A technique for controlling an airborne antenna system (304) for a radio telecommunications network mounted on an aircraft (300) is described. As to a method aspect performed by the aircraft (300), a physical antenna orientation of the antenna system (304) relative to geographic cardinal directions is determined. The physical antenna orientation is stabilized in a predefined direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions by controlling a rotational actuator (514) of the antenna system (304).

Systems and methods for allocating data transmission resources in a data network with a plurality of access points (AP). A first AP sends a discovery message including an identifier of a destination AP to all available neighbor APs of the first AP. The discovery message is forwarded by all APs to other neighbor APs. Each AP adds an identifier to the discovery message to create a list of visited APs for each discovery message. When a discovery message arrives at the destination AP, the destination AP selects a plurality of paths through the data network based on the data carried by the discovery message, and triggers a message passing system to setup resources for a first data transmission class while sending a reservation message the reverse direction through the data network.

A laser communication system for an aircraft has optical head units, separate laser transmitting unit, laser receiving unit, optical fiber for each optical head unit, optical switching device for coupling an optical head unit and a separate laser transmitting unit, and a central control unit, the optical head units connected to the optical switching device through the optical fiber, the optical head units having an optical axis, parallel to which light is emitted or received, and an optical pointing mechanism for adjusting the respective optical axis. The separate laser transmitting unit has a laser. The control unit connects to the optical switching device, laser transmitting unit, laser receiving unit and optical head unit to control a laser based data communication through coupling an optical head unit, which is in a free line of sight to a target outside the aircraft, to the laser transmitting unit and to modulate operation of the laser transmitting unit for emitting a signal.

Techniques for improving data rates at mobile terminals that are subject to periodic channel interruptions in a beyond-line-of-sight communication system are disclosed, including improved encoding and decoding systems that identify blockages and modify receiver operation during blockages to reduce data errors. In certain embodiments, encoding, symbol mapping, interleaving, and use of unique periodic identifiers function to enable a series of packets that may be received in a blockage impaired channel with reduced errors.

An information collection device according to the present disclosure is an information collection device that causes a small unmanned aerial vehicle to fly from a departure point to a destination and collects information at the destination using the small unmanned aerial vehicle, and includes a control device that causes the small unmanned aerial vehicle to fly from the departure point to the destination by transmitting a control signal to the small unmanned aerial vehicle by wireless information communication via a vehicle when determination is made that the wireless information communication is able to be executed with the small unmanned aerial vehicle via the vehicle located between the departure point and the destination.

An operation method of a first communication node may comprise: establishing a first wireless connection with a GCS; establishing a second wireless connection with the GCS; transmitting and receiving data to and from the GCS through a first end-to-end connection based on the first wireless connection; reporting a communication quality of the first wireless connection to the GCS; receiving a link switch request from the GCS; switching a link from the first wireless connection to the second wireless connection based on the link switch request; and transmitting and receiving data through a second end-to-end connection based on the second wireless connection.

Aspects described herein relate to a network for providing air-to-ground wireless communication in various cells. The network includes a first base station array, each base station of which includes a respective first antenna array defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in a first direction, wherein each base station of the first base station array is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the first base station array along the first direction by a first distance. The network also includes a similar second base station array where the second base station array extends substantially parallel to the first base station array and is spaced apart from the first base station array by a second distance to form continuous and at least partially overlapping cell coverage areas between respective base stations of the first and second base station arrays.

A method and a system for transmitting data in a carrier sense multiple access wireless network wherein a plurality of data transmission devices send respectively at least one data frame at different moments from each other. Each transmission device, when it is initialised: loads the final value of a first, second and third counter, triggers the second counter as from its initial value, triggers, when the second counter has arrived at its final value, the first, triggers, when the first counter has arrived at its final value, the third counter, which is reinitialised to its initial value and retriggered whenever the presence of data is detected on the radio medium, transfers at least one data frame when the third counter has arrived at its final value.

A MODMAN modem manager unit in an aviation broadband satellite terminal has a media interface slot integrated into the MODMAN. The media interface slot is exclusively dedicated to interface an external storage device. The external storage device is configured to be attached to or removed from the dedicated media interface slot, and the dedicated media interface slot is configured to allow transfer and storage of instructions and data specific for an APM Aircraft Personality Module via said dedicated media interface slot onto an attached external storage device. When interacting with the MODMAN via the dedicated media interface slot, the attached external storage device is configurable to act as dedicated APM in said aviation broadband satellite terminal.

An addressable display system configured for use in a mounting adapter configured to mount a personal electronic device (PED) on an aircraft includes a transparent surface configured to overlay the display surface of a PED when the PED is mounted in the mounting adapter wherein the transparent surface includes a region that is uniformly coated with a coating layer that when activated with a select excitation wavelength is configured to emit visible light to annunciate a message indicating a problem with an image displayed on a PED display; a lighting source configured to provide light in at an excitation wavelength; a MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) scanner module that is controllable to write desired symbology for annunciation at different addressable locations on the transparent surface; and an imaging device configured to capture an image of the PED display for an integrity check of data displayed on the PED display.