JP7317409B2 - System for communication with unmanned aerial vehicles using two frequency bands - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to systems, methods and components for the operation of cellular communications networks associated with unmanned and remotely piloted aircraft.

Radio systems for general public communication in use today are often "cell" based, as shown in FIG. In such a system, a mobile phone or mobile device (100) within a larger geographic area (101) has a fixed location local radio transceiver that provides two-way wireless communication to devices in sub-regions of the larger area (102). services are provided by the allocation of When a mobile phone or mobile moves from one location to a new location (103), it may be transferred by a different local fixed radio transceiver within the cellular radio system (104) or another sector within range of the same local fixed radio transceiver. (104a, 104b, 104c). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) can also move in and out of range of fixed radio transceivers.

Antenna radiation patterns of fixed radio transceivers in radio systems are generally oriented directional along the ground rather than omnidirectional or in the sky direction. Some of the reasons that radiation patterns are so limited include, first, that users of wireless devices in such systems are almost always physically located on the earth, as in wireless cellular and smart phone communications. Second, cellular-based communication systems limit the radiated power that can enter adjacent or nearby cells. avoiding interference between cells that use repeating frequencies, which is achieved at least in part by controlling the radiation pattern emitted from the antenna associated with the fixed radio transceiver. A simplified diagram of the radiation pattern of a typical fixed radio transceiver in a cellular-based radio communication system is shown in FIG. Horizontal or "parallel to ground" patterns are shown at (200), while vertical patterns are shown at (210).

Still referring to the pictorial representation of FIG. 3, the vertical pattern can be further visualized. The antenna system (300) of a fixed cellular radio transceiver is typically mounted on a mast some distance from the ground (303) and communicates with a mobile device (not shown) via a fixed antenna (300) and a cellular base. mobile devices within a certain radial range from the antenna (303) by covering the area with so-called beams (300) of specific frequencies used for transmitting and receiving datagrams or voice traffic between the communication systems of designed to allow communication with The beam is typically designed to make a useful angle of 5-10 degrees (302) and may be slanted to the ground by an additional 5-10 degrees (305). The so-called vertical sidelobes pointing toward the ground actually help provide coverage for mobile devices close to the antenna (306a), while the vertical sidelobes pointing toward the sky (306b) It is usually useless or irrelevant and is ignored as a by-product of the antenna system.

Referring to FIG. 4 (400a), there is shown a simplified schematic of the fixed radio transceiver antenna shown in FIG. 401a, 401b, 402a, 402b), fixed radio transceivers are spaced according to some scheme as in normal cellular communication networks to ensure continuity of coverage. ing. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the actual separation of the fixed radio transceivers is done in two dimensions over the surface of the area covered, from one fixed radio transceiver (401b) to the other fixed radio transceiver (402a). ) are radiated at different frequencies and frequency reuse patterns are established to avoid interference between adjacent locations. That is, frequencies for communications associated with beam (401b) may be from frequency group f _A , whereas frequencies for communications associated with beam (402a) may be from frequency group f _B and the like. Frequency reuse patterns in cellular-based communication systems have been well studied and are shown in FIG. 1 (104a, 104b, 104c) and also shown in FIG. In addition to simple frequency diversity as shown in (401a, 401b, 402a, 402b), it often includes horizontal directivity of the antennas (401, 402).

The simplified situation shown in FIG. 4 is between a mobile device and a cellular system under most field conditions and then connected to a cellular system (either over the public switched telephone network, other mobile devices, or a cellular network). large areas of essentially continuous coverage or layer (421) near the ground where reliable communication can occur between subsequent endpoints (such as mobile devices and computer systems exchanging datagrams); is a two-dimensional reconstruction of today's world's densely populated areas, where all countries are located. FIG. 5 is a so-called coverage map of the United States, where the blue areas are areas with continuous coverage of cellular networks capable of carrying either voice or datagram traffic between mobile devices located near the ground. and the white areas are areas without coverage. A quick check reveals that the majority of the US is covered.

There is currently a great deal of interest in deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (hereinafter UAVs) and remotely piloted vehicles (hereinafter RPVs) for commercial operations. Interests include a variety of functions, such as delivering packages from local distribution depots to neighborhoods and remote sensing of 1,000 miles of oil pipelines to check for leaks and right-of-way intrusions.

For the purposes of the discussion herein, without loss of understanding and generality that there may be substantial crossovers between categories, UAVs may operate at altitudes above ground level (AGL) considered to be short-range and low-altitude aircraft weighing less than 50 pounds (about 22.7 kg) flying at feet (about 610 m) and/or in legally controlled airspace, and the remainder of the flight course is There may or may not be a remote operator actively guiding the UAV over some or all of its autonomously steerable flight course; and/or considered long-range and high-altitude long-range aircraft weighing more than 50 pounds in legally controlled airspace, and using normal course maneuvers, such as the use of autopilot as is customary for manned aircraft. There is remote human control and/or monitoring of the aircraft that enables flight automation.

A representative UAV and a representative RPV are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. UAVs and RPVs were initially developed primarily for military reasons, so communication with them is primarily through military line-of-sight communication methods for UAVs and military satellite networks for RPVs. Was. An example of many current military RPV communication network configurations is shown in FIG. It shows relaying the communication to the command center (810). In practice, as shown in FIG. 9, the nose of the RPV shown in FIG. 7 primarily communicates with satellites orbiting above the RPV at 650-22,500 miles. It is devoted to the function of high-gain tracking antennas. The path loss/loss associated with communicating with a transceiver or transponder over such distances requires a high gain antenna as shown in FIG. 9 (901).

For RPVs and, to some extent, UAVs to be useful in commercial operations, they must comply with the laws and regulations governing the use of controlled airspace in most jurisdictions. Generally, such compliance requires the UAV/RPV to be able to communicate with air traffic controllers and to see, sense, and avoid other air activity (air traffic). be. Thus, in addition to any real-time datagrams required for commercial activity transmitted between the UAV/RPV and its operations center, the RPV maintains constant communication with its operations center to ensure that the RPV is a manned aircraft. Images from the RPV and communications between the RPV and the Air Activity Control Center must be transmitted so that it can act as if it were and be directed.

The need for constant communications imposes significant demands on communications links to orbiting satellites. In addition to the difficulty of communicating over such distances (650 to 22,500 miles), the limited number of available satellites, each with limited frequencies, supports commercial RPV and UAV operations. The number of satellites and available usable bandwidth are insufficient. Additionally, small RPVs and UAVs do not have the space or payload capabilities for the antenna systems necessary for the RPVs or UAVs to communicate with satellites. Additionally, if there is little or no satellite redundancy and a satellite transponder fails and/or communication via that satellite is lost, all communication with the RPV/UAV is lost and then the RPV/ A UAV can go out of control.

