Method and apparatus for enhancing air-to-ground WiFi systems

Abstract

To provide an aggregation router and a system that enhance the performance of an air-to-ground (ATG) WiFi system.SOLUTION: An aggregation router 100 for an aircraft 110 includes a processing circuit structure that receives a first channel from a first onboard radio and receives a second channel from a second onboard radio. The first channel and the second channel may be WAN connections to terrestrial wireless communication network resources. The processing circuit structure further aggregates the first channel and the second channel for servicing LAN connection on the aircraft, where the LAN connection includes one or more short range wireless communication access points.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Example embodiments relate generally to air-to-ground (ATG) communications network performance, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for enhancing performance of ATG WiFi systems. [Background technology]

[0002] High speed data communications and devices that enable such communications have become ubiquitous in modern society. These devices allow many users to maintain near-continuous connectivity to the Internet and other communication networks. While these high speed data connections are available through telephone lines, cable modems, or other such devices that have physical wired connections, wireless connections have revolutionized our ability to stay connected without sacrificing mobility. However, even as people have grown accustomed to a continuous connection to networks, they have also become equally accustomed to a less than satisfactory user experience while flying.

[0003] While satellite networks offer an enhanced amount of bandwidth available to users on the aircraft as well as improved connection reliability, the cost of adopting and using satellite networks, where latency issues still exist, continues to limit the user experience associated with satellite communications. Meanwhile, ATG networks continue to improve to reduce costs and increase reliability, all while avoiding latency issues. In this regard, some ATG networks are managed to provide very high bandwidth connections from the assets on board to the ground. In effect, the ATG network is capable of providing a very large "pipe" through which data flows in both directions from the aircraft. In fact, the size of the pipe is so large that the capacity issue is no longer associated with the link to the aircraft, but instead with the in-flight WiFi. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is therefore desirable to enhance in-flight WiFi capabilities to overcome potential capacity issues. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In an example embodiment, an aggregation router for an aircraft may be provided. The aggregation router may include processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to receive a first channel from a first on-board radio and a second channel from a second on-board radio. The first and second channels may be WAN connections to wireless communications network resources on the ground. The processing circuitry may be further configured to aggregate the first and second channels for servicing a LAN connection on the aircraft, which may include one or more short-range wireless communications access points.

[0006] In another example embodiment, an aircraft communications system may be provided. The system may include an antenna assembly configured to transmit wireless signals to and receive wireless signals from a ground station, and an on-board radio assembly associated with a plurality of wide area network (WAN) connections. The WAN connection may include a first channel associated with a first on-board radio of the on-board radio assembly and a second channel associated with a second on-board radio of the on-board radio assembly. The system further includes an aggregation router configured to aggregate the first and second channels for servicing a local area network (LAN) connection on the aircraft. The LAN connection may include one or more short-range wireless communication access points. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] Having thus broadly described the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for providing wireless communications with an aircraft according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an on-board system for maintaining an acceptable level of user experience according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a block diagram of an ATG aggregation router according to an example embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a method for employing an ATG aggregation router according to an example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Some example embodiments will now be described in more detail below with reference to the attached figures, in which some, but not all, example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and depicted herein should not be construed as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Additionally, as used herein, the term "or" shall be construed as a logical operator resulting in a true result whenever one or more of its operands are true. As used herein, "data," "content," "information," and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data that may be transmitted, received, and / or stored by example embodiments. Thus, use of such terms should not be deemed to limit the spirit and scope of the example embodiments.

[0009] As used herein, the terms "component," "module," "system," "device," and other terms are intended to include computer-related entities, such as, but not limited to, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, or software running on a type of hardware. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of example, both an application running on a computing device and / or a computing device may be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and / or thread of execution, and a component may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. Additionally, these components may execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. A component may communicate with other systems by signals, such as by local and / or remote processes in local or distributed systems, and / or by signals having one or more data packets, such as data from one component that interacts with another component over a network, such as the Internet.

[0010] In some example embodiments, an ATG aggregation router may be provided that is configured to enable aggregation of multiple ATG channels into a single large aggregated channel (or pipe) for use by aircraft cabin crew. Aggregation of multiple ATG channels by an onboard router (e.g., a Wi-Fi router) enables an improved user experience for users of the ATG network for various types of applications or services offered. When a network employs beamforming techniques in which beams are dynamically steered or selected to maximize the range and quality of the ATG channels while maintaining high bandwidth, the ATG aggregation router enables the maintenance of a minimum level of quality of user experience even with a large number of onboard users.

