System for providing redundant communication with mobile devices

摘要

Systems and methods for providing network access to mobile devices that travel with a vehicle, such as a train, a bus, a boat, etc. along or adjacent to a relatively fixed path that may extend over a large geographic area. Mobile devices access the network through stationary access points arranged along or adjacent to the path and communicate with a communication network. The communication network may be arranged as an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) local area network emulation (LANE) network. One of the mobile devices may be a mobile access point which can couple other mobile devices to the network and record authentication information of other mobile devices so that fast transitions can be made from one stationary access point to another as the vehicle moves along the path.

主权项

1. A communication system for communicating with a mobile device using antenna systems positioned to provide overlapping communication ranges, the communication system comprising:
a plurality of antenna systems including a first antenna system, a second antenna system and a third antenna system, the second antenna system being disposed between the first antenna system and the third antenna system, each respective antenna system of the plurality of antenna systems being configured to communicate with the mobile device where the mobile device is within a communication range of the respective antenna system, wherein the plurality of antenna systems are disposed at spaced apart positions along a path traversed by the mobile device so that a combined communication range of the first antenna system and the third antenna system covers the communication range of the second antenna system, whereby the mobile device communicates with at least one of the first antenna system, the second antenna system, and the third antenna system where the mobile device is positioned within the communication range of the second antenna system, and wherein the mobile device is a mobile access point configured to provide network access to a plurality of host devices by communicating with at least one antenna system of the plurality of antenna systems.