Blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12100304-B2
Application number	US-202017247575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2020
Priority date	Dec 16, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing distributed fleet communications between aircraft including decentralized location tracking, weather data, and fleet health is used to determine actual aircraft position, better weather data from multiple sources, and health data to help with logistical calculations and increase efficiencies. The communication is a distributed communication network using blockchains wherein the block includes a data, a hash and a prior hash, determining, by a processor, a validity of the block in response to a blockchain register stored on a memory, the hash and the prior hash, determining, by the processor. The processor is configured to generate a record to be added to the local copy of the blockchain ledger stored in the memory, then send an update to the fleet blockchain to be added as a valid record to be stored and used by the fleet or other trusted individual operators.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system comprising:
a transceiver configured for receiving a block from an originating aircraft wherein the block includes a data, a hash and a prior hash and wherein the data includes a velocity, an altitude, and a location of the originating aircraft and to transmit a consensus data to the originating aircraft;
a memory configured for storing a blockchain register and an airspace map of an airspace;
a processor configured for determining a validity of the block in response to the blockchain register, the hash and the prior hash, determining a consistency of the data in response to the validity of the block, the airspace map and a prior data indicative of a prior location of the originating aircraft from the blockchain register, transmitting an indication of the validity of the block and the consistency of the data to a plurality of distributed fleet network nodes wherein each of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes is an aircraft within the airspace and wherein each of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes stores a blockchain register of aircraft locations, determining a network consensus of the validity of the block and the consistency of the data determined in response to a plurality of validity determinations and a plurality of data determined by the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes received from the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes, rejecting the block in response to receiving a notice of invalidity from at least one of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes, generating the consensus data in response to the plurality of data determined by the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes, and coupling the consensus data to the transceiver, the processor being further operative to generate an updated blockchain register and an updated airspace map in response to the validity of the block, the network consensus and the consistency of the data; and
a controller configured for controlling the aircraft in response to the updated airspace map.

2. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the block is rejected in response to determining an invalidity of the block.

3. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the network consensus is determined by a trusted node in response to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

4. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the data includes an environmental condition measured by the originating aircraft.

5. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the validity of the block to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

6. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the originating aircraft is operative to update at least one of the velocity, altitude, and location of the originating aircraft in response to the rejection of the notice of invalidity.

7. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a notification of an inconsistency of the data to the originating aircraft.

8. The blockchain enabled aircraft secure communications system of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a notification of an inconsistency of the data to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

9. A method of transmitting data comprising:
receiving, by a transceiver, a block from an originating aircraft wherein the block includes a data, a hash and a prior hash and wherein the data includes a velocity, an altitude, and a location of the originating aircraft;
determining, by a processor, a validity of the block in response to a blockchain register stored on a memory, the hash and the prior hash;
determining, by the processor, a consistency of the data in response to the validity of the block, an airspace map of an airspace and a prior data indicative of a prior location of the originating aircraft from the blockchain register stored on the memory;
transmitting an indication of the validity of the block and the consistency of the data to a plurality of distributed fleet network nodes wherein each of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes is an aircraft within the airspace and wherein each of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes stores a blockchain register of aircraft locations;
determining, by the processor, a consensus of the validity of the block and the consistency of the data in response to a plurality of validity determinations and a plurality of data determined by the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes received from the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes;
rejecting the block in response to receiving a notice of invalidity from at least one of the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes;
generating a consensus data in response to the plurality of data determined by the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes;
generating, by the processor, an updated blockchain register and an updated airspace map in response to the validity of the block, the consensus and the consistency of the data; and
controlling, by an aircraft controller, a host aircraft in response to the updated airspace map.

10. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the block is rejected in response to determining an inconsistency of the block.

11. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the consensus is determined by a ground node in response to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

12. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the data includes an environmental condition measured by the originating aircraft.

13. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the validity of the block to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

14. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the consensus is determined in response to the plurality of validity determinations received from the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

15. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a notification of an inconsistency of the data to the originating aircraft.

16. The method of transmitting data between the originating aircraft and a host aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a notification of an inconsistency of the data to the plurality of distributed fleet network nodes.

17. A distributed fleet communications method comprising:
receiving a block from an originating aircraft including a data, a hash and a prior hash, wherein the data includes a position, a velocity, and an altitude of the originating aircraft;
validating the block in response to the prior hash and a blockchain register;
determining a consistency of the data in response to a validity of the block, an airspace map of an airspace and a prior data indicative of a prior location of the originating aircraft from the blockchain register stored on a memory;
transmitting

Assignees

• Gulfstream Aerospace Corp

Inventors

• Winslow Matthew
• Bohanan Scott

Classifications

• H04L2209/84

  Vehicles · CPC title

• G08G5/727

  from a ground station · CPC title

• G08G5/26

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations · CPC title

• G08G5/22

  located on the ground · CPC title

• H04L9/50

  using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees · CPC title