Traffic offloading for a communication drone

• US 10,034,209 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Nandan, Amar Kumar, Joshi, Abhigyan, Yi, Kihak, Bodduru, Appala Naga Raju, Mehrotra, Nitin, Babbadi, Venkata A Naidu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thai
• Application Number:
  US15/455,679
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Various embodiments include methods of offloading user equipment communication traffic between communications drones. The methods may include receiving, at a candidate communication drone, a replacement request from a requesting communication drone. Radio frequency (RF) communication parameters may be set for the candidate communication drone to take over communications of the requesting communication drone. The RF communication parameters may be determined based on the replacement request and may distinguish the candidate communication drone from the requesting communication drone and at least one neighboring communication drone. The candidate communication drone may move toward a target position adjacent a position of the requesting communication drone without radiating RF communications for taking over communications of the requesting communication drone. In addition, the candidate communication drone may radiate RF communications using the set RF communication parameters to begin taking over communication services from the requesting communication drone upon arriving at the target position.

Claims

1. A method of offloading user equipment communication traffic between communications drones, comprising:

receiving, at a candidate communication drone, a replacement request from a requesting communication drone, wherein the replacement request includes identification information of the requesting communication drone;

setting radio frequency (RF) communication parameters for the candidate communication drone to take over communications of the requesting communication drone,

wherein the RF communication parameters are based on the replacement request and distinguish the candidate communication drone from the requesting communication drone and at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone (“

at least one neighboring communication drone”

);

moving the candidate communication drone toward a target position adjacent a position of the requesting communication drone without radiating RF communications on one or more frequencies used for the user equipment communication traffic for taking over communication services from the requesting communication drone; and

radiating RF communications on the one or more frequencies used for the user equipment communication traffic using the set RF communication parameters to begin taking over the communication services from the requesting communication drone upon arriving at the target position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the candidate communication drone, a status request from the requesting communication drone; and

transmitting, from the candidate communication drone to the requesting communication drone, status information in response to the status request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting, from the candidate communication drone to the requesting communication drone, status information in response to the status request comprises transmitting one or more of an indication of a current communication state, battery status, available power level, flight time remaining, position, altitude, heading, speed, and current activities of the candidate communication drone.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the replacement request, the status request, and the status information are transmitted via a server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an arrival indication upon arriving at the target position,

wherein radiating RF communications using the set RF communication parameters to begin taking over the communication services from the requesting communication drone upon arriving at the target position is performed after transmitting the arrival indication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF communication parameters distinguish the candidate communication drone from the requesting communication drone and the at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone by using a collision-free physical cell identity.

7. A method of offloading user equipment communication traffic between communications drones, comprising:

transmitting, from a requesting communication drone, a status request to one or more candidate communication drones;

receiving, at the requesting communication drone, one or more responses to the status request, wherein the received one or more responses include status information from responding candidate communication drones;

determining radio frequency (RF) communication parameters for a replacement communication drone that is selected from the one or more candidate communication drones, wherein the determined RF communication parameters distinguish the replacement communication drone from the requesting communication drone and at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone; and

transmitting, from the requesting communication drone, a replacement request to the replacement communication drone, wherein the determined RF communication parameters are included within the transmitted replacement request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the status request, the one or more responses to the status request, and the replacement request are transmitted via a server.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein status information received from the responding candidate communication drones and used to select the replacement communication drone includes one or more of an indication of a current communication state, battery status, available power level, flight time remaining, position, altitude, heading, speed, and current activities of the replacement communication drone.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the replacement communication drone has arrived at a target position adjacent to the requesting communication drone; and

performing a handover procedure to enable the replacement communication drone to take over handling the user equipment communication traffic from the requesting communication drone in response to determining that the replacement communication drone has arrived at the target position.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the handover procedure includes transmitting a handover message to the user equipment communicating with a network through the requesting communication drone, and

wherein the handover message forces the user equipment to start communicating with the network through the replacement communication drone.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the handover procedure includes moving the requesting communication drone away from the replacement communication drone thereby decreasing signal strengths of communications from the requesting communication drone transmitted to the user equipment.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the handover procedure includes decreasing signal strength of communications transmitted by the requesting communication drone to the user equipment.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting the replacement communication drone for replacement of the requesting communication drone from among the one or more candidate communication drones based on received responses to the status request.

