WO2021048512A1

WO2021048512A1 - Mobile communication device, and communication method

Info

Publication number: WO2021048512A1
Application number: PCT/FR2020/051582
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rémi GAROT; Matamala RODIK
Original assignee: Adaptative Technologies For Steadiness And Availability
Priority date: 2019-09-12
Filing date: 2020-09-11
Publication date: 2021-03-18
Also published as: FR3100951A1; FR3100951B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile communication device comprising a router (101). The router (101) comprises, at its input, a first plurality of connection interfaces providing connections to one or multiple networks (111 to 115) and, at its output, a second plurality of connection interfaces allowing client devices (12, 13) to make use of a connection to, for example, the Internet.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Title: Mobile communication device and communication method

Technical area

The invention relates to a mobile communication device and the method implemented in such a device. More particularly, the invention relates to a device configured for routing data between one or more mobile devices and one or more communication networks.

Technological background

The development of communication tools and networks now offers an increasingly wide range of possibilities, whether in terms of access to the services offered by Internet players or in terms of communication between different parties.

Accessing the communication network (s) anywhere and anytime is becoming a major concern for many users. However, depending on the location and / or the context, accessing a communication network can be difficult, for example:

- in areas, called white areas, where the network infrastructures (for example the antennas of mobile communication networks) are insufficient or even non-existent, which greatly limits the possibilities of accessing the network;

- in a context of network saturation, for example caused by an exceptional density of population in a given location (for example in a football stadium, in demonstrations, in an accident / major incident area); or

- in the context of a natural disaster where the network infrastructure was severely damaged. In certain situations, being able to access the communication network (s) is extremely important, even vital, for example for emergency personnel intervening in accidents or areas in which major incidents have occurred. In these situations especially, it is important to be able to establish a connection to the network that is reliable, resilient and permanent. It is known in this context to attempt to establish a connection to the network through one or more other technologies. For example, when the mobile network infrastructure is no longer available, it is known to try to access another network, for example a satellite or WiFi network. However, this solution requires technical skills and / or communication tools that some users do not have (for example intervention teams in places affected by a natural disaster or an accident).

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a solution making it possible to establish a reliable, simple and efficient connection to at least one communication network.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool which automatically establishes one or more connections to one or more communication networks in a transparent manner for the users.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a mobile communication device comprising:

a router comprising at input a first plurality of connection interfaces and at output a second plurality of connection interfaces, the first plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least two first wireless connection interfaces, each first connection interface wireless being configured to allow connection to a land mobile network, a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to a wide area wireless network and at least one wired connection interface configured to allow connection to at least one network extended wired or at least one satellite network; the second plurality of connection interfaces being configured to connect at least one mobile device to the router, the second plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least one wireless connection interface and at least one wired connection interface; the router being configured to dynamically select temporally at least one of the connections allowed by the first plurality of connection interfaces as a function of a result of at least one temporally dynamic test of each of the connections, the at least one test corresponding to a application level test, the router being further configured to aggregate the at least one selected connection;

means for connecting an antenna arrangement, the antenna arrangement being associated with the at least two first wireless connection interfaces and with the second wireless connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces .

According to a variant:

- the at least one wired connection interface of the first plurality of interfaces corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802-3 standard;

- the second wireless connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802.11 standard;

- the at least one wired connection interface of the second plurality of connection interfaces corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802-3 standard;

- The at least one wireless connection interface of the second plurality of connection interfaces corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

According to another variant, the first plurality of connection interfaces comprises:

- 4 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network;

- 3 wired connection interfaces configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network and / or at least one connection to at least one satellite network; and

- 1 wired connection interface compliant with the USB standard.

According to yet another variant, the first plurality of connection interfaces comprises: - 2 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network;

- 2 wired connection interfaces configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network and / or at least one connection to at least one satellite network; and

- 1 wired connection interface compliant with the USB standard.

According to an additional variant, the wired connection interface conforming to the USB standard allows connection of a modem allowing connection to a land mobile network and the set of connections includes:

- a connection to a different extended wired network via each wired connection interface; or

at least one connection to an extended wired network via at least one of the wired connection interfaces and one connection to a different satellite network via each other of the wired connection interfaces; or

- a connection to an extended wired network via each wired connection interface of a first part of the wired connection interfaces and a connection to two aggregated satellite networks via each wired connection interface of a second part of the wired connection interfaces.

According to another variant, the device further comprises a rechargeable power supply battery, a satellite positioning system receiver and a dust-proof and moisture-proof protective case, the power supply battery, the router, the satellite positioning receiver and the connection means of the antenna arrangement being arranged inside the protective housing.

According to an additional variant, the antenna arrangement is arranged outside the protection box and connected to the router via the connection means, the antenna arrangement comprising an antenna for each of the at least two first connection interfaces. wireless and for the second wireless connection interface and an antenna associated with the satellite positioning receiver.

According to yet another variant, at least one piece of information representative of the router is accessible via a man-machine interface hosted on a remote server. According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a mobile communication system comprising the device as described above according to the first aspect of the invention and at least one satellite transmission module connected to the device via the at least one connection interface. wired from the first plurality of connection interfaces.

According to a variant, two satellite transmission modules are connected in cascade to a single wired connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces of the router of the device.

