Techniques for in-flight connectivity

• US 9,490,891 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Frerking, Melvin D., Hirvela, George O'Quinn, Wei, Bo
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US14/524,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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

Abstract

A hybrid in-flight communications system integrates aircraft communications systems and traffic management of the aircraft air-to-ground communications and satellite communications to provide gate-to-gate connectivity to users on an aircraft. A technique for providing users with in-flight connectivity includes a first modem configured to process signals communicated with a non-terrestrial relay point. The apparatus includes a second modem configured to process signals communicated with a terrestrial relay point. The apparatus includes a wireless local area access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft and a small cell access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft. The apparatus includes a controller configured to manage first data streams between the small cell access node and the first modem and the second modem. The controller is configured to manage second data streams between the wireless local area access node and the first modem and the second modem. The apparatus may include avionics equipment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communications on an aircraft comprising:

first equipment comprising;

a first modem configured to process signals communicated with a non-terrestrial relay point;

a second modem configured to process signals communicated with a terrestrial relay point;

a wireless local area access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft;

a small cell access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft;

avionics equipment; and

a controller configured to manage first data streams between the small cell access node and the first equipment and configured to manage second data streams between the wireless local area access node and the first equipment, the controller being further configured to manage third data streams between the avionics equipment and the first equipment.

2. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an aircraft communications interface configured to provide aircraft personnel access to the controller.

3. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a storage element configured to store routing information; and

a router configured to pass data between the small cell access node and the first equipment according to the routing information and further configured to pass data between the wireless local area access node and the first equipment according to the routing information.

4. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a first antenna comprising a plurality of antennas disposed on a lower surface of an exterior of the aircraft, the plurality of antennas being disposed to provide a target antenna gain over a range of aircraft orientations with respect to a ground antenna of an associated ground facility of a terrestrial relay communications system.

5. The apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein the first antenna is configured to receive signals in multiple non-overlapping frequency bands.

6. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first equipment further comprises:

a first radio coupled to the first modem, the first radio comprising a Ka band radio and a Ku band radio.

7. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first equipment further comprises a third modem configured to communicate over a non-terrestrial relay frequency band.

8. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the first equipment further comprises:

a first radio comprising;

the first modem coupled to the controller;

a first transceiver coupled to the first modem, the first transceiver being configured to further process the signals communicated with the non-terrestrial relay point; and

a first antenna coupled to the first transceiver; and

a second radio comprising;

the second modem coupled to the controller;

a second transceiver coupled to the second modem, the second transceiver being configured to further process the signals communicated with the terrestrial relay point; and

a second antenna coupled to the second transceiver.

9. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the aircraft comprises:

a first antenna configured to communicate signals having a first power spectral density between the small cell access node and the user equipment over a first frequency band; and

a second antenna configured to communicate signals having a second power spectral density between the wireless local area network access node and the user equipment over a second frequency band, the first power spectral density and the first frequency band being different from the second power spectral density and the second frequency band, respectively.

10. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wireless local area access node, the small cell access node, and a second wireless local area access node is configured to communicate information with ground equipment external to the aircraft, and the apparatus further comprises:

an in-flight entertainment system configured to communicate with seat display terminals of the aircraft,

wherein the controller is configured to update the in-flight entertainment system with the information.

11. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein the small cell access node is compliant with at least one of 3G and Long Term Evolution standards.

12. A method for operating a communications system on an aircraft comprising:

communicating first data streams between a controller and first equipment on the aircraft using a first wireless protocol and first power spectral density mask;

communicating second data streams between the controller and second equipment on the aircraft using a second wireless protocol and second power spectral density mask;

communicating the first data streams between the controller and third equipment, the third equipment comprising a first modem and a second modem, the first modem being configured to process signals communicated with a non-terrestrial relay point and the second modem being configured to process signals communicated with a terrestrial relay point; and

communicating the second data streams between the controller and the third equipment.

13. The method, as recited in claim 12, further comprises:

communicating a third data stream between avionics equipment and the controller; and

communicating the third data stream between the controller and at least one of the first modem and the second modem.

14. The method, as recited in claim 13, further comprises:

communicating a fourth data stream between display terminals of an in flight-entertainment system of the aircraft and the controller.

15. The method, as recited in claim 14, further comprises:

communicating at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth data streams with ground equipment external to the aircraft.

16. The method, as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

allocating aircraft-area bandwidth to communications sessions corresponding to the first, second, third, and fourth data streams between equipment on the aircraft and the controller according to a prioritization level of the equipment on the aircraft, the prioritization level of the equipment being selected from a plurality of prioritization levels based on a type of the equipment on the aircraft, the plurality of prioritization levels including a prioritization level of aircraft passenger user equipment, a prioritization level of avionics equipment, a prioritization level of an in-flight entertainment system, and a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment; and

communicating signals of the communications session using the aircraft-area bandwidth allocation.

17. An apparatus comprising:

means for controlling communications with equipment on an aircraft;

means for communicating first data streams between the means for controlling and first equipment on the aircraft using a first wireless protocol and first power spectral density mask;

means for communicating second data streams between the means for controlling and second equipment on the aircraft using a second wireless protocol and second power spectral density mask;

means for communicating a third data stream between avionics equipment and the controller;

means for communicating the third data stream between the controller and at least one of the means for communicating first data streams and the means for communicating second data streams;

means for communicating the first data streams, the second data streams, the third data stream, and a fourth data stream between the means for controlling and a first antenna; and

means for communicating the first data streams, the second data streams, the third data stream, and the fourth data stream between the means for controlling and a second antenna.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17,

wherein the means for controlling allocates aircraft-area bandwidth to a communications session associated with the first data streams according to the prioritization level of the first equipment on the aircraft, the prioritization level being selected from a plurality of prioritization levels based on a type of the equipment on the aircraft, the plurality of prioritization levels including a prioritization level of aircraft passenger user equipment, a prioritization level of avionics equipment, a prioritization level of an in-flight entertainment system, and a prioritization level of aircraft personnel communications equipment, and

wherein the means for controlling allocates the communications session a first bandwidth allocation of a selected communications system selected from a non-terrestrial communications system and a terrestrial communications system, the allocating being based on a latency tolerance of the communications session and the prioritization level of the communications session.

19. An apparatus for communications on an aircraft comprising:

first equipment comprising;

a first modem configured to process signals communicated with a non-terrestrial relay point;

a second modem configured to process signals communicated with a terrestrial relay point;

a wireless local area access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft;

a small cell access node configured to communicate with user equipment on the aircraft;

a controller configured to manage first data streams between the small cell access node and the first equipment and configured to manage second data streams between the wireless local area access node and the first equipment; and

an in-flight entertainment system configured to communicate with display terminals of the aircraft,

wherein the controller is further configured to manage third data streams between the in-flight entertainment system and the first equipment.

20. The apparatus, as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

avionics equipment,

wherein the controller is further configured to manage fourth data streams between the avionics equipment and the first equipment.