[0011] 1 illustrates an example system layout in which any one or more of multiple instances of an example embodiment ATG aggregation router 100 may be employed. As shown in FIG. 1, the ATG aggregation router 100 may be installed in an aircraft 110 and configured to operate in connection with a wireless network, such as an ATG network 120.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the ATG network 120 may include multiple wireless access points (APs) or base stations (BSs) including antennas configured for wireless communication. Thus, for example, the ATG network 120 may include a first ATG BS 122 and a second ATG ABSP 124, each of which may be a base station of multiple geographically distributed base stations that combine to define a coverage area of ​​the ATG network 120. Each of the first and second ATG BSs 122, 124 may be in communication with the ATG network 120 via a GTW device 126. The ATG network 120 may also be in communication with a wide area network, such as the Internet 130, a VPN, or other communication network. In some embodiments, the ATG network 120 may also include or be coupled to a packet-switched core or other telecommunications network.

[0013] Each base station of the ATG network 120 may have a wired (or wireless) backhaul connection to that wireless network that enables connection to the Internet 130 or other networks 135 (e.g., terrestrial networks including cellular networks, satellite networks, etc.) when accessing wireless communication devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) installed on the aircraft 110 to communicate with content servers 140, other communication devices 150, and / or others.

[0014] 1, as the aircraft 110 moves, at a time when the aircraft 110 is located in a cell or coverage area of ​​either the first ATG BS 122 or the second ATG BS 124, communication traffic or data sent to and from the aircraft 110 may be provided via the respective one of the first ATG BS 122 or the second ATG BS 124. For example, when served by the first ATG BS 122, a first communication link 170 may be established between a communication device (e.g., a radio device) of the aircraft 110 and the first ATG BS 122. When served by the second ATG BS 124, a second communication link 172 may be established between a communication device of the aircraft 110 and the second ATG BS 124. Assuming that the first ATG BS 122 and the second ATG BS 124 have overlapping coverage areas, handover between the first and second communication links 170, 172 may be accomplished while in the overlapping region.

[0015] Each of the first and second communication links 170 and 172 may be established using one or more of a plurality of separate channels. In some example embodiments, the ATG network 120 may employ spectrum located in one of the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio bands. Thus, for example, the first and second communication links 170, 172 may employ three channels that may be isolated from each other by a predetermined amount. In an example embodiment, the three channels may include a first channel centered at 2450.7 MHz, a second channel centered at 2460.7 MHz, and a third channel centered at 2470.7 MHz.

[0016] Under normal circumstances, the first ATG BS 122 (or the second ATG BS 124) transmits all three channels to the aircraft 110, but the communication equipment of the aircraft 110 (and thus the router providing short-range wireless communication to the passenger UE via, for example, Wi-Fi) uses only one of the three channels. The channel to be used may be predetermined or may be selected based on qualitative criteria. For example, the aircraft 110's on-board radio (ABR) monitors all three channels and chooses the best one for use by the WiFi router on board the aircraft 110. The "best" channel may be selected based on the amount of noise pollution measured for each channel, such that the channel with the least noise is selected as the channel that will serve the passenger via the WiFi router.

[0017] However, according to an example embodiment, the ATG aggregation router 100 may be configured to aggregate multiple channels together (either permanently or temporarily (e.g., selectively or situationally)) to improve the user experience in the cabin of the aircraft 110. FIG. 2 illustrates a functional block diagram of a system employing the ATG aggregation router 100 of an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the system may include a ground antenna 200 that may be associated with a first ATG BS 122, a second ATG BS 124, or another base station associated with the ATG network 120 (or another network capable of communicating with the aircraft 110). The ground antenna 200 may transmit to (or receive from) an onboard antenna assembly associated with the aircraft 110 using waveforms and / or frequencies associated with the ATG network 120. Thus, for example, the ground antenna 200 may communicate with an onboard antenna of an antenna assembly utilizing beamforming or a 2.4 GHz waveform.

[0018] In the example of FIG. 2, the on-board antenna includes a primary antenna 210 and a high performance blade (HPB) antenna 220. In some cases, the HPB antenna 220 may also be configured to include a global positioning system (GPS) that processes GPS signals. Signals received by the on-board antenna may be fed to ABR circuitry that may be configured to define corresponding individual channels. For example, ABR1 230 may be associated with a first channel (e.g., centered at 2450.7 MHz), ABR2 232 may be associated with a second channel (e.g., centered at 2460.7 MHz), and ABR3 234 may be associated with a third channel (e.g., centered at 2470.7 MHz). Notably, other ABRs (e.g., ABR4 236 and ABR5 238) may or may not be included. The other ABRs may be associated with additional ATG channels or may be associated with other data sources (e.g., satellite network channels, or other network channels).

