Methods and devices for the transmission and reception of a message to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base, and aircraft provided with such devices

• US 8,843,111 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Leclercq, Agnes, Colle-Morlec, Cecile
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US12/281,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,757 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 455/3.02, 455410-411, 455418-420, 455/466, 370328-338, 726/1, 726/3, 726/17, 726/22, 713/168, 713/170, 713/161, 713/166
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols

Abstract

A method for emitting a message relating to a determined type of information to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base reception method, and corresponding devices. The method determines a level of a securement associated with the determined type by a correspondence table, and emits the message according to a protocol having the determined level of securement.

Claims

1. A method for sending a message associated with a determined type of information item to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base, the method comprising:

receiving a table of data that associates a desired level of security with at least one type of message;

generating a correspondence table based on the table of data;

sending the correspondence table;

determining a level of security to be applied to the message based on the determined type of information item associated with the message, the determined type of information item associated with the message and a corresponding determined level of security being defined in the correspondence table;

sending the message according to a protocol having the determined level of security;

establishing a wireless connection between the ground base and the aircraft via which the table of data is received, by the aircraft, from the ground base;

associating the level of security with the determined type of information item associated with the message as a function of the desired level of security associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message and characteristics of a communication system of the aircraft and the ground base being used; and

recording said associating in the correspondence table.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correspondence table is stored in a memory in an electronic storage device of the aircraft.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the ground base, the correspondence table from the aircraft.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correspondence table is generated at the aircraft based on the table of data that associates the desired level of security with the at least one type of message.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determined type of information item is one of air traffic control and airline operational control.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the communication system of the aircraft and the ground base include levels of security that the aircraft and the ground base are able to implement.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a default security level is applied to the determined type of information item associated with the message when the corresponding determined level of security for the determined type of information item associated with the message is not defined in the correspondence table.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a default security level is applied to the determined type of information item associated with the message when the corresponding determined level of security for the determined type of information item associated with the message cannot be implemented by a communication device of the aircraft.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising commonly storing the correspondence table in the aircraft and the ground base prior to said determining the security level to be applied to the message.

5. A method for receiving a message associated with a determined type of information item to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base, the method comprising:

receiving a table of data that associates a desired level of security with at least one type of message;

generating a correspondence table based on the table of data;

sending the correspondence table;

receiving the message according to a protocol having a first level of security determined based on the determined type of information item associated with the message;

determining a security level associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message, the determined type of information item associated with the message and a corresponding determined security level being defined in the correspondence table;

comparing the first level of security to the determined security level associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message defined in the correspondence table;

accepting or rejecting the message based on a result of the comparison,

establishing a wireless connection between the ground base and the aircraft via which the table of data is received, by the aircraft, from the ground base;

associating the security level with the determined type of information item associated with the message as a function of the desired level of security associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message and characteristics of a communication system of the aircraft and the ground base being used; and

recording said associating in the correspondence table.

6. A device for sending a message associated with a determined type of information item to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base, the device comprising:

means for receiving a table of data that associates a desired level of security with at least one type of message;

means for generating a correspondence table based on the table of data;

means for sending the correspondence table;

means for determining a level of security to be applied to the message based on the determined type of information item associated with the message, the determined type of information item associated with the message and a corresponding determined level of security being defined in the correspondence table;

means for sending the message according to a protocol having the determined level of security;

means for establishing a wireless connection between the ground base and the aircraft via which the table of data is received, by the aircraft, from the ground base;

means for associating the security level with the determined type of information item associated with the message as a function of the desired level of security associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message and characteristics of a communication system of the aircraft and the ground base being used; and

means for recording said associating in the correspondence table.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence table is stored in memory in an electronic storage device of the aircraft.

8. The device according to claim 6, further comprising means for receiving, at the ground base, the correspondence table from the aircraft.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the correspondence table is generated at the aircraft based on the table of data that associates the desired level of security with the at least one type of message.

10. A device for receiving a message associated with a determined type of information item to be exchanged between an aircraft and a ground base, the device comprising:

means for receiving a table of data that associates a desired level of security with at least one type of message;

means for generating a correspondence table based on the table of data;

means for sending the correspondence table;

means for receiving the message according to a protocol having a first level of security determined based on the type of information item associated with the message;

means for determining a security level associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message, the determined type of information item associated with the message and a corresponding determined security level being defined in the correspondence table;

means for comparing the first level of security and the determined security level associated with the type of information item associated with the message defined in the correspondence table;

means for deciding acceptance or rejection of the message;

means for establishing a wireless connection between the ground base and the aircraft via which the table of data is received, by the aircraft, from the ground base;

means for associating the security level with the determined type of information item associated with the message as a function of the desired level of security associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message and characteristics of a communication system of the aircraft and the ground base being used; and

means for recording said associating in the correspondence table.

11. An aircraft, comprising a device for sending a message associated with a determined type of information item to be exchanged between the aircraft and a ground base, the device comprising:

means for receiving a table of data that associates a desired level of security with at least one type of message;

means for generating a correspondence table based on the table of data;

means for sending the correspondence table;

means for determining a level of security to be applied to the message based on the determined type of information item associated with the message, the determined type of information item associated with the message and a corresponding determined level of security being defined in the correspondence table;

means for sending the message according to a protocol having the determined level of security;

means for establishing a wireless connection between the ground base and the aircraft via which the table of data is received, by the aircraft, from the ground base;

means for associating the security level with the determined type of information item associated with the message as a function of the desired level of security associated with the determined type of information item associated with the message and characteristics of a communication system of the aircraft and the ground base being used; and

means for recording said associating in the correspondence table.