Multiple antenna system and method for mobile platforms
A method and system facilitate communication between a constellation of satellites and a mobile platform-mounted mobile communicator. The method and system may include the use of a first antenna suited for operation using a first frequency band in a first geographic region and a second antenna suited for operation using either the first or a second frequency band in a second geographic region. The method and system may use a controller to determine which antenna to activate based on one or more of a geographic indicator or a signal indicator. The system used by the method to facilitate the communication may have one or more enclosures over the antennas and controller for mounting to a mobile platform.
1. A platform-mounted mobile communicator for communicating with satellites, the platform-mounted mobile communicator comprising:
a plurality of antennas mounted on a mobile platform, the plurality of antennas including a first subset of antennas and a second subset of antennas; and
a controller configured to:
control the first subset of antennas to communicate with a first set of one or more satellites using a first frequency band while controlling the second subset of antennas to communicate with a second set of one or more satellites using a second frequency band; and
activate at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas based on a geographic indicator.
2. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein the geographic indicator is indicative of at least one geographic characteristic of a mobile platform on which the platform-mounted mobile communicator is mounted, the at least one geographic characteristic corresponding to at least one of: (i) latitude and longitude coordinates, (ii) altitude, (iii) a current geographic region, (iv) a proximity to a boundary, (v) whether or not the boundary has been crossed, or (vi) another type of positional data.
3. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to activate the first subset of antennas and deactivate the second subset of antennas based on the geographic indicator.
4. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein the activation of the at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas is based on a handoff between the first set of one or more satellites and the second set of one or more satellites.
5. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 4 , wherein:
a particular satellite is included in both of the first set of one or more satellites and the second set of one or more satellites; and
communication of data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and the particular satellite is established prior to the handoff between the first and the second sets of one or more satellites and is maintained upon completion of the handoff between the first and the second sets of one or more satellites.
6. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 4 , wherein:
communication of data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and a first satellite included in the first set of one or more satellites is established prior to the handoff between the first and the second sets of one or more satellites; and
communication of data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and a second satellite included in the second set of one or more satellites is established upon completion of the handoff between the first and the second sets of one or more satellites, the first satellite and the second satellite being different satellites.
7. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas comprises a phased array antenna.
8. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein the platform-mounted mobile communicator is mounted on one of an airplane, an automobile, a ship, or another vehicle that is capable of moving along air, land, or sea.
9. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
in response to obtaining a signal indicator, the signal indicator including at least one of: a signal-to-noise indicator, a throughput indicator, and interference indicator, a distortion indicator, or an integration indicator:
test communications using a third subset of antennas;
determine whether (i) a first signal associated with use of the activated at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas or (ii) a second signal associated with the use of the third subset of antennas and corresponding to the test is closer to a predetermined operating parameter value; and
control the subset of antennas associated with the signal that is determined to be closer to the predetermined operating parameter value to communicate data with a respective set of one or more satellites.
10. The platform-mounted mobile communicator of claim 1 , wherein an orbit of the first set of one or more satellites differs from an orbit of the second set of one or more satellites.
11. A method for communicating with satellites using a platform-mounted mobile communicator communicatively connected to a plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas including a first subset of antennas and a second subset of antennas, and the method comprising:
controlling, using a controller included in the platform-mounted mobile communicator, the first subset of antennas to communicate with a first set of one or more satellites using a first frequency band while controlling, using the controller, the second subset of antennas to communicate with a second set of one or more satellites using a second frequency band; and
activating, via the controller, at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas based on a geographic indicator.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein activating the at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas based on the geographic indicator comprises activating the at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas based on at least one geographic characteristic of a mobile platform on which the platform-mounted mobile communicator is mounted, the at least one geographic characteristic corresponding to at least one of: (i) latitude and longitude coordinates, (ii) altitude, (iii) a current geographic region, (iv) a proximity to a boundary, (v) whether or not the boundary has been crossed, or (vi) another type of positional data.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein activating at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas based on the geographic indicator comprises activating first subset of antennas based on geographic indicator and deactivating the second subset of antennas based on the geographic indicator.
14. The method of claim 11 ,
further comprising performing a handoff between the first subset of antennas communicating with the first set of one or more satellites and the second subset of antennas communicating with the second set of one or more satellites; and
wherein activating the at least one of first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas is included in performing the handoff.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
a particular satellite is included in both of the first set of one or more satellites and the second set of one or more satellites; and
the method further comprises:
prior to performing the handoff, controlling the first subset of antennas to communicate data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and the particular satellite; and
upon completion of the handoff, controlling the second subset of antennas to maintain the communication of data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and the particular satellite.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
prior to performing the handoff, controlling the first subset of antennas to communicate data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and a first satellite included in the first set of one or more satellites; and
upon completion of the handoff, controlling the second subset of antennas to communicate data between the platform-mounted mobile communicator and a second satellite included in the second set of one or more satellites, the first satellite and the second satellite being different satellites.
17. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas comprises a phased array antenna, and wherein the platform-mounted mobile communicator is mounted on one of an airplane, an automobile, a ship, or another vehicle that is capable of moving along air, land, or sea.
18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
initiating, by the controller, communications with a third set of one or more satellites based on a signal indicator, the signal indicator including at least one of: a signal-to-noise indicator, a throughput indicator, and interference indicator, a distortion indicator, or an integration indicator;
testing, via the controller, communications with the third set of one or more satellites using a third subset of antennas;
determining whether (i) a first signal associated with use of the activated at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas or (ii) a second signal associated with the use of the third subset of antennas and corresponding to the test is closer to a predetermined operating parameter value; and
controlling the particular subset of antennas associated with the signal that is determined to be closer to the predetermined operating parameter value to communicate data with the third set of one or more satellites.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein an orbit of the first set of one or more satellites differs from an orbit of the second set of one or more satellites.
20. The method of claim 11 ,
further comprising:
(i) first testing, via the controller, communications between the first subset of antennas and the first set of one or more satellites, and (ii) second testing, via the controller, communications between the second subset of antennas and the second set of one or more satellites, and
comparing, by the controller, results of the first testing and results of the second testing; and
wherein activating the at least one of the first subset of antennas or the second subset of antennas is further based on the comparison.