Systems and methods of location and tracking

    公开(公告)号:US10132917B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-11-20

    申请号:US14832007

    申请日:2015-08-21

    摘要: A position location system is described for determining position of mobile tags attached to assets or people. Zone tags are installed in the venue to assist in position location estimation of mobile Tags. One embodiment describes systems and methods for the zone tags to automatically determine their position location. Another embodiment describes systems and methods to detect that a zone tag has been moved and to determine the new position of the moved zone tags. Another embodiment describes systems and methods whereby mobile tags determine a list of zone tags with which to make range measurement for determining the mobile tag's position location.

    Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) beam forming and pointing toward ground coverage area cells for broadband access

    公开(公告)号:US10181893B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-01-15

    申请号:US15431504

    申请日:2017-02-13

    摘要: Systems and methods configured to form and point beams from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) toward target cells in a coverage area on the ground. One embodiment determines and forms the required number of UAV fixed beams needed to cover the target area when UAV is at its highest altitude and highest roll/pitch/yaw angles so that the target coverage area is covered under all UAV altitude and orientation conditions. In another embodiment, UAV determines the beam pointing angles toward different cells on the ground using information on position coordinates and orientation angles of the UAV, and the position coordinates of the cells in the coverage area relative to the center of coverage area. In another embodiment, a reference terminal placed at the center of coverage is used by the UAV to optimally point a beam toward center of the coverage area.

    Ground terminal and UAV beam pointing in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for network access

    公开(公告)号:US10153829B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-12-11

    申请号:US15601749

    申请日:2017-05-22

    摘要: 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 and the UAV real-time position location coordinates. 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. In another embodiment the UAV antenna is steered toward a ground terminal using signal qualify received from the ground terminal and real-time position coordinates and orientation of the UAV.

    Mobility and power management for high altitude platform (HAP) communication systems

    公开(公告)号:US10341010B2

    公开(公告)日:2019-07-02

    申请号:US14624320

    申请日:2015-02-17

    发明人: Ahmad Jalali

    摘要: A communication system is described. The system includes: at least one gateway able to provide broadband connectivity, a set of ground terminals, and a set of high altitude platforms (HAPs), where at least one aerial platform is able to communicate with at least one gateway using radio frequencies, each HAP is able to communicate with ground terminals using radio frequencies, and each HAP is able to communicate with each other HAP using radio frequencies. Ways to handoff a ground terminal/gateway from one HAP beam to another HAP beam are described. Ways to handoff a ground terminal/gateway from one HAP to another HAP are described. Ways that keep the communications payload radios active when there is data traffic and put the radios in sleep mode otherwise, thereby adjusting the communications payload power consumption to the data traffic requirements as a function of time and coverage area, are described.

    Ground terminal and gateway beam pointing toward an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for network access

    公开(公告)号:US10103803B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-10-16

    申请号:US15451126

    申请日:2017-03-06

    发明人: Ahmad Jalali

    IPC分类号: B64C39/02 H04B7/185

    摘要: 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.

    Systems and methods of location and tracking

    公开(公告)号:US09998859B2

    公开(公告)日:2018-06-12

    申请号:US14797875

    申请日:2015-07-13

    摘要: A position location system is described for determining position of mobile Tags attached to assets or people. Zone Tags are installed in the venue to assist in position location estimation of mobile Tags. Time is divided into intervals, each interval comprising at least one range measurement sub-interval, and an idle sub-interval where zone Tags and mobile Tags go to sleep to save power. A zone Tag or mobile Tag is designated as the anchor network element. The anchor network element contends and seizes the communications channel at the beginning of each interval to start the range measurement phase. Mobile Tag position location estimates are made periodically. Between the periodic range measurement based position estimates, mobile Tag sensor readings are used to update the mobile Tag's position location. The period between range measurement based position updates is adjusted based on the statistics of the differences between the range measurements based position estimate and the sensor based position updated.

    APPARATUS AND METHODS TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS TO AERIAL PLATFORMS

    公开(公告)号:US20220103245A1

    公开(公告)日:2022-03-31

    申请号:US17244834

    申请日:2021-04-29

    发明人: Ahmad Jalali

    摘要: Apparatus, systems and methods for the provision of high data rate and high throughput communications link for drones, in a bandwidth efficient manner. One set of embodiments describe apparatus and methods to mitigate interference from other systems when using the unlicensed radio frequency bands such as the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands. Apparatus and methods are also described to enable association of the drone radio sub-system with an “optimal” cell site, such as when the drone uses a directional antenna beam to maximize system throughput. Configurations of a mechanically steerable directional antenna aperture are also disclosed. Other embodiments describe systems and methods to mitigate excessive amounts of interference, and to provide a reliable communications link for signaling and other mission-critical messages.