Mobile communication system with moving base station
A mobile communication system employs moving base stations moving in the direction of flow of traffic moving along a roadway. The moving base station communicates with fixed radio ports connected to a gateway office. A plurality of moving base stations are spaced apart on a closed loop and move with the flow of traffic along one roadway on one leg of the loop and with a flow of traffic on another roadway in another leg of the loop. The moving base stations communicate with a plurality of fixed radio ports connected by a signal transmission link to a gateway office which, in turn, is connected to the wire line network. The moving base stations are each provided with a pair of directional antennas with one antenna directed toward the flow of traffic and another antenna directed to the fixed radio ports.
1. A method comprising:
receiving mobile device signals from a mobile device through a plurality of spatially separated antennas moving relative to Earth; and
transmitting radio frequency signals corresponding to the mobile device signals to a base station.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as directional antenna sectors.
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as a plurality of phased array antennas with directional radio frequency beams.
4. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals through another plurality of spatially separated antennas.
5. A method in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the transmitting comprising transmitting spatially separated radio frequency beams separated in time with a predefined time delay.
6. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the mobile device signals received through the spatially separated antennas; and
selecting a best signal from the mobile device signals.
7. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
aligning the received mobile device signals; and
combining the aligned mobile device signals.
8. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals within time slots of time-division multiplex channels.
9. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through the plurality of antennas conveyed by a vehicle.
10. A method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the vehicle is an automotive vehicle.
11. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising receiving base station signals from the base station through another plurality of spatially separated antennas.
12. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antennas is conveyed by an overhead vehicle.
13. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is moving relative to Earth in the same direction that the plurality of antennas is moving.
14. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein:
the mobile device signals comprise data from the mobile device; and
the radio frequency signals comprise the data.
15. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein transmitting the radio frequency signals comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals at a cellular transmission power level greater than a mobile device transmission power level of the mobile device signals.
16. A method comprising:
receiving fixed port signals from a fixed port through the plurality of spatially separated antennas moving relative to Earth; and
transmitting, to a mobile device, radio frequency signals corresponding to the received fixed port signals.
17. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the fixed port signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as directional antenna sectors.
18. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the fixed port signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as a plurality of phased array antennas with directional radio frequency beams.
19. A method in accordance with claim 16 , further comprising:
transmitting the radio frequency signals through another plurality of spatially separated antennas.
20. A method in accordance with claim 19 , wherein the another plurality of spatially separated antennas is configured to transmit spatially separated radio frequency beams separated in time with a predefined time delay.
21. A method in accordance with claim 16 , further comprising:
comparing the received fixed port signals received through the spatially separated antennas; and
selecting a best signal.
22. A method in accordance with claim 16 , further comprising:
aligning the received radio frequency signals; and
combining the aligned received radio frequency signals.
23. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals within time slots of time-division multiplex channels.
24. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the receiving the fixed port signals comprises receiving the fixed port signals through the plurality of antennas conveyed by a vehicle.
25. A method in accordance with claim 24 , wherein the vehicle is an automotive vehicle.
26. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the fixed port signals from a plurality of fixed ports through the plurality of spatially separated antennas.
27. A method in accordance with claim 26 , wherein each fixed port signal transmitted from each of the plurality of fixed ports includes common data.
28. A method in accordance with claim 27 , wherein transmission of each fixed port signal from each of the plurality of fixed ports is delayed by a different time and the receiving the fixed port signals comprises receiving and separating the fixed port signals.
29. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the plurality of antennas is conveyed by an overhead vehicle.
30. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the mobile device is moving relative to Earth in the same direction that the plurality of antennas is moving.
31. A method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein:
the fixed port signals comprise data from the fixed port; and
the mobile device signals comprise the data.
32. A method comprising:
receiving mobile device signals from a mobile device through a plurality of spatially separated antennas moving relative to Earth; and
transmitting radio frequency signals corresponding to the mobile device signals to a fixed port.
33. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as directional antenna sectors.
34. A method in accordance with claim 33 , further comprising receiving fixed port signals from the fixed port through another plurality of spatially separated antennas.
35. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through the plurality of spatially separated antennas configured as a plurality of phased array antennas with directional radio frequency beams.
36. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the transmitting radio frequency signals comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals through another plurality of spatially separated antennas.
37. A method in accordance with claim 36 , wherein the transmitting comprising transmitting spatially separated radio frequency beams separated in time with a predefined time delay.
38. A method in accordance with claim 32 , further comprising:
comparing the mobile device signals received through the spatially separated antennas; and
selecting a best signal from the mobile device signals.
39. A method in accordance with claim 32 , further comprising:
aligning the received mobile device signals; and
combining the aligned mobile device signals.
40. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals within time slots of time-division multiplex channels.
41. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the mobile device signals through a plurality of antennas conveyed by a vehicle.
42. A method in accordance with claim 41 , wherein the vehicle is an automotive vehicle.
43. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the plurality of antennas is conveyed by an overhead vehicle.
44. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the mobile device is moving relative to Earth in the same direction as the movement of the plurality of antennas.
45. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein:
the mobile device signals comprise data from the mobile device; and
the radio frequency signals comprise the data.
46. A method in accordance with claim 32 , wherein the transmitting the radio frequency signals comprises transmitting the radio frequency signals at a cellular transmission power level greater than a mobile device transmission power level of the mobile device signals.
47. A method comprising:
receiving a first radio frequency signal through a plurality of spatially separated antennas moving relative to Earth; and
transmitting, to a mobile device moving relative to Earth, a second radio frequency signal corresponding to the received first radio signal.
48. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the receiving the first radio signal comprises receiving the first radio signal from a base station.
49. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the receiving the first radio signal comprises receiving the first radio signal from a fixed port.
50. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the plurality of antennas is conveyed by an overhead vehicle.
51. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the mobile device is moving relative to Earth in the same direction that the plurality of antennas is moving.
52. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein:
the first radio frequency signal comprises data; and
the second frequency signal comprises the data.
53. A method in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the transmitting the second radio frequency signal comprises transmitting the second radio frequency signal at a transmission power level sufficiently high to mask out the first radio frequency signal at the mobile device.
54. A method comprising:
receiving a first radio frequency signal from a mobile device moving relative to Earth; and
transmitting, through a plurality of spatially separated antennas moving relative to Earth, a second radio frequency signal corresponding to the received first radio signal.
55. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein the transmitting the second radio signal comprises transmitting the second radio signal to a base station.
56. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein the transmitting the second radio signal comprises transmitting the second radio signal to a fixed port.
57. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein the plurality of antennas is conveyed by an overhead vehicle.
58. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein the mobile device is moving relative to Earth in the same direction as the plurality of antennas is moving.
59. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein:
the first radio frequency signal comprises data; and
the second frequency signal comprises the data.
60. A method in accordance with claim 54 , wherein the transmitting the second radio frequency signal comprises transmitting the second radio frequency signal at a cellular transmission power level greater than a mobile device transmission power level of the first radio frequency signal.