Communication relay between non-terrestrial and terrestrial devices

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for providing communication between non-terrestrial devices and terrestrial devices are described herein. An exemplary repeater device may demodulate a received signal from one carrier frequency and modulate it onto a different carrier frequency before transmitting or relaying the signal. Furthermore, an exemplary repeater device may decode a received signal according to a data communication protocol and re-encode it according to a different data protocol before transmitting or relaying the signal.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 436,973, filed January 4, 2023, entitled "Communications Relay Between Non-Terrestrial Devices and Terrestrial Devices," which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] SUMMARY The present disclosure relates to systems, devices and methods used for wireless communication relay between non-terrestrial and terrestrial devices. [Background technology]

[0003] The effective wireless communication range between the non-terrestrial equipment and the terrestrial equipment is frequently limited by the uplink transmit power of the terrestrial equipment. The non-terrestrial equipment may be any non-terrestrial-based wireless communication device, apparatus, or platform, such as a high altitude platform station (HAPS) or atmospheric satellite, low earth orbit satellite, medium earth orbit satellite, high earth orbit satellite, or geostationary satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), etc. The terrestrial equipment may be any terrestrial-based wireless communication device, such as a mobile phone, satellite phone, tablet computer, personal computer, customer premises equipment (CPE), fixed wireless access (FWA), Wi-Fi device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.

[0004] For example, by using or deploying a repeater to repeat a radio signal from a ground device, the communication range can be improved or extended with a higher uplink power. In other words, the repeater can extend the wireless communication range between the ground device and the non-ground device. Furthermore, the use of a repeater can improve the problem of blind spots.

[0005] A repeater can be described as a device that can receive wireless communication signals from terrestrial and non-terrestrial devices and then repeat the same communication signals so that the wireless signals can be received by other terrestrial and non-terrestrial devices. Because such repeaters do not demodulate and / or decode the received communication signals, but instead simply "repeat" the same signals, repeaters can be described as being "dumb" devices. In essence, a repeater does not perform any processing or calculations on the received signals other than retransmitting the same signals to extend the communication range of the received signals. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The exemplary systems, devices, and methods described herein incorporate or provide various features for improving communication relay between non-terrestrial devices and terrestrial devices over conventional systems, devices, and methods, as will now be described. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Exemplary systems, devices, and methods can be described as providing the ability to change the carrier frequency of received radio signals, change the communication protocol of received radio signals, move some or all of the radio unit functionality from non-terrestrial devices to repeaters, and provide one-hop or multi-hop communication legs. In one example, the techniques described herein can be used to significantly increase the coverage area of ​​non-terrestrial device communications, for example, through no or partial decoding and one-hop or multi-hop deployments, and to significantly overcome different terrain constraints. Furthermore, the ability of exemplary systems, devices, and methods to provide multiple combinations of communication protocols or waveforms and carrier frequencies can reduce interference with existing services and increase communication reliability. Furthermore, moving some or all of the radio unit (RU) functionality, sometimes referred to as an intermediate radio unit (iRU), to repeaters can provide faster response times for terrestrial devices and reduce hardware complexity and power consumption of non-terrestrial devices. Furthermore, the exemplary systems, devices, and methods can be used to achieve a more efficient wireless communication link between non-terrestrial devices and repeaters using various combinations of standard and proprietary communication protocols. In one example, the exemplary systems, devices, and methods may use 3GPP®-compliant service data units (SDUs) or protocol data units (PDUs) (e.g., including headers, padding, and payloads) and a proprietary physical layer (PHY).

[0008] An exemplary repeater device may communicate between a non-terrestrial device and a terrestrial device. The delay device may include a wireless communication device having one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with the non-terrestrial device and the terrestrial device, and a computer device having one or more processors. The computer device may be configured to receive a first signal from the terrestrial device, demodulate the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal, modulate the data signal at a second carrier frequency to generate a second signal, and transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device.

[0009] One exemplary method may include wirelessly receiving a first signal from a ground device and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal, modulating the data signal at a second carrier frequency to generate a second signal, and wirelessly transmitting the second signal to a non-ground device.

[0010] One exemplary system may include a non-terrestrial device and a relay device for wireless communication between the non-terrestrial device and the terrestrial device, wherein the relay device may be configured to receive a first signal from the terrestrial device, demodulate the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal, modulate the data signal at a second carrier frequency to generate a second signal, and transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device.

[0011] The above summary is not intended to describe each embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure. A more complete understanding will become apparent and appreciated by reference to the following detailed description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication system having ground-based and non-ground-based devices.

[0013] [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary communication system having ground devices, non-ground devices, and repeaters.

