Architecture for observing a plurality of objects arranged in geographically separate locations and method of collecting the associated observation data

• US 10,164,703 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales
• Original Assignee: Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales
• Inventors: Peragin, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Application Number:
  US15/511,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Disclosed is an architecture for observing a plurality of objects arranged in geographically separate locations, including: a processing center connected to a global computer network, and at least one airliner. The at least one airlines includes: a cabin system including a local network, a first external communication module, a second external communication module, and an intermediate communication module connected to the first external communication module by the local network and to the second external communication module by the local network, the intermediate communication module communicating digital data including observation data between the second external communication module and the first external communication module via the local network.

Claims

1. An architecture for observing a plurality of objects arranged in geographically separate locations, including:

for each object, an electronic beacon including an observation unit generating at least one observation datum relative to the corresponding object, and a transmission unit sending a radio signal corresponding to at least one generated observation datum,

a processing center connected to a global computer network,

at least one airliner, including;

a cabin system including a local network,

a first external communication module communicating with the processing center via the global computer network,

a second external communication module defining a visibility domain of the airliner for receiving and sending radio signals, and receiving from at least one electronic beacon found in the visibility domain of the airliner, at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation datum, and

an intermediate communication module connected to the first external communication module by the local network and to the second external communication module by the local network, the intermediate communication module communicating digital data comprising observation data between the second external communication module and the first external communication module via the local network.

2. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate communication module communicating with the second external communication module to collect each received observation datum, and with the first external communication module to send all of the collected observation data to the processing center via the global computer network.

3. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein:

the airliner further includes a computer ; and

the intermediate communication module is software executed by the computer.

4. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein the cabin system is an in-flight entertainment system and wherein the local network is a local multimedia network sending multimedia data, and wherein:

the in-flight entertainment system further includes at least one multimedia terminal connected to the local multimedia network,

the intermediate communication module is software executed from the at least one multimedia terminal.

5. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate communication module is a portable computer including connector technology for connecting to the local network.

6. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic beacon includes a control unit controlling the operation of the transmission unit according to a plurality of predetermined transmission rules.

7. The architecture according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one electronic beacon further includes a storage unit storing a passage table comprising at least one time range within which the corresponding electronic beacon is found in the visibility domain of the airliner,

the transmission rules comprise sending at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation datum in at least one time range determined by the passage table.

8. The architecture according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one electronic beacon further includes a receiving unit able to receive at least one radio signal corresponding to a transmission setpoint, and

the transmission rules comprise sending at least one radio signal corresponding to an observation datum after receiving the transmission setpoint.

9. The architecture according to claim 8, wherein the radio signal corresponding to a transmission setpoint is sent by the second external communication module in the visibility domain of the airliner.

10. The architecture according to claim 6, wherein:

the at least one electronic beacon further includes a receiving unit receiving at least one radio signal corresponding to a control setpoint, and

the control unit is processing the control setpoint received by the receiving unit to modify at least certain transmission rules.

11. The architecture according to claim 10, wherein the radio signal corresponding to a control setpoint is sent by the second external communication module in the visibility domain of the airliner.

12. The architecture according to claim 1, further including a communication station communicating with a group of electronic beacons to collect observation data generated by each of the electronic beacons in the group, the intermediate communication module being able to communicating with the communication station to collect the observation data collected by the communication station.

13. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein the first external communication module is connected to the global computer network via one or several satellites.

14. The architecture according to claim 1, wherein:

each transmission unit sending radio signals according to a predetermined transmission protocol according to at least one bandwidth, and

at least certain transmission protocols and/or bandwidths used by different transmission units are different.

15. A method for collecting observation data implemented by the observation architecture according to claim 1, including the following steps:

the observation unit generates an observation datum from at least one electronic beacon found in the visibility domain of the airliner,

the corresponding transmission unit sends at least one radio signal corresponding to the observation datum,

the second external communication module receives at least one radio signal,

the received radio signal is converted into the corresponding observation datum and the observation datum is sent to the intermediate communication module via the local network,

the observation datum is sent to the first external communication module by the intermediate communication module via the local network, and

the observation datum is sent to the processing center by the first external communication module via the global computer network.