Airborne Communication Network Protocol Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airborne communication networks face challenges in timely information sharing among multiple aircraft due to 'stove pipe' architectures, which restrict information exchange beyond a few nodes, making it difficult to coordinate effectively, especially in time-critical operations.
Innovation Solution
An airborne communication network with nodes configured to encapsulate information in a common protocol, store it in mass storage, and publish it for receipt by other nodes, utilizing an information conversion system, ontology combining engine, message-oriented middleware, and service-oriented architecture to enable machine-to-machine communication and autonomous information exchange among aircraft, satellites, and ground-based stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a 'stove pipe' architecture is used for information exchange among aircraft, then the communication system is simple to implement, but the information sharing is restricted to only a few nodes and cannot achieve timely coordination across multiple aircraft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal communication protocol that enables all aircraft nodes to exchange information regardless of their native protocols. The information conversion system translates between different native protocols and the common protocol, allowing any node to publish and subscribe to information across the entire network, not just limited to a few predetermined nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an information conversion system as an intermediary component that mediates between native communication protocols and the common protocol. This converter acts as a bridge, translating information from various aircraft systems into a universal format that can be shared across the mesh network without requiring direct point-to-point connections.
2Productivity
If information is exchanged in real-time among multiple aircraft, then the coordination efficiency is improved, but the system complexity and difficulty of managing multiple communication protocols increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protocol conversion function into a separate information conversion system component. This isolation allows the common protocol layer to handle real-time information exchange efficiently while the conversion layer manages protocol translation independently, reducing the complexity burden on the real-time communication path.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system is segmented into distinct layers: native protocol layers at each aircraft node, an information conversion layer for protocol translation, and a common protocol layer for uniform information exchange. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently, with the common protocol layer focusing on real-time efficiency while the conversion layer handles protocol diversity.
3Reliability
If a mesh-type architecture is implemented for autonomous information exchange, then the system reliability is improved against node failures, but the device complexity and information processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements mass storage devices at each node that pre-store information packets before they are needed. This preliminary storage capability allows nodes to retrieve information locally without requiring real-time communication with other nodes, reducing the complexity of mesh network routing while maintaining reliability through local redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
Each aircraft node autonomously publishes its information to the common protocol and independently subscribes to needed information from other nodes. The distributed architecture allows each node to manage its own information needs without centralized control, reducing network management complexity while maintaining mesh network reliability through autonomous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an airborne communication network includes a node configured on an aircraft having one or more communication devices that communicate using a native communication protocol. The node includes an information conversion system that receives information formatted according to the native communication protocol from the communication devices, encapsulates the information in packets according to a common communication protocol, and stores the packets in a mass storage device. The packets may then be published for receipt by other nodes configured on other aircraft. The information conversion system may also subscribe to packets stored in the nodes of other aircraft.