When the UAV is in controlled airspace or out of line of sight from the controller or operator, it is often difficult to communicate with the UAV over an RF link. In the United States, airspace is the space above 400 feet.
A challenge exists to continuously communicate with an unmanned aerial vehicle over an RF link when the unmanned aerial vehicle is in controlled airspace (ie, greater than 400 feet in the United States) and/or out of line of sight from a controller or operator. A system for projecting ground-based RF cellular systems into the atmosphere is needed to facilitate communication with UAVs, but this system is reliable enough for critical command and control of UAVs. There is a further need to provide, and at the same time provide high bandwidth support for remote sensing applications.

A system is provided for communicating with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This system provides high-bandwidth support to handle remote sensing applications such as payload manipulation, imaging, cameras, sound, and delivery activities, while also providing UAV command and Provides high reliability for critical operations such as control and navigation functions. The system is preferably configured to include a plurality of frequency bands, a first frequency band for a first type of communication and a second frequency band for a second type of communication, according to a preferred embodiment. and a second frequency band. The communication is preferably RF communication between the UAV and another component, preferably through a network that supports RF communication. According to a preferred embodiment, the other component is a command and control device, such as a computer, that provides datagrams to the UAV to control its operation or function. The command and control unit may also receive communications from the UAV. An embodiment of this system includes: one frequency band for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload (e.g., remote sensing operations) and a computer or controller; provides RF communication with the UAV including two separate frequency bands, a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams.

According to a preferred implementation, the system is configured to transmit and exchange RF communications with UAVs. In some embodiments of the system, the system is configured to have two different frequency bands, preferably RF communication bands. One of the communication bands is utilized for as-needed (optional) use to support datagrams, e.g., between a UAV payload and a computer or controller, while a second RF communication band is provided, which is dedicated to sending and receiving command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and the host controller or control network. Embodiments are preferably implemented to provide command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and the command and control computer, which is preferably a separate designated RF interface dedicated to command and control and navigation operations. It takes place within a frequency band.

The system may be configured to use a spatial frequency reuse scheme like a terrestrial cellular system, but projected in the air rather than along the ground. In addition, preferred embodiments include specific sub-band regions (e.g., dedicated or sub-band regions of the second RF communication band) to implement polarization such as left or right circular polarization. Reliability may be further enhanced by implementing features such as forward error correction in datagram construction, which may include convolutional error correction codes, and/or turbo codes (turbo codes) in datagram construction, for example. In addition, some embodiments of the system utilize separate redundant backhauls between radio datagram transceiver points and a central computer processing air traffic control datagrams for an area to increase reliability. can be implemented. For example, separate redundant backhaul operations may be implemented between or between communication components of the network such as fixed location transceivers, base transceivers, base stations, nodes or their equivalents (depending on the network protocol).

Sub-bands of the radiation band through which command and control transmissions are processed may be arranged in a reusable configuration, the angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna being adjusted, for example electronically or mechanically. may

The system may be implemented in combination with existing cell towers or with a separate tower dedicated to UAV/RPV command and control communications.

Systems, methods and components may be implemented to manage and operate reliable communications with a wide variety of RPVs and UAVs. Embodiments of the system are configured to provide redundant coverage, especially over populated areas where operation and communication with RPV/UAV is particularly important for safety reasons. be. The present invention is an improvement over the current limited cellular data and voice networks that are currently limited to near-ground operations.

According to some preferred embodiments, a cellular communication system is provided. The system is configured to provide a first near-ground region for communicating with near-ground equipment. For example, additional layers, such as one or more second layers, are provided covering approximately the same area coverage as the first near-ground region, but are separated from each other and The layer is also substantially elevated from the ground. The system is configured to provide this second or additional climb area or layer to serve as an area on which the aircraft can rely for communication using the cell-based communications network. Thus, a cellular-based network handles terrestrial communications through a first near-ground area and skyward communications through a second or elevated area. The altitudes are preferably separated from each other, which can be physical separation, for example using barriers such as passive reflectors. Additionally or alternatively, ground level equipment may be used to communicate within the second area using near-ground equipment so that they do not affect operation of air area communications at the second altitude. Nearby equipment and communication transceivers, equipment on aircraft such as RPVs and UAVs, may be configured to operate using different protocols. For example, airborne communication protocols can be distinguished from ground communication protocols to uniquely identify UAV and RPV transceivers from mobile phones, smart phones, etc. along the ground.

To implement the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system may be configured by placing an antenna system mounted on a fixed transceiver antenna mount of an existing cellular network base station. The antenna system is preferably a skyward antenna system and is configured to radiate radio frequency energy skyward. According to a preferred embodiment, the radiation frequencies are propagated at a subtended angle, which is a cone or other shape. According to some embodiments, the antenna system is connected to a second set of transceiver equipment, similar or identical to existing cellular network equipment, and is adapted to airborne aircraft (e.g., UAVs and RPVs) rather than along the ground. achieve communication with

According to a preferred embodiment, the air signal propagated by the air pointing antenna is polarized, preferably horizontally or circularly polarized. According to some preferred embodiments, two different sets of frequency signals are used to achieve continuous communication coverage for different altitude bands above the antenna when the radiation patterns have different central angles. is radiated in the sky. For example, a first angle of the radiation pattern extends into the sky and represents a frequency range that a first type of aircraft is configured to communicate using. This may be for UAVs that typically operate at lower altitudes compared to RPVs. In this example, the second frequency region may be provided by a second radiation pattern with a different central angle that may provide the region for RPV communications. Different altitude bands can represent a second layer of sky regions.

According to some embodiments, the air signal propagated by the air pointing antenna is polarized according to a preferred polarization. For example, the upper radiation propagation from an airborne antenna may be configured to direct the radiation in a pattern, such as a cone-like shape. Signal separation is implemented in conjunction with embodiments of systems and communication equipment to improve the quality of communications, thereby eliminating or reducing the potential for unintended interactions between signals of different frequencies or frequency bands. be done. Embodiments may separate signals using a variety of frequencies (eg, certain frequencies for UAVs versus other frequencies for RPVs). In addition to frequency diversity, signals may also be separated by polarization pattern. According to a preferred embodiment, the polarization includes right circular polarization and left circular polarization. For example, one sky cone (e.g., lower layer) has right-hand circular polarization of the propagating signal, and another sky cone (e.g., higher-altitude layer) has left-hand circular polarization of the propagating signal. can have According to some embodiments, the systems, methods and apparatus can further provide polarization patterns for UAV and RPV transmission and reception and base stations. For example, corresponding polarization patterns may be implemented for transmission and reception between communication components such as transceivers.

The skyward radiant energy is preferably emitted in a pattern, and the skyward radiant pattern is electronically generated and controlled according to some preferred embodiments. According to some preferred embodiments, the airborne radiation pattern may be electronically steered to track a particular UAV or RPV.

