Systems and Methods for Wireless Communication in Frequency-Limited, Client-Dense Environments

• US 20160227415A1
• Filed: 02/01/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Passenger Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Systems and Software Enterprises LLC
• Inventors: Carswell, Samuel A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,448,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/305 Handover due to radio link failure control signalling for hand-off failure H04W36/0079
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A system for managing the wireless transmission of data using a configured or fixed frequency, such as the 60 GHz spectrum, within a client-dense environment such as an aircraft. The system includes access points (“ZAPs”) that control a plurality of antennas according to a time-slotted broadcast schedule such that the transmissions from the antennas do not interfere with each other.

Claims

1. A system for wireless communication within a vehicle interior, comprising:

a wireless access point (“

ZAP”

) connected to a plurality of antennas arranged within a vehicle interior, the ZAP programmed to cause each a first antenna to transmit to a first plurality of client devices according to a first time slot within a transmission cycle based on a location of the first antenna relative to the other antennas;

wherein each of the first plurality of client devices includes a client antenna.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the ZAP is programmed to assign the first time slot to the first antenna based on the location further comprises determining whether a range of transmission for the first antenna overlaps a range of transmission of any of the other antennas and assigning a time slot for the first antenna that is different than any of the antennas for which there is an overlap.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the ZAP is further programmed to:

determine that a transmission range of a second antenna does not overlap with the transmission range of the first antenna; and

assign the first time slot to the second antenna such that the second antenna transmits to a second plurality of client devices during the time slot.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the ZAP is further programmed to:

receive a predetermined layout of the anticipated location of each of the client devices relative to each antenna;

detect a signal transmitted by each of the client devices; and

determine the relative location of each of the client devices relative to each antenna based on the anticipated location and the signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas and the client antennas are configured to communicate using a fixed frequency band.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the frequency band comprises the 61.56 to 62.9 GHz ISM band.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first client device from the first plurality of client devices, the first client device programmed to;

receive a data transmission from the first antenna;

determine that the data transmission has been interrupted;

determine that the first client device is within a second broadcast range from a second antenna from the plurality of antennas; and

transmit an antenna change request to the second antenna, the antenna change request indicating that the first client device wishes to switch to the second antenna; and

the ZAP further programmed to;

receive the antenna change request; and

in response to the antenna change request, resume the data transmission to the first client device via the second antenna.