Multi-platform wireless communication system for a variety of different user types

• US 6,909,875 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2000
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Donald C. D., Yung, Kar W., Hagen, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES, MARCOS L
• Application Number:
  US09/576,648
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 455427-431, 455/424, 455/88, 455/7, 455/15, 455/22, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455 111- 131, 370/342, 370315-316, 370/310, 370/320, 342352-354
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• 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 7/18532 Arrangements for managing transmission, i.e. for transporting data or a signalling message
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18534 for enhancing link reliablility, e.g. satellites diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/212 Time-division multiple access [TDMA]

Abstract

A mobile wireless communications system including a plurality of individual transponding nodes of various types, all in communication with a central processing hub. A local user signal is processed by the central processing hub and radiated through multiple paths to a plurality of the plurality of individual transponding platforms simultaneously. The signal is then re-radiated by each of the plurality of the plurality of individual transponding platforms to a mobile terminal that receives the re-radiated signal from the plurality of the plurality of individual transponding platforms coherently and in phase. The number of transponders and codes used to transmit each user signal can be readily adapted to user requirements.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of individual transponding nodes;

a plurality of individual resource cells each associated with a particular one of said plurality of transponding nodes and one of a plurality of available CDMA codes;

a plurality of mobile user terminals, each of which is assigned to operate in one or more of said plurality of individual resource cells;

wherein each of said plurality of individual resource cells is assigned to at most one of said plurality of mobile user terminals at any one time; and

a central processing hub, which establishes links to one or more of said mobile user terminals through one or more of said plurality of transonding nodes wherein the specific transponding node and codes used to complete each of said links is determined by the resource cells respectively assigned to the plurality of the mobile user terminals;

wherein said central processing hub pre-processes transmission signals for forward link transmission such that the transmission signals are radiated with compensating time delays to an intended one of said plurality of mobile user terminals that coherently receives said signals;

wherein said central processing hub post-processes received signals to introduce compensating time delays such that said received signals from a particular one of the plurality of mobile user terminals may be coherently processed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of individual transponding nodes is independently selected from one of the following system types:

a space-based system, a high altitude platform system, a tower based cellular network, or a manned/unmanned aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one said plurality of mobile terminals is assigned resource cells in platform-code space for said return link that are different from said resource cells in platform-code space assigned for said forward link.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said high altitude platform system is comprised of a plurality of manned/unmanned airships.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said high altitude platform system is comprised of a plurality of high altitude ballons.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said plurality of individual transponder nodes are all of the same type.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said plurality of individual transponder nodes are not all of the same type.

8. A mobile wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of individual transponder nodes, each having an established link with a ground hub;

a plurality of individual resource cells each associated with at least one of said plurality of transponder nodes and at least one of a plurality of codes;

a plurality of mobile user terminals having an established link said ground hub, each of the plurality of mobile user terminals being assigned one or more of said plurality of individual resource cells in code-platform space wherein at least a first mobile user terminal of the plurality of mobile user terminal is assigned first resource cells from the plurality of individual resource cells corresponding to more than one transponder so that the signals generated from the transponder nodes are coherently added together at the first mobile user terminal; and

a central processing hub, which establishes links to one or more of said mobile user terminals through one or more of said plurality of transponding nodes wherein the specific transponding node and codes used to complete each of said links is determined by the resource cells respectively assigned to the plurality of the mobile user terminals;

wherein said central processing hub pre-processes transmission signals forward link transmission such that the transmission signals are radiated with compensating time delays to an intended one of said plurality of mobile user terminals that coherently receives said signals;

wherein said central processing hub post-processes received signals to introduce compensating time delays such that said received signals from a particular one of the plurality of mobile user terminals may be coherently processed.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of individual transponder nodes is selected from among the following platforms:

a space-based system, a tower-based cellular network, a manned/unmanned aircraft or a high altitude platform system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said high altitude platform system is comprised of a plurality of manned/unmanned airships.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said high altitude platform system is comprised of a plurality of high altitude balloons.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said plurality of individual transponder nodes are selected from the same platform.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said plurality of individual transponder nodes are selected from at least two of the platforms.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said ground hub pre-processes signals for forward link transmission and post-processes signals for return link reception.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of user terminals is assigned resource cells in platform-code space for said return link that are different from those assigned for said forward link.