JP2010147921A - Aircraft communication system, on-board device and ground gateway station device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a wide-band radio communication channel between an aircraft and a ground GW station. <P>SOLUTION: Aircraft A1-A3 have flights along a predetermined course, and under the course, ground GW stations B1-B3 are disposed. The ground GW stations B1-B3 are, respectively managed by a radio channel control station C and in response to an instruction from the control station C; a communication channel is set up with a designated aircraft; and the communication channel is connected to a ground communication network D. The radio channel control station C grasps the flight situations of the aircraft A1-A3, valid communication ranges of the ground GW stations B1-B3 and weather conditions over the course and instructs a ground GW station under the weather conditions, where setup of the communication channel is enabled, to set up a communication channel with the aircraft that enters the valid communication range of that ground GW station. The aircraft A1-A3 include communication mechanisms for communicating with each other on the course; and when communication with a ground GW station is disabled, a communication channel is set up with a preceding or following aircraft A, to attain setup of the communication channel with the ground GW station via the aircraft A that has set up the communication channel with the ground GW station B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an aircraft communication system that realizes broadband Internet service on an aircraft, an on-board device used in the system, and a ground gateway station device.

  In an aircraft communication system that has been proposed in the past, an in-flight portable communication terminal is connected to an on-board GW (gateway) station via an in-flight network (wired LAN or wireless LAN) in an aircraft in flight, and the on-board GW station and the ground An aircraft communication system that realizes broadband Internet service on an aircraft by establishing a communication line with a GW station and connecting the communication line established on the ground GW station side to the ground communication network has been proposed (for example, JP-A-2005-159448).

  In this system, the communication line is established by directing the antenna on the aircraft and the antenna on the ground GW station so as to face each other. However, in practice, communication lines become unstable due to radio wave shielding and attenuation by topography, obstacles, and clouds, making it extremely difficult to put to practical use. In addition, considering the effective communication distance, it is necessary to install a large number of ground GW stations under the route of the aircraft, which entails enormous costs, which is not realistic.

Although satellite communication may be used, the satellite communication line has a long communication distance, so transmission loss is large, a very large transmission power is required, and it is difficult to secure a band required for the broadband Internet service.
JP 2005-159448 A

  As described above, in the conventional aircraft communication system, it is difficult to secure a broadband wireless communication line between the aircraft and the GW station, and since it requires a large number of GW stations, it has been extremely difficult to put into practical use. Could not provide broadband internet service.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can easily secure a broadband wireless communication line between an aircraft and a ground GW station, and can reduce the number of ground GW stations. It is an object of the present invention to provide an aircraft communication system capable of realizing broadband Internet service in Japan, an on-board device and a ground gateway station device used in this system.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention connects an in-flight communication terminal to an on-board gateway station through an on-board network in a plurality of aircraft flying on a predetermined route, and is arranged around the on-board gateway station and under the route. An aircraft communication system that establishes a communication line with any one of the ground gateway stations and connects the communication line established on the ground gateway station side to the ground communication network, between a plurality of aircraft existing on the route A communication line is established by the above-described method, and the communication line is connected to the ground communication network through an aircraft that has established a communication line with the ground gateway station.

  In addition, for use in the aircraft communication system having the above-described configuration, for establishing a communication line between a plurality of aircraft existing on the route, and connecting to the ground communication network through the aircraft establishing the communication line with the ground gateway station And an on-board device mounted on the aircraft, wherein the first antenna is controlled to be directed toward the ground gateway station during the flight of the route, and is present on the route during the flight of the route. A second antenna that is directed toward the aircraft, or a shared antenna that selectively switches connection between the ground gateway station and the aircraft on the route.

  Also, a ground gateway station apparatus equipped in a ground gateway station of the aircraft communication system according to the above configuration, a beacon wave transmitting means for transmitting a beacon wave toward a service area communicable with the aircraft, Communication antenna control that establishes a communication line with the aircraft by controlling the direction of the communication antenna based on management information of the position of the aircraft and altitude / communication schedule for the aircraft existing in the service area Means.

