Abstract: Antennas used aboard aircraft to communicate with satellites or ground stations may have complex antenna patterns, which may vary as the aircraft moves throughout a given coverage area. Techniques are disclosed for dynamically adjusting the instantaneous power fed to an antenna system to ensure that the antenna transmits at the regulatory or coordinated effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) spectral limit. The antenna may transmit, in accordance with aircraft location and attitude, steerable beam patterns at different scan and skew angle combinations, causing variations in antenna gain and fluctuations in the transmitted EIRP. Using on-board navigational data, an antenna gain and ESD limit may be calculated for a particular scan and skew angle, which may be used to adjust power fed to the antenna such that the antenna transmits substantially at maximum allowable EIRP as the steerable beam pattern is adjusted.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to authenticating an electronic device with a wireless network using a presence-based authentication process. As part of the presence-based authentication process, an authentication entity may receive a registration message from an electronic device. The authentication entity may respond to the registration message by transmitting an authentication challenge associated with providing access to the wireless network and/or network feature thereof. If the electronic device provides a successful response to the authentication challenge, then the authentication entity may authenticate the electronic device to utilize the wireless network and/or network feature thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing dual fidelity communications to devices on board a vehicle. The systems and method integrate light fidelity (LiFi) communications with traditional vehicle radio frequency (RF) communications and/or wired communications systems. The systems and method may include detecting data packets addressed to devices on-board the vehicle and determining a metric associated with a data packet and or data stream associated with the data packet. Based on the determined metric, the data packet is routed over the LiFi communication system or the traditional RF or wired communication system.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided to facilitate predictive mitigation of noise. A vehicle may measure noise floor levels and transmit a noise floor signal to a noise signal aggregator. Based on the noise signal, the noise signal aggregator may update a noise floor map database. The noise floor map database may associate a plurality of geographic locations with a plurality of noise floor levels. Accordingly, the noise signal aggregator may update a noise floor level in the noise floor map database that corresponds to the location associated with the transmitted noise signal. The noise floor map database may then be queried to retrieve noise floor levels for locations further along a route traversed by a vehicle such that the vehicle may predictively tune one or more antennas to mitigate interference associated with the noise floor.

Abstract: A method and system facilitate communication between a constellation of satellites and a mobile platform-mounted mobile communicator. The method and system may include the use of a first antenna suited for operation using a first frequency band in a first geographic region and a second antenna suited for operation using either the first or a second frequency band in a second geographic region. The method and system may use a controller to determine which antenna to activate based on one or more of a geographic indicator or a signal indicator. The system used by the method to facilitate the communication may have one or more enclosures over the antennas and controller for mounting to a mobile platform.

Abstract: Novel techniques for pooling the available transmit power of a beam across the subcarriers that are or that are scheduled to be in use (and not across all available subcarriers) are disclosed. The scheduled subcarriers may be located in the same or different carriers of a modulation transmitter modulation system, and the pooled transmit power may be allocated or distributed across the scheduled subcarriers of the beam. Modulation symbols or resource elements may be transmitted in accordance with allocated, per-subcarrier power budgets, thereby maximizing the SNIR of signals that are transmitted in the beam via the scheduled subcarriers. Additionally, the allocation of the pooled transmit power to various subcarriers may continuously and/or dynamically vary over time, e.g., based on traffic demands, interference characteristics, etc., as well as based on subsequent scheduling of subcarriers to transmit subsequent modulation symbols or resource elements.

Abstract: Techniques to reduce scheduling grants to minimize or eliminate the use of control channels, at the expense of flexibility, allow protection of the system from unnecessary retransmissions in case of interference from the primary system. Use of a single grant to allocate a set of resources across all carriers, or communication channels simplifies the system at the cost of retransmission of a grant for all carriers in the case if interference corrupts the transmission of a subset of the carriers. Thus, complementing a single grant embodiment with detection of the affected frequency carriers or victim carriers and remove such carriers from the carrier aggregation configuration allows more efficient use of the allocated spectrum.