[0014] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram of another exemplary communication system having ground devices, non-ground devices, and repeaters.

[0015] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of the non-terrestrial equipment, the relay equipment, and the terrestrial equipment.

[0016] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a functional diagram of a non-terrestrial device, an exemplary repeater device, and a terrestrial device.

[0017] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary relay device.

[0018] [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A shows the coverage area of ​​a conventional non-terrestrial device.

[0019] [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B illustrates the coverage area of ​​a non-terrestrial device when utilizing an exemplary repeater device.

[0020] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a graph of connection probability versus received power with and without an exemplary relay. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments which may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from (e.g., still within) the scope of the disclosure presented herein.

[0022] Exemplary systems, devices, and methods are described with reference to Figures 1-8. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that elements or processes from one embodiment may be used in combination with elements or processes of other embodiments, and that possible embodiments of such systems, devices, and methods using combinations of features defined herein are not limited to the specific embodiments shown and / or described herein. Furthermore, it is recognized that the embodiments described herein may include many elements that are not necessarily shown to scale. Furthermore, it is recognized that the timing of steps herein and the sizes and shapes of various elements may be varied and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure, although certain timing or types of elements may be advantageous over others.

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 10 having multiple non-terrestrial and terrestrial devices. The non-terrestrial devices include a space satellite 12 (e.g., a low Earth orbit satellite, a low Earth orbit satellite, a medium Earth orbit satellite, and a high Earth orbit satellite) and two atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B. The atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B may be referred to as high altitude platform stations (HAPS). The space satellite 12 may operate at an altitude of approximately 1200 miles above the Earth's surface, while the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B may operate at an altitude of approximately 3 to 30 miles above the Earth's surface. In one or more embodiments, the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B may operate in the troposphere, which is approximately 5 to 11 miles above the Earth's surface. In this example, the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B are balloons or airships that may be filled with one or more gases to maintain their altitude. In other embodiments, the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B may include wings, rotors, and / or any other device or apparatus for maintaining themselves in the air.

[0024] The space satellite 12 and the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B may be configured to communicate wirelessly with each other and with various terrestrial devices. In particular, the space satellite 12 and the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B may include computing and communication circuitry and devices, such as one or more processors or processing circuits, power systems, antenna devices, and amplifiers, for conducting such wireless communication. As shown, each of the non-terrestrial devices is communicatively coupled to each other via wireless communication as illustrated using bidirectional lines. In particular, the atmospheric satellite 14A is wirelessly coupled to each of the atmospheric satellite 14A and the space satellite 12, the atmospheric satellite 14B is wirelessly coupled to each of the atmospheric satellite 14B and the space satellite 12, and the space satellite 12 is wirelessly coupled to each of the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B. The communicative or operative coupling of the non-terrestrial devices provides for bidirectional communication between each of the non-terrestrial devices. Furthermore, while in this embodiment, each of the non-terrestrial devices is communicatively coupled directly to each other, in other embodiments, the non-terrestrial devices may be indirectly coupled to each other via other non-terrestrial devices. In other words, communications between non-terrestrial devices that are not directly communicatively coupled may be relayed or repeated through another non-terrestrial device.

[0025] The ground equipment may include ground stations 16A, 16B, each of which is communicatively coupled (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection) to a core network 17A, 17B, as represented by the bidirectional lines. The core networks 17A, 17B may then be communicatively coupled to one or more other networks, such as the Internet. The ground equipment may further include user equipment 20A, 20B, 20C (which may also be referred to as user equipment). The ground stations 16A, 16B may be communicatively coupled to non-terrestrial devices via wireless communication, as shown using the bidirectional lines. As shown, ground station 16A is wirelessly coupled to the atmospheric satellite 14A, and ground station 16B is wirelessly coupled to the space satellite 12.

[0026] In general, user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C may have a smaller communication range than other devices in system 10. For example, the range of each of user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C may be represented in Figure 1 by the solid circle where each of user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C is located. Non-terrestrial devices, such as atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B, may have a wider communication range than user devices 20A, 20B, and 20C, and are represented by the larger dashed circle conically projected from the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B.

[0027] Ground devices may lack the range to effectively communicate with non-terrestrial devices, depending, for example, on the placement and location of the ground devices and non-terrestrial devices, the power provided by the ground devices and non-terrestrial devices, etc. For example, as shown, user device 20B is not within the range of either of the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B and is therefore not wirelessly coupled to either of the atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B, as indicated by the dashed double-headed arrow extending between user device 20B and the atmospheric satellite 14A. As a result, some ground devices, such as user device 20B, may not have wireless communication coverage using system 10.

