FR3041839A1 - ARCHITECTURE FOR OBSERVING A PLURALITY OF OBJECTS THROUGH SEVERAL AEROSPATIOUS MACHINERY AND ASSOCIATED OBSERVATION DATA COLLECTION METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

This observation architecture comprises for each object (Oij), an electronic tag (Bij), at least one terrestrial server (15,16) capable of processing digital data and a plurality of aerospace devices (Ai). Each aerospace machine (Ai) comprises a storage module and a first communication module. The first communication module of at least one aerospace machine (Ai), said aerospace collection device, is adapted to receive at least one electronic beacon (Bij) when it is in the visibility range of this device. aerospace machine (Ai), at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation datum. At least one of the aerospace machines (Ai), said aerospace relay machine, further comprises a second communication module capable of transmitting to a terrestrial server (15, 16) digital data stored in the storage module.

Description

Architecture for observing a plurality of objects via a plurality of aerospace machines and method for collecting associated observation data

The present invention relates to an observation architecture of a plurality of objects arranged in geographical locations distinct from one or more observation zones.

Such an architecture makes it possible in particular to collect observation data relating to objects remote from a data processing center and possibly located in geographical locations that are difficult to access by other means of radio or computer link.

Each object includes any living or non-living object whose remote observation is of interest for scientific, commercial, military, and other purposes.

Such an object is, for example, an animal of an endangered species moving in a predetermined geographical area. The observation of this animal can then include the analysis of geographic coordinates of its movements, or the temperature of its body.

Another example of such an object is a predetermined ground zone whose humidity is observed for agricultural purposes, in particular for watering adapted to plants grown in this zone.

According to yet another example, such an object is a meter of gas, electricity or water whose readings are observed at a distance.

There exist in the state of the art, different observation architectures for collecting observation data relating to these objects.

To do this, it is known the use of electronic tags associated with each of these objects and for generating and transmit to the processing center the observation data relating to each of the objects.

In general, the transmission of these data to the processing center is effected by means of radio signals in a predetermined bandwidth, in particular using low-orbiting satellites. This is particularly the case of ARGOS observation architectures.

There are also observation architectures allowing the transmission of observation data via terrestrial networks, advantageously via existing terrestrial networks such as those used for example in mobile telephony. Among these networks, mention may be made of networks of 3G, 4G, LTE (Long Term Evolution) or other types.

Some of these architectures present mixed solutions allowing the transmission of data via terrestrial networks and satellites.

Thus, for these different types of architecture, each electronic beacon is provided with a transmission unit for transmitting radio signals corresponding to observation data to one or more traveling satellites or terrestrial receivers at a frequency included in the corresponding bandwidth.

After receiving a radio signal corresponding to these data, the or each satellite or terrestrial receiver retransmits the information collected on the ground via receiving stations. The data is then routed to treatment centers through specialized data communications networks or the internet.

The processing of these data generally comprises an initial step of extracting the observation data generated by the electronic beacons from the radio signal received and transmitted by the satellite.

However, the existing solutions are not completely satisfactory.

In particular, with regard to satellite networks, the radiated power of the radio signals by electronic beacon transmission units corresponding to the objects of observation, must be relatively high so that these signals can be detected by the satellite or satellites located on the satellite networks. important altitudes.

To achieve such transmission power, the emission units are provided with a relatively powerful power source and an antenna whose performance is critical.

In addition, the coverage area of a satellite comprises an area of a few thousand square kilometers which sometimes makes it difficult to extract observation data from a radio signal retrieved by this satellite.

Indeed, when the number of electronic beacons in the coverage area of the satellite exceeds the processing or discrimination capacity of the satellite and / or receiving stations, the observation data can no longer be received normally.

For terrestrial networks, coverage is generally very limited.

