SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPLEMENTING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL VOICE RELAY FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS OVER AIR NETWORKS - Patent application

Abstract

Provided herein are systems and methods for implementing air traffic control (ATC) voice communications over a digital aviation network, whereby one or more pilots on the ground can communicate with an ATC controller while piloting a UAS passing through the airspace of a particular ATC voice station. In one or more examples, a spectrum management system (or an ATC voice controller using information received from the spectrum management system) can designate a relay aircraft that relays very high frequency (VHF) ATC voice to operators / pilots on the aviation network. In one or more examples, once ATC has initiated voice communications to all UAS and other aircraft within a VHF service area or sector, an ATC analog voice message can be received by a VHF radio on the relay aircraft. In one or more examples, the relay aircraft relays the digital message to an ATC voice processor and / or a base station.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 299,316, filed January 13, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 325,030, filed March 29, 2022, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for transmitting and receiving air traffic control voice, and more particularly to systems and methods for coordinating and managing air traffic control voice communications over digital aviation networks using a flight plan-based spectrum management system. [Background technology]

[0003] For both manned and unmanned flights in controlled airspace, maintaining continuous communication between pilots, air assets, and air traffic controllers (ATC) is crucial. To integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into national airspace, it is desirable to make the management and monitoring of UAS traffic compatible with that of traditional manned air traffic. For example, when a manned aircraft (piloted by a human pilot) is in controlled airspace, its movements are coordinated by air traffic controllers, who use voice communications to instruct the pilot on altitude, speed, and heading. Communication with ATC is not only important while the aircraft is in the air, but is equally important when the aircraft is on the ground. Because UAS movements must also be coordinated with manned aircraft, UAS pilots need to be able to talk to ATC just like manned aircraft pilots.

[0004] For traditional manned aircraft, ATC voice communications (originating from a location in close proximity to the aircraft) can be transmitted directly to the pilot because the pilot is within the aircraft. In contrast, UAS operators can control airborne resources from any networked location and do not need to be within range of the ATC transmission. Thus, if an ATC voice transmission is directed to a UAS that is within range of an ATC facility, the UAS must direct the received transmission to the pilot in order for the pilot to receive the message. Similarly, if a pilot of a UAS wants to communicate with the ATC facility that is coordinating the movements of that UAS, the pilot must direct the voice communication to the UAS, which can then direct the transmission to ATC. In such a system, the UAS can effectively act as a communications relay between the pilot and ATC.

[0005] However, the UAS-as-Relay paradigm can pose challenges to aviation networks. The requirement to maintain an operational data link and provide ATC voice relay between the UAS and the pilot can deplete frequency resources and channel requirements can exceed channel capacity. Therefore, to integrate ATC voice into digital aviation networks, a system that transmits ATC voice in a manner that conserves spectrum resources for the operational data link is desirable and necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect, a ground (i.e., on the ground) to air communications network can include a spectrum management system configured to leverage a radio network (aviation network) designed to manage command and control of UAS. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system operates by matching submitted flight plans with the service capabilities and spectrum resources of both the aviation network and ATC voice services and designating an optimal UAS repeater or ground repeater node to transmit communications between the UAS operator and the ATC voice network. In one or more examples, the aviation network can include a spectrum management system, an aviation network core (i.e., ATC voice processor), one or more aviation assets such as manned aircraft and / or UAVs that can communicate with one or more base stations (or aviation network sites) that communicate with the aviation assets, one or more ground repeater nodes (or base station towers) that communicate with the base stations and the aviation assets, and one or more operators / pilots that communicate with the base stations and the aviation assets.

[0007] In one or more examples, a pilot (or other entity, such as an administrator or organization that operates unmanned aerial vehicles) intending to operate a UAS flight transmits a flight plan to a spectrum management system configured to manage the radio frequency (RF) spectrum of a given airspace. In one or more examples, the flight plan may include the aircraft's intended geographic route, the start time of the flight, the expected end time of the flight, and operational details of the flight, such as data throughput requirements and radio settings of the aircraft. In one or more examples, based on the received flight plan, the spectrum management system may assign RF spectrum frequency "slots" (i.e., time slots, subchannels, or resource blocks) to the aircraft for use during the flight. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system may select which spectrum slots to grant to the aircraft based on the flight plan as well as a variety of other factors, such as dynamic link budgets created for the flight, dynamic RF coverage predictions, dynamic interference and coexistence (i.e., with other aircraft in time, space, and RF channel utilization) predictions. The spectrum management system may take into account the available spectrum along with predicted network traffic and their spectrum assignments to determine RF spectrum slots that can provide the aircraft with a stable and continuous communication channel during its flight.

[0008] In one or more examples, when a flight plan is submitted to a spectrum management system of a digital aviation network, the system may determine RF availability for both operational data links and ATC voice links for the duration of the flight specified in the flight plan. Once the spectrum management system verifies RF availability and approves the submitted flight plan, in one or more examples, a ground base station scheduler of a base station of the digital aviation network (operating in conjunction with the spectrum management system and the ATC voice controller) may create and maintain an ATC RF voice link between one or more aircraft in the digital aviation network. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system (or an ATC voice controller using information received from the spectrum management system) may designate relay aircraft that will relay very high frequency (VHF) ATC voice to operators / pilots on the aviation network. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system may identify one or more UAS within the VHF service area or sector of the ATC voice as a "relay aircraft" based on best coverage and information from the submitted flight plan (e.g., duration, speed, altitude, relationship to ATC frequency geofence area or sector, etc.). In one or more examples, when ATC initiates voice communications to all UAS and other aircraft within a VHF service area or sector, an ATC analog voice message may be received by the VHF radio of the relay aircraft, and a vocoder on the relay aircraft may convert the analog message to a digital message. In one or more examples, the relay aircraft relays the digital message to an ATC voice processor and / or a base station. In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor may copy and forward the digital message to pilots operating UAS within the VHF service area or sector assigned to the same VHF frequency.

[0009] In one or more examples, the aviation network may also be configured to dynamically allocate repeaters based on the timing of transmission requests. In one or more examples, if the allocation of repeaters is dynamic, all UAS in the ATC voice group may have the ability to receive voice transmissions from ATC to the pilot through their respective onboard VHF radios. In one or more examples, when ATC initiates a VHF voice transmission to the pilot, all UAS VHF radios assigned to the VHF frequency (i.e., the ATC voice group) may receive that information. In one or more examples, each UAS radio may convert the received ATC VHF signal from analog to digital via a vocoder and then request radio resources from the ground base station. In one or more examples, the ground base station only processes the first initiation request from all UAS assigned to that VHF frequency since it only has radio resources assigned to it by the spectrum management system. In one or more examples, all other requests during an active transmission from ATC along the VHF frequency are rejected by the system such that only one ATC-to-pilot transmission occurs. In one or more examples, if the aviation network is configured to allow more radio links from the UAS to ground-based radios, duplicate transmissions received by the aviation network core (ATC processor) can ignore the duplicate messages and manage delivery of the messages. In one or more examples, the selection of messages the ATC voice processor forwards can be based on time, quality of the radio link, or priority access assigned to airborne radios and pilots.

[0010] In one or more examples, the aviation network core (ATC voice processor) and ground base station using the defined spectrum resources of the spectrum management system may relay pilot communications directed to ATC to both ATC and all other pilots / operators within the assigned VHF service area or sector. In one or more examples, when a pilot / operator initiates communication with ATC, the pilot / operator's voice is converted to a digital message by a vocoder and transmitted to the ATC voice processor and / or base station. In one or more examples, upon receipt at the ATC voice processor and / or base station, copies of the digital message are multicast to pilots operating UASs in the aviation network within the VHF service area or sector. In one or more examples, upon receipt at the communicating pilot's UAS, the digital voice may be converted to analog via the UAS's vocoder and relayed to ATC and all other aircraft on the assigned VHF frequency via their on-board VHF radio.

[0011] In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor may alternatively be configured to relay ATC to pilot / operator communications via a ground-based VHF repeater (i.e., a relay node). In one or more examples, if the ATC voice processor is configured to relay ATC to pilot communications via a ground-based VHF repeater, the ATC may initiate voice communications to all aircraft via the ground relay node, which then relays the ATC VHF message to all pilots within the VHF service area in a manner described below. In one or more examples, upon receipt of the ATC analog voice message over VHF radio at the relay node, a vocoder in the relay node converts the voice message to a digital format. In one or more examples, the relay node relays the digital voice message to an ATC voice processor located within a base station and / or aviation network core. In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor then copies and forwards (multicasts) the message to pilots operating UAS within the VHF service area. Benefits of relaying ATC voice over terrestrial VHF to pilot / operators may include reduced latency and / or improved voice quality due to faster vocoders.

[0012] In one or more examples, the aviation network core (ATC voice processor) and ground base station using the defined spectrum resources of the spectrum management system may alternatively be configured to manage ATC to pilot / operator communications by hybrid UAS VHF repeaters. In one or more examples, when the aviation network is configured to manage communications by hybrid UAS VHF repeaters, the system may relay ATC voice communications to pilots / operators substantially via relay aircraft or relay nodes as described above. The hybrid relay model allows for appropriate placement of ground-based VHF repeaters to ensure that, when there is a coverage hole in the ATC VHF voice system, all pilots on the aviation network receive messages for the identified coverage hole. In other words, it may be impossible to relay ATC communications by UAS repeaters, and in such situations, the communications may be relayed by ground VHF repeaters instead.

[0013] In one or more examples, the aviation network core and ground radio spectrum resources defined by the spectrum management system may also be configured to manage designated relay UASs that migrate out of a VHF service area. In one or more examples, a new relay aircraft may need to be identified if the current relay aircraft completes its flight plan (i.e., lands), is assigned a new VHF frequency by ATC, is no longer the best relay location as determined by the spectrum management system, or is otherwise unable to continue operating as a relay aircraft. In one or more examples, if a new relay is needed, the spectrum management system assigns the new relay based on best coverage and flight plan. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system may also configure the aviation network core and ground base stations to manage one or more UASs moving from one VHF service area to a different VHF service area. In one or more examples, if only one UAS remains on a VHF frequency, this UAS becomes the relay by default.

[0014] In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor can work with the spectrum management system to ensure that pilots on the digital aviation network tune to the correct ATC voice VHF frequency based on their location. For example, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system can define all VHF frequencies associated with an area or sector covered by a ground base station on the aviation network and define to the ATC voice processor a VHF frequency for each area or sector served by the ground base station. In one or more examples, if the ATC voice processor determines that the pilot's tuned VHF frequency does not match a frequency scheduled by the spectrum management system, in one or more examples, the ATC voice processor can alert the pilot of the discrepancy. In one or more examples, the base station scheduler can update the spectrum resources allocated to each aircraft based on information provided by the spectrum management system during flight, thereby ensuring that an adequate amount of radio resources is always available for ATC voice traffic.

[0015] In one or more examples, the digital aviation network may process and relay all ATC voice traffic through a ground-based relay (as opposed to a UAS relay) to relay communications between ATC and individual pilots in both directions. In one or more examples, the ground-based relay may be used for aircraft on or near the ground to communicate with ATC.

[0016] In one or more examples, an aviation network core configured for ATC voice can enable the aviation network core (ATC voice processor) to manage ATC voice communications from pilots that may occur at nearly the same time. In an example of attended ATC voice communications, it is possible for pilots to initiate ATC voice communications at nearly the same time. In such cases, they may interfere with or step on each other, causing one or both messages to be degraded or not received or understood by ATC. In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor of the digital aviation network can prevent pilots from "stepping on" each other by allowing a first message (from a first pilot) to be received and relayed, while queuing other messages (from a second pilot) until that message is delivered, thereby ensuring that both messages are delivered to ATC and other pilots on the aviation network.

[0017] In accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure, a system for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes a memory and one or more processors, the memory storing one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive, at the one or more processors, one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; and, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, receive: determining availability of an RF communication link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communication link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communication link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generating a digital voice communication link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0018] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0019] Optionally, cause the one or more processors to receive ATC digital voice communications from designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generate copies of the plurality of received ATC digital voice communications, and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0020] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0021] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0022] Optionally, designated relay aircraft transmit ATC digital voice communications to the system using a digital voice communications link.

[0023] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0024] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to generate copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0025] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and the system.

[0026] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to transmit the received digital voice communication to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communication link.

[0027] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0028] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0029] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot.

[0030] Optionally, a digital communications link is created upon receiving a digital voice communication from the pilot.

[0031] Optionally, the one or more processors are configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station and convert the analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications.

[0032] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to generate copies of the plurality of ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to respective pilots associated with one or more aircraft in an ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station.

[0033] Optionally, have the one or more processors receive commands from one or more pilots to change the ATC radio frequency of an aircraft associated with the pilot, transmit the commands to the aircraft using the generated RF communications link, and assign the aircraft to an ATC voice group within the one or more ATC voice groups based on the commands received from the pilots to change the ATC radio frequency of the aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0034] Optionally, each ATC voice group of the plurality of ATC voice groups corresponds to an ATC voice station configured to transmit analog voice communications at a predetermined transmission frequency.

[0035] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link is configured to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0036] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link uses VHF frequencies to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0037] Optionally, if one or more of the aircraft in the flight is determined to not have an available RF communications link or an available ATC voice communications link based on its flight plan, an indication is sent to the sender of the flight indicating that the flight plan has been rejected.

[0038] In accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure, a system for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots flying one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes a memory and one or more processors, the memory storing one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flown within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determine, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generate, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assign each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group of a plurality of ATC voice groups; and generate a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans.

[0039] In accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure, a method for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determining, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generating a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0040] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0041] Optionally, the method includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generating copies of a plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications, and transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0042] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0043] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0044] Optionally, designated relay aircraft transmit ATC digital voice communications to the system using a digital voice communications link.

[0045] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0046] Optionally, the method includes generating copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmitting copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0047] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and the system.

[0048] Optionally, the method includes transmitting the received digital voice communication to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communication link.

[0049] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0050] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0051] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot.

[0052] Optionally, a digital communications link is created upon receiving a digital voice communication from the pilot.

