Retransmission of signals using aircraft

Abstract

An electronic device and method for retransmission of a signal using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are disclosed. The electronic device includes a controller that controls movement of the UAV to a position within a signal coverage area associated with a remote transmitter. The electronic device further includes a receiver circuit disposed on the UAV that receives a first signal from the remote transmitter. The first signal corresponds to a first wireless communication standard. The electronic device further includes a signal processor that processes the first signal to obtain a second signal, and a transmitter circuit that controls one or more antennas disposed on the UAV to transmit a beam of the second signal to the electronic device that includes the one or more receivers. The second signal corresponds to a second wireless communication standard, which may be the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Cross-reference to Related Applications / Incorporation by Reference] This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 869,685, filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 20, 2022. The above application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to signal retransmission and amplification for mobile and stationary receivers. Specifically, various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic apparatuses and methods for signal retransmission using aircraft. [Background Art]

[0003] Advances in the field of wireless communication have driven the development of various technologies that enable transmission or reception of data via over-the-air (OTA) signals. For example, devices can receive data via Wi-Fi signals, Bluetooth® signals, radio signals, signals from terrestrial broadcasting stations, signals from telecommunication base stations, satellite signals, and the like. Unlike wired communication, wireless communication requires a device to be located within the coverage area of a remote transmitter. In some cases, when a device is located in difficult terrain with a very small number of transmitters or in a very remote area, signals may not be received properly. Additionally, certain signals, particularly those transmitted from terrestrial transmitters, are subject to terrestrial interference or loss caused by various obstacles such as trees, hills, buildings, and mountain ridges. Some signals are affected by diffraction based on their wavelength or the size of the obstacle. Lower frequencies may diffract around large obstacles such as hills. Similarly, cellular communication signals may be dominated by ground-plane effects when traveling over rooftops in urban environments. Such signals may then diffract over the edge of a roof onto a road, where they can be affected by multipath propagation, absorption, and other effects. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] Those skilled in the art will be able to see the limitations and disadvantages of conventional methods by comparing the described system with some aspects of the disclosure shown with reference to the drawings in the remainder of this application.

[0005] The present invention provides an electronic apparatus and method for retransmitting signals using an aircraft, as illustrated and / or described in substantially relation to at least one figure and more fully provided in the claims.

[0006] These and other features and advantages of the disclosure can be understood by considering the following detailed description of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, which indicate the same elements throughout by the same reference numerals. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows an exemplary network environment for retransmitting signals using an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an exemplary electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3A] This figure shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] This figure shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] This figure shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] This figure shows an exemplary operation for charging an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] This figure shows an exemplary operation for charging an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] This figure shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This figure shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using one or more aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an exemplary operation for retransmitting a signal using an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Implementations of the disclosed electronic devices and methods for retransmitting signals using aircraft can be found as described below. Exemplary embodiments of the Disclosure provide an electronic device capable of providing a method for retransmitting signals using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The electronic device (which can be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), such as a drone or a balloon tethered in the air (below the stratosphere)) can be configured to retransmit signals (such as radio frequency (RF) signals or optical signals) from one or more remote transmitters to one or more receivers located inside electronic devices such as smartphones, wearable devices, vehicles and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

[0009] An electronic device may, at some point in time, receive a first signal from a remote transmitter based on its position within the signal coverage area associated with the remote transmitter (e.g., a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data or media content, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster, a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal). The remote transmitter may, but is not limited to, be one of the following: a base station for a cellular network, a satellite transponder, a terrestrial broadcaster, a Wi-Fi router, a Wi-Fi repeater, a repeater for a cellular network, a Bluetooth® transmitter, or an optical transmitter using optical signals for point-to-point communication. The electronic device may then process the received first signal to obtain a second signal and be configured to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device using one or more antennas. The second signal may correspond to a radio communication standard that is the same as or different from the radio communication standard associated with the first signal. For example, both the first and second signals may correspond to the ATSC standard. The disclosed electronic device can achieve satisfactory reception of a signal (from a remote transmitter) by retransmitting a first signal, while avoiding common challenges associated with ground and / or atmospheric conditions that affect signal reception over longer distances or over difficult terrain such as hills, trees, buildings, or mountain ridges. This disclosure provides a method for achieving wireless communication or reception between a (single or multiple) remote transmitter and a ground-based stationary / mobile receiver that is more cost-effective and reliable than conventional solutions.

[0010] Figure 1 shows an exemplary network environment for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 shows the network environment 100. The network environment 100 may include an electronic device 102, a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 104, a remote transmitter 106, and an electronic device 108. The electronic device 102, the first UAV 104, the remote transmitter 106, and the electronic device 108 may communicate with each other via one or more networks (e.g., a wireless communication network 110). The electronic device 102 may include a controller 112, a receiver circuit 114, a signal processor 116, a transmitting circuit 118, one or more antennas 120, and a charging circuit 122. Furthermore, a user 124 that may be associated with the electronic device 108 is also shown.

[0011] The electronic device 102 may include suitable logic, circuits, interfaces and / or code that can be configured to retransmit signals received from a remote transmitter (such as remote transmitter 106) to one or more receivers (such as electronic device 108). The electronic device 102 can be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (such as the first UAV 104) so ​​that it can move to a location in the airspace where it can receive signals from (one or more) remote transmitters and send signals back to (one or more) remote receivers (received from one or more ground receivers). Examples of the electronic device 102 include, but are not limited to, signal repeaters, multiband repeaters, wireless range extenders for one or more signal bands, computer devices coupled to RF circuits, airborne stationary repeaters, balloon-lofted internet access platforms, smartphones, mobile phones, optical repeaters, or communication devices for the first UAV 104.

[0012] The first UAV 104 and other UAVs may be vehicles that can be configured to remain airborne for at least the duration of the operation of the electronic device 102. The first UAV 104 may operate as a stationary aircraft or mobile vehicle that carries the electronic device 102 during flight and tracks a remote transmitter (e.g., remote transmitter 106) or a receiver (such as electronic device 108) to remain within the direct line of sight (LOS) for communication. Examples of the first UAV 104 include, but are not limited to, a drone, a balloon tethered in the air (below the stratosphere), or any inanimate object that can remain airborne. If the first UAV 104 is a balloon tethered in the air, the electronic device 102 may provide one-way data communication and two-way command and control.

[0013] The remote transmitter 106 can be configured to transmit a first signal associated with one or more service providers. According to one embodiment, the remote transmitter can only broadcast the first signal. According to another embodiment, the remote transmitter can also receive signals from a remote receiver, such as an electronic device 102. The first signal can correspond to, for example, an RF signal or an optical signal. The remote transmitter 106 can be associated with (one or more) service providers that can follow a standard broadcasting protocol or a common channel broadcasting protocol. Examples of service providers include, but are not limited to, satellite broadcasters, terrestrial broadcasters, digital television broadcasters, cellular signal transceivers, or Wi-Fi transceivers.

[0014] Note that the remote transmitter 106 in Figure 1 is presented only as an example, and therefore such an example should not be interpreted as limiting this disclosure. This disclosure may be applicable to other implementations of the remote transmitter 106. Examples of the remote transmitter 106 include, but are not limited to, cellular network base stations, satellite transponders, terrestrial broadcasting stations, Wi-Fi routers, Wi-Fi repeaters, cellular network repeaters, Bluetooth® transmitters, or optical transmitters that use optical signals for point-to-point communication.

