Wedge shaped cells in a wireless communication system

• US 9,294,933 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartsky Networks Llc
• Original Assignee: Smartsky Networks Llc
• Inventors: Hyslop, Douglas, Caplan, Andrew P., Dodson, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US14/681,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: 455/446, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/30 Special cell shapes, e.g. doughnuts or ring cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/328 by altitude
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

Aspects described herein relate to a network for providing air-to-ground wireless communication in various cells. The network includes a first base station array, each base station of which includes a respective first antenna array defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in a first direction, wherein each base station of the first base station array is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the first base station array along the first direction by a first distance. The network also includes a similar second base station array where the second base station array extends substantially parallel to the first base station array and is spaced apart from the first base station array by a second distance to form continuous and at least partially overlapping cell coverage areas between respective base stations of the first and second base station arrays.

Claims

1. A network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, comprising:

a first base station array, each base station of which includes a respective first antenna array defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in a first direction, wherein each base station of the first base station array is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the first base station array along the first direction by a first distance; and

a second base station array, each base station of which includes a respective second antenna array defining a directional radiation pattern that is oriented in the first direction, wherein each base station of the second base station array is disposed spaced apart from another base station of the second base station array along the first direction by the first distance, and wherein the second base station array extends substantially parallel to the first base station array and is spaced apart from the first base station array by a second distance to form continuous and at least partially overlapping cell coverage areas between respective base stations of the first and second base station arrays,

wherein directional radiation patterns of the base stations of the first base station array each define substantially wedge shaped radiation patterns that overlap each other to extend coverage of the first base station array up to a predetermined altitude, and directional patterns of the second base station array each also define substantially wedge shaped radiation patterns that overlap each other to extend coverage of the second base station array up to the predetermined altitude.

2. A network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, the network comprising a first base station array, the first base station array comprising:

a plurality of base stations each of which has a corresponding antenna array providing a directional radiation pattern oriented along a first direction, the directional radiation pattern extending over a predetermined range in azimuth centered on the first direction, and extending between a first elevation angle and a second elevation angle over at least a predetermined distance to define a plurality of substantially wedge shaped radiation patterns that overlap,

wherein coverage areas served by base stations in the network have increasing elevation boundaries as distance from the respective base stations increases.