High data rate aircraft to ground communication antenna system

• US 9,848,391 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jalali, Ahmad, Tassoudji, Mohammad A., Ozaki, Ernest T., Ames, William G., Schiff, Leonard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, HSINCHUN
• Application Number:
  US14/216,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A method for ground to air communication includes receiving a first pilot signal on a first wide beam from a first ground base station by a first antenna element covering a first range of azimuth angles from an aircraft. Data is received on a directed data beam from the first ground base station by the first antenna element. A second pilot signal is received on a second wide beam from a second ground base station by a second antenna element covering a second range of azimuth angles different than the first range of azimuth angles. A signal strength of the second pilot signal is compared with a signal strength of the first pilot signal. Data reception is switched from the first antenna element to the second antenna element if the signal strength of the second pilot signal is greater than the signal strength of the first pilot signal.

Claims

1. A method for ground to air communication with an aircraft equipped with a multi-beam aircraft array antenna, comprising:

receiving from the aircraft an indicator representative of a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measured at the aircraft;

detecting interference during transmission of data on a forward link of a ground base station antenna array from a serving ground base station to the aircraft based on the SINR measured at the aircraft being below a predetermined target value;

increasing a transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array in response to the detected inference; and

causing a decrease of a transmission power on a forward link of a plurality of non-serving ground base stations to maintain a constant total transmission power over all ground base stations of an air to ground two-way communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, in which increasing the transmission power further comprises:

adjusting the transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array to maintain a SINR value measured at the aircraft above the target value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing the decrease of the transmission power comprises causing the sum of the transmission power of the a plurality of non-serving ground base stations to decrease by an amount equal to the increase in transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the decrease of the transmission power is to maintain a steady SINK value at the aircraft.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises an index of the SINK measured at the aircraft.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmission of data is received at the multi-beam aircraft array antenna with a first element, having a first beam with an azimuth gain pattern including a first peak, of the array antenna and with a second element, having a second beam with an azimuth gain pattern including a second peak, of the array antenna, wherein an azimuth gain pattern of a combined beam of the first element and the second element has a peak between the first peak and the second peak.

7. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for receiving from an aircraft an indictor of a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measured at the aircraft;

means for detecting interference during transmission of data on a forward link of a ground base station antenna array from a serving ground base station to the aircraft based on the SINR measured at the aircraft being below a predetermined target value;

means for increasing a transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array in response to the detected inference; and

means for causing a decrease of a transmission power on a forward link of a plurality of non-serving ground base stations to maintain a constant total transmission power over all ground base stations of an air to ground two-way communication system.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the increasing means further comprises:

means for adjusting the transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array to maintain a SINR value measured at the aircraft above the target value.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the indicator comprises an index of the SINR measured at the aircraft.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having non-transitory program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:

program code to detect interference during transmission of data on a forward link of a ground base station antenna array from a serving ground base station to an aircraft based on a parameter, received from the aircraft, indicating a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measured at the aircraft is below a predetermined target value;

program code to increase a transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array in response to the detected inference; and

program code to cause a decrease of a transmission power on a forward link of a plurality of non-serving ground base stations to maintain a constant total transmission power over all ground base stations of an air to ground two-way communication system.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the parameter comprises an index of the SINR measured at the aircraft.

12. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured;

to detect interference during transmission of data on a forward link of a ground base station antenna array from a serving ground base station to an aircraft based on a quantity, received from the aircraft, indicating a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) measured at the aircraft is below a predetermined target value;

to increase a transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array in response to the detected inference; and

to cause a decrease of a transmission power on a forward link of a plurality of non-serving ground base stations to maintain a constant total transmission power over all ground base stations of an air to ground two-way communication system.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, in which the at least one processor is further configured to increase transmission power by adjusting the transmission power on the forward link of the ground base station antenna array to maintain a SINK value measured at the aircraft above the target value.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the quantity comprises an index of the SINR measured at the aircraft.