[0015] The electronic device 108 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that can be configured to receive a beam of a second signal (i.e., a retransmission or repetition of the first signal) via the transmitting circuit 118 of the electronic device 102, which can be mounted on the first UAV 104. The electronic device 108 may include one or more RF antennas (not shown) that receive the beam of the second signal from the electronic device 102.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 108 can be in a static state corresponding to a fixed geolocation within a geographical area, such as a remote campsite or house. In another embodiment, the electronic device 108 can be located inside or on a vehicle that can be in a moving state. For example, the electronic device 108 can be located inside a van, bus, boat, or automobile.

[0017] Note that the electronic device 108 in Figure 1 is presented only as an example, and therefore should not be interpreted as limiting this disclosure. This disclosure may be applicable to other implementations of the electronic device 108. Examples of the electronic device 108 include, but are not limited to, computer devices, smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, monitors, set-top boxes, mainframe machines, servers, computer workstations, and / or consumer electronic (CE) devices.

[0018] The wireless communication network 110 may include a medium that allows two or more of the multiple wireless nodes to communicate with each other. For example, the wireless communication network 110 may include a medium that allows the electronic device 102 and / or other network devices within the wireless communication network 110 to communicate with each other. The wireless communication network 110 can be established in accordance with the Institute of Electricals and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for infrastructure mode (Basic Service Set (BSS) configuration), or in some specific cases, in ad hoc mode (Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS) configuration). The wireless communication network 110 can be established between different pairs of wireless nodes among the multiple wireless nodes.

[0019] The wireless communication network 110 may be, for example, a wireless sensor network (WSN), a mobile wireless sensor network (MWSN), a wireless ad hoc network, a mobile ad hoc network (MANET), a wireless mesh network (WMN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular network, a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, or an Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) network. The wireless communication network 110 may operate in accordance with an IEEE standard such as the 802 wireless standard or a modified protocol, which may include, but is not limited to, 802.3, 802.15.1, 802.16 (wireless local loop), 802.20 (Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA)), 802.11-1997 (legacy version), 802.15.4, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11e, 802.11i, 802.11f, 802.11c, 802.11h (specific to European regulations), 802.11n, 802.11j (specific to Japanese regulations), 802.11p, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.11aj, 802.11ax, 802.11ay, 802.11az, 802.11hr (high data rate), 802.11af (white space spectrum), 802.11-2007, 802.11-2008, 802.11-2012, and 802.11-2016.

[0020] The wireless communication network 110 can be established to use different types of communication, such as short-range or long-range communication, for different pairs of wireless nodes. Short-range communication can be point-to-point communication, point-to-point line-of-sight (LOS) communication, or point-to-multipoint communication. Examples of protocols for short-range communication include, but are not limited to, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Wireless USB, Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), and Near Field Communication (NFC) (e.g., NFC peer-to-peer), Bluetooth®, or Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE). Examples of other protocols for different types of communication include, but are not limited to, ZigBee, Personal Area Network (PAN), Wi-Max, Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), and Local Multipoint Distribution Service.

[0021] The controller 112 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and / or interfaces that can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the remote transmitter 106. The controller 112 may be configured to control all components of the electronic device 102. Examples of implementations of the controller 112 may be an x86-based processor, a graphical processing unit (GPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processor, a composite instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a microcontroller, a central processing unit (CPU), and / or a combination thereof.

[0022] The receiver circuit 114 can include suitable logic, circuitry and / or interface that can be configured to receive a first signal from the remote transmitter 106. In the case of point-to-point communication or point-to-multipoint communication, the receiver circuit 114 can receive one or more signals from each of the electronic device 108 and the remote transmitter 106. The receiver circuit 114 can be disposed on the first UAV 104 as a part of the electronic device 102. The receiver circuit 114 can include, for example, one or more radio frequency (RF) antennas, one or more optical receivers (for free space optical communication), one or more down-converters, one or more mixers, one or more demodulators, one or more demultiplexers, one or more filters, and the like.

[0023] The signal processor 116 can include suitable logic, circuitry, interface and / or code that can be configured to process the first signal (received from the remote transmitter 106) to obtain a second signal. Before the first signal can be retransmitted, the first signal can be processed through a series of signal processing operations to obtain the second signal. Such operations, for example, noise removal operation, signal amplification, echo cancellation, signal regeneration, and the like, are well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore details of such operations are omitted from the present disclosure for brevity. According to an embodiment, the signal processor 116 can be a digital signal processor, an RF signal booster, an electro-optical repeater, an optical regenerator, or the like.

[0024] The transmitting circuit 118 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and / or interfaces that can be configured to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device 108 or other receiver. The beam of the second signal may be transmitted via one or more antennas 120. The transmitting circuit 118 may include, for example, one or more RF antennas (which may be the same as those in the receiver circuit 114), one or more optical receivers (for free-space optical communication), (single or double) upconverters, (single or double) mixers, (single or double) modulators, (single or double) multiplexers, and (single or double) filters.

[0025] One or more antennas 120 can be configured to transmit and receive signals related to the remote transmitter 106 and the electronic device 108. One or more antennas 120 can be configured to receive a first signal from the remote transmitter 106 and transmit a second signal to the electronic device 108. The second signal can be obtained from the first signal. The received first signal may include at least one of an RF signal or an optical signal. Not limited to, but as an example, each of the received first and second signals may include a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data or media content, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster (e.g., an ATSC signal), a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal. Examples of one or more antennas 120 include, but are not limited to, directional antennas, multiband antennas, radio antennas, quadrifilar antennas, loop antennas, patch antennas or microstrip antennas, phase array antennas, dipole antennas, choke ring antennas, spiral antennas, or planar ring antennas.

[0026] The charging circuit 122 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that can be configured to control the charging of a battery that may be included in the first UAV 104. In one embodiment, the charging circuit 122 may be configured to receive a directional beam of optical energy from an optical power transmitter that may be included in a battery charger. In another embodiment, the charging circuit 122 may be configured to receive power directly via a cable from a battery charger coupled to a charging station.

[0027] The electronic device 102 can receive a trigger input during operation, for example, to turn on the electronic device 102 or to activate a certain mode. Based on this input, the electronic device 102 can control the movement of the first UAV 104. If the first UAV 104 is a balloon, the trigger input can cause the balloon to inflate and / or be released into a position within the signal coverage area of ​​the remote transmitter 106 (below the stratosphere) (i.e., a stationary aerial position). The trigger input can be received directly through an interface and / or electronic device 108 built into the electronic device 102. For example, the electronic device 102 can be configured to receive the trigger input via the I / O device (shown in Figure 2) or the network interface (also shown in Figure 2) of the electronic device 102.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the electronic device 102 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area of ​​the remote transmitter 106. The remote transmitter 106 can be, for example, a base station for a cellular network, a satellite transponder, a terrestrial broadcasting station, a TV transmitter (e.g., an ATSC or (Digital Video Broadcast) DVB transmitter), a Wi-Fi router, a Wi-Fi repeater, a repeater for a cellular network, a Bluetooth® transmitter, and an optical transmitter that uses optical signals for point-to-point communication.

