Concentric cells in a wireless communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924378-B2
Application number	US-201615291572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

Aspects described herein relate to a base station for providing air-to-ground wireless communication over various altitudes. The base station includes a first antenna array comprising one or more antennas configured to form a first cell coverage area extending substantially from a horizon up to a first elevation angle away from the first antenna array to a predetermined distance from the first antenna array. The base station further includes a second antenna array configured at an uptilt elevation angle to form a second cell coverage area extending at least from the first elevation angle to a second elevation away from the second antenna array, wherein the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area are concentric to define the ATG cell at least to the predetermined distance and up to a predetermined elevation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A base station for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication over various altitudes of an ATG cell, the base station comprising:
a first antenna array comprising one or more antennas configured to form a first cell coverage area defining a lower altitude cylinder of coverage centered on the base station; and
a second antenna array configured at an uptilt elevation angle to form a second cell coverage area defining a higher altitude cylinder of coverage concentric with the first cell coverage area.

2. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area each have a same radial distance.

3. The base station of claim 2 , wherein the radial distance is at least 100 miles.

4. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array each employ different respective radios to enable the first and second antenna arrays to transmit signals concurrently.

5. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array are configured such that the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area combine to provide full coverage up to a predetermined altitude out to a radial distance defined from the base station.

6. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna array is configured to transmit signals at a higher elevation and vertical beam width than the one or more antennas of the first antenna array at a given radial distance from the base station.

7. The base station of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna array comprises four antennas installed at four respective different sectors to define 360 degrees of coverage around the base station between the horizon and the first elevation angle.

8. The base station of claim 7 , wherein the second antenna array includes four additional antennas installed at similar locations around the base station as the four antennas of the first antenna array.

9. A method for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication over various elevations, comprising:
transmitting signals using a first antenna array configured to form a first cell coverage area defining a lower altitude cylinder of coverage centered on the base station; and
transmitting additional signals using a second antenna array configured at an uptilt elevation angle to form a second cell coverage area defining a higher altitude cylinder of coverage concentric with the first cell coverage area.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein transmitting signals using the first antenna array and transmitting additional signals using the second antenna array comprises employing different respective radios to enable the first and second antenna arrays to transmit signals concurrently.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area each have a same radial distance.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the additional signals are transmitted at a higher elevation and using an increased vertical beam width than the signals transmitted using the first antenna array at a given radial distance from the base station.

13. A network comprising a plurality of base stations for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication over various altitudes of an ATG cell, each of the base stations comprising:
a first antenna array comprising one or more antennas configured to form a first cell coverage area defining a lower altitude cylinder of coverage centered on the base station;
a second antenna array configured at an uptilt elevation angle to form a second cell coverage area defining a higher altitude cylinder of coverage concentric with the first cell coverage area.

14. The network of claim 13 , wherein the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area each have a same radial distance.

15. The network of claim 14 , wherein the radial distance is at least 100 miles.

16. The network of claim 13 , wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array each employ different respective radios to enable the first and second antenna arrays to transmit signals concurrently.

17. The network of claim 13 , wherein the first antenna array and the second antenna array are configured such that the first cell coverage area and the second cell coverage area are concentric over a similar azimuthcombine to provide full coverage up to a predetermined altitude out to a radial distance defined from the base station.

Assignees

• Smartsky Networks LLC

Inventors

• Hyslop Douglas
• Caplan Andrew P

Classifications

• H04B7/18506

  Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service · CPC title

• H04W16/24

  Cell structures · CPC title

• H01Q21/29

  Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic (H01Q25/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W16/28

  using beam steering · CPC title

• H01Q25/00

  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 title