Unmanned aerial vehicle communication using distributed antenna placement and beam pointing
First Claim
1. An automated method performed by a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for determining a beam direction for communication with a second UAV, the method comprising:
- dividing a space around the first UAV into a plurality of sub-regions, the plurality of sub-regions extending out radially from the first UAV, wherein each sub-region in the plurality of sub-regions is associated with one of at least one antenna sub-apertures of the first UAV that generates an antenna beam that adequately covers the sub-region;
selecting the beam direction by iteratively performing, until the first UAV determines a specified criteria is met by a signal received from the second UAV;
selecting a selected sub-region from among the plurality of sub-regions;
pointing a signal toward the selected sub-region using the one of the at least one antenna sub-apertures associated with the selected sub-region;
determining whether a signal is received from another UAV while the signal is pointed to the selected sub-region; and
determining whether the signal received from the other UAV meets the specified criteria.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication system is described. The system includes: at least one gateway able to provide broadband connectivity, a set of ground terminals, and a set of aerial platforms, where at least one aerial platform is able to communicate with at least one gateway using radio frequencies, each aerial platform is able to communicate with ground terminals using radio frequencies, and each aerial platform is able to communicate with each other aerial platform using radio frequencies. An automated method for determining a beam direction for communication among UAVs includes: dividing a space around the UAV into multiple sub-regions, and, iteratively: selecting a sub-region from among the multiple sub-regions; pointing a signal toward the sub-region; and determining whether a signal is received from another UAV, until all sub-regions from among the multiple sub-regions have been selected.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. An automated method performed by a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for determining a beam direction for communication with a second UAV, the method comprising:
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dividing a space around the first UAV into a plurality of sub-regions, the plurality of sub-regions extending out radially from the first UAV, wherein each sub-region in the plurality of sub-regions is associated with one of at least one antenna sub-apertures of the first UAV that generates an antenna beam that adequately covers the sub-region; selecting the beam direction by iteratively performing, until the first UAV determines a specified criteria is met by a signal received from the second UAV; selecting a selected sub-region from among the plurality of sub-regions; pointing a signal toward the selected sub-region using the one of the at least one antenna sub-apertures associated with the selected sub-region; determining whether a signal is received from another UAV while the signal is pointed to the selected sub-region; and determining whether the signal received from the other UAV meets the specified criteria. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An automated method performed by a ground terminal for determining a beam direction for communication within an aerial communication system, the method comprising:
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dividing, at a ground terminal, a space around an aerial platform into a plurality of sub-regions, the plurality of sub-regions extending out radially from the aerial platform, wherein each sub-region in the plurality of sub-regions is associated with one of at least one antenna sub-apertures that generates an antenna beam that covers the sub-region; and selecting the beam direction for the ground terminal by iteratively performing, until a signal from the aerial platform meets specified criteria; selecting a selected sub-region from among the plurality of sub-regions; searching, within the selected sub-region, for a signal from the aerial platform using the one of the at least one antenna apertures associated with the selected sub-region; determining whether a signal has been detected at the ground terminal; and determining whether the detected signal meets the specified criteria. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification