Mobile communication units that display connectivity loss boundaries

• US 8,233,896 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Wehling, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elhag, Magdi
• Application Number:
  US12/488,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20100323659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 455/421, 455/456.1, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/440, 455/457, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/421
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A mobile communication unit is provided that employs a propagation algorithm to determine connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions based on one or more forward projected position vector paths of the mobile communication unit and connectivity data. The mobile communication unit further comprises a map renderer configured to provide map display data that includes the map area data, situational awareness location data and the determined connectivity loss boundaries, and a display configured to display the map display data as a geographical map area with an icon of the mobile communication unit located in a geographic location of the geographical map area and drawn connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions in a geographic location of the geographical map area.

Claims

1. A mobile communication unit comprising:

a transceiver configured to send and receive wireless communications to and from other nodes in a network;

a global position system (GPS) device configured to determine a situation awareness (SA) location and/or velocity of the mobile communication unit;

a propagation analyzer that employs a propagation algorithm to determine connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions based on one or more forward projected position vector paths of the mobile communication unit and connectivity data;

a map renderer configured to provide map display data that includes map area and terrain data, the SA location and/or velocity data and the determined connectivity loss boundaries; and

a display configured to display the map display data as a geographical map area with an icon of the mobile communication unit located in a geographic location of the geographical map area and drawn connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions in a geographic location of the geographical map area.

2. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the connectivity data comprises radio performance data associated with performance of the mobile communication unit and/or performance of other nodes of the network and propagation loss data based on an expected or an actual environment of the actual area associated with the geographical map area.

3. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the propagation analyzer further employs terrain data of the map area data to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

4. The mobile communication unit of claim 3, wherein the terrain data comprises terrain contour data, foliage, street and building location data within the actual geographical area associated with the geographical map area.

5. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the network is a mobile network and the propagation analyzer further employs SA data of the mobile network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

6. The mobile communication unit of claim 5, wherein the SA data of the mobile network comprises the geographic locations of a plurality of other mobile communication units of the mobile network.

7. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the network is a cellular network and the propagation analyzer further employs SA data of cellular towers of the cellular network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

8. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the propagation algorithm is based on a connectivity model that performs signal-to-noise ratio analysis on node pairs at known locations in the network to determine connectivity loss boundaries.

9. The mobile communication unit of claim 8, wherein the connectivity model is based on a radio performance model and a propagation loss model.

10. The mobile communication unit of claim 8, wherein the connectivity model is based on a terrain contour model and a foliage and building overlay to terrain contour model.

22. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the propagation analyzer concurrently determines connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions for each of a plurality of forward projected position vector path options of the mobile communication unit, and wherein the map renderer is configured to provide the map display data including the determined connectivity loss boundaries for each of the plurality of forward projected position vector path options to the display.

25. The mobile communication unit of claim 1, wherein the network is a cellular network, and wherein the propagation analyzer determines connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions for the mobile communication unit relative to a plurality of cellular towers on the network based on the one or more forward projected position vector paths of the mobile communication unit and the connectivity data, and wherein the map renderer is configured to provide the map display data including the determined connectivity loss boundaries for the mobile communication unit relative to the plurality of cellular towers on the cellular network to the display.

11. A mobile communication unit comprising:

a transceiver configured to send and receive wireless communications to and from other nodes in a network;

a global position system (GPS) device configured to determine a situation awareness (SA) location and/or velocity of the mobile communication unit;

a memory that stores computer executable instructions, map area and terrain data and the SA location and/or velocity data of the mobile communication unit;

a processor that executes the computer executable instructions comprising a propagation algorithm to determine connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions based on one or more forward projected position vector paths of the mobile communication unit, connectivity data comprises radio performance data associated with performance of the mobile communication unit and/or performance of other nodes of the network and propagation loss data based on expected or actual environment of the actual area associated with the map area and terrain data comprising contour data, foliage, street and building location data within the actual geographical area associated with the map area data and the computer executable instructions further comprising a map renderer configured to provide map display data that includes the map area and terrain data, the SA location and/or velocity data and the determined connectivity loss boundaries; and

a display configured to display the map display data as a geographical map area with an icon of the mobile communication unit located in a geographic location of the geographical map area and drawn connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions in a geographic location of the geographical map area.

12. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the network is a mobile network and the propagation algorithm further employs SA data of the mobile network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

13. The mobile communication unit of claim 12, wherein the SA data of the mobile network comprises the geographic locations of a plurality of other mobile communication units of the mobile network.

14. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the network is a cellular network and the propagation algorithm further employs SA data of cellular towers of the cellular network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

15. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the propagation algorithm is based on a connectivity model that performs signal-to-noise ratio analysis on node pairs at known locations in the network to determine connectivity loss boundaries.

16. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the connectivity model is based on a radio performance model, a propagation loss model, a terrain contour model and a foliage and building overlay to terrain contour model.

23. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the propagation analyzer concurrently determines connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions for each of a plurality of forward projected position vector path options of the mobile communication unit, and wherein the map renderer is configured to provide the map display data including the determined connectivity loss boundaries for each of the plurality of forward projected position vector path options to the display.

26. The mobile communication unit of claim 11, wherein the network is a cellular network, and wherein the propagation analyzer determines connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions for the mobile communication unit relative to a plurality of cellular towers on the network based on the one or more forward projected position vector paths of the mobile communication unit and the connectivity data, and wherein the map renderer is configured to provide the map display data including the determined connectivity loss boundaries for the mobile communication unit relative to the plurality of cellular towers on the cellular network to the display.

17. A method for providing a connectivity loss warning for a mobile communication unit communicatively coupled to a network, the method comprising:

determining a situation awareness (SA) location and/or velocity of the mobile communication unit;

receiving connectivity data comprising radio performance data associated with performance of the mobile communication unit and/or performance of other nodes of the network and propagation loss data based on expected or actual environment of the actual area associated with the SA location and/or velocity data of the mobile communication unit;

executing a propagation algorithm to determine connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions based on the connectivity data and one or more forward projected position vector paths from the SA location and/or velocity data of the mobile communication unit to determine connectivity loss boundaries; and

displaying a geographical map area with an icon of the mobile communication unit located in a geographic location of the geographical map area based on the SA location and/or velocity data and drawn connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions in a geographic location of the geographic map area.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the propagation algorithm further employs terrain data of the map area data to determine the connectivity loss boundaries, the terrain data comprises terrain contour data, foliage, street and building location data within the actual area associated with the geographical map area.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the network is a mobile network and the propagation algorithm further employs SA data of the mobile network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries, the SA data of the mobile network comprises the geographic locations of a plurality of other mobile communication units of the mobile network.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the network is a cellular network and the propagation algorithm further employs SA data of cellular towers of the cellular network to determine the connectivity loss boundaries.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the propagation algorithm is based on a connectivity model that performs signal-to-noise ratio analysis on node pairs at known locations in the network to determine connectivity loss boundaries.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein executing the propagation algorithm comprises concurrently determining connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions based on the connectivity data for each of a plurality of forward projected position vector path options from the SA location and/or velocity data of the mobile communication unit to determine the connectivity loss boundaries, and wherein displaying the geographical map area comprises displaying the connectivity loss regions for each of the plurality of forward projected position vector path options.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein executing the propagation algorithm comprises determining connectivity loss boundaries that define connectivity loss regions for the mobile communication unit relative to a plurality of cellular towers on an associated cellular network based on the connectivity data for each of a plurality of forward projected position vector path options from the SA location and/or velocity data of the mobile communication unit, and wherein displaying the geographical map area comprises displaying the determined connectivity loss boundaries for the mobile communication unit relative to the plurality of cellular towers on the cellular network.