Method and apparatus for high data rate high frequency data link (HDR-HFDL)

• US 9,596,685 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Hamby, Kenneth K., Kazanovicz, David V., Hewett, Walter H., Aulakh, Bikram S., Studenberg, Fred J. Jr., Bauler, Scott F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Shailendra
• Application Number:
  US14/465,414
• Time in Patent Office: 936 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: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing a high data rate high frequency data link (HDR-HFDL) between aircraft and ground stations enhances the aircraft HFDL data radio to transmit at an HDR frequency assigned by a ground station and transmitted to the aircraft via the HFDL frequency assigned to the ground station. The ground station may select and transmit an alternate HDR frequency if necessary. In Phase I, existing aircraft subsystems and ground stations will be configured for HDR downlink only, but an aircraft subsystem may additionally receive HDR data packets if propagation conditions allow. In Phase II, dedicated HDR ground stations and enhancements to existing aircraft subsystems will provide for full HDR uplink and downlink capability. Dedicated HDR ground stations may select an HDR frequency from the band including the assigned HFDL frequency or transmit at an assigned HDR frequency.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting at least one high data rate (HDR) packet via high frequency data link (HFDL), comprising:

monitoring at least one ground station via at least one HFDL data radio installed in at least one aircraft, the ground station associated with at least one of a HF frequency band and a first frequency of the HF frequency band;

receiving, at the first frequency, at least one first HDR frequency selected from the HF frequency band from the at least one ground station via the at least one HFDL data radio;

logging into the at least one first HDR frequency via the at least one HFDL data radio; and

transmitting to the at least one ground station at least one first data packet at the at least one first HDR frequency at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s via the at least one HFDL data radio.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one second HDR frequency selected from the HF frequency band from the at least one ground station via the at least one HFDL data radio;

logging into the at least one second HDR frequency via the at least one HFDL data radio; and

transmitting to the at least one ground station at least one second data packet at the at least one second HDR frequency at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s via the at least one HFDL data radio.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the logging into the at least one first HDR frequency via the at least one HFDL data radio includes

tuning an antenna of the at least one aircraft to the at least one first HDR frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the HFDL data radio, at least one third data packet transmitted at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s by the at least one ground station at the at least one first HDR frequency; and

decoding the at least one third data packet.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at least one first HDR frequency from the at least one ground station at the first frequency via the at least one HFDL data radio includes:

receiving at least one first HDR frequency via at least one HFDL uplink squitter transmitted by the at least one ground station at the first frequency via the at least one HFDL data radio.

5. A system for transmitting at least one high data rate (HDR) packet via high frequency data link (HFDL), comprising:

at least one antenna;

at least one coupler connected to the at least one antenna and configured to tune into at least one frequency selected from a frequency band;

at least one HFDL data radio coupled to the at least one antenna and configured to;

(a) monitor at least one HFDL ground station, the HFDL ground station associated with at least one HF frequency band;

(b) receive at least one first HDR frequency selected from the HF frequency band transmitted by the at least one ground station at an HFDL frequency selected from the HF frequency band;

(c) log into the at least one HDR frequency; and

(d) transmit at least one first data packet at the at least one first HDR frequency to the at least one ground station at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one HFDL radio is further configured to tune the at least one antenna to the at least one first HDR frequency.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one HFDL radio is further configured to:

receive at least one second HDR frequency selected from the HF frequency band transmitted by the at least one ground station at the HFDL frequency; and

transmit at least one second data packet at the at least one second HDR frequency to the at least one ground station at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one HFDL radio is further configured to:

receive at least one third data packet transmitted by the at least one ground station at the at least one first HDR frequency at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s; and

decode the at least one third data packet.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein the HFDL data radio is configured to receive the first HDR frequency via an HFDL uplink squitter transmitted by the at least one ground station at the first frequency.

9. An apparatus for receiving at least one high data rate (HDR) packet transmitted via high frequency data link (HFDL), comprising:

at least one antenna;

at least one splitter coupled to the at least one antenna;

at least one HFDL transceiver coupled to the at least one splitter, the at least one HFDL transceiver configured to transmit at least one first HDR frequency selected from a first frequency band associated with the HFDL transceiver to at least one aircraft via a first HFDL frequency;

at least one HDR receiver coupled to the at least one splitter and configured to

(a) select the at least one first HDR frequency from the first frequency band based on at least one first parameter;

(b) forward the at least one first HDR frequency to the at least one HFDL transceiver;

(c) recognize a successful login to the at least one HDR frequency by the at least one aircraft; and

(d) receive at least one first data packet transmitted at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s by the at least one aircraft at the at least one first HDR frequency.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one HDR receiver is further configured to:

acknowledge receipt of the at least one HDR packet; and

decode the at least one HDR packet.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one first parameter includes at least one of measured channel energy, known voice assignments, and channel activity received from at least one ground station.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one HDR receiver is further configured to:

select at least one second HDR frequency from the frequency band based on at least one second parameter;

forward the at least one second HDR frequency to the at least one HFDL receiver/transceiver; and

receive at least one HDR packet transmitted by the at least one aircraft at the at least one second HDR frequency.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one second parameter includes at least one of a threshold of non-HDR-HFDL signals at the first HDR frequency and detected interference with downlinks.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one HDR receiver is an HDR transceiver further configured to transmit at least one second data packet to the at least one aircraft at a data rate greater than 1.8 kb/s via the at least one first HDR frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one HFDL transceiver is configured to transmit the at least one first HDR frequency to the at least one aircraft via an HFDL uplink squitter.