[0053] Optionally, the method includes receiving an analog voice communication from the ATC voice station and converting the analog voice communication from the ATC voice station to an ATC digital voice communication.

[0054] Optionally, the method includes generating copies of the plurality of ATC voice digital voice communications and transmitting copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in an ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station.

[0055] Optionally, the method includes receiving a command from one or more pilots to change the ATC radio frequency of an aircraft associated with the pilot, transmitting the command to the aircraft using the generated RF communications link, and assigning the aircraft to an ATC voice group within the one or more ATC voice groups based on the command received from the pilot to change the ATC radio frequency of the aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0056] Optionally, each ATC voice group of the plurality of ATC voice groups corresponds to an ATC voice station configured to transmit analog voice communications at a predetermined transmission frequency.

[0057] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link is configured to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0058] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link uses VHF frequencies to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0059] Optionally, if one or more of the aircraft in the flight is determined to not have an available RF communications link or an available ATC voice communications link based on its flight plan, an indication is sent to the sender of the flight indicating that the flight plan has been rejected.

[0060] In accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure, a method for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determining, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group of a plurality of ATC voices; and generating a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans.

[0061] In accordance with one or more examples, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots flying one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network for execution by the one or more programs on an electronic device, which when executed by the device causes the device to: receive one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flying within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determine, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generate, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assign each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generate a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0062] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0063] Optionally, cause the device to receive ATC digital voice communications from a designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generate copies of a plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications, and transmit copies of the plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0064] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0065] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0066] Optionally, designated relay aircraft transmit ATC digital voice communications to the system using a digital voice communications link.

[0067] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0068] Optionally, the device is caused to generate copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0069] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and the system.

[0070] Optionally, the device is caused to transmit received digital voice communications to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communications link.

[0071] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0072] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0073] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot.

[0074] Optionally, a digital communications link is created upon receiving a digital voice communication from the pilot.

[0075] Optionally, the device is configured to receive analog voice communications from an ATC voice station and convert the analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications.

[0076] Optionally, cause the device to generate copies of the plurality of ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in an ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station.

[0077] Optionally, cause the device to receive commands from one or more pilots to change the ATC radio frequency of an aircraft associated with the pilot, transmit the commands to the aircraft using the generated RF communications link, and assign the aircraft to an ATC voice group within the one or more ATC voice groups based on the commands received from the pilots to change the ATC radio frequency of the aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0078] Optionally, each ATC voice group of the plurality of ATC voice groups corresponds to an ATC voice station configured to transmit analog voice communications at a predetermined transmission frequency.

[0079] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link is configured to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0080] Optionally, the ATC voice communications link uses VHF frequencies to transmit analog voice messages from the aircraft to the ATC voice station.

[0081] Optionally, if one or more of the aircraft in the flight is determined to not have an available RF communications link or an available ATC voice communications link based on its flight plan, an indication is sent to the sender of the flight indicating that the flight plan has been rejected.

[0082] In accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more programs for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network device, which when executed by the device causes the device to: receive one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determine, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generate, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assign each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group of a plurality of ATC voices; and generate digital voice communications links with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans.

[0083] In one or more examples, a system for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots flying one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes a memory and one or more processors, the memory storing one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flying within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determine, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generate, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assign each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generate a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0084] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0085] Optionally, cause the one or more processors to receive ATC digital voice communications from designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generate copies of the plurality of received ATC digital voice communications, and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0086] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0087] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0088] Optionally, designated relay aircraft transmit ATC digital voice communications to the system using a digital voice communications link.

[0089] Optionally, the one or more processors are configured to detect a failure of a digital voice communications link from a designated relay aircraft, receive an ATC voice communication from a ground relay node if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, generate a copy of the plurality of received ATC voice communications, and transmit the copies of the plurality of received ATC voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0090] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node includes a ground-based receiver configured to receive the ATC voice communications from an ATC voice station associated with the terrestrial relay node, and a ground-based transmitter configured to transmit the received ATC voice communications to the one or more processors.

[0091] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station, convert the analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications, and transmit the converted digital voice communications to one or more processors.

[0092] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station and to transmit analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to one or more processors.

[0093] Optionally, the one or more processors are configured to convert analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications.

[0094] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is ground based and positioned such that the terrestrial relay node can communicate with the ATC voice station using a VHF communications link.

[0095] Optionally, the terrestrial relay nodes are communicatively connected to one or more processors using wired physical connections.

[0096] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0097] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to generate copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0098] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and the system.

[0099] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to transmit the received digital voice communication to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communication link.

[0100] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0101] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0102] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot.

[0103] Optionally, a digital communications link is created upon receiving a digital voice communication from the pilot.

[0104] Optionally, cause the one or more processors to detect a failure of a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot, and, if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, transmit ATC digital voice communications from the pilot of the one or more pilots to a ground relay node.

[0105] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node includes a ground-based receiver configured to receive the ATC digital voice communications from the one or more processors, and a ground-based transmitter configured to transmit the received ATC digital voice communications to an ATC voice station associated with the terrestrial relay node.

[0106] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive digital voice communications from the one or more processors, convert the digital voice communications from the one or more processors to analog voice communications, and transmit the converted digital voice communications to the ATC voice station.

[0107] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from one or more processors and to transmit analog voice communications from the one or more processors to the ATC voice station.

[0108] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is ground based and positioned such that the terrestrial relay node can communicate with the ATC voice station using a VHF communications link.

[0109] Optionally, the terrestrial relay nodes are communicatively connected to one or more processors using wired physical connections.

[0110] Optionally, cause the one or more processors to detect a failure of a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot, and, if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, transmit an ATC digital voice communication from the pilot of the one or more pilots to a UAS associated with another pilot of the one or more pilots in the same ATC voice group as the pilot.

[0111] In one or more examples, a method of facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network includes receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determining, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generating a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0112] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0113] Optionally, the method includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generating copies of a plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications, and transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0114] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0115] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0116] Optionally, a designated relay aircraft may transmit ATC digital voice communications to the pilot using a digital voice communications link.

[0117] Optionally, the method includes detecting a failure of a digital voice communications link from a designated relay aircraft, receiving an ATC voice communication from a ground relay node if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, generating copies of the plurality of received ATC voice communications, and transmitting copies of the plurality of received ATC voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0118] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node includes a ground-based receiver configured to receive the ATC voice communications from an ATC voice station associated with the terrestrial relay node, and a ground-based transmitter configured to transmit the received ATC voice communications to the one or more processors.

[0119] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station, convert the analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications, and transmit the converted digital voice communications to one or more processors.

[0120] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station and to transmit analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to one or more processors.

[0121] Optionally, the method includes converting analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications.

[0122] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is ground based and positioned such that the terrestrial relay node can communicate with the ATC voice station using a VHF communications link.

[0123] Optionally, the terrestrial relay nodes are communicatively connected to one or more processors using wired physical connections.

[0124] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0125] Optionally, the method includes generating copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmitting copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0126] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and a system configured to manage the ATC voice digital communications.

[0127] Optionally, the method includes transmitting the received digital voice communication to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communication link.

[0128] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0129] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0130] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot.

[0131] Optionally, a digital communications link is created upon receiving a digital voice communication from the pilot.

[0132] Optionally, the method includes detecting a failure of a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot, and transmitting ATC digital voice communications from the pilot of one or more pilots to a ground relay node if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected.

[0133] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node includes a ground-based receiver configured to receive the ATC digital voice communications from the one or more processors, and a ground-based transmitter configured to transmit the received ATC digital voice communications to an ATC voice station associated with the terrestrial relay node.

[0134] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive digital voice communications from the one or more processors, convert the digital voice communications from the one or more processors to analog voice communications, and transmit the converted digital voice communications to the ATC voice station.

[0135] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from one or more processors and to transmit analog voice communications from the one or more processors to the ATC voice station.

[0136] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is ground based and positioned such that the terrestrial relay node can communicate with the ATC voice station using a VHF communications link.

[0137] Optionally, the terrestrial relay nodes are communicatively connected to one or more processors using wired physical connections.

[0138] Optionally, the method includes detecting a failure of a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot, and, if the failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, transmitting an ATC digital voice communication from the pilot of the one or more pilots to a UAS associated with another pilot of the one or more pilots in the same ATC voice group as the pilot.

[0139] In one or more examples, a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more programs that facilitate voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots flying one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network, the one or more programs, when executed by an electronic device including a display and a user input interface, cause the device to: receive one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flying within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; determine, for each aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans, availability of an RF communications link and availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communications link; generate, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and a pilot of the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assign each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an ATC voice group of a plurality of air traffic control (ATC) voice groups; and generate a digital voice communications link with the aircraft of the one or more aircraft based on the aircraft's assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group and the received one or more flight plans.

[0140] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with the one or more aircraft of the ATC voice group includes selecting an aircraft to serve as a designated relay for the ATC voice group based on one or more received flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

[0141] Optionally, cause the device to receive ATC digital voice communications from a designated relay aircraft via a digital voice communications link, generate copies of a plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications, and transmit copies of the plurality of the received ATC digital voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0142] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station.

[0143] Optionally, analog voice transmissions are received by radios installed in designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to ATC digital voice communications using converters installed in the designated relay aircraft.

[0144] Optionally, the designated relay aircraft transmits ATC digital voice communications to the device using a digital voice communications link.

[0145] Optionally, the device is caused to detect a failure of a digital voice communications link from a designated relay aircraft, receive an ATC voice communication from a ground relay node if a failure of the digital voice communications link is detected, generate a copy of the plurality of received ATC voice communications, and transmit the copies of the plurality of received ATC voice communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0146] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node includes a ground-based receiver configured to receive the ATC voice communications from an ATC voice station associated with the terrestrial relay node, and a ground-based transmitter configured to transmit the received ATC voice communications to the one or more processors.

[0147] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station, convert the analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications, and transmit the converted digital voice communications to one or more processors.

[0148] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is configured to receive analog voice communications from the ATC voice station and to transmit analog voice communications from the ATC voice station to one or more processors.

[0149] Optionally, the device may also convert analog voice communications from an ATC voice station to ATC digital voice communications.

[0150] Optionally, the terrestrial relay node is ground based and positioned such that the terrestrial relay node can communicate with the ATC voice station using a VHF communications link.

[0151] Optionally, the terrestrial relay nodes are communicatively connected to one or more processors using wired physical connections.

[0152] Optionally, generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes receiving an ATC digital voice communication from a pilot of the one or more pilots and generating a digital voice communications link with an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0153] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to generate copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital voice communications and transmit copies of the plurality of received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

[0154] Optionally, multiple copies of the received ATC voice digital communication to each pilot associated with one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group are transmitted using an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each pilot and the system.

[0155] Optionally, the one or more processors are caused to transmit the received digital voice communication to an aircraft associated with the pilot using the generated digital voice communication link.

[0156] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communication is adapted to be received by an aircraft associated with the pilot.

[0157] Optionally, the transmitted digital voice communications are arranged to be converted by a converter on the aircraft to analog voice communications for transmission to the ATC voice station.

[0158] Optionally, the ATC digital voice communications received from the pilot are based on the analog voice communications transmitted by the pilot. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0159] The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:

[0160] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example airline network consistent with an example of this disclosure.

[0161] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system for RF spectrum management in an aviation communications network according to an example of this disclosure.

[0162] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example system for RF spectrum allocation and management in accordance with an example of this disclosure.

[0163] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an example system for facilitating communication between an operator of an unmanned aircraft system and ATC, in accordance with one or more examples of this disclosure.

[0164] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 illustrates an example process for assigning relay aircraft based on flight plans submitted to spectrum management in accordance with an example of this disclosure.

[0165] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary system for relaying ATC audio to an operator through an unmanned aircraft system according to an example of this disclosure.

[0166] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates an example UAS communication system according to an example of the disclosure.

[0167] [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A illustrates an example process for transmitting ATC voice communications to one or more pilots in an airline network according to an example of the disclosure.

[0168] [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B illustrates another example process for transmitting ATC voice communications to one or more pilots in an airline network according to an example of this disclosure.

[0169] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 illustrates an example system for relaying ATC audio to an operator through an unmanned aircraft system according to an example of this disclosure.

[0170] [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A illustrates an example process for transmitting ATC voice communications from a pilot of a UAS to an ATC voice station, in accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure.

[0171] [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B illustrates an example process for transmitting voice communications from a pilot of a UAS to an aircraft associated with the pilot, in accordance with one or more examples of this disclosure.

[0172] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for adjusting ATC voice group members according to an example of this disclosure.

[0173] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 illustrates another example system for facilitating communication between an operator of an unmanned aircraft system and ATC, in accordance with one or more examples of the present disclosure.

[0174] [Figure 13]FIG. 13 illustrates another example process for transmitting ATC voice communications to one or more pilots in an airline network in accordance with an example of this disclosure.

[0175] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 illustrates another example process for transmitting operator communications to an ATC voice station in accordance with an example of this disclosure.

[0176] [Figure 15] FIG. 15 illustrates another exemplary process for transmitting operator communications to an ATC voice station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0177] [Figure 16] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary computing system according to an example of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0178] Reference will now be made in detail to implementations and embodiments of the various aspects and variations of the systems and methods described herein. Although some exemplary variations of the systems and methods are described herein, other variations of the systems and methods can include combining aspects of the systems and methods described herein in any suitable manner, including combinations of all or a portion of the described aspects.

[0179] Described herein are systems and methods for transmitting and receiving air traffic control audio. In one or more examples of the present disclosure, upon receipt of a flight plan and completed spectrum resource reservations and allocations by the spectrum management system, the spectrum management system can relay communications between the UAS operator and the ATC via a designated relay aircraft. Additionally or alternatively, the spectrum management system can relay communications between the UAS operator and the ATC via a ground relay node.

[0180] In the description of various embodiments that follows, it should be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" as used in the following description are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should be further understood that the terms "include," "including," "comprise," and / or "comprising," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or units, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, units, and / or groups thereof.