[0029] The electronic device 102 can be configured to scan and detect a first signal from the remote transmitter 106 at its location. The remote transmitter 106 may or may not always be within the direct line of sight (LOS) of the electronic device 108 (i.e., the electronic device 108 including one or more receivers). The position of the electronic device 102 can be maintained so that the ground-based electronic device 108 (attached to the first UAV 104) is within the line of sight (LOS) of the electronic device 102. Control of the movement of the first UAV 104 is described, for example, in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C.

[0030] The first signal may be an RF signal or an optical signal transmitted by the remote transmitter 106. The first signal may include, but is not limited to, a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data, media content, or internet data, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster (e.g., a digital television (DTV) or Advanced Television System Commission (ATSC) signal), a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal. The receiver circuit 114 of the electronic device 102 can receive the first signal from the remote transmitter 106 based on its location. The first signal may correspond to a first wireless communication standard and may be associated with a type of service provider such as a satellite data provider, a cable TV service provider, a cellular service provider, an internet service provider, or any short-range / long-range, point-to-point, or point-to-multipoint communication service provider. The reception of the first signal is illustrated, for example, in Figure 3C.

[0031] The signal processor 116 may be configured to process the first signal after reception to obtain a second signal. The second signal may correspond to a second wireless communication standard, which may be the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard associated with the first signal. For example, the second signal may be a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial or satellite broadcasting station, a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal. The content of both the first and second signals may remain the same, but the second signal may have been processed for noise reduction, amplification, and / or conversion to a form suitable for a communication standard different from the communication standard associated with the first signal. For example, if the first signal is a first ATSC signal received from a remote transmitter 106 (e.g., a terrestrial broadcasting station), the second signal may be a second ATSC signal or Wi-Fi signal carrying the content of the ATSC signal received from the remote transmitter 106. As another example, if the first signal is a cellular signal (for example, conforming to the 4th generation LTE standard), the second signal can be a Wi-Fi signal carrying the contents of the cellular signal. Signal processing is illustrated, for example, in Figure 3C.

[0032] The transmitting circuit 118 of the electronic device 102 can control one or more antennas 120 positioned on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device 108 including one or more receivers. According to one embodiment, the first wireless communication standard may correspond to a first frequency band, and the second wireless communication standard may correspond to a second frequency band which may be different from the first frequency band. Thus, the second signal may be transmitted in a second frequency band which may be different from the first frequency band in which the first signal was received from the remote transmitter 106. The control of one or more antennas 120 is illustrated, for example, in Figure 3C.

[0033] In an exemplary scenario, the electronic device 108 used by user 124 may face weak signal coverage because user 124 is located in a remote environment or in an environment that includes difficult terrain such as hills, mountain ridges, or other ground obstacles. In such a scenario, user input can be provided, for example, to turn on the electronic device 102 or to activate a certain mode. Based on the user input, the electronic device 102 can control the movement (i.e., flight) of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area of ​​the remote transmitter 106. At that position (while remaining positioned on the first UAV 104), the electronic device 102 can receive a first signal (e.g., a weak signal with a low SNR) from the remote transmitter 106 and transmit a second signal to the electronic device 108, which includes one or more receivers (after processing the first signal to obtain a second signal). The electronic device 102 can transmit a directional beam of the second signal to one or more receivers included in the electronic device 108. Therefore, the first UAV 104 and the electronic device 102 can cooperate to provide effective and optimal signal reception to the ground-based electronic device 108 (e.g., a mobile phone and a tablet).

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an exemplary electronic device of Figure 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 2 will be made in relation to the elements of Figure 1. Figure 2 shows an electronic device 102. The electronic device 102 may include a circuit 202, a memory 204, a processor 206, an input / output (I / O) device 208, a network interface 210, one or more antennas 120, and a controller 112. The circuit 202 may include a receiver circuit 114, a transmitter circuit 118, and a charging circuit 122. The processor 206 may include a signal processor 116. The I / O device 208 may include a display device 212. The network interface 210 can connect the electronic device 102 to a remote transmitter 106 and an electronic device 108 via a wireless communication network 110.

[0035] Circuit 202 may include suitable logic, circuits, and / or interfaces that can be configured to execute program instructions related to different operations performed by the electronic device 102. Circuit 202 may include one or more specialized processing units that can be implemented as independent processors. In some embodiments, one or more specialized processing units may be implemented as an integrated processor or group of processors that collectively execute the functions of one or more specialized processing units. Circuit 202 may be implemented based on several processor technologies well known in the art. Examples of implementations of Circuit 202 may be x86-based processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processors, composite instruction set computing (CISC) processors, microcontrollers, central processing units (CPUs), and / or other control circuits.

[0036] Memory 204 may include preferred logic, circuits, interfaces and / or code that can be configured to store one or more instructions executed by circuit 202. Memory 204 may be configured to store a first signal. Memory 204 may store vehicle-related speed information. Memory 204 may be further configured to store the battery level of the first UAV 104. Examples of implementations of memory 204 include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), CPU caches, and / or secure digital (SD) cards.

[0037] The processor 206 may include preferred logic, circuitry, and interfaces that can be configured to execute instruction sets stored in memory 204. The processor 206 may be configured to execute program instructions related to different operations performed by the electronic device 102. Examples of processor technologies include, but are not limited to, central processing units (CPUs), x86-based processors, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processors, composite instruction set computing (CISC) processors, graphical processing units (GPUs), and other processors.

[0038] The I / O device 208 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that can be configured to receive inputs and provide outputs based on the received inputs. The I / O device 208 may include various input / output devices that can be configured to communicate with circuitry 202. In one example, an electronic device 108 may display notification information corresponding to the battery level of the first UAV 104 (via a display device 212 associated with the I / O device 208). Examples of the I / O device 208 include, but are not limited to, a touch screen, keyboard, mouse, joystick, display device (e.g., display device 212), microphone, or speaker.

[0039] The display device 212 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that can be configured to display notification information corresponding to the battery level of the first UAV 104. The display device 212 may be a touch screen that allows a user to provide user input through the display device 212. The touch screen may be at least one of a resistive touch screen, a capacitive touch screen, or a thermal touch screen. The display device 212 may be implemented through a number of known technologies, including, but not limited to, liquid crystal display (LCD) displays, light-emitting diode (LED) displays, plasma displays, or organic LED (OLED) display technologies, or at least one of other display devices. According to one embodiment, the display device 212 may mean a display screen for a head-mounted device (HMD), a smart glasses device, a see-through display, a projected display, an electrochromic display, or a transparent display.

[0040] The network interface 210 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and / or code that can be configured to facilitate communication between the electronic device 102, the first UAV 104, and the electronic device 108 over the wireless communication network 110. The network interface 210 may be implemented to support wired or wireless communication between the electronic device 102 and the wireless communication network 110 using various known techniques. The network interface 210 may include, but is not limited to, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a subscriber ID module (SIM) card, or a local buffer circuit.

[0041] The network interface 210 can be configured to communicate wirelessly with networks such as the Internet, intranet, wireless network, cellular telephone network, wireless local area network (LAN), or metropolitan area network (MAN). The wireless communication can be configured to use one or more of several communication standards, protocols, and technologies, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth®, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) (such as IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, or IEEE 802.11n), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Light Fidelity (Li-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-MAX), Protocol for Email, Instant Message, and Short Message Service (SMS). The various operations of circuit 202 for signal retransmission using an unmanned aerial vehicle are further explained in, for example, Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5, and 6.

