Patent ID: 8965277
Filing Date: 2015-02-24
Classification: B64D,H04B

Abstract:
1. An aircraft having an aircraft structure comprising an external skin forming a conductive body with high electrical conductivity but finite internal resistivity for storing charge by generation of an electrical dipole in the conductive body, the aircraft being arranged to transmit and receive information to and from at least one other aircraft in close proximity and separated by a dielectric, the aircraft comprising: a transmitter comprising: a transmitter electrical charge storage means formed by the conductive body of the aircraft structure; means for controlling the electrical dipole in the transmitter electrical charge storage means for generating an electrical potential across the dielectric by an electrostatic field for controlling the electrical dipole in a receiver electrical charge storage means formed by a conductive body of an aircraft structure of a receiver aircraft; and means for varying the electrical dipole in the transmitter electrical charge storage means in accordance with information to be transmitted to a receiver aircraft so that a receiver aircraft can determine such information by detection of the variation of the electrical dipole in the receiver electrical charge storage means; and a receiver comprising: a receiver electrical charge storage means formed by the conductive body of the aircraft structure; means for detecting the electrical dipole in the receiver electrical charge storage means controlled by such an electrical potential across the dielectric by an electrostatic field generated by a transmitter aircraft; means for determining from a variation in the electrical dipole in the receiver electrical charge storage means store information transmitted from the transmitter aircraft.