COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20150256247A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myriota Pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: University of South Australia (University of Adelaide)
• Inventors: Haley, David Victor Lawrie, Grant, Alexander James, Cowley, William George, McKilliam, Robert George, Pollok, Andre, Davis, Linda Mary, Buetefuer, John Lawrence, Lechner, Gottfried, Land, Ingmar Rudiger, Luppino, Ricky Rocco, Barbulescu, Sorin Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/212 Time-division multiple access [TDMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.

Claims

1. A communication system, including:

a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program;

a plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes;

one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and

a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application program.

2. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes and the user nodes are low power nodes.

3. A communication system according to claim 2 wherein the low power nodes have an EIRP of less than 5 W.

4. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface share the same frequency band and is one of a VHF band interface or a UHF band interface.

7. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes and the user node is reconfigurable as an access node to support communication services with at least one of one or more other gateway nodes and user nodes.

8. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the remote application program includes a sensor network application program, and wherein the message data includes sensor data from one or more sensors of a sensor network in communication with the remote application program.

9. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more access nodes further comprising:

a satellite based access node;

a cellular base station;

or

a wireless access point.

10. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the user node stores the message data received from the remote application program when the one or more access nodes are not available for communication with the user node, and transfers the stored message data to one or more of the access nodes when available for communication with the user node.

11. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein the access node stores the message data received from the user node when none of the one or more geographically distributed gateway nodes are available for communication with the access node, and transfers the stored message data to at least one of the one or more geographically distributed gateway nodes when available for communication with the access node.

12. A communications system according to claim 11 wherein the access node includes an application program which is executable to manipulate the message data received from the user node, and wherein the message data communicated to the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes includes manipulated message data.

13. A communications system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more access nodes, the user node, or one of the geographically distributed gateway nodes includes a software defined radio.

37. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface operates at less than 1 GHz and are substantially the same interface.

39. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes includes at least one omnidirectional antenna.

40. A communication system according to claim 1 wherein the geographically distributed gateway nodes and the access nodes are connected directly to the hub via at least one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface.

45. A communication system according to claim 1 further comprising one or more protected application environments for running at least one of the remote application program and the central application program.

46. A communication system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a protocol stack structure further comprising;

a Physical Layer (PHY);

a Medium Access Control layer (MAC);

a Message Networking Layer (MNL); and

an Application Layer.

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. A communication system comprising:

a central application program operatively associated with one or more remote application programs;

a user node for providing data to the remote application program;

a plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes;

a hub for receiving data from the central application program for communication to the one or more remote application programs and communicating the received data to a selected one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and

one or more access nodes for receiving the data from the selected one or more of the geographically distributed gateway nodes using a first communications interface, and communicating the received data to the user node for the one or more remote application programs using a second communications interface.

17. A communication system according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the geographically distributed gateway nodes and the user node are low power nodes.

18. A communication system according to claim 17 wherein the low power nodes have an EIRP of less than 5 W.

19. A communication system according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the first communications interface and the second communications interface share the same frequency band and is one of a VHF band interface or a UHF band interface.

22. A communication system according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the geographically distributed gateway nodes and user node is reconfigurable as an access node to support communication services with at least one of the one or more other geographically distributed gateway nodes and user nodes.

26. A communications system according to claim 16 wherein the at least one of the one or more access nodes further comprising:

a satellite based access node;

a cellular base station;

or

a wireless access point.

27. A communications system according to claim 16 wherein the selected one of the geographically distributed gateway nodes is selected by the hub according to geographical information associated with each of the one or more geographically distributed gateways and each of the one or more access nodes to reduce latency.

28. A communications system according to claim 27 wherein the selected one of the geographically distributed gateway nodes is selected by the hub to manage load balance.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

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25. (canceled)

29. A communication method comprising:

a user node receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program;

one or more access nodes receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of a plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and

a hub communicating with one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application program.

30. (canceled)

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33. (canceled)

34. A communication method comprising:

providing a plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes;

receiving data by a hub, from a central application program for communication to one or more remote application programs and communicating the received data to a selected one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed nodes;

one or more access nodes receiving data from the selected one or more of the geographically distributed gateway nodes using a first communications interface, and communicating the received data to the one or more remote application programs using a second communications interface.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the one or more access nodes includes a satellite based access node.

36. A method according to claim 34 wherein the selection of the geographically distributed gateway node is based on geographical information indicating an actual or expected geographical position of the one or more access nodes.

38. (canceled)

41. (canceled)

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44. (canceled)