[0019] As noted above, in a typical situation, the ground antenna 200 transmits at least a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel. However, the router employed typically utilizes only one of the channels to enable the passenger UE to access the services and content communicated over the utilized channel. In particular, the router operatively couples the utilized channel to a first access point (AP1) 240, a second access point (AP2) 242, and (if applicable) any additional access points, such as a third access point (AP3) 244. However, as also noted above, following this general paradigm results in a large division of the available bandwidth over the utilized channel, resulting in degraded performance and quality at the UE (especially for a large number of UEs utilizing high bandwidth applications).

[0020] However, the ATG aggregation router 100 of the example embodiment can avoid this problem. In this regard, for example, all wide area network (WAN) connections to the ATG aggregation router 100 can be provided such that each of the ABR channels is fed to the ATG aggregation router 100. A local area network (LAN) can then be established from the ATG aggregation router 100 to the first, second, and / or third access points 240, 242, and / or 244. The ATG aggregation router 100 can be configured to select one or more of the sources available from the WAN connections to serve a device (e.g., passenger UE 250 of the aircraft 110) via the LAN connection. In other words, the ATG aggregation router 100 can be configured to aggregate any or all of the WAN connections for delivery of services on the LAN connection side.

[0021] The nature of the configuration of the ATG aggregation router 100 that supports this capability is discussed in more detail below. However, in general terms, it should be appreciated that the ability of the ATG aggregation router 100 to aggregate multiple different ATG channels into a single "pipe" allows even a large number of UEs 250 to continue receiving services with superior speed, bandwidth, or various other aspects of network performance.

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of an example embodiment of the ATG aggregation router 100. In this regard, the ATG aggregation router 100 may include processing circuitry 310 configured to perform the tasks, operations, and / or functions of the ATG aggregation router 100 described herein. Thus, the processing circuitry 310 may be configured to perform data processing, control function execution, and / or other processing and management services in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 310 may be embodied as a chip or chipset. In other words, the processing circuitry 310 may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) that include materials, components, and / or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, size conservation, and / or electrical interaction limitations for the component circuitry contained therein. Thus, the processing circuitry 310 may be configured to implement embodiments of the present invention in a single chip or as a single "system-on-chip" in some cases. Thus, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute a means for performing one or more operations to provide the functionality described herein.

[0023] In example embodiments, processing circuitry 310 may include one or more instances of processor 312 and memory 314, which may be in communication with or control device interface 320. Thus, processing circuitry 310 may be embodied as a circuit chip (e.g., an integrated circuit chip) configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software).

[0024] A user interface is not shown on the ATG aggregation router 100 of Figure 3. However, in some cases, a user interface may be included to allow an operator to select or change various settings or programming instructions for directing operation of the ATG aggregation router 100. For example, operating modes or other instructions may be provided via the user interface (if included).

[0025] The device interface 320 may include one or more interface mechanisms for enabling communication with other devices, both internal and external to the ATG aggregation router 100. Thus, for example, internal modules or components and external modules, entities, websites, devices, and / or the like may communicate via the device interface 320. In some cases, the device interface 320 may be a means, such as a device or circuitry, embodied either as hardware or a combination of hardware and software, configured to receive data from and / or transmit data to modules, entities, components, radios, networks, websites, applications, etc., in communication with the processing circuitry 310.

[0026] The processor 312 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 312 may be embodied as one or more of a variety of processing means, such as a microprocessor or other processing element, a co-processor, a controller, or a variety of other computing or processing devices, including integrated circuits, such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor 312 may be configured to execute instructions stored in memory 314 or accessible to the processor 312. Thus, the processor 312 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied as circuitry - in the form of processing circuitry 310) that, when appropriately configured, can perform operations according to embodiments of the invention, whether configured as hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thus, for example, when the processor 312 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA, or the like, the processor 312 may be hardware with a particular configuration for performing the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when processor 312 is embodied as executing software instructions, the instructions may cause processor 312 to have a particular configuration to perform the operations described herein.

