US 12,445,191 B2
Multiple layer multiple altitude 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 May 15, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/209,465.
Application 19/209,465 is a continuation of application No. 18/085,959, filed on Dec. 21, 2022, granted, now 12,308,938.
Prior Publication US 2025/0274190 A1, Aug. 28, 2025
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
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 the control layer units comprise airships and the forwarding layer units comprise UAVs, and the airships of the control layer units are at a higher attitude than UAVs of the forwarding layer units;
further 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.