Airspan IP Holdco LLC

Airspan Holdco LLC

Airsfan IP Holdco LLC

Marlon Peter Persaud

Andrew Logothetis

Krzysztof Dudzinski

Venkateswarlu Katepalli

Ashvtosh Goel

David Charles Brokenshire

Honey Kanwar Singh Sarao

Jiangling Chen

An apparatus and method are provided for performing a handover analysis. The apparatus comprises base station location identifying circuitry to obtain base station location information for a plurality of base stations that provide a wireless network for communication with a moving vehicle. In addition, moving vehicle tracking circuitry is provided to obtain position and velocity information for the moving vehicle. Handover metrics computation circuitry is then used to generate at least one handover metric computed from the position and velocity information for the moving vehicle and the base station location information, for use in determining a target base station in said plurality to be used when performing a handover procedure to transition communication with the moving vehicle from the current base station in said plurality to the target base station. By such an approach, this enables a variety of handover metrics to be generated that take into account the deployment of the wireless network, which can be useful in systems such as Air to Ground (ATG) systems where the moving vehicles have a relatively high velocity, and the base stations may be relatively far apart. Such an approach can enhance the algorithms used to evaluate the decision to trigger handover from one base station to another base station.

Handover analysis for a moving vehicle

There is provided a network comprising antenna circuitry to receive incoming signals and transmit outgoing signals. Remote modem circuitry, connected to the antenna circuitry by analog cabling, demodulates a first incoming signal of the incoming signals to produce first incoming data and control circuitry, remote from the remote modem circuitry and connected to the remote modem circuitry via digital cabling, controls a behaviour of the remote modem circuitry and receives the first incoming data from the remote modem circuitry.

One or more remote modems connected to antenna circuitry by analog cabling and connected to control circuitry that controls behaviour of the one or more remote modems by digital cabling

A cellular communication apparatus includes antenna circuitry. A transceiver receives or transmits a signal using the antenna circuitry on a chosen channel of a portion of a radio spectrum. The portion of the radio spectrum is divided into one or more channels including the chosen channel each occupying a bandwidth of the portion of the radio spectrum. Control circuitry dynamically changes a configuration of the one or more channels of the radio spectrum and communication circuitry communicates the configuration of the one or more channels of the radio spectrum to one or more items of user equipment.

Adaptive channel orchestration

A wireless communication system for a moving vehicle, and a method of operation of a wireless communication system for a moving vehicle, are described. The wireless communication system comprises an antenna system configured to receive a received signal from a further antenna system and to transmit a transmitted signal to the further antenna system, communication control circuitry to control operation of the antenna system, and analysis circuitry. The analysis circuitry is configured to obtain at least one item of information from the received signal, and perform a Doppler adjustment process to determine, based on the at least one item of information, an adjusted transmitted frequency (f) to be used for transmission of the transmitted signal from the antenna system, such that an observed frequency of the transmitted signal at the further antenna system is a predetermined uplink frequency (f).

Frequency adjustment within a wireless communication system for a moving vehicle

An apparatus is described, comprising circuitry to obtain base station location information for a plurality of base stations that provide a wireless network for communication with a moving vehicle, the plurality of base stations comprising a current base station and one or more other base stations, circuitry to obtain moving vehicle tracking information for the moving vehicle, circuitry to determine, based on the moving vehicle tracking information and the base station location information, transmission adjustment control information associated with each other base station, and an interface configured to transmit, for reception by the moving vehicle, the transmission adjustment control information associated with at least a selected other base station, to enable the moving vehicle to adjust a signal transmitted to the selected other base station when a handover procedure is performed to transition communication with the moving vehicle from the current base station to the selected other base station.

