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EP-4740331-A1 - AN UNMANNED VEHICLE WIRELESS BACKHAUL SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF

EP4740331A1EP 4740331 A1EP4740331 A1EP 4740331A1EP-4740331-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) for providing 5G network coverage, comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle 5 (310) configured to establish a first network connection with at least one user equipment (108) via a small cell (302) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310), and a second network connection with at least one radio tower (308) via an Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna (304) also mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310); a tethered station (316) configured to transfer power to the unmanned 10 aerial vehicle (310); a memory (204); and at least one processor (202) configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory (204).

Inventors

  • GUPTA, SUMIT
  • SHAH, BRIJESH
  • BHATNAGAR, PRADEEP KUMAR
  • BHATNAGAR, AAYUSH

Assignees

  • Jio Platforms Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240620

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102), comprising: an unmanned aerial vehicle (310) configured to establish a first network connection with at least one user equipment (108) via a small cell (302), and establish a second network connection with at least one radio tower (308) via an Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna (304), wherein the small cell (302) and the UBR antenna (304) are mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310); a tethered station (316) configured to transfer power to the unmanned aerial vehicle (310); a memory (204); and at least one processor (202) configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory (204) for: receiving at least one signal from the at least one user equipment (108) over the first network connection, and sending the at least one signal to the at least one radio tower (308) over the second network connection; and receiving at least one signal from the at least one radio tower (308) over the second network connection and sending the at least one signal to the at least one user equipment (108) over the first network connection, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) is in the air and the at least one user equipment (108) is on the ground.
  2. 2. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second network connection uses an unlicensed frequency band for transmitting the at least one signal.
  3. 3. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) is a tethered drone unit configured to fly at a height ‘h’ meter, wherein the height ’h’ is between 10 - 50 meters.
  4. 4. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first network connection is established using the small cell (302) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310), wherein the small cell is a 5G small cell.
  5. 5. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the 5G small cell (302) comprises: a) a radio frequency band of 3.3 - 3.6 GHz (3GPP n78); b) a channel bandwidth between 50 - 200 MHz; c) a total transmit power between 10 - 24 dBm; d) 2T2R transmi t/receive chains; and e) an omnidirectional antenna.
  6. 6. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second network connection is established using an Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna (304) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310).
  7. 7. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the UBR antenna (304) is configured to communicate with a transmitting unit at the at least one radio tower (308) at a distance between 500 meters to 2 km for backhaul communication.
  8. 8. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tethered station (316) comprises a mobile battery charging station up to 10 kVA single phase for supplying uninterrupted power to the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) and radio equipment via a wired connection (306).
  9. 9. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) is an octocopter configured to maintain redundancy and stability.
  10. 10. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) comprises a fail-safe mechanism configured to automatically return the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) to the ground in case of power failure.
  11. 11. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the 5G small cell (302) is configured to generate a 5G network that is transmitted over a coverage distance having a range of 50 - 150 meters.
  12. 12. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the 5G small cell (302) has dimensions in a range of 200 to 102 mm in length, 200 to 102 mm in width, and 50 to 100 mm in height, weighs in a range of 1 to 2 kg, and has a power consumption in a range of 20 to 40 watts.
  13. 13. The unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the UBR antenna (304) has a throughput in a range of 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps, power consumption in a range of 10 to 20 W, weight in a range of 0.5 to 1.5 kg, operates in a frequency range of 5 to 6 GHz, and has an output power in a range of 20 to 30 dBm.
  14. 14. A method (700) for deploying an unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system (102), the method comprising: flying (702) an unmanned aerial vehicle (310) in the air; transferring (704) power to the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) from a tethered station (316); establishing (706), by a small cell (302), a first network connection with at least one user equipment (108), wherein the small cell (302) is mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310); establishing (708), by an Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna (304), a second network connection with at least one radio tower (308), wherein the UBR antenna (304) are mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310); executing (710) programmed instructions stored in a memory (204) by at least one processor (202) for: receiving (712) at least one signal from the at least one user equipment (108) over the first network connection, and sending the at least one signal to the at least one radio tower (308) over the second network connection; and receiving (714) at least one signal from the at least one radio tower (308) over the second network connection and sending the at least one signal to the at least one user equipment (108) over the first network connection, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) is in the air and the at least one user equipment (108) is on the ground.
  15. 15. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising using an unlicensed frequency band for transmitting the at least one signal over the second network connection.
  16. 16. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising flying the unmanned aerial vehicle (310), wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) is a tethered drone unit, at a height ‘h’ meter, wherein the height 'h' is between 10 - 50 meters.
  17. 17. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising establishing the first network connection using the small cell (302) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310), wherein the small cell is a 5G small cell.
  18. 18. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising establishing the second network connection using the Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna (304) mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle (310).
  19. 19. The method as claimed in claim 18, comprising communicating, by the UBR antenna (304), with a transmitting unit at the at least one radio tower (308) at a distance between 500 meters to 2 km for backhaul communication.
  20. 20. The method as claimed in claim 14, comprising supplying uninterrupted power to the unmanned aerial vehicle (310) and radio equipment from a mobile battery charging station up to 10 kVA single phase in the tethered station (316) via a wired connection (306).

