Method and apparatus for deploying equipment of a communication system

• US 10,139,820 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Ken, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Bogdan, Pamela A. M., Barnickel, Donald J., Pimm, Brandon, Willis, III, Thomas M., Britz, David M., Henry, Paul Shala, Bennett, Robert, Zarsky, Dorothy, Beattie, Jr., James Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US15/371,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/17 for detecting, disrupting or countering communications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining, by an unmanned aircraft including a processor, a control signal that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly in proximity to a transmission medium, where the unmanned aircraft includes a carrying system that releasably carries a communication device, and where a positioning of the communication device in proximity to the transmission medium enables the communication device to be physically connected on the transmission medium and enables the communication device to provide communications. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An unmanned aircraft system, comprising:

an unmanned aircraft including a carrying system configured to releasably carry a waveguide system and further including a wireless receiver;

a processing system including a processor, the processing system being physically connected with the unmanned aircraft; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, from a remote control device, a control signal via the wireless receiver;

causing, in response to the control signal, the unmanned aircraft to fly in proximity to a physical transmission medium external to the unmanned aircraft, thereby causing positioning of the waveguide system in proximity to the physical transmission medium, wherein the positioning of the waveguide system in proximity to the physical transmission medium enables the waveguide system to be physically connected on the physical transmission medium; and

actuating the carrying system to cause the carrying system to release the waveguide system,

wherein the waveguide system, when physically connected on the physical transmission medium and external to the unmanned aircraft subsequent to release by the carrying system, provides communication by electromagnetic waves at a physical interface of the physical transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the physical transmission medium.

2. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising:

a video camera physically connected with the unmanned aircraft, wherein the operations further comprise wirelessly transmitting, to a display device and via a wireless transmitter of the unmanned aircraft, video images captured by the video camera to be presented at the display device.

3. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a latching signal that causes a latching mechanism of the waveguide system to close, resulting in the waveguide system being physically connected on the physical transmission medium.

4. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 3, wherein the latching signal causes a magnetic field to be generated, and wherein the magnetic field causes the latching mechanism to close.

5. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 3, further comprising an engagement member physically connected with the unmanned aircraft, wherein the latching signal causes the engagement member to engage with the latching mechanism resulting in the latching mechanism closing.

6. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an unlatching signal that causes a latching mechanism of the waveguide system to open resulting in the waveguide system being physically disconnected from the physical transmission medium.

7. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 6, wherein the unlatching signal causes a magnetic field to be generated, and wherein the magnetic field causes the latching mechanism to open.

8. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 6, further comprising an engagement member physically connected with the unmanned aircraft, wherein the unlatching signal causes the engagement member to engage with the latching mechanism resulting in the latching mechanism opening.

9. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

10. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the waveguide system is physically connected on the physical transmission medium responsive to a latching mechanism of the waveguide system closing when the latching mechanism contacts the physical transmission medium.

11. The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, wherein the physical transmission medium is a power line, and wherein the waveguide system, when physically connected on the power line, receives power from the power line via an inductive coupling with the power line.

12. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a processing system of an unmanned aircraft, a control signal that causes the unmanned aircraft to fly in proximity to a physical transmission medium external to the unmanned aircraft, wherein the unmanned aircraft includes a carrying system configured to releasably carry a communication device, and wherein a positioning of the communication device in proximity to the physical transmission medium enables the communication device to be physically connected on the physical transmission medium and external to the unmanned aircraft subsequent to release by the carrying system and enables the communication device to provide communications; and

actuating, by the processing system, the carrying system to cause the carrying system to release the communication device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the control signal is received from a remote control device, wherein the communication device comprises a waveguide system, wherein the waveguide system, when physically connected on the physical transmission medium, provides the communications by electromagnetic waves at a physical interface of the physical transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, and wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the physical transmission medium.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the control signal is a group of control signals, wherein a first subset of the group of control signals is received by a processing system of the unmanned aircraft from a remote control device, wherein a second subset of the group of control signals is received by the processing system via a cellular network, and wherein the positioning of the communication device in proximity to the physical transmission medium is determined from a map of receive signal strength for a group of positions along the physical transmission medium.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

capturing video images utilizing a video camera physically connected with the unmanned aircraft;

wirelessly transmitting, to a display device, the video images to be presented at the display device; and

generating a latching signal that causes a latching mechanism of the communication device to close resulting in the communication device being physically connected on the physical transmission medium, wherein the latching signal causes one of;

a generation of a magnetic field that causes the latching mechanism to close, or

an engagement of an engagement member, physically connected with the unmanned aircraft, with the latching mechanism resulting in the latching mechanism closing.

16. A waveguide system, comprising:

a radiating element; and

a latching mechanism,

wherein a positioning of the waveguide system in proximity to a physical transmission medium enables the latching mechanism to be actuated resulting in the waveguide system being physically connected on the physical transmission medium,

wherein the waveguide system has a size and a shape that enable an unmanned aircraft to carry the waveguide system in proximity to the physical transmission medium, the physical transmission medium being external to the unmanned aircraft,

wherein the waveguide system, when physically connected on the physical transmission medium and external to the unmanned aircraft subsequent to release by the unmanned aircraft, provides communication via the radiating element by electromagnetic waves at a physical interface of the physical transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, and

wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the physical transmission medium.

17. The waveguide system of claim 16, further comprising a processing system including a processor, wherein the processing system provides a release signal to the unmanned aircraft to cause a carrying system of the unmanned aircraft to release the waveguide system.

18. The waveguide system of claim 16, wherein the latching mechanism is actuated to open or close by one of:

a magnetic field generated by the unmanned aircraft,

an engagement with an engagement member physically connected with the unmanned aircraft,

a hydraulic actuator, or

a biasing mechanism that is biased towards a closed position to close the latching mechanism.

19. The waveguide system of claim 16, further comprising a sensor, wherein the latching mechanism is actuated to close responsive to a detection by the sensor of physical contact with the physical transmission medium.

20. The waveguide system of claim 16, further comprising an inductive coupler, wherein the waveguide system, when physically connected on the physical transmission medium, receives power from the physical transmission medium via the inductive coupler.