Apparatuses and methods for base stations with uptilt antennas for aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12363557-B2
Application number	US-202418438926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2024
Priority date	Mar 5, 2021
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

Example aspects include a method, apparatus and computer-readable medium of wireless communication at a base station of a mobile network, comprising transmitting system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector being formed by one or more uptilt beams of the base station. The aspects further include performing, according to the system information, a random access channel (RACH) procedure with an aerial user equipment (UE). Additionally, the aspects include establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, a communications link with the aerial UE.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station of a mobile network, comprising:
transmitting first system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector, the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector being formed by a first set of beams of the base station;
transmitting second system information corresponding to a terrestrial cell of the mobile network, the terrestrial cell being formed by a second set of beams of the base station, the second system information being separate from the first system information, wherein transmitting the second system information comprises transmitting a plurality of terrestrial synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), the plurality of terrestrial SSBs being configured for the terrestrial cell of the mobile network, wherein transmitting the second system information comprises:
transmitting a terrestrial SSB of the plurality of terrestrial SSBs; and
transmitting a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) according to a CSI-RS configuration, the CSI-RS configuration being based at least on the terrestrial SSB;

performing, according to the first system information, a random access channel (RACH) procedure with an aerial user equipment (UE); and
establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, a communications link with the aerial UE.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the first system information indicates a height threshold for the aerial UE; and
wherein establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, the communications link with the aerial UE comprises:
establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, the communications link with the aerial UE, based at least on a determination that a height of the aerial UE exceeds the height threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein a serving cell of the aerial UE is the aerial cell or the cell having the at least one aerial sector; and
wherein transmitting the first system information comprises:
transmitting first configuration information of the serving cell and second configuration information of one or more neighbor cells; or
transmitting third configuration information of an aerial sector in the serving cell and fourth configuration information of one or more aerial sectors of the one or more neighbor cells.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the first system information comprises:
transmitting a synchronization signal comprising the first system information, the first system information indicating at least one of a transmit power level and a transmit power offset of the synchronization signal.

5. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station of a mobile network, comprising:
transmitting system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector, the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector being formed by a first set of beams of the base station, wherein the system information comprises a first portion of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), the first portion of the plurality of SSBs being configured for the aerial cell or for the at least one aerial sector, wherein transmitting the system information comprises:
transmitting, at a first power level, a first SSB of the plurality of SSBs; and
transmitting, at a second power level, a second SSB of the plurality of SSBs, the first power level being different than the second power level;

performing, according to the system information, a random access channel (RACH) procedure with an aerial user equipment (UE); and
establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, a communications link with the aerial UE.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the first system information comprises:
transmitting, at a first power level, a system information block (SIB) indicating a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration for the aerial cell or for the at least one aerial sector; and
transmitting, at a second power level and according to the CSI-RS configuration, a CSI-RS, the first power level being different than the second power level.

7. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station of a mobile network, comprising:
transmitting system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector, the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector being formed by a first set of beams of the base station, wherein the system information comprises a first portion of a plurality of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), the first portion of the plurality of SSBs being configured for the aerial cell or for the at least one aerial sector, wherein transmitting the system information comprises:
transmitting, via a first beam of the first set of beams, an aerial SSB of the first portion of the plurality of SSBs, the aerial SSB indicating a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration for the aerial cell or for the at least one aerial sector; and
transmitting, via a second beam of the first set of beams and according to the CSI-RS configuration, a CSI-RS, the first beam having a wider shape than the second beam;

performing, according to the system information, a random access channel (RACH) procedure with an aerial user equipment (UE); and
establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, a communications link with the aerial UE.

8. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station of a mobile network, comprising:
transmitting system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector, the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector being formed by a first set of beams of the base station, wherein a serving cell of the aerial UE is the aerial cell or the cell having the at least one aerial sector;
transmitting serving cell system information of the serving cell, the serving cell system information indicating first bias offsets of the serving cell, the first bias offsets being configured to prioritize selection of aerial cells or aerial sectors by the aerial UE;
transmitting neighbor cell system information of one or more neighbor cells, the neighbor cell system information indicating second bias offsets of the one or more neighbor cells, the second bias offsets being configured to prioritize selection of the aerial cells or the aerial sectors by the aerial UE;
performing, according to the system information, a random access channel (RACH) procedure with an aerial user equipment (UE);
establishing, via the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector, a communications link with the aerial UE; and
performing a cell reselection procedure in response to a determination based at least on cell reselection criteria calculated using the first bias offsets and the second bias offsets.

9. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station of a mobile network, comprising:
transmitting system information corresponding to an aerial cell of the mobile network or a cell having at least one aerial sector, the aerial cell or the at least one aerial sector being formed by a first set of beams of the base station;
transmitting second system information of one or more neighbor cells, the second system information indicating at least one of an intra-frequency cell reselection priority or an inter-frequency cell reselection priority, the at least one of the intra-frequency cell reselection priority or the inter-frequency cell reselection priority being configured to prioritize selection of aerial cells or

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Liu Le
• Rico Alvarino Alberto
• Gaal Peter
• Saha Chiranjib
• Phuyal Umesh
• Wang Xiao Feng
• Montojo Juan
• Chetlur Ravi Vishnu Vardhan

Classifications

• H04W36/083

  wherein at least one of the access points is a moving node · CPC title

• H04W84/06

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

• H04W74/0833

  Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access · CPC title

• H04W56/001

  Synchronization between nodes · CPC title

• H04L5/0051

  of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal · CPC title