Cellular telephony
AssigneeEE Limited
InventorsAyan GHOSH, Mansoor HANIF
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communications base station is mounted on an aircraft such as a drone or a tethered balloon to provide wireless coverage over a remote area. The use of an airborne device allows a much wider coverage area to be served by one base station, and therefore one backhaul connection, than would be possible by ground based antennas. Power and maintenance savings are achieved as the aircraft is launched only when activity is detected on the ground in the area of coverage, and returns to a ground station when such activity ceases. Activity may be detected for example by sensors on a highway identifying vehicles approaching the coverage area.
Claims15
A method of operating an aircraft carrying communications equipment for operation as a communications base station for provision, when airborne, of wireless communications connections over a coverage area, comprising:
- causing launch of the aircraft by a monitoring system responsive to detection of activity on the ground in the coverage area;
- and
- returning the aircraft to the ground when the activity ceases.
A control system for operating an aircraft, comprising:
- a monitoring system for detection of activity in a predetermined region served by the aircraft;
- a flight control system responsive to the monitoring system for launching the aircraft when activity is detected by the monitoring system in the predetermined region;
- and
- a telecommunications registration processor for establishing communication between a communications base station carried by the aircraft and one or more mobile communications terminals in the predetermined region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.