Aircraft in-flight entertainment system having a dual-beam antenna and associated methods
First Claim
1. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising:
- a radome to be carried by the aircraft;
a dual-beam satellite antenna and first and second positioners coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft and protected by said radome, said dual-beam satellite antenna to simultaneously generate dual antenna beams for television programming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites and comprisinga first aperture to be positioned by said first positioner and configured to operate within a frequency range of 10.7 to 18 GHz for receiving the television programming, anda second aperture to be positioned by said second positioner and adjacent said first aperture and configured to operate within a frequency range of 20 to 30 GHz for receiving the Internet data;
a television programming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft; and
at least one access point to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft includes a radome to be carried by the aircraft, and a dual-beam satellite antenna and at least one positioner coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft and protected by the radome. The dual-beam satellite antenna is to generate dual antenna beams for television programming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites. The dual-beam satellite antenna includes a first aperture for receiving the television programming, and a second aperture adjacent the first aperture for receiving the Internet data. A television programming distribution system is to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft. At least one access point is to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data.
11 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising:
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a radome to be carried by the aircraft; a dual-beam satellite antenna and first and second positioners coupled thereto to be carried by the aircraft and protected by said radome, said dual-beam satellite antenna to simultaneously generate dual antenna beams for television programming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites and comprising a first aperture to be positioned by said first positioner and configured to operate within a frequency range of 10.7 to 18 GHz for receiving the television programming, and a second aperture to be positioned by said second positioner and adjacent said first aperture and configured to operate within a frequency range of 20 to 30 GHz for receiving the Internet data; a television programming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft; and at least one access point to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising:
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a radome to be carried by the aircraft; a dual-beam satellite antenna to be carried by the aircraft and protected by said radome, said dual-beam satellite antenna to simultaneously generate an antenna beam for television programming and an antenna beam for Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites, with each antenna beam having a respective antenna beam boresight, said dual-beam satellite antenna comprising a first aperture for receiving the television programming, a second aperture adjacent said first aperture for receiving the Internet data; and said first and second apertures having an antenna beam offset between their respective antenna beams; at least one positioner to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna, with said at least one positioner comprising a common positioner for positioning both said first and second apertures at a same time while maintaining the antenna beam offset; a controller coupled to said at least one positioner; a television programming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft; and at least one access point to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to said dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft for the Internet data. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for an aircraft and comprising a radome to be carried by the aircraft, a dual-beam satellite antenna to be protected by the radome, first and second positioners to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-band satellite antenna, a television programming distribution system to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide television programming within the aircraft, and at least one access point to be carried by the aircraft and coupled to the dual-beam satellite antenna to provide a wireless local area network (WLAN) within the aircraft, the method comprising:
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controlling the first and second positioners so that the dual-beam satellite antenna simultaneously generates dual antenna beams for television programming and Internet data from respective spaced apart satellites, the dual-beam satellite antenna comprising a first aperture to be positioned by the first positioner and configured to operate within a frequency range of 10.7 to 18 GHz for receiving the television programming, and a second aperture to be positioned by the second positioner and adjacent the first aperture and configured to operate within a frequency range of 20 to 30 GHz for receiving the Internet data; providing the television programming to aircraft passengers via the television programming distribution system; and providing the Internet data to the aircraft passengers via the WLAN. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification