Broadband wireless distribution system for mobile platform interior

• US 7,769,398 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Ma, Zhaofeng, Silva, Del, Horton, Nathaniel T., Marston, Scott E., Shetty, Sudhakar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches; Randy
• Application Number:
  US10/295,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,818 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/463
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2146 located in mass transportation means, e.g. aircraft, train or bus flight-deck installations for entertainment or communications B64D11/0015; arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62; moving wireless networks H04W84/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A broadband wireless distribution network for a passenger cabin area of a mobile platform. The broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) connected to a server and switching system and a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) strategically located about the passenger cabin. Additionally the broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of antennas connected to the WAPs such that at least one antenna is connected to each WAP. The antennas are capable of providing RF coverage patterns to specific overlapping areas within the passenger cabin, thereby allowing communication between each WAP and at least one NIC.

Claims

1. A broadband wireless distribution system for a mobile plafform passenger cabin area comprising:

a server and switching system including at least one audio/video server;

a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) in communication with said server and switching system, each said WAP is capable of operating on a specific radio channel;

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) antennas, wherein at least one antenna is in associated with each said WAP and each said antenna is capable of providing a designated RF radiation pattern, thereby providing a specific area of RF coverage within the passenger cabin,

a plurality of passenger control units (PCUs) each having a wireless network interface circuit (NIC), each said PCU and its associated said NIC being disposed on an associated passenger seat; and

each said NIC including its own antenna and communicating with at least one additional component used at its associated said seat, to interface said at least one additional component to a specific one of said WAPs associated with a specific one of said NICs by utilizing said antenna of said specific one of said NICs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each said WAP is further capable of communicating with at least one said NIC by utilizing the RF signals radiated by said associated antenna to the specific area of RF coverage within the passenger cabin in which said NIC is located.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said antennas are further capable of providing overlapping areas of RF coverage of the passenger cabin area.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each said antenna is further capable of reducing electromagnetic interference with other systems of the mobile platform by providing RF coverage to the specific area of the passenger cabin.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said WAPs is able to control its RF transmit power, and each of said NICs is further capable of controlling its RF transmit power.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said WAPs and said NICs are further capable of utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and advanced digital signal processing (DSP) to achieve a desired level of immunity to interference from other mobile platform systems.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said system comprises an all digital system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said server and switching system is capable of using at least one of Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast and Voice Over IP (VOIP) to reduce bandwidth requirements of said system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said server and switching system is capable of using Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast to reduce cabling within said system.

10. A method of communicating data within a passenger cabin area of a mobile platform using a wireless distribution network, said method comprising:

communicating data between a server and switching system, having at least one audio/video server, and a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs);

transmitting data between the WAPs and a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) using a plurality of antennas, wherein at least one of the antennas is associated with each of the WAPs;

providing each of said NICs with its own antenna;

placing each of said NICs in communication with at least one additional component used by a user at a given seat associated with a given one of said NICs;

operating each of the antennas such that each said antenna of each said WAP radiates a specific RF pattern;

utilizing each said WAP to control its own RF transmit power, thereby reducing RF signal interference with other mobile platform systems; and

utilizing each said NIC to control its RF transmit power, thereby reducing RF signal interference with said other mobile platform systems.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating data between the head unit and the WAPs comprises reducing bandwidth requirements of the network by adapting the server and switching system to use at least one of Internet Protocol (IP) multicast and Voice Over IP (VOIP).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said communicating data between the head unit and the WAPs comprises reducing cabling within the network by adapting the head unit to use IP multicast.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmitting data between at least one of the WAPs and the NICs using the antenna comprises operating at least two adjacent ones of the WAPs on different, non-overlapping radio channels.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmitting data between at least one of the WAPs and the NICs using the antenna comprises operating the WAPs on a plurality of overlapping radio channels.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said transmitting data between the WAPs and the NICs using the antenna of one of the WAPs comprises utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and digital signal processing (DSP) to minimize interference with other systems of the mobile platform.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein operating each said antenna associated with each said WAP comprises:

adapting each said antenna to provide RF coverage to a specific area of the passenger cabin; and

adapting each said antenna to overlap the specific areas of coverage provided by each by at least one adjacent said antenna.

17. A mobile platform comprising a broadband wireless distribution network for a passenger cabin area, said broadband wireless distribution network comprising:

a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) connected to a server and switching system;

a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) located about the passenger cabin on portions of passenger seats within the passenger cabin area, each said NIC including its own antenna and being in communication with at least one additional component usable at a specific seat by a seat occupant;

a plurality of antennas connected to said WAPs such that at least one antenna is connected to each said WAP, said antennas are capable of providing RF coverage to specific overlapping areas within the passenger cabin, thereby allowing communication between each of said WAPs in said overlapping areas and at least one of said NICs in said overlapping areas; and

a passenger control unit (PCU) disposed at each said seat, each said PCU being able to establish a wireless communications link with a second one of said WAPs when a communications link with a first one of said WAPs, which said PCU was previously in communication with, is lost.

18. The mobile platform of claim 17, wherein each said antenna of each said WAP is further capable of reducing electromagnetic interference with other systems of the mobile platform by providing RF coverage to the specific area of the passenger cabin.

19. The mobile platform of claim 17, wherein said WAPs and said NICs are capable of utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and digital signal processing (DSP) to protect against interference from other mobile platform systems.

20. The mobile platform of claim 17, wherein said server and switching system is capable of using Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast to reduce cabling within said network.

21. A broadband wireless distribution system for distributing information from a central information subsystem to a plurality of independent, designated locations within a pre-defined area, said system comprising:

a server and switching sub-system including at least one server for providing said information;

a plurality of wireless access subsystems disposed at pre-designated locations within said pre-defined area, each said wireless access subsystem associated with an antenna capable of providing a pre-determined radio frequency (RF) coverage pattern sufficient to encompass a sub-area of said pre-defined area, each said sub-area including only a sub-plurality of said plurality of independent, designated locations;

a passenger control unit (PCU) disposed at each of said designated locations, each said PCU able to interface with at least one electronic device being used by a user present at a given one of said designated locations associated with a given one of said PCUs;

a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) each having its own antenna and each being capable of communicating with said antenna of an associated one of said wireless access subsystems, each said NIC further being in communication with an associated one of said PCUs and being located at one of a plurality of seats within said pre-defined area,. and being independently associated with a specific one of said seats to thereby facilitate wireless communications between said electronic device being used at a given one of said seats in a given said sub-area, and said wireless access subsystem associated with said antenna providing said RF coverage pattern encompassing said given sub-area.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said antennas of each of said wireless access subsystems are each operated in accordance with a different RF channel.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said antennas of each of said wireless access subsystems provide at least one of overlapping RF coverage patterns and non-overlapping RF coverage patterns.