[0042] Figure 3A shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 3A will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1 and 2. Figure 3A shows exemplary scenario 300A. Scenario 300A includes a vehicle 302 in motion on hilly terrain. Furthermore, a first remote transmitter 304 and a second remote transmitter 306 are also shown, which can be configured to have similar functions to the remote transmitter 106 illustrated and described in Figure 1. Note that the first remote transmitter 304 and the second remote transmitter 306 shown in Figure 3A are presented as examples only, and such examples should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure may also be applicable to other types of remote transmitters 106, such as, for example, base stations for cellular networks, satellite transponders, ATSC / DVB transmitters, terrestrial broadcasting stations, Wi-Fi routers, Wi-Fi repeaters, repeaters for cellular networks, Bluetooth® transmitters, and optical transmitters that use optical signals for point-to-point communication.

[0043] Figure 3A further shows a dashed curve indicating the boundary of the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter 304. For example, as shown, the first UAV 104 can first dock with the vehicle 302. The electronic device 108 can be located inside or on top of the vehicle 302 (in motion). The vehicle 302 can be an autonomous vehicle, a semi-autonomous vehicle, or a non-autonomous vehicle, as defined, for example, by the automation level of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Other implementation examples of the vehicle 302 include, but are not limited to, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and / or vehicles using a combination of one or more different renewable or non-renewable power sources. The vehicle 302 shown in Figure 3A is presented as an example only, and such examples should not be construed as limiting this disclosure. This disclosure may also be applicable to other types of vehicles 302, such as vans, buses, automobiles, boats, or other forms of vehicles. For brevity, descriptions of other types of vehicles are omitted from this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 3B shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 3B will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2 and 3A. Figure 3B shows exemplary scenario 300B. Exemplary scenario 300B includes a vehicle 302 in motion on hilly terrain. Furthermore, a first remote transmitter 304 and a second remote transmitter 306 are also shown, which can be configured to have the same or identical functions as the remote transmitter 106 illustrated and described in Figure 1. Furthermore, a dashed curve indicating the boundary of the signal coverage area related to the first remote transmitter 304 is also shown.

[0045] The electronic device 102 can receive user input at any point via its I / O device 208. Based on the received user input, the controller 112 of the electronic device 102 can control the movement of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter 304. As shown in Figure 3B, the vehicle 302 can be within the LOS of the first UAV 104. For example, in an area where the signal cannot be received well (such as hilly terrain, a campground, or other remote location), the electronic device 102 can receive user input telling the first UAV 104 to fly to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter 304. At the position of the first UAV 104, the electronic device 102 can receive the first signal from the first remote transmitter 304 with less interference or loss from obstacles (such as hills, trees, or buildings).

[0046] Figure 3C is a diagram illustrating an exemplary scenario of signal retransmission using an aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 3C will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, and 3B. Figure 3C shows exemplary scenario 300C, which includes a vehicle 302 in motion on hilly terrain. Furthermore, a first remote transmitter 304 and a second remote transmitter 306 are also shown, which can each be configured to have similar functions to the remote transmitter 106 illustrated and described in Figure 1. In addition, a dashed curve indicating the boundary of the signal coverage area related to the first remote transmitter 304 is also shown.

[0047] Vehicle 302 may, at any point, leave the geographical area included in the signal coverage area of ​​the first remote transmitter 304. As shown in Figure 3C, vehicle 302 may enter the geographical area included in the signal coverage area of ​​the second remote transmitter 306. However, there may be obstacles that affect stable, reliable, direct communication (or reception only) between the electronic device 108 (attached to vehicle 302) and the second remote transmitter 306. The controller 112 may be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter 306.

[0048] The receiver circuit 114 can be configured to receive a first signal from a second remote transmitter 306 based on its location. The first signal can correspond to a first wireless communication standard and can be received as either an RF signal or an optical signal (i.e., according to free-space laser communication). The first signal, not limited to but as an example, may include a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data or media content, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster, a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal. According to one embodiment, the first signal may be an ATSC signal or a DVB signal.

[0049] The signal processor 116 may be configured to process the received first signal to obtain a second signal upon receiving the first signal from the second remote transmitter 306. As an example, but not an limitation, the signal processor 116 may be configured to filter the first signal to remove noise and to amplify the filtered signal. If the received first signal is an optical signal, the signal processor 116 may receive an electrical signal based on the conversion of the optical signal. Since the first signal may be weak, the signal processor 116 needs to increase the power of the received first signal while ensuring that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received first signal is improved by the power gain.

[0050] In one embodiment, the signal processor 116 and / or other RF components may be configured to convert the first signal to a second signal such that the second signal corresponds to the same or a different radio communication standard associated with the first signal. The second signal may include, but is not limited to, a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data or media content, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster, a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal. In one embodiment, the second signal may be the same as the first signal, i.e., an ATSC signal or a DVB signal. In such a case, the electronic device 102 may operate as an ATSC-to-ATSC re-transmitter.

[0051] In some scenarios, the second signal can correspond to a different wireless communication standard than the one associated with the first signal. For example, the first signal can correspond to a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, and the second signal can correspond to a Wi-Fi signal carrying the same cellular communication data. Another example is that the first signal can correspond to a cellular signal (i.e., the first signal) carrying cellular communication data, and the second signal can correspond to an RF signal other than a cellular signal. The RF signal can be the same signal used by terrestrial broadcasters for DTV signals (such as ATSC signals). Another example is that the first signal can correspond to an RF signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster (e.g., content via ATSC signals), and the second signal can correspond to a Wi-Fi signal carrying the same media content. Another example is that the first signal can correspond to a satellite signal carrying geolocation or internet data, and the second signal can correspond to a Wi-Fi signal carrying the same geolocation or internet data. As another example, the first signal could correspond to a satellite signal carrying geolocation data, and the second signal could correspond to an RF signal (other than a cellular signal). The RF signal could be the same signal used by terrestrial broadcasters for DTV signals (such as ATSC signals).

[0052] In some scenarios, the second signal can correspond to the same wireless communication standard as the first signal. For example, both the first and second signals can correspond to RF signals carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcasting station (e.g., for ATSC 1.0 / 3.0 transmission). In such cases, the electronic device 102 can operate as a broadcast repeater or signal retransmitter located on the first UAV 104.

[0053] After signal processing, the transmitting circuit 118 can be configured to control one or more antennas 120 located on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device 108 including one or more receivers. According to one embodiment, one or more antennas 120 can be directional antennas configured to receive the first signal from the second remote transmitter 306 and transmit a directional beam of the second signal to one or more receivers of the electronic device 108 located on the vehicle 302. Transmitting a directional beam can minimize the dispersion of the signal in free space.

[0054] In one embodiment, the electronic device 102 can receive a first signal (such as a cellular or satellite signal) from the remote transmitter 106 and send the signal back (received from one or more ground-based receivers) to a remote receiver (which may be located together with or separately from the remote transmitter 106).

[0055] According to one embodiment, the second signal can be transmitted in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band in which the first signal was received. Thus, the first wireless communication standard can correspond to the first frequency band, and the second wireless communication standard can correspond to the second frequency band. For example, if the first signal in the first frequency band is one of the following: a satellite signal, a DTV signal, a Wi-Fi signal, a Bluetooth® signal, or an optical signal (through free space), then the second signal in the second frequency band can be an RF signal using whitespace signal frequencies (e.g., 50 MHz and 700 MHz).

