CONCURRENT AIRBORNE COMMUNICATION METHODS AND SYSTEMS

• US 20140286235A1
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• 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 9,608,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/316
• 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. An unmanned airborne vehicle configured to have a user terminal in a first ground area to communicate with a ground hub in a second ground area spatially separate from said first ground area via said unmanned airborne vehicle.

2. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 1 comprising a beam forming network configured to shape a radiation pattern focusing a first signal to said first ground area.

3. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 2 further comprising an amplifier arranged downstream of said beam forming network and configured to amplify said first signal.

4. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a frequency converter arranged downstream of said beam forming network and configured to up convert said first signal in frequency.

5. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 2, wherein said beam forming network is configured to shape a radiation pattern focusing a second signal to a third ground area spatially separate from said first and second ground areas.

6. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 5 further comprising a frequency multiplexer configured to combine said first and second signals into a third signal to be radiated to said ground hub.

7. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 5 further comprising a time multiplexer configured to combine said first and second signals into a third signal to be radiated to said ground hub.

8. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 5 further comprising a code multiplexer configured to combine said first and second signals into a third signal to be radiated to said ground hub.

9. The unmanned airborne vehicle of claim 1 comprising an omnidirectional antenna configured to link to said ground hub.

10. A communication system comprising:

multiple unmanned airborne vehicles configured to form multiple foreground links to multiple user terminals;

an antenna array distributed among said unmanned airborne vehicle and configured to broadcast a coherently added signal so as to perform transmission for said foreground links; and

a ground based beam forming facility configured to perform a beam forming process on multiple signals from said unmanned airborne vehicles.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein said unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to form said foreground links to said user terminals operating in an L frequency band.

12. The communication system of claim 10, wherein said unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to form said foreground links to said user terminals operating in an S frequency band.

13. The communication system of claim 10, wherein said unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to form said foreground links to said user terminals performing an omni-directional transmission.

14. The communication system of claim 10, wherein said ground based beam forming facility is configured to perform said beam forming process on multiple signals from said unmanned airborne vehicles with multiple spot beams.

15. A communication system comprising:

a foreground link between unmanned airborne vehicles configured to communicate with a user terminal in a ground area; and

a second unmanned airborne vehicle configured to communicate with said user terminal, wherein said user terminal configured to form multiple signal beams concurrently so as to follow said first and second unmanned airborne vehicles.

16. The communication system of claim 15, wherein said signal beams are at the same frequency.

17. The communication system of claim 15 configured to have said user terminal in a first ground area to communicate with a ground hub in a second ground area spatially separate from said first ground area via said first and second unmanned airborne vehicles.

18. The communication system of claim 15, wherein said first and second unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to communicate with said user terminal operating in a C frequency band.

19. The communication system of claim 15, wherein said first and second unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to communicate with said user terminal operating in an L frequency band.

20. The communication system of claim 15, wherein said first and second unmanned airborne vehicles are configured to communicate with said user terminal operating in an S frequency band.