[0027] In example embodiments, the processor 312 (or processing circuitry 310) may be embodied as, include, or control the operation of the channel selector 340 (or channel selector module). Thus, in some embodiments, the processor 312 (or processing circuitry 310) may be said to cause each of the operations described for the channel selector 340 in conjunction with implementing an aggregation following execution of instructions or algorithms that configure the processor 312 (or processing circuitry 310) accordingly. The channel selector 340 may be controlled (e.g., by the processor 312 or processing circuitry 310) based on inputs received from various channels (e.g., any or all of ABR1 230, ABR2 232, ABR3 234, ABR4 236, ABR5 238) and / or based on conditions associated with the LAN connection side. In this regard, for example, the channel selector 340 may be configured to determine whether to aggregate at least ATG channels and / or which channels to aggregate based on an operational mode of the channel selector 340 and / or based on a condition evaluation of various qualitative parameters. With respect to the mode, the channel selector 340 may have an aggregation mode in which aggregation is always employed or may be employed based on a condition evaluation. Alternatively, the channel selector 340 may have a normal (i.e., non-aggregation) mode in which aggregation is not performed.

[0028] In example embodiments, the memory 314 may include one or more non-transitory memory devices, such as, for example, volatile and / or non-volatile memory, which may be fixed or removable. The memory 314 may be configured to store information, data, applications, instructions, etc., to enable the processing circuitry 310 to perform various functions according to example embodiments of the present invention. For example, the memory 314 may be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 312. Additionally or alternatively, the memory 314 may be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor 312. As yet another alternative, the memory 314 may include one or more databases that may store various data sets related to the definition of various thresholds or decision points / criteria. Of the contents of the memory 314, applications and / or instructions may be stored for execution by the processor 312 to perform functionality associated with each such application / instruction. In some cases, the applications may include instructions for controlling the operation of the channel selector 340 as described herein. Control over the operation may include mode selection or definition of various operating modes of the channel selector 340.

[0029] In some example embodiments, in normal mode, the ATG aggregation router 100 may be configured to select the "best" channel from the inputs received from the ABRs. The best channel may then be used as the sole source of the WAN connection 330 that feeds the LAN connection 335. The best channel may be selected based on maintaining a minimum noise level or based on some other qualitative parameter that the channel selector 340 is configured to monitor or receive. The channel selector 340 may be configured to periodically check the qualitative parameter or noise level associated with each channel to update or reselect the best channel. Alternatively, the best channel may be maintained until the noise level or qualitative parameter associated with the best channel falls below some set threshold at which point a new best channel may be selected.

[0030] When in the aggregation mode, the channel selector 340 may be configured to aggregate at least two (possibly more) channels and determine whether to aggregate any channels based on a situational evaluation. The situational evaluation may include, for example, a supply-side (e.g., WAN-connected) condition evaluation and / or a request-side (e.g., LAN-connected) condition evaluation. The decision as to at least whether and / or which channels to aggregate may therefore be made by the channel selector 340 based on either or both of the supply-side and request-side condition evaluations.

[0031] The provider condition assessment may be accomplished by the channel selector 340 based on monitoring the quality and / or capacity of the individual channels served by the ABR in question. For example, at a given time, the noise level experienced by each of the channels may differ based on the number and location of local interference that may be picked up by the ABR in question. The channel selector 340 may be configured to monitor the noise level associated with each channel in question and rank each channel based on the noise level. The channel or channels having the lowest noise or interference level may be given the highest ranking. In some cases, a channel grade may be assigned based on the noise level or other detectable channel conditions that affect the signal quality of each channel in question. Thus, in addition to (or instead of) simply ranking each channel based on its quality or noise level, a qualitative assessment of each channel may also be provided by the channel selector 340. In some cases, to be channel-dependent without aggregation, the grade or qualitative assessment of the channel needs to be above a certain threshold or level. Alternatively or additionally, the grade or qualitative assessment of the channel needs to be above a certain threshold or level for the channel to be used for aggregation with another channel. Thus, broadly stated, a qualitative assessment is an evaluation of various performance criteria that may be determined, which may include noise levels or other parameters that may be measured and determined.

[0032] Based on monitoring the number of UEs 250 requesting service on the LAN-connected side, a request side condition evaluation can be achieved by the channel selector 340. As an example, when the number of UEs 250 requesting service is below a minimum customer requirement level, no aggregation is required to maintain the quality of service at a desired level. Hence, no channel aggregation is performed and only the optimal channel can be used to serve the LAN-connected side. However, when the number of UEs 250 exceeds the minimum customer requirement level, aggregation can be employed using the optimal two channels. In this paradigm, aggregation of more channels (e.g., three channels or adding a non-ATG channel to the aggregation process) can be achieved when a corresponding different user number threshold level (i.e., the raw number of UEs 250 requesting service) is reached.

