Aircraft cabin personal telephone microcell
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An on-board base station, comprising:
- an interface device on board an aircraft that interfaces with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, the wireless bearer system communicatively coupling the separate wireless device to an external public network;
a radio frequency (RF) detector that detects RF emissions of the separate wireless device;
an air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft that converts signals received from the wireless device to protocols of an air-to-ground system and that converts signals received from the air-to-ground system to protocols of the wireless device, wherein the air-to-ground gateway emulates a cellular switch center;
a controller coupled to the RF detector, that controls RF emissions of the separate wireless device, as a function of detected RF emissions; and
an RF repeater communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller controls the RF repeater to receive and send signals between the antenna and the interface device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level, wherein said interface device receives signals from and transmits signals to the wireless device, receives signals from and transmits signals to the air-to-ground system, and interfaces through the air-to-ground system to a cellular network to register the wireless device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An on-board base station, comprising an interface device on board an aircraft that interfaces with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, an RF detector that detects RF emissions of the separate wireless device, a controller coupled to the RF detector, that controls RF emissions of the separate wireless device, as a function of detected RF emissions, and an RF repeater communicatively coupled to the controller. The controller controls the RF repeater to receive and send signals between the antenna and the interface device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level.
-
Citations
16 Claims
-
1. An on-board base station, comprising:
-
an interface device on board an aircraft that interfaces with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, the wireless bearer system communicatively coupling the separate wireless device to an external public network; a radio frequency (RF) detector that detects RF emissions of the separate wireless device; an air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft that converts signals received from the wireless device to protocols of an air-to-ground system and that converts signals received from the air-to-ground system to protocols of the wireless device, wherein the air-to-ground gateway emulates a cellular switch center; a controller coupled to the RF detector, that controls RF emissions of the separate wireless device, as a function of detected RF emissions; and an RF repeater communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller controls the RF repeater to receive and send signals between the antenna and the interface device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level, wherein said interface device receives signals from and transmits signals to the wireless device, receives signals from and transmits signals to the air-to-ground system, and interfaces through the air-to-ground system to a cellular network to register the wireless device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. An on-board base station, comprising:
-
means on board an aircraft for interfacing with a separate wireless device of a user inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, the wireless bearer system communicatively coupling the separate wireless device to an external public network; means for controlling radio frequency (RF) emissions of the separate wireless device to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level, the predetermined level being a level above which RF emissions will interfere with aircraft systems, wherein said means for interfacing receives signals from and transmits signals to the separate wireless device and receives signals from and transmits signals to the wireless bearer system, wherein said means for interfacing includes an air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft that converts signals received from the separate wireless device to protocols of an air-to-ground system and that converts signals received from the air-to-ground system to protocols of the separate wireless device, wherein said means for interfacing receives signals from and transmits signals to the air-to-ground system, and interfaces through the air-to-ground system to a cellular network to register the separate wireless device, wherein the air-to-ground gateway emulates a cellular switch center; means for repeating communicatively coupled to said means for controlling and to said means for interfacing; and means for detecting unwanted RF emissions above the predetermined level and unsupported cellphone types, wherein said means for interfacing minimizes the RF emission from the separate wireless device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
-
13. An on-board base station implemented method of two-way communications using separate wireless devices on board an aircraft, said method comprising the steps of:
-
interfacing on board the aircraft with the separate wireless devise of users inside the aircraft and with a wireless bearer system, the wireless bearer system communicatively coupling the separate wireless device to an external public network; converting signals received from the wireless device to protocols of the satellite communications (SATCOM) system in an air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft; converting signals received from the SATCOM system to protocols of the wireless device in the air-to-ground gateway on board the aircraft, wherein the air-to-ground gateway emulates a cellular switch center; controlling a radio frequency (RF) repeater to receive and send signals between an antenna and a microcell; detecting RF emissions from the separate wireless devices above a predetermined level; and controlling RF emissions of the separate wireless devices as a function of the detected RF emissions to maintain the RF emissions below a predetermined level, wherein an interface device receives signals from and transmits signals to the separate wireless device, receives signals from and transmits signals to an air-to-ground system, and interfaces through the air-to-ground system to a cellular network to register the separate wireless device. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
Specification