Aircraft data link network routing

• US 8,284,674 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: True, Willard R., Malaga, Alfonso, Larsen, Matt E., Eckert, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lopata, Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/790,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20100232295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/235, 370/238, 370/230.1, 370/401, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/431
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/80 Ingress point selection by the source endpoint, e.g. selection of ISP or POP
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A method includes selecting a first communications network from a plurality of communications networks based on one or more aircraft state inputs. The one or more aircraft state inputs include at least one of a flight phase, a flight event, an aircraft position, an aircraft trajectory, an aircraft state, and an aircraft distance from a ground station. The method further includes transmitting data over the first communication network. The method further includes selecting a second communications network from the plurality of communications networks based on a change in the one or more aircraft state inputs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining one or more aircraft state inputs, wherein the one or more aircraft state inputs include at least one of a flight phase, a flight event, an aircraft position, an aircraft trajectory, an aircraft state, and an aircraft distance from a ground station;

selecting a first communications network from a plurality of communications networks based on the determined one or more aircraft state inputs;

transmitting data over the first communication network;

determining a change has occurred in the one or more aircraft state inputs;

selecting a second communications network from the plurality of communications networks based on the change in the one or more aircraft state inputs;

wherein the second communications network is a different type of communication network than the first communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight phase includes at least one of pre-flight, climb, cruise, descent, takeoff, approach, go-around, and done.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the flight event includes at least one of out, off, on, and in.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft position includes at least one of latitude, longitude, and mapping coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aircraft state is derived from on-board sensors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the on-board sensors include at least one of a strut switch, a weight-on-wheels sensor, a parking brake sensor, an engine speed sensor, an engine oil pressure sensor, an air speed sensor, a ground speed sensor, a radio altimeter, and a barometric altimeter.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communications networks include at least one of a very high frequency (VHF) data link, a high frequency (HF) data link, a satellite communications (SATCOM) data link, a local area network (LAN), a Wi-Fi network, a wide area network (WAN), a cellular radio network, a metropolitan area network (MAN), and a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching from the first communications network to the second communications network based on a network selection rule applied to the one or more aircraft state inputs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network selection rule is applied to a plurality of the one or more received aircraft state inputs.

10. A computer program product comprising program instructions, embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, the program instructions cause at least one programmable processor in an aircraft communications management unit to:

determine one or more aircraft state inputs, wherein the one or more aircraft state inputs include at least one of a flight phase, a flight event, an aircraft position, an aircraft trajectory, an aircraft state, and an aircraft distance from a ground station;

select a first communications network from a plurality of communications networks based on the determined one or more aircraft state inputs;

transmit data over the first communication network;

determine a change has occurred in the one or more aircraft state inputs;

select a second communications network from the plurality of communications networks based on the change in the one or more aircraft state inputs;

wherein the second communications network is a different type of communication network than the first communications network.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the flight phase includes at least one of pre-flight, climb, cruise, descent, takeoff, approach, go-around, and done.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the flight event includes at least one of out, off, on, and in.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the aircraft position includes at least one of latitude, longitude, and mapping coordinates.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the aircraft state is derived from on-board sensors.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the on-board sensors include at least one of a strut switch, a weight-on-wheels sensor, a parking brake sensor, an engine speed sensor, an engine oil pressure sensor, an air speed sensor, a ground speed sensor, a radio altimeter, and a barometric altimeter.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the plurality of communication networks include at least one of a very high frequency (VHF) data link, a high frequency (HF) data link, a satellite communications (SATCOM) data link, a local area network (LAN), a Wi-Fi network, a wide area network (WAN), a cellular radio network, a metropolitan area network (MAN), and a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions further cause the at least one programmable processor to:

switch from the first communications network to the second communications network based on a network selection rule applied to the one or more aircraft state inputs.

18. An avionics communication system, comprising:

a communications management unit having a plurality of routers;

a plurality of message processing applications communicatively coupled to the communications management unit;

a plurality of network interfaces, communicatively coupled to the communications management unit, each of the network interfaces responsive to at least one wireless communications network; and

a processing unit within the communications management unit and responsive to the plurality of message processing applications and the plurality of network interfaces, the processing unit configured to determine one or more aircraft state inputs and switch from a first network interface of the plurality of network interfaces to a second network interface of the plurality of network interfaces in response to a change in the one or more aircraft state inputs, wherein the one or more aircraft state inputs includes at least one of a flight phase, a flight event, an aircraft position, an aircraft trajectory, an aircraft state, and an aircraft distance from a ground station, and wherein the second network interface communicates with a different type of wireless communication network than the first network interface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the flight phase includes at least one of pre-flight, climb, cruise, descent, takeoff, approach, go-around, and done.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the flight event includes at least one of out, off, on, and in.