[0181] Certain aspects of the present disclosure include the process steps and instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the process steps and instructions of the present disclosure may be embodied in software, firmware, or hardware, and when embodied in software, may reside on and be downloaded to be operated from a variety of platforms used by a variety of operating systems. Unless otherwise stated, as will be apparent from the following discussion, throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "displaying," "generating," and the like, will be understood to mean the operations and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, and to mean manipulating and transforming data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memory or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display device.

[0182] The present disclosure in some embodiments also relates to a device for performing the operations herein. The device may be specially constructed for the required purposes or may include a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, a floppy disk, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, an optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. Furthermore, the computing system referred to herein may include a single processor or may be an architecture employing multiple processor designs, such as to perform different functions or to increase computing power. Suitable processors include central processing units, graphical processing units, field programmable gate arrays, and ASICs.

[0183] The methods, devices, and systems described herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings described herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. Moreover, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be understood that a variety of programming languages ​​can be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure as described herein.

[0184] FIG. 1 illustrates an example aviation network according to an example of the present disclosure. The example of FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 that can be configured to provide communication between one or more ground base stations 104a-c and one or more aircraft 102 in flight or on the ground. Each of the ground base stations 104a-c includes one or more antennas configured to transmit communications from the ground to one or more aircraft 102 (in flight or on the ground). In one or more examples, each ground base station 104a-c can be configured to provide transmissions within a coverage area 108a-c. For example, the ground base station 104a can be configured to transmit a radio frequency (RF) spectrum radio signal over the geographic coverage area 108a. The ground base station 104b can be configured to transmit an RF spectrum radio signal over the geographic coverage area 108b, and the ground base station 104c can be configured to transmit an RF spectrum radio signal over the geographic coverage area 108c. In one or more examples, the geographic coverage areas 108a-c can be three-dimensional areas that not only cover a particular latitude and longitude range, but also provide coverage to an area from the ground up to a maximum serviceable altitude.

[0185] In one or more examples, each aircraft 102 may be handed over from one ground base station to the next during the flight of its flight. For example, at the beginning of a flight, while the aircraft 102 is within coverage area 108a, ground base station 104a may be responsible for providing a communication channel between a ground operator and the aircraft. During the flight, if the aircraft moves from coverage area 108a to coverage area 108b, responsibility for providing the communication channel may be transferred from ground base station 104a to ground station 104b. During the flight, if the aircraft 102 moves from coverage area 108b to coverage area 108c, responsibility for providing the communication channel may be transferred from ground base station 104b to ground station 104c. In this manner, communication network 100 may be configured to ensure that an aircraft has an established communication channel with at least one ground base station at any point along its flight plan, so long as the flight plan passes through at least one coverage area at any point during its flight.

[0186] In one or more examples, each base station 104a-c can be communicatively connected to a base station controller 106a-c, respectively. Thus, in one or more examples, the terrestrial base station 104a can be communicatively connected to the base station controller 106a, the terrestrial base station 104b can be communicatively connected to the base station controller 106b, and the terrestrial base station 104c can be communicatively connected to the base station controller 106c. As described in more detail below, each base station controller can be configured to implement an RF-based communication channel between a ground operator and the aircraft 102 when the aircraft is passing through a coverage area 108a-c corresponding to the base station with which the aircraft is configured to operate. In one or more examples, implementing an RF-based communication channel can include modulating signals transmitted by the operator to RF spectrum frequencies assigned to the aircraft 102, applying an appropriate modulation scheme to the transmitted signals, and applying any other physical layer communication protocols, such as error correction codes.

[0187] In one or more examples, a goal of the communications network 100 is to provide a continuous and reliable RF spectrum channel to any given aircraft 102 operating within the network throughout its flight duration. In one or more examples, providing a continuous and reliable RF spectrum to an aircraft may include providing the aircraft with a single RF spectrum channel (i.e., a slot) that can be reliably used to communicate with the ground throughout its flight duration. In one or more examples, each aircraft within a particular airspace may communicate with the ground using a dedicated RF spectrum channel (i.e., a frequency range within the RF spectrum that is unique to the aircraft and can only be used by that individual aircraft to transmit and receive communications with the ground). To facilitate efficient flight operations, in one or more examples, each ground base station 104a-c connected to a corresponding base station controller 106a-c may be configured to enable each aircraft within its coverage area 108a-c to communicate with the ground using communications transmitted on the RF spectrum channel assigned to that aircraft.

[0188] In one or more examples, each ground base station 104a-c may include one or more antennas mounted thereon and configured to transmit signals from one or more ground operators (i.e., pilots) to one or more airborne radios mounted on the aircraft 102. In one or more examples, and as described in further detail below, the one or more antennas may be implemented as an array of computer-controlled antennas that may be electronically "steered" to point in different directions depending on the location of the aircraft in the network 100. In one or more examples, the antennas may be implemented as phased array antennas, which allow signals to be directed in a particular direction without physically moving the antennas. Pointing the antennas in the direction of a target (the airborne radios that transmit and receive data to and from the antennas) may maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the communication link between the antennas and the airborne radios, ensuring a stable communication link between the ground and the airborne radios.

[0189]

[0023] Figure 2 illustrates an example system for RF spectrum management in an aviation communications network in accordance with examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples of the disclosure, the communications network 200 of Figure 2 may include the same components as the communications network 100 described above with respect to Figure 1 (i.e., aircraft 102, ground base stations 104a-c, base station controllers 106a-c), but may also include one or more spectrum management system components (described in more detail below) that may manage the process of allocating RF spectrum channels to aircraft 102 in the network 200.

[0190] In one or more examples of the disclosure, one or more pilots / operators 206 may be connected to the network 200 to transmit data (e.g., command and control data) to one or more aircraft 102. Each of the pilots 206 may be communicatively connected to the network 200 through a spectrum management system 202 that may be configured to assign an RF spectrum channel to each of the aircraft 202 being controlled by the pilot 206. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system 202 may be configured to facilitate a communication link between each pilot 206 and their corresponding aircraft 102 by establishing an RF communication link using a particular RF spectrum channel assigned to each aircraft.

[0191] In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the spectrum management system 202 can be configured to manage each active communication link (i.e., a link operating in conjunction with a ground-based base station) between the aircraft 102 and the pilot / operator 206. Thus, in one or more examples, if the spectrum management system 202 determines that a given communication link has been compromised or degraded, the spectrum management system 202 can take action to adjust the communication link to mitigate the problem. For example, in one or more examples, if a given RF spectrum channel used by the aircraft 102 is no longer performing satisfactorily or to required specifications, the spectrum channel management system 202 can change the RF spectrum channel (described in more detail below) to an alternate available channel in real time to ensure that each aircraft maintains a reliable RF communication link. In one or more examples, if a pilot deviates from an advertised flight plan (e.g., by flying longer than expected), the spectrum management system 202 can be configured to take action (e.g., by switching RF channels) to ensure that any interruptions to the communication channel are mitigated.

[0192] In one or more examples of the disclosure, in addition to actively managing communication channels, the spectrum management system 202 can be configured to assign and reserve one or more RF channels for a given flight to be used for the flight duration of that flight. As described in further detail below, the spectrum management system 202 can receive flight plans and can assign RF channels to each flight in a deterministic manner based on the filed flight plans as well as other factors (such as antenna availability) that take into account interference that may be encountered during the flight.

[0193] In one or more examples, the spectrum allocation process described above may be performed by the spectrum management system 202 and / or may be processed by one or more separate components collectively referred to herein as a “digital twin.” Due to the large volume of information and the potential for spectrum and / or traffic channel requests by tens of thousands of end users in a given airspace, a digital twin of the spectrum management system may be used to perform the necessary analysis without impacting operational systems. In one or more examples, as shown in the example of FIG. 2, the digital twin 204 may be implemented separately from the spectrum management system 202 to reduce the processing load on the spectrum management system 202, thus freeing it to perform real-time operations related to managing active communication channels for aircraft passing through the airspace managed by the spectrum management system 202. Alternatively, the digital twin 204 may be implemented as part of the spectrum management system such that both real-time management of air-to-ground communication links and flight planning are performed by the same component.

[0194] In one or more examples, the digital twin 204 can be configured to receive one or more requests from the pilot 206 for spectrum to use during a given flight plan. The digital twin, using the flight plan provided by the pilot and other factors (discussed below), can determine which RF spectrum channels to assign to the aircraft at the start of the flight. Once the request is confirmed by the digital twin 204, it can execute and assign communication channels on the operational spectrum management system 202.

[0195] As described above, spectrum management system 202 and digital twin 204 can coordinate the RF spectrum needs of multiple aircraft in a given communications network, thereby ensuring that each individual aircraft has access to a reliable, uninterrupted communications channel with the ground for the entire duration of its flight. In one or more examples, spectrum management system 202 and digital twin 204 can operate in tandem to assign and reserve RF spectrum channels to each aircraft and, as described below, can monitor each communications link during the flight to ensure that the communications link is operating against its requirements.

[0196] Selecting an RF channel to assign to a particular aircraft requires analyzing multiple variables to ensure that the selected channel will accommodate the needs of the aircraft throughout the duration of the flight. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system 202 and digital twin can analyze several variables, such as available spectrum resources, wireless link throughput and performance requirements, location, duration, and radio frequency environment, to allocate non-conflicting resources between the pilot and the aircraft. In one or more examples, the variables that influence channel selection can be added by several internal and external components to the spectrum management system 202 that work together to match the aircraft to one or more RF channels for use during flight, as described below.

[0197] In one or more examples, each pilot (i.e., operator) in the communications network can interface with the communications network before and during their flight via spectrum management system 202 and digital twin 204. Before the flight, and as described below, the pilot can interface with the spectrum management system and digital twin to receive an RF spectrum channel assignment to use during the flight based on their filed flight plan and other variables. During the flight, spectrum management system 202 can provide the assigned RF spectrum channel to both the aircraft and the pilot to establish a continuous communications link, and the spectrum management system can monitor the link during the flight to ensure it is performing within specifications.

[0198] In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the network 200 can include one or more base stations that may or may not be connected, such as with a point-to-point communication link, to the spectrum management system 202. In one or more examples, the service provider that provides and maintains access to the spectrum management system 202 may not provide coverage to all desired geographic locations. In one or more examples, in areas where a pilot wishes to operate a flight but does not fall within the coverage area of ​​existing base stations, the service provider may provide the pilot with a temporary or portable base station 208. In one or more examples, the temporary / portable base station may not have a connection to the spectrum management system 202 and therefore cannot receive / send information to the spectrum management system for purposes of providing RF channels to the aircraft. In one or more examples, these non-connected base stations have operational plans submitted to the spectrum management system and digital twin, and are coordinated and geo-fenced for interference and coverage.

[0199] In one or more examples, the temporary / portable base station 208 can be used to set up point-to-point and multi-point links between the temporary / portable base station 208 and one or more aircraft radios for flight operations. In one or more examples of the disclosure, the operator of the temporary / portable base station 208 can inform the service provider of the "concept of operation" of the base station 208, which describes the number of aircraft, the number of flights, and the spectrum to use to communicate with the aircraft. While the spectrum monitoring system 202 cannot transmit real-time information to the temporary / portable base station 208, the spectrum management system 202 can use the temporary / portable base station concept of operation to update the geofences (described in more detail below) of the base stations 106a-c connected to the network and can operate to ensure that flights within that network 200 do not interfere with the flight operations of the temporary / portable base station 208. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system 202 can inform operators of flights through the network 200 of physical restrictions on their operation caused by the temporary / portable base stations 208 and can factor the operation of the temporary / portable base stations 208 when making RF spectrum slot allocations. In this manner, the spectrum management system 202 does not regulate the operation of the temporary / portable base stations 208, but can operate to protect its own network (i.e., base stations connected to the spectrum management system) from the operation of the point-to-point operation of the temporary / portable base stations.

[0200] 3 illustrates an example system for RF spectrum allocation and management in accordance with examples of the disclosure. In one or more examples, the system 300 may represent a single link of the communications networks illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and includes components that manage a link between a pilot 302 and an aircraft 336. One or more examples of initiating, planning, creating, and operating a link between a pilot 302 and an aircraft 336 may begin with the pilot 302 submitting information about their proposed flight to the digital twin 304. In one or more examples, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, the information sent by the pilot 302 to the digital twin 304 may include a flight plan, aircraft / radio configuration, and throughput requirements.

[0201] In one or more examples, the flight plan (which may also be referred to as an operational plan) submitted by the pilot 302 may include details of the flight mission, such as the intended timing, altitude, position, and speed of the aircraft during the proposed flight. In one or more examples, the pilot 302 may submit the flight plan to both regulatory agencies (such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)) for approval, and may further send the flight plan to a spectrum management system, via the digital twin 304, for purposes of obtaining one or more RF spectrum channels for use during the proposed flight. In addition to the flight plan, the pilot 302 may send additional information to the digital twin 304 that the digital twin may use to select and assign RF spectrum channels to users. For example, in one or more examples, the pilot 304 may send an aircraft or radio configuration to inform the digital twin 304 of the type of radio the pilot will be communicating with during the flight. Knowledge of the radio configuration may enable the digital twin 304 to understand the spectrum needs of the aircraft, as well as enable the digital twin to determine and predict other necessary information regarding the communication channels, such as the modulation scheme and forward error correction code that will be active during the flight.

[0202] In one or more examples of the disclosure, the pilot 302 can also send a throughput request to the digital twin 304. In one or more examples, the throughput requirement can represent the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and received over the communication link. In one or more examples, the throughput can be specified by the pilot 302 or derived based on the aircraft / radio configuration submitted by the pilot. For example, in one or more examples, a particular aircraft (e.g., a UAV) may require a particular data throughput of a channel in order for the autopilot function to operate properly. Thus, knowing the type of aircraft, the system can derive the throughput requirement for that aircraft. As described in more detail below, the throughput requirement can be used to determine the total amount of bandwidth of the RF spectrum channel, and thus can inform the selection of a channel having an effective bandwidth to accommodate the throughput requirement of the flight.

