Line of sight aircraft data transfer system
AssigneeGE Aviation Systems LLC
InventorsSteven Lane Misenheimer, Joseph Steffler
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- receiving, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a transmission from an aircraft;
- determining, by the system, an unobstructed line of sight between the aircraft and a communication device;
- transmitting, by the system via the communication device, one or more first highly directional electromagnetic (EM) beam shaped transmissions along the unobstructed line of sight to the aircraft;
- receiving, by the system via the communication device, one or more second highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions from the aircraft along the unobstructed line of sight
- establishing, by the system, a wireless data connection between the communication device and the aircraft using the one or more first highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions and the one or more second directional highly EM beam shaped transmissions;
- adjusting, by the system, at least one characteristic of the one or more first highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions based on a current value of a bandwidth of the wireless data connection to meet a threshold value of the bandwidth, wherein the threshold value of the bandwidth is selected to complete a data transfer of a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the system;
- and
- transferring, by the system, aircraft data between the aircraft and the communication device using the wireless data connection.
A system, comprising:
- a first directional antenna;
- a processor;
- and
- a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions, comprising:
- an adaptive signaling component configured to:
- receive a transmission from an aircraft;
- determine an unobstructed line of sight between the aircraft and a communication device;
- transmit one or more first highly directional electromagnetic (EM) beam shaped transmissions to the aircraft along the unobstructed line of sight;
- receive one or more second highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions along the unobstructed line of sight from the aircraft
- establish a wireless data connection having between the communication device and the aircraft using the one or more first highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions and the one or more second directional highly EM beam shaped transmissions;
- adjust at least one characteristic of the one or more first highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions based on a current value of a bandwidth of the wireless data connection to meet a threshold value of the bandwidth, wherein the threshold value of the bandwidth is selected to complete a data transfer of a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the system;
- and
- transfer aircraft data between the aircraft and the communication device using the wireless data connection.
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:
- determining a 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 electromagnetic (EM) beam shaped transmissions along the unobstructed line of sight;
- adjusting at least one parameter of the highly directional EM beam shaped transmissions based on a current value of a signal-to-noise ratio of the wireless data connection to meet a threshold value of the signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the threshold value of the signal-to-noise ratio is selected to maintain the defined data transfer rate;
- and
- transferring a defined amount of data between the aircraft and the communication device using the wireless data connection within a defined time window.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.