Managing Network Communication of an Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle

• US 20170295069A1
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Published: 10/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sweet, III, Charles Wheeler, Teague, Edward Harrison, Taveira, Michael Franco
• Granted Patent: US 11,032,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/24 Deposition of silicon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/30 Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45531 specially adapted for making ternary or higher compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45563 Gas nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45578 Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 : by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 : Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Embodiments include devices and methods for managing network communication of an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV). A processor of the UAV may determine an altitude of the UAV. The processor may optionally also determine a speed or vector of the UAV. Based on the determined altitude and/or speed/vector of the UAV, the processor may adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and a communication network. The processor may transmit signals based on the adjusted communication parameter, which may reduce radio frequency interference caused by the transmissions of the UAV with the communication network.

Claims

1. A method of managing network communication of an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV), comprising:

determining an altitude of the UAV; and

adjusting a communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a speed of the UAV;

wherein adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the determined altitude of the UAV comprises adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the altitude and the speed of the UAV.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the communication parameter comprises one or more of adjusting a data rate of the communication link, adjusting a quality of service of the communication link., adjusting a packet size of the communication link, adjusting a modulation and coding scheme of the communication link, adjusting a handover parameter of the communication link, adjusting a bandwidth used for the communication link, or adjusting a frequency used over the communication link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV comprises adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV and a data rate versus altitude function provided by the communication network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an interference metric based on the altitude of the UAV;

wherein adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network is based on the interference metric.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a speed of the UAV;

wherein the interference metric is further based on the speed of the UAV.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the interference metric is further based on a number of base stations of the communication network detected by the UAV.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the interference metric is further based on network condition information about the communication network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link is performed by a processor of the UAV.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link is performed by a processor of the UAV in response to an instruction received from the communication network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting signals from the UAV using the adjusted communication parameter.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a network element of the communication network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein adjusting a communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV comprises adjusting, based on an instruction from the network element, a communication parameter of a respective communication link between two or more UAVs and the communication network.

14. An unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a radio frequency resource; and

a processor coupled to the radio frequency resource and configured with processor-executable instructions to;

determine an altitude of the UAV; and

adjust a communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV.

15. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

determine a speed of the UAV; and

adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the altitude and the speed of the UAV.

16. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to adjust one or more of a data rate of the communication link, a quality of service of the communication link, a packet size of the communication link, a modulation and coding scheme of the communication link, a handover parameter of the communication link, a bandwidth used for the communication link, or a frequency used over the communication link.

17. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV and a data rate versus altitude function provided by the communication network.

18. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

determine an interference metric based on the altitude of the UAV; and

adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the interference metric.

19. The UAV of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

determine a speed of the UAV;

wherein the interference metric is further based on the speed of the UAV.

20. The UAV of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions such that the interference metric is further based on a number of base stations of the communication network detected by the UAV.

21. The UAV of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions such that the interference metric is further based on network condition information about the communication network.

22. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to adjust the communication parameter of the communication link in response to an instruction received from the communication network.

23. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

transmit signals from the UAV using the adjusted communication parameter.

24. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) to perform operations comprising

determining an altitude of the UAV;

and

adjusting a communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV.

25. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause the processor of the UAV to perform operations further comprising:

determining a speed of the UAV;

wherein adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the determined altitude of the UAV comprises adjusting the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the altitude and the speed of the UAV.

26. A network element of a communication network, comprising:

a communication interface; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured with processor-executable instructions to;

determine an altitude of an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV); and

adjust a communication parameter of a communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the altitude of the UAV.

27. The network element of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

determine a speed of the UAV; and

adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and the communication network based on the altitude and the speed of the UAV.

28. The network element of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to adjust one or more of a data rate of the communication link, a quality of service of the communication link, a packet size of the communication link, a modulation and coding scheme of the communication link, a handover parameter of the communication link, a bandwidth used for the communication link, or a frequency used over the communication link.

29. The network element of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and a communication network based on the altitude of the UAV and a data rate versus altitude function.

30. The network element of claim 26, wherein the processor is further configured with professor-executable instructions to:

receive flight information from the UAV; and

determine the altitude of the UAV based on the flight information received from the UAV.