System for telecommunications by network of stationary high-altitude platforms and drifting balloons

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10212610-B2
Application number	US-201815919659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A telecommunications system comprises: at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform comprising propulsion means for remaining stationary around a specified point, the station being suitable for establishing at least one direct bidirectional communication link with another stationary high-altitude platform station; at least one network gateway station on the ground, for setting up communications between a core network and at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform; a plurality of stations placed in drifting balloons for establishing a direct bidirectional communication link with at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform or/and at least one other station placed in a drifting balloon; and a plurality of user terminals for establishing a direct bidirectional communication link with a station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform or/and at least one station placed in a drifting balloon.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A telecommunications system comprising:
at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform comprising propulsion means for remaining stationary around a specified point, said station being suitable for establishing at least one direct bidirectional communication link with at least one station placed on another stationary high-altitude platform;
at least one network gateway station on the ground, configured to set up communications between a core network and said at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform;
a plurality of stations placed in drifting balloons, each being suitable for establishing a direct bidirectional communication link with said at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform or/and at least one other station placed in a drifting balloon; and
a plurality of user terminals, each being suitable for establishing a direct bidirectional communication link with a station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform or/and at least one station placed in a drifting balloon,
wherein said at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform comprises a switch for activating at least one communication link with at least one other station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform when the communication link between said at least one station placed on the stationary high-altitude platform and said at least one network gateway station is inoperative.

2. The telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein a user terminal comprises a spatial diversity communication device configured to communicate simultaneously with a station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform and a station placed in a drifting balloon when the user terminal is simultaneously in range of said station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform and of said station placed in a drifting balloon.

3. The telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform is configured to establish a bidirectional radiofrequency communication link with said at least one network gateway station.

4. The telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein a direct bidirectional communication link between a user terminal and a station placed on a stationary high-altitude platform or/and a station placed in a drifting balloon is a radiofrequency link.

5. The telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein a communication link between two stations placed in two drifting balloons or between a station placed in a drifting balloon and said at least one station placed on the stationary high-altitude platform are free-space optical links or radiofrequency links.

6. The telecommunications system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one direct bidirectional communication link between two stations placed on two stationary high-altitude platforms is a free-space optical link.

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Gayrard Jean-Didier

Classifications

• H04W84/06

  Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) · CPC title

• H04W48/06

  based on traffic conditions · CPC title

• H04B10/1123

  Bidirectional transmission · CPC title

• H04B7/18504

  Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform · CPC title

• B64B1/40 Primary

  Balloons (B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10) · CPC title