WIRELESS ACCESS AND NETWORKING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SPACECRAFT

• US 20140098739A1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Luyks, Leo
• Granted Patent: US 8,908,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point

Abstract

A system and methods for spacecraft wireless access and networking are presented. An orbital position of an orbiting spacecraft is determined, and a wireless access point of a terrestrial wireless communication network is selected from a wireless access point database based on the orbital position. A communication is established with the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A method for spacecraft wireless access and networking, the method comprising:

determining an orbital position of an orbiting spacecraft;

selecting a wireless access point of a terrestrial wireless communication network from a wireless access point database based on the orbital position; and

establishing a communication with the wireless access point.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the wireless access point from the wireless access point database based on a future orbital position of the orbiting spacecraft.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving a beacon frame signal from the wireless access point at the orbiting spacecraft comprising access point identification information;

storing the access point identification information in a non-transitory computer readable medium;

pointing an antenna of the orbiting spacecraft to the wireless access point based on the access point identification information; and

establishing the communication with the wireless access point using the antenna.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the beacon frame signal through a closed commercial network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the wireless access point from the wireless access point database based on a wireless access point location of the wireless access point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a beacon frame signal from the wireless access point at the orbiting spacecraft;

measuring a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the beacon frame signal; and

adding the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the beacon frame signal to the wireless access point database.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking a plurality of wireless access points of the wireless access point database based on a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for a beacon frame signal of the wireless access points respectively.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the wireless access point from a wireless local area network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a power of the communication with the wireless access point based on a wireless access point location of the wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling the power of the communication with the wireless access point to conform to a regional wireless operational power regulation based on the wireless access point location of the wireless access point.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the orbiting spacecraft using the communication with the wireless access point.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising Doppler compensating communication signals for the communication based on the orbital position.

13. A system for spacecraft wireless access and networking, the system comprising:

a navigation module configured to determine an orbital position of an orbiting spacecraft;

a network tracking module configured to select at least one wireless access point of a terrestrial wireless communication network from a wireless access point database module based on the orbital position; and

a communication module configured to establish a communication with the wireless access point.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising

a beacon search module configured to receive at least one beacon frame signal from the wireless access point at the orbiting spacecraft comprising at least one access point identification information;

the wireless access point database module configured to store the at least one access point identification information in a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

an antenna pointing module configured to point an antenna of the orbiting spacecraft to the at least one wireless access point based on the at least one access point identification information, wherein

the communication module is further configured to establish the communication with the wireless access point using the antenna.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a beacon search module configured to;

receive a beacon frame signal from the wireless access point at the orbiting spacecraft; and

measure a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the beacon frame signal;

the navigation module further configured to determine a wireless access point location of the wireless access point; and

the wireless access point database module configured to add the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the wireless access point location to the wireless access point database based on the wireless access point location.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless access point comprises at least one of:

an IEEE 802.11™

access point, an IEEE 802.16™

access point, an industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band access point, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT)™

access point, a High Performance Radio LAN (HiperLAN)™

access point, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)™

access point, a High Performance Radio Metropolitan Area Network (HiperMAN)™

, and an ultra-wideband access point.

17. A method for configuring a wireless local area network access point database for spacecraft wireless access, the method comprising:

receiving a beacon frame signal from a wireless access point at an orbiting spacecraft;

measuring a wireless access point received signal strength indicator (RSSI) for the beacon frame signal;

determining a wireless access point location of the wireless access point; and

adding the wireless access point received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the wireless access point location to a wireless access point database based on the wireless access point location.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining if the wireless access point location is in a usable location; and

adding the wireless access point received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and the wireless access point location to the wireless access point database, if the wireless access point location is in the usable location.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising selecting a usable location to comprise at least one of:

a known secure access point location, a non-hostile geographic area, and a non-problem access point location.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising analyzing network traffic and packets of the wireless access point to collect intelligence on the wireless access point.