Multi-link data return system and method based on low-altitude aircraft and medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-link data return system and method based on a low-altitude aircraft and a medium, and the system comprises an airborne multi-link communication gateway which is used for connecting a plurality of communication links at the same time, and dynamically selecting the communication link with the optimal current performance based on link quality parameters for data return; the protocol conversion module is used for receiving the TCP data stream from the aircraft intranet equipment and converting the TCP data stream into a QUIC data stream in a QUIC protocol; the data encryption module is used for performing end-to-end encryption processing on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; and the data transmission module is used for receiving the encrypted QUIC data packet, keeping QUIC connection when an IP address changes through a Consection ID mechanism of a QUIC protocol, and sending the encrypted QUIC data packet to a ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link. According to the invention, seamless switching among multiple links and efficient and safe data transmission are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-link data return system, method and medium based on a low-altitude aircraft, belonging to the field of low-altitude aircraft. Background Art

[0002] As a new generation of aerial vehicles, low-altitude eVTOLs operate in more complex environments and have more flexible and frequently changing flight paths than traditional air transport. During flight, they require continuous data transmission to transmit flight status information, sensor data, remote control commands, and more, placing higher demands on their communication systems. Traditional aviation communication technologies, particularly data links based on VHF, HF, and satellite communications, are not suitable for the needs of low-altitude aircraft. During low-altitude flight in cities, traditional data links lack the bandwidth and low latency to meet the demands of high-definition imagery, video streaming, and real-time flight data transmission.

[0003] During flight, eVTOLs may need to switch between different communication networks, such as from a ground-based ad hoc network to a 5G network, or between 5G and low-Earth orbit satellites. Traditional communication systems typically rely on a single link and cannot automatically switch or adapt to these dynamic changes. This can lead to data loss and connection interruptions during network switching, compromising communication stability and flight safety.

[0004] Low-altitude aircraft have extremely high requirements for data transmission latency and reliability. Flight control commands, flight data, and video backhaul must be transmitted within milliseconds. High latency or data loss can pose a serious threat to flight safety. Traditional communication systems cannot effectively meet these low-latency and high-reliability requirements, especially when processing high-definition video backhaul and large amounts of sensor data. Bandwidth limitations and network instability often lead to transmission interruptions or excessive delays.

[0005] As eVTOLs increasingly rely on public networks for data backhaul, data security issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Communications in public networks are vulnerable to security threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks, data tampering, and DNS hijacking. This is particularly true during the transmission of remote control commands and flight status data, which lack effective encryption and security measures. While traditional aviation communication systems offer basic security, their encryption technologies and protection mechanisms are not optimized for the security threats posed by public networks. Existing communication systems have significant deficiencies in adaptability, bandwidth, latency, stability, and security, and cannot meet the multi-link data backhaul requirements of low-altitude aircraft in complex flight environments. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art and provide a system and method for multi-link data backhaul based on low-altitude aircraft, which solves the problems faced by traditional TCP communication in the dynamic network environment of low-altitude aircraft, such as unstable connection, link switching interruption, lack of encryption mechanism, etc., and realizes high reliability, low latency, and end-to-end secure data backhaul capability.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention is implemented by adopting the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a system for multi-link data backhaul based on a low-altitude aircraft, comprising: An onboard multi-link communication gateway, which is used to connect multiple communication links simultaneously and dynamically select the communication link with the best performance for data backhaul based on link quality parameters; A protocol conversion module, configured to receive a TCP data stream from an aircraft intranet device and convert the TCP data stream into a QUIC data stream in the QUIC protocol; A data encryption module performs end-to-end encryption on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; The data transmission module is used to receive the encrypted QUIC data packet, and maintain the QUIC connection when the IP address changes through the ConnectionID mechanism of the QUIC protocol, and send the encrypted QUIC data packet to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

[0008] Furthermore, the airborne multi-link communication gateway further includes a multi-link management unit, which is specifically configured to: Collecting real-time quality parameters of multiple available communication links, wherein the real-time quality parameters include at least bandwidth, delay, packet loss rate and signal strength; The network status of each communication link is monitored based on real-time quality parameters, and the communication link with the best performance is selected based on the delay change trend prediction results.