According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a communication method, the method comprising the following steps:

- temporally dynamic test of each of the connections associated with a first plurality of connection interfaces of a router of a mobile communication device, the at least one test corresponding to an application level test, the first plurality of interfaces of connection comprising at least two first wireless connection interfaces, each first wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to a land mobile network, a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network and at least one wired connection interface configured to allow connection to at least one wide wired network or to at least one satellite network;

- temporally dynamic selection of at least one of the connections associated with the first plurality of connection interfaces based on a result of the temporally dynamic test;

- aggregation of the at least one selected connection;

- connection of at least one mobile device to the router via at least one connection interface of a second plurality of connection interfaces, the second plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least one wireless connection interface and at least one wired connection interface.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention relates to a computer program which comprises instructions adapted for the execution of the steps of the method according to the third aspect of the invention, this in particular when the computer program is executed by at least one processor. Such a computer program can use any programming language, and be in the form of a source code, of an object code, or of an intermediate code between a source code and an object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

According to a fifth aspect, the invention relates to a recording medium readable by a computer on which is recorded a computer program comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of the method according to the third aspect of the invention.

On the one hand, the recording medium can be any entity or device capable of storing the program. For example, the medium may comprise a storage means, such as a ROM memory, a CD-ROM or a ROM memory of the microelectronic circuit type, or else a magnetic recording means or a hard disk.

On the other hand, this recording medium can also be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, such a signal being able to be conveyed via an electrical or optical cable, by conventional or hertzian radio or by self-directed laser beam or by other ways. The computer program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded over an Internet-type network.

Alternatively, the recording medium can be an integrated circuit in which the computer program is incorporated, the integrated circuit being adapted to execute or to be used in the execution of the method in question.

Brief description of the figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description of the non-limiting embodiments of the invention below, with reference to Figures 1 to 4 attached, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a communication environment, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a mobile communication device of the communication environment of FIG. 1, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a router included in the mobile communication device of FIG. 2, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of the various steps of a communication method implemented in the device of Figure 2, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the embodiments

A mobile communication device, a communication system comprising such a mobile device and a communication method will now be described in the following with reference in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 4. The same elements are identified with the same reference signs throughout. throughout the description which follows.

According to a particular and non-limiting example of an embodiment of the invention, a mobile communication device comprises a router. This router comprises at input a first plurality of connection interfaces and at output a second plurality of connection interfaces. The first plurality of connection interfaces comprises at least two first wireless connection interfaces, each first wireless connection interface being configured to allow connection to a land mobile network, for example of the LTE 4G or 5G type; a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network, for example of the WiFi® type; and at least one wired connection interface, for example of Ethernet type, each wired connection interface being configured to allow connection to at least one extended wired network or to at least one satellite network.

The second plurality of connection interfaces is configured to connect at least one mobile device, for example a smart phone (standing for “Smartphone”), tablet or laptop, to the router. The second plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least one wireless connection interface, for example of WiFi® type and at least one wired connection interface, for example of Ethernet type. The router is configured to dynamically select temporally (i.e. the selection may vary over time) one or more of the connections allowed by the first plurality of connection interfaces based on a result of temporally dynamic tests (the tests are repeated over time, periodically or randomly for example) of each of the connections. The tests corresponding advantageously to application level tests, that is to say tests of level (layer) 7 in the OSI model (from the English “Open Systems Interconnection” or in French “Interconnection of open systems”) . The router is also configured to aggregate the selected connection (s), i.e. when several connections are selected, the total network resource (for example the bandwidth) available corresponds to the sum of the resources (for example the bandwidths) available for each of the selected connections. The device further includes an antenna arrangement, which is associated with the two (or more) first wireless connection interfaces and the second wireless connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces.

Such a mobile communication device makes it possible to test different connections, of different types (wired, wireless), in order to automatically select one or more of the connections tested. Such a device thus allows one or more users to access the network (for example the Internet) even when the means of communication that they usually use (for example the mobile communication network of their operator) is non-existent or saturated in the area. where these users are located.

Moreover, such a device makes it possible to aggregate several available connections, which makes it possible to offer additional network resources in areas where the network resources usually used by users are low or non-existent. Such a device provides one or more users with a reliable, simplified and efficient connection to one or more communication networks, for example to access the Internet and its services. This connection allows users in particular to communicate effectively through voice and data flows.

The connection to the networks offered by this mobile device adapts automatically to changing environments and conditions of use, that is to say in different contexts in which the user (s) of the connection may evolve, that is to say to say :

- in an area properly covered by mobile telephone networks;

- in an area not covered by traditional mobile telephone operators, whether it is a so-called “white” area (where the network service is not optimal or even non-existent, for example certain areas in the countryside), or an area in which the network infrastructures have been partially or even totally destroyed (for example following a climatic event); and or

- in a context of network saturation, caused by an exceptional population density in a given location (event, accident / major incident, etc.).

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a communication environment 1 between one or more users on the one hand and one or more networks on the other hand, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile communication device 10 allowing one or more client devices 12, 13 to access one or more remote servers and / or the “cloud” 120 (or in French “cloud”) through a or more networks 111, 112, 113, 114, 115.

Networks accessible via the mobile device include, for example:

one or more land mobile networks 111, 115, a land mobile network corresponding to a cellular type network, for example a network based on an architecture standardized by the 3GPP organization (standing for “3rd Generation Partnership Project” or in french ^"3rd generation partnership Project") as that GSM (from the English "Global System for Mobile Communications" or in French "Global System for Mobile Communications"), UMTS (from the English "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System" or in French "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System"), LTE (from English "Long Term Evolution" or in French "Long Term Evolution"), LTE-A (from English "Long Term Evolution - Advanced" or in French "Long Term Evolution - Avancé") or 3GPP 5G, each land mobile network being administered by an operator such as an ISP (“Internet Service Provider”);

one or more extended wired networks 112, an extended wired network corresponding to a WAN type network (standing for “Wide Area Network”), such a network being accessible via a link provided by an operator such as an ISP, access to the extended wired network being made for example via an ATM type connection (from the English "Asynchronous Transfer Mode" or in French

