# US 12,009,881 B2 · Dynamic test bench for aircraft system testing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,009,881 B2 - Document ID: US12009881B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/923,097 - Filed: 2021-04-30 - Published: 2023-05-18 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-05-05 - Assignees: Smartsky Networks LLC - Applicants: Smartsky Networks LLC - Inventors: Praveen Palreddy; Mohammed Elabd; Richard Canning; David Claassen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12009881B2 ## CPC - H04B 17/3912: {Simulation models, e.g. distribution of spectral power density or received signal strength indicator [RSSI] for a given geographic region} - H04B 7/18506: {Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service} - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract An air to ground (ATG) communication system testing platform may be configured to operably couple a base station to an aircraft base radio in a lab environment. The testing platform may include a position simulator and a channel simulator. The position simulator may be configured to generate simulated aircraft position information and communicate the simulated aircraft position information to an aircraft base radio and a base band unit of the base station. The channel simulator may operably couple a remote radio head of the base station to the aircraft base radio, and may be configured to emulate channel conditions with respect to transmission of signaling generated by the remote radio head for communication to the aircraft base radio based on the emulated channel conditions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An air to ground (ATG) communication system testing platform configured to operably couple a base station to an aircraft base radio in a lab environment, the testing platform comprising: a position simulator configured to generate simulated aircraft position information and communicate the simulated aircraft position information to an aircraft base radio and a base band unit of the base station; and a channel simulator operably coupling a remote radio head of the base station to the aircraft base radio, the channel simulator being configured to emulate channel conditions with respect to transmission of signaling generated by the remote radio head for communication to the aircraft base radio based on the emulated channel conditions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The testing platform of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency signal analyzer operably coupled to an output of the channel simulator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The testing platform of claim 1, wherein the position simulator is configured to generate one or more flight paths comprising the simulated aircraft position information, and wherein the channel simulator is configured to emulate the channel conditions corresponding to the one or more flight paths. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The testing platform of claim 3, wherein the channel simulator is configured to emulate the channel conditions corresponding to pitch, roll and yaw for each simulated position of the aircraft relative to the base station at respective positions along the one or more flight paths. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The testing platform of claim 3, wherein the channel simulator is configured to emulate Doppler effect and timing advance for each simulated position of the aircraft relative to the base station at respective positions along the one or more flight paths. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The testing platform of claim 3, wherein the position simulator is further operably coupled to a second base station, and wherein the one or more flight paths include at least one flight path corresponding to a site handover from the base station to the second base station. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The testing platform of claim 6, wherein a second channel simulator is operably coupled to the second base station and the aircraft base radio, and wherein the testing platform is configured to monitor performance criteria associated with the site handover. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The testing platform of claim 7, wherein the testing platform is configured to monitor performance criteria associated with sector handover for sectors of the base station or the second base station. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The testing platform of claim 3, wherein the testing platform is further operably coupled to one or more application servers via an evolved packet core, and operably coupled to one or more instances of user equipment via the aircraft base radio, and wherein the testing platform is configured to monitor performance criteria associated with two way communication between the one or more application servers and the user equipment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The testing platform of claim 9, wherein the performance criteria include throughput, quality of service, signal to noise ratio, and Doppler offset. ### Claim 11 A method of testing airborne and ground based air-to-ground (ATG) communication equipment, the method comprising: operably coupling a base station to an aircraft base radio via a testing platform; generating, via the testing platform, a simulated flight path; and simulating channel conditions associated with the simulated flight path, via the testing platform, to communicate information between the aircraft base radio and the base station based on the simulated channel conditions, wherein generating the simulated flight path comprises generating one or more flight paths comprising a simulated movement of the aircraft base radio, wherein simulating the channel conditions comprises emulating the channel conditions corresponding to the one or more flight paths, wherein the testing platform comprises a position simulator operably coupled to the base station and a second base station, and wherein the one or more flight paths include at least one flight path corresponding to a site handover from the base station to the second base station. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising employing a radio frequency signal analyzer to monitor performance criteria associated with the communication of the information between the aircraft base radio and the base station. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein emulating the channel conditions comprises emulating the channel conditions corresponding to pitch, roll and yaw for the simulated movement of the aircraft base radio at respective positions along the one or more flight paths. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein emulating the channel conditions comprises emulating Doppler effect and timing advance for each simulated position of the simulated movement of the aircraft base radio at respective positions along the one or more flight paths. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein a second channel simulator is operably coupled to the second base station and the aircraft base radio, and wherein the method further comprises monitoring performance criteria associated with the site handover. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises monitoring performance criteria associated with sector handover for sectors of the base station or the second base station. ### Claim 17 A method of testing airborne and ground based air-to-ground (ATG) communication equipment, the method comprising: operably coupling a base station to an aircraft base radio via a testing platform; generating, via the testing platform, a simulated flight path; and simulating channel conditions associated with the simulated flight path, via the testing platform, to communicate information between the aircraft base radio and the base station based on the simulated channel conditions, wherein generating the simulated flight path comprises generating one or more flight paths comprising a simulated movement of the aircraft base radio, wherein simulating the channel conditions comprises emulating the channel conditions corresponding to the one or more flight paths, wherein the testing platform is further operably coupled to one or more application servers via an evolved packet core, and operably coupled to one or more instances of user equipment via the aircraft base radio, and wherein the method further comprises monitoring performance criteria associated with two way communication between the one or more application servers and the user equipment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the performance criteria include throughput, quality of service, signal to noise ratio, and Doppler offset.