Uavionix is being sued by Garmin.
You are not supposed to get patents for “obvious” inventions, but that still happens all the time. This certainly looks like such a case. The main patent claim is
A method for configuring an ADS-B system of an aircraft having a transponder, the method comprising: receiving, using a receiver associated with the ADS-B system of the aircraft, a transmission from the transponder of the aircraft; extracting information from the transmission to be included in data broadcast over an ADS-B datalink; and causing the extracted information to be broadcast over the ADS-B datalink.
I recall a patent expert in Sweden once telling me that fully half of the patents challenged in court were declared invalid.
Is this the concept where a piece of avionics passively receives some data emitted by the plane’s own transponder, to use it in something re-transmitted by itself? If so, that was IIRC done by Zaon also (picking up the Mode C pressure altitude). Zaon went bust… It is probably widespread in the “low cost ADS-B IN/OUT” sphere, which “cannot legally” make a connection to the gray code / arinc429 pressure altitude wiring, and anyway such a connection could easily take all day and thus multiply the cost of those products.
The problem with technology patents (in the US in particular) is they aren’t supposed to be “obvious to practicioners ordinarily skilled in the art”, but the bar for obviousness is set incredibly low. IIRC the USPTO’s stance on this is grant the patent even if it’s obvious and let the courts decide. The problem with this is when you get a patent troll or a large company with such a patent going after a smaller company, the smaller company loses even if it wins as they still end up paying huge legal fees – and in the meantime may be unable to sell their product.
It is possible to object to a patent filing. It is a long time since I looked into this, but I reckon almost nobody does object unless they are really big and have full-time staff assigned to that job. Small firms just design and make stuff and perhaps do some cursory patent checks (I have done that many times) before going too far with a new product. And probably most of them do no checks at all and then can get caught by someone trolling an “obvious” patent. If you look at the innovation record of the avionics business, particularly some sectors like the KX-replacement VHF radios which have been “just around the corner” for so many years, it is likely that these are “spare bedroom kind of level” operations which won’t be doing any patent checks.
SoftRF: DIY RX/TX Flarm / PilotAware / Skytraxx / OGN
What do you think about the SoftRF project, especially the Prime Edition MkII?
This is a very simple DIY project (essentially order a few parts from Ali Express for $40 and stick them together) with the following functionality:
I have obtained all parts, now eagerly awaiting an opportunity to test it out. Will update this thread.
Seems like a dirt cheap price to try out something and educate onself. I have seen someone at my club with a self-built device but not seen it in use.
Please update us of your experience.
ADS-B OUT (uncertified) trial at Barton Airfield EGCB
No level of ATC service will be provided
The system is purely to assist the situational awareness of the FISOs
Traffic information may not be passed, and pilots remain responsible at all times for the safe conduct of their flight and seeing and avoiding other traffic
The picture the FISOs have may be incomplete as only ADSB equipped a/c will be displayed
I wonder what the point of this is. Half the traffic is flying with no transponder, transponder turned off, or defective altitude encoder (intentionally not fixed), and are these going to be velcroing in some gadget so the tower staff, and potentially some small % of other aircraft, can see them? Obviously not. No certified ADS-B IN system will see it.
You’d be surprised. A significant number of the microlights (pretty much the bottom of the food chain in GA) at the beach flyin I went to near Blackpool last year had some kind of electronic conspicuity device including a display, and the CAA and LAA are actively pushing low cost ADS-B solutions.
It’s irrelevant if certified ADS-B IN systems don’t see them. The only SEP in the country with certified ADS-B IN is based in Shoreham :-) and doesn’t need the ADS-B in part anyway as it can use Mode-C transponder replies. Non-certified ADS-B systems are very cheap and integrate with Skydemon and co. and will show it all.
The only SEP in the country with certified ADS-B IN is based in Shoreham
Not mine 