[0028] Another communications system 11 having ground and non-ground equipment is shown in Figure 2. The ground and non-ground equipment of Figure 2 may be substantially similar to that described herein with reference to Figure 1. For example, the system 11 of Figure 2 includes a space satellite 12, atmospheric satellites 14A, 14B, ground stations 16A, 16B, and core networks 17A, 17B substantially identical to those shown and arranged in Figure 1.

[0029] However, the system 11 also includes relays 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D, for example, to extend the coverage of the satellites 14A and 14B. Generally, the relays 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D are configured to communicate wirelessly between one or more non-terrestrial devices, one or more terrestrial devices, and one or more other relays. In particular, the relays 30A, 30B, and 30C can be described as bridging communications, i.e., communication coupling, between the user devices 20D, 20E, 20F, and 20G, the satellites 14A and 14B, and other relays. Each of the relays 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D may include wireless communication equipment, among other things, for wirelessly communicating with the non-terrestrial devices and the terrestrial devices. The wireless communication equipment may include, among other things, one or more antennas. The one or more antennas may be configured to receive and transmit communications utilizing, among other things, one or more (e.g., one or more) carrier frequencies and / or frequency ranges. Each of the relay devices 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D may further include a computing device with one or more processors configured to relay communications between non-terrestrial devices, terrestrial devices, and other relay devices.

[0030] For example, the relay device 30A may provide relayed communication signals between the user device 20D and the atmospheric satellite 14A. In particular, the relay device 30A may receive communication signals from the user device 20D and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the atmospheric satellite 14A, and conversely, the relay device 30A may receive communication signals from the atmospheric satellite 14A and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the user device 20D. Furthermore, for example, the relay device 30B may provide relayed communication signals between the user device 20E and the relay device 30A. In particular, the relay device 30B may receive communication signals from the user device 20E and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the relay device 30A, and conversely, the relay device 30B may receive communication signals from the relay device 30A and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the user device 20E.

[0031] As shown, the user equipment 20E is outside the communication range of the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B, as indicated by the dashed circle cone projected from the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B. As a result, the user equipment 20E, like the user equipment 20B in FIG. 1, cannot directly communicate with or be communicatively coupled to the atmospheric satellites 14A and 14B. However, the relays of the system 11, particularly the relays 30A and 30B, provide extended coverage so that the user equipment 20E can communicate with or be communicatively coupled to the atmospheric satellite, in this example, the atmospheric satellite 14A.

[0032] The relay devices may be airborne or ground-based. Furthermore, the relay devices may be mobile (e.g., movable along the ground surface, movable in three dimensions such as through the air, etc.) or fixed (e.g., located in a fixed location, immobile, stationary, etc.). In this example, relay devices 30A, 30B, and 30D are ground-based, whereas relay device 30C is airborne. As shown, the representation of relay device 30C further depicts a quadcopter drone to indicate that relay device 30C is an airborne device. It should be understood that a quadcopter drone is merely one example of an airborne relay device, and that any low-altitude flying device or equipment can be utilized to provide the relay device with aerial capabilities.

[0033] As shown, the relay device 30C may provide relayed communication signals between the user device 20F and the atmospheric satellite 14B and between the relay device 30D and the atmospheric satellite 14B. In particular, the relay device 30C may receive communication signals from the user device 20F and the relay device 30D and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the atmospheric satellite 14B, and conversely, the relay device 30C may receive communication signals from the atmospheric satellite 14B and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the user device 20F and the relay device 30D. Furthermore, the relay device 30D may provide relayed communication signals between the user device 20G and the relay device 30C. In particular, the relay device 30D may receive communication signals from the user device 20G and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the relay device 30C, and conversely, the relay device 30D may receive communication signals from the relay device 30C and retransmit or relay such communication signals to the user device 20G.

[0034] A communications system 13 having terrestrial and non-terrestrial devices is shown in FIG. 3. Many of the terrestrial and non-terrestrial devices may be substantially similar to those described herein with reference to FIGS. 1-2. For example, the system 13 of FIG. 3 includes the same space satellite 12, ground station 16A, and core network 17A as shown and substantially arranged in FIGS. 1-2. However, the system 13 does not include an atmospheric satellite, but instead includes relay devices 30E and 30F configured to provide relayed wireless communication signals between the user device 20H and the space satellite 12. In this example, the user device 20H does not have sufficient power and / or is out of coverage to communicate with or communicatively couple with either the space satellite 12 or the relay devices 30E and 30F (as indicated by the dashed double-headed arrow extending between the user device 20H and the space satellite 12).