[0033] As an alternative to using the number of users as the criterion on which the request side condition evaluation is performed, the amount of bandwidth requested (by any number of users) may be used. Thus, for example, the channel selector 340 may be configured to periodically monitor the amount of bandwidth requested from the UE 250. If the amount of bandwidth is below the minimum bandwidth request level, no aggregation is required to maintain the quality of service at a desired level. Thus, no channel aggregation is performed and the best channel for serving the LAN connection may be used. However, if the amount of bandwidth requested exceeds the minimum bandwidth request level, aggregation using the best two channels may be employed. If the amount of bandwidth exceeds a further request threshold, the corresponding additional channels (including non-ATG channels) may be appropriately aggregated when the bandwidth reaches a corresponding different threshold level.

[0034] Also, a request side condition evaluation may be performed based on performing ping tests, jitter tests, and / or measuring download / upload speed information or latency. For each of these criteria, one or more thresholds may be defined. Below the minimum threshold, no aggregation is performed. Above the minimum threshold, aggregation may be performed using the top two ranking channels. Above the higher threshold, new channels (potentially including non-ATG channels) may be added to the aggregation.

[0035] In other cases, rather than measuring a particular parameter, the type of application executed or supported by the UE 250 may be used as the basis for making the aggregation decision. Thus, in some cases, a demand side condition assessment may be performed based on the type of application executed by the UE 250. As an example, if applications that are not sensitive to latency or real-time quality of service constraints are employed, aggregation may not be employed. However, if real-time and data intensive applications (e.g., video conferencing applications, video calling, etc.) are employed, aggregation may be employed. In each of the above examples, the number of users, the bandwidth, the various performance tests mentioned above, and each of the application execution types may be considered qualitative demand indicators. Thus, the channel selector 340 may be configured to compare the qualitative demand indicators (e.g., for one, or for each if more than one is used) to a corresponding threshold value to determine whether (or to what extent) to initiate aggregation.

[0036] Thus, as a starting point, in some example embodiments, aggregation is or is not employed purely based on mode selection (e.g., in an on / off or binary context). The channel selector 340 may perform ranking to select the best channel when turned off, and may aggregate one or more channels when turned on (in some cases based on the ranking). In other cases, however, the channel selector 340 may be more "intelligent" in that it may be configured to take into account either or both supply side condition evaluations and demand side condition evaluations when determining whether and how to aggregate (when feasible or turned on).

[0037] Each of the examples relating to the use of the supply side condition evaluation and the demand side condition evaluation are described above and may be used independently of one another. However, in some cases, the channel selector 340 may be further configured to use both the supply side condition evaluation and the demand side condition evaluation to make an aggregation decision. For example, the demand side condition evaluation may indicate a bandwidth request above a minimum bandwidth request level, which may cause the addition of another channel when aggregating with the optimal channel. However, the supply side condition evaluation may indicate that there is no additional channel with a ranking sufficient to warrant the addition of a channel when aggregating, and aggregation is not performed. Similarly, as another example, if the supply side condition evaluation indicates excellent channel rankings for two or three channels, aggregation is not employed even if the demand side condition evaluation indicates that the resource demand is very low.

[0038] Thus, the systems of Figures 1 and 2 may provide an environment in which the ATG aggregation router 100 of Figure 3 provides a mechanism for implementing several useful methods. Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of one method that may be associated with the systems of Figures 1 and 2 and the ATG aggregation router 100 of Figure 3. From a technical standpoint, the ATG aggregation router 100 described above may be used to support some or all of the operations described in Figure 4. Thus, the platforms / components / modules illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 may be used to facilitate the implementation of several computer programs and / or network communications based on interactions. It will be appreciated that each block of the flowchart and combinations of blocks of the flowchart may be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, processors, circuitry, and / or other devices in conjunction with the execution of software that includes one or more computer program instructions. For example, one or more of the procedures described above may be embodied by computer program instructions. In this regard, computer program instructions embodying the procedures described above may be stored in a memory device and executed by a processor of the device. It will be appreciated that any such computer program instructions may be loaded into a computer or other programmable device (e.g., hardware) to form a machine, such that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device are means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions, which may instruct a computer or other programmable device to function in a particular manner, may also be stored in a computer readable memory, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory result in an article of manufacture that implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable device to cause the computer or other programmable device to perform a series of operations, resulting in a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device implement the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.