Transmission adjustment within a wireless network for a moving vehicle

A mechanism is provided for performing timing adjustment within a wireless communication system for a moving vehicle. The wireless communication system has an antenna system for communicating with a further antenna system, and communication control circuitry for performing a sign-on procedure to seek to establish a communication link with the further antenna system. During the sign-on procedure, the communication control circuitry issues via the antenna system a connection setup signal for receipt by the further antenna within an identified timing window. The wireless communication system also has location specifying circuitry for identifying a current location of the wireless communication system, and distance computation circuitry for obtaining location information specifying a location of the further antenna system, and for determining a separation distance between the antenna system and the further antenna system. The communication control circuitry is arranged to issue the connection setup signal at a default time unless the separation distance exceeds a setup threshold distance that indicates that use of the default time would prevent the connection setup signal being received within the identified timing window. In that event, the control circuitry instead applies a timing advance in order to issue the connection setup signal prior to the default time so as to cause the connection setup signal to be received by the further antenna system within the identified timing window. This facilitates successful establishment of a communication link even in situations where the separation distance between the antenna system and the further antenna system exceeds that supported by modern telecommunications Standards.

Timing adjustment within a wireless communication system for a moving vehicle

A technique is provided for controlling a beam pattern employed by an antenna apparatus. The antenna apparatus comprises an antenna array, and beamforming circuitry to employ a beam pattern in order to generate a beam using the antenna array to facilitate wireless communication with at least one further antenna apparatus. Beam pattern adjustment circuitry is then arranged to receive a control signal indicative of a motion being imparted to the antenna apparatus, and to adjust the beam pattern to be used by the beamforming circuitry in dependence on the control signal, so as to alter a width of the beam in order to mitigate variation in link quality of the wireless communication due to the motion. This hence allows the width of the beam deployed by the antenna apparatus to be adjusted taking into account motion being imparted to the antenna apparatus, so that a balance can be achieved between employing a narrow beam to seek to improve range and resilience to interference, and a wider beam to reduce the variation in link quality that might otherwise arise due to the motion.

Technique for controlling a beam pattern employed by an antenna apparatus

A communication apparatus, terminal apparatus, system and method are provided for performing wireless communication. The communication apparatus supports a plurality of component carriers, wherein one of the plurality of component carriers is designated as a current primary component and at least one of the plurality of component carriers is designated as a current secondary component carrier providing at least downlink communication. The communication apparatus comprises control circuitry for controlling a component carrier testing procedure for one or more component carriers. The testing procedure comprises, for each component carrier: establishing an uplink connection from the terminal apparatus to the communication apparatus using the component carrier; and determining a quality of the uplink connection for the component carrier. The control circuitry is responsive to completion of the testing procedure to designate an updated primary component carrier on the basis of the qualities of the uplink connections determined for the component carriers.

Adaptive carrier switching

An antenna apparatus comprising at least one antenna array configured to produce a beam to facilitate wireless communication with at least one other antenna apparatus is described, in which the beam can be electronically steered in an associated beamforming plane by beamforming circuitry. The at least one antenna array has an associated antenna array plane, and an antenna array rotation mechanism is configured to rotate each antenna array in its associated antenna array plane to cause its beamforming plane to rotate. Methods for operating such an antenna apparatus, and for deploying an antenna apparatus in a wireless communication network, are also described.

Moveable antenna apparatus

A method for performing a handover analysis is provided. The method can include obtaining base station location information for a plurality of base stations that provide a wireless network for communication with a moving vehicle, obtaining position and velocity information for the moving vehicle, and generating at least one handover metric computed from the position and velocity information and the base station location information, for use in determining a target base station to be used when performing a handover procedure to transition communication with the moving vehicle from the current base station to the target base station. This enables a variety of handover metrics to be generated that take into account the deployment of the wireless network, which can be useful in systems such as Air to Ground (ATG) systems where the moving vehicles have a relatively high velocity, and the base stations may be relatively far apart.

Methods and apparatuses for configuring the zone served by a base station providing wireless communication for a plurality of user equipment located in moving vehicles are disclosed. Motion reports are received from the user equipment, indicating a current location, a current direction of motion, and a current speed of the moving vehicles. The motion reports are received from at least one of: user equipment currently using the base station for wireless communication; user equipment currently within the zone served by the base station, but not using the base station for wireless communication; and/or user equipment currently using at least one neighbouring base station to the base station for wireless communication. A configuration for the zone served by the base station is then determined, based on the motion reports and on locations of the base station and of the at least one neighbouring base station. The configuration for the zone served by the base station is then applied to the base station.

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Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

Marlon Peter Persaud