Use of data links for aeronautical purposes without compromising safety and security

• US 9,038,160 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kauffman, Donald C., Judd, Thomas D., Olive, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Application Number:
  US14/312,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20140304801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 726/11
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

A method of ensuring secure and cost effective communication of aeronautical data to and from an aircraft is provided. The method includes uplinking air-ground aircraft data communications via an aeronautical safety data link and downlinking air-ground aircraft data communications via a consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by a one-way firewall.

Claims

1. A method of ensuring secure communication of aeronautical data to and from an aircraft, the method comprising:

uplinking air-ground aircraft data communications via an aeronautical safety data link, wherein the aeronautical safety data link is at least one of;

a communications link licensed to exchange safety/security data between the aircraft and at least one of a mobile system and a fixed system;

or a communications link regulated to exchange the safety/security data between the aircraft and at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system; and

determining which of at least two data links to use for downlinks of the safety/security data based on at least one of;

a type of message to be downlinked; and

a size of message to be downlinked, the at least two data links including the aeronautical safety data link and at least one consumer data link, wherein the at least one consumer data link is separated from the aeronautical safety data link by a one-way firewall.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the at least two data links to use for downlinks based on the size of the message to be downlinked comprises:

determining the size of the message to be downlinked,

wherein, based on a determination that the size of the message to be downlinked is less than a minimum threshold size, the method further comprises;

implementing downlink routing protocols to output safety/security data in the message from a closed domain in the aircraft via the aeronautical safety data link, and

wherein, based on a determination that the size of the message to be downlinked is greater than or equal to the minimum threshold size, the method further comprises;

implementing downlink routing protocols to output the safety/security data in the message from the closed domain of the aircraft through the one-way firewall and through at least one of a private domain of the aircraft and a public domain of the aircraft.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the at least two data links to use for downlinks based on the type of message to be downlinked includes:

determining the message to be downlinked is a non-time critical message that includes a large volume of downlink data, the method further comprising;

storing the non-time critical message on the aircraft until the aircraft arrives at a gate with access to a broadband communication system;

transmitting over the at least one consumer data link the large volume of downlink data when the aircraft arrives at the gate; and

uplinking an acknowledgement to the aircraft via the aeronautical safety data link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein uplinking air-ground aircraft data communications via the aeronautical safety data link comprises:

uplinking message acknowledgements of the safety/security data received at the at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system from a closed domain of the aircraft, the uplinked message acknowledgements being uplinked via the aeronautical safety data link.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting cabin-crew data from a private domain of the aircraft; and

outputting passenger data from a public domain of the aircraft, wherein the safety/security data is output from the aircraft via the at least one consumer data link along with at least one of;

at least a portion of the cabin-crew data; and

at least a portion of the passenger data, and wherein the cabin-crew data and the passenger data are prevented from entering a closed domain of the aircraft by the one-way firewall.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one consumer data link includes a first consumer data link and a second consumer data link, the method further comprising:

transmitting from the aircraft, via the first consumer data link, the safety/security data and at least one of;

a portion of cabin-crew data; and

a portion of passenger data,

transmitting from the aircraft, via the second consumer data link, at least one of;

another portion of the cabin-crew data; and

another portion of the passenger data, and wherein the cabin-crew data and the passenger data are prevented from entering a closed domain of the aircraft by the one-way firewall.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein uplinking air-ground aircraft data communications via the aeronautical safety data link comprises:

implementing an uplink routing protocol in an aeronautical safety data link router in the at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system to send the safety/security data to a closed domain of the aircraft.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uplinking passenger data via the at least one consumer data link to a public domain of the aircraft; and

uplinking crew cabin data via the at least one consumer data link to a private domain of the aircraft.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing internal aircraft data communications between crew devices within a private domain via an information system, wherein the internal aircraft data communications are prevented from entering a closed domain by the one-way firewall.

10. A method of ensuring secure communication of aeronautical data to and from an aircraft, the method comprising:

uplinking air-ground aircraft data communications via an aeronautical safety data link to a closed domain of the aircraft, wherein the aeronautical safety data link is at least one of;

a communications link licensed to exchange safety/security data between the aircraft and at least one of a mobile system and a fixed system;

or a communications link regulated to exchange the safety/security data between the aircraft and at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system;

implementing downlink routing protocols to unidirectionally output the safety/security data from the closed domain of the aircraft through a one-way firewall;

downlinking air-ground aircraft data communications via at least one consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall; and

uplinking message acknowledgements of the safety/security data received at the at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system from the closed domain of the aircraft, the uplinked message acknowledgements being uplinked via the aeronautical safety data link using an aviation industry standard-based protocol.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

outputting cabin-crew data from a private domain of the aircraft; and

outputting passenger data from a public domain of the aircraft, wherein the safety/security data is transmitted from the aircraft via the at least one consumer data link with at least one of;

at least a portion of the cabin-crew data; and

at least a portion of the passenger data, wherein the cabin-crew data and the passenger data are prevented from entering the closed domain by the one-way firewall.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one consumer data link includes a first consumer data link and a second consumer data link, the method further comprising:

transmitting from the aircraft, via the first consumer data link, the safety/security data and at least one of;

a portion of cabin-crew data; and

a portion of passenger data; and

transmitting from the aircraft, via the second consumer data link, at least one of;

another portion of the cabin-crew data; and

another portion of the passenger data, and wherein the cabin-crew data and the passenger data are prevented from entering the closed domain by the one-way firewall.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein uplinking the air-ground aircraft data communications via the aeronautical safety data link comprises:

uplinking the safety/security data via the aeronautical safety data link to the closed domain.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein uplinking the safety/security data via the aeronautical safety data link to the closed domain comprises implementing an uplink routing protocol in an aeronautical safety data link router in the at least one of the mobile system and the fixed system to send the safety/security data to the closed domain.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

uplinking passenger data via the at least one consumer data link to a public domain; and

uplinking crew cabin data via the at least one consumer data link to a private domain.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

routing internal aircraft data communications between crew devices within a private domain via an information system wherein the internal aircraft data communications are prevented from entering the closed domain by the one-way firewall.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

inspecting data traffic received at the one-way firewall;

passing data received from the closed domain of the aircraft based on the inspecting;

denying throughput to data received from a private domain of the aircraft based on the inspecting; and

denying throughput to data received from a public domain of the aircraft based on the inspecting.

18. An aeronautical communication system comprising:

an avionics communications management function executable by a processor in an aircraft, the avionics communications management function configured to;

uplink air-ground aircraft data communications via an aeronautical safety data link to a closed domain of the aircraft; and

implement downlink routing protocols to unidirectionally output safety/security data from the closed domain of the aircraft through a one-way firewall;

the one-way firewall; and

at least one routing region to route air-ground aircraft data communications to be downlinked via at least one consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall.

19. The aeronautical communication system of claim 18, wherein the at least one consumer data link includes a first consumer data link and a second consumer data link, wherein the at least one routing region comprises:

a first routing region in a private domain of the aircraft, wherein the first routing region routes the air-ground aircraft data communications to be downlinked via the first consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall; and

a second routing region in a public domain of the aircraft, wherein the second routing region routes the air-ground aircraft data communications to be downlinked via a second consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall.

20. The aeronautical communication system of claim 18, wherein the least one routing region is further configured to at least one of:

route cabin-crew data from a private domain of the aircraft to be downlinked via the at least one consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall; and

route passenger data from a public domain of the aircraft to be downlinked via the at least one consumer data link separated from the aeronautical safety data link by the one-way firewall.