RADIO ACCESS NETWORK FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20160330771A1
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: TAN, Thomas H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,039,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A device may determine an elevation of an unmanned aerial vehicle, or may determine multiple signal strengths corresponding to multiple communications between the unmanned aerial vehicle and multiple base stations. The multiple communications may be transmitted via one or more frequency bands. The device may identify, based on the elevation or the plurality of signal strengths, a frequency band, of the one or more frequency bands, via which to unmanned aerial vehicle is to communicate. The device may establish a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a base station, of the multiple base stations, using the frequency band.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

determine at least one of;

an elevation parameter that indicates an elevation of an unmanned aerial vehicle, or

a signal strength parameter that indicates a signal strength of a communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a base station,

the communication being carried via one of a plurality of frequency bands;

identify, based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, a frequency band, of the plurality of frequency bands, via which to transmit or receive communications associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

establish a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a radio access network using the frequency band.

2. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when identifying the frequency band based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, are further to:

identify the frequency band based on the elevation parameter.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when identifying the frequency band based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, are further to:

identify the frequency band based on the elevation parameter and the signal strength parameter.

4. The device of claim 1, where the frequency band is an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when identifying the frequency band based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, are further to:

determine that the elevation parameter satisfies a threshold; and

identify the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter satisfies the threshold,

the frequency band being an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when identifying the frequency band based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, are further to:

identify the frequency band based on the elevation parameter;

determine the signal strength parameter,

the signal strength parameter indicating a signal strength of the communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the base station via the frequency band;

compare the signal strength parameter with another signal strength parameter,

the other signal strength parameter indicating another signal strength of another communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and another base station via the frequency band;

identify, based on comparing the signal strength parameter and the other signal strength parameter, a particular base station with which the unmanned aerial vehicle is to establish the connection; and

where the one or more processors, when establishing the connection, are further to;

establish the connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the base station.

7. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide unmanned aerial vehicle information to a controller device via the radio access network; and

receive control information, for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle, via the radio access network.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine at least one of;

an elevation of an unmanned aerial vehicle, or

a plurality of signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of communications between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a plurality of base stations,

the plurality of communications being transmitted via one or more frequency bands;

identify, based on the elevation or the plurality of signal strengths, a frequency band, of the one or more frequency bands, via which the unmanned aerial vehicle is to communicate; and

establish a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a base station, of the plurality of base stations, using the frequency band.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the frequency band, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine an elevation parameter that indicates the elevation;

search a data structure using the elevation parameter; and

identify the frequency band based on searching the data structure,

the elevation parameter being associated with information that identifies the frequency band in the data structure.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the frequency band, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine an elevation parameter that indicates the elevation;

determine a plurality of signal strength parameters corresponding to the plurality of signal strengths;

apply a rule based on the elevation parameter and the plurality of signal strength parameters; and

identify the frequency band based on applying the rule.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the frequency band is a licensed radio frequency spectrum band.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the frequency band, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine an elevation parameter that indicates the elevation;

determine that the elevation parameter satisfies a threshold; and

identify the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter satisfies the threshold,

the frequency band being a licensed radio frequency spectrum band.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the frequency band, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine an elevation parameter that indicates the elevation;

determine that the elevation parameter is greater than or equal to a threshold; and

identify the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter is greater than or equal to the threshold,

the frequency band being an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to identify the frequency band, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine an elevation parameter that indicates the elevation;

determine that the elevation parameter is less than or equal to a threshold; and

identify the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter is less than or equal to the threshold,

the frequency band being a licensed radio frequency spectrum band.

15. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device, at least one of;

an elevation parameter that identifies an elevation of an unmanned aerial vehicle, or

a signal strength parameter that identifies a signal strength of a communication between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a base station,

the communication being transmitted via one of a plurality of frequency bands;

identifying, by the device and based on the elevation parameter or the signal strength parameter, a frequency band, of the plurality of frequency bands, via which the unmanned aerial vehicle is to communicate over a radio access network; and

establishing, by the device, a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the base station using the frequency band,

the base station being associated with the radio access network.

16. The method of claim 15, where the device is at least one of:

the unmanned aerial vehicle;

or

the base station.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving control information, via the radio access network, from a controller device that aggregates unmanned aerial vehicle information from a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles,

the plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles including the unmanned aerial vehicle; and

performing an action based on the control information.

18. The method of claim 17, where the controller device includes at least one of:

a first controller device included in a core network associated with the base station;

or

a second controller device, separate from the core network, that communicates with the core network via another network.

19. The method of claim 15, where identifying the frequency band further comprises:

determining that the elevation parameter is greater than or equal to a threshold; and

identifying the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter is greater than or equal to the threshold,

the frequency band being an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

20. The method of claim 15, where identifying the frequency band further comprises:

determining that the elevation parameter is less than or equal to a threshold; and

identifying the frequency band based on determining that the elevation parameter is less than or equal to the threshold,

the frequency band being a licensed radio frequency spectrum band.