"Asynchronous transfer mode") or IP (from English "Internet Protocol" or in French "Internet Protocol") and based on a technology such as ADSL (from English "Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line" or in French "Ligne asymmetric digital subscriber line ”), SDSL (from the English“ Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line ”or in French“ Symmetric digital subscriber line ”), VDSL 2 (from the English“ Very High Bit Rate DSL ”or in French “Very high speed digital subscriber line”) or even optical fiber, using a protocol such as MPLS (standing for “Multiprotocol Label Switching” or in French “Commutation de labels multiprotocole”) or PBT / PBB- TE (from English "Provider Backbone Transport / Provider Backbone Bridge - Traffic Engineering" or in French "Supplier of network transport / Supplier of network bridge - Traffic engineering";

- one or more satellite networks 113, each network being administered by an operator such as an ISP; and or

- one or more extended wireless networks 114, an extended wireless network corresponding to an extended WiFi® type network (conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard) (or in English “Wifi as WAN”). Connection to one or more of the networks described above is possible by means of a communication device 10 which will be described in more detail below.

One or more client devices 12, 13 connect to the communication device 10. The client devices 12, 13 correspond for example to one or more of the following mobile devices:

- a smart phone (from the English "Smartphone") 13;

- a smart watch (from the English "Smartwatch");

- a tablet ; and or

- a laptop 12

Each client device is connected to the communication device 10 via a wireless link (for example a WiFi® link defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard) or via a wired link (for example an Ethernet link defined by the IEEE 802.3 standard).

The communication device 10 advantageously corresponds to a mobile device, that is to say a device autonomous in energy and which can be moved, due to a small footprint and a moderate mass. By way of example, the communication device 10 takes the general form of a rectangular parallelepiped of length equal for example to 450 mm, of width equal to for example 290 mm and of height for example equal to 350 mm for a lower mass. to 15 kg, for example equal to 10, 11 or 12 kg. A non-limiting example of a detailed embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 2. The communication device takes for example the form of a suitcase transportable on a trolley (standing for “trolley”) comprising for example 2 wheels. .

The communication device 10 advantageously comprises a router 101 associated with connection means 102 of an arrangement of antennas. According to a particular embodiment, the antenna connection means 102 are integrated into the router 101. The router comprises a first set of several input interfaces configured to establish connections with the different networks 111 to 115 and a second set of several output interfaces configured to allow client devices 12 and 13 to connect to router 101 and access one or several of the networks 111 to 115, for example to access the “cloud” 120 and / or the Internet network.

The router 101 is configured to ensure the routing (routing) of data packets between one or more client devices 12, 13 on the one hand and one or more communication networks 111 to 115 and / or the “cloud” 120 on the other hand. go.

The first set of connection interfaces advantageously includes:

one or more first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network 111, for example 1, 2, 4 or more first wireless connection interfaces; such a first connection interface includes an LTE / UMTS / GSM modem for example and a slot for inserting a SIM card (from the English "Subscriber Identity Module" or in French

"Subscriber identification module") provided by the relevant land mobile network operator;

- a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network 114; such a second connection interface comprises, for example, a Wifi® modem conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, for example to one or the other of the IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards;

- one or more wired connection interfaces, each wired connection interface being configured to allow connection to an extended wired network or to one or more satellite networks (for example 2 satellite networks being aggregated for a wired connection interface), for example 1, 2, 3, 4 or more wired connection interfaces; such a wired connection interface comprises for example an Ethernet modem and an RJ45 female connector conforming to the IEEE 802.3 standard; and

- optionally, one or more USB type wired connection interfaces (standing for “Universal Serial Bus” or in French for “Universal Serial Bus”) each configured to allow an LTE / UMTS / GSM modem (for example a smart phone ) to connect to the router 101 via a USB cable and to allow an additional connection to a land mobile network 115 different from that or those 111 connected to the router 101 via the first wireless connection interface (s). The second set of connection interfaces advantageously comprises:

one or more wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow a client device 12, 13 to connect to the router 101 via a wireless link; such a second connection interface comprises, for example, a Wifi® modem conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, for example to one or the other of the IEEE 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax standards; and

- one or more wired connection interfaces, each configured to allow a client device 12, 13 to connect to the router 101 via a wired connection, for example 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 or more interfaces of wired connection; such a wired connection interface comprises for example an Ethernet modem and an RJ45 female connector conforming to the IEEE 802.3 standard.

The connection means 102 of the antenna arrangement correspond, for example, to SMA type connectors (in English "SubMiniature Version A" or in French "Sub-miniature version A"). The antenna arrangement includes for example 2 multi-band antennas, each antenna making it possible to transmit and receive radio signals in the frequency bands used by the LTE / GSM / UMTS, IEEE 802.11 (2.4 GHz and 5GHz) standards. and also to capture GPS signals (from the English "Global Positioning System" or in French "Global Positioning System") or from the Galileo system. The antenna arrangement is advantageously arranged outside a protective box enclosing the router 101 and the connection means 102, which allows better reception / broadcasting of the signals by the antenna arrangement with respect to an arrangement of the arrangement of antennas inside the protective casing of the device 10.

According to a first particular embodiment, the communication device 10 comprises as input:

- 2 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network 111, each network being for example administered by a different operator;

- 1 second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network 114, for example using the 2.4 GHz frequency band or the 5 GHz frequency band; - 2 wired connection interfaces, for example Ethernet, configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network 112 and / or one or more connections to one or more satellite networks (via one or more satellite modules 11 connected to one and / or the other of the wired connection interfaces) 113; and

- 1 wired connection interface compliant with the USB standard allowing an additional connection to another 115 land mobile network via an LTE / GSM / UMTS modem.

