AIRBORNE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, AIRBORNE COMMUNICATIONS METHODS, AND COMMUNICATIONS METHODS

• US 20090098850A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Michael J., Jones, Warren F., Deaton, Juan D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0079 involving restoration of networks, e.g. disaster recovery, self-healing networks

Abstract

An airborne wireless communications system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communications base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communications between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured to, based on the information, configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communications method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communications system.

Claims

1. An airborne wireless communications system comprising:

circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communications base station that has become disabled, the terrestrial base station being configured to implement wireless communications between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled, and wherein the circuitry is further configured to, based on the information, configure the airborne wireless communications system to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station.

2. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the wireless devices comprise cellular communications devices and the circuitry is further configured to implement wireless communications between the cellular communications devices located within the geographical area and the network after configuring the airborne wireless communications system to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station.

3. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is configured to simultaneously implement wireless communications for two different disabled terrestrial base stations using two different wireless modulation technologies.

4. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the information comprises channel numbers indicative of radio frequencies used by the terrestrial wireless communications base station and the wireless devices.

5. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the information comprises one of a plurality of a modulation schemes for implementing communication between the airborne wireless communications system and the wireless devices.

6. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the information comprises a description of the geographical area.

7. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is further configured to focus a directional antenna of the airborne wireless communications system onto the geographical area.

8. The airborne system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry is configured to access the information while onboard an airborne vehicle within the atmosphere of the earth.

9. An airborne wireless communications system comprising circuitry configured to:

first access first information regarding a geographical area in which a terrestrial base station is configured to provide wireless communications;

second access second information regarding a moving airborne vehicle comprising the airborne wireless communications system;

use the first and second information to control the airborne wireless communications system so that a coverage area of the airborne wireless communications system includes the geographical area as the airborne vehicle moves; and

implement wireless communications between wireless communications devices located within the geographical area and a network using the airborne wireless communications system.

10. The airborne wireless communications system of claim 9 wherein the circuitry is configured to use the first and second information to control a directional antenna to cover the geographical area.

11. A communications method comprising:

using a terrestrial wireless communications base station, first implementing wireless communications between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network at a first moment in time; and

using an airborne wireless communications system, second implementing wireless communications between the wireless devices and the network at a later second moment in time.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the wireless devices are cellular communications devices and the second implementing comprises implementing the wireless communications using the airborne wireless communications system implemented in an airborne vehicle within the atmosphere of the earth.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the airborne system travels in an orbit near the geographical area.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the second implementing comprises focusing a directional antenna of the airborne wireless communications system onto the geographical area.

15. An airborne communications method comprising:

first accessing first information regarding a geographical area in which a terrestrial base station is configured to provide wireless communications;

second accessing second information regarding a moving airborne vehicle comprising an airborne wireless communications system; and

using the first and second information, configuring the airborne wireless communications system so that a coverage area of the airborne wireless communications system includes the geographical area as the airborne vehicle moves.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the terrestrial base station comprises a cellular terrestrial base station and further comprising implement wireless communications between wireless communications devices located within the geographical area and a network using the configured airborne wireless communications system.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the second information comprises a position of the airborne vehicle.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the configuring comprises focusing a directional antenna of the airborne system onto the geographical area.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the coverage area of the airborne wireless communications system is substantially the same as the geographical area.

20. The method of claim 15:

wherein the terrestrial base station is configured to provide wireless communications between wireless devices located within the geographical area and a switching center of the network during times when the terrestrial base station is enabled; and

further comprising replacing communications between the terrestrial base station and the wireless devices and communications between the terrestrial base station and the network respectively with communications between the airborne system and the wireless devices and communications between the airborne system and a temporary switching center of the network when the terrestrial base station and the switching center are disabled.

21. An airborne communications method comprising answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communications system.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

determining information regarding the 911 call, the information comprising a location of the terrestrial wireless phone and a phone number of the terrestrial wireless phone; and

forwarding the information regarding the 911 call to a terrestrial communications device.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the terrestrial communications device provides the information to a public safety answering point.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising enabling voice communications between the terrestrial wireless phone and the terrestrial communications device using the airborne system, at least one satellite communications link, and a voice over Internet Protocol gateway.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising preventing the airborne system from handling phone calls other than 911 calls.