System and Method for Providing a Distributed Directional Aperture for Cellular Communication

• US 20160359537A1
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Houser, Peter B., Adams, Mark S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,103,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

A cellular communication transceiver including an array which includes a plurality of aperture elements distributed over one or more surfaces, the aperture elements being configured to receive and transmit cellular communication signals, a beamformer configured to apply a time domain beamforming process to the cellular communication signals to enable directional receive and transmit beams to be formed using the aperture elements, and a telemetry subsystem operably coupling the aperture elements to the beamformer.

Claims

1. A cellular communication transceiver comprising:

an array comprising a plurality of aperture elements distributed over a surface, the aperture elements being configured to receive and transmit cellular communication signals;

a beamformer configured to apply a time domain beamforming process to the cellular communication signals to enable directional receive and transmit beams to be formed using the aperture elements; and

a telemetry subsystem operably coupling the aperture elements to the beamformer.

2. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the directional receive or transmit beams are formed based on azimuth, elevation, or distance.

3. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the surface is disposed at structure comprising a water tower, building, natural formation or cellular tower.

4. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the surface is disposed to extend 360 degrees around an elevated structure.

5. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the aperture elements are embedded into a composite skin provided at the surface.

6. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the aperture elements are silk-screened onto the surface.

7. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein a beamwidth of the directional receive and transmit beams is less than about three degrees.

8. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein a beamwidth of the directional receive and transmit beams is between about three degrees and about five degrees.

9. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein vector data associated with the directional receive and transmit beams is provided to a location device, the location device being configured to determine location information indicative of a location of a device communicating with the cellular communication transceiver.

10. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 9, wherein the vector data is employed by the location device along with vector data from at least one other cellular communication transceiver to define a crossfix location of the device.

11. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 9, wherein the location information is employed for the provision of geographically specific services.

12. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the beam former is configured to utilize subscription codes to differentiate subscriber data, in an instance in which two or more subscriber signals are transmitted a cellular communication spectrum channel.

13. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the installation of the plurality of aperture elements on the surface is sufficient to provide information for directional processing by the beamformer in a plurality of azimuths and elevations.

14. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the beamformer is configured to process instructions at speeds of at least 10̂

13 instructions per second.

15. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the beamformer is configured to enable reuse of spectrum and other signal characteristics among different beams formed by the beamformer.

16. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the surface comprises a plurality of surfaces of a plurality of entities.

17. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein the surface comprises one or more interior surfaces of an occupiable structure.

18. The cellular communication transceiver of claim 1, wherein a cellular device may be substantially within the array.

19. A cellular communication transceiver comprising:

an array comprising a plurality of aperture elements distributed over a plurality of surfaces of one or more entities, the aperture elements being configured to receive and transmit cellular communication signals from a cellular device substantially within the array;

a beamformer configured to apply a time domain beamforming process to the cellular communication signals to enable directional receive and transmit beams to be formed using the aperture elements; and

a telemetry subsystem operably coupling the aperture elements to the beamformer.

at the surface.

20. A cellular communication transceiver comprising:

an array comprising a plurality of aperture elements distributed over a surface, the aperture elements being configured to receive and transmit cellular communication signals;

a beamformer configured to apply a time domain beamforming process to the cellular communication signals to enable directional receive and transmit beams to be formed using the aperture elements;

a telemetry subsystem operably coupling the aperture elements to the beamformer; and

a spectrum coordinator configured to receive cellular communication spectrum channel usage data and provide the beamformer channel data to limit cellular communication interference,

wherein directional transmit beam are formed based on the channel data.