The energy radiated for a given airborne pattern may be limited to help provide isolation between bands of continuous communication areas of the aircraft.

According to some additional embodiments, still other methods and configurations may be implemented to distinguish UAV and RPV type aircraft (and their communications) from ground-based cellular devices. UAV and RPV transceivers are equipped with a unique or differentiated IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number that enables rapid differentiation over cellular communication networks between RPV and UAV communications and groundside communications. It can be configured to have a grade or identification number. The system may then be configured to take some action, such as special routing of datagrams or voice traffic.

The system may incorporate and include processing components such as, for example, processors, microprocessors and circuits, and software having instructions for processing communications from communication devices and transceivers mounted or associated therewith. The software may be stored in a suitable storage component, such as flash memory, hard disk storage, or other suitable medium, and the first or near-ground zone altitude and airborne communication with the aircraft takes place. Instructions are included for performing the step of conducting communication over the second altitude.

Features described herein in connection with one embodiment may be practiced in combination with other embodiments, and features may be combined such that embodiments have one, two, or several features. You may have a combination.

These and other advantages of the present invention are described and illustrated in connection with the illustrated embodiments herein.

1 is a schematic diagram representing a "cell" based radio system for general public communication in use today; FIG.

1 is a diagram of a radiation pattern of a typical fixed radio transceiver in a cellular-based radio communication system; FIG.

1 is a pictorial representation of a base station and antennas in a fixed transceiver antenna system showing a visualized representation of vertical radiation patterns;

Figure 4 shows the multiple fixed wireless transmit and receive antennas of Figure 3, shown spaced apart from each other and illustrating their respective radiation patterns;

1 is a coverage map of the United States showing areas of coverage for cellular networks capable of carrying voice or datagram traffic between mobile devices located near the ground; FIG.

1 illustrates an example of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); FIG.

1 illustrates an example of a remote pilot vehicle (RPV); FIG.

1 is a schematic diagram of a typical UAV/RPV military communications network; FIG.

1 illustrates an example of a remote pilot vehicle (RPV) satellite communication antenna; FIG.

1 is a diagram of a preferred embodiment showing a system for communicating with UAVs and RPVs; FIG.

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment implementing a system for using separate frequency bands for communication with a UAV, showing an array of cones of skyward radiation including the area along line AA′ of FIG. 12; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing;

FIG. 10 is a top view of a representative layout of the sub-band radiation of the second subsystem, showing the physical distribution of the sub-bands and the use of the command and control bands;

1-12, a system providing airborne communications designed to exchange communications between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (or RPVs) and command and control remotely located from the UAVs (or RPVs). A communication system including a computer is shown.

Some embodiments of the present invention form part of the foundation of the existing cellular networks that currently serve a large portion of the world's population, the communication and communication of emerging commercial airborne UAV and RPV activities. It can be used as the backbone of the system to service datagram switching needs. Other embodiments may provide separate communication components.

Referring to FIG. 10, new antennas are installed on one or more existing cellular network towers (1001e, 1002c), but point skyward instead of along the ground, and have horizontal or right or left circular polarization. Emit upwards in a cone that generally has any waved radiation pattern and forms a subtending angle (1050) (nominally), although other shapes are possible. . The shape of the upward radiation pattern may be electronically induced or controlled. Also, the radiation pattern can be further separated from the ground radiation pattern by a passive shield or screen (1060) to further minimize sidelobe effects from the ground directed radiation pattern on the airborne transceiver and vice versa. The same is true for

The radiation area with sufficient link margin available for successful communication between fixed position transceivers and UAVs or RPVs (1001c, 1002c) is associated with each transceiver (transceivers on the UAV/RPV as well as fixed position transceivers). by designing both the power and the shape of the radiation pattern in any number of ways known to those skilled in the art, including commercially available software. If the distance to other fixed-position transceivers is also considered, it can be ensured that both the aircraft has no blackout regions (1080) and has sufficient link margin to ensure reliable communication. One can easily design overlapping regions to create layers (1021).

Additionally, in one embodiment, different power, polarization, and/or , a cone set of second (or third or fourth, etc.) skyward radiation patterns at central angle (1051) can be constructed. An aircraft can enter an airspace area, e.g. at point (1070), below a continuous layer of communication, but still able to acquire a signal from a particular fixed antenna, but continue to navigate at the same altitude and point (1071). is actually outside the higher altitude signal cone (1001d, 1002d), but sufficient link to obtain a reliable communication link via the lower altitude signal cone (1001c, 1002c). The margin has been exceeded and communication will therefore be lost. According to some preferred embodiments, a set of sky cones can have a different polarization than other sets of sky cones. The polarization may also be configured to correspond to the polarization of the receiving and transmitting transceivers of communicating components (eg, UAVs and RPVs). For example, one set of cones may be configured with right circular deflection and another set of skyward cones with left circular deflection. These configurations may provide increased signal isolation in addition to any isolation provided by frequency diversity (eg, between cone sets). For example, according to some preferred embodiments, a first set of sky signals may be deflected with a first deflection pattern and a second set of sky signals may be deflected with a second deflection pattern. In some preferred embodiments, the polarization pattern may be a circular polarization pattern. According to an exemplary embodiment, one set of sky signals is polarized with a right-hand circular polarization pattern and another set, such as a second set of sky signals, is polarized with a left-hand circular polarization pattern. good too. Each set of sky direction signals may be configured to form a shape such as a cone, for example. According to an exemplary embodiment, the system determines if a first set of sky signals forms a first sky cone and a second set of sky signals forms a second sky cone. may be configured to communicate. The first and second signal sets preferably have different polarizations to further separate the first signal set from the other signal sets. For example, a first sky cone may be deflected with a right circular deflection pattern and a second sky cone may be deflected with a left circular deflection pattern. Air pointing antennas may be used to radiate different frequency signal sets, where each signal set has a different frequency. The skyward radiation pattern is preferably electronically generated. According to a preferred embodiment, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) emits a polarized signal radiating from an air pointing antenna with its communication frequency similar to the polarized signal pattern of communications from the network. It may be configured with a transceiver that communicates through the pattern. For example, a sky-directed radiation pattern may be electronically directed to track a particular Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV). Additionally, according to an exemplary embodiment, one sky signal cone may be the upper layer and another sky signal cone may be the lower layer. Each layer preferably has a different polarization pattern. For example, a first or upper skyward layer may have a left-hand circularly polarized radiation pattern and a second or lower skyward layer may have a right-hand circularly polarized radiation pattern. The radiant energy of each layer is configured to have a different frequency for each layer or cone. As described for UAVs in FIG. 10, in this exemplary embodiment, RPV communications take place within a first or upper layer (eg, first sky cone), and UAV communications are In a second layer or lower layer (eg, second sky cone). For example, fixed location transceivers such as 3001, 3002, 3003, 3004 (FIG. 11) emit RF radiation (eg, radiation patterns) via one or more associated antennas, such as antennas 5001, 5002, 5003, 5004. Send out. The UAV in this example has a transceiver configured for transmission and reception, and more specifically the UAV transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals in a right circular polarization pattern. The RPV, according to this example, has a transceiver configured for transmission and reception, more specifically the RPV transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals in a left-hand circular polarization pattern. A cellular network base station signals with a polarization pattern (and frequency) that matches the pattern of a communications transceiver (such as a UAV or RPV transceiver), which may be a right circular polarization pattern or a left circular polarization pattern in some preferred embodiments. It is preferable to have a transceiver configured to transmit and receive the

