Communications system

• US 5,995,832 A
• Filed: 10/28/1998
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Celsat America, Inc.
• Inventors: Mallinckrodt, Albert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Legree, Tracy M.
• Application Number:
  US09/181,492
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/428, 455/429, 455/430, 455/12.1, 455/13.2, 455/13.3, 455/25, 455/575, 455/553, 455/552, 455/550, 455/426, 455/455, 455/436, 455/437, 455/443, 455/444
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18532 Arrangements for managing transmission, i.e. for transporting data or a signalling message
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18534 for enhancing link reliablility, e.g. satellites diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18543 for adaptation of transmission parameters, e.g. power control for detecting or preventing errors in the information received H04L1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18558 Arrangements for managing communications, i.e. for setting up, maintaining or releasing a call between stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18567 Arrangements for providing additional services to the basic mobile satellite telephony service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/216 Code division or spread-spectrum multiple access [CDMA, SSMA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0042 Encoding specially adapted to other signal generation operation, e.g. in order to reduce transmit distortions, jitter, or to improve signal shape H04L1/0067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0047 Decoding adapted to other signal detection operation in conjunction with sequence estimation or equalization H04L25/03286
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/02 Channels characterised by the type of signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/10 Open loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/225 Calculation of statistics, e.g. average, variance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/228 using past power values or information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A cellular communications system is provided have both satellite nodes and surface nodes for providing mobile cellular communications services for a plurality of mobile user units. The surface and satellite nodes are fully integrated by a network controller for providing service over large areas. In the alternative, each user unit includes link control means permitting the user unit to designate the mode of communications, either satellite node communications or ground node communications. In addition, multiple beam, relatively high gain antennas are disposed in the satellite nodes to establish satellite cells having enough gain in the satellite part of the system such that a user unit need only comprise a small, mobile handset with a non-directional antenna for communications with both ground nodes and satellite nodes.

Claims

1. A cellular communications system comprising:

at least one space node having a multiple beam antenna positioned so as to establish a first set of cells, each antenna including means for transmitting and receiving radio signals;

at least one surface node positioned so as to establish a second set of cells, each surface node including means for transmitting and receiving radio signals;

a plurality of user units positioned within the first or second set of cells, each user unit including means for transmitting and receiving radio signals for communicating with at least one space node and at least one surface node and response means for establishing selective communication with at least one of said nodes; and

link control means connected to said response means for automatically designating the communications link between said user unit and said space nodes or said surface nodes.

2. The cellular communications system of claim 1 wherein said link control means is located within said user units.

3. The cellular communications system of claim 1 wherein said link control means is located at a location distant from said user units.