SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SENDING AND RECEIVING AIR TRAFFIC NETWORK MESSAGES USING DIFFERENT PROTOCOLS

• US 20180295218A1
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Published: 10/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: McGuffin, Thomas F.
• Granted Patent: US 10,425,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method comprises: receiving a selection of at least one of: an initial air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol and an initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system; determining if a second communications protocol was selected; if the second communications protocol was selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in a first communications protocol, and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol; and at least one of sending an ATC message in the selected communications protocol and receiving an ATC message in the selected communications protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of;

an initial air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol and an initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system;

determining if a second communications protocol was selected;

if the second communications protocol was selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in a first communications protocol, and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol; and

at least one of sending an ATC message in the selected communications protocol and receiving an ATC message in the selected communications protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection of at least one of:

the initial ATC message communications protocol and the initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system comprises receiving a selection of one of a FANS 1/A CPDLC system and a protected mode CPDLC system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the second communications protocol was selected comprises determining if at least one of:

at least one of an ATN/OSI and an ATN/IP protocol was selected; and

a PM-CPDLC system using at least one of the ATN/OSI and the ATN/IP protocol was selected.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein trapping further comprises disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein disconnecting the datalink further comprises sending at least one disconnect message.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising at least one of sending an ADS-C message, and receiving an ADS-C message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising if a first communications protocol was selected, then disabling ability to send and receive ATC messages in the second communications protocol.

8. A system, comprising:

a first system comprising;

a first system processor;

a first system memory coupled to the first management system processor, wherein the first system memory comprises;

a navigation system;

a first datalink applications system; and

wherein the first datalink applications system is configured to encode and decode an Air Traffic Control (ATC) message using a first communications protocol;

a second system, coupled to the first system, comprising;

a second system processor; and

a second system memory, coupled to the second system processor, comprising;

at least one router;

a second datalink applications system;

a communications protocol control application system;

wherein the second datalink applications system is configured to encode and decode an ATC message using a second communications protocol;

wherein the communications protocol control application system is configured to;

receive a selection of, or select, at least one of;

an initial communications protocol, and a controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system;

determine if a second communications protocol was selected; and

if the second communications protocol was selected, trapping at least one of a received ATC message in the first communications protocol and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol;

wherein the first system is configured to be coupled to at least one input/output device and at least one sensor; and

wherein the second system is configured to be coupled to a communications system and at least one input/output device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communications management system further comprises a data processing system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first datalink applications system comprises:

a first air traffic control (ATC) datalink application sub-system;

a first airline operations center (AOC) datalink application sub-system;

wherein the first ATC datalink application sub-system is configured to encode and decode the ATC message using the first communications protocol; and

wherein the first AOC datalink application sub-system is configured to encode and decode at least one of an airline operational message and an administrative control message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein trapping further comprises disconnecting a datalink using the first communications protocol:

12. The system of claim 11, wherein disconnecting the datalink further comprises sending at least one disconnect message.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the first datalink applications system comprises an automatic dependent surveillance-contract (ADC-C) subsystem.

14. A program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable medium on which program instructions are embodied, wherein the program instructions are operable to:

receive a selection of at least one of;

an initial air traffic control (ATC) message communications protocol and an initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system;

determine if a second communications protocol was selected;

if the second communications protocol was selected, trap at least one of a received ATC message in a first communications protocol, and a to be sent ATC message in the first communications protocol; and

at least one of send an ATC message in the selected communications protocol and receive an ATC message in the selected communications protocol.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein receive the selection of at least one of:

the initial ATC message communications protocol and the initial controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC) system comprises receive a selection of one of a FANS 1/A CPDLC system and a protected mode CPDLC system.

16. The program product of claim 14, wherein determine if the second communications protocol was selected comprises determine if at least one of:

at least one of an ATN/OSI and an ATN/IP protocol was selected; and

a PM-CPDLC system using at least one of the ATN/OSI and the ATN/IP protocol was selected.

17. The program product of claim 14, wherein trap further comprises disconnect a datalink using the first communications protocol.

18. The program product of claim 17, wherein disconnect further comprises send at least one disconnect message.

19. The program product of claim 14, further comprising at least one of send an ADS-C message, and receive an ADS-C message.

20. The program product of claim 14, further comprising if a first communications protocol was selected, then disable ability to send and receive ATC messages in the second communications protocol.