The Boeing Company

Scott Edward Marston

Sudhakar S Shetty

Arun Ayyagari

David T Kirkland

Bradley James Mitchell

Jason Philip Bommer

Kenneth Patrick Kirchoff

Keith J Glover

Ethan Carl Owyang

Nathaniel Thomas Horton

Frank L Whetten

Del Silva

Zhaofeng Ma

Venkata Prabhakar

David T Ii Kirkland

A passenger control unit is provided that may include a push-button, power assembly, and control and communication circuitry. The push-button may be for control of a passenger service unit (PSU) onboard a passenger vehicle, and may also generate mechanical energy when pushed. The power assembly may convert the mechanical energy to electrical energy, and store the electrical energy, solely from which the control and communication circuitry may be powered. The control and communication circuitry may include a microprocessor and a communications interface. The microprocessor may receive an indication when the push-button is pushed, and generate an instruction to control the PSU in response thereto. And the communications interface wirelessly transmit the instruction to a control unit configured to effect control of the PSU based thereon.

Energy-harvesting-based control and communication for a cabin services system

A method and associated wireless monitor and data analysis system are provided. The method includes installing one or more of a plurality of wireless monitors at respective locations onboard a complex system on which a wireless system of interest is installed or planned for installation. The method may then include by the plurality of wireless monitors, emulating the wireless system of interest, and recording data related to performance of the wireless system of interest at one or more recorded times over a plurality of operating conditions of the complex system. The method may also include by the plurality of wireless monitors, collecting data including the respective locations of the wireless monitors correlated with respective recorded data and recorded times. In this regard, the collected data for the plurality of wireless monitors may be retrievable for analysis of the wireless system of interest based thereon.

Onboard wireless performance testing

An integrated wireless network and associated method are provided for facilitating wireless communication onboard an aircraft. The integrated wireless network includes a wireless distribution system including a wired interface and a plurality of wireless radios. The wireless distribution system may also include a combiner and one or more antennas, such as leaky feeder antenna(s), extending through the cabin compartment of the aircraft. The combiner may provide the combined wireless signals to the antenna for transmission. And, the combiner may deconstruct wireless signals received by the antenna and provide the deconstructed wireless signals to a respective wireless radio. The integrated wireless network of this embodiment also includes one or more wireless data concentrators having a plurality of wireless radios in communication with the antenna. The plurality of wireless radios of the wireless distribution system and the wireless data concentrator may support wireless communications in accordance with a plurality of different protocols.

Integrated wireless network and associated method

A broadband wireless distribution network for a passenger cabin area of a mobile platform. The broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) connected to a server and switching system and a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) strategically located about the passenger cabin. Additionally the broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of antennas connected to the WAPs such that at least one antenna is connected to each WAP. The antennas are capable of providing RF coverage patterns to specific overlapping areas within the passenger cabin, thereby allowing communication between each WAP and at least one NIC.

Broadband wireless distribution system for mobile platform interior

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Scott Edward Marston