Description

AN UNMANNED VEHICLE WIRELESS BACKHAUL SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF RESERVATION OF RIGHTS [0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as, but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, Integrated Circuit (IC) layout design, and/or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner. FIELD OF DISCLOSURE [0002] The present invention, in general, relates to the field of wireless communication systems and more particularly, relates to unmanned vehicle-based wireless backhaul systems for providing network coverage. BACKGROUND OF DISCLOSURE [0003] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art. [0004] In emergency situations such as natural disasters or other crises, rapid deployment of communication networks is crucial for facilitating rescue operations and providing essential connectivity to affected communities. However, traditional methods of establishing temporary network infrastructure, such as Cell on Wheel (COW) deployments, often face significant challenges and delays. In India, the lack of readily available infrastructure resources hinders the swift establishment of communication channels for emergency responders and impacted populations. The deployment of COW sites is a time-consuming process that can take several days for planning and execution, especially in remote areas. [0005] Existing solutions attempt to address these challenges through the use of drones equipped with tethered connections to ground stations. For instance, EP2978258B1 describes a method of replacing a first drone base station with a second drone base station, involving the transmission of pilot signals and coordination between the two drones to maintain a consistent cell identifier. However, such solutions primarily focus on the handover process between drones and do not adequately address the need for seamless bi-directional communication between user equipment on the ground and radio towers. [0006] Similarly, the solution proposed by M.Y. Selim and A.E. Kamal in their paper "post-disaster 4G/5G Network Rehabilitation using Drones: Solving Battery and Backhaul Issues" utilizes a grid of drones to provide cellular coverage in disaster- struck regions. While their approach tackles the issues of battery life and backhaul capacity, it does not sufficiently emphasize the importance of establishing reliable bi-directional communication channels between user equipment and radio towers via the drones. [0007] Conventional systems often struggle to provide uninterrupted connectivity between users on the ground and the broader communication network during emergencies. The lack of efficient signal relay mechanisms between user equipment, drones, and radio towers hinders the effectiveness of emergency response efforts. There is a need for a system that seamlessly integrates these components, ensuring that signals from user equipment are reliably transmitted to radio towers and vice versa, with the drones acting as intermediaries. [0008] It is, therefore, a need in the art to provide an unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system that enables rapid deployment of communication networks in emergency situations, ensures uninterrupted power supply to the unmanned aerial vehicles, and establishes reliable bi-directional connectivity between user equipment on the ground and radio towers. SUMMARY [0009] One embodiment of the present subject matter relates to an unmanned vehicle wireless backhaul system. The system may comprise an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to establish a first network connection with at least one user equipment via a small cell and a second network connection with at least one radio tower via an Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) antenna. The small cell and the UBR antenna may be mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle. The system may further include a tethered station configured to transfer power to the unmanned aerial vehicle, a memory, and at least one processor. The processor may execute programmed instructions stored in the memory for receiving signals from the user equipment over the first network connection and sending them to the radio tower over the second network connection, as well as rec