[0009] Furthermore, the protocol conversion module specifically includes: TCP listening unit, receiving TCP data streams from aircraft intranet devices; The session mapping unit is used to assign a unique identifier to each TCP connection and establish a one-to-one correspondence with the QUIC data stream; The data encapsulation unit is used to extract data from the TCP connection, write the processed data into the QUIC data stream, and complete the conversion from the TCP data stream to the QUIC data stream.

[0010] Furthermore, the protocol conversion module also includes a data decapsulation unit, which is used to extract data from the QUIC data stream received by the ground receiving end, restore it to a TCP data stream and return it to the aircraft intranet device.

[0011] Furthermore, the data encryption module is specifically used to: During the QUIC connection initialization process, key negotiation is completed with the ground receiving end through the TLS protocol to generate session keys and establish an encrypted session context; Receive the QUIC data stream output from the protocol conversion module; The QUIC data stream is end-to-end encrypted based on the encrypted session context to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet.

[0012] Furthermore, the data transmission module is specifically used to: Receiving the encrypted QUIC data packet; Calling the current best performance communication link selected by the airborne multi-link communication gateway; The encrypted QUIC data packet is sent to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

[0013] Furthermore, the ground receiving end is compatible with a TCP device and is used to convert the QUIC data stream back to a TCP data stream, specifically for: Receive encrypted QUIC packets; Decrypt the encrypted QUIC data packet using the encrypted session context negotiated and generated during the QUIC connection initialization process to restore it to a plaintext QUIC data stream; Based on the identifier of the plaintext QUIC data stream, restore the plaintext QUIC data stream to a corresponding TCP data stream byte sequence; The restored TCP data stream byte sequence is sent to the internal target device on the ground to complete the seamless connection of the TCP session.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes a data redundancy elimination module, which is specifically used to: Receive the encrypted QUIC data packet output from the data encryption module; Performing content hash calculation on the encrypted QUIC data packet to generate a unique identification value; Compare the identification value with the historical identification in the local received data cache to determine whether it is redundant data; If it is judged to be non-redundant data, it is retained and forwarded to the data transmission module; if it is judged to be redundant data, the encrypted QUIC data packet is discarded to avoid repeated transmission.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for multi-link data backhaul based on a low-altitude aircraft, comprising: Connect multiple communication links simultaneously and dynamically select the communication link with the best current performance based on link quality parameters; Receive TCP data streams from devices on the aircraft's intranet and convert them into QUIC data streams in the QUIC protocol. Perform end-to-end encryption on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; Through the Connection ID mechanism of the QUIC protocol, the QUIC connection is maintained when the IP address changes, and the encrypted QUIC data packet is sent to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

[0016] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the low-altitude aircraft multi-link data return method according to claim 9.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The multi-link data backhaul system provided by the present invention adopts a dynamic conversion mechanism between TCP and QUIC protocols, combined with the connection maintenance capability, multiplexing capability and end-to-end encryption characteristics of the QUIC protocol, to achieve seamless switching between multiple links and efficient and secure data transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for multi-link data return based on low-altitude aircraft provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application and the specific features in the embodiments are detailed descriptions of the technical solution of the present application, rather than limitations on the technical solution of the present application. Unless there is a conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the technical features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0020] The terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature designated "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. Throughout this disclosure / application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0021] Example 1

[0022] This embodiment provides a multi-link data backhaul system based on a low-altitude aircraft, including: An onboard multi-link communication gateway is used to simultaneously connect to multiple communication links and dynamically select the best performing link for data backhaul based on link quality parameters. These multiple communication links include ground ad hoc networks, 5G networks, and LEO satellites. The system can dynamically switch between links, ensuring that if the aircraft enters an area with unstable signals, it can quickly switch to another link to ensure uninterrupted data backhaul.