The object of the present invention is to propose an observation architecture making it possible to use electronic beacons of less demanding performance, while being able to process a large number of observation data simultaneously and ensuring a good coverage of the surface and of the earth's atmosphere. To this end, the subject of the invention is an observation architecture of a plurality of objects arranged in geographical locations distinct from one or more observation zones, comprising for each object, an electronic beacon comprising a d observation capable of generating at least one observation datum relating to the corresponding object, and a transmission unit able to transmit a radio signal corresponding to at least one generated observation datum; at least one terrestrial server capable of processing digital data; a plurality of aerospace machines, each aerospace machine comprising a digital data storage module and a first communication module defining a field of visibility of the aerospace machine in reception and / or transmission of radio signals and being able to communicate with at least one other aerospace machine when it is in the visibility range of the corresponding aerospace machine, by receiving digital data from this aerospace machine to store them in the storage module and / or by transmitting digital data stored in the storage module to this aerospace machine, in the form of radio signals; the first communication module of at least one aerospace machine, said aerospace collection device, being able to receive at least one electronic beacon when it is in the visibility range of this aerospace machine, at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation data for storing it in the storage module in the form of a digital data item; at least one aerospace machine, said aerospace relay machine, further comprising a second communication module capable of transmitting to at least one terrestrial server digital data stored in the storage module.

According to other advantageous aspects of the invention, the observation architecture comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in any technically possible combination: at least one of the aerospace apparatus is an aircraft; said aircraft is an aerostat such as a balloon or an airship; said aircraft is an aerodyne such as an airplane or a drone; at least one of the aerospace machines is a satellite; several aerospace machines are aerostats, each aerostat being associated in a substantially static or mobile manner with a predetermined observation zone; the first communication module and the second communication module of at least one aerospace machine, form a single communication module able to communicate via radio signals with at least one electronic beacon, at least one other aerospace machine or at least one terrestrial server when this beacon, this aerospace machine or this server is in the field of visibility of the corresponding aerospace machine. at least one electronic beacon comprises a control unit able to control the operation of the transmission unit according to a plurality of predetermined transmission rules; at least one electronic beacon further comprises a storage unit capable of storing a transit table comprising at least one time slot in which the corresponding electronic beacon is in the aerospace machine's visibility range; transmission comprises transmitting at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation datum in at least one predetermined time slot; at least one electronic beacon furthermore comprises a reception unit able to receive at least one radio signal corresponding to a transmission instruction, and the transmission rules comprise the transmission of at least one radio signal corresponding to an observation data item after receiving the transmission instruction; - The radio signal corresponding to a transmission setpoint is adapted to be transmitted by the first communication module in the field of visibility of the corresponding aerospace machine; at least one electronic beacon further comprises a reception unit able to receive at least one radio signal corresponding to a control setpoint, and the control unit is able to process the piloting instruction received by the control unit; receiving to modify the operation of the control unit; the radio signal corresponding to a control instruction is able to be transmitted by the first communication module of at least one aerospace machine in its field of visibility; the second communication module of at least one aerospace machine is able to communicate further with one or more satellites for transmitting digital data stored in the storage module to at least one terrestrial server via a global computer network; at least one of the aerospace machines is both an aerospace collection vehicle and an aerospace relay machine; and - at least one of the objects is a living being such as an animal; The subject of the invention is also a method of collecting observation data implemented by such an observation architecture, comprising the following steps: generation of an observation data item by the observation unit of at least one electronic beacon located in the field of visibility of an aerospace collection vehicle; transmitting at least one radio signal corresponding to the observation data, by the corresponding transmission unit; receiving the at least one radio signal by the first communication module of the aerospace collection machine; converting the received radio signal into the corresponding observation data and storing the observation data in the storage module of the aerospace collection machine; transmission of the observation data stored to the first communication module of another aerospace machine, said next aerospace machine, being in the field of visibility of the aerospace collection machine for storing it in the storage module of the aerospace machine; transmitting the observation data stored to at least one terrestrial server when the next aerospace machine is an aerospace relay machine.

These features and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of nonlimiting example, and with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a an example of an observation architecture, the observation architecture comprising a plurality of electronic beacons and a plurality of aerospace machines each comprising a communication unit; FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views of various exemplary embodiments of the electronic beacons of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the communication unit of FIG. 1; and FIG. 6 is a schematic view of another example of an observation architecture.

An observation architecture 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The observation architecture 10 makes it possible to observe at a distance a plurality of objects arranged in distinct geographical locations. The observation architecture 10 more particularly makes it possible to generate observation data relating to each of the objects, to collect all the observation data generated and to analyze the observation data collected by computer.