[0035] Also as shown, a relay device 30E may provide relayed communications between user device 20G and space satellite 12. In particular, relay device 30E may receive communications from user device 20G and retransmit or relay such communications to space satellite 12, or conversely, receive communications from space satellite 12 and retransmit or relay such communications to user device 20G. Additionally, relay device 30F, an airborne relay device such as a quadcopter drone, may provide relayed communications between user device 20I and space satellite 12. In particular, relay device 30F may receive communications from user device 20I and retransmit or relay such communications to space satellite 12, or conversely, receive communications from space satellite 12 and retransmit or relay such communications to user device 20I.

[0036] A functional diagram of system 100 including non-terrestrial equipment 110, repeater equipment 130, and ground equipment 120 is shown in Figure 4. As shown, each of non-terrestrial equipment 110, repeater equipment, and ground equipment 120 may use various computing and wireless communication devices to send and receive communication signals 140 between each other, as indicated by the double-headed arrows. Communication signals 140 may be defined by at least a carrier frequency 144 and a data signal 142 at carrier frequency 144. Carrier frequency 144 may be any frequency known to those skilled in the art for communication between non-terrestrial equipment 110, repeater equipment 130, and ground equipment 120. In one or more examples, the carrier frequency 144 may be a cellular frequency such as any one of LTE as defined by 3GPP, 5G as defined by 3GPP, 6G as defined by 3GPP, etc.; a satellite communication frequency such as any one of L, S, C, X, Ku, K, Ka, etc.; any WiFi communication frequency as defined by the WiFi Alliance; and any other frequency for IoT devices.

[0037] The data signal 142 may conform to or follow any communication protocol known by those skilled in the art for communicating between the non-terrestrial device 110, the relay device 130, and the terrestrial device 120. In one or more examples, the data signal 142 may be encoded according to a cellular data protocol, such as any one of LTE as defined by 3GPP®, 5G as defined by 3GPP®, 6G as defined by 3GPP®, any 3GPP® compliant payload, any SatCom compliant payload, any Wi-Fi® compliant payload, any IoT compliant payload, etc.

[0038] In system 100, the carrier frequencies 144 and data signals 142 utilized by user equipment 120 and non-terrestrial devices 110 are the same, and relay device 130 may simply repeat or relay communication signals received from user equipment 140 or non-terrestrial devices 110 without changing or modifying carrier frequencies 144 or data signals 142. In this manner, relay device 130 may be described as simply repeating or relaying received communication signals 140 without demodulating or decoding the communication signals.

[0039] In contrast to system 100 of FIG. 4 , a functional diagram of an exemplary system 101 having non-terrestrial equipment 110, repeater equipment 131, and terrestrial equipment 120 is shown in FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, repeater equipment 131 includes equipment and associated functionality configured to change the carrier frequency of a received signal and / or change the communication protocol of a data signal at the carrier frequency before relaying the signal. In this manner, a different carrier frequency and / or communication protocol may be used between non-terrestrial equipment 110 and repeater equipment 131 than that used between terrestrial equipment 120 and repeater equipment 131. In other words, only one or both of the carrier frequency and the communication protocol may be changed or modified by repeater equipment 131 before relaying or retransmitting the communication signal.

[0040] 5, the communication signal 150 transmitted by the user equipment 120 may include or define a first data signal 152 conforming to (e.g., encoded according to) a first data protocol modulated or carried on a first carrier frequency 154. The carrier frequency 154 may be any frequency known to those skilled in the art for conducting communications between the relay equipment 131 and the ground equipment 120. In one or more examples, the carrier frequency 154 may be a cellular frequency, such as any one of LTE as defined by 3GPP, 5G as defined by 3GPP, 6G as defined by 3GPP, etc.; a satellite communication frequency, such as any one of L, S, C, X, Ku, K, Ka, etc.; any Wi-Fi communication frequency as defined by the Wi-Fi Alliance; and any other frequency for IoT devices.

[0041] The first data signal 152 may conform to or follow any communication protocol known by those skilled in the art for communicating between the relay device 131 and the ground device 120. In one or more examples, the data signal 152 may be encoded according to a cellular data protocol such as any one of LTE as defined by 3GPP®, 5G as defined by 3GPP®, 6G as defined by 3GPP®, any 3GPP® compliant payload, any SatCom compliant payload, any Wi-Fi® compliant payload, any IoT compliant payload, etc.

[0042] Upon receiving the first communication signal 150, the repeater 131 may then generate a second communication signal 160 by performing or executing one or more operations 135 on the first communication signal 150. The second communication signal 160 may comprise or define a second data signal 162 according to a second data protocol (e.g., encoded according to the second data protocol) modulated or carried on a second carrier frequency 164. The repeater 131 may be configured to modify one or both of the data signal and carrier frequency from the first communication signal 150 to provide the second communication signal 160.

