Systems and methods for storing antennas

Abstract

A multi-radio and / or multi-antenna chassis is described in some embodiments, along with methods of operation and non-transitory computer-readable media storing machine-interpretable instructions that execute on a processor to perform the methods of operation. Variations are described with respect to the use of one or more of the antennas to establish bonded connections, whereby one or more subsets of the antennas are coordinated to operate in concert to operate one or more connections for data packet transmission, reducing energy loss issues between the operating antennas. The techniques described herein can be operated, for example, with multiple wideband antennas to provide a multi-modem communication device that can couple to a master / primary data communication device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related Applications This application is a nonprovisional application of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 110,772, filed November 6, 2020, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HOUSING ANTENNAS," and claims all benefit, including priority thereto, and the prior application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 114,984, filed April 16, 2013, entitled "A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSMISSION OF DATA FROM A WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE OVER A MULTIPATH WIRELESS ROUTER," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 680,476, filed April 7, 2015, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING DATA SERVICES ON VEHICLES," and PCT application Ser. No. PCT / CA2019 / 051039, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ADAPT COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSIVE TO ACTIONABLE INFORMATION." and "Intelligence," all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0003] This application is also related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 63 / 139,286, filed January 19, 2021 and May 4, 2021, entitled "Systems and Methods for Push-based Communications," and U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 183,952, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0004] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of antennas, and more particularly, embodiments relate to apparatus, systems, and methods for a multi-antenna chassis.

[0005] Introduction Antenna design and antenna chassis design are technical challenges. There are performance considerations that require careful balancing with technical requirements. Antennas may be mounted on moving objects or may have geographical space constraints.

[0006] The particular frequency band in which the antenna operates is another important design consideration, as the spectral characteristics change with wavelength. Different wavelengths may have associated different attenuation profiles. Also, the wave dispersion pattern can be modified, for example, by selecting a different antenna geometry.

[0007] Additionally, multiple antennas can be used together. Antennas can attempt to take advantage of multipath propagation, but challenges exist with detrimental signal effects in situations where multiple TX / RX radio issues exist when radios operate simultaneously and each radio may have multiple antennas. Technical challenges can arise with respect to (1) co-located multiple transmit antennas driven by different radios, and (2) co-located transmit and receive antennas can cause problems (interference and loading). Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In some embodiments, a multi-radio / multi-antenna (or multi-radio, multi-antenna chassis) chassis is described along with a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing methods of operation and machine-interpretable instructions (e.g., software that controls the operation of the chassis or controls how data packets are transmitted) that execute on a processor to perform the methods of operation.

[0009] Several variations of the multi-antenna chassis are described in different embodiments. Further variations are described with respect to using one or more of the antennas to establish a bonded connection whereby one or more subsets of the antennas are coordinated to operate in concert to operate as a single bonded connection for data packet transmission. The techniques described herein can operate with, for example, multiple wideband antennas or multi-band antennas.

[0010] The chassis is provided as part of a multi-modem communication device configured to provide electronic communications across multiple radios. In particular, the multi-modem communication device includes a central housing chassis (e.g., a metal chassis) adapted to provide an electrical counterpoise for the electronic communications, the central housing chassis comprising a material that provides radio frequency shielding. Multiple variations are described herein relating to different geometries of the central housing chassis, including both static and dynamic geometries, where the antennas themselves have variable geometries that the central housing chassis can modify or that can be modified to reduce attendant effects on wireless or RF transmission and reception within line of sight (LOS) between corresponding antennas.

[0011] The device has multiple antennas, each coupled to a central housing chassis, each corresponding to one of a plurality of modems provided by the multi-modem communication device, each operating in a similar frequency band, and each antenna corresponding to a modem of the plurality of modems located on or otherwise disposed (e.g., mounted, coupled, connected) thereto or configured on the central housing chassis to minimize line-of-sight RF paths between other antennas used by that modem of the plurality of modems. The antennas can, for example, be physically connected or coupled to their corresponding modems such that a particular set of antennas operates with a particular modem. For example, antennas 1 and 6, which are opposite each other and have opposite folding configurations, can be coupled to a network interface that provides modem 1 as an available connection from the device. The antennas can be selected to correspond to particular modems that are spaced apart from each other, e.g., geometrically opposed locations that reduce potential line-of-sight. For example, there can be six antennas coupled to three modems, and opposite antenna pairs can be used.

[0012] The multi-antenna chassis can be a static chassis shape in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the chassis shape, geometry, or extensible components can be modified based on the usage scenario. In some embodiments, the system is adapted to provide multiple MIMO wireless systems integrated into a single device. The antennas themselves can also be reconfigured (e.g., folded, bent, rotated, reoriented), which can be performed individually in a first embodiment or controlled in conjunction with changes in the chassis configuration in a second embodiment. Different variations in folding are possible, such as adjacent antennas (which can have mirror-image folding relative to their placement around the housing).

[0013] In embodiments where homogeneous MIMO antennas are used, the loading / cross-coupling caused by the co-location of multiple MIMO radio systems must be addressed while optimizing transmission and reception performance. Each of the MIMO radio systems can be connected to a different operator (which may be at similar or the same operating frequency) for bonding / blending purposes. A challenge is the desire for compact devices and the resulting co-location of antennas (e.g., a compact device housing multiple radios, each with multiple (MIMO) antennas, presenting a "compounding" of complexity), which can cause loading / cross-coupling. The connection between the MIMO antennas and the modem / radio can be fixed; for example, MIMO antennas within the same MIMO radio system can be operated together. If separate MIMO radio systems are on the same operator / carrier, for example, they can be configured to operate under the control of a controller.

[0014] The antenna may, for example, operate at cellular frequencies. In an exemplary embodiment, the modems may be configured to use different cellular subscriber identity modules (SIMs), or eSIMs, that operate in cellular frequency bands and connect to one or more carrier networks. Other frequencies are also contemplated.

[0015] Multi-antenna chassis are adapted to address the signal propagation challenges that arise when utilizing multiple antennas, such as when multiple co-located antennas exist, each with its own modem / operator (carrier). Specifically, these challenges can be summarized as energy loss, simple antenna differentiation, and MIMO correlation. For example, chassis are adapted to minimize interference between antennas operating on adjacent / similar frequencies, either due to the system's physical geometry or due to reoriented / modified antenna geometry. Interference can arise, for example, with different operators / carriers operating on adjacent frequencies.

[0016] In some embodiments, the chassis can be manufactured using a radio frequency (RF) shielding material, and the antenna can be affixed with maximum surface area / signal strength, while line of sight to other antennas affixed to the chassis can be reduced or completely eliminated through structural features. This can be achieved, for example, by using a simple polyhedron where the size of the antenna surface depends on i) the distance between the antenna and the chassis and ii) the angle between the edges of the chassis. For example, a concave surface can be used to provide an opening or cavity into which a longer antenna can be affixed.

[0017] The antenna may be centered on the surface or off-center (and may point in various directions). The shape of the antenna may also be optimized to maximize its surface area, such as by using a folded antenna frame (or, in some embodiments, using an actuator, e.g., a servo motor, to control the folding of the antenna). The system may also be able to direct signals through antennas with the best transmission capabilities according to one or more metrics, e.g., RSSI or link strength reported from the base station. This aspect overcomes directional challenges that arise from shielding antennas. The system may be able to monitor the transmission capabilities of specific antennas and ensure that signals are transmitted through appropriate antennas (e.g., the set of antennas with the best performance). Furthermore, the system may be able to reorient itself to maximize the transmission capabilities of the antennas.

[0018] The energy loss problem arises when using many substantially similar or identical antennas, which, when geospatially arranged, direct energy to (through absorption by) nearby antennas due to their similarity, making it impossible for one antenna to be more or less selective for different frequencies. Antennas typically must be similar or identical when the system is intended for global use and, in some embodiments, is adaptable to be flexible enough to operate on any local carrier, the operating band of which is unknown at the time of manufacture. A single radio may also operate across multiple bands (e.g., carrier aggregation), all of which may differ based on the available local carriers or frequencies.

[0019] Even if a given antenna operates in one band and a nearby antenna operates in another band, each antenna will redirect and lose energy in its operating band to its neighboring antennas because all antennas absorb energy in every band of interest. Nearby antennas can absorb and "waste" local RF energy, weakening the interaction between any given antenna and its far-field counterpart that forms the communications channel. Energy loss is a function of distance; the closer the neighboring antennas, the greater the loss.

[0020] The system typically uses wideband antennas that operate on all global carrier bands and carrier aggregation schemes, which may be unknown at the time of manufacture. Wideband antennas tend to be relatively "simple" shapes (e.g., simple geometric polygons) as opposed to multiband antennas, which may have many complex sub-shapes and branches. Complex antenna shapes provide additional opportunities to differentiate or reorder antenna geometries (which can reduce cross-coupling or energy loss to nearby antennas) while maintaining equivalent antenna performance. The "antenna differentiation problem" arises because preferred wideband antennas can be more difficult to differentiate or reorder geometrically, and the techniques described herein may be useful in providing a practical technique for reducing coupling between nearby wideband antennas.

[0021] MIMO correlation problems arise when using a set of collocated antennas as MIMO components (multiple spatial paths between the transmitting and receiving devices allow for more data to be sent and received on a single frequency for transmission and / or reception), an approach that requires minimizing correlation between the antenna components. These challenges are even more pronounced for smaller mobile devices that require portability. Larger non-mobile items in transmission systems (e.g., cell towers) solve these interference problems by moving the antennas farther apart, but this is not an option with the size constraints present in mobile devices.

[0022] Therefore, a need exists for a system or device that addresses concerns related to near-field interference (e.g., from collocated antennas) while providing flexibility to improve far-field performance, particularly in the context of mobile data transmission where the location of a device or set of devices relative to the available communications infrastructure may vary (as may the characteristics of the data transmission) and the size of the device may be constrained.

[0023] A multi-antenna chassis is described having mounting points, surfaces, or openings, each corresponding to a corresponding antenna or multiple antennas, positioned such that the antennas are not in line of sight with each other or have reduced line of sight to each other. The chassis may, for example, be a three-dimensional shape with multiple surfaces that can serve as mounting points or openings.

[0024] The chassis, in one embodiment, is a conductive shape (e.g., a three-dimensional polygon) or a shape with conductive regions, has RF shielding properties and features for mounting any antennas, and the chassis shape is selected so that the chassis blocks or reduces RF paths (e.g., line of sight) between antenna components (or selected antenna components, e.g., those operating together). In some embodiments, line of sight is eliminated entirely, while in other embodiments, line of sight is reduced. In further embodiments, line of sight between specific antennas (e.g., a set or subset that operate together to form a bonded connection) is reduced or eliminated.

[0025] The chassis (which may house other electronics, e.g., heat sinks, device openings, or electrical connections) may be defined as a "kernel" around which collocated energy-absorbing antennas may be placed or positioned, with the antenna size / shape / positioning relative to the kernel optimized to minimize crosstalk (e.g., coupling, cross-coupling) and signal absorption / energy loss due to non-operating antennas in the "near field" when line-of-sight is blocked by the horizon created by the kernel shape. The chassis is adapted to optimize signal characteristics while attempting to minimize energy loss to the local collocated antennas.

[0026] The geometry and signal characteristics can be tailored for various trade-offs, such as optimizing the transmit and receive device power for each modem / radio (connected to one or more antennas) within the device. For example, it may be possible to minimize crosstalk between collocated antennas in exchange for having very low signal receive power (for example), which may not be useful. Various shapes, geometries, and arrangements are described herein that provide different spectral characteristics useful for different situations.

[0027] In one embodiment, the polygonal chassis is used as a ground plane for the antenna.

[0028] In another embodiment, the chassis is divided into electrically isolated regions. When divided, the conductive regions can optionally spatially overlap to maintain RF shielding and line-of-sight while still electrically isolating regions of the chassis. Antenna shapes may be modified (e.g., by folding) to minimize far-field effects (e.g., by reducing coupling between local antenna components while not reducing the ability to receive intentional energy from distant endpoints of the communication channel) or line-of-sight RF paths (and therefore coupling) to other antenna components with improved far-field characteristics. Antenna folding may enable smaller system envelopes by further reducing line-of-sight between collocated antennas. In some embodiments, wideband antennas are utilized with discrete geometric zones (e.g., established by "fold lines") that can be useful as subcomponents after folding.

[0029] Additionally, modifying the chassis shape itself may further reduce coupling to local antenna components. Folding the antenna, for example by folding the last 20 mm of the antenna in the vertical dimension, may minimize the chassis size required for a given antenna size.

[0030] In one embodiment, the chassis may be used as an enclosure for a radio or other system electronics.

[0031] In another embodiment, the chassis may be used as a heat dissipation device for system cooling.

[0032] The chassis shape may also be modified in concert with or independently of the antenna shape to minimize coupling between local antenna components with minimal far-field effects or to improve far-field performance. This approach is tailored to reduce / degrade local coupling (e.g., maintain best possible or satisfactory far-field performance) without significantly degrading far-field coupling.

[0033] This technique may also be extended to complex folded antennas and polyhedra with many sides.

[0034] In one embodiment, a monopole antenna is used with a metallic central portion as the counterpoise. Antennas may share a counterpoise to minimize size. For any given size or shape of the antenna, there may be a minimum size / shape of the central portion / kernel.

[0035] This approach is useful in high frequency communications, e.g., cellular communications, where line of sight is an issue, the material of the central kernel is important for shielding, and multiple antennas are required on one device (e.g., due to different networks being used simultaneously, e.g., in devices performing bonded transmissions).

[0036] There are trade-offs to consider in what enables different implementations. For example, there are competing design parameters such as envelope / form factor (making the overall device as small as possible), the largest possible kernel (electronics) (to fit electronics or other devices within the unit), effective antenna (often a function of size, with larger antennas generally providing better low-frequency performance), and reduced inter-antenna crosstalk / coupling (important when more antennas are used). The design is tailored to (1) reduce (e.g., minimize) near-field interference / loading while (2) optimizing (e.g., maximizing) far-field performance (e.g., transmit and / or receive) for the least amount of energy.

[0037] Further technical parameters exist, such as energy usage, reliability / redundancy / speed / distance of the device's far-field transmission / reception characteristics, which allow flexibility in the type of data being transmitted. While not all technical parameters are mutually exclusive (e.g., minimizing "crosstalk" may allow more energy to be transmitted, which may improve far-field reception performance; reducing crosstalk may allow less energy to be spent on transmission), there are relationships between some of the mentioned parameters that indicate that the proposed techniques may have multiple benefits, depending on the overall communication requirements of the system; the techniques described herein can be utilized to increase reliability, or increase throughput, or reduce energy usage (creating a more efficient link via reduced loss).

