Dynamic Beam Steering for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

• US 20180019516A1
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Teague, Edward Harrison
• Granted Patent: US 10,511,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• 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: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/34 by electrical means active lenses or reflecting arrays H01Q3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service

Abstract

Various embodiments include methods for dynamic antenna steering on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The methods may include orienting an antenna on the UAV towards a serving ground station based on the UAV'"'"'s position, orienting the antenna towards a neighboring ground station when it is time to conduct signal measurements of the neighboring ground station, conducting the signal measurements while orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station, and reorienting the antenna towards the serving ground station. Methods further include orienting a ground station antenna towards a UAV by obtaining a position of the UAV, calculating a vector between the position of the UAVs and the ground station, determining a direction to steer a beam based on the calculated vector, and steering the beam to the determined direction for the UAV.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic antenna steering on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

orienting an antenna on the UAV towards a serving ground station based on a current position of the UAV;

orienting the antenna towards a neighboring ground station when it is time to conduct signal measurements of the neighboring ground station;

conducting the signal measurements of the neighboring ground station while orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station; and

reorienting the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein orienting the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station based on the current position of the UAV comprises:

obtaining a location of the serving ground station;

calculating a vector between the location of the serving ground station and the current position of the UAV;

determining an orientation for the antenna that points to the location of the serving ground station based on the vector; and

adjusting the antenna to the determined orientation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein orienting and reorienting the antenna comprises mechanically steering the antenna.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein mechanically steering the antenna comprises steering the antenna with a gimbal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein orienting and reorienting the antenna comprises electronically steering the antenna.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein electronically steering the antenna comprises steering the antenna using phased array techniques.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein orienting and reorienting the antenna to the determined orientation comprises adjusting an orientation of the UAV.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether it is time to report the signal measurements to a network; and

reporting the signal measurements to the network via the serving ground station in response to determining that it is time to report the signal measurements to a network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether it is time to report the signal measurements to a network;

orienting the antenna to the neighboring ground station in response to determining that is time to report the signal measurements to the network; and

reporting the signal measurements to the network via the neighboring ground station.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the UAV should perform a handover to the neighboring ground station based on the signal measurements; and

performing the handover to the neighboring ground station in response to determining that the UAV should perform the handover to the neighboring ground station.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station comprises:

obtaining a location of the neighboring ground station;

calculating a vector between the location of the neighboring ground station and the current position of the UAV;

determining an orientation for the antenna that points to the location of the neighboring ground station based on the vector; and

adjusting the antenna to the determined orientation.

12. A method for dynamic beam steering at a ground station, comprising:

obtaining a position of one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs);

calculating a vector between the position of each of the one or more UAVs and a location of the ground station;

determining, for at least one of the one or more UAVs, a direction to steer a beam based on the vector between the ground station and the respective UAV; and

steering the beam to the determined direction for at least one of the one or more UAVs.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, for each of the one or more UAVs, a time to steer the beam to a respective one of the one or more UAVs,

wherein steering, for each of the one or more UAVs, the beam to the determined direction is performed at the time determined for each of the respective one or more UAVs.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, for each of the one or more UAVs, a second time for receiving signal measurements;

steering the beam to one of the one or more UAVs at the second time for receiving signal measurements from that UAV; and

receiving the signal measurements from the UAV.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the ground station comprises a plurality of antennas for steering the beam to each of the one or more UAVs.

16. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having an antenna, comprising:

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

orient the antenna towards a serving ground station based on a current position of the UAV;

orient the antenna towards a neighboring ground station when it is time to conduct signal measurements of the neighboring ground station;

conduct the signal measurements of the neighboring ground station while orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station; and

reorient the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station.

17. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to orient the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station based on the current position of the UAV by:

obtaining a location of the serving ground station;

calculating a vector between the location of the serving ground station and the current position of the UAV;

determining an orientation for the antenna that points to the location of the serving ground station based on the vector; and

adjusting the antenna to the determined orientation.

18. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to orient and reorient the antenna to the determined orientation by mechanically steering the antenna.

19. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to orient and reorient the antenna to the determined orientation by electronically steering the antenna.

20. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to orient and reorient the antenna to the determined orientation by adjusting an orientation of the UAV.

21. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine whether it is time to report the signal measurements to a network; and

report the signal measurements to the network via the serving ground station in response to determining that it is time to report the signal measurements to a network.

22. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine whether it is time to report the signal measurements to a network;

orient the antenna to the neighboring ground station in response to determining that is time to report the signal measurements to the network; and

report the signal measurements to the network via the neighboring ground station.

23. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine whether the UAV should perform a handover to the neighboring ground station based on the signal measurements; and

perform the handover to the neighboring ground station in response to determining that the UAV should perform the handover to the neighboring ground station.

24. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to orient the antenna towards the neighboring ground station by:

obtaining a location of the neighboring ground station;

calculating a vector between the location of the neighboring ground station and the current position of the UAV, wherein the current position of the UAV comprises a three-dimensional coordinate and an orientation;

determining an orientation for the antenna that points to the location of the neighboring ground station based on the vector; and

adjusting the antenna to the determined orientation.

25. A ground station, comprising:

a plurality of antennas; and

a processor coupled to the plurality of antennas and configured with processor-executable instructions to;

obtain a position of one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the position of each of the one or more UAVs comprises a three-dimensional coordinate;

calculate a vector between the position of each of the one or more UAVs and a location of the ground station;

determine, for each of the one or more UAVs, a direction to steer a beam based on the vector between the ground station and the respective UAV; and

steer the beam to the determined direction for each of the one or more UAVs.

26. The ground station of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine, for each of the one or more UAVs, a time to steer the beam to a respective one of the one or more UAVs,

wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to steer, for each of the one or more UAVs, the beam to the determined direction at the time determined for each of the respective one or more UAVs.

27. The ground station of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured with processor-executable instructions to:

determine, for each of the one or more UAVs, a second time for receiving signal measurements;

steer the beam to one of the one or more UAVs at the second time for receiving signal measurements from that UAV; and

receive the signal measurements from the UAV.

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

orienting an antenna on the UAV towards a serving ground station based on a current position of the UAV;

orienting the antenna towards a neighboring ground station when it is time to conduct signal measurements of the neighboring ground station;

conducting the signal measurements of the neighboring ground station while orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station; and

reorienting the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station.

29. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

means for orienting an antenna on the UAV towards a serving ground station based on a current position of the UAV;

means for orienting the antenna towards a neighboring ground station when it is time to conduct signal measurements of the neighboring ground station;

means for conducting the signal measurements of the neighboring ground station while orienting the antenna towards the neighboring ground station; and

means for reorienting the antenna on the UAV towards the serving ground station.