The wired Ethernet connection interfaces allow, for example, the following connections:

- 1 first connection to a first extended wired network and 1 second connection to a second extended wired network, for example different from the first extended wired network; or

- 1 connection to an extended wired network and 1 connection to a satellite network; or - 1 connection to an extended wired network and 1 connection to two aggregated satellite networks on 1 single wired connection interface; or

- 1 connection to two aggregated satellite networks on 1 first wired connection interface and 1 connection to two aggregated satellite networks on the second wired connection interface.

And the communication device 10 comprises at the output, according to this first particular embodiment:

- 1 wireless connection interface conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, using for example the 2.4 GHz frequency band, that is to say a frequency band included in the frequency range (2412 - 2472 MHz), this connection interface acting as an access point (standing for “hotspot”) of a WAN network with a range of a few tens of meters (for example less than 70 m) for one or more client devices 12 , 13 establish a Wi-Fi connection with router 101; advantageously, an SSID (standing for “Service Set Identifier” or in French “Identifier of a service set”) as well as WEP type authentication (standing for “Wired Equivalent Privacy” or in French “Equivalent wired confidentiality”), WPA2-PSK (standing for “Wifi Protected Access - Pre-Shared Key” or in French “Access wifi protected - Pre-shared key”) or WPA2- Enterprise (from English "Wifi Protected Access - Enterprise" or in French "Access wifi protected - Enterprise") with password are associated with this access point; according to one variant, the frequency band used is the 5 GHz band; the frequency band used by the output wireless connection interface is advantageously different from the frequency band used by the second input wireless connection interface, for example if the 5GHz band is used at the input then the band 2.4 GHz is used at the output and vice versa; and

- 4 wired RJ45 Ethernet connection interfaces, DHCP addressing (standing for “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol” or in French for “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol”) being for example activated on these interfaces of router 101 for that the client device (s) 12, 13 connecting thereto automatically receive an IP address (standing for “Internet Protocol” or in French for “Internet Protocol”).

According to a second particular embodiment, the communication device 10 comprises as input:

- 4 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network 111, for example 2 networks administered respectively by a first and a second different operators and 2 other networks administered by a third operator different from the first and second operators ;

- 1 second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network 114, for example using the 2.4 GHz frequency band or the 5 GHz frequency band;

- 3 wired connection interfaces configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network 112 and / or one or more connections to one or more satellite networks (via one or more satellite modules 11 connected to one and / or the other of the wired connection interfaces) 113; each wired connection interface can receive 1 connection to an extended wired network or 1 connection to a satellite network or 1 connection to 2 aggregated satellite networks; and

- 1 wired connection interface compliant with the USB standard allowing an additional connection to another 115 land mobile network via an LTE / GSM / UMTS modem. And the communication device 10 comprises at the output, according to this 2 ^nd particular embodiment:

- 1 wireless connection interface conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, using for example the 2.4 GHz frequency band, that is to say a frequency band included in the frequency range (2412 - 2472 MHz), this connection interface acting as an access point (standing for “hotspot”) of a WAN network with a range of a few tens of meters (for example less than 70 m) for one or more client devices 12 , 13 establish a Wi-Fi connection with router 101; advantageously, an SSID (standing for “Service Set Identifier” or in French “Identifier of a service set”) as well as an authentication of the WPA2-PSK type (standing for “Wifi Protected Access - Pre -Shared Key ”or in French“ Protected wifi access - Pre-shared key ”) with password are associated with this access point; according to one variant, the frequency band used is the 5 GHz band; the frequency band used by the output wireless connection interface is advantageously different from the frequency band used by the second input wireless connection interface, for example if the 5GHz band is used at the input then the band 2.4 GHz is used at the output and vice versa; and - 8 wired Ethernet RJ45 type connection interfaces, the DHCP addressing (standing for “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol” or in French for “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol”) being for example activated on these interfaces of router 101 so that the client device (s) 12, 13 connecting thereto automatically receive an IP address (standing for “Internet Protocol” or in French for “Internet Protocol”).

One or more satellite modules 11 are for example connected to the communication device 10 and to the router via one or more input wired connection interfaces (RJ45). This or these module (s) are for example connected to waterproof RJ45 connectors arranged outside the protective case of the device 10, these connectors being advantageously sealed against humidity and dust as is the protective case of the device 10. These external connectors are themselves connected to the wired connection interfaces (RJ45) of the router 101 via Ethernet cables, this arrangement making it possible to ensure the sealing of the communication device 10.

A satellite module 11 corresponds to a satellite connection module comprising, among other things, a satellite modem associated with a satellite antenna integrated into the module 11 or remote from the latter.

A satellite module 11 is for example connected to a wired connection interface (RJ45 for example) of input of the router 101. According to an alternative embodiment, two satellite modules 11 are connected to a single wired connection interface (RJ45 for example) at the input of the router 101. According to this variant, the two satellite modules 11 are connected to each other in cascade and connected via an Ethernet cable for example. According to this variant, a first satellite module 11 is connected to a second satellite module 11, this second satellite module 11 itself being connected to the communication device 10 and to the router 101. Such a variant allows the aggregation of two different satellite networks on a single input wired connection interface of router 101.

According to an alternative embodiment, one or more satellite modules are integrated into the communication device 10, inside the protective box of the device 10. This or these satellite modules are connected to the router 101 via one or more wired connection interfaces ( RJ45 for example) of router 101 input. According to this variant, the antenna connection means 102 further include a connector configured to connect a satellite antenna to the satellite module (s). According to another example, the satellite antenna connector is included in the satellite module (s).