By "object" is meant a living or non-living object having at least one physical parameter, whose remote observation is of interest for scientific, commercial, military, etc. purposes.

An example of such an object is a specified piece of agricultural land whose moisture is observed for agricultural purposes, or a vessel whose position is observed for the purpose of maritime surveillance, or an animal whose the position or other physical characteristics are observed.

Objects are of the same nature or of different natures.

The objects are disposed on the land surface or in the oceans in different geographical locations in a fixed or mobile manner, and are distributed in a plurality of viewing areas.

At least some of the objects are able to move further in the Earth's atmosphere in at least one observation zone. This is particularly the case of objects corresponding to animals such as birds.

One thus understands by "zone of observation", a geographical territory whose observation is implemented by the architecture 10. The distinct observation zones correspond thus to distinct geographical territories possibly including areas of overlap.

Subsequently, an observation zone is designated by a general reference Zj in which the index i is an integer. An object is designated by a general reference Ojj in which the index i refers to the zone Zi to which the object Oy is associated, and the index j is an integer.

In FIG. 1, three observation zones Z, at Z3 and eight objects At 033 distributed in these zones Z, at Z3, are illustrated. Zone Z has three objects On at 013, zone Z2 has two objects Ο21 and 022, and zone Z3 has three objects 02i to 023.

Of course, depending on the case, other numbers of zones Z, and objects Oy distributed in these zones Z, are conceivable. It will further be considered that an object Oy mobile does not leave the zone Z, which is associated with it at least for a period of observation time implemented by the architecture 10.

According to FIG. 1, the observation architecture 10 comprises a plurality of electronic beacons, a processing center 14 connected to a plurality of terrestrial servers 15, 16 via a computer network 17, and a plurality of aerospace machines A ,.

Each electronic tag is associated with an object Oy and makes it possible to generate at least one observation datum relating to this object Oy and to transmit it to the processing center 14 as will be explained later.

Each tag is identified in FIG. 1 by a general reference By in which the indices i and j refer to the object Oy with which this tag By is associated.

Each of the By electronic tags has an observation unit of the corresponding Oy object, a transmission unit connected to the observation unit and a power supply source.

In Figure 2 illustrating the electronic beacon B ,, associated with the object On, the observation unit is designated by the reference 20, the transmission unit by the reference 22 and the power supply source by the reference 24.

The structures of electronic beacons B ,; being substantially identical, the references 20, 22 and 24 may subsequently be used in connection with any one of the tags B,]. The observation unit 20 is a detector capable of generating at least one observation datum relating to the corresponding object Oy. This observation data item comprises, for example, a coded value, in particular a numerical value, corresponding to one or more physical parameters observed in relation with this object Oy.

Thus, for example, for an object Oy corresponding to a piece of agricultural land, the observation unit 20 of the corresponding By tag comprises a humidity detector capable of measuring the humidity of this zone and generating a observation data including a numerical value of this measurement.

For an object Oy corresponding to a vessel to be surveyed, the observation unit 20 of the corresponding By tag comprises a detector able to locate the boat from a geolocation system and to generate an observation data item comprising: for example, three numeric values corresponding to the geographical coordinates of this boat. The transmission unit 22 is an emitter capable of transmitting one or more radio signals corresponding to digital data. The transmission unit 22 is more particularly capable of transmitting one or more radio signals corresponding to each observation datum generated by the observation unit 20. The transmission of digital data by the transmission unit 22 is conform to one of the wireless digital data transmission protocols known per se.

More particularly, this transmission protocol defines several bandwidths for a range of for example up to 20 km.

The power source 24 supplies power to the corresponding By electronic beacon and in particular, the observation unit 20 and the transmission unit 22 of this beacon.

The power source 24 is, for example, an electric battery of capacity adapted to a life cycle and / or maintenance of the corresponding By tag.

According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one By tag is devoid of a power source 24. In this case, the observation unit 20 and the transmission unit 22 of this beacon are, for example, powered by radio signals. exteriors.

According to yet another embodiment, the power source 24 is a solar panel or any other self-feeding device.