By electronically controlling the power and beam angles (1050, 1051) that the fixed location transceivers (1001, 1002) supply to the sky pointing antenna system, continuous communication can be achieved in any of a number of ways well known to those skilled in the art. Layer height and thickness can be adjusted. This adjustability allows the continuous communication layer to follow either a constant altitude above ground level or a constant altitude above mean sea level. Aircraft altitude is often controlled by barometric altitude measurements, and UAVs and RPVs are dictated in a similar manner by local air traffic controllers or regulations. This layer is adjustable in altitude above ground level or mean sea level as often as required, even minutes, according to the required parameters.

As an example, the Low Altitude Continuous Communications Layer (1021) could be controlled from 500 feet above ground level to 2000 feet above ground level. The high altitude continuous communication layer (1031) could be controlled from 20,000 feet above mean sea level to 25,000 feet above mean sea level.

If a UAV navigating in the lower successive communication layers indicated at (1051) travels through a cone of coverage directed towards the higher communication layers, the receiver in UAV (1051) will It is often closer to the transmitter (1002) than the RPV (1050). However, in most commercial applications, the smaller UAV (1051) has a lower gain receive antenna compared to the larger RPV (1050) and therefore may be less than the signal power received by UAV (1051) from radiated power within the low-altitude directional cone (1002c). In other words, the available gain of a ground-pointing antenna that may be deployed on the RPV (1050) may more than make up for any signal loss from that extra distance, so in many configurations a ground antenna ( The field strength at UAV (1051) of the high altitude directional beam (1002d) emitted from 1002f) may be significantly lower than the field strength at UAV (1051) from the low altitude directional beam (1002c).

Although the frequency diversity shown in FIG. 10 uses only four frequency groups (fA, fB, fC, fD), it should be appreciated by cellular system designers that many more configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Easily recognized by traders.

Link margins between UAVs (1051) and RPVSs (1050) operating on fixed ground transceivers (1001, 1002) and communication layers (1021) and (1031) respectively are It can also be recognized by those skilled in the art that the link margins between fixed terrestrial transceivers transmitting and receiving via . The reason is that unlike mobile phones in drawers, people's pockets or deep in big city buildings, with the difficulties of multipath, fading and signal attenuation that must be dealt with, UAV to fixed terrestrial transceiver links, This is because the attenuation of the RPV to fixed terrestrial transceiver link is in most cases dominated solely by propagation loss.

Employed in GSM, 3G, 4G, or LTE signaling and link management protocols, in addition to creating one or more successive communication layers with the concomitant addition of frequency diversity considerations in aerial beams Conventional cellular system protocols, such as those in the United States, may include spatial identification of signals directed at or coming from a UAV or RPV. Adjustments to such protocols can be as simple as a particular IMEI number class. The ability to quickly identify the class of mobile network subscribers as UAVs or RPVs and mobile devices intended primarily for groundside use (such as personal cell phones and smart phones) allows the system to It can eliminate connectivity to people who accidentally forget their personal cell phones on flights.

According to a preferred embodiment, the system may be configured to transmit and exchange RF communications with UAVs, provided that the system is provided with two different frequency bands, preferably RF communications bands. One of the communication bands is available for optional use to support datagrams, e.g., between the UAV payload and a computer or controller, while a second RF communication band is provided to communicate between the UAV and the host. It is dedicated to sending and receiving command and control and navigation datagrams between controllers or control networks.

According to a preferred embodiment, a layer such as the layer configured to include a second airborne domain (e.g., as an example, second layer 1021 of FIG. 10 providing UAV communications) preferably comprises UAV communications. The system is configured to comprise a first subsystem and a second subsystem. The first subsystem preferably serves the needs of the UAV to RF transmit and receive application datagrams to/from the UAV's payload, such as, but not limited to, a digital video camera that may be mounted on the UAV. System. In addition to the first subsystem, a second subsystem is provided separate from the first subsystem. A second subsystem is configured to handle the more important command and control and navigation functions for the UAV. According to a preferred embodiment, the system is configured such that the second subsystem functions as an RF transmit and receive channel for datagrams between the controller or control computer network hosting the UAV's air traffic control system. The first subsystem and the second subsystem preferably operate using different frequencies or channels, but in a rising region of UAV communications (eg, low altitude continuous communications layer 1021 in FIG. 10). I will provide a.

The second subsystem is preferably configured as an RF communication system having a plurality of upwardly projecting cellular radiation zones that provide coverage. The cellular zone is preferably divided into sub-channels to provide multiple sub-channels as part of the second subsystem. As for the second RF communication subsystem, for example, similar to how conventional cellular-based systems work, the frequency range is divided into sub-channels for frequency reuse across a wider geographic area. However, by creating an airborne cell system, a large area can be covered suitable for enabling communication with many UAVs. For example, the range 5000-5091 MHz can be divided into three sub-bands, which may be 5000-5030 MHz, 5030-5060 MHz, and 5060-5090 MHz. Preferably, according to preferred embodiments of the system, various sub-bands, such as the three sub-bands shown in the exemplary implementation of the system, may be reused in a reuse scheme.

