AUTOMATICALLY-RECONFIGURABLE TROPOSPHERIC SCATTER COMMUNICATION LINK

• US 20150189651A1
• Filed: 12/29/2013
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ahikam Aharony
• Original Assignee: Ahikam Aharony
• Inventors: Aharony, Ahikam
• Granted Patent: US 9,231,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A communication system includes multiple communication nodes and a processor. The communication nodes are configured to communicate over a tropospheric scattering channel. The processor is configured to communicate with the communication nodes over a secondary communication network, different from the tropospheric scattering channel, so as to control communication of the communication nodes over the tropospheric scattering channel.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

multiple communication nodes, which are configured to communicate over a tropospheric scattering channel; and

a processor, which is configured to communicate with the communication nodes over a secondary communication network, different from the tropospheric scattering channel, so as to control communication of the communication nodes over the tropospheric scattering channel.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication nodes are configured to relay data between first and second endpoints by communicating in a cascade over the tropospheric channel, and wherein the processor is configured to adaptively add or remove at least one of the communication nodes to and from the cascade.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to identify a minimal subset of the communication nodes that are needed for connecting the first and second endpoints, and to configure the cascade so as to include only the minimal subset of the communication nodes.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to alternate between:

a first configuration in which the data is relayed with a first end-to-end latency and a first end-to-end throughput; and

a second configuration in which the data is relayed with a second end-to-end latency, smaller than the first end-to-end latency, and a second end-to-end throughput that is smaller than the first end-to-end throughput.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to adaptively set respective operating frequencies of the communication nodes on the tropospheric scatter channel.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain from the communication nodes, by communication over the secondary communication network, measurements relating to the tropospheric scattering channel, and to control the communication over the tropospheric scattering channel based on the measurements.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to instruct a pair of the communication nodes, over the secondary communication network, to perform an antenna alignment process.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the communication nodes is configured to perform a mutually-coordinated antenna alignment process by communicating over the secondary communication network.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to select a time that is permitted for reconfiguring the communication nodes, and to coordinate reconfiguration of the communication nodes at the selected time using the secondary communication network.

10. A method for communication, comprising:

communicating among multiple communication nodes over a tropospheric scattering channel; and

communicating with the communication nodes over a secondary communication network, different from the tropospheric scattering channel, so as to control communication of the communication nodes over the tropospheric scattering channel.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating among the communication nodes comprises relaying data between first and second endpoints by communicating in a cascade over the tropospheric channel, and wherein communicating with the communication nodes comprises adaptively adding or removing at least one of the communication nodes to and from the cascade.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein adding or removing the communication nodes comprises identifying a minimal subset of the communication nodes that are needed for connecting the first and second endpoints, and configuring the cascade so as to include only the minimal subset of the communication nodes.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein adding or removing the communication nodes comprises alternating between:

a first configuration in which the data is relayed with a first end-to-end latency and a first end-to-end throughput; and

a second configuration in which the data is relayed with a second end-to-end latency, smaller than the first end-to-end latency, and a second end-to-end throughput that is smaller than the first end-to-end throughput.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating with the communication nodes comprises adaptively setting respective operating frequencies of the communication nodes on the tropospheric scatter channel.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating with the communication nodes comprises obtaining from the communication nodes, by communication over the secondary communication network, measurements relating to the tropospheric scattering channel, and controlling the communication over the tropospheric scattering channel based on the measurements.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating with the communication nodes comprises instructing a pair of the communication nodes, over the secondary communication network, to perform an antenna alignment process.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating among the communication nodes comprises performing a mutually-coordinated antenna alignment process by a pair of the communication nodes, by communicating over the secondary communication network.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein communicating with the communication nodes comprises selecting a time that is permitted for reconfiguring the communication nodes, and coordinating reconfiguration of the communication nodes at the selected time using the secondary communication network.

19. A method, comprising:

communicating between first and second communication nodes via respective first and second antennas over a tropospheric scattering channel; and

adjusting the first and second antennas in an antenna alignment process that is mutually coordinated between the first and second communication nodes, by communicating between the first and second communication nodes over a secondary communication network that is different from the tropospheric scattering channel.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein adjusting the antennas comprises determining in the second communication node a preferred orientation for the first antenna, and reporting the preferred orientation to the first communication node over the secondary communication network.