System for managing the multiple air-to-ground communications links originating from each aircraft in an air-to-ground cellular communication network
First Claim
1. A system for managing radio frequency communications in a non-terrestrial region of space between a plurality of wireless subscriber devices located in an aircraft and a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of an Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, comprising:
- a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network for populating said non-terrestrial region of space with a plurality of multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sectors, each multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sector having a plurality of radio frequency characteristics, to exchange call traffic with an aircraft;
a plurality of independently operable radio frequency antennas mounted on the exterior surface of said aircraft;
interface, located in said aircraft, for generating radio frequency communication signals for selected ones of said plurality of independently operable antennas to establish multiple simultaneous Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links to exchange call traffic between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and a plurality of cells and sectors of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network;
data flow controller, located in said aircraft, comprising;
traffic determination process for determining the traffic load in said aircraft,network signaling process for receiving terrestrial network load balancing information received from said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, anddata router, responsive to said determined traffic load and said received network traffic load balancing information, for distributing said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices among said plurality of radio frequency antennas to simultaneously maintain multiple Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links, each link serving a portion of said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The Multi-Link Aircraft Cellular System makes use of multiple physically separated antennas mounted on the aircraft, as well as the use of additional optional signal isolation and optimization techniques to improve the call handling capacity of the Air-To-Ground cellular communications network. These additional techniques can include polarization domain and ground antenna pattern shaping (in azimuth, in elevation, or in both planes). Further, if code domain separation is added, dramatic increases in capacity are realized. Thus, the Air-To-Ground cellular communications network can increase its capacity on a per aircraft basis by sharing its traffic load among more than one cell or sector and by making use of multiple physically separated antennas mounted on the aircraft, as well as the use of additional optional signal isolation and optimization techniques.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for managing radio frequency communications in a non-terrestrial region of space between a plurality of wireless subscriber devices located in an aircraft and a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of an Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, comprising:
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a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network for populating said non-terrestrial region of space with a plurality of multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sectors, each multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sector having a plurality of radio frequency characteristics, to exchange call traffic with an aircraft; a plurality of independently operable radio frequency antennas mounted on the exterior surface of said aircraft; interface, located in said aircraft, for generating radio frequency communication signals for selected ones of said plurality of independently operable antennas to establish multiple simultaneous Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links to exchange call traffic between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and a plurality of cells and sectors of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network; data flow controller, located in said aircraft, comprising; traffic determination process for determining the traffic load in said aircraft, network signaling process for receiving terrestrial network load balancing information received from said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, and data router, responsive to said determined traffic load and said received network traffic load balancing information, for distributing said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices among said plurality of radio frequency antennas to simultaneously maintain multiple Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links, each link serving a portion of said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18)
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9. A method for managing radio frequency communications in a non-terrestrial region of space between a plurality of wireless subscriber devices located in an aircraft and a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of an Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, comprising:
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populating, using a plurality of Air-To-Ground terrestrial base stations of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, said non-terrestrial region of space with a plurality of multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sectors, each multi-dimensional Radio Frequency sector having a plurality of radio frequency characteristics, to exchange call traffic with an aircraft; operating a plurality of independently operable radio frequency antennas mounted on the exterior surface of said aircraft; generating, in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals for selected ones of said plurality of independently operable antennas to establish multiple simultaneous Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links to exchange call traffic between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and a plurality of cells and sectors of said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network; controlling data flow in said aircraft, comprising; determining the traffic load in said aircraft, receiving terrestrial network load balancing information received from said Air-To-Ground cellular communications network, and distributing, in each of said aircraft, responsive to said determined traffic load and said received network traffic load balancing information said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices among said plurality of radio frequency antennas to simultaneously maintain multiple Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency communications links, each link serving a portion of said call traffic from said plurality of wireless subscriber devices. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20)
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Specification