  According to the present invention, a broadband wireless communication line between an aircraft and a terrestrial GW station can be easily secured, and the number of terrestrial GW stations can be reduced, thereby realizing a broadband Internet service on an aircraft. It is possible to provide an aircraft communication system and an on-board device and a ground gateway station device used in this system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an aircraft communication system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, A1 to An (n = 3 in the figure) are aircraft flying on a predetermined route, and ground GW stations B1 to Bm (m = 3 in the drawing) are arranged under the route. The terrestrial GW stations B1 to Bm are respectively managed by the radio network management station C. In response to an instruction from the management station C, a communication line is established with the designated aircraft, and the communication line is connected to the terrestrial communication network D. Connect to.

  The radio network management station C can establish a communication line by grasping the flight status of each aircraft A1 to An in flight, the effective communication range at the installation position of each ground GW station B1 to Bm, and the weather condition on the route. Instruct the ground GW station in a certain weather condition to establish a communication line with an aircraft that falls within the effective communication range.

  The aircrafts A1 to An are provided with a communication mechanism for communicating with each other on the route, and when communication with the ground GW station B is impossible, a communication line is established with the aircraft A ahead or behind, The communication line with the ground GW station can be established through the aircraft A capable of establishing a communication line with the GW station B.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the ground GW station B. The terrestrial GW station B shown in FIG. 2 includes a communication antenna 11 and a beacon antenna 12, and the communication antenna 11 is directed in a specified direction by a drive control signal from the control unit 13.

  The communication antenna 11 is connected to a transmitter / receiver 14 connected to the ground communication network D, and the beacon antenna 12 is connected to a beacon transmitter 15. In response to an instruction from the radio network management station C, the control unit 13 controls the directivity of the communication antenna 11 and connects the communication line established with the designated aircraft to the transceiver 14 to the terrestrial communication network D. Let In order to facilitate initial acquisition and tracking, the beacon transmitter 15 is caused to radiate a beacon wave within the effective communication range.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the onboard GW station on the aircraft A side. In FIG. 3, 21 is a first antenna, 22 is a beacon receiver, 23 is a control unit, 24 is a first transceiver, and 25 is an in-flight network interface. The beacon receiver 22 receives the beacon wave from the terrestrial GW station B through the antenna 21 and notifies the control unit 23 of the arrival direction. Based on the direction information, the control unit 23 controls the direction of the first antenna 21 to the terrestrial GW station B to establish a communication line. Further, the control unit 23 connects the first transmitter / receiver 24 to the in-flight network interface 25 after establishing the communication line, thereby enabling communication between the portable terminal connected to the in-flight network and the ground GW station B.

  The onboard GW station has a second antenna 26 for communicating with an aircraft flying in front of the route, and a second transceiver 27 for communicating with an aircraft flying in front through the second antenna 26. And the second transmitter / receiver 24 is connected to the in-flight network interface 25 according to an instruction from the control unit 23, thereby establishing a communication line with the forward aircraft.

  The onboard GW station has a third antenna 28 for communicating with an aircraft flying behind the route, and a third transceiver 29 for communicating with an aircraft flying behind the third antenna 28. And the third transmitter / receiver 29 is connected to the in-flight network interface 25 according to an instruction from the control unit 23, thereby establishing a communication line with the forward aircraft.

  Here, the first to third antennas 21, 26, and 28 may take any form, but the first antenna 21 is directed downward, the second antenna 26 is directed forward, and the third antenna 28 is directed backward. It is an antenna.

  As a specific example of the form having the first to third antennas 21, 26, and 28 at the same time, the aircraft has a small mounting space by arranging the first antenna (downward) 21 and the second antenna (front) 26 at the front end of the aircraft. A third antenna (rear) 28 is arranged at the tail. As another specific example, the first to third antennas 21, 26, and 28 may be mounted, for example, in one place at the abdomen of the body so as to protrude from the body. In this case, a removable pod type may be used. Further, the first to third antennas 21, 26, 28 may be shared by, for example, a reflector switching type antenna.

  In the above configuration, the operation procedure of the system will be described below.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for establishing a communication line between an aircraft and a ground GW station. A1 is an aircraft (onboard GW station), B1 is a ground GW station, and C is a radio network management station. Yes.