[0038] The proposed technical solution is a device with physical characteristics selected based on a function of kernel geometry and antenna geometry. There may be other optimal sizes / shapes of kernels based on frequency or antenna design (e.g., different shapes / types of antennas may be combined). The chassis can utilize antennas in various configurations (e.g., mounting antennas in a mirror-image or geometrically inverted manner) in concert with optimizing the geometry of the chassis / antenna combination. The antenna can have multiple feed points, optimizing the overall signal based on which other antennas and feed points are used, thus optimally shaping the direction of communication (e.g., transmit or receive) using system-level knowledge of available feed points.

[0039] In another embodiment, the chassis kernel shape can include convex / concave surfaces to allow for further shielding as well as increase the directionality of transmissions. Consider if two mobile antennas are undesirably coupled (e.g., having crosstalk or loading effects on each other) and both signals are degraded, the result may be worse for the system than adding a shield (more directionality) between the antennas. The increased directionality provided by the shield may result in improved performance compared to non-directional antennas that interfere with each other.

[0040] The use of geometric shielding may also be applicable to multiple devices operating in concert (e.g., vehicles, mounted in different locations on a building, or simply collocated (e.g., two police vehicles in close proximity)). Proximity may change over time as the entities move, causing them to become collocated. In practice, collocated antennas may be very close (separated by as little as centimeters).

[0041] In one embodiment, a "virtual shield" can be created, where the system can select a combination of antennas that utilizes the shape of a "kernel" (e.g., a vehicle, building, or tank), even though the "kernel" may not be the optimal shape. Selection may be performed by real-time performance optimization, for example, by measuring transmit and receive signal strength (e.g., RSSI and RSCP) for each antenna and optimizing the selected antenna for each radio and current communication conditions, by historical performance, by knowledge of the kernel's shape, or by a combination of two or more methods.

[0042] Devices may be able to share information about a given transmission, and even if they do not share a given transmission, they may be able to use each other's modems and antennas (or at least use nearby devices' options for antennas and shielding) to inform their own decisions. For example, a controller may be configured to perform measurements and optimizations. Multiple multi-antenna chassis may be configured to detect each other, for example, with a handshake upon detection that may enable different levels of integration. In another embodiment, they may be connected to a centralized blending appliance / controller, as provided in the "remote modem box" variant of the multi-modem device described herein. As described in various embodiments herein, eSIMs may be used, potentially allowing for flexible use of carriers (operators) across remote modem boxes that may be on opposite sides of a vehicle or building.

[0043] Different levels of integration (which can inform decisions about when and how to transmit) can be used when evaluating which combinations of devices and antennas can be used in a given instance. Not all antennas on a chassis are necessarily used for the same purpose or transmission; for example, a media broadcast van may have multiple receiving points to which it transmits, transmitting entirely different feeds (e.g., antennas 1, 4, 6, and 8 are used for sports channels, while antennas 2, 3, 5, and 7 are used for breaking news). In one embodiment, there are some antennas on a device that are used for cellular and some antennas that are used for Wi-Fi. In an alternative embodiment, the antennas are selectable / switchable, allowing the system to swap between cellular and Wi-Fi antennas to, for example, optimize specific communication characteristics.

[0044] In some embodiments, each device acts as a "smart" transceiver chassis consisting of radios, antennas, and a data aggregator (e.g., a client / agent that allows access to a modem via (1) USB-over-IP, or (2) TCP / IP). A transceiver system requiring six or nine radios may be constructed from two or three smart transceivers, where each smart transceiver includes, for example, three radios, 3xN antennas, and one data aggregator. A central transceiver controller may also be configured to coordinate the coordinated sharing of information between the smart transceivers according to the previous description.

[0045] Thus, each remote smart transceiver device may be uniform in terms of manufacturing, and a central system may be able to allocate communication channels or bands to multiple remote smart transceivers in a manner that optimizes desired communication characteristics (e.g., maximizing desired communications and minimizing undesired communications).

[0046] Furthermore, there are other advantages, such as uniformity of manufacturing as well as uniformity of certification of the subordinate equipment, since only the 3-modem N-antenna smart transceiver needs to undergo regulatory and related certification.

[0047] Similarly, as noted in some of the related applications, different antennas, when used together (e.g., bonded connections), can be utilized in connection with different types of communications; for example, some antennas may be used for error control (e.g., retransmission of dropped packets) while other antennas are used for bulk data transfer. Various bonding techniques can be utilized in conjunction with subsets of antennas, such as sending re-requested packets over the "best connection," and coordinated techniques for establishing QoS for gateway devices (e.g., some connections have low latency, so the system is configured to send packets requiring low latency over these connections).

[0048] The specific allocation can be statically or dynamically allocated to achieve the desired channel characteristics of the aggregated links, e.g., latency, throughput / bandwidth. Incoming flows can be mapped based on user-provided flow rules (QoS) so that they can best utilize the underlying (and real-time-varying) connectivity to meet the requirements of all incoming flows.

[0049] In one embodiment, knowledge of devices present in the area, either through absorption of signals from devices present in the area ("it looks like there are other devices in this area") or other attempts at device crossover (e.g., it looks like there are other WiFi networks in this area), can be used to optimize antenna performance. In remote modem box mode, the connection to a shared central transceiver controller can be used to optimize antenna performance.

[0050] In another embodiment, knowledge of the type / nature of transmission (continuous or bursty, intensity of transmission) through statistical analysis (on the transmitting device) can be used to better select antenna combinations.

[0051] In yet another embodiment, performance may be improved for all co-located devices by using system knowledge of available devices that are part of the same "network" of devices. In this context, the term network can be evaluated at various levels. For example, network may mean at the level of a "cell network" (e.g., the devices may not be related, there may be information indicating that a shared network operator exists). In another context, it may mean that the devices belong to the same company even if they use different transmission networks (e.g., carrier 1 vs. carrier 2).

[0052] Devices are not limited to mapping to a single layer (e.g., an abstraction layer of the OSI network model), although in some embodiments devices may reside at different layers. Networks of devices may be organized in a decentralized or centralized manner. The system may be configured to combine information from many different such networks (e.g., the system has information about other devices on the same cellular network, as well as information about other devices that belong to the same "network of devices" that belong to a company, military unit, etc.).

[0053] In one embodiment, synchronizing transmissions in a manner that reduces crosstalk between devices, modems, and antennas allows for information sharing with other devices (e.g., negotiating / informing about upcoming transmissions to better manage interference).

[0054] In another embodiment, transmission capabilities can be shared (in effect using short-range communications to transmit to other devices (or receive if the other device's antenna is more suitable or in a better location)), which may then result in a particular antenna being used to transmit to the final location.

[0055] In yet another embodiment, the system includes computer circuitry configured to monitor (e.g., sense) signal communication characteristics and, in response to the characteristics, determine movement of one or more devices (which may themselves be on a person or vehicle) to create an optimal environment for transmission by controlling the movement (or virtual movement) of the device or antenna (e.g., via servo motors, electronically steered antennas, or antenna switching selection).

[0056] The chassis may have different geometric shapes, and according to different embodiments, the chassis may be shaped as a regular polyhedron or a portion thereof (e.g., cut across a plane). Polyhedrons may include, among others, a tetrahedron, a dodecahedron, and an icosidodecahedron. Other polyhedrons may include a toroidal polyhedron, etc. The particular type of polyhedron may depend on the number of antennas, the placement of the antennas, the shape of the antennas, and the operating parameters of the antennas. Because the chassis may be utilized in some embodiments for other purposes, such as to house electronics, acting as a heat sink, among others, this may also dictate the type of geometric shape utilized.

[0057] The shape, in some embodiments, includes a flange / molded element (e.g., a lip) on the chassis that blocks line of sight. As previously mentioned, the surface itself may be a flat surface in some embodiments, but may also be a convex / concave surface, with the convexity or concavity helping to separate line of sight between antennas mounted on the chassis while optimizing far-field transmission and reception performance. Additionally, the material utilized to construct the chassis may be selected based on specific absorption and / or transmission characteristics. The specific location of the antenna on the face (e.g., surface) of the chassis may be centered or, in some embodiments, off-center, depending on other blocking features (e.g., flanges) or available line of sight. Additional elements to which the antenna is affixed are contemplated (e.g., antennas positioned in pockets and protruding from each surface).

[0058] In some embodiments, a conformable chassis is described having adjustable and reconfigurable surfaces or openings into which an antenna is mounted or otherwise coupled. The conformable chassis can be a polyhedron or a portion thereof having multiple surfaces. The chassis can include one or more actuators, e.g., servo motors, that engage one or more joints or sections of the chassis, which can, for example, articulate, to modify the geometry of the chassis or the position / geometry of the antenna. In another example, alternative approaches to modifying the geometry of the chassis are utilized, such as a material (e.g., a shape-memory alloy) that modifies its shape when a stimulus is applied. Alternative approaches include the use of hydraulic or pneumatic mechanisms.

[0059] Articulation can include modifying the recess of a surface (e.g., increasing the recess for taller antennas), extending or retracting a flange, expanding / contracting the chassis, or modifying the direction of the antennas themselves within the opening (e.g., modifying the surface so that the antennas point away from each other). The actuators can include, for example, controllers that modify linear position or rotational motion and can include various types of motors or other motion control devices. When multiple chassis are used together, in further embodiments, modifications to the chassis shapes can be performed in parallel (e.g., in concert). Modifying the recess can correspond, for example, to changing the antenna geometry. Surface modifications can modify directivity to reduce coupling while optimizing the ability to communicate for far-field connections.

[0060] Concatenation may also occur, for example, in response to signal response characteristics from the other antenna for multipath signals from each of the antennas.

[0061] Use cases for the antenna chassis or enclosure can include mounting on or near a vehicle such as a car, airplane, or placement at a fixed site, e.g., a building. There may be one or more chassis and corresponding antennas operating together, and in some embodiments, the antennas and chassis are adapted to operate in conjunction such that a master data communication device interoperates with a multi-modem communication device to establish wide-area data communications using multiple antennas and multiple modems that connect to a cellular network.

[0062] Practical use cases and embodiments may include a multi-modem communication device that operates in different modes, such as remote modem box mode and / or blended connection controller mode, and in some cases the multi-modem communication device has on-board circuitry that switches between the different modes in response to different sensed network conditions (e.g., active network blending control), which is configured to use blending control only when large amounts of connection resources are required (e.g., streaming video) and switch to power-saving remote modem box mode at other times.

[0063] In remote modem box mode, the multi-modem communication device is controlled by a master data communication device, and the wide-area data connection is mapped as a virtual modem connection available to the master data communication device.

[0064] In the blended control mode, the multi-modem communication device is further configured to control the blending of connections of the wide-area data connection (e.g., using on-board blending circuitry on the multi-modem communication device) to communicate data packets to or from the master data communication device.

[0065] In an exemplary usage scenario, the multi-modem communication device is a portable remote device connected to a master data communication device that drives communications through the multi-modem communication device's connection. The multi-modem communication device can be advantageously located relative to the master data communication device to provide diversity of available network connections for wide area network connections, e.g., connections to various cellular carriers. The master data communication device can advantageously utilize a new wide area network connection, e.g., if the new wide area network connection is superior to the master data communication device's existing wide area network connection, or in other embodiments, blend and / or combine various network connections to establish an improved connection path.

[0066] Several multi-modem communication devices can be used together to pool available virtual or real wide area network connections.

[0067] In a first example, the multi-modem communication devices may be located on different sides or floors of a building and may be coupled to the master data communication device, for example, via WiFi or a wired link. The master data communication device may be located in a spectrally disadvantaged location, such as a basement data center (e.g., a media production company's video editing data center located in a hardened bunker), where strong cellular coverage may otherwise be difficult to obtain. The multi-modem communication devices may be located above various windows, etc., and thus relay stronger cellular connections to provide improved networking capabilities to the master data communication device.

[0068] In a second example, multi-modem communication devices may be located in different sections or segments of a vehicle, with each different multi-modem communication device experiencing different communication characteristics, which in turn may be used to provide additional communication capabilities to a master communication device, such as an infotainment system and / or on-board electronics. This may be particularly useful, for example, when the vehicle is very long, such as when located in various segments of a train.

[0069] In the drawings, embodiments are shown by way of example, and it is to be expressly understood that the present specification and drawings are for illustrative purposes only and as an aid to understanding.

[0070] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0071] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a 2D drawing of a chassis / antenna combination demonstrating that the enclosure has antennas that extend beyond the boundaries of its enclosure, causing crosstalk between the antennas. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a 2D drawing of a chassis / antenna combination that demonstrates line-of-sight blocking, which helps avoid crosstalk, and uses the chassis for basic grounding and shielding, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a 2D drawing illustrating an embodiment that reduces the number of antennas to maximize size while still avoiding crosstalk, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a 2D drawing of a chassis / antenna combination that illustrates the idea of ​​folding the antenna inside a given chassis enclosure to increase the size of the antenna without adding coupling, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2D]FIG. 2D is a 3D rendering of the chassis / antenna combination described in FIG. 2B, showing variations that bend or otherwise shape the antenna. [Figure 2E] FIG. 2E is a 2D drawing of an embodiment showing how the size of the antennas may be limited to allow the maximum number of antennas to be employed for the size and shape of the enclosure, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2F] FIG. 2F is a 3D rendering of the embodiment described in FIG. 2E, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2G] FIG. 2G is a 2D rendering of an antenna that may have multiple feed lines (eg, radio feed lines) according to some embodiments. [Figure 2H] FIG. 2H is a 3D depiction similar to FIG. 2D, except that the orientation of the antenna is reversed to provide additional dimensions for the modified version, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2I] FIG. 2I is a 2D rendering of a variation having an electrical insulator between chassis regions associated with antennas A and B, respectively, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a 2D drawing showing an embodiment in which both the enclosure and the antennas are folded to allow for the maximum number and size of antennas, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a 3D rendering of the embodiment described in FIG. 3A, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C is a further 3D rendering according to some embodiments. [Figure 3D] FIG. 3D illustrates a further 3D embodiment showing a concave kernel and corresponding antenna, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3E] FIG. 3E is an illustrative diagram of an embodiment device having alternating antennas folded relative to the chassis height dimension, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3F]FIG. 3F is a block schematic diagram illustrating the components of FIG. 3E, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3G] FIG. 3G is a block schematic diagram illustrating the devices of FIG. 3E coupled in the context of a system for data communication, according to some embodiments. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle having multiple antennas and using a vehicle as a chassis, according to some embodiments. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating multiple units (chassis / computer and antenna within each unit) all communicating with each other and using local communication methods (wireless or wired) for transmission using multiple units, according to some embodiments. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing multiple devices, whose locations may vary over time and whose distances from one another may vary, communicating with a central controller to determine the best route to a far-field transmitting device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] 6 is an exemplary block diagram of a device having multiple WAN interfaces adapted to connect to multiple wireless networks, according to some embodiments, the device being a multi-antenna chassis and / or associated controller device adapted to control one or more antennas connected to the WAN interfaces that communicate data across the various wireless networks. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is an exemplary diagram illustrating an approach for pairing a multi-modem communication device in a remote modem box (RMB mode, according to some embodiments). [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a state diagram illustrating an approach to pairing a multi-modem communication device in a remote modem box (RMB mode, according to some embodiments), according to some embodiments. [Figure 8A]FIG. 8A is an exemplary diagram of an exemplary use case of a standalone remote modem box operating on / in a building, according to some embodiments. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is an exemplary diagram of an exemplary use case showing a standalone fixed blending appliance operating on / in a building, according to some embodiments. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8C is an exemplary diagram illustrating multiple remote modem boxes operating on / in a building, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is an illustrative diagram illustrating an example of a multi-modem communication device operating on a vehicle, according to some embodiments. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is an exemplary embodiment with an illustration of a multi-modem communication device operating on different segments of a segmented vehicle, such as a train. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0072] A multi-antenna chassis (e.g., multi-radio, multi-antenna chassis) is described in several embodiments, along with methods of operation and non-transitory computer-readable media storing machine-interpretable instructions that execute on a processor to perform the methods of operation. Several variations of the multi-antenna chassis are described in different embodiments.

