System, control apparatus, computer readable storage medium, and control method

A control apparatus mounted on a flying object for providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal within a cell formed by irradiating a beam toward a ground, and configured to control the flying object, comprising:

• a beacon signal transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including rank information representing that the flying object is at a first rank when wirelessly connected with a gateway on a ground, the rank information representing that the flying object is at a second rank lower than the first rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the first rank, and the rank information representing that the flying object is at a third rank lower than the second rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the second rank;
• a radio wave strength measurement unit for measuring, when wirelessly connected with any of a plurality of flying objects, strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects;
• a flying object identification unit for identifying a plurality of flying objects from which the strength of the radio wave received is more than a predetermined threshold;
• and
• a connection target determination unit for determining a flying object with which wireless connection is to be performed, from the plurality of flying objects identified by the flying object identification unit and based on strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects and a rank of the each of the plurality of flying objects.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that causes a computer to function as a control apparatus mounted on a flying object for providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal within a cell formed by irradiating a beam toward a ground, and configured to control the flying object, comprising:

• a beacon signal transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including rank information representing that the flying object is at a first rank when wirelessly connected with a gateway on a ground, the rank information representing that the flying object is at a second rank lower than the first rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the first rank, and the rank information representing that the flying object is at a third rank lower than the second rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the second rank;
• a radio wave strength measurement unit for measuring, when wirelessly connected with any of a plurality of flying objects, strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects;
• a flying object identification unit for identifying a plurality of flying objects from which the strength of the radio wave received is more than a predetermined threshold;
• and
• a connection target determination unit for determining a flying object with which wireless connection is to be performed, from the plurality of flying objects identified by the flying object identification unit and based on strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects and a rank of the each of the plurality of flying objects.

A control method to be executed by a control apparatus mounted on a flying object for providing a wireless communication service to a user terminal within a cell formed by irradiating a beam toward a ground, and configured to control the flying object, comprising:

• wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including rank information representing that the flying object is at a first rank when wirelessly connected with a gateway on a ground, the rank information representing that the flying object is at a second rank lower than the first rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the first rank, and the rank information representing that the flying object is at a third rank lower than the second rank when wirelessly connected with another flying object being at the second rank;
• measuring, when wirelessly connected with any of a plurality of flying objects, strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects;
• identifying a plurality of flying objects from which the strength of the radio wave received is stronger than a predetermined threshold;
• and
• determining a connection target by determining a flying object with which wireless connection is to be performed, from the plurality of flying objects identified in the identifying the plurality of flying objects, and based on strength of a radio wave received from each of the plurality of flying objects and a rank of the each of the plurality of flying objects.