IP Library Granted Patent US 12,542,600
Granted Patent B2
US 12,542,600 · App. 18/016,463 · Granted Feb 3, 2026

Mitigation of degradation of interference-reduction performance in processing delay when switching antennas in HAPS multi-feeder links

Inventor: Takafumi Fujii (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SoftBank Corp.
H04B7/18504H04B7/0456H04B7/0617H04B7/06952
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,542,600
App. No.
18/016,463
Granted
Feb 3, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

It is to mitigate a deterioration of an interference reduction performance between multi-feeder links due to a weight-calculation processing delay, when a combination of plural antennas for feeder link (FL antenna) incorporated in an aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and plural gateway (GW) stations changes. With respect to each of plural combination patterns in which combinations of plural FL antennas of relay communication station and the plural GW stations are different from each other, a system calculates and stores a weight corresponding to each of the plural GW stations, selects a calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern corresponding to the changed combination, when the combination of the plural FL antennas and the plural GW stations changes due to at least one of a rotation and movement of the communication relay apparatus, and suppresses an interference between the feeder links when transmitting and receiving signals between the relay communication station and the plural GW stations based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

Claims (51)

1 . A system comprising an aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus that has a relay communication station for relaying a radio communication of a terminal apparatus and plural antennas for feeder link, and plural gateway stations that are time-synchronized with each other and transmit and receive relay signals different from each other at a same frequency in a feeder link between the relay communication station of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus, the system comprising:

means for calculating a weight for suppressing an interference between feeder links with respect to each of plural combination patterns of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and storing plural calculation results of weight tables for the plural combination patterns, each weight table including plural weights for each of the plural combination pattern;

means for selecting a calculation result of one of the weight tables for the combination pattern from the plural calculation results of the weight tables for the plural combination patterns, when the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations changes due to at least one of the rotation and movement of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus, the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern corresponding to the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations after changing; and

means for suppressing an interference between feeder links when transmitting and receiving relay signals between the relay communication station and the plural gateway stations based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

2 . The system according to claim 1 , comprising:

means for tracking a gateway station of a communication destination of a feeder link by changing an angle of a directional beam of each of the plural antennas for feeder link; and

means for switching the gateway station of the communication destination of the feeder link, the gateway station communicating with each of the plural antennas for feeder link communicates, when an amount of change in the angle of at least one of the directional beams of the plural antennas for feeder link becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value.

3 . The system according to claim 1 ,

wherein, with respect to each of the plural combination patterns, the system estimates propagation path responses between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations based on reception results of plural pilot signals transmitted and received between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and calculates plural weights respectively corresponding to the plural gateway stations based on the plural propagation path responses.

4 . The system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the system suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural forward links for transmitting relay signals from the plural gateway stations to the relay communication station, based on the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern.

5 . The system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the system suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural reverse links for transmitting relay signals from the relay communication station to the plural gateway stations, based on the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern.

6 . The system according to claim 2 ,

wherein, with respect to each of the plural combination patterns, the system estimates propagation path responses between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations based on reception results of plural pilot signals transmitted and received between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and calculates plural weights respectively corresponding to the plural gateway stations based on the plural propagation path responses.

7 . The system according to claim 2 ,

wherein the system suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural forward links for transmitting relay signals from the plural gateway stations to the relay communication station, based on the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern.

8 . The system according to claim 2 ,

wherein the system suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural reverse links for transmitting relay signals from the relay communication station to the plural gateway stations, based on the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern.

9 . A relay communication station that is incorporated in an aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and relays radio communication of a terminal apparatus, comprising:

a feeder-link communication section for transmitting and receiving relay signals different from each other at a same frequency in feeder links between the relay communication station and plural gateway stations that are time-synchronized with each other; and

an interference suppression section for suppressing interference between plural feeder links that are formed between the relay communication station and the plural gateway stations, and

wherein the interference suppression section:

calculates a weight for suppressing an interference between feeder links with respect to each of plural combination patterns of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and stores plural calculation results of weight tables for the plural combination patterns, each weight table including plural weight for each of the plural combination pattern;

selects a calculation result of one of the weight tables for the combination pattern from the plural calculation results of the weight tables for plural combination patterns, when the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations changes due to at least one of the rotation and movement of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus, the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern corresponding to the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations after changing; and

suppresses an interference between feeder links when transmitting and receiving relay signals between the relay communication station and the plural gateway stations based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

10 . The relay communication station according to claim 9 , comprising:

means for tracking a gateway station of a communication destination of a feeder link by changing an angle of a directional beam of each of the plural antennas for feeder link; and

means for switching the gateway station of the communication destination of the feeder link, the gateway station communicating with each of the plural antennas for feeder link communicates, when an amount of change in the angle of at least one of the directional beams of the plural antennas for feeder link becomes larger than a predetermined threshold value.

