Vehicle Communication Gateway Pseudo Acknowledgment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current aircraft communication systems, such as ACARS, are inefficient for transmitting large or multiple non-safety messages due to high latency in satellite communication and cost constraints, as they require sequential acknowledgement of each message block, which limits throughput.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a vehicle communication system with a data gateway that generates pseudo acknowledgments to simulate receipt of message blocks, allowing for faster transmission of ACARS messages by converting them into lower-assurance Internet Protocol (IP) messages over alternative communication paths, thereby bypassing the latency and cost issues of traditional ACARS systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If ACARS messages are transmitted using traditional satellite communication with sequential acknowledgment, then message reliability is maintained, but transmission throughput is limited due to high latency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage reliabilityVSAvoidtransmission throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments messages into safety messages and non-safety messages, routing them through different communication paths. Safety messages use traditional ACARS with sequential acknowledgment for reliability, while non-safety messages use pseudo-acknowledgment for higher throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A data gateway acts as an intermediary between the ACARS communication system and alternative communication systems. It receives ACARS messages, generates pseudo-acknowledgments to bypass latency, and routes non-safety messages through faster communication paths.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If ACARS messages are transmitted using traditional satellite communication, then message security and design assurance are maintained, but transmission cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign assurance levelVSAvoidtransmission cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments messages by importance level, transmitting only safety-critical messages through expensive ACARS channels while routing non-safety messages through cheaper alternative communication paths like Wi-Fi or cellular networks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses disposable, lower-cost communication methods for non-critical messages. Pseudo-acknowledgments enable the use of inexpensive communication paths for non-safety messages without compromising the reliability of critical safety message transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Productivity

If pseudo acknowledgments are generated to bypass sequential acknowledgment, then transmission speed increases, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission speedVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The data gateway serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of pseudo-acknowledgment generation and message routing. This isolates the complexity from the aircraft's communication system while enabling faster transmission through alternative paths.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the acknowledgment parameter from sequential (traditional ACARS) to pseudo-acknowledgment for non-safety messages. This parameter change enables parallel transmission and significantly increases throughput while the data gateway manages the transition.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Loss of energy

If alternative communication paths are used for non-safety messages, then transmission cost decreases, but message reliability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission costVSAvoidmessage reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments messages based on safety requirements, ensuring that only non-safety messages use alternative communication paths. Safety messages continue to use reliable ACARS channels, maintaining overall system reliability while reducing costs for non-critical communications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11551557B2Vehicle multi-communication message type communication system

Publication Date: 2023.01.10 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC

AI summary

A vehicle communication system including a communication management unit (CMU) and a data gateway is provided. The CMU is at least in part configured to route first type messages using a first type message communication. The data gateway is configured to communicate second type messages to a remote location. The CMU is configured to route at least some of the first type messages to the data gateway. The data gateway is configured to communicate a pseudo acknowledgment for each message block of each first type message routed to the data gateway back to the CMU indicating the message block was received by a designated remote location. The data gateway is further configured to interface each received first type message into the second type message and communicate each second type message to the designated remote location using a second type of message communication.