Alternatively, at least some of the transmit units of the By tags differ in the transmission protocols and / or bandwidths used.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, each aerospace machine A is an aircraft A ,. However, it should be understood that the invention can be achieved using other types of aerospace A, such as satellites, including geostationary satellites. It is also possible to have a mixed system comprising one or more aircraft and one or more satellites.

Each aircraft A comprises a communication unit 25 making it possible to communicate with at least some other aircraft A by exchanging digital data as will be explained later.

At least one of the aircraft A ,, said collection aircraft, is able to overfly at least one observation zone Z ,. The communication unit 25 of such a collection aircraft also makes it possible to communicate with at least some of the By tags of the Z zone, overflown to collect observation data and to store the observation data collected at least temporarily. to then transmit them to another aircraft A ,.

At least one of the aircraft A ,, said relay aircraft, is adapted to receive via its communication unit 25 observation data transmitted by a collection aircraft A, and to store these data at least temporarily to then transmit them to a terrestrial server 15, 16.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the aircraft A 1 to A3 are collection aircraft and the aircraft A4 is both a relay aircraft and a collection aircraft.

In this figure, the aircraft Ai to A3 are aerostats. Each aerostat is associated with an observation zone Z1 to Z3 and comprises, for example, a balloon. Thus, each aerostat is able to remain above the associated zone Z1 to Z3 in a substantially static manner or to fly over this zone Z1 to Z3 with a determined revisit frequency.

According to an exemplary embodiment, at least one aerostat A1 to A3 is able to follow a predetermined route by flying over one or more observation zones Z1 to Z3. The aircraft A4 is an aircraft such as an airliner capable of flying between a take-off point and a landing point at an altitude of for example between 1000 m and 15 000 m.

According to an embodiment not shown, at least one of the aircraft A, is a drone advantageously motorized and remotely controlled. The communication unit 25 of the aircraft A4 is illustrated in greater detail in FIG.

Thus, with reference to this FIG. 3, the communication unit 25 of the aircraft A4 comprises a digital data storage module 30, a first communication module 31 and a second communication module 32.

The structure of the communication units 25 of the other aircraft A1 to A3 is substantially identical to that shown in FIG. 3. However, when the aircraft A to A3 are only collection aircraft, their communication units 25 are devoid of second modules. 32 of communication.

The first communication module 31 is, for example, an on-board electronic equipment enabling the corresponding aircraft A to communicate by exchanging digital data with other aircraft A, or with land or sea stations or with satellites, via signals radio.

The first module 31 comprises an antenna 38 and a converter 39. The antenna 38 defines a field of visibility of the aircraft A, in DVR reception of radio signals in which the antenna 38 is able to receive radio signals. The antenna 38 further defines a field of visibility of the aircraft A, in DVE transmission of radio signals in which the antenna 38 is able to transmit radio signals.

When the aircraft A, is a collection aircraft, the antenna 38 is particularly adapted to receive radio signals emitted by the transmission unit 22 of at least one electronic beacon By being in the range of visibility in reception DVR of the aircraft Ai, and corresponding to the observation data generated by this or these bags By. The antenna 38 is adapted to receive further radio signals emitted by the first communication module of another aircraft A, being in the DVR reception visibility range of the corresponding aircraft A.

The communication protocol of the antenna 38 is thus adapted to one or more transmission protocols and / or one or more bandwidths used by the transmission units 22 of the By tags and by the antennas of the other aircraft A ,.

In projection on the terrestrial surface, the range of visibility in DVR reception is delimited, for example, by a circle of radius included, for example, between 150 and 200 km. In the air, the field of visibility is delimited, for example, by a sphere of radius included, for example, between 150 and 200 km.

In the example of FIG. 1, the projection on the terrestrial surface of the DVR reception visibility range of the aircraft Ai to A3 is, for example, substantially equal to the observation zones Z1 to Z3 associated with these aircraft A, to A3.

In addition, in the same FIG. 1, each aircraft A at A3 is in the DVR reception field of view of at least one other aircraft Αλ to A3 in a substantially static or periodic manner with a determined revisit frequency. The antenna 38 is also capable of transmitting radio signals to another aircraft A, which is in the DVE transmission visibility range of the corresponding aircraft A.