[0043] For example, repeater device 131 may change both the data signal and the carrier frequency of the received communication signal before transmitting or relaying the received communication signal to non-terrestrial device 110. More specifically, repeater device 131 may demodulate first communication signal 150 from first carrier frequency 154 to generate first data signal 152, then decode first data signal 152 into data blocks according to a first communication protocol, encode the data blocks according to a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol to generate second data signal 162, and then modulate second data signal 152 onto a second carrier frequency 164 different from first carrier frequency 154 to generate second communication signal 160, which may be transmitted or relayed to non-terrestrial device 110.

[0044] For example, repeater 131 may only change the carrier frequency of a received communication signal before transmitting or relaying it to non-terrestrial device 110. More specifically, repeater 131 may demodulate first communication signal 150 from first carrier frequency 154 to generate first data signal 152, and then modulate first data signal 152 to a second carrier frequency different from first carrier frequency 154 to generate second communication signal 160, which may be transmitted or relayed to non-terrestrial device 110. In this example, second data signal 162 is an unaltered copy of first data signal 152. Furthermore, in this example, because first data signal 152 is unaltered, repeater 131 does not need to decode first data signal 152, but instead simply passes first data signal 152 on to be utilized as second data signal 162 before modulation to second carrier frequency 164.

[0045] Further, for example, repeater device 131 may modify only the data signal of the received communication signal before transmitting or relaying it to non-terrestrial device 110. More specifically, repeater device 131 may demodulate first communication signal 150 from first carrier frequency 154 to generate first data signal 152, and then decode first data signal 152 into data blocks according to the first communication protocol. The data blocks may be encoded according to a second communication protocol, different from the first communication protocol, to generate second data signal 162. Second data signal 152 may then be modulated onto a second carrier frequency 164, identical to first carrier frequency 154, to generate second communication signal 160, which may be transmitted or relayed to non-terrestrial device 110.

[0046] In one or more examples, the second carrier frequency 164 may be a cellular frequency such as any one of 3GPP®-defined LTE, 3GPP®-defined 5G, 3GPP®-defined 6G, etc., a satellite communication frequency such as any one of L, S, C, X, Ku, K, Ka, etc., any Wi-Fi® communication frequency defined by the Wi-Fi® Alliance, and any other frequency for IoT devices. In one or more examples, the second data signal 162 may be encoded according to a cellular data protocol such as any one of 3GPP®-defined LTE, 3GPP®-defined 5G, 3GPP®-defined 6G, any 3GPP®-compliant payload, any SatCom-compliant payload, any Wi-Fi®-compliant payload, any IoT-compliant payload, etc.

[0047] The second data signal 162 may also utilize a non-standardized or partially non-standardized communication protocol to encode the second data signal 162. For example, the data signal 162 may be encoded using a combination of 3GPP®-compliant service data units (SDUs) and / or protocol data units (PDUs) (e.g., including headers, padding, and payload) and a proprietary physical (PHY) layer. In other words, for example, a 3GPP®-compliant waveform may be utilized, or a proprietary waveform with a 3GPP® payload may be utilized.

[0048] Additionally, the repeater 131 may provide beamforming or shaping functionality to provide improved communications with the ground equipment 120 and / or the non-ground equipment 110. More specifically, the repeater 131 may include forming a communications beam at a first carrier frequency to the ground equipment 120 and / or forming a communications beam at a second carrier frequency to the non-ground equipment 110.

[0049] It will further be understood that relay device 131 is a two-way communication relay that not only relays communication signals from ground device 120 to non-ground device 110, but also relays communication signals from non-ground device 110 to ground device 120. Such communication signals received from non-ground device 110 will be substantially the same as described herein when received from ground device 120, but may be altered or modified in the opposite direction.

[0050] Thus, in one or more embodiments, the distributed units (DUs) and radio units (RUs) may be described as being separated from one another using the relay device 131, with an intermediate radio unit (iRU) being introduced between them. In other words, the radio units may be described as being separated from the non-terrestrial equipment 110 and integrated into the relay device 131, which may be referred to as a “smart” relay. Furthermore, it should be understood that the relay device 131 may not be frequency-restricted (e.g., the intermediate radio units may not be frequency-restricted). The relationship between the non-terrestrial equipment 110 and the relay device 131 may also be defined by a RAN split, such as RAN split 8, in which case Layer 1 functionality, e.g., RF and radio unit functionality, may be located in or performed by the relay device 131.

