Apparatus for distributed airborne wireless communications

• US 8,897,770 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sunlight Aerospace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sunlight Photonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Frolov, Sergey V., Bruce, Allan J., Moussouris, John Peter, Cyrus, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US14/462,122
• Time in Patent Office: 99 Days
• Field of Search: 455427-431, 455 111- 134, 370/316, 244 24- 31
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatus for providing distributed airborne wireless communications are provided herein. In some embodiments, a distributed communication payload includes: a payload control electronics module; an air-to-user link module to provide wireless communication links between airborne platforms and end-user devices; and an air-to-air link module to provide wireless communication links between airborne platforms; wherein the air-to-user and air-to-air link modules are subdivided into multiple sections that can be disposed on different airborne platforms.

Claims

1. A distributed communication payload, comprising:

a payload control electronics module;

an air-to-user link module to provide wireless communication links between airborne platforms and end-user devices,

wherein the airborne platforms comprise at least one unmanned aerial vehicle; and

an air-to-air link module to provide wireless communication links between airborne platforms;

wherein the air-to-user and air-to-air link modules are subdivided into multiple sections that can be disposed on different airborne platforms;

wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to have a first combined communication capacity,

the air-to-air link module is configured to have a second combined communication capacity, and

wherein the second communication capacity is greater than or equal to the first communication capacity.

2. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising an air-to-ground link module to provide a communication link between an airborne platform and a ground-based gateway station.

3. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising an air-to-tower link module to provide a communication link between an airborne platform and a terrestrial wireless cellular system.

4. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising an air-to-space link module to provide a communication link between an airborne platform and a communication satellite.

5. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the multiple sections of the air-to-user link module are approximately equal in size and weight.

6. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the multiple sections of the air-to-air link module are approximately equal in size and weight.

7. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the sections of the air-to-user link module further comprise a section with equipment configured only to transmit signals to end-user devices.

8. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the sections of the air-to-user link module further comprise a section with equipment configured only to receive signals from end-user devices.

9. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the payload control electronics module is further subdivided into multiple sections.

10. The distributed communication payload of claim 9, wherein the payload control electronics module sections are configured to wirelessly interconnect via the air-to-air link module sections to form a network.

11. The distributed communication payload of claim 10, wherein the network is a peer-to-peer ad hoc network.

12. The distributed communication payload of claim 10, wherein the network is a network node.

13. The distributed communication payload of claim 10, wherein one of the payload control electronics module sections is a network controller.

14. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user module sections and the air-to-air module sections are arranged in a plurality of groups and wherein each group includes a section of the air-to-air module.

15. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising an antenna, an amplifier, and a transceiver.

16. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the sections of the air-to-air module each further comprise free-space optical communication equipment.

17. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the sections of the air-to-air module each further comprise a control channel for internal communications and a relay channel for external communications.

18. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the payload control electronics module further comprises an administration module, a database, an event handler, a task scheduler, and section controllers.

19. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising a master section and a slave section.

20. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is further characterized by a transmission range and an average distance between payload sections is substantially smaller than the transmission range.

21. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to provide a communication link with hand-held wireless devices.

22. The distributed communication payload of claim 21, wherein the communication link is compatible with a terrestrial wireless cellular system.

23. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to provide a broadcast service.

24. The distributed communication payload of claim 23, wherein the broadcast service includes at least one of television broadcasting, radio broadcasting, multicasting, or video, audio, and data streaming.

25. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, further comprising an air-to-ground link module to provide a communication link between an airborne platform and a ground-based gateway station with a third combined communication capacity greater or equal to the first communication capacity.

26. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to provide a plurality of radio frequency beams directed toward the ground and to control an angular field intensity distribution within the beams.

27. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to provide a plurality of radio frequency beams operating at least two different frequencies.

28. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein at least one section of the air-to-user link module is configured to either only receive radio frequency signals or only transmit radio frequency signals.

29. The distributed communication payload of claim 1, wherein the air-to-user link module is configured to provide a communication link with another aircraft.