Satellite Communication System and Method for Transmitting Data

• US 20130102240A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: Astrium GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Helfers, Tim, Leong, Chiok, Robson, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,350,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving

Abstract

A satellite communication system includes at least one base station, at least one satellite that can be brought into communication connection with the base station for data transmission, and a plurality of receivers adapted to receive signals transmitted from the satellite. The communication system is designed to transmit data in at least one uplink data stream from the base station to the satellite with a first data transmission rate and to transmit data in at least one downlink data stream from the satellite to the receivers with a second data transmission rate. The first data transmission rate is lower than the second data transmission rate and the satellite is provided with a data storage adapted to store the data transmitted from the base station to the satellite and to supply the data provided for the transmission to the receivers.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A satellite communication system comprising:

a base station;

a satellite communicatively coupled with the base station for data transmission; and

a plurality of receivers configured to receive signals transmitted from the satellite;

wherein the satellite is configured to receive data with a first data transmission rate in an uplink data stream from the base station,

wherein the satellite is configured to transmit data with a second data transmission rate in a downlink data stream to the plurality of receivers,

wherein the first data transmission rate is lower than the second data transmission rate, and

wherein the satellite includes a data storage adapted to store the data transmitted from the base station to the satellite and to supply the stored data to the plurality of receivers.

17. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein a bandwidth of the uplink data stream is lower than a bandwidth of the downlink data stream.

18. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein the satellite comprises:

a multiplicity of beams, wherein the satellite is configured to transmit downlink data streams to a multiplicity of groups of receivers over the multiplicity of beams, and wherein each group of the multiplicity of groups of receivers is situated in a distinct beam served from the satellite.

19. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein a data transmission protocol of the uplink data stream is different from a data transmission protocol of the downlink data stream.

20. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein the data storage comprises flash memory chips.

21. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein the satellite comprises:

a demodulator configured to demodulate the uplink data received from the base station; and

a modulator configured to modulate the data to be transmitted to the receivers,

wherein the data storage is arranged between the demodulator and the modulator.

22. The satellite communication system according to claim 21, wherein the demodulator or the modulator includes a reprogrammable processor.

23. The satellite communication system according to claim 16, wherein the satellite comprises:

an encryption device configured to encrypt the data content of the storage to facilitate payment schemes for on-demand content.

24. A method of transmitting data from a base station to a plurality of receivers via a satellite, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, by the satellite from the base station, data with a first data transmission rate via at least one uplink data stream;

b) storing, by the satellite, the received data in a data storage on-board of the satellite;

c) transmitting, by the satellite to one or more of the receivers, data with a second data transmission rate in at least one downlink data stream,

wherein the first data transmission rate is lower than the second data transmission rate.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein a bandwidth of the uplink data stream is lower than a bandwidth of the downlink data stream.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein a data transmission protocol of the uplink data stream is different from a data transmission protocol of the downlink data stream.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the data received by the satellite are stored in at least one flash memory chip of the storage.

28. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

demodulating, by a demodulator on-board of the satellite, the data of the uplink data stream received from the base station before being stored in the storage; and

modulating, by a modulator on-board of the satellite, the data stored in the storage for the downlink data stream before being transmitted to the one or more receivers.

29. The method according to claim 24, wherein the downlink data stream is a transmission on-demand data stream.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein at least one algorithm that allows efficient partition of sequentially viewed content is employed for compression of the uplink data stream or the downlink data stream to minimize bandwidth consumed while allowing a new viewer to start watching with a short delay, wherein said at least one algorithm includes harmonic broadcasting, amended harmonic broadcasting or fuzzy broadcasting.