[0051] An exemplary repeater device 230 is shown in FIG. 6 . The exemplary repeater device 230 may include, among other things, a processing unit 252 and an antenna unit 259. The processing unit 252 may generally include any hardware and software capable of performing or implementing the exemplary methods and processes described herein. In particular, the processing unit 252 may be communicatively coupled to the antenna unit 259 to receive and transmit communication signals from non-terrestrial devices, terrestrial devices, and other repeater devices, as described herein. In general, the processing unit 252 may be configured to perform or implement various methods and processes, including one or more of receiving communication signals using the antenna unit 259, transmitting communication signals using the antenna unit 259, demodulating communication signals into data signals, modulating data signals into communication signals, decoding data signals into data blocks according to a communication protocol, encoding data blocks into data signals according to a communication protocol, and beamforming or shaping using the antenna unit 259, as described in more detail herein. More generally, the processing unit 252 may be described as providing enhanced repeating functionality to provide more efficient and greater communication coverage for terrestrial and non-terrestrial devices.

[0052] Additionally, the processing unit 252 includes a data storage device 254. The data storage device 254 provides access to processing programs or routines 256 and one or more other types of data 258 that may be employed to perform the exemplary communication and relay methods and processes described herein. For example, the processing programs or routines 256 may include programs or routines for performing signal processing algorithms, signal modulation algorithms, signal demodulation algorithms, signal decoding algorithms, signal coding algorithms, beamforming or shaping algorithms, data processing algorithms, data packet generation algorithms, data packet processing algorithms, comparison algorithms, computational mathematics, matrix mathematics, compression algorithms (e.g., data compression algorithms), vector mathematics, or any other processing required to implement one or more embodiments described herein.

[0053] Data 258 may include, for example, a communication signal received using antenna arrangement 259, a data signal demodulated from a received communication signal, a modulated communication signal or data signal, a data block decoded from a data signal, a data signal encoded from a data block, a communication signal for transmission using antenna arrangement 259, one or more (e.g., multiple) communication protocols, results from one or more processing programs or routines employed in accordance with the disclosure herein, or any other data that may be required to implement one or more processes or methods described herein.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, relay device 230, including processing unit 252, may be implemented using one or more computer programs executing on a programmable computer, such as a computer including processing capabilities (e.g., a microcontroller and / or programmable logic device), data storage (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory and / or storage elements), input devices, and output devices. The program code and / or logic described herein may be applied to input data to perform the functions described herein and to generate desired output information. The output information may be applied as input to one or more other devices and / or processes, as described herein or as applied in a known manner.

[0055] The programs used to implement the processes described herein may be provided using any programmable language, e.g., a high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming language suitable for communicating with a computer system. Any such program may be stored, for example, on a storage medium readable by any suitable device, e.g., a general-purpose or special-purpose program, computer, or processor device for configuring and operating a computer when read by a suitable device for performing the procedures described herein. In other words, in at least one embodiment, relay device 230, including processing device 252, may be implemented using a computer-readable storage medium configured with a computer program, the storage medium so configured causing a computer to operate in a specific, predefined manner to perform the functions described herein. The exact configuration of processing device 252 is not limiting; essentially, any device capable of providing suitable computing and control capabilities (e.g., receiving and transmitting communication signals, modulating and demodulating communication signals, encoding and decoding data signals, and / or beamforming or shaping) may be used.

[0056] Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the output, such as a communication signal, may be analyzed by other machines, such as non-terrestrial devices providing the output, terrestrial devices, and / or other relay devices. As described herein, a digital file may be any medium (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory, a memory card, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic storage medium such as punch cards and / or magnetic recordable tape) containing digital bits (e.g., encoded in binary and / or ternary numbers) that may be readable and / or writable by the processing device 252 described herein. Also, as described herein, a user-readable file may be any representation of data (e.g., ASCII text, binary, hexadecimal, decimal, audio, and / or graphics) that can be presented on any medium (e.g., paper, a display, and / or sound waves) that is readable and / or understandable by a user.

[0057] From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the functionality described in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in any manner known to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the computer language, computer system, or other software / hardware used to implement the processes described herein does not limit the scope of the systems, processes, or programs described herein (e.g., the functionality provided by such systems, processes, and / or programs).

[0058] The systems, asset tag devices, or methods described in this disclosure, including those resulting from various components, may be implemented at least in part in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of the present technology may be implemented in one or more processors, including one or more microprocessors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, CPLDs, microcontrollers, or any other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry, and any combination of such components, image processing devices, or other devices. The terms "processing unit," "processor," or "processing circuitry" may generally refer to any of the above logic circuitry, alone or in combination with other logic circuitry, or other equivalent circuitry.