Abstract: A dynamic satellite load balancing system measures geographic position and travel information of in-flight aircraft in a fleet of aircraft equipped to establish in-flight connectivity services from a plurality of satellite beams. The in-flight aircraft include an on-board satellite map program with satellite map parameters to indicate which satellite beam of a group of available satellite beams is the most desirable based on the in-flight aircraft's geographic location. The system selects in-flight aircraft, determines load balanced satellite map parameters for the selected aircraft, and transmits the load balanced satellite map parameters to the aircraft to assemble load balanced satellite map programs to relieve wireless data communication saturation conditions on one or more of the satellite beams.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting and reducing signal interference affecting wireless communication with a mobile vehicle includes generating an interference signature based on a correlation multiple signal-quality characteristics of a desired target-signal that is received at an antenna assembly attached to the mobile vehicle, and adjusting the orientation of the antenna assembly based on a change or degradation in the interference signature to thereby improve wireless communication with the vehicle.

Abstract: Techniques, systems, devices, and methods for utilizing a mobile communicator for communicating with multiple satellites, e.g., simultaneously over an interval of time, are disclosed. The mobile communicator is disposed on a vehicle, and the multiple satellites may be disposed in different satellite constellations operating in different orbits. The mobile communicator establishes multiple communication links to the multiple satellites by utilizing only the set of antenna resources provided by a single antenna platform or array. Subsets of the antenna resources are dynamically apportioned and adapted, e.g., while the vehicle travels, to establish and maintain different communication links to different satellites via different spatial channels and their respective air interfaces to thereby maintain optimal satellite communicative connectivity. On-board connectivity services for personal electronic devices and/or other on-board applications may be supported by the disclosed techniques.

Abstract: A dynamic satellite map updating system measures geographic position and travel information of in-flight aircraft in a fleet of aircraft equipped to establish in-flight connectivity services from a plurality of satellite beams. The in-flight aircraft include an on-board satellite map program with satellite map parameters to indicate which satellite beam of a group of available satellite beams is the most desirable based on the in-flight aircraft's geographic location. The system selects in-flight aircraft, determines updated satellite map parameters for the selected aircraft, and transmits the updated satellite map parameters to the aircraft to assemble new satellite map programs to relieve wireless data outage conditions on one or more of the satellite beams. The dynamic satellite updating system may transmit the updated satellite map parameters over an existing satellite data connection to make up-to-date adjustments to the communications load among the group of available satellite beams.

Abstract: Systems, graphical user interfaces, and methods are provided to optimize bandwidth usage associated with a local network. As part of the bandwidth optimization techniques, a network regulation entity may maintain a plurality of usage statistics for a plurality of electronic devices. These usage statistics may be presented by an electronic device as part of a usage summary interface. In addition to displaying the usage statistics, the usage summary interface may enable a user to modify how the network regulation entity regulates traffic. Accordingly, the network regulation entity may update an access profile in accordance with the modification. Subsequently, the traffic received from the electronic device is processed based on the user-indicated modification. Thus, compliance with network neutrality principles may be maintained.

Abstract: The Automated Content Upload System networks a plurality of aircraft together when they are parked at the gates of an airport. Communications among the aircraft are guided by a Content Manager, resident at or near the airport, which maintains data representative of InFlight Entertainment Content presently stored on each aircraft and the list of scheduled InFlight Entertainment Content available on each aircraft. The Content Manager guides the exchange of InFlight Entertainment Content among the aircraft, as well as from the Content Manager to the aircraft, to automatically distribute InFlight Entertainment Content to the aircraft efficiently and timely. This process includes the ability to multicast data from the Content Manager to multiple aircraft in a single transmission, obtaining content delivery efficiency, populating multiple aircraft via a single transmission from the Content Manager.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to optimize bandwidth usage associated with a local network. As part of the bandwidth optimization techniques, a network regulation entity may maintain a plurality of usage statistics for a plurality of electronic devices. These usage statistics may be compared to an access profile to determine whether the local network is being used in a way anomalous with the access profile. If there is an anomalous usage condition present, the network regulation entity may generate a notification to inform a user of an electronic device as to the anomalous condition. Accordingly, when a user of the electronic device interacts with the notification, the electronic device may present an interface that enables the user to remedy the anomalous condition. Thus, because the remedial action is generated at the user's direction, compliance with network neutrality principles may be maintained.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to optimize bandwidth usage associated with a local network. As part of the bandwidth optimization techniques, an authentication entity may receive an indication of an access profile selected by a user of an electronic device. The authentication entity may assign the access profile to the electronic device. Accordingly, when the electronic device transmits data, a network regulation entity may process the traffic in accordance with the access profile. To this end, the network regulation entity may correspond communication sessions within the traffic to an application. The network regulation entity may then query the access profile to determine a priority for each application. When the traffic exceeds a threshold byte volume, the network regulation entity may queue lower priority communication sessions. By processing the traffic based upon a user-indicated access profile, compliance with network neutrality principles may be maintained.