According to an alternative embodiment, a radio module is connected to the router 101 via an output wired connection interface (RJ45), that is to say a wired connection interface of the second plurality of interfaces. connection of the router. This module is for example arranged outside the protection box or inside the protection box of the device 10. This module is based on LTE or 5G technology and makes it possible to establish a non-relayed tactical LTE or 5G network. (not extended), allowing one or more client devices 12, 13 to connect via a wireless link to router 101. This module makes it possible to significantly increase the coverage provided by the wireless connection interface of the second plurality of connection interfaces which is advantageously based on Wifi® technology according to IEEE 802.11 and offers a coverage radius of a few tens of meters according to the environment (eg 70 meters). The module based on LTE or 5G technology will offer, depending on the arrangement of the antenna connected to it, a coverage radius of a few hundred meters (for example between 500, 1000 or 3000 meters). A system comprising such an LTE or 5G radio module connected to the device 10 forms an additional object of the present invention, such a system further comprising, for example, one or more satellite modules 11 according to an additional variant.

The router 101 thus advantageously corresponds to a multi-WAN router offering a plurality of possible connections to different networks, both by the medium used (wireless or wired) and by the infrastructure or the topology of each network. This allows client devices 12, 13 to have permanent, stable, resilient and minimal bandwidth access to the Internet, regardless of location. Indeed, given the multitude of possible connections, there is always at least one connection to a possible network (for example satellite), and often several connections to different networks.

The router 101 is advantageously configured to automatically select one or more of the connections available to the networks 111 to 115, totally relieving the users carrying the client devices 12, 13 of any intervention on the device 10 and its router 101. The selection of the one or more connections allowing client devices 12, 13 to access the Internet for example is dynamic from a temporal point of view, that is to say that the selected connection (s) may change over time.

The selection of the connection (s) is a function of the result (s) of tests carried out on the connections to the networks 111 to 115 accessible via the connection interfaces of the first set of input interfaces. The tests performed are also temporally dynamic, i.e. they are repeated over time, the duration of a interval between 2 tests of a connection being for example random or fixed (tests carried out periodically for example).

The tests carried out advantageously correspond to application level tests, corresponding to level 7 of the OSI model. Each test corresponds, for example, to a connectivity check through access and character search for a determined URL (standing for “Uniform Resource Locator”), this URL being by example stored in the memory of router 101. This type of test is preferred to tests of the "ICMP ping" type (standing for "Internet Control Message Protocol" or in French "Internet control message protocol") and "DNS Lookup" (for " Domain Name System lookup ”or in French“ search for a domain name system ”) which are in fact not sufficiently revealing of the state of connectivity. The "ICMP ping" test is insufficient, even if it is coupled with a regular connectivity check interval: the client performing the test on the affected connection can obtain a response to the ping of an IP address. But if it is unable to perform DNS resolution on the connection being tested, the client will be unable to transmit flows. As for the “DNS lookup” test, it is certainly more revealing than that of the “ICMP ping”. But there is always a potential blockage of the client by a firewall at one point in the link chain. It is for this reason that an application level test is defined on layer 7, in this case http, is preferred. If this test is successful, the connection on which it will have been made will undoubtedly make it possible to be used by the client devices 12, 13 connected to the communication device 10 (or to the communication system comprising the device 10 connected to a or several satellite modules 11).

A maximum number of test occurrences is defined for each connection. The test will be played as many times as this determined number, before declaring the connection unusable. The maximum number of occurrences is for example equal to 3 or 5 tests, so as not to devote too much computational load (for example CPU) of the router 101 to a connection which would be unusable. If after 3 attempts the configured test fails, the connection is thus considered inoperable. According to an alternative embodiment, an interval between each test is further defined for example. To limit the load induced by the repetition of these application tests, the duration of the interval is chosen to avoid a reduction in the performance of the router. The time interval between 2 consecutive tests is for example fixed at a few seconds, for example 5, 10 or 20 seconds. According to one variant, the interval between two tests differs depending on the connection tested. For example, the interval between 2 tests is longer for a wired connection than for a wireless connection, which can be considered less stable than a wired connection.

According to another variant, a timeout after which the connection is considered unavailable, if the test (for a given connection) defined has failed as many times as the determined maximum occurrence value, is also defined. The value of this delay corresponds for example to:

(max number of test occurrences) ^* (interval between each test, in s) + 1 second

An additional second is added so that device 10 (or router 101) is able to perform the last occurrence of the test.

Advantageously, a connection determined to be “unusable” following the results of the tests of this connection is tested again (for example as described above) in order to be able to select it if the latter becomes accessible and stable again. However, a too unstable connection should not be taken into account because phenomena of "bagots" could appear. In other words, as soon as a previously out of service or inoperable connection becomes usable again, the latter is placed on standby or in "quarantine" for a determined period, this period being used to ensure that this connection is stable over time. . To do this, a recovery test is defined as follows: the connection tested must pass this test successfully before router 101 selects it again to aggregate it to the other connections selected and used. by client devices to access the “cloud” 120 or the Internet network for example.

According to another embodiment, the connection (s) selected because considered to be usable are tested dynamically from a time point of view, such as described above. These tests are carried out to verify that the connections previously selected are still usable. If the test result shows that these connections are still active and / or stable over time, then they remain selected. Otherwise, they are removed from the selection and possibly replaced by other connections deemed more stable. The duration of the interval between 2 tests of a selected connection is for example different from (for example greater than) the duration of the interval between 2 tests of a connection which is not in use.

Optionally, the monitoring on the data flow is activated on the router 101 so as to transmit a notification to the client devices 12, 13 users to warn them of the imminent reaching of the limit of the bundle associated with one or more connections. (for example connections to land mobile networks 111). According to one variant, the connection is automatically deselected as soon as the data volume provided for in the package is reached by the client devices 12, 13 connected to the router 101, to prevent an additional cost from being billed to them by the operator (s) of the associated networks. to this or these subscription packages.

