Bandwidth optimizing range adjustments among satellites

• US 10,630,378 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Coleman, Shaun, Metzger, John, Garber, Darren D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US15/892,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20190253134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18519 Operations control, administration or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18521 Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service for optical links between satellites H04B10/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18597 Arrangements for system physical machines management, i.e. for construction, operations control, administration, maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Various enhanced operations and orbital techniques for satellite devices are discussed herein. In one example, a method of operating an orbital satellite platform is provided. The method includes establishing relative distances between a plurality of satellite devices, and performing temporary adjustments to the relative distances between the satellite devices. The method also includes directing at least communication processes among the satellite devices based at least in part on the temporary adjustments to the relative distances.

Claims

1. A method of operating an orbital satellite platform, the method comprising:

establishing relative distances between a plurality of satellite devices;

performing temporary adjustments to the relative distances between the satellite devices comprising for one or more of the satellite devices, providing a cyclic positioning configuration that repeatedly decreases an associated relative distance with one or more neighboring satellite devices and then increases the associated relative distance with the one or more neighboring satellite devices; and

directing at least communication processes among the satellite devices based at least in part on the temporary adjustments to the relative distances, wherein for the one or more of the satellite devices, directing the communication processes comprises reducing a bandwidth allocation for transfer of selected communication types with the one or more neighboring satellite devices until a bandwidth threshold is exceeded corresponding to a decrease in the associated relative distance with the one or more neighboring satellite devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication processes comprise adjusting communication prioritization among communication traffic routed among the satellite devices in accordance with the temporary adjustments to the relative distances.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments resultant from the temporary adjustments to the relative distances, and selecting communication traffic for transfer among at least the ones of the satellite devices based at least on the inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the temporary adjustments to the relative distances between the satellite devices comprises decreasing first relative distances among first ones of the satellite devices to achieve temporary communication bandwidth levels among first ones of the satellite devices.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting quality of service levels allocated among communications types exchanged among the satellite devices in accordance with associated relative distances resultant from the temporary adjustments.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing virtual node execution priority in the satellite devices based at least in part on the temporary adjustments to the relative distances.

7. A satellite system, comprising:

a communication network formed among a plurality of satellite devices in associated orbits; and

each of the plurality of satellite devices configured to;

establish relative distances between one or more neighboring satellite devices;

perform periodic adjustments to the relative distances comprising providing a cyclic positioning configuration that repeatedly decreases an associated relative distance with the one or more neighboring satellite devices and then increases the associated relative distance with the one or more neighboring satellite devices; and

direct at least communication processes among at least the one or more neighboring satellite devices based at least in part on the periodic adjustments to the relative distances by at least reducing a bandwidth allocation for transfer of selected communication types with the one or more neighboring satellite devices until a bandwidth threshold is exceeded corresponding to a decrease in the associated relative distance with the one or more neighboring satellite devices.

8. The satellite system of claim 7, wherein the communication processes comprise adjusting communication prioritization among communication traffic routed among at least the neighboring ones of the satellite devices in accordance with the periodic adjustments to the relative distances.

9. The satellite system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of satellite devices are further configured to synchronize inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments resultant from the periodic adjustments to the relative distances, and select communication traffic for transfer among at least the neighboring ones of the satellite devices based at least on the inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments.

10. The satellite system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of satellite devices are further configured to, during a first adjustment period, increase a first relative distance to at least a first satellite device while decreasing a second relative distance to at least a second satellite device, and during a second adjustment period, decrease the first relative distance to at least the first satellite device while increasing the second relative distance to at least the second satellite device.

11. The satellite system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of satellite devices are further configured to adjust quality of service levels allocated among communications types exchanged among at least the neighboring ones of the satellite devices in accordance with associated relative distances.

12. The satellite system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of satellite devices are further configured to direct virtual node execution priority based at least in part on the periodic adjustments to the relative distances.

13. An orbital satellite device, comprising:

an inter-satellite communication system configured to communicate with one or more satellite devices of an orbital satellite cluster;

a propulsion control system configured to establish a relative distance between at least a selected satellite device, and perform adjustments to the relative distance to achieve a temporary communication bandwidth level with the selected satellite device by at least providing a cyclic positioning configuration that repeatedly decreases an associated relative distance with at least the selected satellite device and then increases the associated relative distance with at least the selected satellite device; and

a control system configured to direct at least communication bandwidth allocations of the inter-satellite communication system among various communication types based at least in part on the temporary communication bandwidth level by at least reducing a bandwidth allocation for transfer of selected communication types with at least the selected satellite device until a bandwidth threshold is exceeded corresponding to a decrease in the associated relative distance with at least the selected satellite device.

14. The orbital satellite device of claim 13, comprising:

the control system configured to establish inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments resultant from the temporary communication bandwidth level, and select communication traffic for transfer to the selected satellite device based at least on the inter-satellite communication bandwidth adjustments.

15. The orbital satellite device of claim 13, comprising:

the control system configured to adjust quality of service levels allocated among communications types exchanged with the selected satellite device in accordance with the relative distance.

16. The orbital satellite device of claim 13, comprising:

the control system configured to direct virtual node execution priority in accordance with the relative distance.