Harris Corporation

Skystream LLC

General Electric Company

Shawn H Gallagher

Eric J Salyers

Ivica Kostanic

Edward Paulsen

Timothy Huggins

Daniel J Schwinn

James J Ziarno

Matthew D Collins

Francis Eugene Parsche

Steven D Halford

Daniel Schwinn

Barry R Birdwell

Francis E Parsche

Eric Richard Dillen

Prakash Bedapudi

W Douglas Glenn

James L Ziarno

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations; and Alternate Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) beacon transmitters positioned on the ground; and LDACS airborne stations. The LDACS airborne station may be configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations, and determine A-PNT information based upon the plurality of A-PNT beacon transmitters.

Enhanced LDACS system that determines A-PNT information and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations assigned to respective different ground communication networks; and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with selected ones of the LDACS ground stations based upon respective roaming agreements for the different ground communication networks. In addition, the system may include a network broker configured to authorize a connection between an LDACS airborne station and an LDACS ground station based upon a corresponding roaming agreement.

Enhanced LDACS system having roaming agreements and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include cellular telephone ground stations, and LDACS ground stations. In addition, the enhanced LDACS may also include a plurality of LDACS airborne stations, each configured to selectively communicate with either a corresponding LDACS ground station or a corresponding cellular telephone ground station based upon an altitude of the LDACS airborne station.

Enhanced LDACS system combined with cellular telephone ground stations and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a network controller configured to operate a given LDACS ground station and LDACS airborne station to use a primary LDACS channel and at least one supplemental LDACS channel defining an aggregated bandwidth channel, with the primary LDACS channel changing at handover from one LDACS ground station to another LDACS ground station.

Enhanced LDACS system having channel aggregation and associated methods

An Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) device may include a controller and a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled thereto and configured to transmit flight identification data, and transmit flight position data at a coarse accuracy and a fine accuracy. The RF transmitter may be configured to operate at a frequency within the L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) frequency band. For example, the controller may be configured to encapsulate the flight identification data and flight position data within a message for an LDACS.

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) device having coarse and fine accuracy flight position data and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations. Each LDACS airborne station may be configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations using at least one cellular network security feature. For example, the at least one cellular network security feature may include a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) security feature.

Enhanced LDACS system having LTE security features and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a Cloud-based network controller configured to allocate LDACS resources to the LDACS ground stations and the LDACS airborne stations based upon a number of LDACS airborne stations, respective flight paths of each LDACS airborne station, a respective type of each LDACS airborne station, and historical data on communication use for each LDACS airborne station.

Enhanced LDACS system having cloud-based management and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and a LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a network controller configured to operate the LDACS ground stations and LDACS airborne stations at different transmission powers to define an LDACS underlay network and an LDACS overlay network. The LDACS underlay network may have a larger cell size than the LDACS overlay network. Portions of the LDACS underlay network may be installed prior in time to portions of the LDACS overlay network.

Enhanced LDACS system having LDACS underlay and overlay networks and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations; and a LDACS airborne stations, each configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations at a given class of service from among different classes of service. The enhanced LDACS may also include a network controller configured to operate the LDACS ground stations and LDACS airborne stations at the different user classes of service.

Enhanced LDACS system having different user classes and associated methods

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. Each LDACS airborne station may be configured to collect respective routing metrics, and each LDACS airborne station may be selectively operable as at least one of a host and client. The enhanced LDACS may also include a peer-to-peer server configured to establish a mesh network topology from the LDACS airborne stations based upon the routing metrics, and selectively operate each LDACS airborne station as at least one of the host and client.

Enhanced LDACS system having mesh network topology and associated methods

A managed access system is for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility geographically within a wireless communications network of a communications carrier. The system may include at least one RF antenna arranged at the facility and including an RF launch structure, and an elongate electrical conductor having a proximal end extending through the RF launch structure and a distal end spaced apart from the RF launch structure to define an elongate RF coverage pattern. The system may further include radio equipment coupled to the at least one RF antenna, and a management access controller cooperating with the radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD in the elongate RF coverage pattern within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an authorized MWD.

Managed access system including surface wave antenna and related methods

A radio frequency (RF) communications system may include a local RF communications device and an RF antenna coupled to the local RF communications device. The RF antenna may include a cavity backing housing, a conical RF launch structure having an apex positioned within the cavity backing housing, and an elongate electrical conductor having a proximal end extending through the apex of the conical RF launch structure and a distal end spaced apart from the conical RF launch structure to define an elongate RF coverage pattern. The system may further include at least one remote RF communications device within the elongate RF coverage pattern to wirelessly communicate with the local RF communications device.

Communications antenna and associated methods

A managed access system is for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility, with the facility being geographically within a wireless communications network of a communications carrier. The system may include antennas arranged at the facility, radio equipment coupled to the antennas, a network interface device configured to provide communications with the communications carrier, and a management access controller. The controller may be configured to communicate with the radio equipment and the network interface device to retrieve respective authenticated encryption keys from the communications carrier for each MWD, authenticate the MWDs to a local managed access network based upon respective encrypted keys, provide communications between authenticated MWDs on the local managed access network and the network interface device for communications with the communications carrier, and deny communications between un-authenticated MWDs on the local managed access network and the network interface device for communications with the communications carrier.

Mobile wireless device managed access system providing enhanced authentication features and related methods

A managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility that is geographically within a wireless communications network includes a plurality of antennas at the facility. Radio equipment is coupled to the antennas. A management access controller cooperates with the radio equipment to communicate with a given MWD within the facility, block outside communications via the wireless communications network when the given MWD is an unauthorized MWD, and provide outside communications when the given MWD is an authorized MWD. At least one security assessment device is arranged at the facility. At least one operator station is configured to cooperate with the management access controller and the at least one security assessment device.

Managed access system with security assessment equipment

A managed access system for mobile wireless devices (MWDs) in a facility that is geographically within a wireless communications network of a communications carrier includes a plurality of antennas arranged at the facility, radio equipment coupled to the plurality of antennas, and a network interface device configured to provide communications with the communications carrier. A management access controller is configured to communicate with MWDs via the radio equipment, compare an identification of a given MWD to a list of authorized MWD's to determine whether the given MWD is unauthorized or authorized, and filter communications between an unauthorized MWD and the network interface device and pass communications between an authorized MWD and the network interface device.

Growing community of inventors

Melbourne, FL, United States of America

Shawn H Gallagher