[0059] Such hardware, software, and / or firmware may be implemented within the same device or within separate devices to support the various operations and functions described in this disclosure. Furthermore, any of the described components may be implemented together or separately as discrete but interoperable logical devices. For example, the use of block diagrams to depict different features is intended to emphasize different functional aspects and does not necessarily imply that such features must be implemented by separate hardware or software components. Rather, functions may be performed by separate hardware or software components or may be integrated within common or separate hardware or software components.

[0060] When implemented in software, the functionality attributed to the systems, devices, and methods described in this disclosure may be embodied as instructions in a computer-readable medium, such as RAM, ROM, NVRAM, EEPROM, flash memory, magnetic data storage media, optical data storage media, etc. The instructions may be executed by one or more processors to support one or more aspects of the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0061] The antenna arrangement 259 of the relay device 230 may include one or more (e.g., multiple, multiple arrays, etc.) antennas 260 that may be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals to perform the functions and processing described herein. In particular, the antenna arrangement 259, in conjunction with the processing unit 252, may be configured to transmit and receive communication signals at cellular frequencies, such as any one of LTE as defined by 3GPP®, 5G as defined by 3GPP®, 6G as defined by 3GPP®, etc., and / or satellite communication frequencies, such as any one of L, S, C, X, Ku, K, Ka, etc., any WiFi® communication frequencies defined by the WiFi® Alliance, and any other frequencies for IoT devices. Each of the one or more antennas 260 of the antenna arrangement 259 may be configured for a particular type of communication and frequency. For example, the antenna arrangement 259 may include one or more antennas 260 configured for cellular signals and frequencies and one or more antennas 260 configured for LTE satellite communication signals and frequencies. For example, antenna arrangement 259 may include one or more antennas 260 configured for WiFi® signals and frequencies and one or more antennas 260 configured for LTE satellite communication signals and frequencies.

[0062] A diagram of the coverage area 310 of the non-terrestrial device 14C and the terrestrial device 20J is shown in Figure 7A. As shown, a significant amount of energy, i.e., power, may be wasted in providing the coverage area 310 of a single user device 20J. For example, the cross-hatched region 312 of the coverage area 310 may be over an area of ​​the Earth where terrestrial devices are unlikely to be located, such as a canyon, a body of water, etc., and therefore, coverage of the cross-hatched region 312 may be considered a waste of energy.

[0063] 7B shows a diagram of the coverage area 320 of the non-terrestrial device 14D when utilizing an exemplary repeater device 30G. As shown, the non-terrestrial device 14D may provide a significantly smaller coverage area 320 such that it can provide a coverage area 322 within which user equipment 20K can communicate or be communicatively coupled with the repeater device 30G. In particular, in one embodiment, the non-terrestrial device 14D may utilize a higher carrier frequency (e.g., Ka-band, E-band) and an antenna array panel of limited size.

[0064] An empirical cumulative distribution function graph of connection probability versus received power with and without an exemplary repeater is shown in Figure 8. As shown, given a received power sensitivity threshold of -92 dBm, the number of connected users increases from about 10% to about 70% when using an exemplary repeater as described herein.

[0065] The following provides a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples, any one or more of the features of which may be combined with any one or more features of any other example, embodiment, or aspect described herein.

[0066] Example 1: A relay device for communicating between a non-terrestrial device and a terrestrial device, a wireless communication device including one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with non-terrestrial devices and terrestrial devices; 1. A computing device having one or more processors, receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; a computing device configured to transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device; and A relay device comprising:

[0067] Example 2: generating a data signal by wirelessly receiving a first signal from a ground device and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; wirelessly transmitting the second signal to a non-terrestrial device; A method for providing the above.

[0068] Example 3: The apparatus of Example 1 or the method of Example 2, wherein wirelessly receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency comprises beamforming a communications beam at the first carrier frequency to the ground equipment.

[0069] Example 4: The apparatus or method of any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the first carrier frequency is different from the second carrier frequency.

[0070] Example 5: The apparatus or method according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the first carrier frequency is the same as the second carrier frequency.

[0071] Example 6: The apparatus or method of any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein one or both of the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency is one of LTE, 5G, and 6G as defined by 3GPP (registered trademark).

[0072] Example 7: The computing device of the device, before modulating the data signal, generating a data block by decoding the data signal according to a first communication protocol; generating the data signal for modulation by encoding the data block according to a second communication protocol; or The method further comprises, before modulating the data signal: generating a data block by decoding the data signal according to a first communication protocol; generating the data signal for modulation by encoding the data block according to a second communication protocol; The device or method of any one of Examples 1 to 6, further comprising:

[0073] Example 8: The apparatus or method of Example 7, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

[0074] Example 9: The apparatus or method of Example 7, wherein the first communication protocol is the same as the second communication protocol.

