# US 11,909,501 B2 · Enhanced LDACS system having roaming agreements and associated methods

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- Number: US 11,909,501 B2
- Document ID: US11909501B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/367,319
- Filed: 2021-07-03
- Published: 2022-01-13
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-10
- Assignees: Skystream LLC
- Applicants: Skystream LLC
- Inventors: Shawn H Gallagher; Eric J. Salyers; Timothy Huggins; Ivica Kostanic; Edward Paulsen; Daniel Schwinn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909501B2

## CPC

- H04B 7/18508: {with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service}
- G01S 13/878: {Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector (G01S13/874 takes precedence)}
- G08G 5/25: Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft
- G08G 5/26: Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations
- G08G 5/53: for cruising
- G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft
- H04B 7/15542: {Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources (selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003)}
- H04B 7/18502: {Airborne stations}
- H04B 7/18506: {Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service}
- H04B 7/18517: {Transmission equipment in earth stations}
- H04B 7/18519: {Operations control, administration or maintenance}
- H04B 7/18532: {Arrangements for managing transmission, i.e. for transporting data or a signalling message}
- H04B 7/18541: {for handover of resources}
- H04B 7/1855: {using a telephonic control signal, e.g. propagation delay variation, Doppler frequency variation, power variation, beam identification}
- H04B 7/18571: {for satellites; for fixed or mobile stations}
- H04B 7/18584: {Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control (data switching networks H04L12/00)}
- H04B 7/18591: {Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems (data switching networks H04L12/00)}
- H04W 4/44: for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
- H04W 8/02: Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
- H04W 12/009: {specially adapted for networks, e.g. wireless sensor networks, ad-hoc networks, RFID networks or cloud networks}
- H04W 12/03: Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
- H04W 12/06: Authentication
- H04W 12/10: Integrity
- H04W 16/18: Network planning tools
- H04W 36/0055: {Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link}
- H04W 36/08: Reselecting an access point
- H04W 36/083: {wherein at least one of the access points is a moving node}
- H04W 40/24: Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
- H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
- H04W 72/56: based on priority criteria
- H04W 80/02: Data link layer protocols
- G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft
- H04W 84/06: Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185)
- H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations assigned to respective different ground communication networks; and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with selected ones of the LDACS ground stations based upon respective roaming agreements for the different ground communication networks. In addition, the system may include a network broker configured to authorize a connection between an LDACS airborne station and an LDACS ground station based upon a corresponding roaming agreement.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) comprising:
a plurality of LDACS ground stations assigned to respective different ground communication networks;
a plurality of LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with selected ones of the LDACS ground stations based upon respective roaming agreements for the different ground communication networks; and
a network broker configured to
authorize a connection between an LDACS airborne station and an LDACS ground station based upon a corresponding roaming agreement,
transact roaming costs per the corresponding roaming agreement, and
provide a corresponding level of service, from among a plurality of different levels of service, based upon the corresponding roaming agreement.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein each LDACS ground station is configured to transmit corresponding ground network identification data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein each LDACS ground station is configured to transmit corresponding ground network operation parameter data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein the network broker is configured to track costs associated with the connection between the LDACS airborne station and the LDACS ground station.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein the connection between the LDACS airborne station and LDACS ground station is configured to provide a base level of service irrespective of the corresponding roaming agreement.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LDACS ground stations comprises:
a ground antenna;
a ground radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the ground antenna; and
a ground controller coupled to the ground RF transceiver.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of LDACS airborne stations comprises:
an airborne antenna;
an airborne radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the airborne antenna; and
an airborne controller coupled to the airborne RF transceiver.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein the plurality of LDACS ground stations and LDACS airborne stations are configured to operate within at least one 500 kHz channel in a frequency range of between 964-1156 MHz.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein the network broker comprises a Cloud-based network broker.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein the network broker comprises a distributed network broker.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The enhanced LDACS of claim 1, wherein at least one of the LDACS airborne stations comprises an unmanned LDACS airborne station.

### Claim 12

A network broker for an enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) comprising a plurality of LDACS ground stations assigned to respective different ground communication networks; and a plurality of LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with selected ones of the LDACS ground stations based upon respective roaming agreements for the different ground communication networks; the network broker comprising:
a processor and an associated memory configured to
authorize a connection between an LDACS airborne station and an LDACS ground station based upon a corresponding roaming agreement,
transact roaming costs per the corresponding roaming agreement, and
provide a corresponding level of service, from among a plurality of different levels of service, based upon the corresponding roaming agreement.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The network broker of claim 12, wherein each LDACS ground station is configured to transmit corresponding ground network identification data; and wherein the processor and associated memory are configured to authorize the connection between the LDACS airborne station and the LDACS ground station based upon the corresponding ground network identification data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The network broker of claim 12, wherein each LDACS ground station is configured to transmit corresponding ground network operation parameter data; and wherein the processor and associated memory are configured to authorize the connection between the LDACS airborne station and the LDACS ground station based upon the corresponding ground network operation parameter data.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The network broker of claim 12, wherein the processor and associated memory are configured to track costs associated with the connection between the LDACS airborne station and the LDACS ground station.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The network broker of claim 12, wherein the connection between the LDACS airborne station and LDACS ground station is configured to provide a base level of service irrespective of the corresponding roaming agreement.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The network broker of claim 12, wherein the processor and associated memory are configured to operate the plurality of LDACS ground stations and LDACS airborne stations within at least one 500 kHz channel in a frequency range of between 964-1156 MHz.

### Claim 18

A method of operating an enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) comprising a plurality of LDACS ground stations assigned to respective different ground communication networks; and a plurality of LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with selected ones of the LDACS ground stations based upon respective roaming agreements for the different ground communication networks, the method comprising:
operating a network broker to
authorize a connection between an LDACS airborne station and an LDACS ground station based upon a corresponding roaming agreement,
transact roaming costs per the corresponding roaming agreement, and
provide a corresponding level of service, from among a plurality of different levels of service, based upon the corresponding roaming agreement.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, comprising operating each LDACS ground station to transmit corresponding ground network identification data.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, comprising operating each LDACS ground station to transmit corresponding ground network operation parameter data.

### Claim 21 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, comprising operating the network broker to track costs associated with the connection between the LDACS airborne station and the LDACS ground station.

### Claim 22 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, comprising operating the network broker to provide a corresponding level of service, from among a plurality of different levels of service, based upon the corresponding roaming agreement.