An exemplary depiction of a system according to the invention is shown in FIGS. Referring to FIG. 11, an arrangement is shown showing, by way of example and not by way of limitation, multiple cones of skyward radiation. A first cone of radiation 4001 is shown, representing sub-band group 1, preferably having sub-bands within the second sub-band system. A second cone of radiation 4002 is shown, representing sub-band group 2, preferably having sub-bands within the second sub-band system. A third cone of radiation 4003 is shown, representing sub-band group 3, preferably having sub-bands within the second sub-band system. A fourth radiation cone 4004 is shown to represent sub-band group 3, the sub-band depicted in conjunction with radiation cone 4003 . The sub-regions illustrated in FIG. 11 by radiating cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 are preferably each sky-directing antenna ( 5001, 5002, 5003, 5004). The angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna can be adjusted, which can be done electronically or mechanically, for example. For example, according to the depiction of FIG. 11, the projected radiation cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 associated with each of the sky-directing antennas 5001, 5002, 5003, 5004 can be manipulated electronically or mechanically. can be adjusted by For example, fixed location transceivers 3001, 3002, 3003, 3004 (similar to transceivers 1001, 1002 depicted in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 10) are powered to send RF signals to a sky pointing antenna. The beam angles of emission cones, such as emission cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 shown in FIG. 11, can be electronically controlled. Beam angle control can be achieved in any of several ways well known to those skilled in the art, and the height and thickness of a continuous communication layer, such as the command and control and navigation communication layer 4100 of FIG. 12, can be adjusted. Accordingly, as discussed in connection with layers 1021, 1031 shown and described in connection with FIG. allows you to follow For example, layer 4100 shown in Figure 11 may preferably serve the second subsystem of the UAV communication system and may be provided at the same level as layer 1021 (Figure 10). Layer 4100 can include layer 1021 as the second subsystem of the UAV communication system, and preferably includes layer 1021 with the first subsystem layer (for handling other UAV communications). For example, according to a preferred embodiment of the system, layer 1021 may include a first frequency range (represented by domain layer 4100 in FIGS. 11 and 12) in which command and control and navigation communications are performed. , and may also include a second frequency range (or frequencies) where other communications are exchanged, such as datagrams between UAV payloads (eg, remote sensing operations) and a computer or controller, for example. Alternatively, layers, such as the regional layer 4100 shown in FIG. 12, may be adjusted in elevation above ground or above mean sea level, as often as desired, even every minute, according to any parameter. This may be done in conjunction with or separately from the UAV payload datagram layer or its constituent frequencies or frequencies.

Embodiments of the system may be separately implemented with transceiver components and/or antennas located on separate towers, eg, towers dedicated to this purpose. Alternatively, according to some other embodiments, the system may be implemented by installing hardware components on existing cell phone towers. According to other embodiments, the system may be configured such that some portions are provided in dedicated towers and other portions are provided in existing towers. For example, using existing cellular tower arrays, signal propagation to generate communication signals over a band range of sub-band groups (such as sub-band groups 1, 2 and 3 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12). may be provided.

According to preferred embodiments, the system is configured to improve reliability. Some preferred embodiments may utilize separate redundant backhauls between the point of radio equipment datagram transceivers and management components such as, for example, a central computer processing air traffic control datagrams for an area. . A redundant backhaul can preferably be configured to provide redundant access points across the network. For example, a transceiver provided in the tower for handling command and control and communication between the computer and the UAV over a network, and which may be communicatively connected via, for example, a base transceiver, is preferably provided between the radio transceiver and the command computer. are configured to provide redundancy to

As shown, the system preferably provides a plurality of radiant signal cones arranged to form a spatially generated and preferably physically distributed communication area 4100 . Region 4100 is a depiction showing an exemplary pictorial representation for indicating the region represented by the arranged radiation beam zones composed of sub-bands. The second subsystem preferably forms sub-bands. As shown in FIG. 12, the top view shows adjacently arranged radiating cones 4001, 4003, 4002, 4004, as well as additional radiating cones. The cones of radiation in FIG. 12 represent the elevated regions or zones 4001a, 4002a, 4003a, 4004a of each cone of radiation 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 shown in FIG. 11, respectively. Radiating cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 of FIG. 11 are the cones forming rising regions 4001a, 4002a, 4003a, 4004a of FIG. Including the area along the line AA'. The radiating cones are preferably arranged adjacently to form respective rising regions of the cones, as depicted in FIG. In addition to the radiating cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 shown in FIG. A further radiating zone or region is provided comprising a plurality of cones. According to a preferred embodiment, each cone of radiation is preferably generated from a respective RF source (e.g. transceiver) and propagated by one or more associated antennas, each cone of radiation being a succession of regions or zones. provided in a contiguous arrangement to provide effective coverage.

As shown in the depiction of FIG. 12, a representative arrangement of the sub-bands of the second subsystem is shown. The sub-bands of each group (groups 1, 2 and 3 in the exemplary figure) are preferably within the second subsystem. As shown in FIG. 12, the sub-bands shown in FIG. Three sub-band groups similar to are shown. The band zones of FIG. 12 are preferably subtended portions of respective radiating cones (similar to cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004 of FIG. 11). In the depiction of Figure 12, sub-band group 1 is shown to consist of representative regions of the first group, namely representative cones 4001a, 4005a, 4007a, 4009a, 4011a, and 4012a. Sub-band group 2 is shown to consist of another representative group of regions: representative cones 4003a, 4008a, 4010a, 4013a, 4015a, and 4017a. Subband group 3 is shown to consist of another representative group of cones 4002a, 4004a, 4006a, 4014a, 4016a, 4018a. Physically distributed communication areas 4100 are shown as elevated areas forming areas of continuous coverage above the ground. The elevated region 4100 of FIG. 12 is shown as represented by the region 4100 of FIG. 11 between arrows B and C of the drawn radial cone. Additional radiation bands are transmitted (although FIG. 11 shows four cones 4001, 4002, 4003, 4004) to cover additional subband group members (eg, 4005a-4018a) depicted in FIG. offer.

Elevated area 4100 preferably represents the command and control band for UAV communications. Preferably, the system is configured to process UAV command and control operations, including navigation functions. In the diagrams depicted in FIGS. 11 and 12, elevated region 4100 includes a second subsystem. According to the preferred embodiment of the system, UAV control transmissions are processed through the rise area 4100 . A remotely located computer or control component can issue commands to the UAV via transmissions preferably made through the RF subsystem. For example, datagrams between a controller or control computer network hosting a UAV air traffic control system may be processed through a second subsystem represented by area 4100, which preferably includes an RF transmit and receive channel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sub-band groups are preferably divided within contiguous band ranges of the bandwidth. For example, the second RF communication subsystem, represented by area 4100 in FIGS. 11 and 12, provides a large area that can be covered, suitable for enabling communication with many UAVs. In the exemplary depiction, a skyward projected cell system is shown dividing its frequency range into a plurality of sub-channels (represented by sub-band groups 1, 2 and 3). For example, elevated region 4100 may be formed by multiple sub-bands. A sub-band is preferably a bandwidth region within the rising region 4100 . As shown, three sub-band groups are shown. According to one embodiment, the 5000-5091 MHz range may be divided into three sub-bands 5000-5030 MHz, 5030-5060 MHz, and 5060-5090 MHz, with the various sub-bands being reused in a reuse scheme. be. Figures 11 and 12 illustrate a band range in which the skyward radiation cone represents three separate radiation sub-bands, which are preferably contiguous portions of a contiguous band range divided by the number of sub-bands. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment including a portion; According to a preferred embodiment, the subbands include contiguous portions of the bandwidth range.