[0039] Thus, the blocks of the flowcharts correspond to combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts and combinations of blocks of the flowcharts can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system that performs the specified functions or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0040] In this regard, the method according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 may include receiving a first channel from a first on-board radio in operation 400 and receiving a second channel from a second on-board radio in operation 410. Notably, operation 410 may further include receiving a third channel and in some cases four or more channels (e.g., a fourth and fifth channel). The first and second channels may be WAN connections to wireless communication network resources on the ground. The third channel may also be similar to the first and second channels (e.g., an ATG connection from a single source), and the fourth and fifth channels may be from a satellite service or from an ATG source or network. In operation 420, the method may further include aggregating the first and second channels for serving a LAN connection on the aircraft, which may include one or more short-range wireless communication access points. In the event that operation 410 includes additional channels (e.g., a third, fourth, and / or fifth channel), operation 420 may also include aggregation of these additional channels.

[0041] In an example embodiment, an aggregation router for an aircraft may be provided. The aggregation router may include processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to receive a first channel from a first on-board radio and a second channel from a second on-board radio. The first and second channels may be WAN connections to wireless communications network resources on the ground. The processing circuitry may be further configured to aggregate the first and second channels for servicing a LAN connection on the aircraft, which may include one or more short-range wireless communications access points.

[0042] In some embodiments, the aggregation router may include additional optional features and / or the features described above may be modified or extended. In some example embodiments, optional features and extensions are described below. It should be appreciated that each of the variations, optional features and extensions may be added alone or cumulatively in any desired combination. Thus, for example, the aggregation router may be configured to rank the first and second channels based on a performance criterion. The aggregation router may also be configured to include a first mode in which the first and second channels are aggregated, and a second mode in which, instead of an aggregation of the first and second channels, the higher ranking of the first or second channel may be selected to serve the LAN connection. In other words, there is a basic functionality that allows for aggregation to be performed, but a further ability to turn off this functionality may also be provided. Also, the ability to turn off or on the functionality based on intelligent processing of certain situations (e.g., situational awareness) may be provided in some cases. In example embodiments, the aggregation router may be configured to select between operation in the first or second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation associated with the WAN connection or a request side condition evaluation associated with the UE access over the LAN connection. In some cases, the supply side condition evaluation may include monitoring characteristics of the first and second channels and determining whether the monitored characteristics exceed a threshold required to qualify the first and second channels to be aggregated. In example embodiments, the characteristics may include noise or interference levels. In some cases, the request side condition evaluation may include comparing one or more qualitative requirement indicators to a threshold and aggregating the first and second channels upon exceedance of the threshold. In example embodiments, the qualitative requirement indicators may include a number of users, a bandwidth, a jitter check, an upload speed check, a download speed check, a latency check, a ping check, or a type of application running on the UE. In some cases, the aggregation router may be configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation and a request side condition evaluation that are independent of one another.In example embodiments, the aggregation router may be configured to select between operating in a first mode or a second mode based on a combination of a supplier condition evaluation and a requester condition evaluation. In some cases, the aggregation router may be configured to monitor a third channel from a third on-board radio and a fourth channel from a fourth on-board radio. The first and second channels are ATG network channels and at least one of the third and fourth channels is not an ATG network channel. The aggregation router may be configured to aggregate the first, second, third, and fourth channels for servicing a LAN connection on the aircraft.