[0073] This multi-antenna chassis serves as the enclosure for a multi-modem communications device that provides electronic communications across multiple coupled radios. Its practical use is in situations where existing signal communication capacity is suboptimal or below demand and additional communication capacity is required. Other use scenarios are possible. The chassis can be a central metallic object, such as a mounting point for an antenna that houses other types of electronic equipment and components, such as a heat sink. In another embodiment, the chassis can instead be an irregular object, such as an automobile chassis. To function as a chassis for the techniques described herein, it is important that the chassis provide radio frequency shielding to address some of the issues of power absorption (e.g., intentional or unintentional) described herein.

[0074] The chassis has multiple attached antennas that match multiple on-board modems, and the chassis acts as an electrical counterpoise for the antennas, tailoring (e.g., electrically coupled or connected) the antennas to specific modems for improved wireless communication performance. The chassis can also provide cooling (e.g., heat sinks) and have other on-board controller circuitry and / or user interface components (e.g., membrane keys). The antennas are adapted to reduce line-of-sight, for example, through where the antennas are located relative to the chassis or through the antenna's geometry (e.g., mirror-folded, alternating-folded). Further variations are described in alternative embodiments in which the antennas themselves can be dynamically repositioned and / or refolded. The folding is performed to minimize interference between adjacent antennas. The antennas are coupled to corresponding modems. While some examples described herein show two antennas coupled to one modem, it is equally contemplated that a 5G modem with other numbers, e.g., four antennas, may be coupled to four antennas.

[0075] Multi-modem communication devices can be used in a variety of different usage scenarios to replace or augment network connections to a wide area network (WAN), such as by coupling to an existing master communication device over a local area network (LAN) using a wired, WiFi (e.g., high throughput), or USB-over-IP connection so that the master communication device can utilize virtual connections exposed through modems (e.g., cellular networks, where each modem utilizes a different subscriber identity module (SIM) or eSIM). This is useful when the master communication device is located in a location with poor signal quality and requires more / better throughput in certain situations (e.g., disaster recovery, demand surge, failover).

[0076] The measured performance characteristics can be used to determine which modems and which connections to use in various situations. This can be used, for example, to establish a good starting point for connection blending by testing performance in order to assign modems to the operator / carrier that offers the best performance (e.g., based on performance or communication characteristics, or an optimization of a set of performance or communication characteristics). After the assignment of modems to operators has been performed, blending can begin and variations in operator / carrier performance can be handled using smart blending techniques.

[0077] Connections can be bonded together to form aggregated connections that utilize multiple paths at once for a given transmission, and other techniques can be used to blend communication paths such that performance characteristics (e.g., as measured by a performance parameter or set of performance parameters) are optimized, such as per-flow blending.

[0078] A multi-modem communication device can be provided as a portable remote modem box, which exposes connections to a master communication device, which can then control how and which connections are used.

[0079] The multi-modem communication device may additionally (or alternatively) be provided as a blending-enabled portable blending appliance with on-board connection blending circuitry that performs network blending and network management on the device itself. In another variation, the multi-modem communication device may include blending capability through the blending circuitry, but this functionality may be dynamically turned on or off, allowing the multi-modem communication device to be switched as a remote modem box and a portable blending appliance. In another variation, the blending-enabled appliance may connect with remote modem box connections and blend those connections as well (e.g., a blending-enabled multi-modem communication device connected to a multi-modem communication device configured as a remote modem box).

[0080] While there are many possible use cases, two in particular are contemplated and will be described in further detail. A first use case will be described in which one or more of the multi-modem communication devices are coupled to a stationary installation, for example, a device located in a building's data center, where the multi-modem communication devices are located on different sides or floors of the building, with additional virtual connections exposed to devices in the building's data center, enabling enhanced communications. In a second use case, one or more of the multi-modem communication devices are coupled to a mobile installation, for example, which moves along paths and different geospatial locations such that performance parameters change periodically, and thus, in some embodiments, the allocation of modems to carriers / operators may need to be updated from time to time.

[0081] The multi-antenna chassis is adapted to account for signal propagation challenges that arise when multiple antennas (e.g., multiple co-located antennas) are utilized. The antennas may include different types of antennas, such as antennas adapted for transmission, reception, or combined antennas adapted for both transmission and reception functions. An exemplary antenna may include a SISO (single-input, single-output antenna), although other antenna types are possible. Multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO, is a method of using multiple transmit and receive antennas to increase the capacity of a wireless link and take advantage of multipath propagation. Homogeneous MIMO is an approach toward MIMO antennas in which all antennas (or antenna components) are identical. As noted above, techniques related to challenges associated with multiple radios (operating simultaneously) that may have multiple antennas are described.

[0082] Specifically, these challenges can be summarized as energy loss problems, simple antenna differentiation problems, and MIMO correlation problems. The chassis is adapted to minimize interference between co-located antennas operating at similar frequencies, for example, due to either the physical geometry of the system or reoriented / modified antenna geometry. The antennas are adapted for electronic communications and can transmit, receive, etc., using a variety of transceiver devices. The antennas can have specific shapes and configurations, such as folds, polarizations, and lengths (e.g., loop antennas, dipoles, slot antennas, fractal antennas, beam-forming antennas, etc.), depending on the particular desired beam pattern and / or spectral characteristics for electronic communications.

[0083] The use of multiple antennas (e.g., wideband or multiband antennas) creates energy loss issues. LTE, LTE-Advanced, 5G, or future generation cellular communication systems can operate across many possible frequency bands, and carrier aggregation allows service providers to aggregate multiple different bands to form a single channel on a single radio; these aggregated frequency bands may vary from region to region depending on which bands are available. Cellular radios operating on over 40 different frequency bands are available worldwide.

[0084] For an antenna to support all bands that a radio may use (so that the same antenna design can be used worldwide), and for an antenna to support any grouping of available bands that will be used together in carrier aggregation, a wideband type antenna that can transmit / receive over a continuous range of frequencies that covers all bands supported by the system may be preferable. If a system uses multiple radios (modems) per system, all radios operate within the same set of possible bands, and each radio uses multiple wideband antennas, the ability of each wideband antenna to radiate / absorb all frequencies of interest can have a detrimental effect on system performance.

[0085] Because all antennas in a system still absorb all frequencies of interest within the system's operating band, and because, by design, no antenna selects a given frequency of interest while rejecting some other frequencies (within its contiguous operating band), some of the RF field strength near a given antenna in the system is absorbed by other antennas in the system (e.g., nearby or collocated antennas). The absorbed energy may be lost in neighboring antennas or carried into the radios of neighboring antennas. This has the effect that some of the RF energy used to form a communication channel by a given modem / antenna is always lost toward neighboring antennas that do not contribute to the communication channel. For example, in a three-radio system where each radio has two antennas (e.g., a system with six identical antennas), each antenna loses approximately 30% of its energy toward other antennas in the system (this loss can occur in both directions, during transmission or reception).

[0086] As described herein, techniques are proposed that are adapted to reduce energy loss to neighboring antennas in single or multi-radio systems consisting of multiple radio and / or wideband antennas. These techniques are useful, for example, in situations where communications resources are constrained or mission-critical, such as broadcasts from rural / remote / battlefield locations and major sporting event broadcasts, among others. The techniques described herein are described in various embodiments that utilize a combination of line-of-sight reduction and path aggregation (e.g., bonding) / control of diverse connectivity together to correspondingly improve communications characteristics, resulting in enhanced reliability, coverage, or overall aggregate bandwidth. As described herein, the physical system can be used as part of a mobile transmission device system.

[0087] Wideband antennas often have geometrically simple designs, e.g., simple polygons, which creates a simple antenna differentiation problem due to limited opportunities for geometric permutations. Conversely, when antenna designs are geometrically complex, there may be ways to geometrically permute the antenna design so that each permutation has equivalent performance as seen by a distant endpoint in the communications channel, but reduces energy loss to nearby antennas in the local system. From a distant endpoint, different shapes are equivalent as antennas, but nearby antennas are less likely to couple energy between each other.

[0088] Approaches to geometric permutation of wideband antennas and approaches to increasing the possibilities of geometric permutation by jointly considering simultaneous permutations of antenna-chassis or antenna-counterpoise systems are described in various embodiments herein. Variation approaches to separating nearby antennas, which may be required when the opportunities for geometric permutation of an antenna design are limited (such as in polygonal wideband antennas), are also described in various embodiments.

[0089] Any reduction in RF energy lost to adjacent local antennas should improve MIMO performance. This can occur for both transmission and reception.

[0090] To further illustrate the data communication challenges, LTE, LTE-A, and 5G radios / modems may be configured to use multiple antennas per radio / modem. Various techniques can be adapted to use these multiple antennas to transmit / receive more data per real-world communication channel under constraints. Examples include multipath propagation and spatial multiplexing. However, for these systems to work, there must be some degree of separation between the multiple antennas of a given radio. In the case of multipath propagation, a given transmitted signal must be received differently by the multiple receive antennas. In the case of spatial diversity, multiple data streams are transmitted using orthogonal coding on the multiple transmit antennas. Each of the multiple receive antennas receives a different combination (different amplitude and phase) of the transmitted data streams, which may be uncorrelated at the receiver.

[0091] These techniques are more effective when there is better isolation (e.g., less coupling) between the multiple antennas used by each radio. Correlation of signals received across multiple MIMO antennas should be a result of the specific MIMO scheme employed and not just the function of the local MIMO antenna. Radios also specify minimum isolation requirements (e.g., 10 dB) between connected MIMO antennas.

[0092] The solutions described in some embodiments herein are useful for addressing the wideband antenna multiplexing energy loss problem and simple antenna differentiation problem, and may also contribute to improving MIMO performance in addition to reducing the RF energy lost per channel.

[0093] In some embodiments, the chassis can be manufactured using radio frequency (RF) shielding material, and antennas can be attached so that they have maximum surface area / signal strength, while line-of-sight with other antennas attached to the chassis is reduced or completely eliminated by structural features. This can be achieved, for example, by using a simple polyhedron, where the size of the antenna surface depends on i) the distance between the antenna and the chassis and ii) the angle between the edges of the chassis. For example, a concave surface can be used to create an opening or cavity within which a longer antenna can be attached. The antenna can be located in the center of the surface or off-center (pointing in various directions). The shape of the antenna can also be optimized to maximize its surface area, for example, by using a folded antenna frame. The system can also direct signals through antennas with the best communication (e.g., transmission and / or reception) capabilities. This aspect overcomes the directional challenges that arise from shielding antennas. The system can monitor the communication capabilities of specific antennas and ensure that signals propagate through the appropriate antennas. Additionally, the system may be able to reorient itself to maximize the transmission capabilities of the antenna.

[0094] The energy loss problem is particularly pronounced when using identical (or sufficiently similar) antennas, which, when collocated, lose energy through absorption by nearby antennas due to the nonselectivity of wideband antennas. Even if a given antenna operates in one band while nearby antennas operate in another band, each antenna loses incoming and outgoing energy in its operating band to its neighboring antennas because all antennas absorb energy in all bands of interest. Nearby antennas absorb and "waste" local RF energy, weakening the interaction between any given antenna and its far-field counterpart that forms the communications channel. Energy loss is a function of distance; the closer neighboring antennas are, the greater the loss.

[0095] Antennas with simple shapes (e.g., typical wideband antennas) present a simple antenna differentiation problem. Isolating nearby wideband antennas is relatively more difficult. For geometrically complex antennas, it is possible to modify (e.g., mirror) the antenna shape to increase isolation between nearby antennas. Wideband antennas may have geometrically simpler shapes than multiband antennas. As a result, isolating nearby wideband antennas may be more difficult for multiband antennas because simpler geometries are less likely to be modifiable. For example, a multiband antenna may have a shape similar to a tree branch, while a wideband antenna may have a shape similar to a square (or a three-dimensional equivalent). There are many permutations for a tree branch-like geometry, but no permutations for a square shape. This limits the shapes available to wideband antennas because it is much more complex, and in some cases impossible, to reshape the wideband antenna into a complementary shape that increases isolation.

[0096] The MIMO correlation problem arises when using pairs of antennas as MIMO components (multiple spatial paths between the transmitting and receiving devices allow more data to be communicated over a single frequency), which requires reducing correlation (e.g., improving isolation) between the antenna components. This problem can occur in both the transmitting and receiving directions. The MIMO antennas themselves must be able to see the "different" signals arriving at them and use the variations in the observed level of signal correlation at different antennas to effectively recover all the communicated data. If a system imperfection causes the signal received at one MIMO antenna to always be correlated with the signal received at another antenna, the MIMO antenna's ability to recover all the communicated data is reduced.

[0097] These challenges are even more pronounced in smaller mobile devices where portability is required. Larger non-mobile items in transmission systems (e.g., cell towers) solve these interference problems by moving the antennas farther away, but this is not an option with the size constraints present in mobile devices.

[0098] Figure 1 shows an alternative design, illustrating how multiple antennas on a device can interfere with each other, causing energy loss by causing a nearby antenna to pick up a signal intended for a far-field antenna. Note that the chassis / kernel and antenna may be housed within a larger enclosure for a particular device, or the antenna may be external to the chassis / kernel that forms the enclosure.

