Aircraft communications system with satellite selection controller and associated method

• US 8,699,404 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: LiveTV LLC (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Lynch, Michael J., Keen, Robert M., Frisco, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US13/435,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communications system for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) for wireless data communications outside the aircraft includes a satellite-based communications network that includes a plurality of satellites, at least one access point in the aircraft for providing a wireless local area network (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs, a plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft, and a satellite transceiver. The satellite transceiver is coupled to the satellite antennas, and cooperates with the at least one access point for data communications with the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs. At least one selection controller is for selecting a satellite among the plurality of satellites, and for selecting a satellite antenna among the plurality of satellite antennas for the selected satellite.

Claims

1. A communications system for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) for wireless data communications outside the aircraft, the communications system comprising:

a satellite-based communications network comprising a plurality of satellites;

at least one access point in the aircraft for providing a wireless local area network (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs;

a plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft;

a satellite transceiver coupled to said plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft, and cooperating with said at least one access point for data communications with the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs; and

at least one selection controller for selecting a satellite among said plurality of satellites, and for selecting a satellite antenna among said plurality of satellite antennas for the selected satellite.

2. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one selection controller selects the satellite so that data communications is sent to the PEDs through the satellite transceiver based on a needed channel capacity of the data communications to be sent.

3. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one selection controller comprises an aircraft-based selection controller associated with said at least one access point and said satellite transceiver.

4. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one selection controller selects the satellite based on at least one of a received signal strength of the data communications, and a position of the aircraft.

5. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one selection controller sends at least one of static and dynamic web pages through said satellite-based communications network to the PEDs through said at least one access point.

6. The communications system according to claim 5 wherein said at least one selection controller determines to send requests for at least one of the static and dynamic web pages from the PEDs through said at least one access point and said satellite transceiver.

7. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the data communications comprise at least one of email data, text message data, entertainment data and Internet data.

8. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the WLAN comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN.

9. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one access point comprises a picocell.

10. An aircraft communications system for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) for wireless data communications outside the aircraft with a satellite-based communications network comprising a plurality of satellites, the aircraft communications system comprising:

at least one access point in the aircraft for providing a wireless local area network (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs;

a plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft;

a satellite transceiver coupled to said plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft, and cooperating with said at least one access point for data communications with the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs; and

at least one selection controller for selecting a satellite among said plurality of satellites, and for selecting a satellite antenna among said plurality of satellite antennas for the selected satellite.

11. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one selection controller selects the satellite so that data communications is sent to the PEDs through the satellite transceiver based on a needed channel capacity of the data communications to be sent.

12. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one selection controller comprises an aircraft-based selection controller associated with said at least one access point and said satellite transceiver.

13. The aircraft communications system according to claim 12 wherein said at least one selection controller determines to send requests for at least one of the static and dynamic web pages from the PEDs through said at least one access point and said satellite transceiver.

14. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein the data communications comprise at least one of email data, text message data, entertainment data and Internet data.

15. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein the WLAN comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN.

16. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one access point comprises a picocell.

17. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one selection controller selects the satellite based on at least one of a received signal strength of the data communications, and a position of the aircraft.

18. The aircraft communications system according to claim 10 wherein said at least one selection controller sends at least one of static and dynamic web pages through said satellite-based communications network to the PEDs through said at least one access point.

19. A method for operating a communications system for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) for wireless data communications outside the aircraft, the communications system comprising a satellite-based communications network comprising a plurality of satellites, at least one access point in the aircraft, a plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft, a satellite transceiver coupled to the plurality of satellite antennas in the aircraft, and at least one selection controller in the aircraft, the method comprising:

operating the satellite transceiver to cooperate with the at least one access point for data communications with the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs; and

operating the at least one selection controller for selecting a satellite among the plurality of satellites, and for selecting a satellite antenna among the plurality of satellite antennas for the selected satellite.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein operating the at least one selection controller further comprises selecting the satellite so that data communications is sent to the PEDs through the satellite transceiver based on a needed channel capacity of the data communications to be sent.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the at least one selection controller comprises an aircraft-based selection controller associated with the at least one access point and the satellite transceiver.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the at least one selection controller determines to send requests for at least one of the static and dynamic web pages from the PEDs through the at least one access point and the satellite transceiver.

23. The method according to claim 19 wherein the data communications comprise at least one of email data, text message data, entertainment data and Internet data.

24. The method according to claim 19 wherein the WLAN comprises at least one of an 802.11 WLAN and an 802.16 WLAN.

25. The method according to claim 19 wherein the at least one access point comprises a picocell.

26. The method according to claim 19 wherein the at least one selection controller selects the satellite based on at least one of a received signal strength of the data communications, and a position of the aircraft.

27. The method according to claim 19 wherein the at least one selection controller sends at least one of static and dynamic web pages through the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs through the at least one access point.