The Boeing Company

Anthony D Monk

Michael De La Chapelle

Edward G Sergoyan

Douglas Allan Pietila

Christopher Wayne Fay

Janet L King

Clifford C Olmsted

Jeffrey D Miller

A method of providing a communication link for a mobile platform. The method may involve generating a single beam and controlling the single beam to simultaneously generate first and second communication lobes from the single beam, with the first communication lobe being steered to communicate with a first base transceiver station (BTS). The method may further involve simultaneously using the second communication lobe to communicate with the second BTS and fading out the first lobe so that communication with the mobile platform is transferred to the second BTS.

Soft handoff method and apparatus for mobile vehicles using directional antennas

A system and method for implementing soft handoffs in a communications system on a mobile platform. The system employs an antenna controller in communication with a beam forming network that generates two independently aimable lobes from a single beam. The single beam is radiated by a phased array antenna on the mobile platform. In an Air-to-Ground implementation involving an aircraft, a base transceiver station (BTS) look-up position table is utilized to provide the locations of a plurality of BTS sites within a given region that the aircraft is traversing. The antenna controller controls the beam forming network to generate dual lobes from the single beam that facilitate making a soft handoff from one BTS site to another. In a ground-based application, one lobe of the beam is used to maintain a communications link with one BTS site while a second lobe of the beam is continuously scanned about a predetermined arc to receive RF signals from other BTS sites and to determine when a new BTS site has become available that will provide a higher quality link than the link presently made with the one BTS site. A soft handoff is then implemented from the one BTS site to the new BTS site.

A method and apparatus for creating an antenna system. A configuration for a plurality of antenna cells is selected for an antenna in the antenna system. Each antenna cell in the plurality of antenna cells comprises a plurality of antenna elements having a symmetric arrangement. A portion of antenna elements in the plurality of antenna elements for each antenna cell in the plurality of antenna cells on a substrate is selected to transmit electromagnetic waves.

Phased array antenna using identical antenna cells

Methods and systems for blanking a transmission signal to prevent blockage by a recurring obstruction, such as a plurality of helicopter rotor blades, are provided. An obstruction that may block a communication line of sight path is monitored. It is determined when the obstruction is expected to block transmission of a transmitted signal along the communication line of sight path based on monitoring when the obstruction blocks the communication line of sight path. A transmission blanking signal is generated, where the transmission blanking signal is configured to selectively stop transmission of the transmitted signal along the communication line of sight path when the obstruction is expected to block the communication line of sight path.

Helicopter rotor blade blockage blanking

A blower system to remove precipitation from an antenna may include a blower air plenum extending substantially completely along one side of the antenna. A vent is in communication with the blower air plenum and extends substantially completely along the one side of the antenna to direct an airstream across a surface of the antenna to remove precipitation from the antenna. The vent may include a contour to conform to a contour of the one side of the antenna. The blower system may also include an air compressor to force air into the blower air plenum and out the vent to form the airstream flowing across the surface of the antenna.

Antenna and blower system to remove precipitation from the antenna

A point-to-multipoint communications system. The system uses an antenna to generate a single beam having independently steerable, narrow lobes. The phase array and amplitude array distributions used to form the lobes are controlled so that the lobes track and provide full duplex communication links with two or more RF terminals in two or more remote locations. In certain embodiments the dual lobe beam is generated from a fixed, ground-based location, and in other embodiments the single beam is generated from an airborne mobile platform, a mobile land vehicle, or a marine vessel. The various embodiments all enable one, two or more full duplex communication links to be established and maintained with a single beam.

Point-to-multipoint communications system and method

A system and methods for aligning an elliptical beam of an antenna to a line-of-sight from the antenna to a remote receiver are disclosed. The methods offset the antenna from an initial pointing direction in an antenna pointing coordinate system. Coordinates of the pointing offsets are determined in the E-plane and H-plane of an antenna beam coordinate system. The method then converts the coordinates of the pointing offsets from the antenna beam coordinate system into coordinates of offset points each located in the antenna pointing coordinate system according to the polarization angle of the E-plane and the H-plane, and performs a tracking algorithm using relative signal strength measurement data at the initial pointing directions and at the coordinates of the offset points. The true location of the center/peak of the elliptical beam is calculated in azimuth/elevation planes of the antenna pointing coordinate system.

Alignment of an elliptical beam of an antenna

A measurement device for measuring a thickness of a film layer over a substrate utilizes a microwave source and a resonant cavity having an open side. A microwave signal is introduced at a first end of the resonant cavity with the open side against a surface measurement sample having a film layer over a substrate, and an output signal detector senses the output power of the signal at a far end of the resonant cavity. A processor uses a difference in the resulting resonant frequency of the cavity from that using a substrate without the film layer to determine the thickness of the film layer.

Thickness measuring apparatus and method using a microwave cavity resonator

A method of reducing depolarization of a wireless signal passing through an antenna radome. An angle of incidence of the signal relative to the radome is determined. From the determined angle of incidence, at least one offset to signal depolarization attributable to the radome is determined. The offset is applied to the signal to reduce depolarization of the signal. When the foregoing method is implemented, effects of radome depolarization in transmit and/or receive modes can be substantially reduced or eliminated.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Anthony D Monk