CONCURRENT AIRBORNE COMMUNICATION METHODS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20130070677A1
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spatial Digital Systems Inc
• Original Assignee: Spatial Digital Systems Inc
• Inventors: Chang, Donald C. D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/006 using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2581 Multimode transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18523 Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/00 Optical multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/005 Optical Code Multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/08 Time-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03006 Arrangements for removing intersymbol interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03891 Spatial equalizers MIMO diversity systems H04B7/0413

Abstract

Aircrafts or unmanned air vehicles flying near Earth are used as airborne communications towers or relays. Using techniques of ground based beam forming and wavefront multiplexing enhance the ability to coherently combine the power of the communication signals, and improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a set of communication equipment divided among a plurality of airborne vehicles;

wherein a first subset of the set of communication equipment mounted on a first airborne vehicle defines a roving communication tower in a foreground region;

the set of communication equipment mounted on all the plurality of airborne vehicles also performs data transmissions with hubs or with ground based beam forming facilities located in a background region; and

wherein the data transmissions include wavefront multiplexing.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the airborne vehicles are un-manned.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the set of communication equipment comprises retro-directive arrays that communicate with the hubs or the facilities at a first frequency band different from a second frequency band used by onboard arrays that communicate with devices located in the foreground region.