[0099] FIG. 1 illustrates the broadband energy loss problem. Antenna 100 is transmitting a signal to a far-field partner forming a communication channel. Antenna 100 is within line-of-sight of antenna 102. A portion of the transmitted or received signal power of antenna 100 will be lost to antenna 102 through line-of-sight to 104. Similarly, antenna 102 will lose some RF energy through line-of-sight to 106. Similar losses occur between any antennas that are within line-of-sight of each other. If line-of-sight can be reduced, as described in improved embodiments of this disclosure, the losses described can be reduced. Note that line-of-sight is not the only cause of signal issues, and other causes may exist.

[0100] Thus, there is a need for a system or device that addresses concerns regarding near-field losses or loading while allowing flexibility in improving far-field performance, particularly in mobile or nomadic data transmission situations where the location of a device or set of devices relative to the available communications infrastructure may vary (as may the characteristics of the data transmission).

[0101] This effect can be addressed by the design shown in drawing 200A in Figure 2A, where a multi-antenna chassis is described in an exemplary embodiment. Referring to Figure 2A, the spatial orientation and placement of chassis 206, antenna 200, and antenna 202 is such that line of sight 204 is blocked by chassis 206. In Figure 2A, the antenna is shown as having a height and width and is represented as a rectangle.

[0102] However, different types of antennas 200, 202 are possible with different geometries, and as a result of those different geometries, the power / signal propagation characteristics will differ. For example, "line of sight" is not always straight from the end of the antenna; rather, line of sight may consider signal propagation / reflection, directivity, polarization, beam pattern, etc., among other things. In some embodiments, the geometry is adapted to reduce overlap of beam propagation paths, which may differ from line of sight based on the field patterns radiated by the antennas and in view of waves bending around corners or other structural features (especially if the waves have high amplitudes).

[0103] Line-of-sight between nearby local antennas can cause poor signal isolation between them (where one may absorb energy due to wideband issues), while overlapping propagation paths can cause inadvertent correlation of two ideally uncorrelated signals, potentially degrading spatial MIMO performance.

[0104] Corresponding methods of operation, and non-transitory computer-readable media storing machine-interpretable instructions that execute on a processor to perform the methods of operation, are contemplated. The chassis 206 in which the processor and storage are located can be an enclosure to which an antenna can be coupled (e.g., directly connected, adhered, attached), providing a kernel device to which additional electronic devices can be attached or detached as modules depending on the particular usage scenario.

[0105] Types of antennas 200, 202 can include, among others, monopole antennas, whip antennas, dipole antennas, fractal antennas, patch antennas, log-periodic antennas, bowtie antennas, aperture antennas, slot antennas, microstrip antennas, planar reflector antennas, flat antennas, and parabolic antennas. Each of these different types of antennas has different communication characteristics, such as different directivity, polarization, and radiation patterns. For example, some antennas radiate waves horizontally, while others may be more focused or omnidirectional. The power delivery of the waves is not necessarily uniform in all directions (e.g., directional). Multiple antennas (e.g., MIMO configurations) can be useful and helpful in certain situations, such as when it is useful to take advantage of multipath propagation. However, as noted above, antennas operating together can have a detrimental effect on each other's performance if they are within line-of-sight of each other, in close proximity, or operating in overlapping, identical, or adjacent frequency bands (wideband antennas are particularly problematic).

[0106] As noted in various embodiments below, structural characteristics (e.g., of the chassis, antennas, and antenna orientation / location) are adapted to improve signal quality when multiple antennas are operating simultaneously on the chassis. The chassis may be an enclosure for other objects, such as electronic devices, or may incorporate one or more heat sinks. In some embodiments, the chassis 206 may be hollow to allow for internal mounting of devices such as circuit boards, routing controllers, or to include compartments for storage. For example, in one embodiment, the antennas may include multiple homogeneous MIMO antennas that can be switched to different MIMO-capable radios controlled by various routing controllers.

[0107] The physical geometry can be controlled during manufacturing, or in some embodiments, can be dynamically controlled to some extent through the actuation of controllable components, such as bearings, slides, and servo motors, among others. By controlling the geometry of the chassis 206 and the antennas 200, 202, coupling between the antennas 200, 202 can be minimized or eliminated.

[0108] Some embodiments describe a multi-antenna chassis 206 having mounting points 208 or openings for a corresponding antenna or antennas. The mounting points 208 or openings are positioned such that the antennas are not within line-of-sight of each other. The chassis 206 is a three-dimensional shape with multiple surfaces for the mounting points 208 or openings. Other location considerations include constraints related to device operation. For example, in one embodiment, there may be one antenna on each side so the system can receive signals from all directions. In another embodiment, there may be antennas on one set of sides, while the other sides are unused or unavailable.

[0109] The chassis 206 can be a conductive three-dimensional polygon with RF shielding properties and features for mounting any antennas, with the chassis shape adapted to block line-of-sight RF paths between antenna components. The chassis 206 (which may contain electronics) can be considered a “kernel” around which adjacent energy-absorbing antennas can be placed, with the antenna size, shape, and placement optimized relative to the kernel to minimize coupling and signal absorption / energy loss from inactive antennas in the “near field” when line-of-sight is blocked by the horizon created by the kernel shape. Other potential benefits include optimization for far-field communications, as the kernel shape and / or antenna location or orientation may improve the spectral characteristics of the communications. The polygonal chassis 206 can be used as a counterpoise for antennas in some embodiments. In one example, the chassis 206 may also be used as an enclosure for radios or other system electronics, or as a heat dissipation device for system cooling.

[0110] Also, in some embodiments, the chassis shape may be modified in concert with or independently of the antenna shape to minimize coupling between local antenna components with minimal far-field effects. This approach may also be extrapolated to complex folded antennas and multi-sided polyhedra.

[0111] Antennas 200, 202 may include feed or transmission lines for connecting the antennas to corresponding transmitting or receiving devices. As noted in some embodiments, routing controller circuit 207 may control the operation of antennas associated with antennas utilized together to provide communications by coordinating (e.g., operating in concert) the operation of those antennas. For example, different MIMO antennas may be switched to different MIMO-capable radios, or all antennas may be selected for a given radio due to factors such as tower location or for spatial separation from other interference bands in the system.

[0112] For example, not all antennas 200, 202 on a chassis 206 are necessarily used for the same purpose or the same communication channel; for example, a media broadcast van may have multiple receiving points to which it transmits, transmitting entirely different feeds (e.g., antennas 1, 4, 6, and 8 are used for sports channels, while antennas 2, 3, 5, and 7 are used for breaking news). These antenna groupings may be antennas that are bonded and operated together, such that corresponding antennas in a particular bonded subgroup do not have line-of-sight with each other (but may have line-of-sight with other antennas in another subgroup). For example, a chassis may have two subgroups that do not have line-of-sight with each other (e.g., antennas pointing alternately up and down).

[0113] Similarly, as noted in some of the related applications, different antennas, when used together (e.g., bonded connections), can be utilized in connection with different types of communications, e.g., some antennas are used for error control while other antennas are used for bulk data transfer. In the context of a single video feed, different sets of antennas can be used for different portions of the feed, e.g., one set can be used to provide score overlays or advertisements on portions of the video, while another set can be used to broadcast a sports game in progress. Different antennas and sets of antennas can be used, for example, for per-flow routing.

[0114] Another example is shown in drawing 200B of FIG. 2B. In this case, by reducing the number of antennas, it is possible to realize even larger antennas while still creating line of sight. Antennas 212 and 214 are located on opposite surfaces of a chassis (enclosure kernel) 210. In this embodiment, the surfaces of antennas 212 and 214 can expand to the size of the surface area of ​​chassis 210 without establishing line of sight between antennas 212 and 214. It is important to note that while the chassis shown is a central kernel, other variations are possible in which the chassis is instead a large metallic object, such as the body of a vehicle.

[0115] Antenna folding may enable a smaller system envelope by further reducing the line of sight between the antennas. Antenna folding may include, for example, antenna control mechanisms or structural features (e.g., hinges) that allow portions of the antenna to be manipulated (e.g., bent in various directions, folded back on itself, among other things). Folding allows for potentially improved geometry and, in the situation of multiple antennas mounted on a chassis and operating in concert with each other, allows the height associated with each individual antenna to be modified to help reduce potential line-of-sight interference with each other. For example, folding may help reduce the amount of protruding height of each antenna relative to the surface on which it is mounted.

[0116] Antenna folding can be a very useful tool in solving some of the problems described herein, and further variations are possible. While antenna design can be expensive, in some embodiments, complementary wideband antennas are adapted to be as easy to "fold" as possible (e.g., integrated into a chassis as described herein). In some cases, antenna folding is also used to achieve a particular physical dimensional profile (e.g., to allow a multimodem communication device to be as flat as possible, or a particular boxy profile to reduce the overall footprint depending on the available space in which it will be placed).

[0117] For example, various folded antennas can be accommodated by designing the antenna with distinct geometric "zones" that may be useful as antenna subcomponents after folding; by designing the antenna with "fold lines" between those zones; or by pre-calculating or designing the antenna to change tuning as little as possible when folding on those lines. Thus, in this example, a more complex design may be performed only once, resulting in an antenna design that requires less work to integrate, tune, and refine when integrated into systems such as those described in various embodiments herein.

[0118] 2C includes a drawing 200C that expands on this approach by introducing shape to the antenna (in this case also flipping the antenna so that it has a mirror-image orientation relative to the other antennas), according to some embodiments. Antenna 222 extends outward from chassis 220 and is folded toward chassis 220 such that chassis 220 still obstructs the line of sight between antennas 222 and 224. By folding antenna 222, the maximum surface area increases, which may allow for improved signal propagation and a wider or narrower operating frequency range.

[0119] Additionally, modifying the chassis shape itself may further reduce coupling to local antenna components. Folding the antenna, for example by folding the last 20 mm of the antenna in the vertical dimension, may minimize the chassis size required for a given antenna size.

[0120] 2D is a drawing 200D showing a 3D rendering of one embodiment of a chassis. Antenna 232 extends out from chassis 230, and the antenna is folded parallel to chassis 230 such that chassis 230 still blocks the line of sight between antennas 232 and 234. Bending antenna 232 allows for a longer antenna to be attached without substantially adding height (e.g., distance from the surface of the kernel). The distance from the surface of the kernel is useful in that it may help establish an "attic space" for the antenna away from the core of the kernel, which could potentially act as an electrical counterpoise, for example.

[0121] In some cases, including devices requiring many different antennas (such as bonded transmission devices), a trade-off may be required, in which case the antenna size is further reduced to reduce crosstalk, as shown in Figure 2E.

[0122] Referring to FIG. 2E, a drawing 200E is shown in which a chassis 240 has antennas affixed to each of its four sides. Antennas 242 and 244 extend outward from the corners of the chassis 240 along a plane through which the chassis 240 blocks the line of sight between the antennas 242 and 244. By blocking the line of sight, the antennas 242 and 244 lose little signal energy due to absorption by each other. Due to their spatial characteristics, the antennas 242 and 244 can be folded toward the body of the chassis 240. A 3D rendering of such a solution is shown in drawing 200F of FIG. 2F.

[0123] 2G is a drawing 200G illustrating possible modifications to certain antennas that may utilize multiple feed lines (Radios A, B, C, D). In some embodiments, the orientation and directivity of the feed lines may be modified to reduce or eliminate coupling effects between certain antennas.

[0124] FIG. 2H is a 3D rendering 200H similar to FIG. 2D, except that the orientation of the antenna is reversed to provide additional dimensions for the modified version, according to some embodiments.

[0125] FIG. 2I is a 2D rendering 200I of an alternative embodiment having electrical insulators 250, 252 between antennas A and B, according to some embodiments.

[0126] In an exemplary situation, sharing a ground plane (eg, a counterpoise) can cause signal leakage between antennas in a multi-antenna system.

[0127] Solutions to this problem include dividing the chassis into electrically isolated regions. If divided, the conductive regions may optionally spatially overlap to maintain RF shielding and line-of-sight while still electrically isolating regions of the chassis. Antenna shapes may be modified (e.g., by bending) to minimize line-of-sight RF paths (and therefore coupling) to other antenna components with minimal far-field effects.

[0128] In this exemplary embodiment, the antenna shares structure mechanically but not electrically, and in further embodiments, the separated portions of the chassis, e.g., isolated joints, e.g., isolated slip joints, may be specifically adapted to have no "gaps" in the RF shielding properties of the chassis. In this example, no line of sight through the isolated joint means no signal leakage from the antenna on the other side of the enclosure and no RF noise leakage from the electronics inside the "enclosure" created by the counterpoise piece.

[0129] 3A is a drawing 300A showing an additional feature of folding the antenna and chassis together in a complementary manner. In one embodiment, a monopole antenna is used, with a metallic center section as the counterpoise. The antennas may share a counterpoise to allow for a minimum size. For any given size or shape of the antenna, there may be a minimum size / shape of the central section / kernel.

[0130] In FIG. 3A, both the antenna and the surface of the chassis are molded together (e.g., in this case, both are concavely folded, although other variations are possible).

[0131] 3B shows a 3D embodiment 300B of the chassis. Chassis 310 has a shape that introduces a recess along the surface of the chassis. Antenna 312 is folded so that its structure is parallel to the inner surface of chassis 310. Antenna 312 is located within a recess (e.g., a cavity, an opening) in chassis 310. This embodiment increases the surface area or length of antenna 312 while still obstructing the line of sight between the antenna and neighboring antennas, such as antenna 314.

[0132] The depth of the cavity can be modified, for example, based on the known height of the antenna. In an alternative embodiment, the depth of the cavity can be dynamically modified such that the shape of the chassis is modified, for example, by actuating different structural elements to raise, lower, rotate, etc. In a further alternative, the chassis 310 can be coupled to one or more signal quality monitoring sensors, the sensors coupled to a shape modification mechanism that can dynamically adjust the recess or depth of the cavity in real time or near real time in response to monitored signal effects.

[0133] 3C shows a further 3D rendering 300C displaying a folded antenna. Antenna 322 extends outward from chassis 320 and is folded toward the chassis. Antenna 322 has its line of sight to antenna 324 obstructed by chassis 320 because antennas 322 and 324 do not extend all the way to the edge of the chassis that they share. Antenna 322 has its line of sight to antenna 326 obstructed by chassis 322 because chassis 320 obstructs the line of sight. Similar characteristics apply to antenna 328 with respect to antenna 324.

