Method for Propagating Messages in a Communication Network to a Satellite Network

• US 20130029593A1
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Calmettes, Thibaud, Monnerat, Michel, Karouby, Phillippe
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service

Abstract

A method is provided for propagating messages in a communication network to a satellite network, the communication network being made up of a set of users and the satellite network comprising at least one satellite, the set of users comprising a sender and a recipient, said recipient being intended to send to the satellite network an initial message originating from the sender, at least one satellite of the satellite network being visible to said recipient, in which each user determines a number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient and periodically sends a message comprising said number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient, and said initial message being sent by the sender to the visible user having the lowest possible number of necessary intermediaries, called optimal intermediary, said optimal intermediary becoming, in turn, sender and sending the initial message, the operation being repeated until the recipient is reached.

Claims

1. A method for propagating messages in a communication network to a satellite network, the communication network being made up of a set of users and the satellite network comprising at least one satellite, the set of users comprising a sender and a recipient, said recipient being intended to send to the satellite network an initial message originating from the sender, at least one satellite of the satellite network being visible to said recipient, that is to say able to receive a message sent by said recipient, each user being able to send a message with a range such that a subset of visible users can receive said messages, and said message being able to be transmitted from user to user, so that, the sender sending the initial message, said initial message can be transmitted to the recipient by passing through a certain number of intermediary users,

each user determines determining a number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient and periodically sends a message comprising said number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient, and in that said initial message is sent by the sender to the visible user having the lowest possible number of necessary intermediaries, called optimal intermediary, said optimal intermediary becoming, in turn, sender and sending the initial message, the operation being repeated until the recipient is reached.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the users are aircraft and/or ground stations.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which at least some of the users have a fixed position known to the sender.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users comprises the position of the user concerned.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users also comprises the speed of the user concerned.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users also comprises the heading of the user concerned.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users also comprises information on a duration of validity during which the number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient contained in said message for the user concerned is valid.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users also comprises a future number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient after said duration of validity has elapsed, said future number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient having its own duration of validity.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the message sent periodically by the set of users also comprises a succession of future numbers of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient after said duration of validity has elapsed, each future number of intermediaries needed to reach the recipient having its own duration of validity.

10. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sender (E) determines, in real time, the estimated position of the users of the communication network and dynamically determines the shortest path by which the initial message can reach the recipient by passing through the lowest possible number of intermediaries.