Control device, program, system, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11902008-B2
Application number	US-202318349959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2023
Priority date	Jan 18, 2021
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a control device including: a flight vehicle position information acquisition unit which acquires service flight vehicle position information indicating positions of a plurality of service flight vehicles, each of which functions as a stratosphere platform and is mounted with a communication device which forms a wireless communication area by emitting a beam and provides a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the wireless communication area; an arrangement determination unit which determines arrangement of a relay flight vehicle which relays communication of one service flight vehicle among the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of a predetermined condition and the service flight vehicle position information; and a flight vehicle control unit which controls the relay flight vehicle to move according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit and establish wireless communication connection with the one service flight vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device comprising:
a flight vehicle position information acquisition unit which acquires service flight vehicle position information indicating positions of a plurality of service flight vehicles, each of which functions as a stratosphere platform and is mounted with a communication device which forms a wireless communication area by emitting a beam and provides a wireless communication service to a user terminal in the wireless communication area;
an arrangement determination unit which determines arrangement of a relay flight vehicle which relays communication of one service flight vehicle among the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of a predetermined condition and the service flight vehicle position information;
a flight vehicle control unit which controls the relay flight vehicle to move according to the arrangement determined by the arrangement determination unit and establish wireless communication connection with the one service flight vehicle; and
a weather-related information reception unit which receives weather-related information on weather in the wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of service flight vehicles, the weather-related information including rainfall information indicating a rainfall in the wireless communication area formed by each of the plurality of service flight vehicles.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and a gateway on ground, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the gateway.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that a distance between the relay flight vehicle and the gateway becomes shorter within a range where wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and the gateway.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another service flight vehicle among the plurality of service flight vehicles, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another service flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another service flight vehicle.

5. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another service flight vehicle among the plurality of service flight vehicles, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another service flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another service flight vehicle.

6. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another service flight vehicle among the plurality of service flight vehicles, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another service flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another service flight vehicle.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another relay flight vehicle, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another relay flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another relay flight vehicle.

8. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another relay flight vehicle, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another relay flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another relay flight vehicle.

9. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the relay flight vehicle such that wireless communication connection is able to be established with both the one service flight vehicle and another relay flight vehicle, and
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to establish wireless communication connection with the another relay flight vehicle and relay communication between the one service flight vehicle and the another relay flight vehicle.

10. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a priority setting unit which sets a priority of the wireless communication area of each of the plurality of service flight vehicles wirelessly communicatively connected to the relay flight vehicle, wherein
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to allocate a predetermined communication capacity to the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of the priority set by the priority setting unit.

11. The control device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a priority setting unit which sets a priority of the wireless communication area of each of the plurality of service flight vehicles wirelessly communicatively connected to the relay flight vehicle, wherein
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to allocate a predetermined communication capacity to the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of the priority set by the priority setting unit.

12. The control device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a priority setting unit which sets a priority of the wireless communication area of each of the plurality of service flight vehicles wirelessly communicatively connected to the relay flight vehicle, wherein
the flight vehicle control unit further controls the relay flight vehicle to allocate a predetermined communication capacity to the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of the priority set by the priority setting unit.

13. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the arrangement determination unit determines arrangement of the relay flight vehicle which relays communication of the one service flight vehicle, of which the wireless communication area formed has the rainfall larger than a predetermined rainfall threshold, among the plurality of service flight vehicles on a basis of the rainfall information included in the weather-related information.

14. The control device accordin

Assignees

• Hapsmobile Inc
• Softbank Corp

Inventors

• Nakazawa Eiji

Classifications

• B64U2101/20

  for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms · CPC title

• B64U50/31

  generated by photovoltaics · CPC title

• B64C39/02

  characterised by special use · CPC title

• H04B7/18504 Primary

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

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title