[0134] FIG. 3D shows an example enclosure 300D that uses a convex shape to provide antennas on all sides of the device. FIG. 3D illustrates an embodiment in which the line-of-sight obstruction technique implemented in FIG. 3B is applied to all sides of the chassis. Chassis 340 has a shape that introduces a recess along the chassis surface. Antenna 344 is folded so that its structure is parallel to the inner surface of chassis 340. Antenna 342 is located within a recess in chassis 342. This embodiment increases the surface area of ​​antenna 342 while still obstructing the line of sight between antenna 342 and nearby antennas, such as antenna 346. In some embodiments, chassis 340 can take the shape of a more elaborate polyhedron. Antennas 342 and 344 can be in the shape of a multi-folded plane, creating a signal directionality that obstructs the line of sight between antennas 342 and 344. Other polyhedrons are possible, as are surfaces for mounting or adhering antennas. Not all surfaces necessarily have antennas. Additionally, the polyhedron may be a regular or irregular polyhedron and may include shapes such as a toroid, in which case there may be an internal cavity or an internally facing surface. The polyhedron of chassis 340, in some embodiments, is adapted to be attached or affixed to another object, such as a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane), but may also include applications where chassis 340 is attached to a carrying mast on a backpack.

[0135] 3E is an example chassis 360 according to some embodiments, with a set of example dimensions. The example dimensions and angles shown are provided as non-limiting examples.

[0136] In this exemplary embodiment, multiple antennas are shown extending from a central chassis, which may contain on-board components such as a heat sink, wired connection ports, a battery, electronics, and a radio. Antennas 362 are exemplary wideband antennas coupled to chassis 360; in the example of FIG. 3E, six are shown with alternating orientations to reduce coupling. Antennas 362 can be shaped to match the height dimension of chassis 360 to eliminate line-of-sight that may be established between certain sets of antennas (in this example, the left and right antennas do not have line-of-sight with each other).

[0137] 3E shows an example chassis with multiple cellular antennas that can operate in conjunction with one or more Wi-Fi antennas. The number of antennas is shown as an example, and fewer or more antennas may be present.

[0138] In this particular example, three cellular modems / radios (more radios are possible) and a Wi-Fi modem / radio (more Wi-Fi radios are possible) are integrated into a hardware platform that can support use cases using a remote modem box approach, a blending appliance approach, or both (under software control). In this example, two antennas per modem are used (to support MIMO), but more antennas per radio could be used to support, for example, 4x4 MIMO, although in other embodiments there could be more than two antennas per modem, such as three antennas per modem, four antennas per modem, etc. Also, the number of modems could vary (e.g., not just three modems, but two modems, four modems, five modems, etc.).

[0139] Modems may be assigned different carriers based on their tracked performance. Performance may be examined, for example, by transmitting one or more test packets on different antennas to obtain measurements of various communication characteristics, such as latency (e.g., propagation speed), throughput (e.g., transmitting packets of different sizes to test the level of contention / congestion), and packet loss (e.g., measured through the transmission of multiple test packets). Different modems will have different performance levels based on the location and orientation of various carrier towers, along with different spectral environments based on where the modem's corresponding antenna (e.g., the one connected to it) is located and facing (which can change multipath propagation characteristics or lead to different spectral characteristics due to signal obstruction).

[0140] In one embodiment, the test packets are transmitted using different carriers assigned to the modems, e.g., such that each of the carriers can be evaluated for each of the modems. In this example, the performance parameter could be an RSSI value, which could then be used to rank carrier performance for a particular modem, such that the modem is assigned a particular carrier if / when it is in use.

[0141] For example, for a given modem, the ledger may store the values ​​(Carrier A, -40 dB; Carrier B, -62 dB; Carrier C, -91 dB). For the stationary examples described herein, it may be sufficient to perform the evaluation only upon initial setup or periodically over a large period of time (e.g., a year). For the mobility examples described herein, the evaluation may be performed more frequently over a period of time (e.g., t=0, Carrier A, -40 dB, Carrier B, -62 dB, Carrier C, -91 dB; t=1, Carrier A, -48 dB, Carrier B, -45 dB, Carrier C, -72 dB), etc., and carrier assignments may switch over time. In some embodiments, different antenna and chassis geometries may also be tested, in which case dynamic adjustments of the chassis / antenna (e.g., via servo motor control) are possible, such as by extending or retracting the antenna or changing the bending angle.

[0142] In a blending appliance approach, the multi-modem communication device utilizes an on-board blending controller circuit 364 to automatically perform blending operations between the assignment of roles, responsibilities, and / or packets to the various connections established by the modems of the device shown in FIG. 3E and / or to other existing connections of the master / primary device driving the device of FIG. 3E. In further embodiments, the controller circuit 364 can also combine and / or connect the connections of other multi-modem communication devices being used together (e.g., four devices coupled on different sides of a building). In a blending approach, performance parameters can be used to establish a good starting point for network blending by obtaining modems on an operator on a carrier that provides the best performance. There will then be variations in operator / carrier performance, which can be addressed using smart blending techniques. Once an initial carrier selection has been made for the modems in use (e.g., after the modems have been calibrated), connections can be utilized using different blending techniques and / or rules.

[0143] In the remote modem box approach, the modem of the device of FIG. 3E is exposed as a connection option (e.g., a virtual connection) that can be added to the set of available connection points for, for example, the master / primary device or another multi-modem communication device (e.g., a multi-modem communication device daisy chained or otherwise coupled together).

[0144] The on-board blending controller circuit 364 may include a microprocessor, computer memory, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium for data storage. The on-board blending controller circuit 364 may also be configured using logic gates or field-programmable gate arrays, which, in some embodiments, are configured to implement connection blending logic. For example, the connection blending logic may include different logical rules for how to rank, combine, or otherwise control the flow of data packets and / or the allocation of carriers to different modems, connections, or antennas, such as through the establishment of network interface assignments, among other things. Other logical rules may include the use of blending logic, error control techniques, probe data packets, and flow control, among other things. For example, modems with certain characteristics, such as the lowest latency, may be assigned time-sensitive tasks such as error control, while other modems, such as slower modems, may be assigned bulk data transfers. The blending logic may also be used to classify and assign packets by flow or flow type.

[0145] The on-board blending controller circuit 364 may be coupled with a network characteristic monitor to periodically or on-demand obtain network characteristics associated with various modems, connections, or antennas. These characteristics, e.g., RSSI, may be saved in an on-board ledger stored in memory and used by the connection blending logic. In a simplified example, the connection with the best RSSI value may be used for communication, etc. Other, more complex approaches are possible.

[0146] The on-board ledger may be stored, for example, as a database table, an array of data values, etc. In some embodiments where multiple multi-modem communication devices are used together (e.g., as separate RMBs), the blending controller circuit 364 may be configured to maintain a virtual ranking list of individual modems or RMBs, e.g., a mix-and-match of modems between multiple similar / identical RMBs where, for example, carrier A happens to work well in RMB1 and carrier B happens to work well in RMB2, or even at the RMB level (taking into account the overall connectivity available per RMB as a whole, sending to RMB1 is better than RMB2, which is better than RMB3), which may make sense in some scenarios where a master communication device may have to send the entire payload to a single RMB based on its own limitations (e.g., a master device (or a neighboring device the master is instructing to send content to) that can only maintain a connection with one RMB at a time). There may be instances where a master device, through its on-board blending controller circuit 364, must establish exclusive connections between the RMBs presented to that circuit, rather than to individual modems across multiple RMBs.

[0147] The communication technique for each modem can be adapted to use geographically separated MIMO antennas whenever possible. In a non-limiting mapping example shown in block schematic diagram 300F of FIG. 3F, two opposite corners may be connected to a first modem (e.g., establishing a connection corresponding to the first modem), the other two may be coupled to a second modem, and a third modem may be established using the remaining two antennas. In FIG. 3F, the antennas are labeled as antennas 372, 374, 378, 382, ​​386, and 388 and correspond to the antennas in FIG. 3E. WiFi modules 376 and 384 are shown and provide local area network connectivity. Modems can be established using sets / pairs of antennas (although sets, not necessarily pairs, are also contemplated; e.g., three or four antennas per modem are possible). In alternative embodiments, the assignment of specific antennas to specific modems can be adjusted (e.g., through a user interface that controls gating through circuits or connection paths), providing dynamic wiring or connections.

[0148] Each of the modems can be coupled to a corresponding network interface (shown as network interfaces 1, 2, and 3), allowing the device coupled to the multi-modem communication device to expose a virtual WAN connection. The term "virtual" means that the device (e.g., the master device) can simply view these connections as connections available to the device, regardless of where the connections are actually connected through. For example, if the master device is a video broadcasting device residing in a server rack in an underground data center with very poor cellular connectivity, the master device can view a "virtual" WAN connection when coupled to the multi-modem communication device, which can be easily utilized by the master device as if it were a native connection on the master device itself. This is useful in retrofit situations where a multi-modem communication device is connected to correct for a poor signal environment or placement of the master device.

[0149] For example, the modem / antenna may be adapted to operate in a particular set of frequency bands, e.g., the 600 MHz to 6000 MHz band. In a more specific example, the modem / antenna operates using bands associated with LTE-Advanced (or other types of communications techniques, e.g., 5G or subsequent 3GPP standards), which may cover different jurisdictions or geospatial locations. The modem / antenna may operate in different bands or combinations / permutations of bands. In some embodiments, the modem / antenna is adapted to switch between different bands and operate in different modes depending on the specific requirements of a particular location. Other frequencies are possible, including special defense cellular bands, proprietary radio bands, satellite bands, millimeter wave spectrum, among others.

[0150] In another embodiment, different pairs of antennas are utilized in the device of Figure 3E that have subtle differences in transmission characteristics. In another embodiment, the antenna pairs are matched.

[0151] The device of Figure 3E can further include additional features, such as a cover, overlay, membrane buttons (e.g., up / down, enter), user interface, etc., that can be used to modify the configuration of the device of Figure 3E. The device of Figure 3E can operate in different modes of operation, such as a first mode of operation, a "blending mode," and a second mode of operation, a "remote modem box mode."

[0152] As shown in FIG. 3G, the device of FIG. 3E can be connected to a master / primary device to augment the communication capabilities of the master device, for example, through a Wi-Fi antenna or a wired connection, such as an Ethernet connection.

[0153] The device of Figure 3G effectively provides a virtual copy of its modem (and possibly other network devices such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet) to another device (e.g., in remote modem box mode) via a local network connection, with blending occurring on the other device.

[0154] In blending mode, blending is performed using a multi-modem device, in which the "real" local (non-virtualized) modem wireless data connection is blended, and possibly also with an available Wi-Fi connection or other connection present on one of the Ethernet ports (e.g., satellite). To provide the blending capability, a controller (e.g., on the multi-modem device or on the master device in FIG. 3E) circuit (or system on a chip) can be used to intelligently combine the virtual modem with other connections (e.g., existing connections on the master device or virtual connections from other multi-modem communication devices).

[0155] In alternative embodiments, a combined mode is also possible and contemplated. A device may be configured to perform blending and blend its local real modem with a virtualized copy from another multi-modem communication device in RMB mode. The device may also blend an aggregated connection from a second device 370 in blending mode. Thus, a mixture of these two modes is possible; for example, one device 370 may present two virtual modems to an external device for external blending, while simultaneously blending an upstream Ethernet device (e.g., satellite) with its third modem, providing the blended connection and two virtual modems over the same downstream Ethernet connection. In other words, when describing "blending mode," reference may be made to modems that are not specifically virtual, and the mode is contemplated as a combination of both RMB and blended approaches.

[0156] The device of Figure 3E in a modem approach providing a remote modem box mode can simply replace the modem connection of another device, allowing the other device to use the virtual connection as if it were the other device's native connection.

[0157] These two approaches are useful because they address technical needs that arise in current situations where primary equipment is installed in locations without good cell connectivity, such as server rooms, and the IT professionals configuring equipment connections from a connectivity perspective may not be aware of the radio requirements for certain types of communication paths. IT professionals sometimes even place equipment systems inside rack boxes that can act as Faraday cages, resulting in poor signal connectivity for certain components. Therefore, the device in Figure 3E, or multiple devices similar to that in Figure 3E, can be used to augment or retrofit existing equipment by installing them on windows, on different sides of a building (e.g., one on the north, south, east, and west sides), or in different sections of a vehicle (e.g., one on the front and one on the back, or distributed across different train segments), among other locations.

[0158] Specifically, in the remote modem box use case, the master / primary device 370 then simply operates as normal, but with the individual connections extending from the device of Figure 3E, and the multi-modem communication device can be thought of as a "dongle" that provides modems and antennas to another (possibly physically distant) system. The dongle may include antenna sets configured to reduce line-of-sight to each other.

[0159] Multiple connections are shown in Figure 3G, where there may be three multi-modem connected devices operating alongside one another. Virtual connections provide additional WAN connections, and in further embodiments, these connections may be blended. In a further variation, the device of Figure 3E may be used with or connected to vehicles or public transportation to provide improved connectivity to devices requiring high levels of connectivity or bandwidth, such as on-demand infotainment systems, where individuals attempt to dynamically connect to and view content without the requirement of having a central server to pre-download media, as is required in many traditional infotainment systems (e.g., aircraft systems).

[0160] The device of FIG. 3E provides a small, portable, and lightweight device while meeting the wireless performance targets (TRP, TIS, adjacent antenna mutual coupling) required for good performance (and by regulatory agencies). The techniques outlined in various embodiments herein are also adapted to position antennas to provide the best MIMO performance (i.e., minimize signal correlation between antennas attached to the same radio) while minimizing mutual coupling and loading. Coupling is minimized by placing the antennas around a metal "kernel," which blocks RF and eliminates or minimizes RF line-of-sight between antennas according to design goals. Antenna spacing is as tight as possible while still meeting wireless performance targets. Mutual coupling is further minimized by placing mirror-folded antennas adjacent to each other.

[0161] The antenna is folded to reduce the planar dimension and keep the overall device as small as possible. There are many options, even straight options, and in some embodiments folding is employed to keep the form factor of the device small.

[0162] The pair of MIMO antennas used by a single modem is selected to be the most physically spaced apart to further reduce signal correlation caused by mutual coupling. For example, antennas at opposite corners of the device are paired. Exemplary antenna dimensions are shown in Figure 3E.

[0163] Folding the antenna allows for larger (longer) antennas with improved performance at low frequencies without exceeding the desired product dimensions. Additionally, the central core is used as a counterpoise, i.e., functionally a "ground" for the antenna system. For the radiating components of the antenna to operate efficiently, they must be isolated from their corresponding grounds (in other words, an antenna lying flat against the chassis will not operate efficiently, or at all). For this reason, the folds are some distance from the core; in the embodiment of FIG. 3E, approximately the last third of the antenna is folded in the vertical dimension.

[0164] Folding a portion of the antenna into the vertical dimension increases the vertical dimension of the "kernel," which advantageously provides space for the integration of a modem (radio), a multi-core processor (CPU), memory (SRAM and non-volatile storage), and several major subsystem components (power and management, communication interfaces, USB and Ethernet), as well as an internal rechargeable battery and a Power over Ethernet module.

