Real-time calibration of an air to ground communication system

• US 9,295,006 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• 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): Hsieh, Ping
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jia, Xin
• Application Number:
  US13/168,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20120202418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455 68- 69, 455/63.1, 455/63.4, 455/561, 455/562.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 real-time calibration of an air to ground two-way communication system. The method includes calibrating a ground base station antenna array according to forward link calibration coefficients received from an aircraft as part of a communication signaling protocol during operation of the air to ground two-way communication system. The method may also includes communicating between the ground base station antenna array and the aircraft over a narrow beam.

Claims

1. A method for real-time calibration of an air to ground two-way communication system, comprising:

sequentially transmitting a sector wide pilot signal on a wide beam by each of a plurality of antenna elements of an antenna array of a ground base station during at least one calibration period;

entering a calibration mode at an agreed time, the agreed time being sent to an aircraft using the sector wide pilot signal;

receiving forward link calibration coefficients over a reverse link from the aircraft to the ground base station in response to the sector wide pilot signals transmitted during the at least one calibration period, the forward link calibration coefficients characterizing the sector wide pilot signals received by the aircraft from the ground base station, and the sector wide pilot signals being based at least in part on a multipath fading in open space between the aircraft and the ground base station; and

calibrating the ground base station antenna array in real-time based at least in part on a current position of the aircraft and according to the forward link calibration coefficients received from the aircraft as part of a communication signaling protocol for performing two-way normal traffic communication within the air to ground two-way communication system over a narrow beam.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting notification of the at least one calibration time period by the ground base station on at least one of the antenna elements on the wide beam.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one calibration period comprises a predetermined time slot within an air interface architecture of the air to ground two-way communication system.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the sequentially transmitting comprises transmitting the sector wide pilot signal on multiple tones to ensure calibration across wide frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a reverse link pilot signal by each of the plurality of antenna elements of the ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

demodulating the reverse link pilot signals; and

computing reverse link calibration coefficients of an aircraft antenna array characterizing the demodulated reverse link pilot signals.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the narrow beam is transmitted over an azimuth of less than 60°

.

7. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for sequentially transmitting a sector wide pilot signal on a wide beam by each of a plurality of antenna elements of a ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

means for entering a calibration mode at an agreed time, the agreed time being sent to an aircraft using the sector wide pilot signal;

means for receiving forward link calibration coefficients over a reverse link from the aircraft to the ground base station in response to the sector wide pilot signals transmitted during the at least one calibration period, the forward link calibration coefficients characterizing the sector wide pilot signals received by the aircraft from the ground base station, and the sector wide pilot signals being based at least in part on a multipath fading in open space between the aircraft and the ground base station; and

means for calibrating the ground base station antenna array in real-time based at least in part on a current position of the aircraft and according to the forward link calibration coefficients received from the aircraft as part of a communication signaling protocol for performing two-way normal traffic communication within an air to ground two-way communication system; and

means for communicating between the ground base station antenna array and the aircraft over a narrow beam.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

means for transmitting notification of the at least one calibration time period by a ground base station on at least one of the antenna elements on the wide beam.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the at least one calibration period comprises a predetermined time slot within an air interface architecture of the air to ground two-way communication system.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the sequentially transmitting means further comprises means for transmitting the sector wide pilot signal on multiple tones to ensure calibration across wide frequencies.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

means for receiving a reverse link pilot signal by each of a plurality of antenna elements of the ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

means for demodulating the reverse link pilot signals; and

means for computing reverse link calibration coefficients of an aircraft antenna array characterizing the demodulated reverse link pilot signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the plurality of antenna elements are arranged as a plurality of rows of antenna elements and a plurality of columns of antenna elements.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, in which plurality of antenna elements are spread across a plurality of panels, each of the plurality of panels covering a respective elevation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the plurality of panels cover the same azimuth.

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

program code to sequentially transmit a sector wide pilot signal on a wide beam by each of a plurality of antenna elements of a ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

program code to enter a calibration mode at an agreed time, the agreed time being sent to an aircraft using the sector wide pilot signal;

program code to receive forward link calibration coefficients over a reverse link from the aircraft to the ground base station in response to the sector wide pilot signals transmitted during the at least one calibration period, the forward link calibration coefficients characterizing the sector wide pilot signals received by the aircraft from the ground base station, and the sector wide pilot signals being based at least in part on a multipath fading in open space between the aircraft and the ground base station; and

program code to calibrate the ground base station antenna array in real-time based at least in part on a current position of the aircraft and according to the forward link calibration coefficients received from the aircraft as part of a communication signaling protocol for performing two-way normal traffic communication within an air to ground two-way communication system over a narrow beam.

16. 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 sequentially transmit a sector wide pilot signal on a wide beam by each of a plurality of antenna elements of a ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

to enter a calibration mode at an agreed time, the agreed time being sent to an aircraft using the sector wide pilot signal;

to receive forward link calibration coefficients over a reverse link from the aircraft to the ground base station in response to the sector wide pilot signals transmitted during the at least one calibration period, the forward link calibration coefficients characterizing the sector wide pilot signals received by the aircraft from the ground base station, and the sector wide pilot signals being based at least in part on a multipath fading in open space between the aircraft and the ground base station; and

to calibrate the ground base station antenna array of the ground base station in real-time based at least in part on a current position of the aircraft and according to the forward link calibration coefficients received from the aircraft as part of a communication signaling protocol for performing two-way normal traffic communication within an air to ground two-way communication system over a narrow beam.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the processor is further configured to transmit notification of the at least one calibration time period by a ground base station on at least one of the antenna elements on the wide beam.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the at least one calibration period comprises a predetermined time slot within an air interface architecture of the air to ground two-way communication system.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the processor is further configured to transmit the sector wide pilot signal on multiple tones to ensure calibration across wide frequencies.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the processor is further configured:

to receive a reverse link pilot signal by each of a plurality of antenna elements of the ground base station antenna array during at least one calibration period;

to demodulate the reverse link pilot signals; and

to compute reverse link calibration coefficients of an aircraft antenna array characterizing the demodulated reverse link pilot signals.