[0043] Those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains having the benefit of the techniques set forth in the above description and the associated drawings will be able to come up with many variations and other embodiments of the inventions presented herein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that variations and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Also, while the above description and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or features, it should be recognized that different combinations of elements and / or features may be provided in alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, it is contemplated that combinations of elements and / or features different from those expressly described above may be presented in some of the appended claims. In cases where benefits, advantages, and / or solutions to problems are described herein, it should be recognized that such benefits, advantages, and / or solutions may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, any benefit, advantage, or solution described herein should not be considered critical, necessary, or essential to all embodiments or claimed herein. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. [Appendix 1] 1. An aggregation router for an aircraft, comprising: receiving a first channel from a first on-board radio; receiving a second channel from a second airborne radio, the first and second channels being a wide area network (WAN) connection to a terrestrial wireless communications network resource; aggregating the first and second channels to provide service to a local area network (LAN) on the aircraft, the LAN connection including one or more short-range wireless communication access points; 23. An aggregation router comprising processing circuitry configured to: [Appendix 2] the aggregation router is configured to rank the first channel and the second channel based on a performance criterion; the aggregation router is configured to include a first mode in which the first and second channels are aggregated, and a second mode in which, instead of aggregating the first and second channels, a higher ranking of the first channel or the second channel is selected to serve the LAN connection. The aggregation router described in Appendix 1. [Appendix 3] 3. The aggregation router of claim 2, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation associated with the WAN connection or a request side condition evaluation associated with user equipment (UE) access via the LAN connection. [Appendix 4] 4. The aggregation router of claim 3, wherein the supply side condition evaluation includes monitoring characteristics of the first channel and the second channel and determining whether the monitored characteristics exceed a threshold required to qualify the first and second channels to be aggregated. [Appendix 5] 5. The aggregation router of claim 4, wherein the characteristics include noise or interference levels. [Appendix 6] 4. The aggregation router of claim 3, wherein the request side condition evaluation includes comparing one or more qualitative request indicators to a threshold and aggregating the first and second channels upon exceeding the threshold. [Appendix 7] 7. The aggregation router of claim 6, wherein the qualitative requirement indicators include a number of users, a bandwidth, a jitter check, an upload speed check, a download speed check, a latency check, a ping check, or a type of application running on the UE. [Appendix 8] 4. The aggregation router of claim 3, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation being independent of each other. [Appendix 9] 4. The aggregation router of claim 3, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a combination of the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation. [Appendix 10] an aggregation router configured to monitor a third channel from a third on-board radio and a fourth channel from a fourth on-board radio; the first and second channels being air-to-ground (ATG) network channels, and at least one of the third and fourth channels being not an ATG network channel; an aggregation router configured to aggregate the first, second, third, and fourth channels for serving a LAN connection on the aircraft; An aggregation router as described in Appendix 3. [Appendix 11] an antenna assembly configured to transmit wireless signals to and receive wireless signals from a ground station; an airborne radio assembly associated with a plurality of wide area network (WAN) connections, the WAN connections including a first channel associated with a first airborne radio of the airborne radio assembly and a second channel associated with a second airborne radio of the airborne radio assembly; an aggregation router configured to aggregate the first and second channels for serving a local area network (LAN) on the aircraft, the LAN connection including one or more short-range wireless communication access points; An aircraft communication system comprising: [Appendix 12] the aggregation router is configured to rank the first channel and the second channel based on a performance criterion; the aggregation router is configured to include a first mode in which the first and second channels are aggregated, and a second mode in which, instead of aggregating the first and second channels, a higher ranking of the first channel or the second channel is selected to serve the LAN connection. 12. The system of claim 11. [Appendix 13] 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation associated with the WAN connection or a request side condition evaluation associated with user equipment (UE) access via the LAN connection. [Appendix 14] 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the supply side condition evaluation includes monitoring characteristics of the first channel and the second channel and determining whether the monitored characteristics exceed a threshold required to qualify the first and second channels as aggregated. [Appendix 15] 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the characteristics include noise or interference level. [Appendix 16] 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the request side condition evaluation includes comparing one or more qualitative request indicators to a threshold and aggregating the first and second channels upon exceeding the threshold. [Appendix 17] 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the qualitative requirement indicators include a number of users, a bandwidth, a jitter check, an upload speed check, a download speed check, a latency check, a ping check, or a type of application running on the UE. [Appendix 18] 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation being independent of each other. [Appendix 19] 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a combination of the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation. [Appendix 20] the aggregation router is configured to monitor a third channel from a third airborne radio and a fourth channel from a fourth airborne radio; the first and second channels are air-to-ground (ATG) network channels, and at least one of the third and fourth channels is not an ATG network channel; the aggregation router is configured to aggregate the first, second, third, and fourth channels for serving a LAN connection on the aircraft. 14. The system of claim 13. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 100 ATG (Air-to-Ground) Aggregation Routers 110 Aircraft 120 ATG Network 122 1st ATG base station 124 2nd ATG base station 126 GTW Devices 130 Internet 135 other networks 140 Content Server 150 Other communication devices 170 First Communication Link 172 Second Communication Link 200 Ground Antenna 210 Primary Antenna 220 HPB (High Performance Blade) Antenna 230 ABR (onboard radio)1 232 ABR2 234 ABR3 236 ABR4 238 ABR5 240 1st AP (Access Point) 242 2nd AP 244 3rd AP 250 UE (User Equipment) 310 Processing Circuit Configuration 312 processor 314 Memory 320 Device Interface 330 WAN (Wide Area Network) connection 335 LAN (Local Area Network) connection 340 Channel Selector

