Communication system for an aircraft

• US 7,548,533 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Mueller, Jan, Kebel, Robert, Koenig, Axel, Reitmann, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Lee
• Application Number:
  US11/247,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20060088001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/334, 370/338, 455/431, 455/41.2, 455/41.3
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/445 with switching in a hub, e.g. ETHERNET switch
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An interface device for a communication network comprises a plurality of first communication nodes and a plurality of second communication nodes, wherein the interface device comprises a switching unit and a transmit-/receive aerial. The switching unit is capable of being coupled, so as to be able to communicate, to each of the first communication nodes and to each of the second communication nodes, and is configurable for transmitting a communication message between one of the first communication nodes and a second communication node, which may be unambiguously allocated to said first communication node. The switching unit may be coupled to the transmit-/receive aerial for wireless communication with each of the second communication nodes by way of the transmit-/receive aerial that may be shared for communicating with each of the second communication nodes.

Claims

1. An interface device for a communication network within an aircraft having a plurality of first communication nodes arranged in a fuselage of the aircraft and a plurality of second communication nodes disposed in the fuselage of the aircraft, the interface device comprising:

a switching unit; and

a transmit-/receive aerial disposed in the fuselage of the aircraft, wherein the transmit-/receive aerial is divided into a transmit aerial for wireless transmission of signals to the plurality of the second communication nodes and into a receive aerial, provided separately from the transmit aerial, for wireless receiving of signals from the plurality of second communication nodes;

wherein the switching unit is capable of coupling to each of the plurality of the first communication nodes and to each of the plurality of the second communication nodes, and is configured for transmitting a communication message between one of the plurality of the first communication nodes and one of the plurality of second communication nodes, allocated to the one of the plurality of first communication nodes;

wherein the switching unit is coupled to the transmit aerial and the receive aerial for wireless communication with each of the plurality of the second communication nodes using the transmit-/receive aerial shared for communicating with each of the plurality of the second communication nodes, and the transmit aerial and the receive aerial are capable of communicating simultaneously with each of the plurality of the second communication nodes.

2. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the switching unit is equipped for wire-bound communication with each of the first communication nodes.

3. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a plurality of transmit connections; and

a plurality of receive connections;

wherein in each case one of the transmit connections and in each case one of the receive connections are capable of coupling to one of the first communication nodes;

wherein each of the transmit connectors is equipped for transmitting a communication message to be sent by one of the first communication nodes; and

wherein each of the receive connections is equipped for transmitting a communication message to be sent to one of the first communication nodes.

4. The interface device of claim 3, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a first signal processing unit, wherein the first signal processing unit is coupled to the plurality of transmit connections; and

wherein the first signal processing unit is equipped for processing signals to be sent by the transmit-/receive aerial, and the signals are capable of being conveyed to the first signal processing unit by at least one of the transmit connections.

5. The interface device of claim 3, wherein the switching unit comprises:

a second signal processing unit, wherein the second signal processing unit is coupled to the plurality of receive connections; and

wherein the second signal processing unit is equipped for processing signals received by the transmit-/receive aerial, which signals are conveyable to at least one receive connection by the second signal processing unit.

6. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of transmit-/receive aerials, each of which is provided for communication with each of the second communication nodes in a shared arrangement.

7. A communication network, comprising:

an interface device of claim 1;

a plurality of first communication nodes; and

a plurality of second communication nodes;

wherein one of the second communication nodes is allocated to each of the first communication nodes such that allocation of the second communication nodes is unambiguous;

wherein the switching unit is coupled, so as to be able to communicate, to each of the first communication nodes and to each of the second communication nodes, and is set up for transmitting a communication message between one of the first communication nodes and a second communication node, which is unambiguously allocated to said first communication node by way of the transmit-/receive aerial that is shared for communicating with each of the second communication nodes.

8. The communication network of claim 7, further comprising:

an accommodation device in which the plurality of first communication nodes is capable of being accommodated by the accommodation device.

9. The communication network of claim 8, wherein the accommodation device is an electronics rack.

10. The communication network of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of first communication nodes comprises a control device for controlling the allocated second communication node.

11. The communication network of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first communication nodes is configured as a WLAN device;

a mobile radio device;

an in-flight cabin entertainment device;

a monitoring device;

or a freight monitoring device.

12. The communication network of claim 7, wherein each of the second communication nodes comprises a transmit-/receive aerial for wireless communication with the transmit-/receive aerial of the interface device.

13. An aircraft, comprising an interface device of claim 1 or a communication network of claim 7.

14. A method for operating an interface for a communication network in an aircraft comprising:

arranging a plurality of first communication nodes in the aircraft and arranging a plurality of second communication nodes in a fuselage of the aircraft including a cockpit, a passenger compartment, a cargo hold, a galley, a sanitation region, or a combination thereof, the method comprising;

coupling a switching unit of the interface, so as to be able to communicate, to each of the first communication nodes and to each of the second communication nodes;

setting up the switching unit for transmitting a communication message between one of the first communication nodes and a second communication node, which is allocated to said first communication node; and

coupling the switching unit to a transmit-/receive aerial in the fuselage of the aircraft for wireless communication with each of the second communication nodes using the transmit-/receive aerial that is shared for communicating with each of the second communication nodes;

wherein the transmit-/receive aerial is divided into a transmit aerial and a receive aerial, provided separately, the transmit aerial is for wireless transmission of signals to the plurality of the second communication nodes, and the receive aerial is for wireless receiving of signals from the plurality of the second communication nodes, and the transmit aerial and the receive aerial are capable of communicating simultaneously with each of the plurality of the second communication nodes.