Antenna system for providing coverage from a high-altitude platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11349558-B2
Application number	US-202017121168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2020
Priority date	Nov 5, 2019
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure provide an antenna system for a high-altitude platform (HAP). The antenna system may include a central panel including a first set of antenna elements. The antenna system may also include a plurality of auxiliary panels arranged around the central panel and at an angular offset from the central panel. Each auxiliary panel of the set of auxiliary panels may include a second plurality of antenna elements. The first plurality of antenna elements may be configured to provide network coverage within a first area having a first radius and each of the second sets of antenna elements are configured to provide network coverage within a second area beyond the first radius.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising an antenna system for a high-altitude platform (HAP), the antenna system including:
a central panel including a first set of antenna elements, the first set of antenna elements being configured to provide a first coverage area;
a plurality of auxiliary panels arranged at an angular offset from the central panel and arranged around an axis, the axis being perpendicular to the central panel, each auxiliary panel of the plurality of auxiliary panels including a second set of antenna elements, the second set of antenna elements being configured to provide a second coverage area that reaches beyond the first coverage area; and
one or more processors configured to adjust the first coverage area of the first set of antenna elements or the second coverage area of the second set of antenna elements.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust the second coverage area of a given auxiliary panel of the plurality of auxiliary panels independent from other auxiliary panels in the plurality of auxiliary panels.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust a tilt of the given auxiliary panel.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust the tilt of the given auxiliary panel between a plurality of positions including a first tilt position and a second tilt position.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the tilt of the given auxiliary panel based on actual or predicted demand in a sector in range of the given auxiliary panel.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to steer the second set of antenna elements of a given auxiliary panel to narrow or widen the second coverage area of the given auxiliary panel.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to control a feed board with a plurality of switches to steer the second set of antenna elements of the given auxiliary panel.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to steer a pointing direction or a width of the first coverage area of the central panel.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central panel is arranged such that when in operation on the HAP, the central panel is oriented or faces in a downward direction relative to the EHAP.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary panels is arranged such that when in operation on the HAP, the plurality of auxiliary panels is oriented at an angle offset from the downward direction relative to the HAP corresponding to a downward tilt.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the central panel includes a planar surface on which the first set of antenna elements are arranged.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the central panel is a ring.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first set of antenna elements are arranged at regular intervals around the central panel.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the second sets of antenna elements are arranged in a linear array on a respective one of the plurality of auxiliary panels.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second set of antenna elements is a plurality of antenna elements arranged linearly along a given auxiliary panel of the plurality of auxiliary panels; and
wherein each of the second sets of antenna elements has a clover-shape mounted parallel to the given auxiliary panel.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary panels has a same configuration.

17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a gimbal configured to adjust an orientation of the central panel relative to the HAP and thereby steer a pointing direction of a beam formed by the first set of antenna elements.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary panels is arranged such that when in operation on the HAP, the central panel is arranged below the auxiliary panels.

19. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the HAP.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the HAP includes a balloon.

Assignees

• Softbank Corp

Inventors

• Ananth Sharath
• Behroozi Cyrus
• Vichik Sergey

Classifications

• H01Q3/242

  Circumferential scanning · CPC title

• H01Q1/286

  substantially flush mounted with the skin of the craft · CPC title

• H01Q25/002

  providing at least two patterns of different beamwidth; Variable beamwidth antennas · CPC title

• H04B7/0408

  using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity · CPC title

• H04W84/06

  Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) · CPC title