Ground Terminal Beam Pointing for UAV Network Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current broadband access systems, particularly satellite-based systems, are costly and inefficient for providing service to remote and lightly populated areas due to high satellite and launch costs, making it difficult to justify deployment in poorer regions.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to relay internet traffic, with ground terminals and UAVs adjusting their beams based on altitude and movement to optimize communication, allowing for cost-effective broadband access by avoiding the high costs associated with satellite systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If satellite-based broadband systems are deployed to provide service to remote areas, then broadband access is provided to underserved regions, but the cost of deployment and operation becomes prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, long-lived satellites with cheaper, shorter-lived UAVs (drones) that can provide broadband access. The UAVs are significantly less costly to manufacture and deploy than satellites, and can be replaced or repositioned more easily. This principle directly addresses the cost contradiction by using inexpensive aerial platforms instead of costly satellite infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces UAVs as intermediary platforms between ground-based user equipment and the core network. These UAVs act as mobile base stations or relays, providing broadband access to remote areas without requiring direct satellite-to-ground communication. This intermediary approach reduces the need for expensive satellite infrastructure while maintaining service coverage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If ground-based terrestrial systems are deployed in lightly populated regions, then broadband access is provided to remote areas, but the deployment cost is not justified by the low subscriber density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic UAV platforms that can be repositioned, launched, and recovered as needed rather than fixed terrestrial infrastructure. This dynamic deployment allows the system to serve remote, lightly populated areas on-demand without committing to permanent, expensive infrastructure. The UAVs can be moved to areas with subscriber demand, improving cost-effectiveness by matching capacity to actual usage patterns.
3Productivity
If beam pointing and adjustment mechanisms are added to ground terminals and UAVs to optimize communication, then communication efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical beam steering mechanisms with electronic beam forming and phase shifting techniques. Instead of physically moving antenna elements or adjusting mechanical orientations, the system uses electronic signal processing to achieve beam pointing and adjustment. This substitution maintains communication efficiency while significantly reducing mechanical complexity and moving parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts beam parameters (such as phase, amplitude, and frequency) electronically to optimize communication between ground terminals and UAVs. By changing these signal parameters rather than physical configurations, the system achieves efficient beam alignment without complex mechanical steering mechanisms. This parameter-based approach simplifies the overall device complexity while maintaining high communication efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for detecting an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Network access (for example, to the Internet) may be provided by detecting a UAV and fixing one or more beams from one or more ground terminals to the UAV. In one embodiment, the detection of a UAV includes forming and pointing beams from a ground terminal and ground gateways toward the UAV. The ground terminal may be configured to autonomously steer its antenna beam during initial installation to detect the reference signal from a UAV. In one variant, the ground terminals are steered to more finely track the position of the UAV based on a signal quality metric such as received signal strength. In one embodiment, the ground terminal antenna is initially manually pointed toward the UAV, and thereafter allowed to automatically steer to track the position of the UAV.