[0203] As described above, digital twin 304 can use the flight plan and other information to select one or more RF spectrum channels to be used by pilot 302 during the flight and other information transmitted to it by pilot 302. In one or more examples, digital twin 304 can access traffic channel pool 314 to determine the availability of RF spectrum channels to service a given flight. In one or more examples, traffic channel pool 314 can represent all RF spectrum channels that may be used to service a given flight. However, because there may be multiple aircraft in the network at any given time and because certain channels may need to be reserved for emergency purposes (described in more detail below), not all channels in traffic channel pool 314 will be available to a particular aircraft during the times and locations required by the flight based on its flight plan.

[0204] In one or more examples, the digital twin 304 can select one or more channels from a traffic channel pool 314, which can include available sub-channels 316, reserved channels 318, and restricted traffic channels 320, as described above.

[0205] To assign RF channels to the aircraft, the digital twin 304, in one or more examples, can first determine whether RF coverage will be available to the aircraft for the entire duration of the flight. To do so, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system digital twin 304 can "geofence" the coverage area of ​​each of the ground base stations in the network, as shown at 306. In one or more examples, the "geofence" 306 can refer to a zone within the coverage area where there is sufficient RF availability for the flight traffic. In one or more examples, when the pilot 302 submits a flight plan, the system can query the geofence 306 to ensure that RF is available throughout the entire route of the plan and at all altitudes represented in the flight plan. In one or more examples of the disclosure, the geofence can be shared with the pilot / operator of the flight and programmed into the aircraft's autopilot for use during the flight.

[0206] In one or more examples, the geofences may be created using a dynamic link budget 308 maintained by the digital twin 304. In one or more examples, each geofence 306 may have its own dynamic link budget 308. The dynamic link budget 308 may determine what the RF availability of a given geofence is at a particular moment in time and may even predict future RF availability for a given geofence based on various parameters. In one or more examples, the dynamic link budget 308 may include parameters such as antenna gain, RF loss, receiver sensitivity, power, frequency, spectrum bandwidth, traffic channel size / amount (i.e., subchannels, resource blocks), quality of service (QOS) requirements, modulation, spectrum monitoring system results (described in more detail below), and the location of any known co-channel interferers. The dynamic link budget 308 may also include an RF safety margin to ensure a reliable communication signal within the geofence 306. In one or more examples, an operational spectrum management system 322 (described in more detail below) may maintain a real-time version of the link budget that changes based on changing conditions in the RF environment. In one or more examples, the digital twin 304 can maintain a model of the link budget, where the dynamic link budget 308 can be used to predict RF conditions at future times based on the time associated with a given flight path. In one or more examples, the dynamic link budget for each geofence can be validated using measurements of RF spectrum activity at each base station in the area, ensuring that the dynamic link budget contains up-to-date information and accurately reflects the RF environment that the dynamic link budget represents. In one or more examples, each geofence can be configured to predict coverage based on components of the flight plan submitted to the spectrum management system, the spectrum monitoring system used at each base state, the capabilities of the beam / null forming antennas at each base station, as well as the known locations of other aviation radios.In one or more examples, the actual performance of the radio links created by the base stations can be monitored, and the information sent to the spectrum management system for validation and modification of the geofence can be monitored.

[0207] In one or more examples, and as part of the process of allocating RF spectrum channels to aircraft, the digital twin 304 can cross-reference the dynamic link budget with a calibrated RF coverage prediction tool 310. In one or more examples, the RF coverage prediction tool 310 uses an appropriate RF prediction model, morphology, topology, antenna pattern characteristics, and antenna altitude to create dynamic geofence coverage areas based on remote radio configurations and user requirements. In one or more examples, the RF coverage prediction tool 310 can be used to generate a dynamic link budget for each geofence coverage area that a flight will transmit through based on its submitted flight plan.

[0208] In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the digital twin 304 may also be configured to determine whether the beam / null steering antenna can simultaneously provide the necessary lobes and nulls to the intended target in a manner that does not collide with one another. As described above, based on the flight plans submitted to the digital twin, the digital twin may know in advance the possibility of channel interference between aircraft. For example, at a particular base station, an airborne radio passing through the base station's airspace may experience channel interference due to communications being transmitted by an aircraft passing through an adjacent coverage area, which is simultaneously communicating with the respective base station. In one or more examples and as described above, the beam / null steering antenna may project a lobe (i.e., a beam) on a desired signal (i.e., an airborne radio in its coverage area) and direct a null signal to other aircraft in the adjacent coverage area to minimize interference from that aircraft. However, as described above, the antenna may be required to adjust its elements (i.e., transmit and receive elements) to ensure that the received and transmitted signals do not interfere with one another, for example, by crossing beams to create contention within the antenna. Because a single beam / null steering antenna can operate many communication channels at once, the beam / null steering antenna must operate those communication links in a non-contentious manner (i.e., the beams and nulls do not interfere with each other).

[0209] In one or more examples, as part of the process of ensuring that a received flight plan has RF availability for the duration of the flight, digital twin 304 can simulate and determine whether the requested lobes and nulls and their orientations will cause a conflict at the antennas as described above. If an antenna conflict is detected, digital twin 304 can alert the operator that the flight plan needs to be adjusted due to the conflict.

[0210] While the above-described process may ensure continuous operational communication with the UAS that the pilot is flying (being able to send commands to the UAS and receive flight information from the drone), the pilot may also be required to remain in contact with ATC during flight to coordinate the movements of the UAS with other manned and unmanned aircraft to avoid collisions and to ensure that the UAS does not disrupt other aircraft or airspace operations. Thus, to ensure that aircraft and pilots in the above-described aviation network can communicate with ATC during flight, the above-described aviation network may be required to be compatible with existing infrastructure provided for manned flights to communicate with ATC during flight.

[0211] In one or more examples, manned flights communicate with air traffic controllers (located on the ground) using very high frequency (VHF) communications. In particular, the 108-137 MHz frequency band is reserved for civil aviation to allow air traffic controllers to communicate with aircraft in flight. VHF communications, while providing clear communications to aircraft flying at low to high altitudes, require line of sight between the sender and receiver. Due to the transmission range of VHF communications and the need for line of sight with aircraft, ATC communications are managed in geographic zones, with aircraft in flight communicating with the air traffic controller closest to their location and then being handed over to another ATC controller when the aircraft approaches or comes within range of that controller. In one or more examples, one air traffic controller may communicate with multiple aircraft flying in their assigned geographic area using predetermined frequencies that each aircraft / pilot in the airspace is instructed to tune to when flying in the geographic area managed by the air traffic controller.

[0212] The existing infrastructure that ATC uses to communicate with manned aircraft can pose unique challenges for UAS and their pilots. For example, unlike manned aircraft, whose pilots are physically located with the aircraft they are flying, pilots of UAS may not be physically located in the same geographic area as the aircraft. Thus, ATC controllers in the geographic area through which the UAS traverses may not be able to directly contact the pilot using the VHF channel assigned to the aircraft. Furthermore, in order to coordinate airspace, all pilots in a geographic zone must be able to hear all communications between ATC and the pilots in the zone, and their communications with ATC must be heard by all other pilots in the zone.

[0213] In one or more examples, a UAS pilot's communications with ATC may be separate from the pilot's operational communications with the aircraft. As described above, a spectrum management system may be employed to provide the pilot with a dedicated operational communications link with the aircraft he or she is flying. The operational communications link is not shared with other pilots and is a dedicated link that allows the pilot to provide commands to and receive operational information from the aircraft he or she is flying. Thus, in one or more examples, a UAS pilot may be required to use two separate communications channels during flight; one to maintain operational communications with the aircraft he or she is flying and another to maintain communications with air traffic controllers responsible for the area the aircraft is passing through.

[0214] In one or more examples, returning to FIG. 1, a given base station 104 may be responsible for managing operational communications links for multiple aircraft 102 simultaneously. Thus, the base station must use a spectrum management system, as described above, to ensure that any of the individual operational links it maintains at any one time are not subject to spectral interference. If each aircraft passing through the airspace of the base station 104 must also send and receive ATC voice communications, the risk of the ATC communications interfering with the operational communications links may be significantly increased. Thus, as described in more detail below, the digital aviation network may employ an ATC voice processor configured to manage ATC voice communications between pilots and air traffic controllers, which enables pilots to receive transmissions from air traffic controllers in the geographic zone to which the aircraft is assigned in a manner that also minimizes the risk of spectral interference with the operational communications links managed by the spectrum management system. In one or more examples, as described in further detail below, an ATC voice process (with input from the spectrum management system described above with respect to Figures 2-3) may be used to manage an ATC voice communications system that uses the flight plan provided to the spectrum management system to coordinate ATC voice communications so as to ensure connectivity for the pilot with air traffic controllers monitoring the aircraft while minimizing the possibility of the ATC voice communications causing spectral interference with operational communications links that are also managed by the spectrum management system.

[0215] FIG. 4 illustrates an example system for facilitating communication between an operator of an unmanned aircraft system and ATC, according to one or more examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the system 400 may be configured to facilitate voice communication between UAS pilots 412A-412D and one or more ATC voice stations 408. As described above, since the ATC voice station 408 utilizes VHF communications that require line of sight to transmit messages, in one or more examples, the system 400 may utilize one or more UASs 402A-D to relay voice communication between the ATC voice station 408 and one or more pilots 412A-D. In the example of FIG. 4, each UAS 402A-D may correspond to a plot 402A-D, respectively. In other words, the pilot 412A may pilot the UAS 402A.

[0216] In one or more examples, each pilot 412A-D may be communicatively connected to an ATC voice processor 414. In one or more examples, an ATC voice processor (AVP) may function as a server in the aviation network (such as those described above with respect to FIG. 2) that performs various functions related to facilitating ATC voice communications between pilots and the ATC voice station 408. For example, in one or more examples, the AVP 414 may identify all UAS and pilots connected to the aviation network that require ATC voice services, manage queues of voice traffic (i.e., ensuring that communications are processed in the order they are received and do not interfere with other communications), copy and distribute messages to all necessary parties (i.e., multicast), act as a multi-way switch for voice traffic, and manage voice traffic to appropriately assigned UAS along aviation network radio links (described in further detail below) defined by the base station resource manager and spectrum management system 410. In one or more examples, the AVP 414 may be communicatively coupled to the pilots 412A-D, the base stations 406, and the spectrum management system 410 (described above with respect to FIG. 2) and may coordinate the passing of messages between each of these components to process and direct voice traffic between the ATC voice stations 408 and the pilots 412A-D.

[0217] In one or more examples, as described above, the AVP 414 can be communicatively connected to a spectrum management system 410 similar to the spectrum management systems described above with respect to Figures 2-3. In one or more examples, and as described in further detail below, the spectrum management system 410 can be configured to receive one or more flight plans submitted by one or more users. Using the submitted flight plans, the spectrum management system 410 can geofence the aviation network (as described above), as well as the ATC voice network (i.e., which ATC voice stations 408 are involved by a particular flight plan) to determine the availability of spectrum resources during the period of flight indicated by the flight plan. Thus, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system 410 can predict, based on the submitted flight plans, which ATC voice stations 408 will be used by the flight based on knowledge of the locations and frequencies of the ATC voice stations. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system 410 can make various decisions such as geofencing the coverage areas of the ATC voice stations (as shown in FIG. 4 at 404) and determining which aircraft has the strongest communication link with a particular ATC voice station at any given moment. As will be described in more detail below, the spectrum management system 410 can provide this information to the AVP 414, which can use this information to manage voice traffic between pilots 412A-D and one or more ATC voice stations 408.

[0218] In one or more examples, and as described above, the AVP 414 may also be communicatively coupled to one or more base stations 406 of the aviation network. In one or more examples, the AVP 414 may pass one or more messages to aircraft 402A-402D flying within the network that provide instructions regarding actions to be taken in connection with relaying voice communications between pilots 412A-D and one or more ATC voice stations 408. As described in further detail below, each base station of the one or more base stations 406 may operate and maintain one or more voice traffic resources that may be used to carry voice communications between the one or more aircraft 402A-402D in the network and the base station 406. For example, in one or more examples, the voice traffic resources may include a dedicated RF channel, or a time slot within a particular RF channel (which may be time multiplexed with an operational communications link), or a sub-channel of an RF channel. In one or more examples, the wireless voice channels maintained by the network base stations may be in addition to the dedicated operational communications channels that are assigned to each UAS 402A-D by the spectrum management system described above with respect to the figures. The wireless voice channels maintained by the network base stations, in addition to the dedicated operational communications channels assigned to each UAS 402A-D by the spectrum management system described above with respect to Figures 1 through 3, are used by the pilot to control the UAS he is flying and to receive information regarding the operational status of the UAS in flight.

[0219] The system described above with respect to FIG. 4 may be used to facilitate communication between pilots and ATC voice stations, including communication from the ATC voice station to one or more pilots and communication from one or more pilots to the ATC voice station. The spectrum requirements resulting from the operation of multiple dedicated radio links between pilots and the UASs they are piloting may be a challenge in facilitating ATC voice communications. As described above, in a conventional manned aircraft, the pilot is within the aircraft they are piloting and may communicate with ATC using a radio within the aircraft they are piloting to communicate with an ATC voice station within line of sight of the aircraft. However, in the case of an unmanned aircraft (i.e., UAS), the pilot is not necessarily in the same location as the UAS he is piloting. For example, a UAS flight from Seattle to Los Angeles may be piloted by a pilot located in Miami. Thus, even if the ATC voice station assigned to the UAS has line of sight to the UAS, the ATC voice station may not have line of sight to the pilot of the UAS, and thus the UAS pilot may not be able to communicate directly with the ATC voice station, but may instead use the UAS (which has line of sight to the ATC voice station) as an intermediary to pass voice messages between the pilot and the ATC voice station, in one or more examples. Thus, in another example, when an ATC voice station transmits a voice message on a frequency assigned to the voice station, each UAS assigned to the voice station (and therefore tuned to the frequency assigned to the voice station) can receive the message and relay the message back to the pilot using a dedicated wireless communication link provided by the spectrum management system, facilitating operational communications between the pilot and the UAS.

[0220] However, such a system, in which each UAS acts as a relay between the pilot and its assigned ATC voice station, also presents challenges. For example, if each UAS relays voice communications using an operational communications link assigned by a spectrum management system, the channel may not have enough bandwidth to handle both the voice traffic and the operational control data on a single channel, thus disrupting the pilot's operational control of the UAS. Alternatively, in one or more examples, each UAS on the network may be provided with its own individual voice channel (i.e., on a dedicated frequency), but such a system may also result in spectrum congestion, as the large number of channels required to maintain such a system may cause interference with the dedicated operational communications links of the UASs in the network.

