Image: uAvionix
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has accepted the patent application for uAvionix’s “Aircraft Navigation Light ADS-B Radio,” according to an announcement from the company on Tuesday. The USPTO is expected to issue the patent (U.S. Patent No. 10,156,627) on Dec. 18, 2018. uAvionix says its skyBeacon and tailBeacon products utilize the “Power Transcoder” included in the patent to ensure proper synchronization of data elements between Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) replies and ADS-B transmissions.
“The Power Transcoder provides a much cleaner solution than either a dedicated data interface or an RF [radio frequency] solution like many existing products,” said uAvionix CEO Paul Beard, who is also the inventor of the patent. “Dedicated data interfaces increase installation costs, and wireless solutions that incorporate a 1090 MHz receiver can pick up unintended signals from other aircraft. The Power Transcoder works within the closed system of the aircraft itself, reducing both errors and costs.”
As previously reported by AVweb, Garmin filed a lawsuit last June alleging that uAvionix was using Garmin’s patented ADS-B technology without permission. Although it is not yet clear how the issuance of this patent might affect Garmin’s suit, it does suggest that the USPTO found distinct differences between the two technologies.
