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

• US 8,223,733 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yung, Kar W., Hagen, Frank A., Chang, Donald C. D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, MARCOS L
• Application Number:
  US11/049,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• Field of Search: 455427-431, 455/424, 455/88, 455/7, 455/22, 455/15, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455 111- 131, 370/342, 370/310, 370315-316, 370/320, 342352-354
• US Class Current: 370/342
• 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 method for establishing a plurality of communication links to a plurality of user terminals comprising:

pre-processing a plurality of local user signals at a ground hub to compensate for differential propagation delays to any one of the plurality of user terminals;

assigning each of said plurality of user terminals one or more resource cells in platform-code space at the ground hub;

transmitting transmit signals to the hub through one or more of a plurality of individual transponding nodes using a first resource cell of the one or more resource cells;

coherently receiving signals from more than one of the individual transponding nodes using a second resource cell of the one or more resource cells; and

post-processing transmit signals at the ground hub to compensate for differential propagation delays such that all transmit signals from one of the plurality of user terminals may be coherently processed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of transponder nodes is selected from a tower based cellular network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of transponder nodes is selected from a high altitude platform system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said high altitude platform system includes a plurality of manned or unmanned airships.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said high altitude platform system is comprised of a plurality of high altitude balloons.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of said plurality of transponder nodes is selected from a space based system.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the first resource cell is the same as the second resource cell.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the first resource cell is different than the second resource cell.