[0221] Thus, in one or more examples, rather than using each UAS in the network as a relay to pass voice messages between the ATC voice station and the pilot, as described in further detail below, a single UAS in the aviation network may be used as a relay to transmit messages between the ATC voice station and the pilot on the ground. In one or more examples, and as described in further detail below, all UAS on the aviation network and associated with a particular ATC voice station at any given moment may be determined to form an ATC voice group. In one or more examples, as described in further detail below, the spectrum management system may use flight plans submitted by each pilot of the UAS to determine which aircraft in the ATC voice group should be designated as a relay aircraft. Once a relay is selected, in one or more examples, the relay may be used to relay voice messages from the ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group.

[0222] Returning to the example of FIG. 4, in one or more examples, the ATC voice station 408 may have a coverage area 404 defined by a geographical area in which in-line VHF communication with the ATC voice station may be maintained. In one or more examples, the coverage area 404 may be defined by a regulatory body. For example, in the United States, the FAA maintains the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The ARTCC is a number of ATC voice stations geographically scattered throughout the United States, each voice station serving a bounded geographic area where any flight within that area is assigned to communicate with a voice station associated with its current location within the United States. Thus, in one or more examples, the coverage area 404 of FIG. 4 may represent the geographical area covered by a particular ATC voice station 408. In the example of FIG. 4, the ATC voice station 408 may be a terminal ATC voice station (i.e., a voice station located at an airport, such as in the airport's tower).

[0223] In one or more examples, the ATC voice station 408 may have one or more UAS 402A-D flying in its coverage area 404. In one or more examples, each of the UAS flying within the coverage area 404 may be assigned by an ATC controller, which in one or more examples instructs the pilot to switch the frequency of its ATC communications to a frequency corresponding to the ATC voice station assigned to that flight based on its current location. In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor 414 may track which flights within the network are assigned to a particular voice station. In one or more examples, in addition to being assigned to an ATC voice station, such as the ATC voice station 408, aircraft within the coverage area 404 may also be assigned to a base station, such as the base station 406. In one or more examples, the base station 406 may be configured substantially similar to the base stations of the aviation networks described above with respect to Figures 1-3. In one or more examples, multiple UAS associated with the ATC voice station coverage area 404 may be assigned to one or more base stations, with each UAS assigned to only a single base station. In other words, the coverage area 404 and the base station coverage area may not be the same, such that some UAS within the ATC voice station coverage area 404 may be assigned to a first base station while other aircraft that are also part of the coverage area 404 may be assigned to a different base station. In one or more examples, all UAS assigned to a particular coverage area may be identified and classified by the ATC voice processor 414 as belonging to an ATC voice group. Thus, in one or more examples, the digital aviation network ATC voice processor 410 may maintain and update multiple ATC voice groups, each voice group including all UAS associated with an ATC voice station and assigned to communicate with the ATC voice stations associated with the ATC voice group.

[0224] In one or more examples, and as briefly described above, the ATC voice processor 414 (using information provided by the spectrum management system 410) can designate a single UAS in a particular ATC voice group to act as a "relay aircraft" on behalf of all aircraft in the voice group. Alternatively, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system 410 itself can designate a relay aircraft based on real-time knowledge of the spectrum conditions and locations of the aircraft in the particular ATC group. Thus, in the example system 400 of FIG. 4, in one or more examples, the UAS 402D can be designated by the ATC voice process 414 to act as a voice traffic relay for the ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system 410 can select the UAS to act as a voice traffic relay for a particular ATC voice group, either directly, using a flight plan submitted to the system by a user (discussed above), or by providing information to the ATC voice process 414, which can ultimately determine which aircraft to designate as a relay aircraft. In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor may select a voice traffic relay UAS of a particular group based on determining which UAS among the members of a particular ATC voice group has the best level of signal quality available to ensure a high quality radio link between the ATC voice station and the UAS. In this manner, the voice traffic relay UAS may act as the only link between the ATC voice station and all of the UAS in the ATC voice group, thereby minimizing the chance of communication errors by selecting the UAS with the most reliable communication channel to the ATC voice station to act as a voice traffic relay.

[0225] 5 illustrates an example process for designating relay aircraft based on a flight plan submitted to spectrum management in accordance with examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 can begin at step 502, where a flight plan is received by a spectrum management system (such as spectrum management system 410 of FIG. 4). In one or more examples, the flight plan can include information regarding the intended flight, including flight mission details such as the intended timing, altitude, position, speed, etc. of the aircraft during the proposed flight.

[0226] Once the flight plan is received at step 502, process 500 may move to step 504 where a spectrum management system may be used to map the received flight plan against the spectrum coverage of both the aviation network and the ATC network. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system may be configured substantially similarly as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-3, and thus may be configured to geofence one or more areas related to the received flight plan and determine RF channels (or other traffic communication resources) to assign to an aircraft for the flight based on the availability of RF channels and other resources available for assignment and the communication quality of the given traffic resources during the flight. In one or more examples, in addition to geofencing the aviation network, the spectrum management system may also be configured to geofence the air traffic control network (i.e., one or more ATC voice stations involved in the flight plan) to determine an optimal voice path for a given aircraft during the flight. In one or more examples, determining the best voice path may include determining which ATC voice station a given flight will be associated with at any moment during the flight and ensuring that the flight has the ability to establish the necessary VHF link with the ATC voice station associated with it during the flight based on the availability of traffic resources. Thus, in one or more examples, based on the received flight plan, the spectrum management system can predict which UAS aircraft will belong to a particular ATC voice group and can predict communication quality with the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, if the geofences of both aviation network signal availability and ATC signal availability determine that there will not be sufficient signal on either wireless network during the flight, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system can reject the flight plan and notify the requestor that sufficient signal availability will not be available during the proposed flight.

[0227] In one or more examples, once the flight plan information is mapped, process 500 may move to step 506 and use the information to create an ATC voice group or alternatively add one or more flights (associated with the received flight plan) to an existing ATC voice group. In one or more examples, the spectrum management system may provide information about the flight to an ATC voice processor, which may create, maintain, and update ATC voice groups for a digital aviation network. In one or more examples, the flight plan information may be used to predict the members of an ATC voice group at any given time, but a given UAS may not be able to actually join an ATC voice group until it is instructed to tune its VHF frequency to an ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group. Thus, in one or more examples, step 506 may be performed using the flight plan itself and / or additionally based on which VHF radio frequency the radio of the given UAS is tuned to. In one or more examples, if a pilot commands the UAS he is flying to change the VHF frequency it is tuned to, in one or more examples the spectrum management system may register the command and use it to automatically place the UAS in a new ATC voice group based on the frequency entered by the pilot.

[0228] In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor can work with the spectrum management system to ensure that pilots on the digital aviation network tune to the correct ATC voice VHF frequency based on their location. For example, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system can define all VHF frequencies associated with an area or sector covered by ground-based distribution on the aviation network and relay to the ATC voice processor the VHF frequency scheduled for flight at any point in time. In one or more examples, if the ATC voice processor determines that the pilot's tuned VHF frequency does not match the frequency scheduled by the spectrum management system, in one or more examples, the ATC voice processor can alert the pilot of the discrepancy. In one or more examples, the ground base station scheduler (i.e., the aviation network core) can update the spectrum resources allocated to each aircraft based on information provided by the spectrum management system during flight, thereby ensuring that an adequate amount of radio resources is always available for ATC voice traffic. Thus, as part of creating or joining an aircraft to a particular ATC voice group, in step 506 the ATC voice processor may use the spectrum management system as a check to determine that the ATC voice group assigned to the aircraft (based on the frequency to which the aircraft's VHF radio is tuned) matches the expected voice group based on the UAS's submitted flight plan.

[0229] In one or more examples, once process 500 creates or updates an ATC voice group in step 506, process 500 may move to step 508, where an ATC voice processor (or spectrum management system) may designate relay aircraft for the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, step 508 may include using geofence information associated with each flight plan from the spectrum management system to determine which UAS in the ATC voice group has the highest quality communication link with the ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, spectrum management may not only use the generated geofence information when determining RF availability for the flight, but may also use real-time spectrum conditions to designate relays or provide that information to the ATC voice processor to designate relays. In this manner, the UAS relays designated in step 508 may represent UASs with the lowest probability of link failure when communicating with the ATC voice station. Because the designated relays may be the only link to the ground for the UASs in the voice group, minimizing the probability of link failure is critical to ensuring the safety of the entire aviation network.

[0230] In one or more examples, a designated voice traffic repeater in an ATC voice group (designated using the process described above with respect to FIG. 5 ) may be responsible for receiving analog VHF voice communications from an ATC voice station, converting the analog voice signal to a digital voice signal, and then transmitting the digital signal to an aviation network, where the voice channel may be multicast to all of the pilots operating UAS in the ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station that originated the voice communication.

[0231] In one or more examples, at step 508, the repeaters may be dynamically assigned (i.e., the repeater aircraft may be changed based on spectrum conditions visible, for example, by the spectrum management system). In one or more examples, the ATC voice processor (in conjunction with information provided by the spectrum management system) may assign repeaters based on the timing of the transmission request. In one or more examples, if the repeater assignment is dynamic, all UAS in the ATC voice group may have the ability to receive voice transmissions from ATC to the pilot through their respective onboard VHF radios. In one or more examples, when ATC initiates a VHF voice transmission to the pilot, the VHF radios of all UAS assigned to the VHF frequency (i.e., the ATC voice group) may receive that information. In one or more examples, each UAS radio may convert the received ATC VHF signal from analog to digital via a vocoder and then request radio resources from the ground base station. In one or more examples, the ground base station only has radio resources assigned to it by the spectrum management system, and therefore only processes the first initiation request from all UAS assigned to that VHF frequency. In one or more examples, all other requests during an active transmission from the ATC along the VHF frequency are denied by the system so that only one ATC-to-pilot transmission occurs. In one or more examples, if the aviation network is configured to allow more radio links from the UAS to ground-based radios, duplicate transmissions received by the aviation network core (ATC processor) can ignore the duplicate messages and manage message delivery. In one or more examples, the selection of messages the ATC voice processor forwards can be based on time, quality of the radio link, or priority access assigned to airborne radios and pilots.

[0232] In one or more examples, the digital aviation network may process and relay all ATC voice traffic via ground-based repeaters (as opposed to UAS repeaters) to relay communications between ATC and individual pilots in both directions. In one or more examples, ground-based repeaters may be used by aircraft on the ground to communicate with ATC. Thus, in one or more examples (in conjunction with information provided by the spectrum management system), rather than designating a repeater aircraft in step 508, the ATC voice processor may instead designate a ground-based repeater to act as a repeater for one or more ATC voice groups.

[0233] FIG. 6 illustrates an example system for relaying ATC voice to an operator through an unmanned aircraft system, according to an example of the present disclosure. The example system 600 of FIG. 6 is substantially similar to the example system 400 of FIG. 4, but is further annotated to illustrate certain features associated with using a single relay UAS to facilitate communication between one or more pilots in an aviation network. The example system 600 illustrates an ATC voice group including aircraft 602A-C and a designated relay UAS 612 in communication with an ATC voice station 608. In one or more examples, each of the UAS 602A-C as well as the designated relay UAS 612 can also be communicatively connected to a base station 606 of the aviation network. In one or more examples, the ATC voice station 608 can transmit an analog voice signal (at its designated carrier frequency in the VHF range) throughout its coverage area. In one or more signals, the aircraft assigned to the ATC voice station 608 can include both unmanned and manned aircraft. For manned aircraft tuned to ATC voice station 608, the pilot (sitting in the aircraft) can directly listen to the voice communications transmitted from ATC voice station 608 using a radio located on the aircraft.

[0234] However, in the case of unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., UAS), as discussed above, the pilot may not be located in the same geographic region as the UAS he is piloting and therefore may not be within voice communication range and therefore may not be able to directly hear the analog voice communications transmitted by the ATC voice station 608. Thus, in one or more examples, the designated repeater UAS 612 may include a VHF radio configured to both receive and transmit VHF signals. In one or more examples, other UASs (i.e., UASs 602A-C) in the ATC voice group may also include VHF radios (which may be utilized in certain contexts, as described below) configured to both receive and transmit VHF signals. Thus, in one or more examples, regardless of their status (i.e., designated repeater), each and every UAS in the aviation network that requires ATC voice services may be configured to receive VHF voice traffic from the ATC voice station and may also transmit VHF voice traffic to the ATC voice station.

[0235] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary UAS communication system in accordance with examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the communication system 700 may be onboard a UAS and configured to enable the UAS to communicate with ATC, its pilot, and the aviation network in which it operates. In one or more examples, the communication system 700 may include an ATC VHF radio 706 (discussed above). In one or more examples, the ATC VHF radio 706 may be configured to enable the UAS to send and receive VHF wireless communications using a VHF voice channel 712. In one or more examples, the ATC VHF radio may be configured to receive digital voice traffic and convert the digital voice traffic to an analog voice signal. In one or more examples, the ATC VHF radio 706 may then transmit the analog voice signal using a VHF voice channel 712 that is tuned to the frequency of the ATC voice station with which the UAS is communicating. Although radio 706 is described as a “VHF” radio, this disclosure should not be considered limiting and radio 706 may operate in any frequency range necessary for communication with air traffic controllers or other entities using voice communications.

[0236] In one or more examples, the communication system 700 may include an aviation network radio 702 configured to facilitate communications between the UAS and a ground base station of the aviation network described above. In one or more examples, the aviation network radio 702 may be configured to transmit and receive operational information and commands from its pilot and the aviation network using its assigned operational channel 708 assigned by a spectrum management system (described above). In one or more examples, and as described in more detail below, the aviation network radio 710 may also be configured to communicate with the ground base station using a digital voice channel 710. In one or more examples, the digital voice channel 710 may carry digital voice signals to and from the UAS via the aviation network radio 702. Thus, in one or more examples, the aviation network radio 702 may be configured to transmit and receive digital voice signals to and from the ground base station.

