Method and apparatus for providing wideband services using medium and low earth orbit satellites
First Claim
1. A method of defining a first satellite communications system to mitigate communications interference with a second satellite communications system, the method comprising the steps of:
- identifying a plurality of interference scenarios;
categorizing an interference requirement specifying a maximum interfering signal statistic at each of the second satellites according to a frequency of occurrence;
identifying at least one interference mitigation strategy for each scenario and each category of interference requirement;
determining the effectiveness of each identified interference mitigation means in mitigating interference for each of the scenarios and categories of interference requirement; and
selecting at least one of the identified interference mitigation means for the first satellite communications system according to the determined effectiveness of the interference mitigation means.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for mitigating communications interference between satellite communications systems in different orbits is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of evaluating a geometrical relationship between a second ground station and the satellites in the second satellite constellation, and directing communications between the second ground station and the second satellite according to the evaluated geometrical relationship. In one embodiment communications are handed over from a first satellite to another satellite when the first satellite is no longer at the highest elevation angle of visible satellites. In another embodiment, handover occurs when the first satellite drops below a minimum elevation angle.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of defining a first satellite communications system to mitigate communications interference with a second satellite communications system, the method comprising the steps of:
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identifying a plurality of interference scenarios;
categorizing an interference requirement specifying a maximum interfering signal statistic at each of the second satellites according to a frequency of occurrence;
identifying at least one interference mitigation strategy for each scenario and each category of interference requirement;
determining the effectiveness of each identified interference mitigation means in mitigating interference for each of the scenarios and categories of interference requirement; and
selecting at least one of the identified interference mitigation means for the first satellite communications system according to the determined effectiveness of the interference mitigation means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of defining a first satellite communications system to mitigate communications interference with a second satellite communications system, wherein the first satellite communications system comprises a first ground station and a plurality of first satellites in a sub-geosynchronous orbit, each first satellite having an antenna including an off-axis sensitivity characteristic, and the second satellite communications system comprises a second ground station and a plurality of second satellites, the method comprising the steps of:
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defining a short term interference requirement and a long term interference requirement from an interference requirement specifying a maximum communications interference between a first satellite communications system and a second satellite communications system;
selecting the off-axis sensitivity characteristic according to the short term interference requirement; and
selecting an antenna tracking rule according to the long term interference requirement, wherein the antenna tracking rule describes when each of the first satellites is permitted to communicate with the first ground station.
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7. A system for providing broadband access to a communication service to user terminals, comprising:
a network of satellites, each satellite having;
at least one communication antenna for generating at least one beam cluster including a plurality of proximally disposed steerable communication beams;
a flexible channelizer for dynamically directing the steerable communication beams according to user terminal communication service demands; and
a plurality of gateway nodes, each gateway node associated with the user terminals serviced by the beam cluster, each gateway node for forwarding messages received from at least one of the user terminals serviced by the beam cluster via the network of satellites to the communication service, and for forwarding messages received from the communication service to at least one of the user terminals serviced by the beam cluster via the network of satellites.
Specification