For a second tier configured to include a second air zone, an alternative bandwidth arrangement may be implemented. For example, the second RF communications band may be configured to have a frequency range of approximately 4200 MHz to 4400 MHz. This range may be subdivided into zones of, for example, 200/3, or about 66, 67 MHz each, where a first sub-band group is about 4200-4267 MHz and a second sub-band group is about 4268-4333 MHz and a third sub-band group of approximately 4334-4400 MHz. According to another exemplary embodiment, the second RF communications band may be configured to have a frequency range of approximately 5000-5250 MHz and may be divided into multiple sub-band groups.

According to a preferred embodiment, the reuse scheme may be configured as a spatial frequency reuse scheme similar to that of terrestrial cellular systems, but projected into the sky as opposed to being projected onto the ground. be done. The reuse scheme is preferably configured to increase the coverage and capacity of communications that can be processed. In this cell configuration (cell array), adjacent cells are configured to use different frequencies. Cells that are well spaced from each other may operate at the same operating frequency (if the cellular transceiver or user equipment does not transmit in the overpower range). Cells are separated such that channels minimize or eliminate co-channel interference. Additionally, according to the preferred embodiment, the UAV preferably uses/reuses the same frequency as the cell through which the UAV is communicating without causing an excessive amount of interference to other neighboring cells. , with transceivers suitably powered to communicate within the cell range.

Frequency reuse can be determined considering a reuse factor and a reuse distance, which can be expressed in equation (1):
D=R√3N (1)
where D is the reuse distance, R is the cell radius, and N is the number of cells per cluster. For example, cell radii may vary from about 1 to 30 kilometers (about 0.62 to 18.64 miles). Frequency reuse is specified by a factor, expressed as 1/k, where K is the number of cells that cannot use the same frequency for transmission. In the illustration shown in FIG. 12, the reuse factor for the second subsystem of the second air zone is 1/3. According to some alternative embodiments, the frequency reuse factor may be 1/4, 1/7, 1/9 and/or 1/12.

In some implementations, where code division multiple access (CDMA) based systems are used, wider frequency bands can be used to achieve the same transmission rates as FDMA. For example, a reuse factor of 1 using a reuse pattern of 1/1 may be employed when adjacent base station sites may use the same frequency. However, base stations and users are separated by code rather than frequency, and the entire bandwidth of the cell is also available separately for each sector.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sub-regions indicated by the radiation cones in Figures 11 and 12 are preferably propagated by sky-directing antennas (5001, 5002, 5003, 5004, Figure 11). According to a preferred embodiment, these air signals propagated by the air pointing antenna may be polarized, preferably horizontally or circularly polarized. The angle formed by (with respect to) the radiation pattern to achieve continuous communication coverage for different rise bands above the antenna, as previously described with respect to the first and second air coverage shown in FIG. are different, two signal sets of different frequency sets can be radiated into the sky. For example, considering the example in which the UAV is sailing at the lower level shown (see FIG. 10), according to the preferred embodiment, the command and control and control functions of the UAV are subordinate to those shown in FIGS. It may be transmitted using a band group configuration. The sub-bands preferably represent propagating RF signals in particular or designated frequency ranges, several examples of which are provided (eg, 5000-5091 MHz and 4200-4400 MHz). According to some embodiments, air signals propagated by air directional antennas, such as antennas propagating sub-band group signals of groups 1, 2 and 3 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, are preferred. It can be polarized according to polarization. For example, radiation propagation from an airborne antenna may be configured to direct radiation in a pattern, such as a cone-like shape. As shown according to the exemplary depiction, signal separation is associated with subband groups to enhance the quality of communication and reduce or eliminate the possibility of deleterious interactions, especially for command and control datagrams. can be implemented. The frequency diversity of the signals represented by the cones and subbands of FIGS. 11 and 12 can be further separated by implementing polarization patterns. According to a preferred embodiment, the polarization can include right circular polarization and left circular polarization. For example, one sky cone (e.g., the first subband group) may have right-hand circular polarization of the propagating signal, while another sky cone (e.g., the adjacent subbands Another group of subbands) may have left-hand circular polarization of the propagating signal. According to some embodiments, the systems, methods and apparatus can further provide polarization patterns for transmission and reception of UAVs and RPVs as well as base stations. For example, corresponding polarization patterns may be implemented for transmission and reception between communication components such as transceivers. Polarization implementations may be configured as part of a spatial frequency reuse scheme, eg, where right circular and left circular polarization are used. One or more subgroup bands may be polarized. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, and using the depiction to illustrate an exemplary embodiment, according to some embodiments, the sub-band groups are such that one or more groups are right circularly polarized. may be propagated such that one or more other groups are left circularly polarized.

Embodiments of the system may be configured to implement forward error correction (FEC) on datagram structures. For example, communications and transmissions between UAVs and command and control components or computers may be generated by encoding transmission messages in one or more error correction formats. According to some embodiments, forward error correction is implemented by encoding the transmission in a redundant manner, preferably implemented using an error correction code (EEC). According to this embodiment, transmission code redundancy allows a receiver, such as a UAV or control computer, to detect a limited number of errors that may occur anywhere in the message transmission. An advantage of FEC implementation in communication between a UAV and another component such as a command and/or control computer is that detected errors can preferably be corrected without the message having to be retransmitted. For example, implementing FEC allows the receiver of an encoded message to have the ability to correct errors without requiring additional bandwidth (such as the reverse channel) to request retransmissions. , thereby saving time and bandwidth usage.

According to some embodiments, the UAV and command or control computer may be equipped with alternative or additional error correction capabilities. According to some embodiments, transmissions between the UAV and the command or control computer may be configured to generate communication messages with convolutional error correction codes in datagram structures. For example, according to some embodiments, the convolutional error correction code implements a sliding application of a boolean polynominal function of the data stream to generate the parity symbols, and performs a so-called "convolution" of the encoder on the data. show. A time-invariant trellis decoding scheme can be used to enable decoding of convolutional codes. The sliding nature of convolutional codes facilitates trellis decoding using time-invariant trellises.