Abstract: A system, method, and device to enable communication between a first and second satellite station and a controller of a mobile platform. The controller includes a processor, a first modem facilitating communication with the first satellite station via a first frequency over a first communication link, and a map of the one or more networks of satellite stations including the second satellite station. The controller utilizes the map of the one or more networks of satellite stations to determine the second satellite station for communicating with the controller. A second modem is coupled to the controller and facilitates communication with the second satellite station via a second frequency over a second communication link, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a time to handoff communication with the mobile communicator from the first communication link to the second communication link.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided to facilitate predictive mitigation of noise. A vehicle may measure noise floor levels and transmit a noise floor signal to a noise signal aggregator. Based on the noise signal, the noise signal aggregator may update a noise floor map database. The noise floor map database may associate a plurality of geographic locations with a plurality of noise floor levels. Accordingly, the noise signal aggregator may update a noise floor level in the noise floor map database that corresponds to the location associated with the transmitted noise signal. The noise floor map database may then be queried to retrieve noise floor levels for locations further along a route traversed by a vehicle such that the vehicle may predictively tune one or more antennas to mitigate interference associated with the noise floor.

Abstract: Techniques for delivering data or information onto a vehicle and for delivering data off of a vehicle include a data distribution system having multiple interfaces that are fixedly connected to the vehicle, and that provide access to multiple types of data bearers connected to external networks. A bearer selector engine may select a particular data bearer for delivery of data based on a set of selection criteria, which may be indicated in a set of selection rules on-board the vehicle. The selection criteria may be based on bearer characteristics, data characteristics, vehicle operating state and/or other current conditions, priority, a feature or service, and/or user preference. Using one or more on-board networks, data may be generated by an on-board originating device and routed for external delivery, or external data may be delivered to an on-board destination device. Data delivery may occur while the vehicle is en route.

Abstract: A dynamic satellite map updating system measures geographic position and travel information of in-flight aircraft in a fleet of aircraft equipped to establish in-flight connectivity services from a plurality of satellite beams. The in-flight aircraft include an on-board satellite map program with satellite map parameters to indicate which satellite beam of a group of available satellite beams is the most desirable based on the in-flight aircraft's geographic location. The system selects in-flight aircraft, determines updated satellite map parameters for the selected aircraft, and transmits the updated satellite map parameters to the aircraft to assemble new satellite map programs to relieve wireless data outage conditions on one or more of the satellite beams. The dynamic satellite updating system may transmit the updated satellite map parameters over an existing satellite data connection to make up-to-date adjustments to the communications load among the group of available satellite beams.

Abstract: A passenger unit for use on-board a passenger vehicle (e.g., an in-flight entertainment device) includes a display, a memory storing a passenger unit identifier, a wireless network interface, and a connector configured to physically couple to a connector on a mounting unit, where the mounting unit is installed on, or proximate to, a particular seat of a plurality of seats on-board the passenger vehicle. The passenger unit also includes a controller configured to obtain a seat location code of the particular seat from the mounting unit, and to cause the seat location code and the passenger unit identifier to be transmitted, via the wireless network interface, to a server on-board the passenger vehicle. The server is configured to map the passenger unit to the particular seat using the seat location code and the passenger unit identifier.