11 . The relay communication station according to claim 9 ,

wherein, with respect to each of the plural combination patterns, the interference suppression section estimates propagation path responses between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations based on reception results of plural pilot signals transmitted and received between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and calculates plural weights respectively corresponding to the plural gateway stations based on the plural propagation path responses.

12 . The relay communication station according to claim 9 ,

wherein the interference suppression section suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural forward links for transmitting relay signals from the plural gateway stations to the relay communication station, based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

13 . The relay communication station according to claim 9 ,

wherein the interference suppression section suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural reverse links for transmitting relay signals from the relay communication station to the plural gateway stations, based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

14 . An aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus comprising the relay communication station according to claim 9 .

15 . The relay communication station according to claim 10 ,

wherein, with respect to each of the plural combination patterns, the interference suppression section estimates propagation path responses between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations based on reception results of plural pilot signals transmitted and received between the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations, and calculates plural weights respectively corresponding to the plural gateway stations based on the plural propagation path responses.

16 . The relay communication station according to claim 10 ,

wherein the interference suppression section suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural forward links for transmitting relay signals from the plural gateway stations to the relay communication station, based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

17 . The relay communication station according to claim 10 ,

wherein the interference suppression section suppresses interferences between feeder links in plural reverse links for transmitting relay signals from the relay communication station to the plural gateway stations, based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

18 . An aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus comprising the relay communication station according to claim 10 .

19 . An interference suppression method of feeder links between a relay communication station that is incorporated in an aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and relays a radio communication of a terminal apparatus, and plural gateway stations that are time-synchronized with each other and transmit and receive relay signals different from each other at a same frequency, the interference suppression method comprising:

calculating a weight for suppressing an interference between feeder links with respect to each of plural combination patterns of the plural antennas for feeder link of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and the plural gateway stations, and storing plural calculation results of weight tables for the plural combination patterns, each weight table including plural weight for each of the plural combination pattern;

selecting a calculation result of one of the weight tables for the combination pattern from the plural calculation results of the weight tables for the plural combination patterns, when the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations changes due to at least one of the rotation and movement of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus, the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern corresponding to the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations after changing; and

suppressing an interference between feeder links when transmitting and receiving relay signals between the relay communication station and the plural gateway stations based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

20 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing software that is executed by a computer or processor provided in a relay communication station that is incorporated in an aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and relays a radio communication of a terminal apparatus, the software comprising:

executable code that calculates a weight for suppressing an interference between feeder links with respect to each of plural combination patterns of the plural antennas for feeder link of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus and the plural gateway stations, and stores plural calculation results of weight tables for the plural combination patterns, each weight table including plural weight for each of the plural combination pattern;

executable code that selects a calculation result of one of the weight tables for the combination pattern from the calculation results of the weights of the plural combination patterns, when the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations changes due to at least one of the rotation and movement of the aerial-staying type communication relay apparatus, the selected calculation result of the one of the weight tables for the combination pattern corresponding to the combination of the plural antennas for feeder link and the plural gateway stations after changing; and

executable code that suppresses an interference between feeder links when transmitting and receiving relay signals between the relay communication station and the plural gateway stations based on the selected calculation result of the weight of the combination pattern.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Oct 19, 2023
From: HAPS MOBILE INC.
To: SOFTBANK CORP.
Reel/Frame 065288/0811 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 2, 2023
From: FUJII, TAKAFUMI
To: HAPSMOBILE INC.
Reel/Frame 062853/0743 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-125096 · Jul 22, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240305360A1 · Sep 12, 2024
References Cited (7)
US 11133858B2 · Fujii · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20160046387A1 · Frolov et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20190199428A1 · Regunathan et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20210152238A1 · Krause · 2021 [cited by examiner]
JP 2020036100A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2020080459A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
Takafumi Fujii, A Study on Efficient Spectrum Utilization for Feeder Link Using Multiple Gateways in HAPS System, Japanese/Information and Co:f'1munication Engineering (Year: 2018). [cited by examiner]