초록 ▼

A method for communicating and a communications system apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a communications platform and a gateway communicatively coupleable with a terrestrially-based network. The communications platform is disposed in a stratospheric location and transponds informatio

A method for communicating and a communications system apparatus are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a communications platform and a gateway communicatively coupleable with a terrestrially-based network. The communications platform is disposed in a stratospheric location and transponds information between at least one of a plurality of user terminals and the gateway in essentially a bent pipe fashion. The method comprises the steps of receiving a first signal from the user terminal having an antenna in a stratospherically-based communication platform that maintains an apparent position relative to the user terminal within a beamwidth of a user terminal antenna and transponding the first signal from the stratospherically based communications platform to a gateway ground station.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A communications system, comprising: a gateway, communicatively coupleable to a terrestrially-based network; a plurality of communications platforms, each of the plurality of communications platforms disposed in a stratospheric location, for transponding information between a

What is claimed is: 1. A communications system, comprising: a gateway, communicatively coupleable to a terrestrially-based network; a plurality of communications platforms, each of the plurality of communications platforms disposed in a stratospheric location, for transponding information between at least one of a plurality of user terminals and the gateway, wherein the plurality of communications platforms travels on a path having a radius D and wherein a distance between each platform is approximately 8.6 D. 2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the gateway aggregates all data traffic comprising the information between the plurality of user terminals. 3. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the gateway aggregates all data traffic comprising the information between each of the user terminals and the terrestrially-based network. 4. The communications system of claim 1, wherein: the user terminal includes an unsteered user terminal antenna characterizable by a beamwidth; and the communications platform maintains an apparent position relative to the user terminal within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 5. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises more than one communications platform. 6. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the gateway directly communicates with more than one communications platform. 7. The communications system of claim 6, wherein the user terminal communicates with only one communications platform. 8. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal communicates with the communications platform in a first frequency band, and the communications platform communicates with the gateway in a second frequency band. 9. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the stratospheric location of the communications platform is within a predetermined distance of the user terminal to maintain communications between the communications platform and the user terminal. 10. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the gateway comprises a plurality of gateway antennae, separated from each other by a distance sufficient to provide spatial diversity in communicating with the communications platform. 11. The communications system of claim 10, wherein the user terminals communicate with the communications platform using a communication diversity selected from the group comprising: spatial diversity; and polarization diversity. 12. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least two communication platforms in overlapping positions. 13. The communications system of claim 1, wherein each user terminal is associated with a cell and user terminals in overlapping cells communicate with different communications platforms through spatial diversity. 14. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the information is transponded according to a coding technique selected from the group comprising time division multiple access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA). 15. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 16. A communications signal, generated by performing the steps of: receiving a first signal from a user terminal having a user terminal antenna in one of a plurality of stratosphere-based communications platforms travelling on a path having a radius D and wherein a distance between each platform is approximately 8.6 D, wherein the communications platform maintains an apparent position relative to the user terminal within a beamwidth of the user terminal antenna; and transponding the first signal from the one of the stratosphere-based communications platforms to a gateway ground station. 17. The signal of claim 16, wherein the terrestrially-based network is the Internet. 18. The signal of claim 16, wherein the first signal is transmitted in one of a plurality of beams to the gateway ground station having a plurality of antennae disposed to provide spatial diversity among each of the plurality of beams. 19. The communications signal of claim 16, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 20. A method for communicating from a user terminal, comprising: receiving a first signal from the user teal having an antenna in one of a plurality of stratosphere-based communications platforms travelling on a path having a radius D and wherein a distance between each platform is approximately 8.6 D, wherein the communications platform maintains an apparent position relative to the user terminal within a beamwidth of a user terminal antenna; and transponding the first signal from the one of the stratosphere-based communications platforms to a gateway ground station. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of: receiving the first signal from the gateway ground station in the communications platform; and transponding the first signal from the communications platform to a second user terminal. 22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of: transmitting the first signal from the gateway ground station to the terrestrially-based network. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the terrestrially-based network is the Internet. 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the first signal is transponded by one of a plurality of beams to the gateway ground station having a plurality of antennae disposed to provide spatial diversity among each of the plurality of beams. 25. The method of claim 20, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 26. A communications system, comprising: a user terminal for transmitting and receiving data through a terrestrial-based network; and wherein the user terminal communicates with a gateway via a stratospheric-based communications platform transponder disposed on one of a plurality of communications platforms traveling on a path having a radius D and wherein a distance between each platform is approximately 8. 6 D. 27. The communications system of claim 26, wherein: the user terminal includes an unsteered user terminal antenna characterizable by a beamwidth; and the communications platform maintains an apparent position relative to the user terminal within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 28. The communications system of claim 26, wherein the user terminal communicates with the communications platform in a first frequency band, and the communications platform communicates with the gateway in a second frequency band. 29. The communications system of claim 26, wherein the gateway comprises a plurality of gateway antennae, separated from each other by a distance sufficient to provide spatial diversity in communicating with the communications platform. 30. The communications system of claim 29, wherein the distance is at least 200 meters. 31. The communications system of claim 26, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 32. A communications system, comprising: a plurality of communications platforms, each of the communications platforms being located in a substantially geostationary stratospheric location and travelling on a path having a radius D and wherein a distance between each platform is approximately 8.6 D, the communications platform having a transponder for communicating directly with a user terminal, for receiving information from the user terminal and for transmitting information to the user terminal; and a gateway, communicating with the one of the plurality of communications platforms, for coupling the user terminal with a terrestrial-based network through the communications platform. 33. The communications system of claim 32, wherein the system comprises more than one communications platform. 34. The communications system of claim 33, wherein the gateway communicates with more than one communications platform. 35. The communications system of claim 34, wherein the user terminal communicates with only one communications platform. 36. The communications system of claim 32, wherein the user terminal communicates with the communications platform in a first frequency band, and the communications platform communicates with the gateway in a second frequency band. 37. The communications system of claim 32, wherein the stratospheric location of the communications platform is within a predetermined distance of the user terminal to maintain communications between the communications platform and the user terminal. 38. The communications system of claim 32, wherein: the user terminal includes a user terminal antenna characterizable an untrackable beamwidth; and the communications platform stays within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 39. The communications system of claim 32, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 40. A communications signal, generated by performing the steps of: sending a first signal from the user terminal to one of a plurality of stratosphere-based substantially geostationary communications platforms, each traveling on a path having a radius D and each distant from a neighboring platform by approximately 8.6 D; transponding the first signal from the one of the plurality of substantially geostationary stratosphere-based communications platform to a gateway ground station; and transmitting the first signal from the gateway ground station to the terrestrial based network. 41. The communications signal of claim 40, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the user terminal to the stratosphere-based substantially geostationary communications platform by a user terminal antenna characterizable by an untrackable beamwidth, and the communications platform stays within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 42. The communications signal of claim 40, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 43. A method for communicating between a user terminal and a terrestrial-based network, comprising: sending a first signal from the user terminal to one of a plurality of substantially stationary stratosphere-based communications platforms, each traveling on a path living a radius D and each distant from a neighboring platform by approximately 8.6 D; transponding the first signal from the one of the substantially stationary stratosphere-based communications platform to a gateway ground station; and transmitting the first signal from the gateway ground station to the terrestrial based network. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the first signal is sent from the user terminal to the stratosphere-based substantially geostationary communications platform by a user terminal antenna characterizable by an untrackable beamwidth, and the communications platform stays within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 45. The method of claim 43, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed. 46. A communications system, comprising: a user terminal for transmitting and receiving data through a terrestrial-based network, wherein the user the communicates directly with a transponder on one of a plurality of communications platforms located in a substantially geostationary stratospheric location, each of the platforms traveling on a path having a radius D and each distant from a neighboring platform by approximately 8.6 D; and a gateway, communicating with the communications platform, for communicatively coupling the terrestrial based network to the user terminal through the communications platform. 47. The communications system of claim 46, wherein the user terminal comprises a user terminal antenna characterizable by an untrackable beamwidth, and the communications platform stays within the beamwidth of the user terminal antenna. 48. The communications system of claim 46, wherein the communications platforms are hexagonally packed.