US 11,153,922 B2 · Directional wireless communications onboard aircraft

Abstract

Disclosed is a method that includes receiving absolute wireless access point coordinates from wireless access points that define respective wireless access point positions of the wireless access points. The method includes orienting the directional antenna to orientations based on the absolute wireless access point coordinates. The method includes transmitting test signals to the respective wireless access points while the directional antenna is positioned at the orientations to generate the database entries associated with the respective wireless access point positions. The method includes orienting the directional antenna according to a first one of the database entries having a greatest likelihood to establish a first communications path between a first one of the wireless access points and the wireless endpoint. The method includes transmitting a data signal to the first one of the wireless access points with a minimum transmission power based on the database entries.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for initializing wireless communications in an aircraft, the method comprising:

receiving absolute wireless access point coordinates from wireless access points that define respective wireless access point positions of the wireless access points;
orienting a directional antenna to orientations based on the absolute wireless access point coordinates, the directional antenna being associated with a wireless endpoint;
transmitting test signals to the respective wireless access points while the directional antenna is positioned at the orientations to generate database entries associated with the respective wireless access point positions;
orienting the directional antenna according to a first one of the database entries having a first likelihood to establish a first communications path between a first one of the wireless access points and the wireless endpoint that is greater than a likelihood associated with another of the database entries;
and
transmitting a data signal to the first one of the wireless access points with a minimum transmission power based on the database entries.

3 more elements

A method for positioning a directional antenna associated with a wireless endpoint according to database entries, the method comprising:

orienting the directional antenna according to a first one of the database entries having a first likelihood to establish a first communications path between a first one of wireless access points and the wireless endpoint that is greater than a likelihood associated with another of the database entries;
transmitting a data signal to the first one of the wireless access points with a minimum transmission power based on the database entries;
and
responsive to a disconnection of the first communications path, orienting the directional antenna according to a second one of the database entries having a second likelihood to establish a second communications path between a second one of the wireless access points and the wireless endpoint that is greater than a likelihood associated with another of the database entries,
wherein the database entries are ratios of received signal strengths and transmission powers corresponding to absolute wireless access point coordinates and the first likelihood is based on the ratios.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Directional wireless communications onboard aircraft

Life of this patent

Directional wireless communications onboard aircraft

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15