UAV FOR CELLULAR COMMUNICATION

• US 20180102831A1
• Filed: 04/12/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Murphy, Sean Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 10,020,872 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 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/23 for providing telephone services
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0047 Navigation or guidance aids for a single aircraft details of equipment G08G5/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• 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 7/18571 for satellites; for fixed or mobile stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/047 using dedicated repeater stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

The use of UAV network cells may enable a wireless communication carrier to provide supplemental cellular network communication coverage to geographical areas. In some implementations, a first baseband processor of the UAV network cell may establish a first communication link with the ground network cell via a first antenna. The ground network cell may be connected to a core network of the wireless carrier network via a wired backhaul. Further, a second baseband processor of the UAV network cell may establish a second communication link with a user device via a second antenna. The first and second baseband processors may be communicatively coupled together. Accordingly, communication data may be routed between the user device and the core network through the first communication link and the second communication link.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network cell, comprising:

a power source;

a propulsion engine that uses the power source to generate at least one of lift or directional control for the UAV network cell;

a first baseband processor to establish a first communication link with a ground network cell of a wireless carrier network via a first antenna, the ground network cell being connected to a core network of a wireless carrier network via a wired backhaul;

a second baseband processor to establish a second communication link with a user device via a second antenna, the second baseband processor being communicatively coupled to the first baseband processor such that the user device exchanges communication data with the core network via the first communication link and the second communication link; and

flight control hardware that steers the UAV along a flight trajectory that is determined by a ground-based UAV network cell controller based at least on a geolocation of the user device such that the second baseband processor establishes the second communication link with the user device while the first baseband processor maintains the first communication link with the ground network cell.

2. The UAV network cell of claim 1, further comprising a housing that encloses the first and second baseband processors, the housing diverting airflow as the UAV is flying to cool the first and second baseband processors.

3. The UAV network cell of claim 1, further comprising a subscriber identification module (SIM) storing an electronic identifier that is used by the first baseband processor to authenticate the unmanned aerial vehicle to the core network in order to establish the first communication link.

4. The UAV network cell of claim 3, wherein the SIM is an embedded SIM (eSIM) that is electrically coupled to the first baseband processor.

5. The UAV network cell of claim 1, further comprising a central processing unit that is communicatively coupled to the first baseband processor and the second baseband processor, the central processing unit coordinating functions of the first baseband processor and the second baseband processor for the user device to exchange communication data with the core network via the first communication link and the second communication link.

6. The UAV network cell of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a wing, a flight control surface, a rotor, or a buoyant gas envelope.

7. The UAV network cell of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first antenna or the second antenna is a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna that include multiple antenna elements.

8. The UAV network cell of claim 1, wherein the first baseband processor establishes the first communication link using a first communication band, and the second baseband processor establishes the second communication link using a second communication band that is different than the first communication band.

9. The UAV network cell of claim 1, wherein at least one of a first antenna or the second antenna provides a downward facing hemispherical antenna pattern for communicating with one or more user devices that are beneath the UAV network cell.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network cell storing computer-executable instructions that upon execution cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

establishing a first communication link between a first baseband processor of the UAV network cell and a ground network cell of a wireless carrier network via a first antenna, the ground network cell being connected to a core network of a wireless carrier network via a wired backhaul;

establishing a second communication link between a second baseband processor of the UAV network cell and a user device via a second antenna, the second baseband processor being communicatively coupled to the first baseband processor;

routing communication data between the user device and the core network at least through the first communication link and the second communication link; and

receiving control commands from a ground-based UAV network cell controller that direct the UAV network cell to travel according to a flight trajectory such that the second communication link provides communication service to the user device as guaranteed by a service level agreement while maintaining the first communication link with the ground network cell.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise authenticating the UAV network cell to the core network via an electronic identifier stored in a subscriber identification module (SIM) in order to establish the first communication link with the core network.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the wireless carrier network is a 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-based network.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first antenna or the second antenna is a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna that include multiple antenna elements.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the establishing the first communication link includes establishing the first communication link using a first communication band, and wherein the establishing the second communication link includes establishing the second communication link using a second communication band that is different than the first communication band.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise establishing a third communication link between the second baseband processor an additional user device while maintaining the second communication link with the user device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the flight trajectory is generated by the ground-based UAV network cell controller based at least on a geolocation of the user device in a geographical area and operation condition data, the operation condition data includes one or more of meteorological data for the geographical area, flight performance and communication specification data for the UAV network cell, terrain data for the geographical area, flight schedule data for aircraft that traverses the geographical area, flight plan data for aircraft that traverse the geographical area, governmental flight regulation data for the geographical area, or governmental flight restriction data for the geographical area.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the user device is in a geographical area where the user device is unable to establish a communication link with a ground network cell.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving control commands from a ground-based UAV network cell controller at an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network cell that direct the UAV network cell to travel according to a flight trajectory that is proximate a user device;

establishing a first communication link between a first baseband processor of the UAV network cell and a ground network cell of a wireless carrier network via a first antenna, the ground network cell being connected to a core network of a wireless carrier network via a wired backhaul;

establishing a second communication link between a second baseband processor of the UAV network cell and a user device via a second antenna, the second baseband processor being communicatively coupled to the first baseband processor; and

routing communication data between the user device and the core network at least through the first communication link and the second communication link,

wherein the first baseband processor establishes the first communication link using a first communication band, and the second baseband processor establishes the second communication link using a second communication band that is different than the first communication band.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising authenticating the UAV network cell to the core network via an electronic identifier stored in a subscriber identification module (SIM) in order to establish the first communication link with the core network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the flight trajectory is generated by the ground-based UAV network cell controller based at least on a geolocation of the user device in a geographical area and operation condition data, the operation condition data includes one or more of meteorological data for the geographical area, flight performance and communication specification data for the UAV network cell, terrain data for the geographical area, flight schedule data for aircraft that traverses the geographical area, flight plan data for aircraft that traverse the geographical area, governmental flight regulation data for the geographical area, or governmental flight restriction data for the geographical area.