AIRBORNE CONSTELLATION OF COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORMS AND METHOD

• US 20020072361A1
• Filed: 06/29/1999
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Space Data Corporation
• Original Assignee: Space Data Corporation
• Inventors: FRISCHE, ERIC A., KNOBLACH, GERALD M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,628,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/431
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18576 Satellite systems for providing narrowband data service to fixed or mobile stations, e.g. using a minisatellite, a microsatellite for selecting H04W

Abstract

An airborne constellation is disclosed with a plurality of individual lighter-than-air platforms spaced apart above a contiguous geographic area within a predetermined altitude range so that ubiquitous line of sight coverage of the geographic area is provided. Each of the plurality of platforms include an enclosure holding a regulated volume of low density gas for buoyancy of the platforms. Each of the plurality of platforms further includes a signal transmitting device attached to the enclosure by which signals from the platform may be transmitted to the contiguous geographic area.

Claims

1. A floating constellation communications system comprising:

a) a plurality of lighter-than-air platforms, each including an altitude regulator device to control the floating of said platforms within a predetermined altitude range, each platform carrying at least one communications signal transceiver;

b) a plurality of geographically spaced-apart platform launching sites from which said plurality of platforms can be launched;

c) a plurality of ground terminals capable of tracking one or more of said plurality of platforms, said ground terminals capable of transmitting communications signals to and capable of receiving communications signals from at least one of said plurality of communications signal transceivers carried by said plurality of platforms;

d) a network of communications links interconnecting said ground terminals to one another; and

e) a plurality of coded communications devices within a contiguous geographic area, said coded communications devices having communications capabilities compatible with the capabilities of said signal transceivers carried by said platforms.

2. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 further comprising at least one network operations center connected to said network of communications links so that said ground terminals are thereby interconnected to one another and said at least one network operations center comprising circuitry for controlling predetermined operations of said lighter-than-air platforms.

3. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said regulator regulates the floating altitude of said platform to within a predetermined altitude range of between about 60,000 feet and about 140,000 feet.

4. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said regulator is operatively connected to regulate said platform to float within the stratosphere of the Earth.

5. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said predetermined altitude range within which said plurality of platforms are regulated to float comprises a range of about 70,000 feet to about 100,000 feet.

6. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said regulator for regulating the floating of said platform within said predetermined altitude range comprises a quantity of contained gas having a density less than the density of air within said predetermined altitude range and a controllable vent by which a portion of said quantity of gas can be released to reduce the buoyancy of said platform.

7. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said regulator comprises a quantity of high density material carried onboard said platform and a release device by which a portion of said high density matter can be released to increase buoyancy of said platform.

8. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said regulator comprises:

a) a controllable gas vent;

b) a controllable ballast release device;

c) an altitude determining mechanism; and

d) a control signal processor device connected with said transceiver, said altitude determining mechanism, said gas vent and ballast release so that the altitude can be adjusted.

9. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of ground terminals are spaced apart, each comprising one tracking device capable of tracking one or more of said plurality of platforms and further including a transceiver by which said ground terminal is capable of transmitting and receiving communications signals to and from at least one of said plurality of platforms.

10. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 9 wherein said tracking devices comprise:

a) a directional antenna; and

b) a directional antenna aiming mechanism responsive to GPS coordinate data for selectably aiming said directional antenna at selected ones of said plurality of platforms.

11. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 9 wherein said tracking device comprises:

a) a directional antenna; and

b) a directional antenna aiming and gain tracking mechanism for aiming said directional antenna at a selected platform according to communications signal strength between said selected platform and said directional antenna.

12. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 9 wherein at least one of said spaced-apart ground terminals comprises a network operation center from which said plurality of ground terminals receive communications signals through said network of communications links.

13. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 further comprising a network operation center (NOC) connected to said network of communications links, said NOC having communications and control circuitry for processing and selectively directing communications signals and platform control signals to one or more of said ground terminals for communication with one or more of said plurality of platforms.

14. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 13 wherein said NOC is connected to each of said plurality of ground terminals with a “

hub and spoke”

arrangement of communications links.

15. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 13 wherein said NOC is connected to said plurality of ground terminals with a “

mesh”

arrangement of communications links.

16. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said network of communications links interconnecting said ground terminals comprises connections to ground lines.

17. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said network of communications links interconnecting said ground terminals comprises space satellite communications links.

18. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said network of communications links comprises platform-to-platform communications links.

19. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of platforms comprise lighter-than-air devices selected from among balloons, blimps, aerostats, zeppelins, airships, dirigibles, weather balloons, jimspheres, hot air balloons, sounding balloons and meteorological balloons.

20. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of platforms comprise rubber pressure balloons.

21. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said platforms comprise zero-pressure balloons.

22. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said platforms comprise internal air bladder balloons.

23. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said platforms comprise adjustable volume balloons.

24. A floating constellation communications system (CCS) as in claim 1 wherein said platforms comprise hydrogen-filled balloons.

25. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise pagers.

26. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise advanced messaging devices.

27. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise wireless telephones.

28. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise telemetry devices.

29. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise equipment tracking units.

30. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said coded communications devices comprise personnel tracking units.

31. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein:

a) said platform comprises a rapid descent mechanism; and

b) said platform is disposable.

32. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein:

a) said platform comprises a balloon;

b) said platform comprises a rapid descent mechanism; and

c) said balloon is replaceable for recovery and reuse of said transceiver.

33. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) protocol.

34. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) protocol.

35. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol.

36. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using the ReFLEX protocol.

37. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using the Flex protocol.

38. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using the POCSAG paging protocol.

39. A floating CCS as in claim 1 wherein said transceiver comprises circuitry capable of communications using the ERMES paging protocol.

40. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a) an altitude determining mechanism;

b) a source of recent meteorological data, including recent wind velocity and wind direction at given altitudes;

c) controls for adjusting the altitude of said one or more platforms into selected wind velocity and directions determined according to said recent meteorological data so that said one or more platforms are adjustably moved relative to one another according to the wind velocity and direction at the altitudes to which said one or more platforms are adjusted so that spaced-apart distances between one or more of said plurality of platforms may be adjusted to facilitate continuous substantially complete coverage over said contiguous geographic area.

41. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a) an attitude sensor on board each of said plurality of platforms; and

b) a steerable antenna coupled to each of said transceivers and attached to each of said plurality of platforms, said steerable antenna having stabilization controls communicating with said attitude sensors for stabilizing said steerable antenna in a consistently downward direction from said platform to facilitate consistent ground coverage over said contiguous geographic area.

42. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 41 further comprising aim controls operatively associated with said steerable antenna and said attitude sensor for selectably changing the position of the coverage area of said antenna to facilitate filling gaps of coverage over said contiguous geographic area.

43. A floating constellation communications system as in claim 1 wherein said each of said platforms comprise:

a) an unmanned free balloon; and

b) a payload box having a total weight less than six pounds and exterior surfaces with predetermined areas and that has a weight to size ratio of no more than three ounces per square inch on any surface of the package, determined by dividing the total weight in ounces of the payload box by the area in square inches of its smallest exterior surface.

44. A floating constellation communications system comprising:

a) a plurality of lighter-than-air platforms regulated to float within a predetermined altitude range, each platform carrying at least one communications signal transceiver;

b) a plurality of geographically spaced-apart platform launching sites from which said plurality of platforms can be launched;

c) a space satellite and a network of satellite communications links between a plurality of ground terminals capable of said space satellite and of said plurality of platforms, and capable of transmitting communications signals to and receiving communications signals from said plurality of communications signal transceivers carried by said plurality of platforms;

d) a network operations center (NOC) and a satellite communications link between said NOC and said space satellite thereby interconnecting said NOC and said plurality of platforms; and

e) a plurality of coded communications devices within a contiguous geographic area having communications capabilities compatible with capabilities of said communications signal transceivers carried by said plurality of platforms.

46. A floating constellation of communications platforms as in claim 45 wherein said predetermined altitude range comprises altitudes above governmentally regulated commercial airspace.

47. A floating constellation of communications platforms as in claim 45 wherein said predetermined altitude range comprises altitudes above about 60,000 and below about 140,000 feet.

48. A floating constellation of communications platforms as in claim 45 wherein said predetermined altitude range comprises altitudes above about 70,000 feet and below about 100,000 feet.

49. A floating constellation of communications platforms as in claim 45 wherein said altitude regulator further comprises:

a) a first quantity of low density gas;

b) a device for determining the altitude of said platform; and

c) a vent for releasing a portion of said low density matter when said determined altitude is within said predetermined range.

50. A floating constellation as in claim 45 wherein said altitude regulator further comprises:

a) a quantity of high density material;

b) a device for determining the altitude of said platform; and

c) a material release mechanism for releasing a portion of said quantity of high density material when said determined altitude of said platform is within said predetermined altitude range;

51. A floating constellation as in claim 50 wherein said device for determining the altitude of said platform comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

52. A floating constellation as in claim 51 wherein said device for determining the altitude of said platform comprise a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

45. A floating constellation of communications platforms comprising:

a) a plurality of separately launchable lighter-than-air platforms capable of initially ascending into the Earth'"'"'s atmosphere after being launched;

b) each of said plurality of platforms further comprising an altitude regulator operatively connected to regulate each of said platforms to float within a predetermined altitude range after initial ascent; and

c) a communications signal transceiver carried by each of said plurality of platforms.