[0056] According to one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive speed information related to the vehicle 302 from a data communication system associated with the vehicle 302. The data communication system may include suitable logic, circuits, interfaces and / or code that enable the vehicle 302 to communicate with electronic devices 102 (and the first UAV 104) via a wireless communication network 110. The data communication system may implement known techniques that support wired and / or wireless communication. Examples of the data communication system include, but are not limited to, an antenna, a frequency modulation (FM) transceiver, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, and / or a local buffer. The functions of the data communication system may be the same as those of the network interface 210 described, for example, in Figure 2. Therefore, a further description of the data communication system is omitted from this disclosure for brevity.

[0057] Vehicle 302 may include an in-vehicle network (not shown) to facilitate communication between internal components of vehicle 302. Those skilled in the art will understand that vehicle 302 may also include other suitable components or systems in addition to those shown herein to illustrate and explain the functions and operations of the disclosure. For the sake of brevity, such a description of components or systems is omitted herein.

[0058] Vehicle 302 may include one or more sensors (not shown) that determine speed information. Speed ​​information associated with vehicle 302 can be stored in memory (local) or on a server. Speed ​​information may include, for example, the vehicle 302's position information and current speed. One or more sensors may include at least one of a position sensor, a speed sensor, an inertial measuring unit (IMU), or an image sensor. Such sensors may be configured to acquire speed information.

[0059] The controller 112 can be configured to determine the expected position of the first UAV 104 relative to the expected position of the vehicle 302 at a given time, based on speed information. The expected position of the first UAV 104 can correspond to an optimal position in which the first UAV 104 can directly have the vehicle 302 within the line of sight (LOS) and transmit directly to the electronic device 108 attached to the vehicle 302. The controller 112 can then be further configured to determine the current position of the first UAV 104. The current position of the first UAV 104 can include its ground position, docking position, or any other position within the signal coverage area at that time. It can be determined whether there is a difference between the current position of the first UAV 104 and its expected position at that time. If the difference exceeds a threshold, the controller 112 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until the difference between its current position and its expected position is minimized. As a result, the first UAV 104 can continuously track the movement of vehicle 302.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the expected relative speed of the first UAV 104 with respect to the vehicle 302 at a given time. The expected relative speed of the first UAV 104 can correspond to the optimal speed of the first UAV 104 relative to the current speed of the vehicle 302. The expected relative speed of the first UAV 104 can be determined so that the first UAV 104 can remain within the signal coverage area of ​​the first remote transmitter 304 while having the vehicle 302 (or electronic device 108) directly within the LOS for signal transmission / reception. Subsequently, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the current relative speed of the first UAV 104. It can be determined whether there is a difference between the current relative speed of the first UAV 104 and the expected relative speed of the first UAV 104 at a given time. If the difference is above or below a threshold, the controller 112 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until the difference between the current relative speed of the first UAV 104 and the expected relative speed is minimized. As a result, the first UAV 104 can continuously track (and follow the path of) the movement of the vehicle 302.

[0061] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the expected speed of vehicle 302 that needs to move relative to the speed of the first UAV 104. The expected speed of vehicle 302 may correspond to the optimal speed that vehicle 302 must have in order to remain within the direct line of sight (LOS) of the first UAV 104. The controller 112 can then be further configured to determine the current speed of vehicle 302. Furthermore, it can determine whether there is a difference between the current speed of vehicle 302 and the expected speed of vehicle 302 at that time. If the difference is above or below a threshold, the transmitting circuit 118 can be configured to send a message containing a call to change the speed of vehicle 302 to match the expected speed. As an example, but not limited to, this message may include text, sound, or graphic items prompting user 124 to change the speed of vehicle 302. The message may be displayed on an electronic device 108 or a display device associated with vehicle 302 (e.g., display device 212).

[0062] Figure 4A shows an exemplary operation for charging an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 4A will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B and 3C. Figure 4A shows a timeline 400A illustrating exemplary operations 404A to 412A. The exemplary operations can be performed by any computer system, such as the electronic device 102 and / or charging circuit 122 in Figure 1.

[0063] The electronic device 108 can be positioned in a location that includes a charging station 402 and a battery charger (not shown) coupled to the charging station 402. The charging station 402 may include suitable logic, circuitry and / or interfaces that can be configured to facilitate the transfer of electrical energy from the battery charger to the first UAV 104. The charging station 402 may also be configured to handle and monitor the transfer of electrical energy. In some embodiments, the charging station 402 may include one or more power sources (e.g., battery packs) coupled to the battery charger.

[0064] In one embodiment, the charging station 402 and battery charger may be located in a public place (such as a public park or gas station) for transferring electrical energy. The battery charger may employ a charging cable, a wireless charging circuit, or an optical power transmitter (fiber-based or free-space) for transferring electrical energy. In another embodiment, the charging station 402 may be located in a private place (such as a charging adapter located in a specific location in the user's home or vehicle 302) to transfer electrical energy to the first UAV 104. The battery charger may include suitable logic, circuitry, or interfaces that can be configured to charge one or more batteries of the first UAV 104.

[0065] In 404A, the battery level of the first UAV 104 can be determined. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the battery level of the first UAV 104. The first UAV 104 may include one or more sensors (not shown) that determine operational information related to the first UAV 104. The operational information may include, for example, the battery level of the first UAV 104, a battery charge indicator, a low charge indicator, and the speed of the first UAV 104. The battery level of the first UAV 104 may indicate the remaining charge of the first UAV 104. The controller 112 can be configured to determine, based on the determined battery level of the first UAV 104, whether the battery level (e.g., a percentage or a numerical value) is below a threshold. The threshold can be a percentage value between 0 and 1 (such as 60%, 70%, 75%, or other percentage values ​​between 0% and 100%) or a numerical value (such as 0.6, 0.7, 0.75, or other numerical values).

[0066] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive user input via an I / O device and set a threshold. If no user input is present, the battery level can be compared to a default threshold. If the determined battery level is lower than the threshold, control can proceed to 406A. On the other hand, if the determined battery value is higher than the threshold, control can proceed to termination.

[0067] In 406A, notification information can be generated. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to generate notification information based on a determination that the battery level is below a threshold. The notification information may include text indicating that the user 124 should charge the battery of the first UAV 104 or replace the battery of the first UAV 104. The message may be displayed on a display device associated with the electronic device 108 (e.g., display device 212).

[0068] In 408A, notification information can be transmitted. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to transmit the generated notification information to the charging station 402. Furthermore, the transmission circuit 118 can be configured to transmit the generated notification information indicating a low battery level of the first UAV 104 to the charging station 402.

[0069] In 410A, a directional beam can be received. In one embodiment, the charging circuit 122 can be configured to receive a directional beam of optical energy from an optical power transmitter included in the battery charger. The charging station 402 can be configured to transmit a directional beam (such as a laser beam) of optical energy from an optical power transmitter (such as a high-power laser) to the charging circuit 122.

[0070] In 412A, battery charging can be controlled. In one embodiment, the charging circuit 122 can be configured to control the charging of one or more batteries included in the first UAV 104. One or more batteries can supply power to the first UAV 104, enabling the operation of various components of the first UAV 104. The batteries can be power sources for one or more electrical circuits of the first UAV 104. For example, the batteries can be power sources for circuit 202, memory 204, network interface 210, propulsion system, position sensor and speed sensor.