[0237] In one or more examples, the communication system 700 may also include an ATC voice UAS client (AVUC) 704. In one or more examples, the AVUC 704 may be within the aviation network radio 702 or a separate device from the aviation network radio 702 and may be configured to act as an interface between the aviation network radio 702 and the ATC VHF radio 706. In one or more examples, the AVUC 704 may be configured to receive control information from the aviation network radio 702 and may use it to direct and control the ATC VHF radio 706. As one example of control information, the AVUC may receive information control information regarding what frequency the ATC VHF radio should be set to (so that it can communicate with an assigned ATC voice station) and may also receive control information indicating whether the UAS is a designated repeater for its ATC voice group or otherwise needs to repeat voice traffic between the ATC and the ground.

[0238] In one or more examples, the AVUC 704 can receive digital voice signals via digital voice channel 710, convert the digital voice signals to analog voice signals, and instruct the ATC VHF radio 706 to transmit the analog voice signals using the VHF voice channel 712. Further, in one or more examples, the AVUC 704 can receive analog voice signals from the ATC VHF radio received on the VHF voice channel 712, convert the analog signals to digital voice signals, and transmit the digital voice signals to a ground station using the digital voice channel 710 via the aviation network radio 702.

[0239] Returning to the example system 600 of FIG. 6, in one or more examples, when an ATC voice station 608 broadcasts a voice message to all of the aircraft assigned to it, in one or more examples, each and every UAS in the ATC voice group corresponding to the ATC voice station 408 may receive the voice message using its ATC VHF radio (described above with respect to FIG. 7). However, in one or more examples, only the designated repeater 612 may convert the received analog voice signal to a digital voice signal and transmit the digital voice signal to the base station 606. In one or more examples, the ground base station 606 may be configured to transmit the received digital voice signal to an ATC voice processor, which may transmit the digital voice signal (in a process described in more detail below) to each pilot 618A-C, as well as the pilot 614 of the designated repeater 612, so that these pilots may hear the voice transmission originating from the ATC voice station 608.

[0240] FIG. 8A illustrates an example process for transmitting an ATC voice communication to one or more pilots in an aviation network according to an example of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 800 of FIG. 8 can begin with step 812 in which an ATC voice station broadcasts an analog voice signal (modulated to be carried by a VHF signal at a predetermined frequency). In one or more examples, and as described above, the analog voice signal transmitted by the ATC voice station may be targeted to a particular aircraft, but in one or more examples, each aircraft assigned to a particular ATC voice station may need to hear each voice message transmitted from and to the ATC voice station. Thus, in one or more examples, once the ATC voice transmission is broadcast in step 802, a transition may occur to process 804 in which a repeater may receive the analog communication and convert the analog signal to a digital voice signal. In one or more examples, as described above, a particular ATC voice group may include only a single designated repeater operable to repeat voice communications from ATC to pilots on the ground. Thus, in one or more examples, each and every UAS in a particular ATC voice group may be configured to receive VHF voice communications from an ATC voice station, but a designated repeater may be the only UAS that undergoes the process of converting analog ATC voice traffic to a digital voice signal.

[0241] In one or more examples, at step 804, the analog voice signal may be converted to a digital voice signal to reduce the overall bandwidth of the voice traffic and transmit using a narrowband RF channel through the ground base station to the pilot. In one or more examples, once the designated repeater UAS receives the analog communication from the ATC voice station and converts the analog voice signal to a digital voice signal, process 800 may move to step 806, where the UAS may transmit the digital voice signal to the ground base station with which it is communicating, particularly by using its aviation network radio. In one or more examples, referring to FIG. 6, the base station 606 may direct an RF beam with its beamforming antenna to the designated repeater UAS 612. The RF beam may be used to create a dedicated digital voice channel between the designated repeater UAS 612 and the UAS to transmit digital voice to and receive digital voice from the ground base station 606.

[0242] 8A, once the UAS transmits the digital voice audio to the ground base station, in one or more examples, process 800 may move to step 808, where the ground base station transmits the received digital voice audio (received via a dedicated digital voice channel) to an ATC voice processor of the aviation network. In one or more examples, as described above, the ground base station may transmit the digital video to the ATC voice processor using an IP core of the aviation network that connects the ground base station to other components of the aviation network.

[0243] In one or more examples, once the ATC voice processor receives the digital voice transmitted from the base station in step 808, process 800 can move to step 810, where the ATC voice processor can multicast the received communication to individual pilots in the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, the multicast can include making a copy of the received digital voice message and sending copies of the digital voice message to individual pilots who are part of the ATC voice group. In this manner, each pilot can receive the ATC voice communication, but only a single UAS (i.e., a designated repeater) in the ATC voice group relays the voice communication from the ATC voice station to the pilots in the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, each pilot ground station (i.e., the computing system and hardware used to conduct the flight) can include a vocoder configured to convert digital voice to analog voice and analog voice to digital voice. Thus, in one or more examples, once a pilot receives the multicast voice communication in step 810, a vocoder at the pilot's ground station can be used to convert the digital voice signal to an analog voice signal, so that the pilot can hear the ATC voice message transmitted from the assigned ATC voice station.

[0244] In one or more examples, rather than using a designated repeater to transmit voice communications from the ATC voice station to the base station, where they can be transmitted to the pilot via an ATC voice processor, in one or more examples, the ATC voice communications can be received directly by a VHF radio located at the base station. Thus, the VHF radio at the ground base station can function as a repeater for one or more ATC voice groups. FIG. 8B illustrates another exemplary process for transmitting ATC voice communications to one or more pilots in an aviation network in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 812 of FIG. 8B can begin with step 814 in which the ATC voice station transmits an analog voice communication, similar to that described above with respect to step 802 of FIG. 8A.

[0245] In one or more examples, once the ATC voice station transmits an analog voice communication in step 814, process 812 moves to step 816 where the transmitted signal can be received by a VHF radio at the ground base station. As discussed above, to allow the ground base station to directly receive the ATC voice communication transmitted from the ATC voice station, in one or more examples, the ground base station can be within line of sight of the ATC voice station VHF transmitter, thereby directly receiving the VHF voice transmission from the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, the base station receiving the analog voice communication can convert the signal to a digital voice communication.

[0246] In one or more examples, once the base station receives the analog voice signal and converts it to a digital voice signal in step 816, process 812 may move to step 818 where the digital voice communication is sent to an ATC voice processor. In one or more examples, the base station may send the digital voice signal to the ATC voice processor using an IP core of the aviation network. After receiving the digital voice communication at the ATC voice processor in step 818, process 812 may move to step 820 where the ATC voice processor may multicast the received digital communication to pilots belonging to an ATC voice group corresponding to the ATC voice station that originated the voice communication.

[0247] In one or more examples, a digital aviation network may utilize both of the processes described in Figures 8A and 8B to convey ATC voice communications to pilots on the ground. In such a hybrid approach, the choice of using designated repeaters or repeaters located at the base station may depend on whether the aviation network has acceptable coverage at the ground base station to receive the VHF signal from a particular ATC voice station. Thus, in one or more examples, some of the VHF communications from the ATC may be received at the ground base station, while other communications may be received using designated repeaters as described above. In one or more examples, locating repeaters at the ground base station may allow for the use of higher rate vocoders (as the size of repeaters at the ground base station may not be as constrained as that of repeaters at the UAS), resulting in lower latency and higher voice quality.

[0248] Returning to the example of FIG. 8A, the process 800 may enable a single designated repeater UAS to process communications from an ATC voice station and transmit to other pilots in the ATC voice group. Because the spectrum management system may use the flight plans of the UASs in the ATC voice group to determine which UASs have the highest quality communication links to the ATC voice station, the designated repeater may provide reliable service to other UASs in the ATC group to the extent that it ensures that other UASs also receive the voice transmissions originating from the ATC voice station. However, for pilot-originated voice traffic, the designated repeater model described above may not be the preferred approach for transmitting voice communications to the ATC voice station. If a pilot is transmitting a voice message to ATC, not only is it important that the ATC voice station receives that transmission, but it may also be important that manned or unmanned aircraft that are within radio service (i.e., closest) of the UAS piloted by the initiating pilot receive the voice communication. This is because the information relayed by the pilot is more likely to affect them than aircraft in the ATC voice group that are farther from the pilot's UAS. If the designated repeater is not the same UAS that corresponds to the pilot who initiated the voice transmission, the ATC voice station may be able to receive the transmission, but the pilot closest to the originating pilot's UAS may not be able to receive the transmission. Thus, in one or more instances, when a pilot initiates a voice communication, ensuring that a corresponding UAS is used to relay the voice transmission helps ensure that adjacent aircraft receive the voice transmission.

[0249] 9 illustrates an example system for relaying operator communications through an unmanned aircraft system to ATC in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. The example system 900 of FIG. 9 is substantially similar to the example system 400 of FIG. 4, but is further annotated to illustrate certain features related to transmitting a pilot's voice communications to the pilot's assigned ATC voice station as well as other aircraft in its ATC voice group. In one or more examples, the system 900 can include multiple UASs 902A-C and a designated repeater UAS 912 that can collectively belong to an ATC voice group associated with a coverage area 904 corresponding to an ATC voice station 908.

[0250] In one or more examples, pilot 918A (piloting UAS 902A), as well as other aircraft within coverage area 904, can initiate a voice communication that is transmitted to ATC voice station 908. In one or more examples, a vocoder (controller) at pilot 918A's ground station can convert the pilot's analog voice signal and convert it to a digital voice communication. In one or more examples, pilot 918A's digital voice signal can then be transmitted to ATC voice processor 916. In one or more examples, upon receiving the digital voice signal, an IP core in the aviation network can be used to multicast the voice signal to other pilots in the ATC voice group (i.e., pilots 918B-C and pilot 914).

[0251] In addition to multicasting the digital voice communication to all pilots in the ATC voice group that are also part of the aviation network, in one or more examples, the ATC voice processor 916 can also send the digital voice transmission to the base station 906 serving the UAS 902A corresponding to the pilot 918A. As described in more detail below, the terrestrial base station 906 can direct the digital voice channel (using a beam-null-steering antenna) to provide a dedicated digital voice channel for passing the digital voice transmission between the base station and the UAS 902A. In one or more examples, once the digital voice channel is established, the terrestrial base station 906 can transmit the digital voice communication to the UAS 902A. In one or more examples, a wireless communication system on board the UAS 902A, which may be substantially similar to the example of FIG. 7, can receive the digital voice transmission, convert the digital signal to an analog signal, and transmit the analog voice signal on VHF frequencies to the ATC voice station as well as other aircraft within the VHF radio coverage area of ​​the UAS 902A.

[0252] FIG. 10A illustrates an example process for transmitting an ATC voice communication from a pilot of a UAS to an ATC voice station, according to one or more examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 1000 of FIG. 10A can begin at step 1002, where the pilot transmits a voice communication to an ATC voice processor of an aviation network. In one or more examples, the pilot can initiate the voice communication using push-to-talk (PTT). Push-to-talk is a method of talking over a half-duplex communication line. In one or more examples, in step 1002, the pilot's analog voice communication can be converted to a digital voice communication using a vocoder as described above with respect to FIG. 8 and then transmitted to the ATC voice processor.

[0253] In one or more examples, once the digital voice communication is sent to the ATC voice processor, process 1000 can move to step 1004, where the ATC voice processor multicasts the digital voice signal to other UAS pilots in the ATC voice group that are connected to the ATC voice processor via the aviation network IP core. In this manner, each pilot in the UAS aviation network that belongs to the same ATC voice group as the originating pilot can also receive the voice communication. In one or more examples, after or in parallel with step 1004, the ATC voice processor can also transmit the digital voice communication to a base station serving the pilot's UAS on the aviation network. In one or more examples, and upon receiving the digital voice communication from the ATC voice processor in step 1006, the ground base station can transmit a signal over a dedicated operational communication channel of the UAS corresponding to the pilot that sent the voice communication, instructing the UAS to tune its aviation network radio to a specific dedicated voice channel (or other traffic resource allocated for ATC voice communications) so that the UAS can receive the digital voice communication. In one or more examples, the digital voice channel can be the same voice channel (i.e., the same frequency) or the same traffic resource used by a designated repeater to transmit ATC voice traffic from the ATC voice station to a ground base station. Thus, in one or more examples, a resource scheduler at the base station can cause a beam / null steering antenna at the base station to direct a digital voice channel beam from a designated repeater to a UAS corresponding to a pilot of the voice communication so that the UAS can receive the digital voice transmission from the ground.

[0254] In one or more examples, once the ground base station configures the base station to create a digital voice channel for the UAS corresponding to the pilot who originated the communication, and once the ground base station transmits an operational command signal to the UAS instructing the UAS to tune its digital voice radio to the frequency of the channel established by the ground base station, in one or more examples, the process 1000 can move to step 1008, where the base station transmits to the pilot UAS. In one or more examples, once the UAS receives the digital voice communication in step 1008, the process 1000 can move to step 1010, where the UAS converts the digital communication received to an analog voice signal. In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the UAS can utilize an AVUC to perform the conversion. Finally, once the digital communication is converted to an analog voice signal, in one or more examples, the UAS can transmit the analog voice signal to the ATC voice station (and other aircraft within the coverage area of ​​the UAS) using its VHF radio in step 1012. By using the specific UAS associated with the pilot originating the voice communication to relay the voice traffic to an ATC voice station, the aircraft in closest proximity to the UAS is more likely to receive the voice communication.

[0255] In one or more examples, as described above, the assignment of aircraft to ATC voice groups can be a dynamic process. In other words, any UAS may switch ATC voice groups multiple times during flight. Thus, from the perspective of a particular ATC group, the members of the group may be constantly changing. In one or more examples, a designated repeater may also move out of an ATC voice group during flight. Thus, in one or more examples, an ATC voice processor may track ATC voice groups in an aviation network and manage the radio channels and voice paths of the ATC voice groups such that each ATC voice group maintains a voice channel link with the ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group.