Embodiments of this system may be configured to implement forward error correction (FEC) on datagram structures implemented as turbo codes. For example, communications and transmissions between a UAV and a command and control component or computer may be generated by encoding transmitted messages following forward error correction using turbo codes in datagram structures. The UAV and command control computer may be configured with appropriate hardware components containing commands to perform turbo code generation and processing. For example, the UAV (and preferably the command and control computer) may be equipped with an encoder array of two identical RSC coders, Coder 1 and Coder 2, which preferably interleaves permutations of payload data. Connected using a running parallel concatenation configuration. The RSC encoder configuration encodes messages and preferably payload data to provide turbo code error correction for communications sent from the UAV and/or command and control computer. Similarly, the UAV and command or control computer preferably have decoders constructed similar to the encoders, but with the decoders in a serial arrangement. If the UAV and command and control computer each have an encoder and decoder, error correction may be performed on transmissions sent and received between them. Turbo codes can be constructed in different embodiments using different component encoders, input/output ratios, interleavers, and puncturing patterns. According to an exemplary embodiment, FEC can be implemented using turbo codes, in which the encoder transmits three sub-blocks of bits. According to an exemplary embodiment, the first sub-block is an m-bit block of payload data (without metadata or headers, containing the message or significance of the transmission from the UAV/command or control computer). you can The second subblock may be n/2 parity bits for payload data and may be generated using a recursive systematic convolutional code (RSC code), which also A third sub-block that can be generated using is n/2 parity bits for the known permutation of the payload data. Thus, encoded message payload data is communicated from the UAV to the command control computer (or vice versa), which can include two (but different) redundant sub-blocks of parity bits along with the payload data. According to an exemplary embodiment, a block preferably has m+n bits of data with a coding rate of m/(m+n). The transmitted encoded message (or message component) is decoded by a decoder configured in the receiving UAV and/or command and control computer. For example, the decoder may decode a data block of m+n bits by generating a block of likelihood measures (with one likelihood measure for each bit in the data stream). can be done. The decoder may consist of two convolutional decoders, each generating a hypothesis with a derived likelihood for the m-bit pattern in the payload sub-block. The system compares the hypothetical bit patterns to determine if they differ, and if they differ, the decoders exchange respective derived likelihoods for each bit of the hypotheses. Each decoder generates new hypotheses (DlHn and D2Hn) by incorporating likelihood estimates derived from other decoders. The newly generated hypotheses (DlHn and D2Hn) are compared and the process is repeated with further hypotheses (DlHn+1 and D2Hn+1) until both decoders reach the same hypothesis (DlHx=D2Hx) for the m-bit pattern of the payload data. generated.

These and other advantages may be realized by the present invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The cells are shown as hexagonal zones, but may be configured to have other shapes such as squares, circles, or other rectangles, for example.
Also, although radial shapes or patterns according to some preferred embodiments have been described as cones, they may be configured to have other shapes. For example, although the cells are shown as hexagonal zones in FIG. 12, the cells may be configured to have other geometric perimeters, such as squares, circles, or other rectangles. Additionally, although the sub-band groups are shown divided into three groups in the exemplary embodiment, the frequency range may be divided into other numbers of sub-band groups. Although referred to as the second subsystem, embodiments may be implemented in a dedicated subsystem for processing the communication command and control center and navigation datagrams shown and described herein. Further, although FIG. 10 shows network towers 1001, 1002 and FIG. 11 shows network towers 1001e, 1002e, multiple network towers can be utilized with the systems, methods, and components shown and described herein. can do. For example, a sky-pointing antenna may be connected to existing network equipment and/or supported by an existing network tower. According to some implementations, network equipment may be configured to treat one or more sky pointing antennas as additional cell zones. According to some embodiments, the airborne antenna may be configured to operate with additional sets of network equipment or components thereof. Various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein and defined by the appended claims.
The following is the invention described at the time of filing of this application.
<Claim 1>
One frequency band for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload and the computer or controller, and a second frequency band dedicated to sending and receiving command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and the host controller or control network. A system for RF communication with UAVs that includes two different frequency bands of RF communication bands.
<Claim 2>
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RF communications band is within the frequency range of 4200MHz-4400MHz.
<Claim 3>
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second RF communications band is divided into multiple sub-bands.
<Claim 4>
The second RF communications band is divided into three sub-band groups, each sub-band group comprising a bandwidth segment having a frequency range within the range of 4200-4400 MHz, each sub-band range of the sub-band group comprising a separate 4. The system of claim 3, different from the sub-band ranges of the group of .
<Claim 5>
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sub-band groups are arranged in a reuse configuration.
<Claim 6>
2. The system of claim 1, wherein said second RF communications band is in the frequency range of 5000-5250 MHz.
<Claim 7>
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second RF communications band is divided into multiple sub-bands.
<Claim 8>
The second RF communications band is divided into three sub-band groups, each sub-band group comprising a bandwidth segment having a frequency range within the range of 5000-5250 MHz, each sub-band range of the sub-band group comprising a separate 8. The system of claim 7, different from the sub-band ranges of the group of .
<Claim 9>
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the subbands are arranged in a reuse configuration.
<Claim 10>
3. The second RF communication band is configured in a spatial frequency reuse scheme similar to a terrestrial cell system, wherein the RF communication band comprises radiation projected into the air rather than projected along the ground. 2. The system according to 2.
<Claim 11>
3. The second RF communication band is configured in a spatial frequency reuse scheme similar to a terrestrial cell system, wherein the RF communication band comprises radiation projected into the air rather than projected along the ground. 7. The system according to 6.
<Claim 12>
3. The system of claim 2, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using forward error correction in datagram structures.
<Claim 13>
7. The system of claim 6, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and host controller or control network is performed using forward error correction in datagram structures.
<Claim 14>
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the forward error correction comprises a convolutional error correction code in datagram structure.
<Claim 15>
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the forward error correction comprises a convolutional error correction code in datagram structure.
<Claim 16>
3. The system of claim 2, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using turbo codes in datagram structures.
<Claim 17>
7. The system of claim 6, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using turbo codes in datagram structures.
<Claim 18>
3. The system of claim 2, wherein right circular polarization and left circular polarization are utilized as part of the spatial frequency reuse scheme.
<Claim 19>
7. The system of claim 6, wherein right circular polarization and left circular polarization are used as part of the spatial frequency reuse scheme.
<Claim 20>
The system includes at least one central computer and a plurality of radio transceivers for processing air traffic control datagrams for a region, the system comprising a radio device datagram transceiver point and the air traffic control datagrams for the region. 3. The system of claim 2, configured with separate redundant backhauls between said central computers processing datagrams.
<Claim 21>
Said system includes at least one central computer and a plurality of radio transceivers for processing air traffic control datagrams for a region, said system comprising a radio device datagram transceiver point and said air traffic control datagrams for said region. 7. The system of claim 6, configured with a separate redundant backhaul between said central computers processing .
<Claim 22>
The system comprises an antenna associated with a transceiver, a second RF communication band including radiation propagated through the antenna to form a cone of radiation, the angle of the cone of radiation projected by the antenna being 3. The system of claim 2, which is electronically adjustable.
<Claim 23>
The system comprises an antenna associated with a transceiver, a second RF communication band comprising radiation propagated through the antenna to form a cone of radiation, the angle of the cone of radiation projected by the antenna being 7. The system of claim 6, which is electronically adjustable.
<Claim 24>
The system comprises an antenna associated with a transceiver, a second RF communication band comprising radiation propagated through the antenna to form a cone of radiation, the angle of the cone of radiation projected by the antenna being 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system is mechanically adjustable.
<Claim 25>
The system comprises an antenna associated with a transceiver, a second RF communication band comprising radiation propagated through the antenna to form a cone of radiation, the angle of the cone of radiation projected by the antenna being 7. The system of claim 6, which is mechanically adjustable.
<Claim 26>
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second RF communication band dedicated to transmission and reception of command, control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is propagated via equipment installed in existing cell phone towers. System as described.
<Claim 27>
said second RF communications band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between said UAV and a host controller or control network mounted on a cellular tower dedicated to providing communications over said second RF communications band; 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is propagated through a device that has been designed.
<Claim 28>
The second RF communications band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network includes equipment mounted on a cell phone tower dedicated to providing communications via the RF subsystem. 2. The system of claim 1, propagated via.

