Bandwidth allocation method and apparatus

• US 20040203743A1
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inmarsat Two Company (ViaSat Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Mobile Satellite Organization
• Inventors: Harper, John Anthony, Macridis, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18539 Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18545 Arrangements for managing station mobility, i.e. for station registration or localisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1858 Arrangements for data transmission on the physical system, i.e. for data bit transmission between network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1682 Allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users, e.g. concentrated multiplexers, statistical multiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5608 Satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/563 Signalling, e.g. protocols, reference model
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5632 Bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5634 In-call negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/20 Negotiating bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/30 Connection release
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A satellite communications system provides a communications service to a mobile terminal on which different communications applications may be run. Calls are set up between any of the applications via a satellite to a network management centre which provides different service adaptors which adapt the calls to different types of service provided over terrestrial networks, such as telephony, facsimile, internet or ATM services. The bandwidth allocated to each call over the satellite link may be varied during the call according to demand either from the relevant application or from the network management centre. Multiple calls may be connected concurrently to or from different applications running on the mobile terminal. A maximum bandwidth is allocated to each call. Efficient use is thereby made of the limited bandwidth available over the satellite, according to the instantaneous bandwidth requirements of different applications. For real-time calls requiring multiple slots per frame in a TDMA channel, the slots are mutually spaced apart to reduce delay.

Claims

1. A method of communication to or from a mobile terminal at a base station connected to a communications network, comprising setting up a call between a network terminal connected to the network and the mobile terminal, including determining a maximum bandwidth allocation for the call, determining a current bandwidth allocation for the call over a wireless link between the base station and the mobile terminal, and varying the current bandwidth allocation during the call in accordance with a bandwidth demand relating to the call without exceeding said maximum bandwidth allocation.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current bandwidth allocation includes a return bandwidth allocation, further comprising receiving a demand signal at the base station from the mobile terminal, the return bandwidth allocation being varied in accordance with said demand signal, the method further comprising transmitting from the base station to the mobile terminal allocation data indicating the return bandwidth allocation, such that the mobile terminal uses the return bandwidth allocation for transmission to the base station.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the current bandwidth allocation includes a forward bandwidth allocation, the forward bandwidth allocation being varied during the call in accordance with a forward channel demand relating to the call, the method further comprising transmitting from the base station to the mobile terminal using the forward bandwidth allocation.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the current bandwidth allocation includes a forward bandwidth allocation, the forward bandwidth allocation being varied during the call in accordance with a forward channel demand relating to the call, the method further comprising transmitting from the base station to the mobile terminal using the forward bandwidth allocation.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the forward channel demand is derived from the quantity of data received from the network terminal during the call.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the forward channel demand is derived from the quantity of data received from the network terminal during the call.

7. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the forward bandwidth allocation is determined independently of the return bandwidth allocation.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the forward bandwidth allocation is determined independently of the return bandwidth allocation.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

11. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

12. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

13. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

14. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

15. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

16. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

17. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of establishing said call includes determining a minimum bandwidth allocation for the call, and the current bandwidth allocation is varied without falling below said minimum bandwidth allocation.

10. Apparatus for communication between a mobile terminal and a network terminal connected to a network, comprising:

call set-up means for setting up a call between the mobile terminal and the network terminal, said call set-up means being operable to determine a maximum bandwidth allocation for that call;

means for determining a current bandwidth allocation for the call over a wireless link between the base station and the mobile terminal, and

means, for varying the current bandwidth allocation during the call in accordance with a bandwidth demand relating to the call without exceeding said maximum bandwidth allocation.