[0256] FIG. 10B illustrates an example process for transmitting a voice communication from a pilot of a UAS to an aircraft associated with the pilot, according to one or more examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, process 1014 can be utilized in situations where a ground pilot desires to provide a voice command or communication to the aircraft he or she is piloting (e.g., to speak to passengers in flight) without having that voice transmission transmitted to an ATC voice station and / or other pilots flying in the aviation network or in the same ATC voice group. In one or more examples, process 1014 can begin with step 1016, where the pilot transmits a voice communication to an ATC voice processor. In one or more examples, in step 1016, to distinguish between voice communications intended only for the aircraft and those intended for air traffic controllers, the pilot can operate a switch (mechanically or via a graphical user interface) that enables the system to recognize that the voice communication is intended for the aircraft and not the controller. In one or more examples, if, in step 1016, the pilot provides an indication that the voice transmission is intended for the aircraft, the subsequent voice transmission when digitized may include a packet header or other information bits that indicate that the transmission is intended for the aircraft and not ATC. Similarly, if the voice transmission is intended for ATC, the voice transmission may be encoded with a packet header that indicates that the voice transmission is intended for ATC.

[0257] In one or more examples, once the pilot transmits the voice communication to the ATC voice processor in step 1016, process 1014 may transition to step 1018, where the ATC voice process transmits the voice communication to a base station of an aviation network associated with the aircraft the pilot is piloting. In one or more examples, step 1018 may operate substantially similarly to step 1006 of process 1000 described above with respect to FIG. 10A. Thus, in one or more examples, and upon receiving the digital voice communication from the ATC voice processor in step 1018, in one or more examples, the ground base station may transmit a signal over a dedicated operational communication channel of the UAS corresponding to the pilot who transmitted the voice communication, instructing the UAS to tune its aviation network radio to a specific dedicated voice channel (or other traffic resource assigned for ATC voice communications) so that the UAS can receive the digital voice communication. In one or more examples, the digital voice channel may be the same voice channel (i.e., the same frequency) or the same traffic resource used by a repeater designated to transmit ATC voice traffic from the ATC voice station to the ground base station. Thus, in one or more examples, the base station resource scheduler can cause the base station's beam / null steering antenna to direct a digital voice channel beam from a designated repeater to a UAS corresponding to the voice communication pilot, allowing the UAS to receive the digital voice transmission from the ground.

[0258] In one or more examples, once the ATC voice processor transmits the voice communication to the base station of the pilot's UAS in step 1018, process 1014 may transition to step 1020, where the ground base station may relay the received transmission to the UAS associated with the pilot for transmission. In one or more examples, step 1020 of process 1014 may operate substantially similarly to step 1008 of process 1000 described above with respect to FIG. 10A. In one or more examples, once the aircraft receives the transmission transmitted from the ground base station in step 1020, process 1014 may transition to step 1022, where a processor in the aircraft's radio may determine whether the received voice transmission should be transmitted to ATC (via a VHF radio) or whether the voice communication should be transmitted internally within the aircraft. In one or more examples, in step 1022, the processor in the aircraft may make a determination based on the packet or headers appended to the voice transmission as described above with respect to step 1016. Finally, in step 1024, if the processor determines that the transmission is an internal communication (i.e., not intended for ATC), in one or more examples, the UAS may allow the transmission to be broadcast within the aircraft without forwarding the transmission to the ATC voice station on its VHF radio.

[0259] Returning to the example of FIG. 10A, as a particular aircraft flies its intended flight plan, it may need to change voice groups, for example, to communicate with a different ATC voice station. FIG. 11 illustrates an example process for adjusting ATC voice group members according to an example of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 1100 of FIG. 11 can begin at step 1102, where an ATC voice processor detects a change in the ATC voice group state of a UAS operating on an aviation network. As an example, the ATC voice station can instruct the pilot to tune to a different ATC voice station based on the current position and trajectory of the UAS flight. Similar to a manned aircraft, a controller at the ATC voice station can issue a voice communication instructing the pilot to tune the ATC VHF radio to a new frequency. That message can be conveyed to a pilot on the ground, for example, using the process described above with respect to FIG. 8. In one or more examples, once the pilot receives the instruction to change frequencies, he or she can issue a command to the UAS to change its ATC VHF radio. In one or more examples, in step 1102, the ATC voice processor can detect a command to change radio frequencies and therefore detect that the ATC voice group to which the UAS belongs must be modified (to remove the UAS), and in one or more examples detect that the ATC voice group to which the UAS transitions must also be modified (to add the UAS). Additionally, the ATC voice processor (in conjunction with the spectrum management system) can also be configured to detect that a flight is no longer operating (e.g., has landed), triggering the ATC voice processor to detect a change in the ATC voice group.

[0260] In one or more examples, if a change to one or more ATC voice groups is detected in step 1102, process 1100 may transition to step 1104, where the repeater status of the ATC group from which the UAS was removed may be reevaluated to determine whether another UAS in the ATC voice group should be designated as a repeater. Thus, in one or more examples, using flight plan information for each UAS in the ATC voice group, the ATC voice processor may determine the UAS in the voice group that has the strongest communication link with the ATC voice station (based on information provided by the spectrum management system) and designate the UAS with the strongest communication link as the designated repeater UAS for the voice group. In many cases, step 1104 may not result in a change in the designated repeater for the ATC voice group, especially if the UAS leaving the voice group was not a designated repeater UAS.

[0261] In one or more examples, and if the UAS that has left the voice group has transitioned to a new ATC voice station, in one or more examples, process 1100 can transition to step 1106, where the ATC voice processor can associate the UAS with the ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station to which the UAS is currently tuned. In one or more examples, the assignment of the UAS to the new voice group occurs only after it is determined that the ATC VHF radio of the UAS has changed frequency to the ATC voice station associated with that voice group.

[0262] In one or more examples, once the UAS is associated with the new ATC voice group, process 1100 may transition to step 1108 where a designated repeater for the ATC voice group is determined using the process described above with respect to step 1104. In one or more examples, the designated repeater may remain unchanged as a new UAS is added to the voice group, however, in one or more examples, if the new UAS to the voice group is determined to have the strongest link with the ATC voice station associated with the voice group, the new UAS to the group may become the new designated repeater for the group.

[0263] The above-described systems and methods can ensure that a pilot connected to a UAS aviation network via a base station has continuous access to an ATC voice station while connected to the base station of the UAS aviation network. However, in one or more examples, a system failure or pilot error (i.e., the pilot controls the aircraft to deviate from the planned route) can cause the UAS to lose connectivity to the base station of the UAS aviation network, or at least lose ATC voice transmission capability. This can lead to a situation where the pilot is unable to communicate with ATC because the pilot cannot receive ATC voice communications, the voice communications to ATC are not properly conveyed, or both. Loss of the ability to communicate with ATC during flight can lead to an unsafe situation for unmanned flight, as well as for manned flight in a given airspace, because ATC is unable to provide instructions to the pilot or the pilot is unable to provide ATC with information necessary to keep the airspace safe.

[0264] Thus, in one or more examples, to build a robust system that can safely withstand ATC voice communication failures between UASs and base stations in an aviation network, a ground relay node can be provided as a fail-safe to ensure that pilots can communicate with their assigned ATC voice station even if the link between the UAS and the ground base station is lost. FIG. 12 illustrates an example system for facilitating communication between an unmanned aircraft system operator and ATC, including a ground relay node according to one or more examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the system can be substantially similar to system 400 of FIG. 4. Thus, in one or more examples, the system can include a spectrum management system 1210, a base station 1206, an ATC voice processor 1212, and an ATC voice station 1204 that can operate in a manner substantially similar to their counterparts described above with respect to FIG. 4 to facilitate ATC voice communication between one or more pilots of ATC voice groups 1210A-D (each operating a respective UAS 1202A-D) and the ATC voice station 1204.

[0265] In one or more examples, and as described in further detail below, the system 1200 may also include a terrestrial relay node 1208 that may relay communications between the ATC voice station 1204 and one or more pilots of the ATC voice groups 1210A-D. In one or more examples, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may be located in proximity to the ATC voice station 1204 such that it has line of sight with the ATC voice station 1204, thus facilitating communications between the ATC voice station and the terrestrial relay node. Additionally or alternatively, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may be located at the ATC voice station itself, and may transmit data to and receive data from the ATC voice station (including voice communications) via a wired / physical connection (such as Ethernet). In one or more examples, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may be communicatively connected to the ATC voice processor 1212. In one or more examples, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may utilize an Ethernet / IP connection with the ATC voice processor 1212, or may use any other transport medium capable of transmitting analog voice transmissions from the ATC voice station 1204 through the terrestrial relay node 1208 to the ATC voice processor 1212. In one or more examples, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may receive analog voice transmissions from the ATC voice station 1208 and convert the received analog transmissions to digital voice transmissions using a vocoder that is part of the relay node 1208. Additionally or alternatively, the terrestrial relay node 1208 may be configured to relay analog voice communications to the ATC voice processor 1212, which may convert the received analog transmissions to digital voice data using a vocoder that is part of the ATC voice processor 1212. As will be described in more detail below, the ground relay node 1208 can be used for both pilot-to-ATC voice station communications and ATC voice station-to-pilot communications in a "lost link" situation, providing continuity of communications and thereby serving as an important fail-safe for ATC voice communications.

[0266] As discussed above, in one or more examples, ATC voice transmissions sent from an ATC voice station can be sent to UASs in an ATC voice group associated with the ATC voice station to act as relays. The designated relay UAS can transmit the received ATC voice traffic to a base station, which then transmits the transmission to an ATC voice processor, which distributes the transmission to all pilots in the ATC voice group (which is part of the network). However, the above communication scheme can be vulnerable if the relay UAS loses the ability to relay the received ATC voice communications to a base station in the aviation network. This is especially true when an ATC voice group contains only one aircraft, and if the UAS loses the ability to transmit ATC voice communications to the ground, the pilot may lose the ability to receive ATC voice communications from the assigned ATC voice station. This can lead to a dangerous situation where the pilot is no longer able to receive commands or any kind of communication from ATC. Thus, in one or more examples, the above-described ground relay node 1208 can be used during a "lost link" scenario to ensure that transmissions from an ATC voice station ultimately reach a pilot who might not otherwise be able to receive the voice transmission because the UAS has lost ATC voice communication capability with the ground.

[0267] FIG. 13 illustrates another example process for transmitting ATC voice communications to one or more pilots in an aviation network in accordance with examples of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, process 1300 of FIG. 13 can illustrate an example method for transmitting ATC voice station communications from an ATC voice station to a UAS pilot connected to a digital aviation network using a terrestrial relay node, such as terrestrial relay node 1208 of system 1200. In one or more examples, process 1300 of FIG. 13 is presented as being utilized in a "lost link" scenario in which the communication link between the UAS and the terrestrial base station is impaired, resulting in the terrestrial relay node being called upon to support the communications, although this example should not be considered limiting. Thus, in one or more examples, process 1300 can also address any scenario in which it may be desirable to use a terrestrial relay node.

[0268] In one or more examples, the process 1300 of FIG. 13 may begin at step 1302, where the system may detect (e.g., via a base station controller located at the base station communicating with the UAS) a loss of a communication link between one or more UAS in an ATC voice group and a base station. For example, in one or more examples, if the ATC voice group includes only one UAS, in step 1302, the spectrum management system 1210 may detect when the UAS loses the ATC voice communication link to the network via the terrestrial base station 1206. In one or more examples, detecting the “lost link” may include the spectrum management system 1210 receiving an alert from the terrestrial base station 1206 (via a terrestrial base station controller located at the terrestrial base station). Additionally or alternatively, the spectrum management system 1210 may monitor signals received from the terrestrial base station 1206 to determine a lost link condition associated with one or more aircraft managed by the spectrum management system 1210. Alternatively and / or additionally, step 1302 may also include detecting a loss of a communication link between a designated repeater UAS (described above with respect to FIG. 6) of an ATC voice group that includes multiple UASs. Thus, in one or more examples, the spectrum management system 1210 or a base station controller may detect that a link between an ATC voice station and a pilot of an ATC voice group has been lost due to a communication link loss between the UAS and the ground.

[0269] In one or more examples, once the system detects a lost link in step 1302, the process 1300 can move to step 1304 where a ground link node, such as ground link node 1208, can receive a transmission from an ATC voice station. In one or more examples, and as described above, the ground relay node can be configured to receive analog VHF voice communications from the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, once the ATC voice is received by the ground relay node in step 1304, the process 1300 can move to step 1306 where the ground relay node can transmit the voice data to an ATC voice processor of the digital aviation network. As described above, the ground relay node 1208 can be located in relation to the ATC voice station with which it is associated, or alternatively, can be located at the ATC voice station, so as to have the necessary line of sight to receive VHF communications from the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, the ground relay node can be located to receive VHF voice traffic from multiple ATC voice stations.

[0270] In one or more examples, once the ATC voice signal or transmission is received at a terrestrial relay node in step 1304, process 1300 may transition to step 1306 where the received signal is relayed or transmitted to an ATC voice processor of the digital aviation network. As described in detail above, the terrestrial relay node may be connected to the ATC voice processor using wired and / or wireless communication links using any transport medium suitable for transmitting the data received in step 1304 in its original form or in some converted form usable by the ATC voice processor. In one or more examples, and as described above, the terrestrial relay node may include a vocoder capable of converting analog voice transmissions received from the ATC voice station into digital voice signals. In one or more examples, once the voice data is transmitted to the ATC voice processor in step 1306, process 1300 may transition to step 1308 where the ATC voice processor may route the voice data to a UAS pilot in the ATC voice group associated with the traffic (i.e., from the ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group).