  In FIG. 4, the terrestrial GW station B1 first transmits a beacon wave (S11), searches for the direction of the aircraft A1, and obtains wireless line management information (station name / own device position / altitude) transmitted from the aircraft A1. Obtain (S12). At this time, by acquiring the initial value of the directivity angle with respect to the aircraft A1 using the management information of the aircraft position and altitude / communication schedule obtained from the air traffic control system at the radio network management station C, the aircraft A1 is easily captured. be able to.

  After the search is completed, the communication line is established, the directivity angle of the aircraft A1 is sequentially acquired, the position and altitude of the aircraft A1 are sequentially calculated and updated based on the wireless line management information from the aircraft A1, and the wireless line management information Is sent to the aircraft A1 (S13). As a result, the communication antenna can be directed to the aircraft A1 over a certain period of time, and communication with the aircraft A1 can be maintained, enabling content communication.

  On the other hand, in the aircraft A1, the position / communication schedule of the ground GW station B1 scheduled to communicate is acquired before the flight, and after taking off and reaching the cruise altitude (about 10,000 m), the direction search of the ground GW station B1 is performed. And a beacon wave are received, thereby obtaining a directivity angle with respect to the ground GW station B1 (S14). Using this directivity angle, the terrestrial GW station B1 is tracked, and the radio network management information (station name / own device position / altitude) is notified to the terrestrial GW station B1 (S15). Subsequently, after establishing the communication line, the wireless line management information updated in step S13 is received from the ground GW station B1 and the wireless line management information is updated (S16), thereby communicating with the ground GW station B1 over a certain period. Can be maintained, and content communication becomes possible.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for switching (handover) from communication with the ground GW station B1 to communication with the ground GW station B2 having established a communication line with the aircraft A2 through the aircraft A2 in the aircraft A1. . In FIG. 5, in the state in which the ground GW station B1 receives the wireless line management information related to the aircraft A1 from the wireless line management station C and establishes a communication line with the aircraft A1 (S21), The timing at which the communication permission state is removed from the management information is determined. Before that, based on the management information of the aircraft position and altitude / communication schedule from the radio network management station C, the communication with the aircraft A2 located in front of the route of the aircraft A1 A handover for switching to communication is prepared (S22).

  On the other hand, the aircraft A2 also receives the radio link management information of the aircraft A1 through the ground GW station B2 and prepares for handover (S23), and directs the rear antenna (not shown) to the aircraft A1 located behind the route. (S24). On the other hand, the aircraft A1 side similarly directs a forward antenna (not shown) to the aircraft A2 located in front of the course (S25). In this way, communication lines are established between the aircrafts A1 and A2 by the tracking of the antennas mutually (S26, S27). At this time, when the aircraft A2 acquires the directivity angle of the aircraft A1, the position and altitude of the aircraft A1 are calculated and updated from the directivity angle and notified to the radio network management station C as radio network management information. Management information is sent to the aircraft A1. The aircraft A1 receives the updated wireless line management information and updates the management information.

  That is, in the aircraft communication system according to the above operation procedure, broadband communication by a portable terminal on the aircraft is established with the ground by linking the network in the aircraft, the communication network between the flying aircraft, and the ground communication network. Therefore, an aircraft that has completed takeoff and entered a high altitude cruise searches for a beacon wave transmitted from a ground GW station existing under its own route, and if a beacon wave is captured, the beacon wave arrival direction The antenna is pointed to and the wireless link management information is transmitted at a low rate. On the other hand, the terrestrial GW station grasps the position of the aircraft entering the service area in advance from the radio network management information given from the radio network management station C, directs the communication antenna to the aircraft, and is transmitted from the aircraft. Search for low-rate radio link management information. At this time, since the transmission signal from the aircraft is sent at a low rate, it reaches the ground GW station without being influenced by the weather relatively. Thereby, the terrestrial GW station captures radio waves from the aircraft and acquires the wireless line management information. When the communication state is good, a communication line is established, and when the communication state is bad, the wireless line management station C is notified to that effect and urges to switch to inter-aircraft communication. In response to this, the management station C searches for a communication partner, and when there is an aircraft as a partner, the wireless station management information is transmitted to the aircraft as a communication partner through the terrestrial GW station in communication. Let me return it. This allows the aircraft side to point the antennas at the next communication partner.

