Method and apparatus for command and control of remote systems using low earth orbit satellite communications
First Claim
1. A programmable gateway for providing a two-way communication path between a control center and a remote user, comprising:
- a transceiver for communicating with a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite;
an interface for connecting at least one external device to said gateway, said at least one external device being located at said remote user and being external to said gateway;
a processor for processing data received from said control center or from said at least one external device; and
memory for storing said data,said processor being operative to;
receive device data from said at least one external device;
determine whether to immediately transmit said device data to said control center;
transmit said device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a determination to immediately transmit said device data to said control center;
store said device data in said memory in response to a determination not to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; and
subsequently transmit said stored device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a predetermined condition.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing command and control of remote systems using low earth orbit satellite communications is disclosed. According to the present invention, a programmable transceiver apparatus provides a two-way communications path between a remote user and a control center via a low earth orbit satellite at frequencies below 1 GHz. The transceiver apparatus includes a transceiver for communicating with the low earth orbit satellite; an antenna coupled to the transceiver; at least one interface communicating signals between at least one external device located at the remote user, wherein the transceiver apparatus is programmed to transmit data related to the external device to the satellite in response to a signal communicated to the transceiver via the low earth orbit satellite, an internal program of the transceiver or an alarm or exception signal generated by any of the external devices or the user. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the command signals from the control center are embedded in an information signal of a direct-to-home subscription information system signal via a geostationary satellite operating at frequencies greater than 1 GHz, and are separated at the user location and communicated to the programmable transceiver. The transceiver, in turn, selectively communicates the command signal to the devices and receives data from the devices. The received data is then transmitted to the control center via a low earth orbit satellite.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A programmable gateway for providing a two-way communication path between a control center and a remote user, comprising:
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a transceiver for communicating with a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite; an interface for connecting at least one external device to said gateway, said at least one external device being located at said remote user and being external to said gateway; a processor for processing data received from said control center or from said at least one external device; and memory for storing said data, said processor being operative to; receive device data from said at least one external device; determine whether to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; transmit said device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a determination to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; store said device data in said memory in response to a determination not to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; and subsequently transmit said stored device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a predetermined condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for monitoring and controlling a device associated with a user from a control center, said user being remotely located from said control center, comprising:
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a control center for generating control messages for said device and receiving monitoring messages from said device; and a programmable gateway connected to said devices and located remotely from said control center, said programmable gateway communicating with said control center via a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, said programmable gateway being operative to; receive device data from said device; determine whether to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; transmit said device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a determination to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; store said device data in response to a determination not to immediately transmit said device data to said control center; and subsequently transmit said stored device data to said control center via said LEO satellite in response to a predetermined condition. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for collecting data from a plurality of remote devices via low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, comprising the steps of:
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generating instructions for a gateway attached to at least one of said remote devices; transmitting said instructions to said gateway via said LEO satellite, said instructions indicating when said gateway should provide data collected from said attached remote devices; receiving from said gateway said data collected from said attached remote devices; processing said received data to provide reformatted data; and providing said reformatted data to a subscriber. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification