Communication system for aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12542831-B2
Application number	US-202118014925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2021
Priority date	Jul 9, 2020
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

A communication system for an aircraft includes a first data concentrator, a first plurality of communicating devices for sending data to the first concentrator by wireless transmission. The first concentrator broadcasts at least one parameterisation signal for parameterising an operating cycle of the system and each communicating device sends a unique identification signal to the first concentrator, in response to this parameterisation signal, the first concentrator assigning a plurality of separate time windows valid for the cycle and each given communicating device transmitting data intended for the first concentrator via the channel associated with the time window assigned to this given device and only during this window.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A communication system for an aircraft, comprising:
a first data concentrator a first plurality of communicating devices, each of these communicating devices being adapted to send data to the first concentrator by wireless transmission, the first concentrator being adapted to process data sent by said communicating devices and received by this first concentrator, wherein the first concentrator is arranged to broadcast, by wireless transmission, at least one parameterisation signal of at least one operating cycle of the communication system and each given communicating device of the first plurality of communicating devices is arranged to send to the first concentrator, in response to this at least one parameterisation signal of the cycle, an identification signal unique to this given communicating device, the first concentrator being arranged to broadcast one or more assignment signals to assign a plurality of time windows separate from one another, valid for the operating cycle, each time window being assigned to only one of the communicating devices, the first concentrator of which has received a unique identification signal and being associated with at least one communication channel of a plurality of communication channels of the wireless transmission, each given communicating device being arranged to transmit data intended for the first concentrator via said at least one communication channel associated with the time window assigned to this given communicating device only during this time window.

2 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one cycle parameterisation signal contains a first parameter of duration unique to the parameterised cycle (in this case, the current cycle) and a second parameter of duration unique to the parameterised cycle; the communicating devices being arranged to send their respective identification signals to the first concentrator, during a first time range of parameterisation of the cycle which is defined according to said first parameter of duration; and said first concentrator being arranged to await the start of a second time range of parameterisation of the cycle which is after said first time range of parameterisation of the cycle and which is defined according to said second parameter of duration to broadcast at least one assignment signal containing assignment parameters, each given assignment parameter associated to each given communicating device, said at least one time window assigned to this given communicating device and associated with a given communication channel.

3 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein said first data concentrator is operationally linked to a first oscillator to measure an elapsed time, said at least one cycle parameterisation signal containing a time reference and each given communicating device comprising an oscillator which is unique to it and which is arranged to estimate an elapsed time duration from the receipt of said time reference by this given communicating device.

4 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each given communicating device comprises an electric energy power source which is unique to it, and which delivers an electric energy necessary for the operation of this given communicating device.

5 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first concentrator is arranged to receive, via a communication channel common to several of the communicating devices of the first plurality of communicating devices, data sent by these communicating devices and each of these communicating devices being, on the one hand, arranged to detect if the common communication channel is in use by another of the communicating devices and on the other hand, arranged to send data to said first data concentrator via this common communication channel, only when none of the other communicating devices uses this common communication channel.

6 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein each given communicating device of the first plurality of communicating devices is arranged to select a communication channel of said plurality of communication channels and to use this selected communication channel to send its unique identification signal to the first concentrator.

7 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein each given communicating device of the first plurality of communicating devices is arranged to perform said selection of communication channel using a random channel selection function.

8 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 6 , wherein each given communicating device of the first plurality of communicating devices is arranged to detect if the channel selected to send the identification signal is in use by another of said communicating devices and to send its unique identification signal to the first concentrator via this selected channel only when none of the other communicating devices uses this selected channel.

9 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 8 , wherein each given communicating device of the first plurality of communicating devices is arranged to count a duration and to start the sending of its unique identification signal after the counted duration is equal to a random value comprised between a predetermined minimum duration and a predetermined maximum duration.

10 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , wherein the data sent by at least some of the communicating devices are measurements taken by sensor, these measurements being comprised in the group of measurements comprising a measurement of a physical feature unique to a given seat of the aircraft, a measurement of a physical feature unique to a given wheel of the aircraft, an aircraft seat deformation measurement, an aircraft seat position measurement, a pressure measurement, a temperature measurement.

11 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 1 , comprising a distance estimation module to estimate, for each given communicating device, the first concentrator of which has received an identification signal, a distance value of this given communicating device vis-à-vis said first concentrator, this distance estimation module being operationally connected to said first concentrator to transmit the estimated distance values of each of these given communicating devices to it, and said first data concentrator being arranged to, according to these estimated distance values, identify those of the communicating devices which are located in a segregation zone unique to this first data concentrator and to only send the assignment signal(s) to the communicating devices located in this segregation zone.

12 . The communication system for an aircraft according to claim 11 , comprising, in addition to said first data concentrator, several other data concentrators, said distance estimation module being arranged to estimate, for each communicating device, at least one distance value between this communicating device and at least one of said data concentrators, the system comprising an assignment module arranged to, according to estimated distance values between the communicating devices and the concentrators, assign each of the communicating devices of the first plurality of communicating devices to only one of these data concentrators and each of these communicating devices being arranged to only transmit data to the concentrator to which it is assigned.

13 . The communication system for an aircraft according

Assignees

• Safran Seats
• Safran Electronics & Defense

Inventors

• Giorgio Roméo
• Fanton Nicolas
• Lipari Nicolas
• Obadia Jean-Marc

Classifications

• H04W74/0808

  using carrier sensing, e.g. carrier sense multiple access [CSMA] · CPC title

• H04L67/12 Primary

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title