The field of visibility in DVE transmission is, for example, substantially equal to the field of view in DVR reception.

The converter 39 makes it possible to convert the received radioelectric signals into digital data for storage in the storage unit 30. The converter 39 furthermore makes it possible to transform the digital data stored in the storage unit 30 in order to transmit them in the form of radio signals via the antenna 38. The storage unit 30 comprises a hard disk, a flash memory or any other type of memory that can be used to store digital data, and in particular, digital observation data corresponding to the radio signals received by the radio. antenna 38 and converted by the converter 39.

In a variant, the storage unit 30 is random access memory for temporally buffering digital data.

The second communication module 32 is able to transmit the digital data and in particular the digital observation data, stored in the storage module 30 to one or more terrestrial servers 15, 16.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the second module 32 is able to transmit the digital data in the form of radio signals analogously to the first module 31.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the second module 32 includes an antenna 48 and a converter 49 whose operation is similar to that respectively of the antenna 38 and the converter 39 described above. The antenna 48 of the second module 32 differs from that of the first module 31 in that, for example, it defines areas of visibility in transmission and reception of radio signals reduced compared to those described above. Thus, for example, these domains are delimited by a sphere of radius equal to a few tens of meters. According to another embodiment, the radius is equal to a few tens of kilometers.

The communication protocol of the antenna 48 makes it possible, for example, to transmit digital data with a transmission rate that is substantially greater than that of the antenna 38.

According to other exemplary embodiments (not shown), the second communication module 32 has a wired connection interface with the terrestrial servers 15, 16 via the wiring of the adapted type when the aircraft A, is on the ground, or a connection interface with storage means such as a memory card or a USB key.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the second communication module 32 presents means of connection to a global computer network such as the Internet, for example via one or more satellites. According to this embodiment, the second communication module 32 is able to transmit observation data to the servers 15, 16 through the global computer network.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the first 31 and the second 32 communication modules form a single communication module comprising an antenna and a single converter. According to this exemplary embodiment, the single communication module is able to communicate with the By tags, the other aircraft A, and the terrestrial servers 15, 16 in an analogous manner, that is to say, via radio signals.

The servers 15, 16 make it possible to store the observation data collected by the aircraft A, and transmit them to the processing center 14 via the computer network 17. The computer network 17 is for example a global computer network such as the Internet. .

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the terrestrial servers 15, 16 are provided with radio communication means making it possible in particular to receive observation data transmitted by the second communication modules 32 of the aircraft A ,. This exemplary embodiment thus corresponds to the exemplary embodiment of the second communication module 32 of the aircraft A, shown in FIG.

According to other exemplary embodiments, the terrestrial servers comprise wired connection means with the second modules 32 or memory card reading means or USB keys.

The processing center 14 is a processing calculator comprising a software for analyzing all the observation data generated by the set of electronic beacons.

The observation data are processed according to an analysis technique known per se. This analysis technique depends in particular on the nature of the object Oy observed.

Alternatively or in addition, the processing center 14 is a distribution center for observation data to users or to service providers processing this data.

According to another exemplary embodiment (not illustrated), the observation architecture 10 comprises several processing centers. These processing centers are for example located in different geographical locations or are able to process observation data depending on the nature of the observed objects Oy.

An observation data collection method implemented by the observation architecture 10 according to the invention will now be described.

During an initial step, each of the By tags is associated with one of the objects Oy. Thus, with reference to FIG. 1, this step comprises the association of the tags B 1 to B 13 with the objects On 013 in the observation zone Zu from beacons B2i to B22 to objects 021 to 022 in observation zone Z2, and beacons B31 to B33 to objects 031 to 033 in observation zone Z3.

In a next step, the observation unit 20 of at least some of the By tags, for example tags Bn to B13 of the observation zone Zu, generates one or more observation data relating to the object. It corresponds to Oi3.

In a next step, the transmission unit 22 of each of these beacons Bn-B13 emits a radio signal corresponding to one or more observation data generated.

In a next step, the antenna 38 of the collection aircraft Ai associated with the observation zone Z! receives radio signals emitted by the beacons Bn to B13 when they are in the DVR reception field of view of the aircraft An This is the case when the aircraft Ai is associated with the observation zone Z1 substantially static or when the aircraft A1 revisits this zone Z1 according to the revisit frequency determined. The conversion unit 39 of the aircraft A1 converts the received radio signals into digital data for storage in the storage module 30.