[0071] Figure 4B shows an exemplary operation for charging an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 4B will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C and 4A. Figure 4B shows a timeline 400B illustrating the exemplary operation 404B-414B. The exemplary operation can be performed by any computer system, such as the electronic device 102 and / or charging circuit 122 in Figure 1.

[0072] In 404B, the battery level of the first UAV 104 can be determined. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the battery level of the first UAV 104, as described in 404A of Figure 4A, for example.

[0073] In 406B, notification information can be generated. In one embodiment, for example, as described in 406A of Figure 4A, the controller 112 can be configured to generate notification information based on a determination that the battery level is below a threshold.

[0074] In 408B, notification information can be transmitted. In one embodiment, for example, as described in 408A of Figure 4A, the controller 112 can be configured to transmit the generated notification information to the charging station 402.

[0075] In 410B, a response can be received. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive a response to notification information from the charging station 402. The controller 112 can be configured to receive user input via an I / O device (such as an I / O device 208) associated with the electronic device 108. The user input may indicate a response to notification information. The response may include permission to dock the first UAV 104 to the charging station 402.

[0076] In 412B, the movement of the first UAV 104 can be controlled. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until it docks with the charging station 402. Advantages of controlling the movement of the first UAV 104 in this way include minimizing the dispersion of transmitted energy and optimizing power transmission.

[0077] In 414B, power can be received. In one embodiment, the charging circuit 122 can be configured to receive power directly via a cable from a battery charger coupled to the charging station 402. Power can be received based on the determination that the first UAV 104 is docked to the charging station 402. Charging one or more batteries is described, for example, in 412A of Figure 4A.

[0078] Figure 5 shows an exemplary scenario for signal retransmission using a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 5 is made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, and 4B. Figure 5 shows an exemplary scenario 500, which includes a moving vehicle 502. Furthermore, a remote transmitter 504 is also shown, which can be configured to have the same or identical functions as the remote transmitter 106 illustrated and described in Figure 1. Note that the remote transmitter 504 in Figure 5 is presented only as an example, and such an example should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure may also be applicable to other types of remote transmitters 504, such as, for example, base stations for cellular networks, satellite transponders, terrestrial broadcasting stations, Wi-Fi routers, Wi-Fi repeaters, repeaters for cellular networks, Bluetooth® transmitters, and optical transmitters that use optical signals for point-to-point communication.

[0079] The controller 112 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the remote transmitter 504, for example, as described in Figure 3B. The receiver circuit 114 can be configured to receive a first signal from the remote transmitter 504 based on its position, for example, as described in Figure 3C. For example, the first signal may be a satellite signal carrying geolocation data, media content, or internet data according to a first wireless communication standard. The first wireless communication standard may support satellite signal communication via the X-band (8-12 GHz) or Ku-band (12-18 GHz). The signal processor 116 can be configured to process the received first signal to obtain a second signal, for example, as described in Figure 3C. The transmitting circuit 118 can then be configured to control one or more antennas 120 located on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device 108 including one or more receivers, for example, as described in Figure 3C. The second signal can correspond to a second wireless communication standard, such as the Wi-Fi standard, which may be different from the first wireless communication standard used by the first signal. For example, instead of using the X-band or Ku-band, the contents of the first signal can be carried via a Wi-Fi signal (i.e., the second signal).

[0080] Figure 6 shows an exemplary scenario of signal retransmission using one or more aircraft according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 6 is made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, and 5. Figure 6 shows an exemplary scenario 600, which includes a house 602 located in a mountainous area. Furthermore, Figure 6 also shows a first UAV 604A, a second UAV 604B, and a third UAV 604C, each of which can be configured to have similar or identical functions to the first UAV 104 illustrated and described in Figure 1. For brevity, only three UAVs are shown in Figure 6. However, in some embodiments, there may be more than three UAVs without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a remote transmitter 106, an electronic device 108, and a user 124 are also shown. Note that the electronic device 108 in Figure 6 is presented only as an example. The present disclosure may be applicable to other types of electronic devices 108.

[0081] As shown in the figure, for example, the electronic device 108 can be in a stationary state that can correspond to fixed geolocation within a geographical area. For example, the electronic device 108 can be implemented as a television, set-top box, and mobile phone.

[0082] In one embodiment, the first electronic device, the second electronic device, and the third electronic device can be arranged on the first UAV604A, the second UAV604B, and the third UAV604C, respectively. The first electronic device, the second electronic device, and the third electronic device can be configured to have the same or identical functions as the electronic device 102 illustrated and described in Figure 1.

[0083] Figure 6 further shows a dashed curve indicating the boundary of the signal coverage area associated with the remote transmitter 106. The receiver circuit 114 of the electronic device 102 can detect one or more second UAVs (such as the first UAV 604A, the second UAV 604B, and the third UAV 604C) within an area including at least one of the remote transmitter (such as the remote transmitter 106) and the electronic device 108 at any given time. Controllers (such as the controller 112) associated with the first, second, and third electronic devices can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 604A, the second UAV 604B, and the third UAV 604C, respectively, so that the one or more second UAVs can form a network or cooperate to provide better signals to one or more receivers. The first UAV 604A can be positioned within the signal coverage area of ​​the remote transmitter 106 to receive the first signal from the remote transmitter 106. Similarly, the third UAV604C may be positioned so that the electronic device 108 is within the LOS of the third UAV604C, in order to transmit to the electronic device 108. The second UAV604B may be positioned between the first UAV604A and the third UAV604C to relay signals from the first UAV604A to the third UAV604C, or from the third UAV604C to the first UAV604A.

[0084] One or more receiver circuits (such as receiver circuit 114) can be installed on the first UAV604A, the second UAV604B, and the third UAV604C, respectively, to receive the first signal. The first UAV604A can receive a signal from the remote transmitter 106 and transmit the received signal to the second UAV604B. Similarly, the second UAV604B can receive a signal from the first UAV604A and transmit the received signal to the third UAV604C. The third UAV604C can also receive a signal from the second UAV604B and transmit this signal to the electronic device 108. The first, second, and third electronic devices can cooperate as range extenders installed on their respective UAVs.

[0085] The transmitting circuits (such as the transmitting circuit 118) of the first, second, and third electronic devices can be configured to control one or more antennas 120 located on each UAV to transmit a beam of a second signal. The first signal (received by the first UAV 604A) can correspond to a first radio communication standard. The signal processor 116 associated with the third electronic device can be configured to process the first signal to obtain a second signal and transmit the second signal to the electronic device 108. The first signal can be processed so that the second signal corresponds to a second radio communication standard, which may be the same as or different from the first radio communication standard. If the second radio communication standard is the same as the first radio communication standard, the first, second, and third electronic devices can operate as signal retransmitters (while located on each UAV).

[0086] According to one embodiment, the controller 112 may be configured to receive a plurality of first signals at a given time, and the signal processor 116 may be configured to process a plurality of signals for one or more receivers associated with the terrestrial electronic device 108. The transmitting circuit 118 may be configured to transmit a plurality of second signal beams to the electronic device 108 after processing. As shown in the figure, for example, the first signals to be received may include a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data for a first receiver (such as a mobile phone) among the one or more receivers associated with the electronic device 108, and a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcaster for a second receiver (such as a television) among the one or more receivers associated with the electronic device 108.

