Method and apparatus for predicting impending service outages for ground-to-satellite terminal in a satellite communication system

• US 6,169,881 B1
• Filed: 05/04/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CDC Propriete Intellectuelle
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniel, Brian Michael, Astrom, Richard Lawrence, Sheffler, Alvin William
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US09/072,042
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/504, 455/505, 455/506, 455/427, 455/430, 455/10, 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/67.6, 455/67.1
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18519 Operations control, administration or maintenance

Abstract

A method (1300) and apparatus (300) combines a terminal blockage profile for a ground-to-satellite terminal with satellite location and motion data for one or more satellites (12) in a satellite communication system (10) to predict an impending service outage or impairment on a real-time or near real-time basis and reports such impending outages or impairments, and the expected duration thereof, to the terminal operator. The prediction of an impending outage or impairment also can include analysis of information concerning atmospheric conditions in the vicinity of the terminal location as well as other potential sources of a service outage or impairment.

Claims

1. A method for a ground-to-satellite terminal to predict a service outage in a satellite communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a terminal blockage profile based upon a location of said ground-to-satellite terminal;

b) receiving a satellite blockage profile of one or more satellites of said satellite communication system;

c) using said terminal blockage profile and said satellite blockage profile to predict a service outage for said ground-to-satellite terminal;

d) combining said terminal blockage profile and said satellite blockage profile to generate a service status display report for use in predicting said impending service outage or impairment; and

e) said service status display report comprises a circular operator display showing one or more satellites located within a field-of-view of said ground-to-satellite terminal within a predetermined time interval and showing one or more obstructed region where a communications link between said ground-to-satellite terminal and said one or more satellites may be blocked or otherwise impaired during said predetermined time interval, and wherein said circular operator display is generated, at least in part, from an optical image corresponding, at least in part, to a field-of-view of said antenna of said ground-to-satellite terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a terminal blockage profile comprises the step of creating the terminal blockage profile, including the steps of:

(a1) gathering, by said ground-to-satellite terminal, blockage data at a site of an antenna of said ground-to-satellite terminal; and

(a2) mapping said blockage data to a blockage profile database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a1) further includes the step of gathering Fresnel zone signal data from one or more line-of-sight communication link signals.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a1) further includes the step of measuring data describing a field-of-view of the antenna of the terminal wherein the measurements can be taken anywhere along a spectrum.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein step (a1) further includes the step of forming a backscatter representation of a field-of-view of the terminal antenna.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises the step of creating a satellite blockage profile of one or more satellites including the steps of:

(b1) monitoring a beacon signal transmitted by the terminal; and

(b2) storing beacon signal measurements describing a relative strength of the beacon signal into a database.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said service status display report comprises a rectangular operator display showing one or more satellites located within a field-of-view of said ground-to-satellite terminal within a predetermined time interval and showing one or more obstructed region where a communications link between said ground-to-satellite terminal and said one or more satellites may be blocked or otherwise impaired during said predetermined time interval, and wherein said rectangular operator display is generated, at least in part, from rectangular coordinates corresponding to said terminal blockage profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises the steps of:

(c1) determining, for a particular time increment, whether at least one satellite is in clear view of an antenna associated with said ground-to-satellite terminal;

(c2) recording a result of step (c1);

(c3) repeating steps (c1)-(c2) over a predetermined time interval; and

(c4) using recorded results to create a service outage time line profile.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further including the step of:

(c5) storing a record corresponding to said service outage time line profile.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further including the step of:

(c6) using said record corresponding to said service outage time line profile to verify a service outage claim.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, further including the step of:

(c6) using said record corresponding to said service outage time line profile to aid in trouble-shooting and providing maintenance service for said ground-to-satellite terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, further including the step of:

(c6) periodically updating said service outage time line profile.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) using said terminal blockage profile to generate an impending service outage notice for warning a terminal operator of said impending service outage or impairment.

14. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

d) receiving signal strength data; and

e) using said signal strength data to predict a service impairment due to an atmospheric condition.