Ground terminal and gateway beam pointing toward an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for network access

• US 10,103,803 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bridgewest Finance, LLC
• Original Assignee: Bridgewest Finance, LLC
• Inventors: Jalali, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US15/451,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 455419, 455420, 455434, 455515, 455431, 455 6711
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/21 for providing Internet access
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform

Abstract

Systems and methods for detecting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Network access (for example, to the Internet) may be provided by detecting a UAV and fixing one or more beams from one or more ground terminals to the UAV. In one embodiment, the detection of a UAV includes forming and pointing beams from a ground terminal and ground gateways toward the UAV. The ground terminal may be configured to autonomously steer its antenna beam during initial installation to detect the reference signal from a UAV. In one variant, the ground terminals are steered to more finely track the position of the UAV based on a signal quality metric such as received signal strength. In one embodiment, the ground terminal antenna is initially manually pointed toward the UAV, and thereafter allowed to automatically steer to track the position of the UAV.

Claims

1. A communications system for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) apparatus, the communications system comprising:

a UAV apparatus comprising a UAV radio apparatus configured to;

steer one or more UAV beams toward a specific location on a ground location; and

receive one or more terminal antenna beams from the ground location; and

a ground terminal comprising a ground antenna apparatus configured to;

form the one or more terminal antenna beams; and

steer the one or more terminal antenna beams toward the UAV apparatus;

wherein the ground antenna apparatus is configured to form the one or more terminal antenna beams within a two-dimensional target area proximate to the UAV apparatus, the two-dimensional target area comprising a plurality of search bins each having a substantially equal area.

2. A method of detecting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) apparatus using a ground terminal apparatus, the method comprising:

pointing a ground antenna toward an estimated location of the UAV apparatus;

defining a current bin around an area corresponding to the estimated location of the UAV apparatus;

defining a first plurality of search bins proximate to the current bin; and

searching each of the first plurality of search bins until a reference signal from the UAV apparatus is detected at one of the first plurality of search bins;

wherein the searching comprises pointing a beam originating from the ground terminal antenna, the beam being sequentially pointed toward each of the first plurality of search bins until the reference signal is detected within one of the first plurality of search bins.

3. A method of detecting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) apparatus using a ground terminal apparatus, the method comprising:

pointing a ground terminal antenna toward an estimated location of the UAV apparatus based on at least partially known real-time position information of the UAV apparatus;

defining a current bin based on the estimated location of the UAV apparatus;

defining a plurality of search bins around the current bin;

searching each one of the plurality of search bins until a reference signal from the UAV apparatus is detected within at least one of the plurality of search bins;

wherein the defining of the plurality of search bins comprises forming a two-dimensional target area proximate to the UAV apparatus; and

wherein the forming of the two dimensional target area is characterized by an azimuthal dimension and an elevation dimension.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the searching of each one of the plurality of search bins comprises searching each bin of the plurality of search bins in sequence.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the searching of each one of the plurality of search bins further comprises identifying a bin having the highest received signal quality as a next current terminal angular search bin.

6. A method of detecting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) apparatus using a ground terminal apparatus, the method comprising:

pointing a ground terminal antenna toward an estimated location of the UAV apparatus based on at least partially known real-time position information of the UAV apparatus;

defining a current bin based on the estimated location of the UAV apparatus;

defining a plurality of search bins around the current bin;

searching each one of the plurality of search bins until a reference signal from the UAV apparatus is detected within at least one of the plurality of search bins and

further comprising fine tracking the UAV apparatus when the reference signal is detected within the at least one of the plurality of search bins;

wherein the fine tracking of the UAV apparatus comprises dividing the at least one of the plurality of search bins that the reference signal was detected in into a plurality of smaller bins.