Platform-associated visitor location registers (VLR) for cellular communications

• US 7,359,700 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Swensen, Marvin D., Himes, John G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour; Naghmeh
• Application Number:
  US10/888,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20040253949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/421, 455/422.1, 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/430, 455/431, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/12.1, 455 131- 133
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A wireless communications system and method provides wireless communications service for user equipment on board an aircraft. The aircraft includes on-board system equipment for supporting the wireless communications service with on-board user equipment. One or more ground stations are used for communicating with the aircraft using a plurality of feeder links for exchanging the wireless communications service'"'"'s traffic and control information with the on-board system equipment, and for providing interfaces with a terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure. A mobile switching center manages the ground stations and the on-board system equipment of the aircraft, wherein the mobile switching center includes at least one platform visitor location register (VLR) associated with each aircraft to ensure proper registration and tracking of the user equipment used on board the aircraft.

Claims

1. A system for providing an aircraft-based wireless communications service, comprising:

one or more aircraft each including on-board system equipment for supporting wireless communications service with on-board user equipment;

one or more ground stations communicating with the aircraft using feeder links exchanging the wireless communications service'"'"'s traffic and control information and providing interfaces with a terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure; and

a mobile switching center that manages the ground stations and the on-board system equipment of the aircraft, wherein each aircraft has its own associated platform visitor location register (VLR) defined at the mobile switching center that identifies the user equipment on board that aircraft to ensure proper registration and tracking of the user equipment used an board the aircraft.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform VLR associated with the aircraft comprises a logical VLR.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user equipment used on board the aircraft is accounted for within the platform VLR.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform VLR contains information for each user equipment active on the aircraft at any time during the flight.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform VLR eliminates a requirement for switching or re-registering the user equipment with other registers.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the platform VLR ensures having correct and timely knowledge of the user equipment'"'"'s location used or activated during the aircraft'"'"'s flight, in order to route calls to and from the user equipment on board the aircraft.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile switching center includes at least one Home Location Register (HLR) that identifies local customers and at least one Visitor Location Register (VLR) that identifies roaming customers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board system equipment comprises an Avionic Base Station Controller (ABSC), situated on board the aircraft, for providing Base Station Controller type functions that permit wireless communications from the aircraft.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the Avionic Base Station Controller (ABSC) aggregates and manages communications between an on-board Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ABTS) and the mobile switching center.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the on-board system equipment comprises an Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ABTS), situated on board the aircraft, for providing Base Transceiver Station (BSC) type functions that permit wireless communications from the aircraft.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a terrestrial Base Station Controller (BSC) aggregates and manages communications between the on-board Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ABTS) and the mobile switching center.

12. A system for providing an aircraft-based wireless communications service, comprising:

at least one platform visitor location register (VLR) defined within a mobile switch center and associated with an aircraft having on-board system equipment for supporting wireless communications service with on-board user equipment, wherein the mobile switching center manages one or more ground stations communicating with the aircraft and exchanging the wireless communications service'"'"'s traffic and control information with the on-board system equipment of the aircraft, and the platform VLR identifies the user equipment active on that aircraft to ensure proper registration and tracking of the user equipment used on board the aircraft.

13. A method of providing wireless communications service in an aircraft, comprising:

supporting the wireless communications service with user equipment on-board an aircraft using system equipment on board the aircraft;

communicating between the aircraft and one or more ground stations using a plurality of feeder links born the ground stations, wherein the ground stations exchange the wireless communication service'"'"'s traffic and control information with the system equipment on-board the aircraft and provide interfaces with a terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure; and

managing the ground stations and the on-board system equipment of the aircraft using a mobile switching center, wherein each aircraft has its own associated platform visitor location register (VLR) defined at the mobile switching center that identifies the user equipment active on that aircraft to ensure proper registration and tracking of the user equipment used on board the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the platform VLR associated with the aircraft comprises a logical VLR.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the user equipment used on board the aircraft is accounted for within the platform VLR.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the platform VLR contains information for each user equipment active on the aircraft at any time during the flight.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the platform VLR eliminates a requirement for switching or re-registering the user equipment with other registers.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the platform VLR ensures having correct and timely knowledge of the user equipment'"'"'s location used or activated during the aircraft'"'"'s flight, in order to route calls to and from the user equipment on board the aircraft.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile switching center includes at least one Home Location Register (HLR) that identifies local customers and at least one Visitor Location Register (VLR) that identifies roaming customers.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the on-board system equipment comprises an Avionic Base Station Controller (ABSC), situated on board the aircraft, for providing Base Station Controller type functions that permit wireless communications from the aircraft.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the Avionic Base Station Controller (ABSC) aggregates and manages communications between an on-board Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ARTS) and the mobile switching center.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the on-board system equipment comprises an Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ABTS), situated on board the aircraft, for providing Base Transceiver Station (BSC) type functions that permit wireless communications from the aircraft.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a terrestrial Base Station Controller (BSC) aggregates and manages communications between the on-board Avionic Base Transceiver Station (ABTS) and the mobile switching center.