[0023] Devices in the aircraft's intranet establish a connection with the airborne multi-link communication gateway via the standard TCP protocol. The airborne multi-link communication gateway includes a protocol conversion module, whose TCP listening unit monitors TCP connection requests from these intranet devices. Upon receiving a connection request, the session mapping unit assigns a unique session identifier to each TCP connection and creates a corresponding QUIC data stream channel within the QUIC connection. The data encapsulation unit continuously reads the raw data byte stream from the TCP connection, segments it, and then writes it to the corresponding QUIC data stream, completing the TCP to QUIC protocol conversion process.

[0024] The QUIC data stream is then passed to the data encryption module. Within this module, the system first establishes an encrypted session context with the ground receiving end through a TLS handshake during QUIC connection initialization. After generating the session key, the data encryption module uses the negotiated key to perform end-to-end encryption on the received QUIC data stream, generating encrypted QUIC packets and outputting them to subsequent modules.

[0025] The data transmission module calls the multi-link management unit in the airborne multi-link communication gateway. The multi-link management unit dynamically evaluates the quality of the communication link by collecting parameters such as the bandwidth, delay, packet loss rate and signal strength of each current link, and then selects the communication link with the best performance and returns it to the data transmission module. The data transmission module uses the Connection ID mechanism of the QUIC protocol to keep the logical session of the connection unchanged. Even if the IP address changes, there is no need to reconnect. The connection is maintained during the link switching process, reducing delays and packet loss in data transmission, thereby improving data transmission efficiency. For the traditional TCP protocol, which is prone to connection interruption problems caused by frequent link switching, the QUIC protocol can effectively avoid and maintain stable transmission. Finally, the data transmission module sends the encrypted QUIC data packet to the ground receiving end through the optimal communication link.

[0026] The ground-based receiving system incorporates a QUIC data restoration function, with the server supporting the conversion process between the QUIC protocol and the traditional TCP protocol. Upon receiving an encrypted QUIC packet from an aircraft's intranet device, the system first decrypts the data using the encryption context established in the TLS handshake, restoring it to a plaintext QUIC data stream. The system then restores the plaintext QUIC data stream to the original TCP data stream byte sequence based on the plaintext QUIC data stream's identification information. The restored data is then forwarded to the target device on the ground via standard TCP, achieving seamless connection and restoration of the TCP session.

[0027] To improve bandwidth utilization and prevent redundant link transmission, the system further invokes a data redundancy elimination module to process encrypted QUIC packets. Located at the ground receiving end, this module calculates a unique identifier for each packet using a content hashing algorithm and compares it with historical transmission records in the local cache. If the data is detected as a first occurrence or non-redundant, it is retained and forwarded; if it is redundant, the packet is discarded to avoid wasted bandwidth.

[0028] Example 2

[0029] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for multi-link data backhaul based on low-altitude aircraft, such as Figure 1 As shown, it includes: an airborne multi-link communication gateway connecting multiple communication links at the same time, and dynamically selecting the communication link with the best current performance based on link quality parameters; Receive TCP data streams from devices within the aircraft's intranet and convert them into QUIC data streams in the QUIC protocol. Perform end-to-end encryption on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; Through the Connection ID mechanism of the QUIC protocol, the QUIC connection is maintained when the IP address changes, and the encrypted QUIC data packet is sent to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

[0030] Example 3

[0031] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the program is executed by a processor, the steps of the multi-link data backhaul method based on a low-altitude aircraft described in the above-mentioned embodiment 2 are first implemented.

