Rockwell Collins, Inc.

William T Greenleaf

Scott F Bauler

Andrew M Vesel

Neil J Earnhardt

Richard S Dove

Joel Michael Wichgers

Steve J Nieuwsma

Kirschen A Seah

Phillip L Ellery

Randy H Jacobsen

Daniel J Clark

An aircraft communication system includes, and a method of aircraft communication uses, communication radios and a multilink communication controller. The multilink communication controller includes a link selection table and a link selector. The link selector is in communication with the link selection table. The link selector is configured to receive a message from a system of the aircraft and select a communication link among a number of communication links for the message using a priority of the message and priority information from the link selection table.

Systems and methods for multilink aircraft communication

An apparatus for forecasting weather related threats aboard an aircraft includes a computer for sending and receiving meteorological data to and from other aircraft in a self-organizing mesh network of aircraft. The computer isolates meteorological sensor data originating from the other aircraft in a region along the flight path of the aircraft and uses that data to forecast weather related threats along the aircraft's flight path.

Sharing air data between aircraft for threat detection

An aircraft remote network, device, and method are disclosed. The network may include a central data management unit (CDMU) and one or more aircraft systems, where each system may include an antenna and one or more units, through which radio frequency (RF) signals are transmitted and/or received. The device could receive a RF signal from an external source via the antenna, convert the signal to data, and provide the data to the CDMU; and receive data from the CDMU, convert the data to an RF signal, and provide the RF signal to the external source via the antenna, where the distance between the antenna and the device is less than the distance between the device and the CDMU.

Remotely-managed aircraft RF communication network, device, and method

A small aircraft includes a computer system configured to determine its own location, establish a datalink with a ground station and send the location information to the ground station in an ADS-B compliant format. The ground station then transmits the ADS-B compliant small aircraft information as a virtual ADS-B signal from the small aircraft to air traffic controllers and local ADS-B capable aircraft. Likewise, a ground station incorporates a virtual ADS-B In function to receive ADS-B information in a non-ADS-B datalink channel. The ground station performs ADS-B In applications without the burden of the small aircraft carrying the actual ADS-B equipment.

Virtual ADS-B for small aircraft

A very high frequency (VHF) transceiver can include an amplitude and phase shift keying (APSK) modulator configured to modulate signals for transmission across a first VHF channel of a plurality of VHF channels used to communicate between or among aircraft and one or more ground stations. Each of the VHF channels can have a bandwidth of at least 8.33 kilo Hertz (kHz) with a data rate per Hertz (Hz) greater than or equal to 3 bits per second per Hz (bps/Hz). The VHF transceiver can include a power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signals prior to the transmission. The VHF transceiver can include a linearity controller configured to control linearity of the power amplifier according to at least one of a Cartesian feedback amplifier linearization, pre-distortion amplifier linearization or feedforward amplifier linearization to mitigate nonlinear distortion associated with signals output by the power amplifier.

High rate VHF datalink

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for determining an ownship position of an aircraft. The method includes the steps of receiving data from a plurality of proximate aircraft and examining the data. Next, the method involves selecting a plurality of reference aircraft from the plurality of proximate aircraft, and receiving data from each reference aircraft. The data received from the reference aircraft is then correlated to a common time in order to create a reference frame for calculating the position of the aircraft. The next step of the method is to calculate the ownship position of the aircraft based on the data received from the reference aircraft and the common time. The system includes a receiver, processor, display, and transmitter, which are used to determine the ownship position of an aircraft.

Backup navigation position determination using surveillance information

A system may include a sensor for coupling with a vehicle configured for atmospheric flight. The sensor may be configured for detecting a turbulence event, where the turbulence event is at least one of experienced by the vehicle or occurs proximal to the vehicle during atmospheric flight. The system may also include a transmitter coupled with the sensor. The transmitter may be configured for automatically remotely transmitting data regarding the turbulence event to a ground based entity.

Sensing, display, and dissemination of detected turbulence

Aircraft operating environment information is sensed. The aircraft operating environment information is encapsulated in at least one sensor object. The at least one sensor object is transferred to a sensor object processing system. The at least one sensor object is processed.

Growing community of inventors

Indialantic, FL, United States of America

William T Greenleaf