Claims (29)

A first frequency band having one or more constituent frequencies for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload and a computer or controller; and command and control between the UAV and host controller or control network. A method for RF communication with a UAV using two different frequency bands of a second RF communication band dedicated to transmitting and receiving navigation datagrams, said method comprising:
Communicating command and control and sending and receiving navigation datagrams with a UAV using RF communication, said RF communication with a UAV being carried out in a continuous communication layer, an area layer, said area layer receiving said command and a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of control and navigation datagrams, said regional layer being an ascending layer having an elevated altitude, having an elevated altitude above ground level or mean sea level , the step ;
altitude adjustment above ground level or mean sea level with said regional layer having a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of said command and control and navigation datagrams ;
said altitude adjustment of said area layer can be performed in minutes,
The altitude adjustment of the area layer with a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of the command and control and navigation datagrams is for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload and a computer or controller. synchronously with adjusting the one or more constituent frequencies of the continuous communication layer for the first frequency band of . communicating with the UAV using the second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams, the second RF communication band being in the frequency range of 4200 MHz to 4400 MHz; The method of claim 1. wherein said step of communicating with said UAV using said second RF communication band dedicated to transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams is performed, said second RF communication band being divided into a plurality of sub-bands; Item 2. The method according to item 2. The second RF communications band is divided into three sub-band groups, each sub-band group comprising a bandwidth segment having a frequency range within the range of 4200-4400 MHz, each sub-band range of the sub-band group comprising a separate 4. The method of claim 3, different from the sub-band ranges of the group of . 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subbands are arranged in a reuse configuration. Communicating with the UAV using the second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams is performed, the second RF communication band being in the frequency range of 5000-5250 MHz. Item 1. The method according to item 1. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second RF communications band is divided into multiple sub-bands. The second RF communications band is divided into three sub-band groups, each sub-band group comprising a bandwidth segment having a frequency range within the range of 5000-5250 MHz, each sub-band range of the sub-band group comprising a separate 8. The method of claim 7, different from the sub-band ranges of the group of . 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the subbands are arranged in a reuse configuration. 3. The second RF communication band is configured in a spatial frequency reuse scheme similar to a terrestrial cell system, wherein the RF communication band comprises radiation projected into the air rather than projected along the ground. 2. The method described in 2. 3. The second RF communication band is configured in a spatial frequency reuse scheme similar to a terrestrial cell system, wherein the RF communication band comprises radiation projected into the air rather than projected along the ground. 6. The method according to 6. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using forward error correction in datagram structures. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and host controller or control network is performed using forward error correction in datagram structures. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the forward error correction comprises a convolutional error correction code in datagram structure. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the forward error correction comprises a convolutional error correction code in datagram structure. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using turbo codes in datagram structures. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between the UAV and a host controller or control network is performed using turbo codes in datagram structures. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein right circular polarization and left circular polarization are utilized as part of the spatial frequency reuse scheme. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein right circular polarization and left circular polarization are used as part of the spatial frequency reuse scheme. The method is performed by a system including at least one central computer and a plurality of radio transceivers for processing air traffic control datagrams for a region, the system comprising a radio device datagram transceiver point and a 3. The method of claim 2, configured with separate redundant backhauls between said central computers processing said air traffic control datagrams of . The method is performed by a system including at least one central computer for processing air traffic control datagrams for an area and a plurality of radio transceivers, the system comprising radio equipment datagram transceiver points and the 7. The method of claim 6, configured with separate redundant backhauls between said central computers processing air traffic control datagrams. The method is performed by a system comprising an antenna associated with a transceiver, the method transmitting radiation for a second RF communications band by propagating radiation through the antenna to form a cone of radiation. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising propagating and electronically adjusting the angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna. The method is performed by a system comprising an antenna associated with a transceiver, the method transmitting radiation for a second RF communications band by propagating radiation through the antenna to form a cone of radiation. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising propagating and electronically adjusting the angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna. The method is performed by a system comprising an antenna associated with a transceiver, the method transmitting radiation for a second RF communications band by propagating radiation through the antenna to form a cone of radiation. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising propagating and mechanically adjusting the angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna. The method is performed by a system comprising an antenna associated with a transceiver, the method transmitting radiation for a second RF communications band by propagating radiation through the antenna to form a cone of radiation. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising propagating and mechanically adjusting the angle of the radiation cone projected by the antenna. Propagating radiation through equipment installed in existing cell phone towers for said second RF communication band dedicated to transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between said UAV and a host controller or control network. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising : a cellular tower dedicated to providing communications over said second RF communications band, for said second RF communications band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between said UAV and a host controller or control network; propagating the radiation through a device mounted in the
further comprising utilizing right circular polarization and left circular polarization as part of the spatial frequency reuse scheme;
The method comprises generating at least one said first sky cone of propagating signals with a lower layer having at least one of a right circular polarization or a left circular polarization of the propagating signal in the first sky cone. propagating the signal to form ;
the method comprising propagating a signal to form at least one second skyward cone of the propagating signal in a higher level layer than the lower layer;
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said second sky cone has the other of said right-handed circular polarization or left-handed circular polarization of said first sky cone's propagating signal. implemented in a cellular tower dedicated to providing communication via the RF subsystem for said second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of command and control and navigation datagrams between said UAV and a host controller or control network; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising propagating radiation through the device. A first frequency band having one or more constituent frequencies for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload and a computer or controller; and command and control between the UAV and host controller or control network. A method for RF communication with a UAV using two different frequency bands of a second RF communication band dedicated to transmitting and receiving navigation datagrams, said method comprising :
Communicating command and control and sending and receiving navigation datagrams with a UAV using RF communication, said RF communication with a UAV being carried out in a continuous communication layer, an area layer, said area layer receiving said command and a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of control and navigation datagrams, said regional layer being an ascending layer having an elevated altitude, having an elevated altitude above ground level or mean sea level the step ;
altitude adjustment above ground level or mean sea level with said regional layer having a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of said command and control and navigation datagrams;
said altitude adjustment of said area layer can be performed in minutes,
The altitude adjustment of the area layer with a second RF communication band dedicated to the transmission and reception of the command and control and navigation datagrams is for optional use to support datagrams between the UAV payload and a computer or controller. separately from adjusting the one or more constituent frequencies of the continuous communication layer for the first frequency band of .

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