In a next step, the aircraft A1 transmits the observation data stored in the storage module 30 via the first communication module 31 to another aircraft A2 to A4 when it is in its visibility range. DVE broadcast.

In FIG. 1, it is the collection aircraft A2 that is substantially static in the DVE emission visibility zone of the aircraft A1 and it is therefore the aircraft A2 that receives the observation data. via its first communication module 31.

In a next step, the aircraft A2 transmits the observation data previously stored in its storage module 30 to the collection aircraft A3 when it is in its field of visibility DVE transmission.

Similarly, in a next step, the aircraft A3 transmits the observation data to the relay aircraft A4 when it is in its range of visibility in DVE transmission.

In a next step, the aircraft A4 stores the observation data received in its storage module 30. The aircraft A4 transmits the observation data stored via the second communication module 32 to at least one terrestrial server, for example the server 15, when for example the aircraft A4 arrives at its landing point located near the server 15, or when the aircraft A4survole the server 15.

Finally, in a next step, the processing center 14 connected to the server 15 via the computer network 17, receives the collected observation data and processes them appropriately.

It should be noted that various scenarios for carrying out the method according to the invention are presented as a function of respective positions of the aircraft A1 to A4.

Thus, since the aircraft A4 is both a collection aircraft and a relay aircraft, it is possible for the aircraft A4 to directly collect the observation data from the beacons Bn to B13 by flying over the observation zone Zi. .

It is also possible for the aircraft A4 to receive the observation data collected by the aircraft A1 and transmitted by the same aircraft Ai when it is in the DVE emission visibility range of this aircraft Ai.

It is also possible that when the aircraft Ai is both a collection aircraft and a relay aircraft, it transmits the collected data directly to one of the terrestrial servers, for example the server 16.

Of course, other scenarios of transmission of observation data are still possible.

It will be understood that the observation architecture 10 of FIG. 1 has a certain number of advantages.

The DVR range of aircraft A, flying over the By tags is smaller than that of a satellite. This considerably reduces the risk of collisions between radio signals emitted by separate By tags in the same bandwidth.

In addition, the requirements on the range of radio signals transmitted by the By tags to the aircraft A, are less important than those on the range of radio signals transmitted to the satellite or satellites. This then makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of these By tags and more generally, to weaken the performance requirements of these By tags, thus reducing their cost.

Unlike existing collection systems, the transmission of radio signals between the By tags and the aircraft A can be done according to different transmission protocols and / or bandwidths for different By tags. The architecture 10 therefore does not imply the use of tags implementing a specific or mixed transmission protocol as in the state of the art.

Finally, the use of various types of aircraft A, reinforces the coverage of territories observed and the frequency of collection. More particularly, the use of aerostats at A3 makes it possible to carry out long-term observations while remaining substantially static or mobile over a Z observation zone. In addition, it is possible to cover very precisely a large number of observation zones Z, associating with each of them, a balloon A, A3 of suitable performance. It is also possible to create a mesh of A ^ to A3 aerostats or other types of aircraft A, so as to allow a fast and efficient routing of the collected data to the terrestrial servers.

According to a complementary aspect of the invention, at least one of the By tags, for example the beacon B2i associated with the object Ο21 and illustrated in more detail in FIG. 4, also comprises the observation unit. 20, the transmission unit 22 and the power source 24 as described above, a control unit 60 and a storage unit 61. The control unit 60 can control the operation of the unit 22 of the beacon B21 according to a plurality of predetermined emission rules.

The emission rules include, for example, the emission of one or more observation data in a given time slot, for example, based on information relating to a probability of passage of the aircraft A2 overhead. above the B21 or other known place.

As a variant or in addition, the transmission rules comprise the transmission of one or more observation data at a specific time of passage of the aircraft A2 when the latter is not associated statically with the aircraft. zone Z2 but is able to revisit this zone with a known frequency of passage.

