Wideband streaming L-band (WISL) methods and systems

• US 10,476,582 B1
• Filed: 01/17/2018
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Satcom Direct, Inc.
• Original Assignee: COMSAT, Inc. (Satcom Direct, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gomez, Rodrigo, Knowles, Timothy W., Vuong, Benjamin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Towfighi, Afshawn M
• Application Number:
  US15/873,058
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio

Abstract

A network management systems (NMS) and methods for automating aircraft wideband streaming L band providing dedicated high data rate communication links from an aircraft fitted with an approved L-band terminal and antenna over a satellite communication network, such as the Inmarsat Swift Broadband network. The systems and methods allow for modifying the L-band terminal wiring to inject a dedicated single channel per carrier (SCPC) signal from an external modem to achieve return data rates in the range of several Mbps over a dedicated leased satellite bandwidth.

Claims

1. A network management method for wideband streaming L band (WISL) service on aircrafts, comprising the steps of:

connecting an antenna of an aircraft to a high speed data terminal;

providing an L Band modem in the aircraft;

establishing a communication link between the antenna of the aircraft and a ground station via a satellite; and

network managing the communication link between the L Band modem on the aircraft and the satellite and remote locations in order to keep the communication link active while the aircraft travels between different beams controlled by different L-band leases, wherein the network managing comprises;

controlling the network managing through a ground station having a server; and

providing a management database of lease inventory to allow an administrator to create, modify and remove leases for different satellite regions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the different leases are selected from single beams and clusters beams that operate with a selected spectrum.

3. The network management method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing an IP-based packet-switched communications network that provides a symmetric ‘

always-on’

data connection of up to 432 kbit/s per channel for the communication link.

4. The network management method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing an IP-based packet-switched communications network that provides a symmetric ‘

always-on’

data connection of up to approximately 650 kbit/s per channel for the communication link.

5. The network management method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing return data rates in the communication links up to approximately 2.8 Mbps.

6. The network management method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing frequencies between approximately 1 GHz and approximately 2 GHz as the L-Band.

7. The network management method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the L band modem includes the step of:

splicing the L Band modem between the antenna and the terminal.

8. The network management method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing forward and return links of n×

100 kHz, where n is a natural number, on the satellite.

9. A network management method for wideband streaming L band (WISL) service on aircrafts, comprising:

connecting an antenna of an aircraft to a high speed data terminal;

providing an L Band modem in the aircraft;

establishing a communication link between the antenna of the aircraft and a ground station via a satellite; and

network managing the communication link between the L Band modem on the aircraft and the satellite and remote locations in order to keep the communication link active while the aircraft travels between different beams controlled by different L-band leases, wherein the network managing comprises;

controlling the network managing through a ground station having a server; and

providing a user with a remote inventory control to add, remove and modify remote terminals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing the user with the remote inventor control includes the step of:

providing a database that includes the identification number of the terminal authorized to use the lease, an IP address assigned to a remote, and associate different terminals with appropriate leases.

11. A network management method for wideband streaming L band (WISL) service on aircrafts, comprising:

connecting an antenna of an aircraft to a high speed data terminal;

providing an L Band modem in the aircraft;

establishing a communication link between the antenna of the aircraft and a ground station via a satellite; and

network managing the communication link between the L Band modem on the aircraft and the satellite and remote locations in order to keep the communication link active while the aircraft travels between different beams controlled by different L-band leases, wherein the network managing comprises;

controlling the network managing through a ground station having a server;

providing a remote status interface to query the aircraft L-band modem; and

providing a database for terminal location and beam information and to cross check against lease information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing the remote status further interfaces to query a teleport modem and the aircraft L-band modem and the database for near real-time terminal location and beam information and cross check against lease information.

13. A network management method for wideband streaming L band (WISL) service on aircrafts, comprising:

connecting an antenna of an aircraft to a high speed data terminal;

providing an L Band modem in the aircraft;

establishing a communication link between the antenna of the aircraft and a ground station via a satellite; and

network managing the communication link between the L Band modem on the aircraft and the satellite and remote locations in order to keep the communication link active while the aircraft travels between different beams controlled by different L-band leases, wherein the network managing comprises;

controlling the network managing through a ground station having a server; and

providing for service operations to schedule activation of a selected lease with the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing the service operations further includes the step of:

providing the service operations to schedule the activation of the selected lease along with aircraft missions throughout an entire lifecycle of the lease.

15. A network management system for aircraft wideband streaming L band, comprising:

an L Band modem connected between an antenna and a high speed data terminal in an aircraft;

a remote ground based network manager for managing a communication link between the L Band modem on the aircraft and a satellite and at least one remote location, in order to keep the communication link active while the aircraft travels between different beams controlled by different L-band leases, wherein said managing the communication link is controlled through a ground station having a server; and

a management database of lease inventory to allow an administrator to create, modify and remove leases for different satellite regions.

16. The network management system of claim 15, wherein the L-Band includes frequencies between 1 to 2 GHz.

17. The network management system of claim 15, wherein the L Band modem is wired to the antenna and the data terminal.

18. The network management system of claim 15, wherein the network management system provides a user with a remote inventory control to add, remove and modify remote terminals, provides a remote status interface to query the aircraft L-band modem, provides a database for terminal location and beam information and to cross check against lease information, and/or schedules activation of a selected lease with the aircraft for service operations.

19. The network management system of claim 15, wherein the system provides forward and return links of n×

100 kHz, where n is a natural number, on the satellite.