Integrated wafer scale, high data rate, wireless repeater placed on fixed or mobile elevated platforms

• US 9,119,061 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Original Assignee: Farrokh Mohamadi
• Inventors: Mohamadi, Farrokh
• Primary Examiner(s): BENEDIK, JUSTIN M
• Application Number:
  US13/722,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20130248656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 244/189, 244/190
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/80 UAVs characterised by their small size, e.g. micro air vehicles [MAV]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/21 Rotary wings
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1555 Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for relocatable repeaters for wireless communication links to locations that may present accessibility problems using, for example, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS). An sUAS implemented as an easy-to-operate, small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with hovering capability for holding station position may provide an extended range, highly secure, high data rate, repeater system for extending the range of point-to-point wireless communication links (also referred to as “crosslinks”) in which repeater locations are easily relocatable with very fast set-up and relocating times. A repeater system using beam forming and power combining techniques enables a very high gain antenna array with very narrow beam width and superb pointing accuracy. The aircraft includes a control system enabling three-dimensional pointing and sustaining directivity of the beam independently of flight path of the aircraft.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an aircraft having a plurality of wing unit propellers for vertical takeoff and landing;

a flight control system included in the aircraft for controlling flight of the aircraft both autonomously and from an operator location remote from the aircraft; and

a radio frequency (RF) repeater system, carried by the aircraft, including;

a first RF receiver configured to receive a first high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from a narrow beam transmitter on a first channel;

a first RF transmitter configured to transmit the first high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming on the first channel;

a second RF receiver configured to receive a second high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from a narrow beam transmitter on a second channel;

a second RF transmitter configured to transmit the second high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming on the second channel;

wherein;

the first transmitter and second receiver are configured to steer a first transmitter antenna beam for the first channel and a second receiver antenna beam for the second channel to a first location;

the second transmitter and first receiver are configured to steer a second transmitter antenna beam for the second channel and a first receiver antenna beam for the first channel to a second location; and

the transmitting and receiving are performed by the repeater system to form links for high data rate wireless communication from the aircraft wherein the aircraft is remote from the operator location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the flight control system is configured for three-dimensional (3-D) pointing and sustaining directivity of a plurality of antenna beams formed by the antenna arrays independently of a flight path of the aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the repeater system includes:

a high gain antenna array, wherein the gain is at least 39 dBi, shared by at least one of the transmitters and one of the receivers, with side dimensions less than 4.5 inches, placed on a substrate having diameter less than 6.0 inches.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the repeater system includes:

an antenna array comprising alternating right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) and left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) four-by-four antenna arrays in a planar surface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the transmitters and one of the receivers of the repeater system operate at a carrier frequency of at least 40 GHz; and

high data rate comprises data rates of at least one giga-bit per second (Gbps).

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) coding generator for generating the first data signal and having a closed loop feedback state that self-tests bit error rate to ensure integrity of transmitter to receiver operation.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) unit carried by the aircraft and in communication with the flight control system; and

wherein

the flight control system sustains a hovering position of the aircraft by a GPS locked hovering operation; and

the position and universal time detected by the GPS is inserted in an intermediate frequency (IF) of the radio frequency (RF) repeater system for providing repeater performance and flight information.

8. A method comprising:

controlling, both autonomously and from a remote operator location, an aircraft having a plurality of wing unit propellers for vertical takeoff and landing; and

maintaining one or more radio frequency (RF) communication links from the aircraft via a repeater system carried by the aircraft, including;

receiving a first high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from a narrow beam transmitter on a first channel;

transmitting the first high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming on the first channel;

receiving a second high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of low noise amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining from a narrow beam transmitter on a second channel;

transmitting the second high-data rate, multiplexed, data signal using a planar array of power amplifiers and corresponding antenna arrays to form spatial power combining and beam forming on the second channel;

pointing and tracking a first transmitter antenna beam for the first channel and a second receiver antenna beam for the second channel to a first location; and

pointing and tracking a second transmitter antenna beam for the second channel and a first receiver antenna beam for the first channel to a second location;

wherein;

the transmitting and receiving are performed by the repeater system from the aircraft wherein the aircraft is remote from the operator location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sustaining a hovering position of the aircraft using GPS.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

spatial power combining and beam forming from a high gain planar antenna array, with side dimensions less than 4.5 inches, placed on a substrate having diameter less than 6.0 inches, wherein the gain is at least 39 dBi.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

spatial power combining and beam forming from an antenna array comprising alternating right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) and left-hand circularly polarized (LHCP) four-by-four antenna arrays in a planar surface.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting and receiving at a carrier frequency of at least 40 GHz; and

wherein high data rate comprises data rates of at least one giga-bit per second (Gbps).

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

generating the first data signal using a pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) coding generator;

transitioning the PRBS coding generator to a closed loop feedback state; and

self-testing bit error rate in the closed loop feedback state to ensure integrity of transmitter to receiver operation.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

controlling the aircraft for three-dimensional (3-D) pointing and sustaining directivity of a beam formed by the antenna arrays independently of a flight path of the aircraft.