Aircraft Antenna Selection via Wingman Position Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircrafts face challenges in establishing communication with wingman aircraft due to changing positional relationships, leading to failures in selecting suitable antennas for effective communication.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft-antenna controlling device that predicts the current position of the wingman aircraft using temporal position information and selects an antenna with elongation within a coverage angle for optimal communication, considering the impact of aircraft roll on relative position changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple antennas are provided at different points on the fuselage to improve communication coverage, then the communication reliability with wingman aircraft is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic antenna selection based on real-time relative position between aircraft. The system continuously monitors position information and automatically switches between antennas according to the current spatial relationship, making the antenna configuration adaptive rather than static. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable communication through multiple antennas while managing complexity through automated dynamic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-calculates and stores coverage angles and elongation parameters for each antenna before operation. By preparing antenna selection criteria in advance based on predicted wingman aircraft positions, the system reduces real-time computational complexity while ensuring reliable communication coverage.
2Speed
If antenna selection is based on real-time position information only, then the response speed is improved, but the measurement precision of wingman aircraft position deteriorates due to time delay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent predicts the current position of the wingman aircraft by extrapolating from historical position data and detected motion trends. This preliminary position estimation allows the system to select antennas based on predicted rather than delayed position information, maintaining both fast response and high position precision simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously receives position information from the wingman aircraft and uses this feedback to update position predictions. By incorporating real-time position feedback into the prediction algorithm, the system maintains accurate position estimation while enabling rapid antenna selection responses.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the coverage angle of each antenna is increased to improve communication coverage, then the adaptability to different positions is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements for antenna alignment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the selection criteria from fixed geometric coverage zones to dynamic parameters including coverage angle and elongation relative to the center axis. By selecting antennas based on calculated elongation values rather than predetermined coverage zones, the system achieves adaptability to different positions without requiring high manufacturing precision for antenna alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent assigns different coverage characteristics to different antennas based on their specific positions and orientations on the fuselage. Each antenna's coverage angle and elongation are optimized for its local position, allowing the system to achieve overall high adaptability through coordinated selection rather than requiring each individual antenna to have high precision alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A control unit of an aircraft includes a computer that predicts the current position of a wingman aircraft based on a temporal change in wingman-aircraft position information indicating the position of the wingman aircraft; an antenna selector that selects, from among multiple antennas, an antenna with which the elongation φt with respect to the center axis of the antenna at the predicted current position of the wingman aircraft predicted by the computer falls within a coverage angle θ; and a beam controller that executes communication with the wingman aircraft via the antenna selected by the antenna selector. Thus, the control unit of the aircraft can select an optimal antenna for communication with the wingman aircraft from among the multiple antennas.