53. A floating constellation of communications platforms comprising:

a) a first plurality of airborne platforms regulatable to ascend and float in the air for a period of time within a predetermined range of altitudes, said first plurality of airborne platforms ascending at a first time from geographically spaced-apart locations;

b) a next plurality of airborne platforms regulatable to ascend and float in the air within said predetermined range of altitudes, said next plurality of airborne platforms ascending at a next time from said geographically spaced-apart locations;

c) a rapid deflation system for removing said airborne platforms from the air upon malfunction or improper location of said airborne platform;

d) at least one platform communications signal transceiver attached to each of said airborne platforms;

e) a plurality of geographically spaced-apart ground transceivers capable of communication with said airborne platform;

f) a network of communications links interconnecting said plurality of ground transceivers; and

g) a plurality of coded devices having communications capabilities corresponding to the capabilities of said platforms and selectably addressable by communications signals from said platforms.

54. A floating constellation of communications platforms comprising:

a) a plurality of airborne platforms regulatable to float within an adjustable altitude range and spaced apart to provide substantially ubiquitous line-of-sight coverage over a contiguous geographic area;

b) said plurality of airborne platforms including a plurality of communications transceivers, at least one of said plurality of communications transceivers carried by each of said plurality of airborne platforms;

c) a plurality of ground terminals spaced-apart over said contiguous geographic area for maintaining substantially ubiquitous line-of-sight signal communications between said communications devices of said plurality of airborne platforms and said ground terminals;

d) a network of communications links interconnecting said plurality of ground terminals; and

e) a plurality of coded devices capable of communications with said plurality of communications transceiver and addressable from one or more of said plurality of platform-carried communications transceivers.

55. A constellation of communications platforms, as in claim 54, further comprising a plurality of trackers operatively connected to said ground terminals to track movement of said airborne platforms over said geographic area and to direct signals between a connected one of said ground terminals and one of said communications platforms.

57. An airborne constellation as in claim 56 wherein said volume is regulated to vent gas when said platform rises above said predetermined altitude range.

58. An airborne constellation as in claim 56 further comprising a ballast release mechanism by which ballast may be selectably released to slow descent or to raise the platform.

59. An airborne constellation as in claim 56 wherein said predetermined altitude range is between about 70,000-100,000 feet.

60. An airborne constellation as in claim 59 wherein said enclosure holds a volume of hydrogen sufficiently large to cause said platform to rise to at least above 70,000 feet and further comprising a vent in said enclosure and a regulator attached to said vent to release a portion of said hydrogen to maintain said platform within said predetermined altitude range.

56. An airborne constellation comprising:

a) a plurality of individual lighter-than-air platforms spaced apart above a contiguous geographic area so that substantially ubiquitous line of sight coverage of said geographic area is provided;

b) each of said plurality of platforms comprising an enclosure holding a regulated volume of low density gas so that the total density of said platform is lower than the atmospheric air up to a predetermined altitude range; and

c) each of said plurality of platforms further comprising a signal transmitting device attached to said enclosure by which signals from said platform may be transmitted to said contiguous geographic area.

61. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform comprising:

a) a low density gas enclosure for holding a quantity of low density gas;

b) a transceiver attached to said enclosure including electronic circuitry and an onboard electrical power source; and

c) an altitude regulator attached to said platform to regulate the altitude of said platform within a predetermined altitude range, said altitude regulator comprising;

i) an altitude determining mechanism;

ii) a controllable vent from said gas enclosure and vent controls operatively coupled with said altitude determining mechanism for venting of gas for regulating the altitude of said platform; and

iii) a controllable ballast release attached to said platform and ballast controls coupled with said altitude determining mechanism to release ballast for regulating the altitude of said platform.

62. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said low density gas enclosure comprises an enclosure for holding a quantity of hydrogen as said low density gas, and wherein said on-board electrical power source comprises a fuel cell interconnected with said hydrogen gas enclosure for receiving hydrogen as a component of the fuel for said fuel cell.

63. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said transceiver further comprises a steerable antenna attached to said transceiver and further comprising:

a) an attitude sensor; and

b) stabilization controls operatively connected to direct said steerable antenna in a consistently downward direction from said communications platform.

64. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said transceiver further comprises a steerable antenna attached to said transceiver and further comprising:

a) an attitude sensor; and

b) aiming controls operatively associated with said steerable antenna and said attitude sensor for selectably changing and maintaining the position of the ground coverage area of said steerable antenna.

65. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said controllable vent and vent controls operatively coupled thereto further comprise at least one Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) element mechanically coupled to said control vent and operatively connected to said electrical power source for selectively receiving and not receiving electrical power to thereby selectably change the length of said NiTi element for opening and closing said controllable vent.

66. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said controllable ballast release and ballast controls coupled thereto further comprise a NiTi element operatively connected to said electrical power source for selectably receiving and not receiving electrical power to shorten and lengthen said NiTi element thereby selectably releasing ballast.

67. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 further comprising a meteorological package connected to said platform through a fiber optic link to said transceiver thereby reducing the possibilities of electrical arcing between said meteorological package and said transceiver when said platform moves through electrically charged clouds.

68. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 67 and said controllable ballast release further comprises a device for releasing said meteorological package as ballast.

69. An altitude regulated lighter-than-air communications platform as in claim 61 wherein said low density gas enclosure further comprises a rubber balloon having an internal coating to facilitate reduced gas diffusion through said rubber balloon.