SATELLITE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANAGING THE RESOURCES ALLOCATED WITHIN SUCH A SYSTEM

• US 20150156734A1
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: TOURET, Marc, PRILLARD, Bertrand, GUILLERME, Yves, PRIVAT, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,814,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/40 of relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In the field of satellite communication systems, a method is provided for managing communication resources allocated by central control equipment to the various terminal communication devices within a global satellite communication system. In particular, the management of communication resources by way of the monitoring of the equivalent isotropically radiated power transmitted by a terminal of the satellite communication system is provided.

Claims

1. A satellite communication device comprising an antenna for communicating with a satellite, the device comprising:

a measurement module configured to carry out a plurality of measurements of the equivalent isotropically radiated power of the antenna;

a reception module suitable for receiving, periodically, an equivalent isotropically radiated power setpoint to be applied to the signal transmitted by said antenna, said setpoint being computed by control equipment to observe a target link budget on the satellite link between said communication device and another device of the same network;

a computation module configured to

compute an average, over a first time interval, of said plurality of power measurements,

compute an average, over a second time interval substantially identical to said first time interval, of said received power setpoints,

compute the deviation between the average of the power setpoints and the average of the power measurements; and

a transmission module suitable for transmitting said deviation to said control equipment, via said satellite.

2. The satellite communication device according to claim 1, comprising a high-power amplifier wherein said measurement module is implemented, the power being measured at the output of said high-power amplifier and being corrected for the gain of the antenna.

3. The satellite communication device according to claim 2, comprising an RF chain connected at its input to the output of the high-power amplifier and at its output to the antenna, the measured power at the output of said high-power amplifier being furthermore corrected for the gain of the RF chain.

4. The satellite communication device according to claim 1, wherein the measured output power of the high-power amplifier is a peak power and this power is corrected for the peak factor of the modulation of the transmitted signal.

5. The satellite communication device according to claim 1, wherein the measured power is corrected for a measurement bias depending on the power difference between a modulated carrier and an un-modulated carrier.

6. The satellite communication device according to claim 1, wherein said averages are sliding averages over a chosen time horizon.

7. The satellite communication system comprising at least one satellite communication device according to claim 1 and equipment for controlling the resources allocated within said system, said control equipment comprising:

a computation module suitable for computing an equivalent isotropically radiated power setpoint as a function of a target link budget to be attained on the satellite link between a first communication device and a second communication device,

a module for transmitting this power setpoint to said first device,

a module for receiving a deviation between said power setpoint and the equivalent isotropically radiated power transmitted by said first device, said deviation being transmitted by said first device,

a resource management module configured to allocate more or fewer communication resources to said first device or to other devices of the system as a function of said deviation.

8. The satellite communication system according to claim 7, wherein said resource management module is configured to update the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power by adding said received power deviation to it.

9. The satellite communication system according to claim 8, wherein said resource management module is configured to make the following resource allocation decisions:

if the power setpoint transmitted to said first device is strictly below the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power, allocate the available resources to said first device or to other devices of the system,

if the power setpoint transmitted to said first device is strictly above the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power, reduce the resources allocated to said first device.

10. The satellite communication system according to claim 7, wherein said control equipment includes a loop for slaving the power of said first device configured to adjust the power setpoint transmitted to said first device as a function of the resources allocated to said first device and of a target signal-to-noise ratio measured on the link between said first device and said second device.

11. The satellite communication system according to claim 7, wherein the allocated communication resources are bit rate or spectral efficiency resources.

12. A method for controlling the resources allocated within a satellite communication system, comprising at least one satellite communication device and equipment for controlling the resources within said system, said method comprising the following steps:

periodically computing an equivalent isotropically radiated power setpoint as a function of a target link budget to be attained on the satellite link between a first communication device and a second communication device,

carrying out a plurality of measurements of the equivalent isotropically radiated power of the antenna of said first device,

computing an average, over a first time interval, of said plurality of power measurements,

computing an average, over a second time interval substantially identical to said first time interval, of said power setpoints,

computing the deviation between the average of the power setpoints and the average of the power measurements,

allocating more or fewer communication resources to said first device or to other devices of the system as a function of said deviation.

13. The method for controlling resources according to claim 12, further comprising a step of updating the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power by adding said power deviation to it.

14. The method for controlling resources according to claim 13, further comprising the following resource allocation decision step:

if the power setpoint transmitted to said first device is strictly below the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power, allocate the available resources to said first device or to other devices of the system,

if the power setpoint transmitted to said first device is strictly above the maximum admissible equivalent isotropically radiated power, reduce the resources allocated to said first device.