[0271] Thus, the process 1300 described above can enable each pilot on the digital aviation network to continue receiving ATC voice traffic even if a lost link impairs the ability to transmit ATC voice communications from the UAS to the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, the terrestrial relay node 1208 can also be utilized to provide communication continuity for transmission of ATC voice traffic from the UAS pilot. FIG. 14 illustrates an example process for transmitting operator communications to an ATC voice station in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 1400 of FIG. 14 can begin at step 1402, where the system (e.g., via a terrestrial base station and / or spectrum management system) can detect a loss of a communication link between one or more UAS in an ATC voice group and a base station. For example, in one or more examples, if the ATC voice group includes only one UAS, in step 1402, the base station 1210 can detect when the UAS loses an ATC voice communication link to the network via the terrestrial base station 1206. As discussed above with respect to Figures 9 and 10, when a pilot in an ATC voice group sends a voice transmission to an ATC voice station associated with that ATC voice group, the transmission is routed to the ATC voice processor. As discussed above with respect to Figures 9 and 10, when a pilot in an ATC voice group sends a voice transmission to an ATC voice station associated with that ATC voice group, the transmission is routed to the ATC voice processor, which then sends the transmission to a ground base station, which then sends it over an RF link to a UAS associated with the pilot. As discussed above, the UAS converts the signal to a VHF voice signal and sends it to the ATC voice station. However, the systems and processes described above may require an RF link between the ground base station and the UAS to ensure that the ATC voice station can receive the pilot's transmission. In one or more examples, if there is a lost link scenario in which the link between the ground and the UAS is compromised (or the link between the UAS and the ATC voice station is compromised), an unsafe situation may occur in which the pilot may lose the ability to talk to the ATC voice station.Thus, in one or more examples, process 1400 may be used if a lost link scenario is detected in step 1402.

[0272] In one or more examples, once a lost link scenario is detected in step 1402, process 1400 may move to step 1404, where a pilot voice transmission is received. Step 1404 may be substantially similar to step 1002 of FIG. 10A, which describes how the pilot's voice communication is transmitted to an ATC voice processor. In one or more examples, once the ATC voice processor receives the transmission in step 1404, process 1400 may move to step 1406, where the transmission may be multicast to other pilots in the ATC voice group (as described above with respect to step 1004 of FIG. 10A) and also transmitted to a terrestrial relay node, such as terrestrial relay node 1208. In one or more examples, and as described above with respect to FIG. 12, the ATC voice processor may have a physical or wireless communication link with the terrestrial relay node configured to transmit pilot voice data to the terrestrial relay node.

[0273] In one or more examples, when the terrestrial relay node 1208 receives the pilot's communication from the ATC voice processor, the terrestrial relay node can convert the received signal to a VHF voice communication (if necessary) and transmit the pilot's communication to the ATC voice station. In this way, the pilot's communication can be received by the ATC voice station even if the communication link between the ATC voice station and the pilot via the pilot's UAS fails. In one or more examples, to avoid duplicate voice delivery, pilots and UASs on a particular VHF frequency are blocked by the ATC processor from delivering messages to the ATC voice station when voice traffic is captured at the terrestrial relay node. This blocking of communication can prevent the ATC voice station from receiving redundant messages and can prevent messages from each pilot from interfering with each other.

[0274] As discussed in detail above, when a UAS pilot originates a voice transmission to an ATC voice group, it is desirable to have the UAS controlled by that pilot transmit voice traffic over a VHF communications link with the UAS associated with the pilot so that nearby aircraft (i.e., other aircraft in the voice group that may be in close proximity to the UAS) can also receive the transmission. However, the process 1400 described above by using a ground relay node may mean that aircraft in close proximity to the UAS associated with the pilot may not receive the transmission due to line-of-sight issues with the ground relay node. In one or more examples, this risk can be mitigated by locating the ground relay node in close proximity to the ATC voice station such that if the aircraft has line-of-sight to the ATC voice station, it also has line-of-sight to the ground relay node. However, or in further examples, and in addition and / or alternatively to the process described above with respect to FIG. 14, instead of using a ground relay node to transmit communications from the pilot to the ATC voice station, the spectrum management system 1210 can instead designate another UAS (not associated with the pilot transmitting the transmission) to relay the voice transmission from the pilot to the ATC voice station.

[0275] FIG. 15 illustrates another example process for transmitting operator communications to an ATC voice station according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In one or more examples, the process 1500 of FIG. 15 can begin at step 1502 where the system (e.g., via the spectrum management system or the base station) can detect a loss of a communication link between one or more UAS in an ATC voice group and the base station. For example, in one or more examples, if the ATC voice group includes only one UAS, in step 1502, the spectrum management system 1210 can detect when the UAS loses an ATC voice communication link to the network via the terrestrial base station 1206. As described above with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10, when a pilot of an ATC voice group sends a voice transmission to an ATC voice station associated with that ATC voice group, the transmission is routed to an ATC voice processor. As described above with respect to FIGS. 9 and 10, when a pilot of an ATC voice group sends a voice transmission to an ATC voice station associated with that ATC voice group, the transmission is routed to an ATC voice processor, which then transmits the transmission to the terrestrial base station, which then transmits the transmission over an RF link to the UAS associated with the pilot. As mentioned above, the UAS converts the signal to a VHF voice signal and transmits it to the ATC voice station, but the systems and processes described above may require an RF link between the ground base station and the UAS to ensure that the ATC voice station can receive the pilot's transmissions.

[0276] In one or more examples, when a loss of the UAS link between the ground and the UAS or the UAS and the ATC voice station is detected in step 1502, process 1500 may transition to step 1504 where an ATC voice processor, such as ATC voice processor 1212, receives a voice transmission from a pilot associated with the UAS with which communication was determined to have been lost in step 1502. In one or more examples, then in step 1504, the ATC voice processor may multicast the received voice transmission to any other UAS pilots on the network that are assigned to the same ATC voice group, as described above with respect to 1004 in FIG. 10A. However, because the ATC voice processor knows that the communication link between the ground and the UAS or the UAS and the ATC voice station has been compromised, in one or more examples in step 1506, the ATC voice processor, as defined by the spectrum management system, may determine an alternate UAS in the ATC voice group to use as a relay to relay transmissions from the UAS pilot whose communication link has been compromised. Thus, in one or more examples, if a UAS pilot loses the ability to transmit ATC voice transmissions using that UAS, the system can route those transmissions using an alternative UAS (not associated with the pilot) to relay those transmissions to the ATC voice station. In one or more examples, the alternative relay node can be selected based on its location relative to the pilot's UAS that lost communication. In one or more examples, selecting the alternative relay UAS can include using geofence information associated with each flight plan from the spectrum management system to determine which UAS in the ATC voice group has the highest quality communication link with the ATC voice station associated with the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, spectrum management can use the geofence information created when determining RF availability for the flight, as well as real-time spectrum conditions to designate a relay or provide that information to the ATC voice processor to designate a relay. In this manner, the UAS relay designated in step 1506 can represent the UAS with the lowest probability of link failure when communicating with the ATC voice station.

[0277] In one or more examples, once a relay is designated in step 1506, process 1500 may proceed to step 1508 where the pilot's voice transmission is transmitted to the alternate UAS repeater, which transmits the voice data to the ATC voice station using the systems and methods described above with respect to Figures 9-10. In one or more examples, the exemplary processes 1400 and 1500 may be employed by a spectrum management system in the event of a lost link. For example, in one or more examples, a determination may be made as to whether the pilot's voice transmission is better transmitted using a terrestrial relay node or via an alternate UAS in the ATC voice group. In one or more examples, the determination may be made based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the proximity of the alternate UAS to the pilot's UAS that lost the link, the ability of other UAS in the ATC voice group to receive the transmission from the terrestrial relay node, and the availability of a terrestrial relay node to process the pilot's voice transmission.

[0278] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary computing system according to an example of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a computing system 1600 according to some embodiments, where the system 1600 can be a client or a server. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the system 1600 can be any suitable type of processor-based system, such as a personal computer, a workstation, a server, a handheld computing device such as a phone or tablet, or a dedicated device. The system 1600 can include, for example, one or more input devices 1620, an output device 1630, one or more processors 1610, a storage device 1640, and a communication device 1660. The input devices 1620 and the output devices 1630 generally correspond to those described above and can be connectable to or integrated with the computer.

[0279] The input device(s) 1620 may be any suitable device that provides input, such as a touch screen, a keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a gesture recognition component of a virtual / augmented reality system, or a voice recognition device. The output device(s) 1630 may be or include any suitable device that provides output, such as a display, a touch screen, a haptic device, a virtual / augmented reality display, or a speaker.

[0280] The storage device 1640 may be any suitable device providing storage, such as electrical, magnetic, or optical memory, including RAM, cache memory, hard drives, removable storage disks, or other non-transitory computer readable media. The communication device 1660 may include any suitable device capable of sending and receiving signals over a network, such as a network interface chip or device. The components of the computing system 1600 may be connected in any suitable manner, such as via a physical bus or wirelessly.

[0281] The processor 1610 may be any suitable processor or combination of processors, including any or any combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The software 1650 stored in the memory 1640 and executed by the one or more processors 1610 may include, for example, programming that embodies functionality or portions of functionality of the present disclosure (e.g., embodied in a device as described above).

[0282] The software 1650 may also be stored and / or transported in any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in association with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as those described above, that can fetch and execute instructions associated with the software from such an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In the context of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any medium, such as storage device 1640, that can contain or store a program for use by or in association with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0283] The software 1650 may also be propagated in any carrier medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device as described above, fetching instructions associated with the software from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and executing the instructions. In the context of this disclosure, a carrier medium may be any medium capable of communicating, propagating, or carrying programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Carrier computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, magnetic, infrared wired, or wireless propagation media.

[0284] The system 1600 may be connected to a network, which may be any suitable type of interconnected communication system. The network may implement any suitable communication protocol and may be protected by any suitable security protocol. The network may include any suitable arrangement of network links capable of implementing transmission and reception of network signals, such as wireless network connections, T1 or T3 lines, cable networks, DSL, or telephone lines.

[0285] System 1600 may implement any operating system suitable for operating on a network. Software 1650 may be written in any suitable programming language, such as C, C++, Java, or Python. In various embodiments, application software embodying the functionality of the present disclosure may be deployed in different configurations, for example, in a client / server arrangement, or via a web browser as a web-based application or web service.

[0286] The foregoing description has been described with reference to specific embodiments for purposes of illustration. However, the above description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and practical applications of the technology so that those skilled in the art can best utilize the technology and various modifications thereof as suited to the particular applications intended. Although features are described herein as part of the same or separate embodiments for clarity and concise description, it will be understood that the scope of the disclosure includes embodiments having all or a combination of any of the described features.

[0287] Although the present disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that various changes and modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications should be understood as being included within the scope of the present disclosure and examples, as defined by the claims. Finally, the entire disclosures of the patents and publications mentioned in this application are hereby incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. 1. A system for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network, the system comprising: Memory and one or more processors; The memory stores one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flown within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; For each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, determining an availability of an RF communication link and an availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communication link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group among a plurality of ATC voice groups; and generating a digital voice communication link with the one or more aircraft based on the assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group of the aircraft and the received one or more flight plans.

2. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes selecting the aircraft to serve as a designated repeater for the ATC voice group based on the received one or more flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

3. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the designated relay aircraft via the digital voice communication link; generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

4. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the ATC digital voice communications are based on analog voice communications transmitted by an ATC voice station.

5. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the analog voice transmission is received by a radio located on the designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to the ATC digital voice communication using a converter located on the designated relay aircraft.

6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the designated relay aircraft transmits the ATC digital voice communication to the system using the digital voice communication link.

7. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft comprises: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the one or more pilots; determining an aircraft of the one or more aircraft associated with the pilot; and and generating a digital voice communication link with the aircraft determined to be associated with the pilot.

8. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors: generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

9. 1. A method for facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network, the method comprising: receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flown within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; For each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, determining an availability of an RF communication link and an availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communication link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group among a plurality of ATC voice groups; and generating a digital voice communication link with the one or more aircraft based on the assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group of the aircraft and the received one or more flight plans.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes selecting the aircraft to serve as a designated repeater for the ATC voice group based on the received one or more flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, comprising: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the designated relay aircraft via the digital voice communication link; generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ATC digital voice communication is based on an analog voice communication transmitted by an ATC voice station.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analog voice transmission is received by a radio located on the designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to the ATC digital voice communication using a converter located on the designated relay aircraft.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the designated relay aircraft transmits the ATC digital voice communication to the pilot using the digital voice communication link.

15. 15. The method of any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft comprises: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the one or more pilots; determining an aircraft of the one or more aircraft associated with the pilot; and and generating a digital voice communication link with the aircraft determined to be associated with the pilot.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, comprising: generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; transmitting copies of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

17. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon one or more programs facilitating voice communications between an air traffic control voice station and one or more pilots operating one or more aircraft in an air-to-ground communications network, the one or more programs, when executed by an electronic device including a display and a user input interface, causing the device to: receiving one or more flight plans associated with the one or more aircraft, each flight plan including timing, position, and altitude information for flights flown within one or more coverage areas of the air-to-ground communications network; For each aircraft of the one or more aircraft, determining an availability of an RF communication link and an availability of an air traffic control (ATC) voice communication link based on the received one or more flight plans; generating, at a base station of the communications network, an RF communications link between the aircraft and the one or more pilots associated with the aircraft based on the received one or more flight plans; assigning each aircraft of the one or more aircraft to an air traffic control (ATC) voice group among a plurality of ATC voice groups; and generating a digital voice communication link with the one or more aircraft based on the assigned air traffic control (ATC) voice group of the aircraft and the received one or more flight plans.

18. 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft includes selecting the aircraft to serve as a designated repeater for the ATC voice group based on the received one or more flight plans associated with each aircraft assigned to the ATC voice group.

19. 20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the device: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the designated relay aircraft via the digital voice communication link; generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; and transmitting a copy of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

20. 20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the ATC digital voice communications are based on analog voice communications transmitted by an ATC voice station.

21. 21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the analog voice transmission is received by a radio located on the designated relay aircraft for the ATC voice group and converted to the ATC digital voice communication using a converter located on the designated relay aircraft.

22. 22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the designated relay aircraft transmits the ATC digital voice communication to the device using the digital voice communication link.

23. 23. The computer-readable storage medium of any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein generating a digital voice communication link with an aircraft of the one or more aircraft comprises: receiving an ATC digital voice communication from the one or more pilots; determining an aircraft of the one or more aircraft associated with the pilot; and and generating a digital voice communication link with the aircraft determined to be associated with the pilot.

24. 24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the device comprises: generating a plurality of copies of the received ATC audio digital voice communication; and transmitting a copy of the plurality of the received ATC voice digital communications to each pilot associated with the one or more aircraft in the ATC voice group.

Images