Networked satellite and terrestrial cellular radiotelephone systems

• US 5,327,572 A
• Filed: 03/06/1990
• Issued: 07/05/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Antozskij Research LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Freeburg, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US07/488,912
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12-13, 455/33-34, 455/63, 455/69-70, 455/127, 455/232, 455/234, 379/58-60, 379/63, 342/356
• US Class Current: 455/430
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18521 Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service for optical links between satellites H04B10/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00

Abstract

There is provided a mechanism for networking satellite and terrestrial networks. It comprises: maintaining subscriber-received power levels of terrestrial network transmissions about one order of magnitude above co-channel satellite transmissions to overcome interference and maintaining subscriber transmissions to terrestrial networks at power levels about one order of magnitude of the below co-channel transmissions to satellite networks to avoid causing interference at the satellite. Such power level maintenance is provided by the network in communication with such subscriber. Moreover, a non-orbiting ("grounded") satellite cooperates as a switching node of both the satellite network and a terrestrial network to relay information between a terrestrial subscriber and the satellite radiotelephone network over a terrestrial network. The terrestrial network and the satellite network may communicate via either the inter-satellite spectrum or the terrestrial-to-satellite spectrum.

Claims

1. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising the steps of:

controlling a terrestrial network transmission within a frequency band with respect to a satellite network transmission also within said frequency band to overcome interference

and controlling a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network with respect to the terrestrial network transmission within said frequency band to the satellite network to avoid causing interference at a satellite of the satellite network.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the satellite network comprises a non-orbiting satellite.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the satellite network and the terrestrial network comprise a non-orbiting satellite cooperating as a switching node of both the satellite network and the terrestrial network.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terrestrial network comprises one or more from the group of networks consisting of:

terrestrial wireless networks;

terrestrial wireless cellular networks;

terrestrial wireless cellular radiotelephone networks;

terrestrial wireless in-building networks;

terrestrial wireless in-building telephone networks;

terrestrial wireless in-building data networks;

public switched telephone networks, and private branch exchanges.

5. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising the steps of:

maintaining a subscriber-received signal level of a terrestrial network transmission sufficiently above a co-channel satellite transmission to overcome any interference therebetween

and maintaining a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network at a signal level sufficiently below a co-channel transmission to the satellite network to overcome any interference at a satellite of the satellite network.

6. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising:

maintaining a subscriber-received power level of a terrestrial network transmission to about one order of magnitude of a differential path loss above a co-channel satellite transmission to overcome any interference therebetween

and maintaining a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network at a power level about one order of magnitude of a differential path loss below a co-channel transmission to the satellite network to reduce interference at a satellite of the satellite network, wherein such power level maintenance is provided by one of the satellite and terrestrial networks in communication with a subscriber.

7. An apparatus for networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising:

first means for maintaining a subscriber-received power level of a terrestrial network transmission about one order of magnitude of a differential path loss above a con-channel satellite transmission to reduce any interference therebetween

second means, coupled to said first maintaining means, for maintaining a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network at a power level about one order of magnitude of a differential path loss below a co-channel transmission to the satellite network to reduce any interference at a satellite of the satellite network, wherein the power level maintenance is provided by one of the satellite and terrestrial networks in communication with a subscriber.

8. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising the steps of:

controlling a terrestrial network transmission with respect to a satellite network transmission to overcome interference

controlling a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network with respect to the terrestrial network transmission to the satellite network to avoid causing interference at a satellite of the satellite network

and dynamically allocating an available communication frequency band among satellite and terrestrial networks in time-synchronism with the satellite movement.

9. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising the steps of:

controlling a terrestrial network transmission with respect to a satellite network transmission to overcome interference

controlling a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network with respect to the terrestrial network transmission to the satellite network to avoid causing interference at a satellite of the satellite network

and handing-off a communication path utilized to transmit a communication signal with a non-orbiting satellite in the satellite network from a first satellite to a second satellite in the satellite network during the transmission of said communication signal.

10. A method of networking a satellite network and a terrestrial network comprising the steps of:

controlling a terrestrial network transmission with respect to a satellite network transmission to overcome interference by maintaining a differential power level of each of the transmissions to the terrestrial network and the satellite network relative to a differential path loss between the transmissions to the terrestrial and satellite networks

and controlling a subscriber transmission to the terrestrial network with respect to the terrestrial network transmission to the satellite network to avoid causing interference at a satellite of the satellite network.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the differential power level is about one order of magnitude of the differential path loss.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of controlling further comprises the step of non-interferingly partitioning an available communication spectrum between the terrestrial network and the satellite network.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of partitioning of the available communication spectrum is accomplished through time division multiplex channelization.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of partitioning of the available communication spectrum is accomplished through code division multiplex channelization.

15. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of partitioning of the available communication spectrum is accomplished through frequency division multiplex channelization.

16. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of partitioning is accomplished through one of:

a satellite-related spectrum, reused terrestrially;

an inter-satellite spectrum, reused terrestrially;

the inter-satellite spectrum, reused between a plurality of terrestrial network nodes;

a satellite-to-ground spectrum, reused terrestrially;

the satellite-to-ground spectrum, reused non-interferingly terrestrially; and

the satellite-to-ground spectrum, reused in time-synchronism with satellite movement.