# US 10,455,431 B2 · Line of sight aircraft data transfer system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,431 B2 - Document ID: US10455431B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/603,049 - Filed: 2017-05-23 - Published: 2018-11-29 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-23 - Assignees: GE Aviation Systems LLC - Applicants: GE Aviation Systems LLC - Inventors: Steven Lane Misenheimer; Joseph Steffler - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455431B2 ## CPC - H04W 16/28: using beam steering - H01Q 1/28: Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons - H01Q 3/2605: {Array of radiating elements provided with a feedback control over the element weights, e.g. adaptive arrays} - H04B 7/18504: {Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform} - H04B 7/18506: {Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service} - H04B 17/336: Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] - H04W 28/20: Negotiating bandwidth - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04W 72/0473: {the resource being transmission power} - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract Techniques for establishing a establishing of a high-bandwidth data connection with an aircraft using highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions are provided. In one example, a method comprises: determining a first line of sight that is unobstructed to an antenna of an aircraft, establishing a wireless data connection having a defined data transfer rate between the aircraft and the communication device using highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions along the unobstructed line of sight, transferring a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the communication device using the wireless data connection. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a first directional antenna; a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable components, the computer-executable components comprising: a location component configured to: in response to receiving a first signal from a first aircraft, determine a first line of sight that is unobstructed to a first antenna of the aircraft, and in response to not being able to determine the first line of sight that is unobstructed to the first antenna of the first aircraft, determine a second line of sight to an intermediate node that can establish a second communication channel with the aircraft; a communication component configured to: in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmit a first highly directional beamformed electromagnetic (EM) signal from the first directional antenna along a line of sight based on the first line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft, and in response to the determination of the second line of sight, transmit the first highly directional beamformed EM signal from the first directional antenna along the line of sight based on the second line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft through the intermediate node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a second directional antenna; the location component is further configured to, in response to receiving a second signal from a second aircraft, determine a third line of sight that is unobstructed to a second antenna of the second aircraft; the communication component is further configured to, in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmit a second highly directional beamformed EM signal, concurrent to transmission of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal, from the second directional antenna along another line of sight based on the third line of sight to establish a second communication channel with the second aircraft. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first directional antenna or the second directional antenna is a high-gain antenna. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal or the second highly directional beamformed EM signal is at least one of a frequency division multiplexed signal or a time division multiplexed signal. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a signal measurement component configured to determine a value of a quality metric associated with the first communication channel based on a characteristic of the first communication channel; and the communication component further configured to adjust a parameter of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal to achieve a threshold value of the quality metric associated with the first communication channel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the quality metric is a bandwidth of the first communication channel, and the threshold value is selected to complete a data transfer of a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the parameter is a focal arc of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal. ### Claim 8 A computer-implemented method, comprising: in response to receiving a first signal from a first aircraft, determining, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a first line of sight that is unobstructed to a first antenna of the aircraft, and in response to not being able to determine the first line of sight that is unobstructed to the first antenna of the first aircraft, determine a second line of sight to an intermediate node that can establish a second communication channel with the aircraft; in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmitting, by the system, a first highly directional beamformed electromagnetic (EM) signal from a first directional antenna along a line of sight based on the first line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft; and in response to the determination of the second line of sight, transmitting, by the system, the first highly directional beamformed EM signal from a first directional antenna along the line of sight based on the second line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft through the intermediate node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the operations further comprising: in response to receiving a second signal from a second aircraft, determining, by the system, a third line of sight that is unobstructed to a second antenna of the second aircraft; and in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmitting, by the system, a second highly directional beamformed EM signal, concurrent to transmission of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal, from a second directional antenna along another line of sight based on the third line of sight to establish a second communication channel with the second aircraft. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first directional antenna or the second directional antenna is a high-gain antenna. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal or the second highly directional beamformed EM signal is at least one of a frequency division multiplexed signal or a time division multiplexed signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The computer-implemented method of claim 8, the operations further comprising determining, by the system, a value of a quality metric associated with the first communication channel based on a characteristic of the first communication channel; and adjusting, by the system, a parameter of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal to achieve a threshold value of the quality metric associated with the first communication channel. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the quality metric is a bandwidth of the first communication channel, and the threshold value is selected to complete a data transfer of a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the parameter is a focal arc of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution, cause a communication device including a processor to perform operations comprising: in response to receiving a first signal from a first aircraft, determining a first line of sight that is unobstructed to a first antenna of the aircraft, and in response to not being able to determine the first line of sight that is unobstructed to the first antenna of the first aircraft, determine a second line of sight to an intermediate node that can establish a second communication channel with the aircraft; in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmitting a first highly directional beamformed electromagnetic (EM) signal from a first directional antenna along a line of sight based on the first line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft; and in response to the determination of the second line of sight, transmitting the first highly directional beamformed EM signal from a first directional antenna along the line of sight based on the second line of sight to establish a first communication channel with the aircraft through the intermediate node. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising: in response to receiving a second signal from a second aircraft, determining a third line of sight that is unobstructed to a second antenna of the second aircraft; and in response to the determination of the first line of sight, transmitting a second highly directional beamformed EM signal, concurrent to transmission of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal, from a second directional antenna along another line of sight based on the third line of sight to establish a second communication channel with the second aircraft. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first directional antenna or the second directional antenna is a high-gain antenna. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal or the second highly directional beamformed EM signal is at least one of a frequency division multiplexed signal or a time division multiplexed signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising determining a value of a quality metric associated with the first communication channel based on a characteristic of the first communication channel; and adjusting a parameter of the first highly directional beamformed EM signal to achieve a threshold value of the quality metric associated with the first communication channel. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the quality metric is a bandwidth of the first communication channel, and the threshold value is selected to complete a data transfer of a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the system.