Systems and methods for creating radio routes and transmitting data via orbiting and non-orbiting nodes

A method for creating a radio route in a communication system comprising plural terrestrial nodes by connecting two of said terrestrial nodes via one or more aerial nodes, each of said terrestrial nodes and said aerial nodes including a plurality of antennas for transmitting and receiving radio signals in multiple different directions, the method comprising:

• (a) in a first time slot, sending from said terrestrial nodes initial information signals for receipt by first tier aerial nodes, said initial information signals including an address of the sending terrestrial node;
• (b) in a second time slot, (1) determining a quality associated with each initial information signal received by a first tier aerial node, wherein said quality comprises a parameter indicating the suitability of an aerial node for incorporation in a radio route for transmitting data to the sending terrestrial node, and (2) storing at first tier aerial nodes that received an initial information signal the identity of the antenna on which the highest quality initial information signal was received and the address of the particular terrestrial node associated therewith;
• (c) in a third time slot, transmitting first tier routing messages from plural antennas of said first tier aerial nodes, wherein each said first tier routing message includes the quality of said highest quality initial information signal received from a particular terrestrial node and the terrestrial node address associated therewith;
• (d) in a fourth time slot, (1) determining a first tier composite quality associated with (i) the quality of a first tier routing message received by a further node and (ii) the initial information signal quality included in said first tier routing message, and (2) storing at said further nodes the identity of the antenna associated with the highest first tier composite quality, wherein said third and fourth time slots comprise a first N interval (N=1);
• (e) in a fifth time slot, transmitting second tier routing messages from plural antennas of further aerial nodes that received first tier routing messages, wherein said further aerial nodes comprise second tier aerial nodes and said second tier routing messages include said highest first tier composite quality and the sending terrestrial node address associated therewith;
• (f) in a sixth time slot, (1) determining a second tier composite quality associated with (i) the quality of each second tier routing message received by another node and (ii) the first tier composite quality included in said second tier routing message, and (2) storing at other nodes that received a second tier routing message the identity of the antenna associated with the highest second tier composite quality, wherein said fifth and sixth time slots define a second N interval (N=2);
• (g) in subsequent intervals beginning with N=3, each interval comprising a transmitting time slot ty followed by a determining time slot dN:
• (g1) transmitting in each said transmitting time slot tN, N-tier routing messages from plural antennas of further aerial nodes that received (N-1)-tier routing messages, wherein said further aerial nodes comprise N-tier aerial nodes and said N-tier routing messages include said highest (N-1) tier composite quality and the sending terrestrial node address associated therewith, and
• (g2) determining in each said determining time slot dN, an N-tier composite quality associated with (i) the quality of each N tier routing message received by another node and (ii) the (N-1) tier composite quality included in said N tier routing message, and storing at said other nodes the identity of the antenna associated with the highest N tier composite quality;
• (h) incrementing N by one and repeating step (g);
• and
• (i) after performing step (h) a predetermined number of times, selecting at said terrestrial nodes that received routing messages an antenna for transmitting data addressed to a sending terrestrial node, said selected antenna being associated with said sending terrestrial node address included in the highest N-tier composite quality received by each said terrestrial node.

A method for creating a radio route in a communication system comprising plural terrestrial nodes by connecting two of said terrestrial nodes via one or more aerial nodes, each of said terrestrial nodes and said aerial nodes including a plurality of antennas for transmitting and receiving radio signals in multiple different directions, the method comprising:

• (a) in an initial time slot, sending initial information signals from plural terrestrial nodes including an address of the sending terrestrial node, said initial information signals being sent in n sequential segments from terrestrial nodes in each of n groups thereof;
• (b) in a subsequent segment of said initial time slot, (1) determining a quality associated with initial information signals received by the aerial nodes, said quality indicating the suitability of an aerial node for incorporation in a radio route for transmitting data to the sending terrestrial node, and (2) storing at said aerial nodes the identity of the antenna on which the highest quality initial information signal was received and the address and group associated with said terrestrial node;
• (c) in a first time slot (N=1) after said initial time slot, transmitting first round routing messages from plural antennas of aerial nodes in n sequential segments corresponding to the groups associated with the initial information signals received by said aerial nodes, said first round routing messages including the quality of said highest quality initial information signal received by the aerial node from a particular terrestrial node and the address and group associated with said terrestrial node;
• (d) in a subsequent segment of said first time slot, (1) determining at each further node that received a first round routing message a first round combined quality associated with the quality of each received first round routing message and the initial information signal quality included in said first round routing message, and (2) storing at said further nodes the identity of the antenna associated with the highest first round combined quality;
• (e) in a second time slot N=2, transmitting second round routing messages from plural antennas of aerial nodes in n sequential segments corresponding to the groups associated with the first round routing messages received by said aerial nodes, said second round routing messages including the first round combined quality and the address and group associated with said terrestrial node included in said first round routing messages;
• (f) in subsequent time slots beginning with N=3, each time slot comprising n transmitting time slots ty followed by a determining time slot dN:
• (f1) transmitting in each said transmitting time slot ty, N-round routing messages from plural antennas of further aerial nodes that received (N-1)-round routing messages in n sequential segments corresponding to the groups of the received (N-1)-round routing messages, wherein said further aerial nodes comprise N-round aerial nodes and said N-round routing messages include said highest (N-1) round combined quality and the sending terrestrial node address and group associated therewith, and
• (f2) determining in each said determining time slot dN, an N-round combined quality associated with (i) the quality of each N round routing message received by another node and (ii) the (N-1) round combined quality included in said N-round routing message, and storing at said other nodes the identity of the antenna associated with the highest N round combined quality;
• (g) incrementing N by one and repeating step (f);
• and
• (h) after performing step (g) a predetermined number of times, selecting at said terrestrial nodes that received routing messages an antenna for transmitting data addressed to a sending terrestrial node, said selected antenna being associated with said sending terrestrial node address included in the highest N-tier combined quality received by each said terrestrial node.