Communication system with mobile coverage area

• US 6,904,280 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Siegel, Neil G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/295,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20040097227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 455/431, 455/422, 455/524, 455/436, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/456, 455/38.1, 455/33.2, 455/428, 455/427, 356/141.4, 348/207.1, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for establishing and utilizing a mobile communication system having a mobile communication coverage area. The mobile communication system includes a plurality of mobile communication devices or units and a mobile base. The mobile base establishes a communication coverage area and provides mobility with respect to the coverage area. Communications between the plurality of mobile communication devices are transmitted to the mobile base, and retransmitted or re-broadcast from the mobile base to the destination mobile communication units.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of mobile communication units adapted to wirelessly transmit and receive communications;

a mobile base that defines a mobile coverage area for the plurality of mobile communication units, the mobile base moving relative to the plurality of mobile communication units to maintain the mobile coverage area for at least a portion of the mobile communication units, the mobile base operative to receive transmissions from a mobile communication unit and re-broadcast the transmissions to at least one other mobile communication unit of the plurality of mobile communication units; and

wherein at least one mobile communication unit of the plurality of communication units comprising a display operative to present a map of an area within which the at least one mobile communication unit is operating, the map being received from the mobile base and displayed at the at least one mobile communication unit, and the map comprising location information and geo-reference data.

2. The system of claim 1, the mobile base residing on an aeronautic vehicle capable of traveling at an elevation less than about seven kilometers above the mobile coverage area.

3. The system of claim 1, the mobile base comprising one of a repeater and a router.

4. The system of claim 1, at least one mobile communication unit of the plurality of mobile communication units being coupled to a button array, the button array having at least one button that invokes automatically at least one program residing on the at least one mobile communication unit when depressed.

5. The system of claim 4, the button array comprising a button that automatically invokes a program that transmits an alert condition and location information of the at least one mobile communication unit.

6. The system of claim 5, the transmission of the alert condition and location information being transmitted to a home base station through the mobile alert.

7. The system of claim 6, the at least one mobile communication unit being mountable to a wrist of a user and the button array comprising a lapel button pad.

8. The system of claim 1, the mobile base comprising a router capable of selectively routing transmissions to selected mobile communication units.

9. The system of claim 8, the router selectively routing transmissions to mobile communication units configured in different logical networks.

10. The system of claim 1, the at least one mobile communication unit comprising a global positioning system operative to transmit location information to the mobile base.

11. The system of claim 10, the mobile base comprising a camera that obtains an image of the coverage area, the mobile base adapted to transmit the image and location information to at least one communication unit.

12. The system of claim 11, the at least one mobile communication unit displays a map of the image coverage area combined with the location information of at least one mobile communication unit, the map including items within the coverage area.

13. The system of claim 12, the map of the image coverage area combined with the location information of at least one mobile communication unit being updated periodically.

14. The system of claim 1, the plurality of mobile communication units being half-duplex line-of-sight two-way radio devices each having a weight of about less than 10 pounds.

15. The system of claim 1, the at least one mobile communication unit comprising:

a housing;

an antenna internal to the housing to facilitate transmitting to and receiving transmissions from the mobile base traveling at an elevation less than about seven kilometers above the plurality of communication units; and

a global positioning system adapted to provide location information of the at least one mobile communication unit to the mobile base, the location information comprising at least one of longitude, latitude and elevation information.

16. A mobile base situated aboard an aeronautic vehicle capable of traveling at an elevation of less than about seven kilometers above a plurality of mobile communication units, the mobile base comprising:

a receiver operative to receive a transmission message from at least one of a plurality of mobile communication units and convert the message to digitized data;

a router operable to extract routing information from the digitized data to determine at least one destination mobile communication unit to receive the message;

a transmitter that retransmits the message to the at least one destination mobile communication unit based on the extracted routing information; and

a camera adapted to obtain an image of an area within a coverage range of the mobile base, the mobile base adapted to transmit the image to at least one of the plurality of mobile communication units.

17. The mobile base of claim 16, the mobile base operative to receive location information from at least one mobile communication unit and integrate the location information into the image of the area to create a map with the location information of the at least one mobile communication unit displayed thereon, the mobile base adapted to transmit the map to a plurality of mobile communication units concurrently.

18. A method for establishing a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of mobile communication units;

providing a mobile base that defines a coverage area for the mobile communication system;

moving the mobile base to maintain the coverage area with at least some of the plurality of mobile communication units;

transmitting a signal to the mobile base from a mobile communication unit;

receiving the signal at the mobile base;

re-broadcasting the signal from the mobile base to at least one of the plurality of mobile communication units;

obtaining an image of at least a portion of the coverage area;

obtaining location information on at least one of the plurality of mobile communication units;

combining the location information with the image to form a map containing the location of the at least one of the plurality of mobile communication units; and

transmitting the map to the at least one of the plurality mobile communication units.

19. The method of claim 18, the mobile base residing on an aeronautic vehicle capable of traveling at an elevation less than about seven kilometers above the plurality of mobile communication units.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising converting the received signal into digitized data, extracting routing information from the digitized packet and routing the signal to at least one destination mobile communication unit based on the extracted routing information.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising continuously updating the image and location information of the plurality of mobile communication units and providing the updated information to the plurality of mobile communication units periodically.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a schedule rendezvous time and coordinates associated with a scheduled rendezvous location to at least one mobile communication unit, the mobile communication unit displaying a count down time remaining until the scheduled rendezvous time.

23. A wireless communication system comprising:

a mobile base that defines a mobile coverage area for a plurality of mobile communication units, the mobile base moving relative to the plurality of mobile communication units to maintain the mobile coverage area for at least a portion of the plurality of mobile communication units, the mobile base operative to receive transmissions from at least one mobile communication unit and re-broadcast the transmissions to at least one other mobile communication unit of the plurality of mobile communication units, and the mobile base comprising a camera that obtains an image of the coverage area of the mobile base, the mobile base adapted to transmit a map associated with the coverage area to at least one mobile communication unit for display at the at least one mobile communication unit.

24. The system of claim 23, the mobile base residing on an aeronautic vehicle capable of traveling at an elevation less than about seven kilometers above the mobile coverage area.

25. The system of claim 23, the mobile base further comprising a synthetic aperture radar.

26. The system of claim 23, the mobile base further comprising a hyperspectral camera.

27. The system of claim 23, the mobile base further comprising a chemical detector.

28. A mobile communication unit, comprising;

a wireless transmitter that transmits communications to a mobile base that re-broadcasts the communications to at least one additional mobile communication unit;

a wireless receiver that receives communications from the at least one additional mobile communication unit re-broadcasted from the mobile base; and

a display operative to present a map of an area within which the mobile communication unit is operating, the map being received from a camera residing on the mobile base that is suitably adapted to obtain an image of a coverage area associated with the mobile base, wherein the mobile base moves relative to at least one mobile communication unit to maintain the coverage area for a plurality of mobile communication units.

29. The mobile communication unit of claim 28, the mobile communication unit being coupled to a button array, the button array having at least one button that invokes automatically at least one program residing on the mobile communication unit when depressed.

30. The mobile communication unit of claim 29, the button array comprising a button that automatically invokes a program that transmits an alert condition and location information of the mobile communication unit.

31. The mobile communication unit of claim 28, the mobile communication unit further comprising a global positioning system operative to transmit location information associated with the mobile communication unit to the mobile base, the location information comprising at least one of longitude latitude, and elevation information.

32. The mobile communication unit of claim 28, further comprising:

an antenna internal to the housing to facilitate transmitting to and receiving transmissions from the mobile base traveling at an elevation less than about seven kilometers above the communication unit.