[0165] The user interface (OLED display and membrane push buttons) can be integrated into the top "lid." User connections (Ethernet, USB) as well as a power switch and video I / O are provided on one end. The other end provides access to the SIM needed for the cellular modem / radio. The "kernel" can advantageously be made from metal or other similar material that provides RF shielding and good thermal conductivity. This allows the "kernel" to act as a heat sink for the modem and computational subsystem.

[0166] FIG. 3E shows heat sink fins designed to improve heat dissipation and a fan used in combination with the heat sink to provide active cooling for even improved heat dissipation.

[0167] The embodiment shown in Figure 3E was arrived at by considering the various product and system requirements outlined above. The size and placement of the antenna within the system was established along with the overall device form factor given portability, the minimum chassis height required to house the circuitry, cooling, and internal battery requirements. There was a desire to encase the antenna with a minimum number of plastic covers. One side of the polygonal chassis is required for I / O, another for the user interface, cooling vents, and another for maintenance of the unit.

[0168] Note that the antenna can be bent at various angles (rather than just 90 degrees), which can be advantageous if a larger antenna is needed (to improve low frequency performance) but the vertical height of the device needs to be maintained.

[0169] Antennas can also be placed in other locations (e.g., on the edge, top (lid), or bottom) provided that design goals for cross-coupling, loading, and MIMO correlation are met and the user I / O and user interface are suitably redesigned.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 3G, there may be multiple multi-modem communication devices interoperating together, and as described in further exemplary embodiments, there are variations on how the devices may interoperate.

[0171] In a first embodiment, each of the modems of a multi-modem communication device may be evaluated for allocation of an individual carrier to each modem (e.g., carrier A is best for modem 1-1, carrier B is best for modem 1-2, etc.). In a second embodiment, instead of assigning individual carriers to individual modems, carriers are assigned by individual multi-modem communication devices (e.g., carrier A is best for device 1 and all of modems 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3, carrier B is best for device 2 and all of modems 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3), etc.

[0172] The devices can be connected together (e.g., in a daisy chain) or through a central master data communication device 370 (e.g., in a hub-and-spoke model), allowing the devices to provide multiple potential network connections that can be used individually or together. Network blending can be performed, for example, by any one of the devices individually or by multiple devices in cooperation (e.g., in the case of co-blending or hierarchical blending, where one of the devices is responsible for blending a group of connections).

[0173] When multi-modem communication devices operate together, there are different ways to combine connections, which may depend on the limitations of the master communication device attempting to use the multi-modem communication device. For example, in certain situations, the master communication device may be limited to only one connection to one multi-modem communication device, even if multiple multi-modem communication devices are connected. In such situations, a ranked list of multi-modem communication devices can be used to determine which is the best to connect to (e.g., interrogating all possible carriers and ranking them all by maximum signal strength given).

[0174] The multi-modem communications device of Figure 3E may be switched between operating alone or within a group of multiple such devices, and in an exemplary embodiment, this switching occurs between a mode in which network aggregation or blending is performed by the device itself (where one or more aggregated or blended network connections provide reliable Internet connectivity to nearby computers or devices via Ethernet or Wi-Fi) and a mode in which the device presents its individual peripheral wireless connections (e.g., via USB / IP protocols) to a connected Blending-Capable Client, where the network aggregation and management functions are performed within the Blending-Capable Client. This switching can be performed, for example, through the setting of actual pins in a physical general-purpose input / output pin selector or the setting of a data value in stored memory (e.g., isBlending=TRUE / FALSE).

[0175] In this exemplary embodiment, the ability to switch is useful in that it allows the device to be used more flexibly for different use cases. This switching may occur for a variety of reasons, such as at the request of a user or administrator, by a network operator, automatically or under user control, because a blending-capable client is in a low power state, because of some change in overall system operating conditions, or for any other reason. For example, a multi-modem communication device may be operating to provide a reliable Internet connection to a blending-capable client, such as a portable video broadcast transmission device. In some situations, the multi-modem communication device itself may have appropriate blending capabilities and may compute to handle the connectivity and / or computational requirements of the video broadcast transmission device (e.g., low-resolution video monitoring, or remote control, or any other type of connectivity required).

[0176] In other situations, for example, when high-definition video transmission is in use via remote control, the multi-modem communication device from FIG. 3E may be able to switch to a "remote modem box" mode in which the device presents its individual peripheral wireless connections to the transmission device, and the aggregation / blending function moves to the blending-capable client (the video transmission device), for example, because high-definition video transmission relies on data compression algorithms that monitor and manage individual network connections as part of the compression process.

[0177] After the video transmission is complete, the transmitting device may return to a low power mode, causing the multi-modem communication device to resume network aggregation / blending internally and continue remote control and monitoring functions. This approach can help reduce power consumption, which is particularly useful when the multi-modem communication device is operating as a portable device on battery power or when power resources are limited (e.g., operating in an area without a reliable electricity supply).

[0178] There are situations where it would be advantageous for the multi-modem communication device of FIG. 3E to automatically select the best remote communication endpoint (i.e., cellular base station) before or during operation in order to provide a blending-capable client with the best performing aggregated / blended Internet connection or the best performing individual peripheral connection.

[0179] This is made possible by the fact that in certain multi-SIM embodiments, each multi-modem communication device may be equipped with more SIM cards (each allowing connection to a particular cellular network) than the cellular connections it supports (e.g., a device with three modems may be equipped with six SIM cards, with the SIM card used by each modem selected under software control), or by the fact that multiple multi-modem communication devices may be able to share SIM card information between connected units, or by the fact that devices may support eSIMs that are not tied to a particular network and may be remotely reconfigured under software control (allowing for maximum flexibility). In other words, a multi-modem communication device may have the flexibility to connect as follows:

[0180] 1. Select a SIM and modem combination and connect to the endpoint with the best performance (cellular network) that has the matching SIM card installed in the modem.

[0181] 2. When multiple multi-modem communication devices are networked and operating in concert, each selects a SIM and modem combination to connect to the highest performing endpoint (cellular network) that has a SIM card installed and that has a matching SIM card installed in one of the network devices.

[0182] 3. If using an eSIM, select the best eSIM profile, load it, and connect to any cellular network that can load the eSIM profile via software control.

[0183] The process for selecting which remote endpoint a given modem will connect to may be based on maximizing one or more desired performance parameters of interest, either for that modem individually or for the entire system of one or more connected multi-modem communication devices (whether operating in blending mode or in remote modem box mode in conjunction with a blending-capable client).

[0184] Possible performance parameters to be maximized may include Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI, a measure of radio signal strength reported by the modem), RCSP (Received Signal Code Power), or any other network quality metric reported by the modem, or any other measurable network parameter that it may be desirable for the client to optimize, such as highest throughput, lowest latency, most predictable latency, highest reliability, best uptime, lowest packet loss, lowest cost, or any other desirable network characteristic, or a combination thereof.

[0185] When one or more multi-modem communication devices are installed on / in a building, some parameters of interest may be relatively constant over time; for example, RSSI may be a function only of the location and orientation of the multi-modem communication device and its distance from a remote endpoint (a fixed-location cellular base station). In this case, it may be acceptable for the modem to measure the parameters of interest and select the remote endpoint less frequently, for example, once a week or so. These relatively constant performance parameters may be additionally measured as part of a site evaluation during the configuration procedure of the multi-modem communication device, for example, to help select the best-performing configuration for the device.

[0186] Performance parameters may also be recorded as "baseline values" to be used as criteria for re-evaluating system performance over time. Other parameters, such as maximum throughput, lowest latency, etc., may be more variable and require near-continuous measurement and network selection by the modem for optimization.

[0187] It is noted that the RSSI range may be measured in dBs (or dBm), and applicants may define, by way of non-limiting example, an RSSI range of -40 to -50 dB as very good, and -90 to -100 dB as not very good.

[0188] When a multi-modem communication device is mounted on / in a vehicle, there may not be any performance parameters of interest that are stable over time due to the fact that the vehicle may be in motion and the location, orientation, and distance of the multi-modem communication device and base stations may be constantly changing (as shown in the example of Figure 9A). In this case, the best remote endpoint (cellular base station) may need to be selected and reassigned on a near-constant basis (either in real time or frequently, e.g., every minute or every 15 minutes).

[0189] The degree of variability in the performance parameter being optimized and the loss of connectivity due to the overhead of switching the modem from one remote endpoint to another must be weighed against the potential benefits of the optimization; in fact, higher performance may be obtained from using a relatively stable and more general parameter (such as RSSI reported by the modem) and selecting the remote endpoint less frequently. In variations, other values ​​such as throughput can be tracked.

[0190] In a system of multi-modem communication devices, the process of selecting a remote endpoint based on maximizing a performance parameter of interest may be performed as follows:

[0191] 1. The system causes modem #1 in a first device from the multi-modem communication device to connect to an available remote endpoint (cellular base station) using the first available SIM card or eSIM profile corresponding to the remote endpoint.

[0192] 2. Once the connection is established and stabilized, the system measures the performance parameter of interest (e.g., RSSI) and records it in a ledger data structure.

[0193] 3. The system releases the connection and has modem #1 use the next available SIM card or eSIM profile that corresponds to the available remote endpoint (best case is cellular) to connect to the next available remote endpoint.

[0194] 4. Once the connection is established and stabilized, the system measures the performance parameter of interest (e.g., RSSI) and records it in a ledger data structure.

[0195] This process is repeated until all available remote endpoints supported by available SIM cards or eSIMs have been connected to each modem and the performance parameters of interest have been measured and recorded. Because the carrier infrastructure and spectrum connection environment vary from location to location (e.g., obstructed buildings, carrier infrastructure location, carrier infrastructure strength, congestion / contention in available channels), performance parameters can vary significantly from carrier to carrier.

[0196] Optionally, the system may have modem #1 re-establish and "claim" the connection with the endpoint having the best performance parameter under consideration, thereby narrowing the search space for future modems, or may wait until the ledger is filled for a given multi-modem communication device and then assign remote endpoints to modems across a single device such that the sum of the measurements of the performance parameter under consideration is maximized across the device, or may wait until the ledger is filled for all connected multi-modem communication devices and then assign the best scoring remote endpoint to all modems across all connected multi-modem communication devices such that the sum of the measurements of the performance parameter under consideration is maximized across the entire system of connected devices.

[0197] If the original master / primary device already has radios, the primary / master device can be configured to choose whichever is best, since the original radios may still be operational and available for use. Thus, the multi-modem communication devices described herein can be utilized as a retrofit device for a master / primary device to provide additional communication capabilities. For example, the retrofit device can be utilized to provide additional communication capabilities by increasing the available pipe size provided through a bonded or aggregated set of network connections (e.g., allowing communication over hundreds of megabits) or by providing a backup or failover connection.

[0198] The selection techniques described above can be extended to minimize the impact of the selection process on the normal functioning of a multi-modem communication device, for example, by measuring the performance parameter of interest in parallel with normal function on a single modem, or by taking only one modem offline at a time and measuring the performance parameter of interest and reassigning remote endpoints in a "round robin" fashion, or by using recent measurements of the performance parameter of interest from other modems in the same system and assuming equality rather than incurring time for re-measurements.

[0199] 4A is a drawing 400A showing a vehicle-based embodiment in which antennas are placed in different areas of the vehicle, taking advantage of the unique shape of the object to which they are attached, and are controlled by a central controller that decides which antenna to use for which purpose. In this example, the controller decides to transmit to network A via antenna E2 and to network B via antenna E3. This selection of antennas may vary due to irregular chassis designs.

[0200] 4A, chassis 406 is shown in the form of a vehicle, but could take other forms in other embodiments (e.g., it could be a building). Antennas 400, 404, 412, and 414 are affixed to chassis 406 in locations where they do not have line-of-sight with one another. Controller 410 determines which of antennas 400, 404, 412, and 414 transmit signals to which of networks 408 and 402 based on some consideration.

[0201] In other embodiments, the allocation may change over time as devices move or networks change. For example, this approach may be similar to the modem / network selection used in the canonical case for network bonding, but may be focused in the context of antenna selection and may be performed in conjunction with network path selection.

[0202] The antennas E1...EN may be shaped optimally for the application (e.g., when applied to a vehicle) or may be off-the-shelf antennas that are placed in various locations on the vehicle (or on the exterior of a building) that allow optimal transmission and reception performance.

[0203] By observing transmission behavior, the controller can infer the geometry of the vehicle / chassis relative to the antenna. Through techniques such as machine learning, the controller may also suggest different placements of one or more antennas that improve transmission characteristics to either a predefined optimum or an optimum determined over time by actual use of the vehicle in real-world conditions. In one example, for example, an armored military tank vehicle, the controller unit may need to fit into a set location due to space and protection concerns. For redundancy reasons, multiple controller units may be required.

[0204] 4B is a diagram 400B providing an example of a vehicle having multiple devices 428 and 430, in this case each including both a controller as well as transmission equipment (e.g., modems and antennas). The system may transmit between two or more devices using near-field communication or other means (e.g., wired connections) to achieve ultimate far-field communication with Network A or Network B and optimize transmission and reception performance.

[0205] Referring to FIG. 4B , the antenna is attached to a chassis, which is itself attached to the vehicle. Devices 1 and 2 may each be separate chassis 428 and 430. By way of illustration, device 2 may have a transmission that it intends to transmit to network A. Device 2 may have a computing system that knows device 1, including antenna placement and configuration. To improve transmission and / or reception characteristics relative to transmitting the payload itself, device 2 may instead send a payload to device 1 for transmission to network A, while device 2 transmits another set of data to network B using its modem and antenna. In an alternative embodiment, device 1 and device 2 may be connected to a centralized controller (similar to 410 in FIG. 4A ). This centralized controller (located in the vehicle or building) manages device 1 and device 2 to improve transmission and reception.

[0206] Two embodiments are possible in this example: a first "remote modem box" example where Device 1 and Device 2 are boxes containing antennas and modems, and all blending / logic is in the centralized controller (which could potentially use USB over IP or TCP / IP for communication between the centralized controller and the devices), and a distributed blending example where the centralized controller and Devices 1 and 2 implement the blending operations using a distributed approach.

[0207] FIG. 5 is a drawing 500 showing N soldiers / police officers with attached units whose positions relative to each other may constantly change, leading to constant recalculation of the best modem / antenna combination for optimized transmission and reception performance.

[0208] This example is provided to illustrate the disaggregated / distributed variant of the system and is not necessarily specific to soldiers / police officers.

[0209] In this scenario, each unit does not necessarily have to have multiple antennas within the unit; there may be multiple phones connected to a central hub (or master unit), and the controller will choose the best antenna (e.g., a soldier on a hill) to optimize transmission and reception performance.

[0210] 5, the controller needs to transmit signals to the network 510. In one embodiment, devices 502, 504, 506, and 508 each transmit signals to the network 510, and the controller 500 receives information related to the communication performance of each device. The controller 500 can select from 502, 504, 506, and 508, or some combination of these devices, to determine the best device to transmit signals to the network 510 based on some consideration. In other embodiments, the controller 500 will also send instructions to the devices 502, 504, 506, and 508 to spatially reposition the devices.