[0087] The receiver circuit 114 can be configured to detect one or more repeaters (not shown) in an area including at least one of the remote transmitters (first remote transmitter 304 and second remote transmitter 306) and the electronic device 108. The receiver circuit 114 can be configured to include the detected one or more repeaters in the wireless communication network 110. Since the received first signal may be weak, one or more repeaters need to supply a better signal by boosting the power of the received first signal while ensuring that the power gain is higher than the noise of the received first signal.

[0088] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation for signal retransmission using an aircraft vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The description of Figure 7 will be made in relation to the elements of Figures 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 5, and 6. Figure 7 shows flowchart 700. Flowchart 1000 may include operations 702-710 and can be performed by the electronic device 102 in Figure 1 or the circuit 202 in Figure 2. Flowchart 700 can start from 702 and proceed to 704.

[0089] In 704, the movement of the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be controlled to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the remote transmitter 106. In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104, for example, as described in Figure 3B.

[0090] In 706, a first signal can be received from the remote transmitter 106 based on its location. In one embodiment, the receiver circuit 114 can receive the first signal from the remote transmitter 106 based on its location. The first signal can correspond to a first wireless communication standard. The reception of the first signal is illustrated, for example, in Figure 3C.

[0091] In 708, the received first signal can be processed to obtain a second signal. In one embodiment, for example, as shown in Figure 3C, the signal processor 116 can process the first signal to obtain a second signal.

[0092] In 710, one or more antennas 120 positioned on the first UAV 104 can be controlled to transmit a beam of a second signal to an electronic device 108. In one embodiment, a transmitting circuit 118 can control one or more antennas 120 positioned on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of a second signal to an electronic device 108 including one or more receivers. The second signal can correspond to a second wireless communication standard which may be the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard. The control of one or more antennas 120 is illustrated, for example, in Figure 3C. The control can then proceed to termination.

[0093] While flowchart 700 is shown as discrete operations such as 704, 706, 708, and 710, the disclosure is not limited in this way. Accordingly, in some embodiments, such discrete operations can be further divided into further operations, combined into fewer operations, or deleted, depending on the implementation, without compromising the essence of the disclosed embodiments.

[0094] Various embodiments of this disclosure can provide a non-temporary computer-readable medium and / or storage medium storing instructions that can be executed by a machine and / or computer to operate an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102). The instructions can cause the electronic device 102 to perform an operation which includes controlling the movement of a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 104 to a position within a signal coverage area associated with a remote transmitter 106. The operation may further include retrieving a first signal from the remote transmitter 106 based on the position. The first signal may correspond to a first radio communication standard. The first signal is received in a first frequency band. The operation may further include processing the received first signal to obtain a second signal. The operation may further include controlling one or more antennas 120 positioned on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of the second signal to an electronic device 108 including one or more receivers. The second signal may correspond to a second radio communication standard which may be the same as or different from the first radio communication standard.

[0095] Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure can provide electronic devices (such as electronic device 102 in Figure 1) including a controller (such as controller 112) configured to control the movement of a first UAV (such as a first UAV 104) to a position within a signal coverage area associated with a remote transmitter (such as a remote transmitter 106). A receiver circuit (such as receiver circuit 114) may be located on the first UAV 104. The receiver circuit 114 may be configured to receive a first signal from the remote transmitter 106 based on its position. The first signal may correspond to a first wireless communication standard. A signal processor (such as signal processor 116) may be configured to process the received first signal to obtain a second signal. A transmitting circuit (such as transmitting circuit 118) may be configured to control one or more antennas (such as one or more antennas 120) located on the first UAV 104 to transmit a beam of a second signal to an electronic device (such as electronic device 108) including one or more receivers. The second signal can correspond to a second wireless communication standard, which may be the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard.

[0096] In one embodiment, the first signal may be at least one of a radio frequency (RF) signal or an optical signal.

[0097] In one embodiment, each of the first and second signals may be one of the following: a cellular signal carrying cellular communication data, a satellite signal carrying geolocation data or media content, a radio frequency signal carrying media content broadcast by a terrestrial broadcasting station, a Wi-Fi signal, or a Bluetooth® signal.

[0098] In one embodiment, the remote transmitter 106 may be one of the following: a base station for a cellular network, a satellite transponder, a terrestrial broadcasting station, a Wi-Fi router, a Wi-Fi repeater, a repeater for a cellular network, a Bluetooth® transmitter, or an optical transmitter that uses optical signals for point-to-point communication.

[0099] In one embodiment, the first wireless communication standard can correspond to a first frequency band, and the second wireless communication standard can correspond to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band.

[0100] In one embodiment, the electronic device 108 can be in a stationary state corresponding to a fixed geolocation within a geographical area.

[0101] In one embodiment, the electronic device 108 can be located inside or above a vehicle (such as a vehicle 302) that is in motion.

[0102] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive speed information related to the vehicle 302 from a data communication system associated with the vehicle 302. The controller 112 can be further configured to determine the expected position of the first UAV 104 relative to the expected position of the vehicle 302 at a given time. The controller 112 can be further configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until the difference between the current position and the expected position of the first UAV 104 is minimized.

[0103] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive speed information related to the vehicle 302 from a data communication system associated with the vehicle 302. The controller 112 can be further configured to determine the expected relative speed of the first UAV 104 with respect to the vehicle 302 at a given time and to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until the difference between the current relative speed of the first UAV 104 and the expected relative speed is minimized.

[0104] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive speed information related to the vehicle 302 from a data communication system associated with the vehicle 302. The controller 112 can be further configured to determine the expected speed of the vehicle 302 that needs to move relative to the expected speed of the first UAV 104. The transmitting circuit 118 can be further configured to send a message containing a call to change the speed of the vehicle 302 to match the expected speed.

[0105] In one embodiment, the electronic device 108 is positioned in a location that includes a charging station (such as a charging station 402) and a battery charger coupled to the charging station 402.

[0106] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to determine the battery level of the first UAV 104. The controller 112 can be configured to generate notification information based on the determination that the battery level is below a threshold. The controller 112 can be further configured to transmit the generated notification information to the charging station 402.

[0107] In one embodiment, the electronic device 102 further includes a charging circuit (such as a charging circuit 122). The charging circuit 122 may be configured to receive a directional beam of light energy from an optical power transmitter included in a battery charger and to control the charging of one or more batteries included in the first UAV 104.

[0108] In one embodiment, the controller 112 can be configured to receive a response to notification information from the charging station 402. The response may include permission to dock the first UAV 104 to the charging station 402. The controller 112 can be further configured to control the movement of the first UAV 104 until it is docked to the charging station 402.

[0109] In one embodiment, the electronic device 102 further includes a charging circuit 122. The charging circuit 122 may be configured to receive power directly via a cable from a battery charger coupled to a charging station 402. Power can be received based on the determination that the first UAV 104 is docked to the charging station 402.

[0110] In one embodiment, the receiver circuit 114 may be further configured to detect one or more second UAVs within an area including at least one of the remote transmitter 106 and the electronic device 108. The receiver circuit 114 may be further configured to establish a wireless communication network 110 between the detected one or more UAVs, the electronic device 108 and the electronic equipment 102. One or more antennas 120 may be controlled to transmit a beam of the second signal to the electronic device 108 through the wireless communication network.

