US 12,425,082 B2
Air to ground communication system with separate control and traffic channels
Douglas Hyslop, Vienna, VA (US); Gerard James Hayes, Wake Forest, NC (US); and Elbert Stanford Eskridge, Jr., Chapel Hill, NC (US)
Assigned to SMARTSKY NETWORKS LLC, Morrisville, NC (US)
Filed by Smartsky Networks LLC, Morrisville, NC (US)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/128,568.
Application 17/128,568 is a continuation of application No. 15/208,738, filed on Jul. 13, 2016, granted, now 10,911,105.
Prior Publication US 2021/0111764 A1, Apr. 15, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04B 7/04 (2017.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04W 88/08 (2009.01)
CPC H04B 7/04 (2013.01) [H04B 7/0617 (2013.01); H04B 7/18506 (2013.01); H04W 88/085 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A base station within a network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, the base station comprising:
an antenna array defining a plurality of wedge shaped ATG communication sectors having respective widths defined in azimuth;
a beamforming control module configured to communicate with the antenna array via a first RF chain to perform beamforming defining traffic channel beams having a first width, and a second RF chain to perform beamforming defining control channel beams having a second width, the second width being greater than the first width, and
a remote radio head operably coupled to the antenna array and the beamforming control module,
wherein the remote radio head receives location information to enable the remote radio head to employ the first RF chain to provide the traffic channel beams to an aircraft while tracking the aircraft, and
wherein both of the traffic channel beams and the control channel beams are further defined to be limited in elevation between two elevation angles to define a wedge shaped coverage area extending away from the base station.