The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 02, 2012
Filed:
Dec. 21, 2005
Anthony D Monk, Seattle, WA (US);
Anthony D Monk, Seattle, WA (US);
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A system and method for implementing soft handoffs in a communications system on a mobile platform. The system employs an antenna controller in communication with a beam forming network that generates two independently aimable lobes from a single beam. The single beam is radiated by a phased array antenna on the mobile platform. In an Air-to-Ground implementation involving an aircraft, a base transceiver station (BTS) look-up position table is utilized to provide the locations of a plurality of BTS sites within a given region that the aircraft is traversing. The antenna controller controls the beam forming network to generate dual lobes from the single beam that facilitate making a soft handoff from one BTS site to another. In a ground-based application, one lobe of the beam is used to maintain a communications link with one BTS site while a second lobe of the beam is continuously scanned about a predetermined arc to receive RF signals from other BTS sites and to determine when a new BTS site has become available that will provide a higher quality link than the link presently made with the one BTS site. A soft handoff is then implemented from the one BTS site to the new BTS site.