According to yet another variant embodiment, a priority level is associated with each connection (or input connection interface), the selection of the connection (s) to be aggregated to allow client devices 12, 13 to access the network being a function of of this priority level. For example, the connections having the highest priority level (for example equal to 1) are selected with priority over the connections having a lower priority level (for example equal to 2 or 3). The priority level is for example set as a function of the bandwidth available (for example in theory) for each connection. For example, connections to land mobile networks of the LTE 4G or 5G type 111 have a higher priority level than the satellite network 113.

Specific functions such as automatic load balancing, for example in active-active mode, or the SD-WAN function (standing for “Software-Defined Wide Area Network”). "Or in French" Extended network with software definition ") are advantageously implemented on the router 101. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the parameters and / or information (GPS coordinates, software version level, state of the connections, available bandwidth, battery level, etc.) relating to the device 10, to the router 101 and / or to the system including the device 10 and the satellite module (s) 11 are accessible and / or editable (that is to say, modifiable or configurable) via a human-machine interface (HMI) hosted on a remote server, for example in the "cloud"

120, this server being accessible via the connection (s) to the networks 111 to 115 implemented by the device 10 or via any connection available elsewhere (for example in a location different from that where the device 10 is located with access to the Internet ). This HMI is advantageously configured to automatically translate the functional needs of the users (understandable by a user who is not an IT or network management technician) into technical settings (which can only be interpreted by a technician). For example, with the click of a button it is possible to activate or deactivate a connection or a type of connection (eg wireless, wired, satellite) without entering the specific connection parameters required for such connections. Such an MMI is for example accessible via an Internet browser installed on a mobile device connecting to the router 101 via one of the output interfaces of the router.

Such a device 10 (or system comprising the device 10 associated with one or more satellite modules 11) offers the advantage of offering a connection to the Internet or to the “cloud” 120, regardless of the circumstances or the place in which the users need to operate. a stable and resilient connection to the Internet, for example. Examples of applications where such a device is particularly useful are described below, by way of illustration only, the applications of the device 10 are of course not limited to the examples below.

Rescue Services and Law Enforcement

Exceptional health situations: a reliable and simplified connection to the networks is now one of the keys to emergency services. The information to be exchanged is for example:

- sending lists of victims - alerting hospitals and healthcare facilities close to the crisis

- recovery of the condition of beds available in treatment units and operating theaters

- communications with the crisis center, sending photos / videos to more effectively illustrate the situation in a theater of operations

- entering the crisis log on ad hoc centralized databases. The customers for these applications are the emergency services (SAMUs, Civil Security, Rescue associations) and any private structure or attached to a Ministry, involved in crisis management: demonstrations, major climatic events (for example earthquake, hurricane, tsunami ), attacks, various presences in a prudential scenario (for example demonstration, parade, cultural or sporting event).

In the field of eHealth, the device 10 makes it possible to make existing connections more reliable, not to have to set up a fixed network connection or even allows a care team to rely on a single solution. , for example to transmit vital parameters of patients as part of:

- Medical transport: from type B and C ambulances (those which transport patients under monitoring);

- Home hospitalization: for patients placed at home under continuous surveillance;

- Teleconsultation: consultation box set up temporarily in companies, EHPADs, medical services of the Penitentiary for example;

- Projects developed by CIC-IT (Clinical Investigation Centers - Technological Innovation): several projects use biosensors that process patient data locally; some of these applications require the sending of this information to feed data warehouses (from the English "Data Warehouse", which help to feed "Big Data" (or "Big data" in French).

Planned applications: Law enforcement

- Provide a reliable network connection:

• during large gatherings of the population (demonstrations);

• for crisis situations, attacks or hostage-taking; • for the Gendarmerie and National Police vehicle fleet (30,000 and 28,000 vehicles): consultation of various databases including those for searching for people and stolen vehicles;

- Judicial Police functions:

• Connections to specific databases, sending photos taken at the intervention sites.

The efficient and reliable connection to networks is a support element in many sectors of activity, for example:

- Events: allow a connection to networks during exceptional gatherings of the population (music festivals, clearance sales, large-scale sporting events);

- Journalistic writing: provide a powerful connection tool to reporting teams (national and international reporters / correspondents)

- Commerce: provide a reliable and efficient connection:

• in addition / replacement of wired connections supplied by traditional operators (the latter suffer from a very long commissioning delay; conversely the connection (s) provided by device 10 are operational instantly);

• for ephemeral stores / businesses which by nature have no interest in subscribing to a wired offer and which would be limited by the speeds of a classic mobile offer ("single-operator", "single-media);

- Finance: provide a more efficient connection to a trader on the move, to carry out transactions and place orders on the stock exchange more quickly and reliably;

- OIVs (Organisms of Vital Importance): around 300 companies to which the State will resort in the event of a threat to the security of the Territory. These companies operate in a dozen sectors of activity: research, health, water management, food, industry, transport, finance, telecommunications ... FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a mobile communication device 10, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The communication device 10 is for example part of a system 2 comprising the device 10 connected to one or more satellite modules 11.

According to the example of FIG. 2, the device 10 comprises a protective box 201 sealed against humidity and dust (for example with a degree of protection IP65 or IP66), this box 201 protecting the elements 21 to 25 and 101. This case also protects the elements 21 to 25 and 101 from impacts, this case being for example made of a hardened plastic material.

The device 10 comprises a two-position switch 24 on (standing for “ON”) or off (for “OFF”), a mechanism making it possible to switch from one position to another being for example accessible from outside the box 201 to avoid having to open the box to turn the device on or off 10.

