Systems and methods for locating ground and air radio antennae for ground-to-air and air-to-air communication networks

• US 20140114606A1
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartsky Networks Llc
• Original Assignee: Smartsky Networks Llc
• Inventors: Herriot, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,371,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/16 for measuring distance of clearance between spaced objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and a system for determining locations of telecommunication ground stations. In one aspect, the method includes creating heat map data set representing air traffic volume at grid units of a geographic region, determining a ground station location at one of the grid units having air traffic volume greater than that of others of the grid units, modifying the heat map data by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location, and repeating the determining and modifying steps until a predetermined quantity of ground station locations is determined.

Claims

1. A method for determining locations of telecommunication ground stations, the method comprising:

A) creating a heat map data set representing air traffic volume at grid units of a geographic region;

B) determining a ground station location at one of the grid units having associated therewith air traffic volume greater than that of others of the grid units;

C) modifying the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location; and

D) repeating B) and C) until a predetermined quantity of ground station locations is determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein A) comprises:

A1) providing geographic data representing the geographic region, the geographic data including grid data representing the plurality of grid units;

A2) providing air traffic data representing origin and destination locations of multiple flight;

A3) calculating a trajectory for each of the flights using the air traffic data and the geographic data; and

A4) counting a hit for a grid unit when a trajectory for a flight coincides with the grid unit.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

A5) creating the heat map data set in accordance with a total number of hits for each of the grid units.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the air traffic volume is represented by the total number of accumulated hits associated with each of the grid unit within a predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the air traffic data comprises data representing a number of seats associated with each of the flights.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the air traffic volume is represented by the total number of hits for each of the grid units modified by the number of seats for each of the flights.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein A4) comprises:

A4-1) assigning an extended area around a flight;

A4-2) counting a hit for each grid unit when the extended area associated with a flight coincides with the grid unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the grid units corresponds to a grid square of approximately a 0.1 arc degree of space above the geographic region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein C) comprises:

C1) modifying the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location in accordance with a communication range of a ground station antenna.

10. A system for determining locations of telecommunication ground stations, the system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor for storing data to be processed by the processor, the system further comprising:

A) program logic configured to create heat map data set representing air traffic volume at a plurality of grid units of a geographic region;

B) program logic configured to determine a ground station location at one of the grid units having associated therewith air traffic volume greater than that of others of the grid units; and

C) program logic configured to modify the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory stores geographic data and air traffic data stored therein, the geographic data representing the geographic region and including grid data representing the grid units, and the air traffic data representing origin and destination locations of flights, and wherein A) comprises:

A1) program logic configured to calculate a trajectory for each of the flights using the air traffic data and the geographic data;

A2) program logic configured to count a hit for a grid unit when a trajectory for a flight coincides with the location of a grid unit; and

A3) program logic configured to create the heat map data set in accordance with a total number of hits for each of the grid units.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the air traffic volume is represented by the total number of accumulated hits for each of the grid units within a predetermined time period.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the air traffic data comprises data representing a number of seats associated with each of the flights.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the air traffic volume is represented by the total number of hits for each of the grid units modified by the number of seats for each of the flights.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein A2) comprises:

A2-1) program logic configured to assign an extended area around a flight traversing a flight trajectory; and

A2-2) program logic configured to count a hit for each of the grid unit when the extended area associated with a flight coincides with the grid unit.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein C) comprises:

C1) program logic configured to modify the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location in accordance with a communication range of a ground station antenna.

17. A computer program product for use with an computer system operatively, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having embodied therein program code comprising:

A) program code for creating a heat map data set representing air traffic volume at grid units of a geographic region;

B) program code for determining a ground station location at one of the grid units having associated therewith air traffic volume greater than that of others of the grid units; and

C) program code for modifying the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein A) comprises:

A1) program code for calculating a trajectory for each of the flights using the air traffic data and the geographic data;

A2) program code for counting a hit for each of the grid unit when a trajectory for a flight coincides with the grid unit; and

A3) program code for creating the heat map data set in accordance with a total number of hits for each of the grid units.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein A2) comprises:

A2-1) program code for assigning an extended area around a flight traversing a flight trajectory; and

A2-2) program code for counting a hit for each of the grid unit when the extended area associated with a flight coincides with the grid unit.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein C) comprises:

C1) program code for modifying the heat map data set by excluding data representing one or more of the grid units surrounding the ground station location in accordance with a communication range of a ground station antenna.