LTE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE FOR COVERAGE AND DOPPLER REDUCTION IN RANGE TELEMETRY

Abstract

A novel approach employing 4G LTE Cellular Technology for Test Range Telemetry is presented. Providing aeronautical mobile telemetry using commercial off the shelf (COTS) cellular equipment poses many challenges, including: Three-dimensional (3D) coverage, need for uninterrupted high data throughputs, and very high Doppler speeds of the Test Articles (TA). Each of these requirements is difficult to meet with a standard cellular approach. We present a novel architecture that provides 3D coverage over the span of a test range, allowing the TA to establish a radio link with base stations that have a manageable Doppler due to the reduced projected TA speed on the radio link line. Preliminary results illustrate that a variety of flight plans can be accommodated with commercial LTE technology by employing LTE’s mobility mechanisms and adding centralized control. The resulting network architecture and Radio Access Network topology allow very high throughputs to be delivered throughout the test range with a judicious placement of base stations.