[0032] The computer-readable storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0034] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-link data backhaul system based on low-altitude aircraft, characterized in that: include: An onboard multi-link communication gateway, which is used to connect multiple communication links simultaneously and dynamically select the communication link with the best performance for data backhaul based on link quality parameters; A protocol conversion module, configured to receive a TCP data stream from an aircraft intranet device and convert the TCP data stream into a QUIC data stream in the QUIC protocol; A data encryption module performs end-to-end encryption on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; The data transmission module is used to receive the encrypted QUIC data packet, and maintain the QUIC connection when the IP address changes through the Connection ID mechanism of the QUIC protocol, and send the encrypted QUIC data packet to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

2. The low-altitude aircraft multi-link data return system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The airborne multi-link communication gateway further includes a multi-link management unit, which is specifically configured to: Collecting real-time quality parameters of multiple available communication links, wherein the real-time quality parameters include at least bandwidth, delay, packet loss rate and signal strength; The network status of each communication link is monitored based on real-time quality parameters, and the communication link with the best performance is selected based on the delay change trend prediction results.

3. The low-altitude aircraft multi-link data return system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protocol conversion module specifically includes: TCP listening unit, receiving TCP data streams from aircraft intranet devices; The session mapping unit is used to assign a unique identifier to each TCP connection and establish a one-to-one correspondence with the QUIC data stream; The data encapsulation unit is used to extract data from the TCP connection, write the processed data into the QUIC data stream, and complete the conversion from the TCP data stream to the QUIC data stream.

4. The low-altitude aircraft multi-link data return system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The protocol conversion module also includes a data decapsulation unit, which is used to extract data from the QUIC data stream received by the ground receiving end, restore it to a TCP data stream and return it to the aircraft intranet device.

5. The low-altitude aircraft-based multi-link data return system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The data encryption module is specifically used for: During the QUIC connection initialization process, key negotiation is completed with the ground receiving end through the TLS protocol to generate session keys and establish an encrypted session context; Receive the QUIC data stream output from the protocol conversion module; The QUIC data stream is end-to-end encrypted based on the encrypted session context to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet.

6. The low-altitude aircraft-based multi-link data return system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The data transmission module is specifically used for: Receiving the encrypted QUIC data packet; Calling the current best performance communication link selected by the airborne multi-link communication gateway; The encrypted QUIC data packet is sent to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

7. The low-altitude aircraft-based multi-link data return system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The ground receiving end is compatible with a TCP device, and is used to convert the QUIC data stream back into a TCP data stream, specifically for: Receive encrypted QUIC packets; Decrypt the encrypted QUIC data packet using the encrypted session context negotiated and generated during the QUIC connection initialization process to restore it to a plaintext QUIC data stream; Based on the identifier of the plaintext QUIC data stream, restore the plaintext QUIC data stream to a corresponding TCP data stream byte sequence; The restored TCP data stream byte sequence is sent to the internal target device on the ground to complete the seamless connection of the TCP session.

8. The low-altitude aircraft-based multi-link data return system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The module further includes a data redundancy elimination module, which is specifically configured to: Receive the encrypted QUIC data packet output from the data encryption module; Performing content hash calculation on the encrypted QUIC data packet to generate a unique identification value; Compare the identification value with the historical identification in the local received data cache to determine whether it is redundant data; If it is judged to be non-redundant data, it is retained and forwarded to the data transmission module; if it is judged to be redundant data, the encrypted QUIC data packet is discarded to avoid repeated transmission.

9. A method for multi-link data backhaul based on low-altitude aircraft, characterized in that: include: Connect multiple communication links simultaneously and dynamically select the communication link with the best performance based on link quality parameters; Receive TCP data streams from devices within the aircraft's intranet and convert them into QUIC data streams in the QUIC protocol. Perform end-to-end encryption on the QUIC data stream to generate an encrypted QUIC data packet; Through the Connection ID mechanism of the QUIC protocol, the QUIC connection is maintained when the IP address changes, and the encrypted QUIC data packet is sent to the ground receiving end through the selected optimal communication link.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the steps of the low-altitude aircraft multi-link data return method according to claim 9 are implemented.

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