According to yet another complementary aspect of the invention, at least one of the By tags, for example the beacon B31 associated with the object 03i and illustrated in more detail in FIG. 5, comprises, in addition to the unit d observation 20, the transmission unit 22, the power source 24 and the control unit 60 as described above, a reception unit 62. The reception unit 62 allows the beacon B31 to receive radio signals from other land, sea, air or satellite stations. The reception unit 62 is in particular adapted to receive radio signals corresponding to at least one transmission set point triggering the emission of the radio signals corresponding to at least one observation data item by the transmission unit 22.

Thus, the transmission rules of the control unit 60 of this beacon B31 comprise the transmission of one or more observation data after reception of the transmission instruction.

The emission instruction is, for example, generated by the communication unit 25 of the aircraft A3 and transmitted in the form of radio signals by the antenna 38 in the DVE transmission visibility range of this aircraft A3.

Thus, when the beacon B31 is in the DVE emission visibility range of the aircraft A3, it receives via its reception unit 22 the transmission instruction and sends in response one or more observation data via its transmission unit. issue 62.

This then makes it possible to warn the beacon B31 on the presence of the aircraft A3 nearby to then collect one or more observation data when the aircraft A3 is not associated with the observation zone Z3 in a static manner.

In addition, the reception unit 62 is able to receive radio signals corresponding to control instructions.

The control instructions are intended for the control unit 60 and make it possible to modify one or more transmission rules.

The piloting instructions are, for example, generated by the communication unit 25 of the aircraft A3 and transmitted in the form of radio signals by the antenna 38 in the DVE emission visibility range of this aircraft A3.

The emission rules thus make it possible to adapt the transmission of radio signals corresponding to observation data to the passage times of the aircraft A3. This allows in particular to save the electrical energy supplied by the power source 24.

These emission rules are programmable and can be modified during the operation of the By tags.

According to another exemplary embodiment, the control instructions make it possible to modify any other function of the control unit 60.

Another example of observation architecture 10 is illustrated in FIG. 6. The observation architecture 10 of FIG. 6 is similar to the observation architecture 10 of FIG.

However, unlike the observation architecture 10 of FIG. 1, the observation architecture 10 of FIG. 6 further comprises a communication station 70 arranged in the observation zone Z2.

This communication station 70 is arranged for example in this area in a fixed manner, and makes it possible to collect the observation data generated by each of the tags B2 1 and B 22.

The communication station 70 comprises a communication unit 74 making it possible to communicate with the beacons B21 and B22. This makes it possible in particular to reduce the range of communication compared with that used by beacons B21 and B22 of FIG. 1. The communication unit 74 of the communication station 70 also allows communication with the communication unit. communication of the aircraft A2 when the station is in the DVR reception and DVE emission domains of this aircraft A2.

The observation data collection method implemented by the observation architecture 10 of FIG. 6 is similar to that of the observation architecture 10 of FIG.

Indeed, the collection method implemented by the architecture of FIG. 6, further comprises a step in which the communication station 70 communicates with each of the beacons B21 and B22 to collect the observation data, and a step in which the communication station 70 communicates with the communication unit 25 of the aircraft A2 to transmit the collected observation data.

Of course, other examples of observation architecture are also possible.

Claims (17)

