US 12,308,938 B2
Aerial access network system
Basem Almadani, Dhahran (SA); and Abdurrahman Beg, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Dec. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/085,959.
Prior Publication US 2024/0214058 A1, Jun. 27, 2024
Int. Cl. H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04L 45/745 (2022.01)
CPC H04B 7/18504 (2013.01) [H04L 45/745 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An aerial access network (AAN) system, comprising:
multiple control layer units, multiple forwarding layer units, and multiple access layer units, wherein
a first control layer unit in the multiple control layer units is configured to:
manage a subset of the multiple forwarding layer units and a subset of the multiple access layer units, and
perform first data transmissions between the managed subset of the multiple forwarding layer units and a ground base station;
a first forwarding layer unit in the managed subset of the multiple forwarding layer units is configured to:
be associated with at least one access layer unit in the managed subset of the multiple access layer units, and
perform second data transmissions between the at least one access layer unit and one of the first control layer unit or the ground base station;
a first access layer unit in the at least one access layer unit is configured to be associated with at least one user equipment (UE),
perform third data transmissions between the first forwarding layer unit and the at least one UE,
receive a data packet from the first forwarding layer unit;
determine whether a destination port of the data packet is in a flow table of the first access layer unit:
in response to a determination that the destination port of the data packet is in the flow table of the first access layer unit,
send the data packet through the destination port to one of the at least one UE; and
in response to a determination that the destination port of the data packet is not in the flow table of the first access layer unit,
send the data packet to the first forwarding layer unit.