  The communication network between aircraft, when communication is established with the ground GW station under the route, the gateway name established in the communication network, the expected time to ensure communication (ground speed, flight altitude, map information, and in some cases Judgment from weather information) is registered in the aircraft network management information. The management information obtained in this way is shared on the communication network, and the inter-aircraft communication and the aircraft-to-ground communication are distributed so that the network efficiency is maximized between the aircrafts. Alternatively, the inter-aircraft communication and the aircraft-to-ground communication are distributed according to a procedure that maximizes the network efficiency on the ground and on the aircraft, as determined by the ground gateway manager (wireless network management station C). Note that the radio management station C may not determine a specific manager (master) in particular, and may determine it in an integrated manner according to the interrelationship between nodes. The network management information is shared with the management information of the ground gateway through the ground communication network D.

  On an aircraft, when a mobile terminal owned by a plurality of users is connected to a wireless or wired onboard network, the mobile terminal is connected to the ground GW station through the onboard GW station connected to the onboard network. By communicating, it is connected to the ground communication network. Depending on the location of the aircraft, the antenna on the aircraft may be unable to establish communication with the ground gateway station antenna if communication cannot be established due to terrain shielding, obstacle shielding, cloud shielding, attenuation, and long-distance standby attenuation. The second or third antenna can communicate with another aircraft that has established communication with the ground GW station, and the portable terminal on the aircraft can be connected to the ground communication network via the aircraft. It is unlikely that the entire route will be heavily rained, and it can be expected that there will be one ground GW station below the route that will not be exposed to rain clouds.

  In the on-air broadband communication operated as described above, a large number of ground GW stations have been conventionally required under the aircraft route. However, by using inter-aircraft communication, a network between aircrafts is formed. There is an effect that the number of ground GW stations can be reduced. In inter-aircraft communication in particular, the following effects are produced by selecting an aircraft that is cruising in the high sky (altitude about 10,000 m).

  First, since communication can be performed in an environment with less attenuation factors in radio wave space propagation such as rain clouds, communication is established with higher efficiency than aircraft-to-ground communication. As a result, if it is the same system, it becomes possible to communicate to a long distance, and conversely, if it is the same distance, there is an effect of becoming a small, light and power saving system. In addition, aircraft cruising in the high sky fly almost all the time without slipping or shaking the aircraft. In other words, the aircraft is flying along the route with almost no separation, and the partner aircraft that wants inter-aircraft communication is flying in most cases before or after your route. . From this, the directivity angle range of the 2nd or 3rd antenna which performs communication between aircrafts can be limited to the approximate front of the own aircraft and the approximate back, leading to a reduction in the size and weight of the antenna. In addition, since the first antenna is directed to the ground (downward) and the second and third antennas are directed to the front and rear in the traveling direction, the first to third antennas are switched using the same antenna, for example, a reflector type. By adopting the method, the size and weight can be further reduced.

  Although the above embodiment has been described with the configuration in which the downward antenna is disposed in the center of the aircraft, the antenna mounted on the aircraft needs to have a particularly small overhang from the aircraft in order to consider aerodynamic characteristics. When the front and lower antennas are arranged at the front end of the airframe and the rear and lower antennas are installed at the rear of the airframe, the overhang can be suppressed and the aerodynamic problem can be minimized.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated that the aircraft of the front or back had established the communication line with the ground GW station, when the aircraft has not established the communication line, the next through the said aircraft further A communication line may be established with an aircraft, and communication may be performed through an aircraft that has established a communication line with any ground GW station.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the aircraft communication system which concerns on this invention. The block diagram which shows the specific structure of the ground GW station B shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the specific structure of the onboard GW station by the side of the aircraft A shown in FIG. The sequence diagram which shows the procedure for establishing the communication line between the aircraft A1-ground GW station B1 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for switching from communication with the ground GW station B1 to communication with the ground GW station B2 having a communication line established with the aircraft A2 through the aircraft A2 in the aircraft A1 shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  A1 to An ... Aircraft, B1 to Bm ... Ground GW station, C ... Radio network management station, D ... Terrestrial communication network, 11 ... Communication antenna, 12 ... Beacon antenna, 13 ... Control unit, 14 ... Transceiver, 15 ... beacon transmitter, 21 ... first antenna (for downward), 22 ... beacon receiver, 23 ... control unit, 24 ... first transmitter / receiver, 25 ... in-machine network interface, 26 ... second antenna (for forward), 27 ... 2nd transceiver (for front), 28 ... 3rd antenna (for back), 29 ... 3rd transceiver.