15. A communication drone, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured with processor-executable instructions to;

receive a replacement request from a requesting communication drone, wherein the replacement request includes identification information of the requesting communication drone;

set radio frequency (RF) communication parameters for the communication drone to take over communications of the requesting communication drone,

wherein the RF communication parameters are based on the replacement request and distinguish the communication drone from the requesting communication drone and at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone;

move the communication drone toward a target position adjacent a position of the requesting communication drone without radiating RF communications on one or more frequencies used for user equipment communication traffic between a plurality of communications drones for taking over communication services of the requesting communication drone; and

radiate RF communications on the one or more frequencies used for the user equipment communication traffic using the set RF communication parameters to begin taking over the communication services from the requesting communication drone upon arriving at the target position.

16. The communication drone of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to:

receive a status request from the requesting communication drone; and

transmit to the requesting communication drone status information in response to the status request.

17. The communication drone of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to transmit to the requesting communication drone status information that includes one or more of an indication of a current communication state, battery status, available power level, flight time remaining, position, altitude, heading, speed, and current activities of the communication drone.

18. The communication drone of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions such that at least one of the replacement request, a status request, and the status information are transmitted via a server.

19. The communication drone of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to:

transmit an arrival indication upon arriving at the target position; and

radiate RF communications using the set RF communication parameters to begin taking over the communication services from the requesting communication drone upon arriving at the target position after transmitting the arrival indication.

20. The communication drone of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions such that the RF communication parameters distinguish the communication drone from the requesting communication drone and the at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone by using a collision-free physical cell identity.

21. A communication drone, comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured with processor-executable instructions to;

transmit a status request to one or more candidate communication drones;

receive one or more responses to the status request, wherein the received one or more responses include status information from responding candidate communication drones;

determine radio frequency (RF) communication parameters for a replacement communication drone that is selected from the one or more candidate communication drones, wherein the determined RF communication parameters distinguish the replacement communication drone from the communication drone that transmitted the status request (“

the requesting communication drone”

) and at least one communication drone neighboring the requesting communication drone; and

transmit a replacement request to the replacement communication drone, wherein the determined RF communication parameters are included within the transmitted replacement request.

22. The communication drone of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions such that at least one of the status request, the one or more responses to the status request, and the replacement request are transmitted via a server.

23. The communication drone of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions such that status information received from the responding candidate communication drones and used to select the replacement communication drone includes one or more of an indication of a current communication state, battery status, available power level, flight time remaining, position, altitude, heading, speed, and current activities of the replacement communication drone.

24. The communication drone of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to:

determine whether the replacement communication drone has arrived at a target position adjacent to the communication drone; and

perform a handover procedure to enable the replacement communication drone to take over handling user equipment communication traffic from the communication drone in response to determining that the replacement communication drone has arrived at the target position.

25. The communication drone of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to perform:

the handover procedure by transmitting a handover message to the user equipment is communicated with a network through the communication drone, and

the handover message forces the user equipment to start communicating with the network through the replacement communication drone.

26. The communication drone of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to perform the handover procedure by moving the communication drone away from the replacement communication drone thereby decreasing signal strengths of communications from the communication drone transmitted to the user equipment.

27. The communication drone of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to perform the handover procedure by decreasing signal strength of communications transmitted by the communication drone to the user equipment.

28. The communication drone of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured with the processor-executable instructions to:

select the replacement communication drone for replacement of the communication drone that transmitted the status request from among the one or more candidate communication drones based on received responses to the status request.