[0211] In this example, team member 1 queries controller 500 what the path to network A is for optimal (e.g., in terms of throughput, reliability, or a combination thereof) transmission and reception performance (1).

[0212] The controller 500 responds by indicating that team member 3's device 506 is the best fit (due to the location of the antenna) (2).

[0213] The controller may send a control message (3) to team member 3's device 506 to alert it that it will allow / expect communications from team member 1 to go through (this may not be necessary as a trust relationship may already exist between the two devices).

[0214] Team member 1 then transmits the data payload to team member 3 (4), which then sends the transmission to the network (5).

[0215] The system may also receive network transmissions along similar paths.

[0216] In some embodiments, once the initial connection is made, team member 1 may work directly through the antenna of team member 3's device 506 until a timer expires and a performance trigger is met, and then may recheck with the controller for the best available option. In some embodiments, for example, a hierarchical protocol may exist, where team member 3's device 506 may route transmissions at an even lower level without an application layer that needs to interpret or otherwise process the data being communicated.

[0217] Note that the controller 500 may reside locally, on the device itself, or in the cloud (although a controller that is too far away may introduce latency that degrades performance). There may be multiple controllers, and they may have their own hierarchy of rules that determine which controller is dominant. In some embodiments, the controller is configured to differentiate between a "best path" where every device fully interoperates, and a "best path given awareness of other devices" (which antenna to select for a given device, given co-location of other devices / antennas).

[0218] In another variation, the chassis and antennas may be miniaturized, e.g., as provided on a mobile device. Such a mobile device may, for example, have multiple antennas, e.g., multiple wideband antennas. The antennas may be coupled to different SIM cards (on different cellular networks) to communicate simultaneously, and it may be advantageous to utilize a chassis and / or antennas as described in various embodiments to help reduce various issues related to line-of-sight between antennas. When there are more than two antennas, as described above, different subsets of antennas may be established based on line-of-sight to the communicating endpoint (differentiated from selecting antennas that the distant endpoint can "see," as opposed to line-of-sight defined as detrimental to placing antennas on the chassis) and utilized, for example, as separate bonded connections or for different types of data transmission or error control functions. The configuration of the antennas and chassis may be automatically adapted, for example, on the mobile device, through actuators that operate, among other things, to automatically fold the antennas (e.g., at various fold joints) or change the height of the antennas.

[0219] 6 is an example block schematic drawing 600 of an apparatus having multiple WAN interfaces adapted to connect to multiple wireless networks. As described herein, the apparatus may include an apparatus as provided herein in a multi-antenna chassis and / or associated controller device adapted to control one or more antennas connected to the WAN interfaces for communicating data across the various wireless networks.

[0220] FIG. 7A is an example drawing 700A illustrating an approach for pairing multi-modem communication devices in a remote modem box (RMB mode) according to some embodiments.

[0221] In remote modem box mode, the device from FIG. 3E is portable, powered by an internal battery or other means, and provides multiple radios (each with multiple antennas), where the individual radios and antennas appear as multiple peripheral (wireless) connections (e.g., via USB / IP protocols) within a connected (typically wired, via Power over Ethernet) blending-capable client, where network aggregation and management functions are performed within the blending-capable client to obtain one or more aggregated wired or wireless network connections with the desired overall characteristics, e.g., higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in the available component networks.

[0222] Additionally, this configuration allows a blending-capable client (e.g., the master / primary device in this example) to access a remote communications endpoint (e.g., a cellular base station) via a connecting device from FIG. 3E that may not normally be accessible to the blending-capable client (e.g., because it is located with poor or non-existent connectivity to the remote communications endpoint (e.g., a cellular base station)), or due to the blending-capable client's hardware limitations (e.g., no provision for mounting a radio or antenna), or for other reasons. In other words, a portable remote modem box can be installed in a location where RF performance is advantageous and connected to provide the blending-capable client device with the best possible wireless performance.

[0223] This example shows how to pair two RMBs with one gateway device that acts as the master / primary device. Once paired, the RMBs should not be able to connect to other gateway devices without pairing with that gateway device, at which point the pairing with the previous gateway device is deleted. At this stage, the gateway devices can be assumed to be "well-behaved," although authenticating the gateway devices and preventing buggy or malicious clients from accessing the RMB's modem simultaneously with another gateway device can be addressed later through a more involved pairing procedure (e.g., a shared encryption key displayed on the RMB OLED UI). The gateway devices and RMBs are connected to each other, for example, by a trusted LAN.

[0224] The pairing state machine implemented by the remote_modem_server has only two states, as shown in state diagram 700B in FIG. 7B. The pairing state is persistent if the RMB is rebooted. In one embodiment, the state can be configured such that only one gateway device is paired to the RMB at a time. The gateway device initiates pairing by sending a request to the remote_modem_server's REST API. Pairing may involve the RMB generating a new "Paired Client Identifier" (PCI) and sending it back to the gateway device, but not deleting the existing pairing; however, when a new gateway device is paired, the previous PCI may be deleted; this is done to avoid unexpected disconnections if pairing mode is accidentally entered via the UI.

[0225] Pairing an RMB with a gateway device requires configuring the gateway device with an RMB IP address, which can be discovered using the OLED UI. Configuring a gateway device to use a different RMB may require configuring the gateway device with a different RMB IP address. No other form of "unpairing" is required. To meet the requirement to support pairing a gateway device with two RMBs and up to six modems, two RMB IPs may be configured.

[0226] A "blending-capable client" may be defined as any individual master / primary system or device (and possibly remote from the multi-modem communication device but connected (typically by a wired connection, possibly by other means) to the multi-modem communication device and able to access the multi-modem communication device's multiple wireless network connections individually, e.g., via USB / IP protocols) that is capable of performing network aggregation / blending locally (not on the multi-modem communication device itself). A "blending-capable client" may function as a network device itself (e.g., an Internet gateway device that aggregates / blends multiple individual wireless connections from one or more multi-modem communication devices), or it may perform an entirely different primary function, e.g., an in-vehicle infotainment system, a wireless video transmission device, or a mobile situational command center, but that is able to aggregate / blend connections provided by the multi-modem communication device in addition to its primary function.

[0227] There are various reasons why it may be desirable to perform network aggregation / blending functions locally on the Blending Capable Client, such as when more connections must be blended than would be possible with the computing power available on the multi-modem communications device, or when aggregation / blending must occur on a more secure device than the multi-modem communications device, or when aggregation / blending must be tightly integrated within the primary functionality of the Blending Capable Client (e.g., real-time video compression).

[0228] Conversely, in a standalone, portable blending appliance mode, the multi-modem communications device is instead portable, powered by an internal battery or other means, and provides reliable Internet connectivity via Ethernet or Wi-Fi to nearby computers or devices (clients), with network blending and management performed by the multi-modem communications device itself, whereby multiple wireless connections (provided by multiple cellular radios each having multiple antennas) are aggregated (or blended) together (optionally with satellite, Wi-Fi, or wired connections) and presented as one or more wired or wireless network connections to the clients with overall characteristics, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in the available component networks.

[0229] FIG. 8A is an example drawing 800A of an example use case of a standalone remote modem box operating on / in a building.

[0230] The multi-modem communications device is installed in a fixed location, such as inside a window of a building, or on the exterior or roof of a building, is powered by mains power, power over Ethernet, an internal battery, or other means, and provides multiple radios (each having multiple antennas), with the individual radios and antennas made to appear as multiple peripheral wireless connections (e.g., via USB / IP protocols) within a connected blending-capable client, and network aggregation and management functions performed within the blending-capable client to obtain one or more aggregated wired or wireless network connections with the overall characteristics required by the operator, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in the available component networks.

[0231] Additionally, this configuration allows the blending-capable client to access telecommunications endpoints (e.g., cellular base stations) via an attached multi-modem communications device that the blending-capable client would not normally be able to access (e.g., because it is located in a server room in a basement or interior room with poor or non-existent connectivity to the telecommunications endpoint (e.g., cellular base station)), or due to limitations of the blending-capable client (e.g., not having a provision for mounting a radio or antenna), or for any other reason.

[0232] 8B is an example drawing 800B of an example use case in which a standalone, fixed blending appliance is shown operating on / in a building. In this example, a multi-modem communication device is installed in a fixed location, such as inside a window of a building, or on the building's exterior or roof, and is powered by mains power, power over Ethernet, an internal battery, or other means to provide reliable Internet connectivity via Ethernet or Wi-Fi to computers or devices within or nearby the building, with network blending and management performed by the multi-modem communication device itself, whereby multiple wireless connections (provided by multiple cellular radios with multiple antennas) are aggregated (or blended) together (optionally with satellite, Wi-Fi, or wired connections) to present as one or more wired or wireless network connections with overall characteristics, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in available component networks.

[0233] FIG. 8C is an exemplary drawing 800C showing multiple remote modem boxes operating on / in a building.

[0234] In this example, multiple multi-modem communication devices are installed on / in a building, e.g., inside a window of a building, or on the exterior or roof of a building, or in two separate locations on / in a building, with each multi-modem communication device preferentially located for best communication with a given set of remote endpoints (e.g., cellular base stations), and with the separate placement of the devices allowing the system to access and use a greater number of remote endpoints overall. Each multi-modem communications device is powered by mains power, Power over Ethernet, an internal battery, or other means of providing multiple radios (each having multiple antennas), the individual radios and antennas being made to appear as multiple peripheral wireless connections (e.g., via USB / IP protocols) within the connected blending-capable client, and network aggregation and management functions are performed within the blending-capable client to obtain one or more aggregated wired or wireless network connections having the overall characteristics required by the operator, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in the available component networks.

[0235] Additionally, this configuration allows the blending-capable client to access telecommunications endpoints (e.g., cellular base stations) via an attached multi-modem communications device that the blending-capable client would not normally be able to access (e.g., because it is located in a server room in a basement or interior room with poor or non-existent connectivity to the telecommunications endpoint (e.g., cellular base station)), or due to limitations of the blending-capable client (e.g., no provision for mounting a radio or antenna), or for other reasons.

[0236] Multi-modem communication devices may also be coordinated to provide the best overall connectivity to the system (e.g., by configuring each multi-modem communication device to use the best available remote communication endpoint (e.g., cellular base station) because the multi-modem communication devices may be located on opposite sides of a building where each has a good RF line-of-sight connection to a different remote communication endpoint than the other devices), based on the overall characteristics required, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics.

[0237] 9A is an illustration 800A showing an example of a multi-modem communication device operating on a vehicle, according to some embodiments. In this example, there may be a standalone blending appliance 802A, or it may interoperate with another blending appliance 802B (similar to that shown in FIG. 4A).

[0238] In a standalone example, the multi-modem communication device is installed in / on a vehicle, such as in a vehicle window or on the exterior of the vehicle, or elsewhere, and is powered by an internal battery or via the vehicle's power source or other means, providing reliable Internet connectivity via Ethernet or Wi-Fi to nearby computers or devices (clients) either in or on the vehicle, or in the vicinity of the vehicle, with network blending and management performed by the multi-modem communication device itself, whereby multiple wireless connections (provided by multiple cellular radios, each with multiple antennas) are aggregated (or blended) together (optionally with satellite, Wi-Fi, or wired connections) and presented as one or more wired or wireless network connections with overall characteristics, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in available component networks.

[0239] In the multiple blending device example, multiple multi-modem communication devices 802A and 802B are installed on / in the vehicle, e.g., in a window of the vehicle, or on the outside of the vehicle, or anywhere else, or installed in two separate locations on / in the vehicle, with each device preferentially located for best communication with a given set of remote endpoints (e.g., cellular base stations), and with the separate placement of the devices allowing the combined system to access and use even more remote endpoints overall. Each device may be powered by an internal battery, the vehicle's power system, or other means of providing reliable Internet connectivity via Ethernet or Wi-Fi to nearby computers or devices (clients), with network blending and management performed by the device itself, whereby multiple wireless connections (provided by multiple cellular radios with multiple antennas) are aggregated (or blended) together (optionally with satellite, Wi-Fi, or wired connections) to present as one or more wired or wireless network connections with the overall characteristics required by the operator, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, high reliability, high uptime, low packet loss, low cost, or other desirable network characteristics not present in available component networks.

[0240] This aggregation or blending function may be performed on one device or may be distributed across all devices that may be present in the system, and the devices may also be tailored to provide the best overall connectivity to the system (e.g., by configuring each multi-modem communication device to use the best available remote communication endpoint (e.g., cellular base station) because the multi-modem communication devices may be located on opposite sides of a building where each has good RF line-of-sight connectivity to a different remote communication endpoint than the other devices), based on the overall characteristics required, such as higher throughput, lower latency, more predictable latency, higher reliability, higher uptime, lower packet loss, lower cost, or other desirable network characteristics.

[0241] Due to vehicle movement, it is expected that the performance parameters of each wireless network connection will constantly change (e.g., because RSSI is affected by the device's location, orientation, and distance relative to the remote endpoint). Therefore, it is expected that this network selection may have to be done much more frequently than in a fixed-ground scenario, possibly in real time. These performance parameters can then be used to assign carriers to modems, for example, by interrogating different SIM combinations with different modems to obtain RSSI readings.

[0242] Depending on the detected RSSI for the best mix of carrier allocation, for example, each of the multi-modem communication devices can be assigned a different function or a higher or lower priority for communication (e.g., a stronger RSSI is used for a higher priority, and a lower RSSI is used for a lower priority). For example, in the emergency communication vehicle example, more important, higher priority communications, e.g., emergency channels, may be assigned to higher priority channels, while less important, routine communications, e.g., weather channels, may be assigned to lower priority channels. Depending on the situation, the communication allocation selection may be able to switch from lower priority to higher priority, or vice versa. For example, the data stream of a wireless-enabled body camera may be switched to a higher priority if the holster detects that a weapon has been drawn.

[0243] There are also variations where the vehicle installation is instead a standalone remote modem box, with the RMB radio and antenna appearing as multiple peripheral wireless connections (e.g., using USB / IP protocols) within connected blending-capable clients (e.g., automotive infotainment systems, police vehicle communications hubs, fleet management software).

[0244] 9B is an exemplary embodiment having an example 900B of multi-modem communication devices operating on different segments of a segmented vehicle, such as a train. In this example, the segmented vehicle may be very long (e.g., a freight train may be several miles long) and have many segments. Some of the segments 910, 912, 914, 916, 918 may have associated multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A.

