High-speed mobile broadband access by slewing between vehicular narrowbeam transceiver and fixed transceivers along prescribed path

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9609569-B2
Application number	US-201314031853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2013
Priority date	Sep 19, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises: establishing a first broadband data link between a first mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned on a vehicle and a first fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along a prescribed path of the vehicle; and switching from the first broadband data link, by the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver, to a second broadband data link with a second fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path after the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver, enabling the vehicle to maintain continuous broadband access to a wide area network via a prescribed sequence of the fixed narrowbeam transceivers along the prescribed path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
establishing a first wireless optical broadband data link between a first mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned on a land-based vehicle and a first fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along a prescribed path of the land-based vehicle, the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned in a forward direction relative to the prescribed path to establish a forward wireless broadband channel at one Gigabit per second (1 Gb/s) or more;
maintaining the forward wireless broadband channel based on switching from the first wireless optical broadband data link, by the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver, to a second wireless optical broadband data link with a second fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path after the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver based on slewing of at least one of the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver on the land-based vehicle, the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver, or the second fixed narrowbeam transceiver, at a slew rate of one degree per millisecond or faster;
establishing a reverse wireless broadband channel at one Gigabit per second (1 Gb/s) or more based on establishing a third wireless optical broadband data link between a second mobile narrowbeam transceiver, positioned in a reverse direction on the land-based vehicle relative to the prescribed path, and a third fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path;
the forward wireless broadband channel and the reverse wireless broadband channel enabling the land-based vehicle to maintain 1.5 Gb/s or more continuous broadband access to a wide area network via a prescribed sequence of the fixed narrowbeam transceivers along the prescribed path while traveling at 320 kilometers per hour or more;
maintaining the reverse broadband channel based on the second mobile narrowbeam transceiver switching from the third wireless optical broadband data link to a fourth wireless optical broadband data link with a fourth fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted in reversed direction along the prescribed path; and
the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver and the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver establishing a fifth wireless optical broadband data link in response to a determined absence of the land-based vehicle, enabling the fifth wireless optical broadband data link to bypass a wired cable between the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver and the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver, or to provide testing of at least one of the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver or the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the continuous broadband access based on concurrently communicating along the forward and reverse broadband channels while connected to the respective fixed narrowbeam transceivers, and communicating along one of the broadband channels while the other of the broadband channels is switching to another fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path at the slew rate of one degree per millisecond or faster.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the continuous broadband access is maintained at the 1.5 Gb/S or more data rate based on maintaining communication along the first and second wireless optical broadband data links for a minimum connected time interval, and buffering data traffic during a switching time for the switching from the first wireless optical broadband data link to the second wireless optical broadband data link, the switching time substantially less than each corresponding connected time interval.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switching comprises:
the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver maintaining connection with the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver until detecting the land-based vehicle has reached a first prescribed path position along the prescribed path; and
the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver slewing to a prescribed acquisition position for the second fixed narrowbeam transceiver in response to detecting the land-based vehicle reaching the first prescribed path position.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switching is based on the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver slewing from the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver to the second fixed narrowbeam transceiver at a slew angle of about ten (10) degrees or less, at a slew time of about ten (10) milliseconds or less.

6. An apparatus comprising:
a first mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned on a land-based vehicle and configured for establishing a first wireless optical broadband data link with a first fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along a prescribed path of the land-based vehicle, the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned in a forward direction relative to the prescribed path to establish a forward wireless broadband channel at one Gigabit per second (1 Gb/s) or more;
a second mobile narrowbeam transceiver positioned on the land-based vehicle in a reverse direction relative to the prescribed path and configured for establishing a reverse wireless broadband channel at one Gigabit per second (1 Gb/s) or more; and
a processor circuit configured for causing the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver to maintain the forward wireless broadband channel based on the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver switching from the first wireless optical broadband data link to a second wireless optical broadband data link with a second fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path after the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver based on slewing of at least one of the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver on the land-based vehicle, the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver, or the second fixed narrowbeam transceiver, at a slew rate of one degree per millisecond or faster;
the second mobile narrowbeam transceiver establishing the reverse wireless broadband channel at 1 Gb/s or more based on establishing a third wireless optical broadband data link with a third fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path;
the forward wireless broadband channel by the first mobile narrowbeam transceiver and the reverse wireless broadband channel by the second mobile narrowbeam transceiver enabling the land-based vehicle to maintain 1.5 Gb/s or more continuous broadband access to a wide area network via a prescribed sequence of the fixed narrowbeam transceivers along the prescribed path while traveling at 320 kilometers per hour or more;
wherein the processor circuit is configured for maintaining the reverse broadband channel based on causing the second mobile narrowbeam transceiver to switch from the third wireless optical broadband data link to a fourth wireless optical broadband data link with a fourth fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted in reversed direction along the prescribed path;
wherein the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver and the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver are configured for establishing a fifth wireless optical broadband data link in response to a determined absence of the land-based vehicle, enabling the fifth wireless optical broadband data link to bypass a wired cable between the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver and the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver, or to provide testing of at least one of the first fixed narrowbeam transceiver or the third fixed narrowbeam transceiver.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor circuit is configured for maintaining the continuous broadband access based on concurrently causing communications along the forward and reverse broadband channels while connected to the respective fixed narrowbeam transceivers, and causing the communications along one of the broadband channels while the other of the broadband channels is switching to another fixed narrowbeam transceiver mounted along the prescribed path at the slew rate of one

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Byers Charles Calvin
• Chan Douglas

Classifications

• H04W16/28

  using beam steering · CPC title

• H04W36/32 Primary

  by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data · CPC title

• H04W36/324

  by mobility data, e.g. speed data · CPC title

• H04W36/322 Primary

  by location data · CPC title