1, - Architecture (10) for observing a plurality of objects (O ,,) arranged in geographical locations distinct from one or more observation zones (Z,), comprising: - for each object (Oy ), an electronic beacon (By) comprising an observation unit (20) able to generate at least one observation data relating to the corresponding object (Oij), and a transmission unit (22) capable of transmitting a radio signal corresponding to at least one generated observation data; at least one terrestrial server (15, 16) able to process digital data; a plurality of aerospace machines (A,), each aerospace machine (A,) comprising a digital data storage module (30) and a first communication module (31) defining a visibility range (DVR, DVE) of the aerospace machine (Ai) for receiving and / or transmitting radio signals and being able to communicate with at least one other aerospace machine (A) when it is in the field of visibility of the aerospace machine ( A,) corresponding, receiving digital data from this aerospace machine (A,) to store them in the storage module (30) and / or by transmitting digital data stored in the storage module (30) to this machine aerospace (A,) in the form of radio signals; the first communication module (31) of at least one of the aerospace machines (A,), said aerospace collection device, being further adapted to receive at least one electronic beacon (By) when it is in a the field of view of this aerospace machine (A,), at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation datum for storing it in the storage module (30) in the form of a digital datum; at least one of the aerospace machines (A,), said aerospace relay machine, further comprising a second communication module (32) adapted to transmit to at least one terrestrial server (15, 16) digital data stored in the module of storage (30). 2, - Architecture (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the aerospace machines (A,) is an aircraft (A,). 3, - Architecture (10) according to claim 2, wherein said aircraft (A,) is an aerostat (A ^ -As) such as a balloon or an airship. 4. - Architecture (10) according to claim 2, wherein said aircraft (Ai) is an aerodyne (A4) such as an airplane or a drone. 5. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the aerospace machines (A,) is a satellite. 6. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of aerospace machines (A,) are aerostats (A ^ .- As), each aerostat (A1v., A3) being associated with substantially static or movable to a predetermined observation zone (Z,). 7. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the first communication module (31) and the second communication module (32) of at least one aerospace machine (A,) form a module communication device capable of communicating via radio signals with at least one electronic beacon (Bij), at least one other aerospace machine (A,) or at least one terrestrial server (15, 16) when this beacon (By), this machine aerospace (A,) or this server (15, 16) is within the visibility range (DVR, DVE) of the corresponding aerospace machine (A,). 8. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one electronic beacon (By) comprises a control unit (60) adapted to control the operation of the transmission unit (22). ) according to a plurality of predetermined emission rules. 9. - Architecture (10) according to claim 8, wherein: - the at least one electronic tag (By) further comprises a storage unit (61) able to store a pass table comprising at least one range time in which the corresponding electronic beacon (By) is within the visibility range (DVE, DVR) of the aerospace machine (Ai), - the transmission rules include the transmission of at least one radio signal corresponding to at least one observation data item in at least one predetermined time slot. 10. - Architecture (10) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: - the at least one electronic tag (By) further comprises a receiving unit (62) adapted to receive at least one radio signal corresponding to a transmission setpoint, and - the transmission rules include the transmission of at least one radio signal corresponding to an observation data item after receiving the transmission instruction. 11. - Architecture (10) according to claim 10, wherein the radio signal corresponding to a transmission setpoint is adapted to be transmitted by the first communication module (31) in the field of view (DVE, DVR) of the aerospace machine (A,). 12. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein: - the at least one electronic tag (By) further comprises a receiving unit (62) adapted to receive at least one radio signal corresponding to a control setpoint, and - the control unit (60) is able to process the control setpoint received by the reception unit (62) to modify the operation of the control unit (60) .. 13. - Architecture (10) according to claim 12, wherein the radio signal corresponding to a control setpoint is adapted to be transmitted by the first communication module (31) of at least one aerospace machine (A,) in its field of view (DVE, DVR). 14. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second communication module (32) of at least one aerospace machine (Ai) is able to communicate further with one or more satellites for transmitting digital data stored in the storage module (30) to at least one terrestrial server (15, 16) via a global computer network. 15. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein at least one aerospace machine (Ai) is both an aerospace collection machine (Ai) and an aerospace relay machine (Ai) . 16. - Architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein at least one of the objects (Oy) is a living being such as an animal. 17. - Method of collecting observation data implemented by the observation architecture (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising the following steps: - generation of an observation data by the observation unit (20) of at least one electronic beacon (Bij) located in the visibility range (DVE, DVR) of an aerospace collection vehicle (Ai); - Transmitting at least one radio signal corresponding to the observation data, by the corresponding transmission unit (22); receiving the at least one radio signal by the first communication module (31) of the aerospace collection machine (Ai); - conversion of the received radio signal into the corresponding observation data and storage of the observation data in the storage module (30) of the aerospace collection machine (Ai); transmission of the observation data stored to the first communication module (31) of another aerospace machine (Ai), said next aerospace machine, located in the field of view (DVE, DVR) of the aerospace machine collector (Ai) for storing it in the storage module (30) of the next aerospace machine (Ai); transmitting the observation data stored to at least one terrestrial server (15, 16) when the next aerospace machine (Ai) is an aerospace relay machine (Ai).