[0245] In this example, each of the segments has a corresponding multi-modem communication device, although this is not necessarily true in all embodiments. A segmented vehicle may have a communication system, such as an infotainment system, that has high network communication requirements. For example, the infotainment system may attempt to facilitate on-demand video streaming by various passengers in the segmented vehicle. However, the infotainment system may require a large amount of throughput to be able to accommodate all of these requests from mobile devices associated with the various passengers.

[0246] Each of the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A can be connected together with an infotainment system, which in this example acts as a master / primary device that directs each of the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A to provide a virtual WAN connection (e.g., in one example, as a remote modem connection, or in another embodiment, in a blended set of network connections) that can be advantageously utilized by the infotainment system.

[0247] As the segmented vehicle travels through various locations along the route, signal characteristics can be periodically assessed by utilizing different antennas or sets of antennas in the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A to take advantage of the different spectrum environments and correspondingly different signal strengths at different locations. Additionally, the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A can be utilized in tunnels or in situations where some of the segments are not in good communication with the various other communication base stations, such as in train stations or depots. Thus, the connections of the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A with the strongest signals can be blended together or simply prioritized for use by the infotainment system, by using various multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A located in different segments along the segmented vehicle to establish a combined hotspot and provide enhanced services to passengers. In some embodiments, the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A are strategically placed on segments of the segmented vehicle, by deploying a multi-modem communication device 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A along the vehicle (e.g., every third train car).

[0248] While the example shown in Figure 9B is a train, other variations are possible, such as a set of linked drones (e.g., each within WiFi range of one another), each equipped with one of the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A. The drones may maintain a distance within range of one another such that a sufficiently strong WiFi signal is shared for local area connectivity and the multi-modem communication devices 910A, 912A, 914A, 916A, 918A can be used to interrogate various available cellular signals. This may be useful, for example, in mountainous terrain or in areas where cellular coverage is very poor.

[0249] Although the embodiments have been described in detail, it is to be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope thereof. Moreover, the scope of the present embodiments is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. The applicant has conducted basic and applied research in this technical field, and while various practical embodiments have been described, it is to be understood that these descriptions are examples and may not be representative of realized products and services.

[0250] As will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from this disclosure, existing or later-developed processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps may be utilized that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same results as the corresponding embodiments described herein, and the embodiments are therefore intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

[0251] As will be understood, the above-described and illustrated embodiments are intended to be exemplary only.

[0252] Definition:

[0253] Crosstalk: The transmission of unwanted signals between communication channels. Example: One antenna on a device transmitting on the same frequency that another antenna on the device is trying to receive.

[0254] Coupling: The transfer of electrical or electromagnetic energy from one circuit segment to another. Example: An antenna on a device is transmitting and some of the power it transmits is transferred to other (co-located) antennas on the device.

[0255] Loading: That part of a circuit that dissipates electrical or electromagnetic power. Example: A measure of the reduction in output power caused by coupling with other local antennas.

[0256] Counterpoise: A counterpoise is a conductive area used as a replacement for an earth (ground) connection in a radio system. Example: The metal kernel of some embodiments is a counterpoise for a MIMO antenna attached to the kernel.

Claims

1. 1. A multi-modem communication device for providing electronic communications across multiple radios, comprising: a central housing chassis adapted to provide an electrical counterpoise for said electronic communications, said central housing chassis comprising a material that provides radio frequency shielding; a plurality of wideband antennas, each of which is coupled to the central housing chassis, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of modems provided by the multi-modem communication device, and each of which operates in a similar frequency band; 1. A multi-modem communication device, wherein each of the plurality of wideband antennas corresponding to one of the plurality of modems is located on or configured on a central housing chassis so as to physically block line-of-sight between other wideband antennas of the plurality of wideband antennas used by the one of the plurality of modems and located in near-field and coupled to the central housing chassis, using a horizontal line established by the shape of the central housing chassis as a radio frequency shield, thereby reducing cross-coupling loading or energy loss between the plurality of wideband antennas.

2. 2. The multi-modem communication device of claim 1, wherein each wideband antenna of said plurality of wideband antennas is a folded wideband antenna having a folded orientation, and each adjacent wideband antenna of said plurality of wideband antennas relative to their coupling to said central housing chassis is folded at a different orientation relative to other adjacent wideband antennas.

3. 3. The multi-modem communication device of claim 2, wherein said folds at said different orientations include adjacent wideband antennas having mirror image folds relative to each other to reduce interference between adjacent wideband antennas.

4. each modem of the plurality of modems utilizes a first corresponding wideband antenna and a second corresponding wideband antenna of the plurality of wideband antennas, the first corresponding wideband antenna being coupled to a geometrically opposite location on the central housing chassis relative to the second corresponding wideband antenna; 2. The multi-modem communication device of claim 1, wherein a physical geometric feature of said central housing chassis blocks line of sight between said first corresponding wideband antenna and said second corresponding wideband antenna.

5. 2. The multi-modem communication device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of modems includes first, second, and third modems each having a corresponding pair of wideband antennas, said corresponding pairs of said first and second modems being coupled diagonally across said central housing chassis, and said corresponding pairs of said third modems being coupled on opposite sides across the center of said central housing chassis.

6. 2. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of modems operate in a frequency band lying between about 600 MHz and about 6000 MHz, each modem of said plurality of modems operating in a frequency band within said frequency band.

7. 10. The multi-modem communication device of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of modems operates using a different frequency band, a different subscriber identity module (SIM), or connects to a different carrier network.

8. 7. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 6, wherein the communications controller sub-module is configured to periodically or continuously measure one or more performance parameters of communications of each modem of said plurality of modems and to utilize said one or more performance parameters in controlling electronic communications across one or more modems of said plurality of modems.

9. 9. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein each connection provided by each modem of said plurality of modems is bonded to provide an aggregated data communication pipeline for data communication, and wherein said one or more performance parameters are utilized to determine allocation of said plurality of modems to particular carriers.

10. 9. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the highest performing carrier based on said one or more performance parameters is selected and assigned to each modem of said plurality of modems.

11. 11. A multi-modem communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a local area data connection to a master data communication device in a local area network, said master data communication device interoperating with said multi-modem communication device to establish wide area data communication using said plurality of wideband antennas and said plurality of modems to connect to a cellular network.

12. 12. The multi-modem communication device of claim 11, wherein the wide-area data connection is mapped as a virtual modem connection available to the master data communication device, and the master data communication device controls the multi-modem communication device to utilize the wide-area data connection.

13. 13. The multi-modem communication device of claim 12, wherein the virtual modem connection available by the master data communication device replaces an existing modem connection of the master data communication device.

14. 13. The multi-modem communication device of claim 12, wherein the virtual modem connections available by the master data communication device augment existing modem connections of the master data communication device, and wherein the virtual modem connections and a subset or all of the existing modem connections are blended together to form an aggregated or bonded network connection.

15. 15. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 14, wherein a first subset of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections is utilized or assigned to communicate a first classification of data packets, the first subset having lower latency relative to other connections of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections.

16. 16. The multi-modem communication device of claim 15, wherein a remaining subset of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections are utilized or allocated to handle bulk data communications.

17. 12. The multi-modem communication device of claim 11, wherein said multi-modem communication device is further configured to control blending of connections of said wide-area data connection to communicate data packets to and from said master data communication device.

18. 15. The multi-modem communication device of claim 14, wherein in the event that said virtual modem connection requires data communication resources that exceed the communication capacity of said existing modem connection, said virtual modem connection is assigned a spillover connection.

19. 13. The multi-modem communication device of claim 12, wherein the virtual modem connections available to the master data communication device are periodically interrogated using test data probe packets to evaluate communication characteristics of each of the virtual modem connections.

20. 20. The multi-modem communication apparatus of claim 19, wherein the evaluated communication characteristics of each of the virtual modem connections includes at least a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measure, and the virtual modem connections are ranked based on the RSSI measure such that only those virtual modem connections having an RSSI measure greater than a threshold RSSI value will be used for the wide-area data communication.

21. A multi-modem communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 16 and 18 to 20, wherein a plurality of multi-modem communication devices are coupled to the master data communication device in the local area network.

22. 22. The multi-modem communication device of claim 21, wherein the plurality of multi-modem communication devices are each physically located in different locations of a stationary physical structure such that the virtual modem connections provide diversity of different connections to the master data communication device.

23. 23. The multi-modem communication device of claim 22, wherein the communication capabilities of the plurality of multi-modem communication devices are evaluated during an initialization process at initial setup, and the evaluated communication capabilities are used to rank the virtual modem connections for use by the master data communication device, the ranking being based on blending techniques or rules such that the master data communication device has priority for use of higher ranked virtual modem connections.

24. 23. The multi-modem communication device of claim 22, wherein the different locations of the stationary physical structure are different sides of the stationary physical structure facing different directions extending from the stationary physical structure.

25. 22. The multi-modem communication device of claim 21, wherein said plurality of multi-modem communication devices are each physically located in different parts of a vehicle such that said virtual modem connections provide diversity of different connections to said master data communication device.

26. 26. The multi-modem communication device of claim 25, wherein the vehicle is an automobile or an aircraft, the master data communication device is an infotainment system onboard the vehicle, and the plurality of multi-modem communication devices includes at least a first multi-modem communication device positioned toward the front of the vehicle and a second multi-modem communication device positioned toward the rear of the vehicle.

27. 27. The multi-modem communication device of claim 26, wherein the virtual modem connection of the first multi-modem communication device is utilized for data communications of a first priority and the virtual modem connection of the second multi-modem communication device is utilized for data communications of a second priority, the first and second priorities being ranked based on assessed communication capabilities of the virtual modem connections.

28. 26. The multi-modem communication device of claim 25, wherein the vehicle is a multi-segment vehicle, the master data communication device is an infotainment system onboard the multi-segment vehicle, and the plurality of multi-modem communication devices includes at least a first multi-modem communication device located on a first segment of the multi-segment vehicle and a second multi-modem communication device located on a second segment of the multi-segment vehicle.

29. 29. The multi-modem communication device of claim 28, wherein said first segment of said multi-segment vehicle is in a different spectral environment than said second segment of said multi-segment vehicle such that during operation of said multi-segment vehicle, said second multi-modem communication device can provide reliable data communications for said master data communication device despite poor connectivity of said first multi-modem communication device.

30. 26. The multi-modem communication device of claim 25, wherein each of said multi-modem communication devices is periodically evaluated to determine connection conditions in real time or near real time as said vehicle travels along a route.

31. 31. The multi-modem communication device of claim 1, wherein the central housing chassis includes a plurality of mounting points each corresponding to one wideband antenna of the plurality of wideband antennas; 10. A multi-modem communication device, wherein each of the plurality of mounting points is adapted to position or orient the corresponding wideband antenna to reduce coupling effects between at least two wideband antennas of the plurality of wideband antennas.

32. 32. The multi-modem communication device of claim 31, wherein at least one wideband antenna of said plurality of wideband antennas has discrete geometric zones.

33. 33. The multi-modem communication device of claim 32, wherein wideband antennas of a first set of said plurality of wideband antennas are utilized together to form a first bonded connection.

34. 34. The multi-modem communication device of claim 33, wherein a first subset of wideband antennas of the first set of wideband antennas are assigned error control functions and a second subset of wideband antennas of the second set of wideband antennas are assigned data transfer functions.

35. 32. The multi-modem communication device of claim 31, wherein the plurality of mounting points comprises a plurality of adjustable mounting surfaces, the adjustment of which is controlled by a controller circuit to further reduce coupling effects between at least two wideband antennas of the plurality of wideband antennas.

36. 34. The multi-modem communication device of claim 33, wherein wideband antennas of a second set of said plurality of wideband antennas are utilized together to form a second bonded connection, and wherein wideband antennas of said first set and said second set are selected for use to reduce coupling effects between at least two wideband antennas of said plurality of wideband antennas.

37. 32. The multi-modem communication device of claim 31, wherein a shape or orientation of at least one wideband antenna of said plurality of wideband antennas is modified to reduce coupling effects between at least two wideband antennas of said plurality of wideband antennas.

38. 38. The multi-modem communication device of claim 37, wherein the shape or the orientation of at least one wideband antenna of the modified plurality of wideband antennas includes bending the at least one wideband antenna.

39. 32. The multi-modem communication device of claim 31, wherein the housing further includes an electronic component or storage opening.

40. 32. The multi-modem communication device of claim 31, wherein multiple housings are configured to communicate in conjunction with one or more target devices.

41. 1. A method of operating a multi-modem communication device providing electronic communications across multiple radios having a central housing chassis adapted to provide an electrical counterpoise for electronic communications, the central housing chassis comprising: a material providing radio frequency shielding; and a plurality of wideband antennas, each coupled to the central housing chassis, each corresponding to one of a plurality of modems provided by the multi-modem communication device, each operating in a similar frequency band; wherein each of the plurality of wideband antennas corresponding to one of the plurality of modems is located on or configured on the central housing chassis to physically block line of sight between other wideband antennas of the plurality of wideband antennas used by said one of the plurality of modems and located in near field and coupled to the central housing chassis, using a horizon established by the shape of the central housing chassis as a radio frequency shield to reduce cross-coupling loading or energy loss between the plurality of wideband antennas; establishing a local area data connection to a master data communication device within the local area network; and interoperating with the multi-modem communication device by the master data communication device to establish wide-area data communication using the plurality of wideband antennas or the plurality of modems to connect to a cellular network.

42. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the wide-area data connection is mapped as a virtual modem connection available by the master data communication device, and the master data communication device controls the multi-modem communication device to use the wide-area data connection.

43. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the virtual modem connection available by the master data communication device replaces an existing modem connection of the master data communication device.

44. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the virtual modem connections available to the master data communication device augment existing modem connections of the master data communication device such that a subset or all of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections are blended together to form an aggregated or bonded network connection.

45. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein a first subset of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections is utilized or allocated to communicate a first flow classification of packets, the first subset having lower latency compared to other connections of the virtual modem connections and the existing modem connections.

46. 46. ​​The method of claim 45, wherein the virtual modem connection and a remaining subset of the existing modem connections are utilized or allocated to handle bulk data communications.

47. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the multi-modem communication device is further configured to control blending of connections of the wide-area data connection to communicate data packets to and from the master data communication device.

48. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the virtual modem connection is assigned a spillover connection when demand for data communications resources exceeds the communications capacity of the existing modem connection.

49. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the virtual modem connections available to the master data communications device are periodically interrogated with test data probe packets to evaluate communication characteristics of each of the virtual modem connections using different carriers, and each is assigned a carrier based on the carrier having the highest evaluated communication characteristics.

50. 50. The method of claim 49, wherein the evaluated communication characteristics of each of the virtual modem connections include at least a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) measure, and the virtual modem connections are ranked based on the RSSI measure such that only those virtual modem connections having an RSSI measure greater than a threshold RSSI value are used for the wide-area data communication.

51. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing machine-interpretable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 41 to 50.

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