[0111] In one embodiment, the receiver circuit 114 may be further configured to detect one or more repeaters in an area including at least one of the remote transmitter and the electronic device 108. The receiver circuit 114 may be further configured to include the detected one or more repeaters in the wireless communication network 110. In one embodiment, each of the first signal and the second signal may be an ATSC signal.

[0112] This disclosure can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software. This disclosure can be implemented centrally within at least one computer system or in a distributed manner, where different elements can be distributed across multiple interconnected computer systems. A computer system or other device adapted to perform the methods described herein may be suitable. The hardware-software combination may be a general-purpose computer system including a computer program that, when loaded and executed, can control the computer system to perform the methods described herein. This disclosure can also be implemented in hardware, including a portion of an integrated circuit that also performs other functions.

[0113] This disclosure includes all features that enable the implementation of the methods described herein and can be incorporated into a computer program product that can perform these methods when loaded onto a computer system. In this context, a computer program means any expression in any language, code, or notation of an instruction set intended to be executed directly, or after either a) conversion to another language, code, or notation, or b) reproduction in a different content form, on a system having information processing capabilities.

[0114] While this disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made and equivalents can be substituted without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, many modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure to suit specific circumstances or content to the teachings of this disclosure. Accordingly, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but is intended to include all embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0115] 100 Network Environment 102 Electronic equipment 104. The first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 106 Remote Transmitter 108 Electronic Devices 110 Wireless Communication Network 112 Controllers 114 Receiver Circuit 116 signal processors 118 Transmitter Circuit 120 One or more antennas 122 Charging circuit 124 Users

Claims

1. An electronic device, A controller configured to control the movement of a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a position within a signal coverage area associated with a first remote transmitter or a second remote transmitter, A receiver circuit positioned on the first UAV and configured to receive a first signal corresponding to a first wireless communication standard from the first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter based on the position, A signal processor configured to process the received first signal and obtain a second signal, A transmitting circuit configured to control one or more antennas arranged on the first UAV to transmit the beam of the second signal to an electronic device including one or more receivers, The second signal corresponds to a second wireless communication standard which is the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard, When the electronic device moves out of the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter and enters the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, the controller is configured to control the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, instead of controlling the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter, and the receiver circuit is configured to receive the first signal from the second remote transmitter. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

2. The first signal is at least one of a radio frequency (RF) signal or an optical signal. The electronic device according to claim 1.

3. Each of the first signal and the second signal is, Cellular signals that carry cellular communication data, Satellite signals that carry geolocation data or media content, Radio frequency signals that carry media content broadcast by terrestrial broadcasting stations, Wi-Fi signal, or Bluetooth® signal, The electronic device according to claim 1, which is one of the electronic devices described above.

4. The first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter is one of the following: a base station for a cellular network, a satellite transponder, a terrestrial broadcasting station, a Wi-Fi router, a Wi-Fi repeater, a repeater for a cellular network, a Bluetooth® transmitter, or an optical transmitter that uses optical signals for point-to-point communication. The electronic device according to claim 1.

5. The first wireless communication standard corresponds to a first frequency band, and the second wireless communication standard corresponds to a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. The electronic device according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned electronic device is in a stationary state corresponding to a fixed geolocation within a geographical area. The electronic device according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned electronic device is positioned inside or above a moving vehicle. The electronic device according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned controller, The system receives speed information related to the vehicle from a data communication system related to the vehicle. Determine the predicted position of the first UAV relative to the predicted position of the vehicle at a certain point in time. The movement of the first UAV is controlled until the difference between the current position of the first UAV and the predicted position is minimized. The electronic device according to claim 7, further configured as follows.

9. The aforementioned controller, The system receives speed information related to the vehicle from a data communication system related to the vehicle. Determine the expected relative speed of the first UAV with respect to the vehicle at a certain point in time. The movement of the first UAV is controlled until the difference between the current relative velocity of the first UAV and the predicted relative velocity is minimized. The electronic device according to claim 7, further configured as follows.

10. The aforementioned controller, The system receives speed information related to the vehicle from a data communication system related to the vehicle. The expected speed of the vehicle that needs to move relative to the expected speed of the first UAV is determined. The transmission circuit is further configured to send a message including a call to change the vehicle's speed to match the expected speed. The electronic device according to claim 7.

11. The electronic device is positioned in a location that includes a charging station and a battery charger coupled to the charging station. The electronic device according to claim 1.

12. The battery charger receives a directional beam of light energy from an optical power transmitter, Controlling the charging of one or more batteries included in the first UAV, The electronic device according to claim 11, further comprising a charging circuit configured as described above.

13. The aforementioned controller, Determine the battery level of the first UAV, Based on the determination that the battery level is below a threshold, notification information is generated. The generated notification information is transmitted to the charging station. The electronic device according to claim 11, further configured as follows.

14. The aforementioned controller, The charging station receives a response to the notification information, including permission to dock the first UAV to the charging station. The movement of the first UAV is controlled until the first UAV is docked to the charging station. The electronic device according to claim 13, further configured as follows.

15. The charging circuit further comprises a charging circuit configured to receive power directly via a cable from the battery charger connected to the charging station, The aforementioned power is received based on the determination that the first UAV is docked to the charging station. The electronic device according to claim 14.

16. The aforementioned receiver circuit is (i) Detect one or more second UAVs in an area including at least one of the first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter, and (ii) the electronic device. A wireless communication network is established between the detected one or more UAVs, the electronic device, and the electronic apparatus. The system is further configured such that the one or more antennas are controlled to transmit the beam of the second signal to the electronic device through the wireless communication network. The electronic device according to claim 1.

17. The aforementioned receiver circuit is (i) Detect one or more repeaters in the area including at least one of the first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter, and (ii) the electronic device. The detected one or more repeaters are included in the wireless communication network. The electronic device according to claim 16, further configured as follows.

18. Each of the first signal and the second signal is an Advanced Television Systems Commission (ATSC) signal. The electronic device according to claim 1.

19. Electronic equipment for signal communications of the Advanced Television Systems Commission (ATSC), A controller configured to control the movement of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a position within the signal coverage area associated with a first remote transmitter or a second remote transmitter, A receiver circuit is positioned on the UAV and configured to receive a first ATSC signal from the first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter based on the position, A signal processor configured to process the received first ATSC signal and acquire a second ATSC signal, A transmitting circuit configured to control one or more antennas arranged on the first UAV to transmit the beam of the second ATSC signal to an electronic device including one or more receivers, Equipped with, The electronic device is characterized in that, when the electronic device leaves the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter and enters the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, the controller is configured to control the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, instead of controlling the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter, and the receiver circuit is configured to receive the first ATSC signal from the second remote transmitter.

20. Controlling the movement of the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first or second remote transmitter, Based on the aforementioned position, a first signal corresponding to a first wireless communication standard is received from the first remote transmitter or the second remote transmitter. The process involves processing the received first signal to obtain a second signal. Controlling one or more antennas arranged on the first UAV to transmit the beam of the second signal to an electronic device including one or more receivers, The second signal includes a second wireless communication standard which is the same as or different from the first wireless communication standard, In receiving the signal, when the electronic device moves out of the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter and enters the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, the controller of the first UAV is configured to control the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the second remote transmitter, instead of controlling the movement of the first UAV to a position within the signal coverage area associated with the first remote transmitter, and the receiver circuit of the first UAV is configured to receive the first signal from the second remote transmitter. A method characterized by the following:

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