The device 10 also comprises a battery charger 21 making it possible to recharge the battery 23 associated with a voltmeter 22 making it possible to measure the voltage level of the battery 23. The battery 23 corresponds for example to a Lithium-Ion battery, chosen for its absence. memory effect. The Li-lon technology chosen is for example “LiFePo4” (lithiated iron phosphate), the performance of which is almost identical to Li-lon “LiCo02” batteries, with the advantage of having higher safety characteristics. According to another example, the battery 23 corresponds to a portable current accumulator (standing for “powerbank”). In addition, the conditions of use of such a battery demonstrate greater tolerated temperature ranges. The battery charger 21 comprises, for example, an intelligent charging algorithm with seven steps and specific to LiFePo4 technology. It also provides automatic compensation for high or low temperature. In addition to the floating mode (standing for “float”), the charger includes a standby mode, also automatic, which further reduces the charging voltage to prevent corrosion. In the event of failure of the battery 21, an ultimate energy backup is possible by the direct connection of a transformer to the power supply of the multifunction router 101 (the transformer is not shown in FIG. 2). The charger 21 receives for example as input an alternating current of voltage equal to 220 V and supplies at output a direct current of 5A for example with a voltage equal to 24 V. The charger is supplied with 220 V for example via an accessible socket from outside the 201 box and waterproof with an IP65 or IP66 rating. The voltmeter 22 connected to the battery 23 makes it possible to read the voltage thereof in real time. A display device integrated on the exterior of the case 201 allows users to read the voltage of the battery 23 without having to open the case 201.

The device 10 also comprises the router 101 as described with reference to FIG. 1. An exemplary embodiment of the router will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

According to an optional variant embodiment, the device 10 also comprises a calculation unit 25, for example a nano PC, connected to the router 101 and making it possible to use locally and in offline mode, embedded applications. Indeed, despite the activated reliability mechanisms, the users who would be unable to transmit or receive data at a precise moment can use this unit 25 to continue working until the network environment allows again. device 10 or system 2 to provide these users with a network connection.

The device 10 also includes in the box 201 a satellite positioning receiver integrated or not into the router 101.

The device 10 also comprises an arrangement of antennas 202 connected to the router 101 via the connection means 102 described with reference to FIG. 1 and not shown in FIG. 2. This arrangement of antennas comprises a plurality of antennas making it possible to broadcast and receiving signals within the framework of the wireless connections via the wireless input interfaces and within the framework of the wireless connections via the output wireless interface (s) with the client devices 12, 13. This antenna arrangement includes also an antenna configured to receive location signals by satellite, GPS or Galileo for example. The arrangement of antennas is advantageously placed outside the box 201 in order to optimize the capture and the diffusion of the signals. Concerning the satellite module 11, the various communication flows of the satellite network are transmitted and received via a transceiver and an ad hoc antenna, for example an antenna of the Thrane Explorer TT-01-403720B-100 type. The total dimensions of the satellite module are for example equal to 332 mm in length, 279 mm in width and 54 mm in height for a total mass, battery included, of 3.2 kg for example. As satellite reception conditions are more restrictive than reception from LTE and Wi-Fi networks, the satellite antenna can be separated from the transceiver and deported up to a distance of 100 meters (in these conditions, the signal attenuation is 20db every 30 meters). The antenna and the transceiver are hardened for outdoor use conditions, the transceiver benefiting, for example, from an IP52 degree of protection and the antenna from an IP66 degree of protection. According to an alternative embodiment, the module 11 embeds a satellite positioning receiver, for example of the GPS type.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the router 101, according to a particular and non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The router 101 is advantageously configured for the implementation of the steps of the method described with reference to FIG. 4. The elements of the router 101, individually or in combination, can be integrated in a single integrated circuit, in several integrated circuits, and / or in discrete components. The device 101 can be produced in the form of electronic circuits or software (or computer) modules or else a combination of electronic circuits and software modules.

The router 101 comprises one (or more) processor (s) 30 configured to execute instructions for carrying out the steps of the method and / or for executing the instructions of the software (s) embedded in the router 101. The processor 30 can include integrated memory, an input / output interface, and various circuits known to those skilled in the art. According to an alternative embodiment, the router 101 further comprises at least one memory 31 corresponding, for example, to a volatile and / or non-volatile memory and / or comprises a memory storage device which can include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, magnetic or optical disk.

The computer code of the on-board software (s) comprising the instructions to be loaded and executed by the processor is for example stored in the memory 31.

The router 101 advantageously comprises a first set 32 of input connection interfaces to establish one or more connections with networks 111 to 115. The elements of the first set of interfaces 32 include one or more of the following interfaces:

- RF radio frequency interface (s), for example Wi-Fi®, LTE (from English

"Long-Term Evolution" or in French "Long-term evolution"), LTE-Advanced (or in French LTE-advanced), 3GPP 5G;

- USB interface (from English "Universal Serial Bus" or "Bus Universel en Série" in French);

- Ethernet interface (s).

The router 101 advantageously comprises a second set 33 of output connection interfaces to establish one or more connections with client devices 12, 13. The elements of the second set of interfaces 33 include one or more of the following interfaces:

- RF radio frequency interface (s), for example of the Wi-Fi® type;

- Ethernet interface (s).

According to a particular embodiment, the router 101 comprises for example a satellite positioning receiver 34.

According to yet another particular embodiment, the router 101 comprises connection means (not shown) for connecting one or more antennas to the RF interfaces and / or to the positioning receiver 34.

According to an additional particular embodiment, the router 101 can provide output signals to one or more external devices, such as a “cloud” server to monitor the activity and the connections of the router 101 for example. FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of the various steps of a method of communication between client devices and one or more networks, according to a particular and non-limiting example embodiment of the present invention. The method is advantageously implemented in the router 101.