Claims

1. 1. An aggregation router for an aircraft, comprising: receiving, from a first on-board radio, a first channel employing spectrum located in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio band centered at 2.45 GHz; receiving a second channel from a second airborne radio employing spectrum located in the ISM radio band centered at 2.45 GHz, the first channel and the second channel being wide area network (WAN) connections to terrestrial wireless communication network resources and separated from each other by at least about 10 MHz; processing circuitry configured to aggregate the first channel and the second channel to serve a local area network (LAN) on the aircraft, the LAN connection including one or more short-range wireless communication access points; each of the first airborne radio and the second airborne radio operatively coupled to a primary antenna and a blade antenna; the blade antenna comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) module; the aggregation router is configured to rank the first channel and the second channel based on a performance criterion; the aggregation router is configured to switch, in response to an operator's selection, between a first mode in which the first channel and the second channel are aggregated and a second mode in which, instead of aggregating the first channel and the second channel, the higher ranking of the first channel or the second channel is selected to serve a connection of the LAN; Aggregation router.

2. The aggregation router of claim 1, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation associated with the WAN connection or a request side condition evaluation associated with user equipment (UE) access via the LAN connection.

3. The aggregation router of claim 2, wherein the supply side condition evaluation includes monitoring characteristics of the first channel and the second channel and determining whether the monitored characteristics exceed a threshold value required to qualify the first channel and the second channel to be aggregated.

4. The aggregation router of claim 3, wherein the characteristics include noise or interference levels.

5. The aggregation router of claim 2, wherein the request side condition evaluation includes comparing one or more qualitative request indicators to a threshold and aggregating the first channel and the second channel upon exceeding the threshold.

6. The aggregation router of claim 5, wherein the qualitative demand indicators include number of users, bandwidth, jitter check, upload speed check, download speed check, latency check, ping check, or type of application running on the UE.

7. The aggregation router of claim 2, configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a combination of the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation.

8. An aggregation router configured to monitor a third channel from a third on-board radio and a fourth channel from a fourth on-board radio, the first channel and the second channel are air-to-ground (ATG) network channels, and at least one of the third channel and the fourth channel is not an ATG network channel; an aggregation router configured to aggregate the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel for servicing a connection of the LAN on the aircraft. The aggregation router of claim 2.

9. A satellite communication system comprising: an antenna assembly configured to transmit wireless signals to a ground station and receive wireless signals from the ground station; an airborne radio assembly associated with a plurality of wide area network (WAN) connections, the WAN connections including: a first channel associated with a first airborne radio of the airborne radio assembly, the first channel employing spectrum located in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio band centered at 2.45 GHz; and a second channel associated with a second airborne radio of the airborne radio assembly, the second channel employing spectrum located in the ISM radio band centered at 2.45 GHz, the first channel and the second channel being separated from each other by at least about 10 MHz; an aggregation router configured to aggregate the first channel and the second channel for serving a local area network (LAN) on an aircraft, the LAN connection including one or more short-range wireless communication access points; each of the first airborne radio and the second airborne radio operatively coupled to a primary antenna and a blade antenna; the aggregation router is configured to rank the first channel and the second channel based on a performance criterion; the aggregation router is configured to switch, in response to an operator's selection, between a first mode in which the first channel and the second channel are aggregated and a second mode in which, instead of aggregating the first channel and the second channel, the higher ranking of the first channel or the second channel is selected to serve a connection of the LAN; Aircraft communication systems.

10. The system described in claim 9, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operation in the first mode or the second mode based on a supply side condition evaluation associated with the WAN connection or a request side condition evaluation associated with user equipment (UE) access via the LAN connection.

11. The system described in claim 10, wherein the supply side condition assessment includes monitoring characteristics of the first channel and the second channel and determining whether the monitored characteristics exceed a threshold value required to qualify the first channel and the second channel to be aggregated.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the characteristics include noise or interference level.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the request side condition evaluation includes comparing one or more qualitative request indicators to a threshold and aggregating the first channel and the second channel upon exceeding the threshold.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the qualitative requirement indicators include number of users, bandwidth, jitter check, upload speed check, download speed check, latency check, ping check, or type of application running on the UE.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the aggregation router is configured to select between operating in the first mode or the second mode based on a combination of the supplier condition evaluation and the requester condition evaluation.

16. The aggregation router is configured to monitor a third channel from a third on-board radio and a fourth channel from a fourth on-board radio; the first channel and the second channel are air-to-ground (ATG) network channels, and at least one of the third channel and the fourth channel is not an ATG network channel; the aggregation router is configured to aggregate the first channel, the second channel, the third channel, and the fourth channel for serving a connection of the LAN on the aircraft. The system of claim 10.

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