating is based on a latency tolerance of the communications session and a prioritization level of the communications session. The method includes communicating signals of the communications session using the first bandwidth allocation of the selected communications system.

Claims

1. A method for operating a communications system on an aircraft comprising:

allocating to a communications session between equipment on the aircraft and other equipment, a first bandwidth allocation of a selected communications system selected from the group consisting of a non-terrestrial communications system and an air-to-ground communications system, the allocating being based on a latency tolerance of the communications session and a prioritization level of the communications session; and

communicating signals of the communications session using the first bandwidth allocation of the selected communications system.

2. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the air-to-ground communications system is selected until the air-to-ground communications system bandwidth is approximately a threshold air-to-ground bandwidth allocation for the aircraft.

3. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

allocating an aircraft-area bandwidth to the communications session based on at least one of capability of the equipment on the aircraft and subscription information associated with the equipment on the aircraft; and

communicating the signals of the communications session further using the aircraft-area bandwidth.

4. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the prioritization level is selected from a plurality of prioritization levels based on a type of the equipment on the aircraft, the plurality of prioritization levels including a prioritization level of aircraft passenger user equipment, a prioritization level of avionics equipment, a prioritization level of an in-flight entertainment system, and a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment.

5. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected communications system is the non-terrestrial communications system in response to the communications session being tolerant of a high latency and the selected communications system is the air-to-ground communications system in response to the communications session being intolerant of the high latency.

6. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the communications session is a transport layer session of an open systems interconnection model communications system.

7. The method, as recited in claim 6, wherein the communications session is a transmission control protocol session.

8. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

allocating aircraft-area bandwidth to the communications session according to the prioritization level of the equipment on the aircraft, the prioritization level being selected from a plurality of prioritization levels based on a type of the equipment on the aircraft, the plurality of prioritization levels including a prioritization level of aircraft passenger user equipment, a prioritization level of avionics equipment, a prioritization level of an in-flight entertainment system, and a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment; and

communicating signals of the communications session using the aircraft-area bandwidth allocation.

9. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected communications system is the non-terrestrial communications system and the method further comprises:

handing off the communications session from the satellite communications system to the air-to-ground communications system; and

communicating the signals of the communications session using a second bandwidth allocation of the air-to-ground communications system, the second bandwidth being allocated based on the latency tolerance of the communications session and the prioritization level of the communications session.

10. The method, as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

handing off the communications session from the air-to-ground communications system to the satellite communications system; and

communicating the signals of the communications session using a third bandwidth allocation of the non-terrestrial communications system, the third bandwidth being allocated based on the latency tolerance of the communications session and the prioritization level of the communications session.

11. The method, as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

handing off the communications session from the non-terrestrial communications system to a terrestrial communications system; and

communicating the signals of the communications session using a fourth bandwidth allocation of the terrestrial communications system, the fourth bandwidth being allocated based on the prioritization level of the communications session.

12. The method, as recited in claim 9, wherein the handoff is in response to a change in aircraft orientation.

13. The method, as recited in claim 1,

wherein a prioritization level of avionics equipment is greater than a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment, and

wherein the prioritization level of the aircraft personnel communications equipment is greater than a prioritization level of an aircraft passenger user equipment.

14. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating with the aircraft subscriber-identity module information associated with equipment on the aircraft; and

registering the aircraft with the non-terrestrial communications system and the air-to-ground communications system.

15. The method, as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

allocating non-terrestrial communications system bandwidth to the aircraft according to at least one of an actual number of passengers on the aircraft and an aircraft type; and

allocating air-to-ground communications system bandwidth to the aircraft according to at least one of a number of passengers and an aircraft type,

wherein the first bandwidth is allocated based on the non-terrestrial communications system bandwidth allocated to the aircraft and the air-to-ground communications system bandwidth allocated to the aircraft.

16. The method, as recited in claim 15, wherein the aircraft type is one of commercial and private.

17. The method, as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

allocating non-terrestrial communications system bandwidth to the aircraft according to aircraft altitude; and

allocating air-to-ground communications system bandwidth to the aircraft according to aircraft altitude,

wherein the first bandwidth is allocated based on the non-terrestrial communications system bandwidth allocated to the aircraft and the air-to-ground communications system bandwidth allocated to the aircraft.

18. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first bandwidth is allocated further according to cost tolerance and minimum required capacity of the communications session.

19. The method, as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

queuing signals of the communications session in response to available bandwidth of the selected system being insufficient to satisfy a minimum required capacity of the communications session.

20. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the first bandwidth allocation in response to an event having a prioritization level higher than the prioritization level of the communications session.

21. An apparatus for communications on an aircraft comprising:

a first modem configured to process signals communicated with a non-terrestrial relay point;

a second modem configured to process signals communicated with a terrestrial relay point; and

a controller configured to allocate to a communications session between equipment on the aircraft and other equipment, a first bandwidth allocation of a selected communications system selected from the group consisting of a satellite communications system and an air-to-ground communications system, the allocating being based on a latency tolerance of the communications session and a prioritization level of the communications session, the controller communicating signals of the communications session with the first modem and the second modem according to the first bandwidth allocation.

22. The apparatus, as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

a wireless local area access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft; and

a small cell access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft,

wherein the controller is further configured to allocate an aircraft-area bandwidth to the communications session based on at least one of capability of the equipment on the aircraft and subscription information associated with the equipment on the aircraft and the controller being configured to communicate the signals of the communications session further using the aircraft-area bandwidth.

23. The apparatus, as recited in claim 21, wherein the prioritization level is selected from a plurality of prioritization levels based on a type of the equipment on the aircraft, the plurality of prioritization levels including a prioritization level of aircraft passenger user equipment, a prioritization level of avionics equipment, a prioritization level of an in-flight entertainment system, and a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for controlling communications with equipment on an aircraft; and

means for communicating first data streams between the means for controlling and first equipment on the aircraft using a first wireless protocol and first power spectral density mask; and

means for communicating second data streams between the means for controlling and second equipment on the aircraft using a second wireless protocol and second power spectral density,

wherein the means for controlling communicates signals of the communications session using a first bandwidth allocation of the selected communications system allocated to the communications session between equipment on the aircraft and other equipment, a first bandwidth allocation of a selected communications system selected from the group consisting of a satellite communications system and an air-to-ground communications system, the allocating being based on a latency tolerance of the communications session and a prioritization level of the communications session.