Wireless local area network communications between airborne and ground devices
View Patent ↗A method and device are disclosed that enable communication between an airborne STA and a ground based AP in the presence of a multitude of other ground based networks that would normally cause such interference that communication would not be possible. A succession of control packets are sent prior to an air to ground communication such that the ground based networks delay their traffic allowing the wanted acknowledgment packet to be received. A succession of control packets are sent followed by a PS poll or data null packet prior to a ground to air communication such that the wanted ground to air packet is sent at a known time and the other ground based networks delay their traffic allowing the wanted ground to air packet to be received.
1. A method for transmitting one of a data packet and a management packet from a Wi-Fi airborne station to a Wi-Fi ground-based access point, the method comprising:
prior to transmitting the one of the data packet and the management packet from the Wi-Fi airborne station to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point:
transmitting by the Wi-Fi airborne station a series of at least three control packets separated in time and containing in their duration/ID fields, time values that extend beyond a time required to start transmission of the one of the data packet and the management packet;
transmitting by the Wi-Fi airborne station the one of the data packet and the management packet to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point; and
receiving at the Wi-Fi airborne station an acknowledgment control packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point in response to the one of the data packet and the management packet.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a power save (PS) bit in a Frame Control field is set in all packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are clear to send (CTS) control packets.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the CTS control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are a mixture of clear to send (CTS) packets addressed to either one of the Wi-Fi airborne station and the Wi-Fi ground-based access point and ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
7. A method for receiving one of a data packet and a management packet transmitted from a Wi-Fi ground-based access point to a Wi-Fi airborne station, the method comprising:
setting a power save (PS) bit in a Frame Control field in all packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station;
prior to receiving the one of the data packet and the management packet transmitted from the Wi-Fi ground-based access point to the Wi-Fi airborne station:
transmitting by the Wi-Fi airborne station a series of at least three control packets separated in time and containing in their duration/ID fields, time values that extend beyond the time required to transmit a further control trigger frame by the Wi-Fi airborne station and the subsequent transmission by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point of the one of the data packet and the management packet that is triggered by the control trigger frame; and
transmitting by the Wi-Fi airborne station a control trigger packet addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point;
receiving at the Wi-Fi airborne station the one of the data packet and the management packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point; and
transmitting by the Wi-Fi airborne station an acknowledgement control packet in response to the data or management packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control trigger packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point is a PS-Poll.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control trigger packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point is a data null.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are clear to send (CTS) control packets.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the CTS control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are a mixture of clear to send (CTS) packets addressed to either one of the Wi-Fi airborne station and the Wi-Fi ground-based access point and ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
14. A Wi-Fi airborne station for transmitting one of a data packet and a management packet to a Wi-Fi ground-based access point, the Wi-Fi airborne station comprising:
a memory configured to store the one of the data packet and the management packet; and
processing circuitry configured to:
prior to transmitting the one of the data packet and the management packet from the Wi-Fi airborne station to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point, transmit by the Wi-Fi airborne station a series of at least three control packets separated in time and containing in their duration/ID fields, time values that extend beyond a time required to start transmission of the one of the data packet and the management packet;
transmit by the Wi-Fi airborne station the one of the data packet and the management packet to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point; and
receive at the Wi-Fi airborne station an acknowledgment control packet transmitted by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point in response to the one of the data packet and the management packet.
15. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 14 , wherein a power save (PS) bit in a Frame Control field is set in all packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station.
16. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 14 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are clear to send (CTS) control packets.
17. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 16 , wherein the CTS control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
18. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 14 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
19. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 14 , wherein the control packets transmitted by the Wi-Fi airborne station are a mixture of clear to send (CTS) packets addressed to either one of the Wi-Fi airborne station and the Wi-Fi ground-based access point and ready to send (RTS) packets addressed to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.
20. The Wi-Fi airborne station of claim 14 , wherein before the acknowledgement control packet is transmitted by the Wi-Fi ground-based access point, a power save (PS) poll packet is transmitted to the Wi-Fi ground-based access point.