US 12,278,664 B1
Aerial networks with hybrid communication links
Ian Mclinden, Eden Prairie, MN (US); and Jordan Bonney, Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Assigned to Architecture Technology Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Filed by Architecture Technology Corporation, Eden Prairie, MN (US)
Filed on Nov. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/986,689.
Application 17/986,689 is a continuation of application No. 17/587,859, filed on Jan. 28, 2022, granted, now 11,563,488.
Application 17/587,859 is a continuation of application No. 16/749,779, filed on Jan. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,277,203, issued on Mar. 15, 2022.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04B 10/114 (2013.01); H04B 10/516 (2013.01); H04B 10/66 (2013.01); H04L 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 10/1143 (2013.01) [H04B 10/516 (2013.01); H04B 10/66 (2013.01); H04L 1/0061 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A network system comprising:
a free space optical (FSO) transmitter configured to transmit and direct optical signals through free space;
an FSO receiver configured to receive the optical signals; and
a processor configured to modulate data signals and provide modulated data signals for transmission to the FSO transmitter and to a second transmitter configured to transmit electromagnetic signals, wherein the processor is configured to demodulate the received optical signals and to demodulate electromagnetic signals received by a second receiver,
wherein the processor is configured to define a first point-to-point connection and a second point-to-point connection to communicatively couple a plurality of aerial communications platforms within a geographic area represented by a virtual geographic area defined by the processor,
wherein the processor is further configured to determine a network resource of each of multiple paths for point-to-point connections for line-of-sight communications available in a network using a terrain defined by the virtual geographic area for the geographic area, before a point-to-point connection is established to a given path identified based on the network resource of the given path for the line-of-sight communication.