[0075] Example 10: The apparatus or method of any one of Examples 7 to 9, wherein one or both of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol is one of LTE, 5G, and 6G as defined by 3GPP (registered trademark).

[0076] Example 11: The apparatus or method of any one of Examples 7 to 10, wherein one or both of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol utilize a 3GPP (registered trademark) compliant payload.

[0077] Example 12: The computing device of the device receiving a third signal from the non-terrestrial device and demodulating the third signal at the second carrier frequency to generate a second data signal; generating a fourth signal by modulating the second data signal with the first carrier frequency; transmitting the fourth signal to the ground equipment; or The method comprises: receiving a third signal from the non-terrestrial device and demodulating the third signal at the second carrier frequency to generate a second data signal; generating a fourth signal by modulating the second data signal with the first carrier frequency; transmitting the fourth signal to the ground equipment; The device or method of any one of Examples 1 to 11, further comprising:

[0078] Example 13: The apparatus or method of any one of Examples 1 to 12, wherein the non-terrestrial device is one of an atmospheric satellite, a low Earth orbit satellite, a medium Earth orbit satellite, and a high Earth orbit satellite.

[0079] Example 14: Non-ground equipment and A relay device for performing communication between a non-terrestrial device and a terrestrial device, receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; a repeater device configured to transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device; A system comprising:

[0080] All patents, patent documents, and literature references cited herein are incorporated in their entirety as if each were individually incorporated. This disclosure is provided with reference to exemplary embodiments and is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. As noted above, those skilled in the art will recognize that the techniques described herein can be used in a variety of other exemplary applications to take advantage of the beneficial properties of the apparatus and methods described herein. Various modifications of the exemplary embodiments and additional embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent upon reference to this specification.

Claims

1. A relay device for performing communication between a non-terrestrial device and a terrestrial device, a wireless communication device including one or more antennas for wirelessly communicating with non-terrestrial devices and terrestrial devices; 1. A computing device having one or more processors, receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; a computing device configured to transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device; and A relay device comprising:

2. generating a data signal by wirelessly receiving a first signal from a ground device and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; wirelessly transmitting the second signal to a non-terrestrial device; A method for providing the above.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 or the method of claim 2, wherein wirelessly receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency comprises beamforming a communications beam at the first carrier frequency to the ground equipment.

4. An apparatus or method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first carrier frequency is different from the second carrier frequency.

5. An apparatus or method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first carrier frequency is the same as the second carrier frequency.

6. 6. The apparatus or method of claim 1, wherein one or both of the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency is one of LTE, 5G, and 6G as defined by 3GPP (registered trademark).

7. The computing unit of the device, before modulating the data signal, generating a data block by decoding the data signal according to a first communication protocol; generating the data signal for modulation by encoding the data block according to a second communication protocol; or The method further comprises, before modulating the data signal: generating a data block by decoding the data signal according to a first communication protocol; generating the data signal for modulation by encoding the data block according to a second communication protocol; 7. The apparatus or method of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

8. 8. An apparatus or method according to claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

9. 8. An apparatus or method according to claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol is the same as the second communication protocol.

10. 10. The apparatus or method of claim 7, wherein one or both of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol is one of LTE, 5G, and 6G defined by 3GPP (registered trademark).

11. An apparatus or method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein one or both of the first and second communications protocols utilise a 3GPP compliant payload.

12. a computing unit of the device, receiving a third signal from the non-terrestrial device and demodulating the third signal at the second carrier frequency to generate a second data signal; generating a fourth signal by modulating the second data signal with the first carrier frequency; transmitting the fourth signal to the ground equipment; or The method comprises: receiving a third signal from the non-terrestrial device and demodulating the third signal at the second carrier frequency to generate a second data signal; generating a fourth signal by modulating the second data signal with the first carrier frequency; transmitting the fourth signal to the ground equipment; 12. An apparatus or method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising:

13. 13. An apparatus or method according to any preceding claim, wherein the non-terrestrial device is one of an atmospheric satellite, a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite and a high earth orbit satellite.

14. Non-ground equipment; A relay device for performing communication between a non-terrestrial device and a terrestrial device, receiving a first signal from the ground equipment and demodulating the first signal at a first carrier frequency to generate a data signal; generating a second signal by modulating the data signal with a second carrier frequency; a repeater device configured to transmit the second signal to the non-terrestrial device; A system comprising:

Images