Satellite communications system for providing global, high quality movement of very large data files
First Claim
1. A system for transmitting large data files of at least an aggregated 100 gigabytes from a source terminal to a geographically distant destination terminal in substantially non-real-time, the system comprising:
- at least one satellite in a non-geostationary orbit, wherein the satellite is configured to store and forward data files and includes;
a wireless transceiver, mass data storage, and at least one processor coupled among the wireless transceiver and the mass data storage; and
at least first and second terrestrial or sea-based stations, wherein the first station has at least a wireless transmitter and is configured to receive a large data file from the source terminal, wherein the large data file represents an aggregate of least 100 gigabytes, process the large data file for transmission by at least encoding the large data file with block coding and forward error correction, and transmit the large data file to the satellite at a predetermined time, wherein the large data file includes an electronic address for the destination terminal;
wherein the second station has at least a wireless receiver and is configured to receive the large data file from the satellite and transfer the large data file to the destination terminal based in part on the electronic address for the destination terminal;
wherein the satellite stores the large data file for more than several minutes before transmitting it to the second station;
wherein at least the first station or satellite are further configured to monitor a signal quality from a beacon channel for an indication that a wireless channel with the satellite is of acceptable quality before the large data file is transmitted over the wireless channel, or configured to monitor the signal quality from the beacon channel and suspend transmissions, adjusting power or adjusting a bandwidth for communications over the wireless channel based on the monitored signal quality; and
wherein the first and second stations further each include transceivers for communicating over a low bandwidth communication channel, wherein the low bandwidth communication channel is of a much lower bandwidth than the wireless channel, and wherein the second station is further configured to detect blocks of data in the received large data file that contain uncorrectable errors and request the first station to retransmit, over the low bandwidth communication channel, any data blocks from the large data file that contain errors, whereby the system provides a bit error rate (BER) on an order of at least 10−
15.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for providing communication services between geographically disbursed source and destination terminals includes at least one airborne or spaceborne wireless communication device, such as a satellite. The wireless communication device is configured to store and forward large data files of at least an aggregated 10 gigabytes. The wireless communication device includes a wireless transceiver for communicating with the source and destination terminals over at least one high bandwidth channel. A mass data storage device stores the large data files for a predetermined period of time that is greater than approximately two minutes. At least one processor is coupled among the mass data storage and wireless transceiver. The processor is configured to control receipt of a large data file from the source terminal and to transmit it to the destination terminal as the wireless communication device nears the destination terminal.
-
Citations
50 Claims
-
1. A system for transmitting large data files of at least an aggregated 100 gigabytes from a source terminal to a geographically distant destination terminal in substantially non-real-time, the system comprising:
-
at least one satellite in a non-geostationary orbit, wherein the satellite is configured to store and forward data files and includes;
a wireless transceiver, m ass data storage, and at least one processor coupled among the wireless transceiver and the mass data storage; and
at least first and second terrestrial or sea-based stations, wherein the first station has at least a wireless transmitter and is configured to receive a large data file from the source terminal, wherein the large data file represents an aggregate of least 100 gigabytes, process the large data file for transmission by at least encoding the large data file with block coding and forward error correction, and transmit the large data file to the satellite at a predetermined time, wherein the large data file includes an electronic address for the destination terminal;
wherein the second station has at least a wireless receiver and is configured to receive the large data file from the satellite and transfer the large data file to the destination terminal based in part on the electronic address for the destination terminal;
wherein the satellite stores the large data file for more than several minutes before transmitting it to the second station;
wherein at least the first station or satellite are further configured to monitor a signal quality from a beacon channel for an indication that a wireless channel with the satellite is of acceptable quality before the large data file is transmitted over the wireless channel, or configured to monitor the signal quality from the beacon channel and suspend transmissions, adjusting power or adjusting a bandwidth for communications over the wireless channel based on the monitored signal quality; and
wherein the first and second stations further each include transceivers for communicating over a low bandwidth communication channel, wherein the low bandwidth communication channel is of a much lower bandwidth than the wireless channel, and wherein the second station is further configured to detect blocks of data in the received large data file that contain uncorrectable errors and request the first station to retransmit, over the low bandwidth communication channel, any data blocks from the large data file that contain errors, whereby the system provides a bit error rate (BER) on an order of at least 10−
15. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
-
-
4. In a system for providing communication services between geographically dispersed source and destination terminals, an apparatus comprising:
-
at least one airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device, wherein the wireless communications device is configured to store and forward large data files of at least an aggregated 10 gigabytes, and includes;