Claims (11)

Connect the in-flight communication terminal to the on-board gateway station via the in-flight network and connect between the on-board gateway station and one of the ground gateway stations located in the vicinity of the route on multiple aircraft flying on the specified route. An aircraft communication system that establishes a communication line and connects the communication line established on the ground gateway station side to the ground communication network,
An aircraft communication system, characterized in that a communication line is established between a plurality of aircraft existing on the route, and is connected to a ground communication network through an aircraft having established a communication line with the ground gateway station.   The aircraft has a first antenna whose direction is controlled toward the ground gateway station during flight of the route, and a second antenna whose direction is controlled toward aircraft existing on the route during flight of the route. The aircraft communication system according to claim 1, comprising:   2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft includes a shared antenna that is selectively directed to either the ground gateway station or an aircraft existing on the route during the flight of the route. Communications system.   An instruction based on mutual position and altitude / communication schedule management information is sent to the aircraft and each aircraft or ground gateway station with which it communicates, and the communication line is established by facing each other's antennas. The aircraft communication system according to claim 1.   5. The aircraft communication system according to claim 4, further comprising a communication line management station that identifies a connection state of a communication line from the management information, determines a communication partner, and instructs both parties.   The radio network management station grasps at least one of the flight status of each aircraft in flight, the effective communication range at the installation position of each ground gateway station, the weather condition on the route, and the traffic status of each communication channel. 6. The aircraft communication system according to claim 5, wherein the ground gateway station in a state where the establishment of the communication network can be established is instructed to establish a communication line with an aircraft entering the communication effective range. The ground gateway station sends a beacon into the service area,
2. The aircraft according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft searches for the beacon, and when the beacon is received, sends the management information of the aircraft at a low rate by directing an antenna in an arrival direction of the beacon. Communications system.   A plurality of aircraft flying on the route establish a communication line with each other to form an inter-aircraft communication network, each establishes a communication line with one of the ground gateway stations, takes off and enters a cruise The aircraft communication system according to claim 1, wherein the aircraft logs in to the inter-aircraft communication network. Connect the in-flight communication terminal to the on-board gateway station via the in-flight network and connect between the on-board gateway station and one of the ground gateway stations located in the vicinity of the route on multiple aircraft flying on the specified route. Used in aircraft communication systems that establish communication lines and connect communication lines established on the ground gateway station side to the ground communication network.
An on-board device mounted on the aircraft for establishing a communication line between a plurality of aircraft existing on the route and connecting to a ground communication network through the aircraft establishing a communication line with the ground gateway station. Because
A first antenna whose direction is controlled toward the ground gateway station during flight of the route, and a second antenna whose direction is controlled toward an aircraft existing on the route during flight of the route. An on-board device for an aircraft communication system. Connect the in-flight communication terminal to the on-board gateway station via the in-flight network and connect between the on-board gateway station and one of the ground gateway stations located in the vicinity of the route on multiple aircraft flying on the specified route. Used in aircraft communication systems that establish communication lines and connect communication lines established on the ground gateway station side to the ground communication network.
An on-board device mounted on the aircraft for establishing a communication line between a plurality of aircraft existing on the route and connecting to a ground communication network through the aircraft establishing a communication line with the ground gateway station. Because
An on-board apparatus for an aircraft communication system, comprising: a shared antenna that is selectively directed toward the ground gateway station and an aircraft existing on the route during the flight of the route. Connect the in-flight communication terminal to the on-board gateway station via the in-flight network and connect between the on-board gateway station and one of the ground gateway stations located in the vicinity of the route on multiple aircraft flying on the specified route. A ground gateway station apparatus that is used in an aircraft communication system that establishes a communication line and connects a communication line established on the ground gateway station side to a ground communication network, and is installed in the ground gateway station,
Beacon wave transmission means for transmitting a beacon wave toward a service area communicable with the aircraft;
Communication antenna control that establishes a communication line with the aircraft by controlling the direction of the communication antenna based on management information of the position of the aircraft and altitude / communication schedule for the aircraft existing in the service area A terrestrial gateway station device.

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