Airborne basestation

• US 8,116,763 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Olsen, Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US12/552,451
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A wireless communications basestation that utilizes a light weight high directivity electronically-steerable antenna mounted on a lighter-than-air vehicle to providing relay broadband communication service among mobile units in a geographic area is provided. The lighter-than-air vehicle carries aloft the antenna; a radio and a switching device for routing. A gateway may also be provided to enable communications with a wide area network. A communication system for a geographic area utilizing the airborne wireless communications basestation is also presented. The system includes a number of user equipment units located in the geographic area in communication with the airborne wireless communications basestation. The user equipment units may utilize omni-directional antennas for low data rate communications, and/or a high directivity antenna.

Claims

1. A communication system for a geographic area, comprising:

an airborne wireless communications basestation having a high directivity electronically-steerable antenna, a radio electrically connected to the antenna, a switching device for routing electrically connected to said radio, and a lighter-than-air vehicle providing mechanical support for the antenna;

the radio and the switching device for routing;

a plurality of user equipment units located in the geographic area in communication with the airborne wireless communications basestation;

wherein the lighter-than-air vehicle comprises;

an attitude determining mechanism for generating attitude reference information;

and a position determining mechanism for generating position information of the airborne vehicle relative to each of the users;

a central processing unit for generating targeting signals according to the generated attitude reference information and position information for communications; and

an assignor for assigning at least one transmit and at least one receive data channel of a predefined transmission scheme to each user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein data channel transmission and reception occur at different time intervals according to a predefined timing protocol.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the airborne vehicle further comprises;

a receive high directivity electronically-steerable antenna for receiving data according to the generated targeting signals,

a switching device for routing data from and to source and destination users;

and a transmit high directivity electronically-steerable antenna for transmitting the received data to the determined destination at the assigned transmit data channel according to the generated targeting signals.

4. The communications system of claim 3, further comprising a wide area network, and wherein the wireless communications basestation further comprises a gateway operatively coupled to the switching device for routing to provide connectivity to the wide area network.

5. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the wide area network is selected from the group consisting of a telephone network (PSTN), a fiber optics network, or a satellites network.

6. The communications system of claim 4, wherein the wide area network comprises a second airborne wireless communications basestation deployed to service a second geographic area.

7. The communications system of claim 4, wherein at least one of the user equipment units comprise an omni-directional antenna for low data rate communications.

8. The communications system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the user equipment units comprise a high directivity antenna, electronically-steerable antenna.

9. A wireless communications basestation, comprising:

a high directivity electronically-steerable antenna;

a radio electrically connected to the antenna;

a switching device for routing electrically connected to said radio; and

a lighter-than-air vehicle providing mechanical support for the antenna;

the radio and the switching device for routing;

wherein the lighter-than-air vehicle comprises

an attitude determining mechanism for generating attitude reference information;

a position determining mechanism for generating position information of the airborne vehicle relative to each of the users;

a central processing unit for generating targeting signals according to the generated attitude reference information and position information for communications; and

an assignor for assigning at least one transmit and at least one receive data channel of a predefined transmission scheme to each user.

10. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9 wherein the radio processes at least one of broadband communications and narrowband communications.

11. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9, further comprising a gateway operatively coupled to the switching device for routing to provide connectivity to at least one wide area network.

12. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9, wherein the antenna has a mass of less than approximately 6 kg.

13. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9, wherein the antenna has a mass of less than approximately 2 kg.

14. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9 wherein the lighter-than-air vehicle is a balloon.

15. The wireless communications basestation of claim 14, further comprising a tether coupled to the balloon.

16. The wireless communications basestation of claim 14, wherein the balloon is selected from a group consisting of a rubber pressure balloon, a zero pressure balloon, an internal air bladder balloon, an adjustable volume balloon, or a super pressure balloon.

17. The wireless communications basestation of claim 9, wherein the lighter-than-air vehicle comprises a stratospheric altitude platform.

18. The wireless communications basestation of claim 17, wherein the stratospheric altitude platform comprises a free balloon.