SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TERRESTRIAL REUSE OF CELLULAR SATELLITE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM IN A TIME-DIVISION DUPLEX MODE

• US 20090305696A1
• Filed: 08/13/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Karabinis, Peter D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1853 Satellite systems for providing telephony service to a mobile station, i.e. mobile satellite service for selecting H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/216 Code division or spread-spectrum multiple access [CDMA, SSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range

Abstract

A space-based component, such as a satellite, is configured to receive wireless communications from radiotelephones in a satellite footprint over an uplink satellite radiotelephone frequency, and to transmit wireless communications to the radiotelephones over a downlink radiotelephone frequency. An ancillary terrestrial network, that may include one or more ancillary terrestrial components, is configured to transmit wireless communications to, and receive wireless communications from, the radiotelephones over the downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode. By terrestrially transmitting and receiving wireless communications over the downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode, interference at the space-based component and/or at the gateway, by the ancillary terrestrial network and/or the radiotelephones due to terrestrial reuse of cellular satellite frequency spectrum, may be reduced or eliminated.

Claims

1. A radiotelephone communication method comprising:

transmitting wireless communications from a terrestrial network to radiotelephones and receiving wireless communications from the radiotelephones at the terrestrial network over the same downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting wireless communications from the terrestrial network to the radiotelephones and receiving wireless communications from the radiotelephones at the terrestrial network over the same uplink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency is included in a downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency band and wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting wireless communications from the terrestrial network to the radiotelephones and receiving wireless communications from the radiotelephones at the terrestrial network over the same downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency band in a time-division duplex mode.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising obtaining the wireless communications that are transmitted from the terrestrial network to the radiotelephones and providing the wireless communications that are transmitted from the radiotelephones to the terrestrial network, over a wired terrestrial link.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising refraining from directly communicating wirelessly between a space-based component and the terrestrial network.

6. A radiotelephone communication method comprising:

receiving wireless communications from a terrestrial network at radiotelephones and transmitting wireless communications from the radiotelephones to the terrestrial network over the same downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode.

7. A method according to claim 6 further comprising:

receiving wireless communications from the terrestrial network at the radiotelephones and transmitting wireless communications from the radiotelephones to the terrestrial network over the same uplink satellite radiotelephone frequency in a time-division duplex mode.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein the downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency is included in a downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency band and wherein the receiving comprises receiving wireless communications from the terrestrial network at the radiotelephone, and transmitting wireless communications from the radiotelephones to the terrestrial network over the same downlink satellite radiotelephone frequency band in a time-division duplex mode.

9. A method according to claim 6 further comprising the following that is performed by the terrestrial network:

obtaining wireless communications that are transmitted to radiotelephones and providing the wireless communications that are received from the radiotelephones, over a wired terrestrial link.

10. A method according to claim 6 further comprising refraining from directly communicating wirelessly between a space-based component and the terrestrial network.