Instantaneous wireless network established by simultaneously descending parafoils

• US 9,331,773 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Bordetsky, Alex, Yakimenko, Oleg, Bourakov, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Bednash, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/224,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20140204801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/00 Parachutes non canopied parachutes B64D19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 17/025 for gliding chutes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0684 on a moving platform, e.g. aircraft carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/105 specially adapted for unpowered flight, e.g. glider, parachuting, forced landing parachutes per se B64D17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A method is described that involves establishing a wireless network between a wireless access node of an existing network and a remote location by wirelessly linking a plurality of electronic processing circuits each transported by a respective parafoil. The wirelessly linked processing circuits are to route packets from the wireless access node to the remote location.

Claims

1. A method of establishing an airborne wireless network between a first network and a second network comprising:

establishing a plurality of loiter areas between a first location and a second location, where an access point to the first network is present at the first location and where an access point to the second network is present at the second location, and where each loiter area in the plurality of loiter areas is an area in (x, y) space;

deploying a plurality of airborne parafoil units, where each airborne parafoil unit comprises a parafoil and a payload assembly. where the payload assembly comprises wireless network interface circuitry, and where the payload assembly comprises a left trailing line attached to the parafoil, a right trailing line attached to the parafoil, a first actuator connected to the right trailing line, a second actuator connected to the left trailing line, a control unit comprising a trajectory planning unit, and one or more sensors providing an (x, y, z) spatial position of the each airborne parafoil unit, where the control unit is in data communication with the one or more sensors, in data communication with the first actuator, and in data communication with the second actuator, and where the control unit issues control signals to the first actuator and the second actuator based on a difference between the (x, y, z) spatial position reported by the plurality of sensors and a desired flight path reported by the trajectory unit;

positioning the plurality of airborne parafoil units by,

programming the trajectory unit of an individual parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units to report the desired flight path of the individual airborne parafoil unit as a helical descent path defined by (x, y, z) coordinates, where every (x, y, z) coordinate defining the helical descent path projects within the area in (x, y) space of a specific loiter area,

allowing the control unit maintain the individual parafoil unit in the helical descent through control signals issued to the first actuator and the second actuator and,

continuing the programming step and the allowing step until a helical descent path of at least one individual parafoil unit projects to the area in (x, y) space of every loiter area in the plurality of loiter areas;

establishing the airborne wireless network by generating wireless links among the plurality of airborne parafoil units to route packets from a first airborne parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units to a second airborne parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units, and generating a wireless link between the first airborne parafoil unit and the first network and between the second airborne parafoil unit and the second network, thereby establishing the airborne wireless network between the first network and the second network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said wireless network is established while said parafoils are descending.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising causing said wireless network to be no longer operative before said parafoils land.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending notice to said remote location that communication to said remote location is desired.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring routing tables of said electronic processing circuits.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating an imaginary path between the first location and the second location, and where defining the plurality of loiter areas comprises locating each loiter area over the imaginary path by locating the each loiter area so that some portion of the imaginary path projects to the area in (x, y) space of the each loiter area.

7. The method of claim 6 where establishing the airborne wireless network comprises:

determining the closest airborne parafoil unit to the first location and designating the closest airborne parafoil unit to the first location as the first airborne parafoil unit;

determining the closest airborne parafoil unit to the second location and designating the closest airborne parafoil unit to the second location as the second airborne parafoil unit;

establishing a wireless link between the first airborne parafoil unit to a subsequent parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units, where the subsequent parafoil unit is between the first airborne parafoil unit and the second location and where the subsequent parafoil unit is the nearest airborne parafoil unit to the first airborne parafoil unit among all airborne parafoil units between the first airborne parafoil unit and the second location; and

continuing the establishing the wireless link step using the subsequent parafoil unit as the first airborne parafoil unit until the second airborne parafoil unit has been utilized as the subsequent airborne parafoil unit.

8. The method of claim 7 where a single helical descent path projects to the area in (x, y) space of each loiter area in the plurality of loiter areas.

9. A method of establishing an airborne wireless network between a first network and a second network comprising:

defining a plurality of loiter areas between a first location and a second location, where an access point to the first network is present at the first location and where an access point to the second network is present at the second location, and where each loiter area in the plurality of loiter areas is an area in (x, y) space;

deploying a plurality of airborne parafoil units, where each airborne parafoil unit comprises a parafoil and a payload assembly, where the payload assembly comprises wireless network interface circuitry, and where the payload assembly comprises a left trailing line attached to the parafoil, a right trailing line attached to the parafoil, a first actuator connected to the right trailing line, a second actuator connected to the left trailing line, a control unit comprising a trajectory planning unit, and one or more sensors providing an (x, y, z) spatial position of the airborne parafoil unit, where the control unit is in data communication with the one or more sensors, in data communication with the first actuator, and in data communication with the second actuator, and where the control unit issues control signals to the first actuator and the second actuator based on a difference between the (x, y, z) spatial position reported by the plurality of sensors and a desired flight path reported by the trajectory unit;

positioning the plurality of airborne parafoil units by,

programming the trajectory unit of an individual parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units to report the desired flight path of the individual airborne parafoil unit as a helical descent path defined by (x, y, z) coordinates, where every (x, y, z) coordinate defining the helical descent path projects within the area in (x, y) space of a specific loiter area,

allowing the control unit to maintain the individual parafoil unit in the helical descent through control signals issued to the first actuator and the second actuator and,

continuing the programming step and the allowing step until a helical descent path of at least one individual parafoil unit projects to the area in (x, y) space of every loiter area in the plurality of loiter areas;

determining the closest airborne parafoil unit to the first location and designating the closest airborne parafoil unit to the first location as the first airborne parafoil unit, and determining the closest airborne parafoil unit to the second location and designating the closest airborne parafoil unit to the second location as the second airborne parafoil unit; and

generating the airborne wireless network by;

generating a wireless link from the first airborne parafoil unit to the first network;

establishing a wireless link between the first airborne parafoil unit to a subsequent parafoil unit in the plurality of airborne parafoil units, where the subsequent parafoil unit is between the first airborne parafoil unit and the second location and where the subsequent parafoil unit s the nearest airborne parafoil unit to the first airborne parafoil unit among all airborne parafoil units between the first airborne parafoil unit and the second location;

continuing the establishing the wireless link step using the subsequent parafoil unit as the first airborne parafoil unit until the second airborne parafoil unit has been utilized as the subsequent airborne parafoil unit; and

generating a wireless link from the second airborne parafoil unit to the second network, thereby establishing the wireless network between the first network and the second network.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating an imaginary path between the first location and the second location, and where defining the plurality of loiter areas comprises locating each loiter area over the imaginary path; and

generating the airborne wireless network while the plurality of airborne parafoil units are descending.