a wireless transceiver for communicating with the source and destination terminals over at least one high bandwidth channel, mass data storage configured to store the large data files for a predetermined period of time, wherein the predetermined period of time is greater than two minutes, and at least one processor coupled among the wireless transceiver and the mass data storage;
wherein the processor, via the wireless transceiver, is configured to control receipt of at least one large data file, from the source terminal, for storage in the mass data storage, and after the airborne or spacebourne wireless communications device travels near to the destination terminal, control transmit of the large data file to the destination terminal. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause at least one land- or sea-based communications terminal to perform a method to process data for wireless transmission to at least one satellite in a non-geostationary orbit, wherein the satellite is configured to store and forward data packages to another terminal, the method comprising:
-
at the communications terminal, receiving a large data file of at least 10 gigabytes;
at the communications terminal, dividing the large data file into multiple smaller groups of data;
at the communications terminal, coding the large data file for error correction after transmission of the large data file;
determining whether a quality of a wireless, high bandwidth communications channel with the satellite is acceptable;
at the communications terminal, transmitting the divided and coded large data file to the satellite when the quality of the wireless, high bandwidth communications channel is acceptable; and
providing information to the satellite regarding the destination terminal, wherein the satellite stores the divided and coded large data file until the satellite is within sight of the destination terminal for transmission thereto. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 41)
-
-
29. In a communications system employing at least one satellite in a non-geostationary orbit configured to store large data files from a source terminal, and forward the data files to a geographically distant destination terminal, a method for controlling wireless telecommunications in the system comprising:
-
monitoring a beacon channel between the satellite and at least the source or destination terminals, wherein the beacon channel provides an indication of a quality of at least one high bandwidth wireless channel between the satellite and the source or destination terminals;
determining a quality of the high bandwidth wireless channel based on the monitoring of the beacon channel; and
postponing transmission of all or portions of a large data file over the high bandwidth wireless channel if the determined channel quality is unacceptable, or adjusting a bandwidth for communications over the high bandwidth wireless channel based on the determined channel quality. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
-
-
32. In a wireless communications system, an apparatus for controlling data transmissions with respect to at least one non-geostationary orbiting satellite, wherein the satellite is configured to store and forward data packages between land- or sea-based terminals, the apparatus comprising:
-
means for monitoring a beacon channel, wherein the beacon channel provides an indication of a quality of at least one high bandwidth wireless channel between the satellite and a land- or sea-based terminal;
means for signaling the satellite, based on the monitored channel quality, to transmit a large data package over the high bandwidth wireless channel if the channel quality is acceptable postpone transmission of a large data package over the high bandwidth wireless channel if the channel quality is unacceptable, or adjust a transmit power, or adjust a bandwidth for communications over the high bandwidth wireless channel if the channel quality is between acceptable and unacceptable; and
means for communicating under at least a simplex transmission scheme over the high bandwidth channel with the satellite. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
-
-
42. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave, the computer data signal comprising:
-
a data signal representing at least a portion of a large data file, wherein the large data file is of at least an aggregated 10 gigabytes, wherein the data signal is at least based on a signal transmitted by a airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device configured to wirelessly receive, over at least one high bandwidth communications channel, the large data file from a land- or sea-based source terminal, store the large data file for a predetermined period of time greater than two minutes, and transmit the signal and the large data file after the airborne or spaceborne wireless communications device travels from the land- or sea-based source to a terrestrial destination terminal; and
wherein the data signal or the transmitted signal includes coding for error correction of the large data file. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
-
-
49. An information bearing signal for use by an airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device, the information bearing signal comprising:
-
data representing at least a portion of a large data file, wherein the large data file is of at least a combined 10 gigabytes;
wherein the information bearing signal is at least based on a signal transmitted by the airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device;
wherein the airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device is configured to wirelessly receive, over at least one high bandwidth communications channel, the large data file from a land- or sea-based source terminal, store the large data file for a predetermined period of time greater than two minutes, and transmit the signal and the large data file after the airborne or spaceborne wireless communications device travels from the land- or sea-based source to a terrestrial destination terminal;
wherein the high bandwidth channel includes one or more channels that in aggregate have at least a 200 Mb/s bandwidth; and
wherein the information bearing signal, or the signal transmitted by the airborne or spaceborne and movable wireless communications device, includes coding for error correction of the large data file. - View Dependent Claims (50)
-
Specification