In a first step 41, each of the connections associated with the connection interfaces of the first set of input interfaces of the router is dynamically tested from a time point of view. The test comprises one or more occurrences and advantageously corresponds to an application level test.

In a second step 42, one or more of the connections are selected as a function of the result of the tests of step 42. The selection is advantageously dynamic from a temporal point of view to take into account the changes at the level of the available connections, some of which are functions available at a time t which may no longer become available subsequently and vice versa. Steps 41 and 42 are advantageously repeated at regular intervals to take into account the variations in the state of the connections.

In a third step 43, one or more mobile devices (or clients) connect to the router via at least one connection interface of the second set of output connection interfaces in order for example to access the Internet network via the connection (s) selected at step 42.

Claims

1. Mobile communication device (10) comprising:

- a router (101) comprising at input a first plurality of connection interfaces (32) and at output a second plurality of connection interfaces (33), said first plurality of connection interfaces (32) comprising at least two first wireless connection interfaces, each first wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to a land mobile network

(111), a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to an extended wireless network (114) and at least one wired connection interface configured to allow connection to at least one wired extended network

(112) or at least one satellite network (113); said second plurality of connection interfaces (33) being configured to connect at least one mobile device (12, 13) to said router (101), said second plurality of connection interfaces (33) comprising at least one wireless connection interface wire and at least one wired connection interface; said router (101) being configured to dynamically select temporally at least one of said connections permitted by said first plurality of connection interfaces (32) as a function of a result of at least one temporally dynamic test of each of said connections, said at least at least one test corresponding to an application level test, said router (101) being further configured to aggregate the at least one selected connection;

- connection means (102) of an antenna arrangement (202), the antenna arrangement (202) being associated with said at least two first wireless connection interfaces and with said second wireless connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces (32).

2. Device (10) according to claim 1, for which said at least one test comprises a connectivity check through an access and a character search for a uniform resource location address, called URL.

3. Device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, for which a maximum number of occurrences of said at least one test is defined for each of said connections allowed by said first plurality of connection interfaces (32).

4. Device (10) according to claim 3, for which a determined interval between two consecutive tests is applied, said determined interval being a function of the connection.

5. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, for which:

- said at least one wired connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces (32) corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802.3 standard;

- Said second wireless connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces (32) corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11 b, 802.11g, 802.11 h, 802.11ac or 802.11ax standard;

- said at least one wired connection interface of the second plurality of connection interfaces (33) corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE 802.3 standard;

- Said at least one wireless connection interface of the second plurality of connection interfaces (33) corresponds to a connection interface according to the IEEE standard 802.11a, 802.11 b, 802.11 g, 802.11 n, 802.11 ac or 802.11 ax.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said first plurality of connection interfaces (33) comprises:

- 4 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network (111);

- 3 wired connection interfaces configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network (112) and / or at least one connection to at least one satellite network (113); and

- 1 wired USB type connection interface.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said first plurality of connection interfaces (33) comprises:

- 2 first wireless connection interfaces each configured to allow connection to a land mobile network (111); - 2 wired connection interfaces configured to allow a set of connections comprising at least one connection to an extended wired network (112) and / or at least one connection to at least one satellite network (113); and

- 1 wired connection interface compliant with the USB standard.

8. Device (10) according to claim 6 or 7, for which said wired connection interface conforming to the USB standard allows connection of a modem (115) allowing connection to a land mobile network and for which said set of connections includes:

at least one connection to an extended wired network via at least one of said wired connection interfaces and one connection to a different satellite network via each other of said wired connection interfaces; or

- A connection to an extended wired network via each wired connection interface of a first part of said wired connection interfaces and a connection to two aggregated satellite networks via each wired connection interface of a second part of said wired connection interfaces.

9. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a rechargeable power supply battery (23), a receiver (34) for a satellite positioning system and a protective housing (201) waterproof. dust and moisture, said battery pack (23), said router (101), said satellite positioning receiver (34) and said antenna array connection means (102) being arranged at the interior of said protective housing (201).

10. Device (10) according to claim 8, wherein said antenna arrangement (202) is arranged outside said protective housing (201) and connected to said router (101) via said connection means (102), said antenna arrangement (202) comprising an antenna for each of said at least two first wireless connection interfaces and for said second wireless connection interface and an antenna associated with said satellite positioning receiver.

11. Device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, for which at least one piece of information representative of said router (101) is accessible via a man-machine interface hosted on a remote server.

12. Mobile communication system (2) comprising the device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11 and at least one satellite transmission module (11) connected to said device (10) via said at least one wired connection interface. of the first plurality of connection interfaces.

13. System (2) according to claim 12, for which two satellite transmission modules are connected in cascade to a single wired connection interface of the first plurality of connection interfaces of the router of said device.

14. Communication method comprising the following steps:

- temporally dynamic test (41) of each of the connections associated with a first plurality of connection interfaces of a router (101) of a mobile communication device, the at least one test corresponding to an application level test, the first plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least two first wireless connection interfaces, each first wireless connection interface being configured to allow connection to a land mobile network, a second wireless connection interface configured to allow connection to a wide area wireless network and at least one wired connection interface configured to allow connection to at least one wide wired network or to at least one satellite network;

- temporally dynamic selection (42) of at least one of the connections associated with the first plurality of connection interfaces as a function of a result of the temporally dynamic test;

- aggregation of the at least one selected connection; - connection (43) of at least one mobile device (12, 13) to said router (101) via at least one connection interface of a second plurality of connection interfaces, the second plurality of connection interfaces comprising at least minus one wireless connection interface and at least one wired connection interface.