System for creating an aircraft-based internet protocol subnet in an airborne wireless cellular network
View Patent ↗The Aircraft IP Subnet System provides wireless communication services to passengers located onboard an aircraft by storing data indicative of individually identified wireless devices that are located onboard the aircraft. The Aircraft IP Subnet System assigns a single IP address to each Point-to-Point Protocol link connecting the aircraft network to the ground-based communication network and creates an IP subnet onboard the aircraft. The IP subnet utilizes a plurality of IP addresses for each Point-to-Point link, thereby to enable each passenger wireless device to be uniquely identified with their own IP address. This is enabled since both Point-to-Point Protocol IPCP endpoints have pre-defined IP address pools and/or topology configured, so each Point-to-Point Protocol endpoint can utilize a greater number of IP addresses than one per link. Such an approach does not change IPCP or other EVDO protocols/messaging but allows this address to be directly visible to the ground-based communication network.
1. A system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:
aircraft network means, located in an aircraft, for generating radio frequency communication signals to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft, comprising:
data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft to at least one aggregate data stream;
ground-based access network means for exchanging communication signals with at least one ground-based communication network;
air-to-ground network means for exchanging radio frequency communications between said aircraft network means and said ground-based access network means to carry said at least one aggregate data stream;
wherein said ground-based access network means comprises:
data disaggregator means for disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding ground-based communications network;
subnet means for storing data indicative of at least one set of unique IP addresses for an associated aggregate datastream and that are available for use onboard said aircraft by each of said passenger wireless devices, comprising:
link address assignment means, responsive to said air-to-ground network means establishing a radio frequency communication link between said aircraft network means and said ground-based access network means to carry said aggregate data stream, for assigning an IP address from one of said set of unique IP addresses to said radio frequency communication link, and
handoff means, responsive to said radio frequency communication link being handed off to another ground-based access network means, for transmitting data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said another ground-based access network means.
2. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 1 wherein said subnet means further comprises:
subnet activation means for delivering data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said aircraft network means.
3. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 2 wherein said subnet means further comprises:
passenger database means for storing data to identify of each of said passenger wireless devices located onboard said aircraft that are activated; and
correlation means for associating one of said set of unique IP addresses to said identified passenger wireless device.
4. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said ground-based access network means comprises:
data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding ground-based communications network to at least one aggregate data stream; and
wherein said aircraft network means further comprises:
data disaggregator means for disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.
5. A method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:
generating, in an aircraft network located in an aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft, comprising:
converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft to at least one aggregate data stream;
exchanging, in a ground-based access network, communication signals with at least one ground-based communication network;
exchanging air-to-ground radio frequency communications between said aircraft network and said ground-based access network to carry said at least one aggregate data stream;
wherein said step of exchanging comprises:
disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding ground-based communications network; and
managing subnet data indicative of at least one set of unique IP addresses for an associated aggregate data stream and that are available for use onboard said aircraft by each of said passenger wireless devices, comprising:
assigning, in response to said air-to-ground network means establishing a radio frequency communication link between said aircraft network and said ground-based access network to carry said aggregate data stream, an IP address from one of said set of unique IP addresses to said radio frequency communication link, and
transmitting, in response to said radio frequency communication link being handed off to another ground-based access network, data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said another ground-based access network.
6. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 5 wherein said step of managing subnet data further comprises:
delivering data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said aircraft network.
7. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 6 wherein said step of managing subnet data further comprises:
storing data to identify of each of said passenger wireless devices located onboard said aircraft that are activated; and
associating one of said set of unique IP addresses to said identified passenger wireless device.
8. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 5 , further comprising:
wherein said step of exchanging further comprises:
converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding ground-based communications network to at least one aggregate data stream; and
wherein said step of generating in said aircraft network further comprises:
disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.
9. A system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:
aircraft-based network means, located in an aircraft, for generating radio frequency communication signals to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft;
ground-based access network means for interconnecting said radio frequency communications from at least one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
inner network means for interconnecting said aircraft-based network means and said ground-based access network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data between said aircraft network means and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
wherein said ground-based access network means comprises:
data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said conventional Voice and Data switching systems to an aggregate data stream;
wherein said aircraft network means comprises:
data disaggregator means for converting the aggregate data stream received from said air-to-ground network means into subscriber traffic and signaling channels for said plurality of wireless subscriber devices; and
subnet means for storing data indicative of at least one set of unique IP addresses for an associated aggregate data stream and that are available for use onboard said aircraft by each of said passenger wireless devices, comprising:
link address assignment means, responsive to said air-to-ground network means establishing a radio frequency communication link between said aircraft network means and said ground-based access network means to carry said aggregate data stream, for assigning an IP address from one of said set of unique IP addresses to said radio frequency communication link, and
handoff means, responsive to said radio frequency communication link being handed off to another ground-based access network means, for transmitting data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said another ground-based access network means.
10. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 9 wherein said subnet means further comprises:
subnet activation means for delivering data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said aircraft network means.
11. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 10 wherein said subnet means further comprises:
passenger database means for storing data to identify each of said passenger wireless devices located onboard said aircraft that are activated; and
correlation means for associating one of said set of unique IP addresses to said identified passenger wireless device.
12. The system for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 9 , further comprising:
wherein said ground-based access network means comprises:
data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding Voice and Data switching systems to at least one aggregate data stream; and
wherein said aircraft network means further comprises:
data disaggregator means for disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.
13. A method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses to a plurality of passenger wireless devices which are located onboard an aircraft, comprising:
generating, in an aircraft-based network, radio frequency communication signals to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of passenger wireless devices located in an aircraft;
interconnecting, in a ground-based access network, said radio frequency communications from at least one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
interconnecting said aircraft-based network and said ground-based access network to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data between said aircraft network and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
wherein said step of interconnecting in a ground-based access network comprises:
converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said conventional Voice and Data switching systems to an aggregate data stream;
wherein said step of generating in an aircraft network comprises:
converting the aggregate data stream received from said air-to-ground network into subscriber traffic and signaling channels for said plurality of wireless subscriber devices; and
managing subnet data for storing data indicative of at least one set of unique IP addresses for an associated aggregate data stream and that are available for use onboard said aircraft by each of said passenger wireless devices, comprising:
assigning, in response to said air-to-ground network means establishing a radio frequency communication link between said aircraft network and said ground-based access network to carry said aggregate data stream, an IP address from one of said set of unique IP addresses to said radio frequency communication link, and
transmitting, in response to said radio frequency communication link being handed off to another ground-based access network, data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said another ground-based access network.
14. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 13 wherein said step of managing subnet data further comprises:
delivering data indicative of said set of unique IP addresses to said aircraft network.
15. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 14 wherein said step of managing subnet data further comprises:
storing data to identify each of said passenger wireless devices located onboard said aircraft that are activated; and
associating one of said set of unique IP addresses to said identified passenger wireless device.
16. The method for providing individual ground-based access network IP addresses of claim 13 , further comprising:
wherein said step of exchanging further comprises:
converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said corresponding conventional Voice and Data switching systems to at least one aggregate data stream; and
wherein said step of generating in said aircraft network further comprises:
disaggregating said at least one aggregate data stream into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a one of said plurality of passenger wireless devices located in said aircraft.