Resource assignment system and method for determining the same

• US 6,763,242 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Ming, Chang, Donald C. D., Cha, Alan, Feria, Ying, Hagen, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US09/661,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509, 455/3.03, 455/422, 455/427, 455/429, 455/430, 455/443, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/501, 455/63, 455/67, 455/370, 455/226.1, 455/296, 455/307
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service

Abstract

A communications system and method of operating the communications system includes a high altitude communication device that communicates with a plurality of user terminals and a gateway station. The gateway station couples the users to terrestrial networks and other users. The high altitude communication device has gateway station that assigns a first code to a beam of a first plurality of users. The gateway station continually determines whether an interference occurs between the first beam and the second beam by determining whether the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour when the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour. The gateway station declares an interference when the contours intersect and reassigns a second resource to the first beam.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communication system comprising the steps of:

assigning a first resource to a first beam of a first mobile user, defining a first interference contour around said first mobile user;

assigning the first resource to a second beam of a second user;

defining a second interference contour around said second user;

moving the first beam and first interference contour with the mobile user;

continually determining whether an interference occurs between the first beam and the second beam by determining whether the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour; and

,

when the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour, declaring an interference and reassigning a second resource to the first beam.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB contour from said first user.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said second interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB from a second user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of determining comprises the steps of determining whether the second user is inside the first interference contour.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of when the second user is outside the first contour, determining a closest point between the second contour and the first mobile user;

and determining whether the point is within the first interference contour; and

wherein the step of declaring comprises declaring an interference when the point is within the first contour.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first resource comprises a code.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first resource comprises a frequency.

8. A communications system comprising:

a first mobile user device;

a second user device;

a high altitude communications device in communication with a first mobile user device and the second user device; and

a gateway station assigns a first beam having a first resource to the first mobile user and assigns a second beam having the first resource to the second user, said gateway continually determining whether an interference occurs between the first beam and the second beam by determining whether the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour when an the first interference contour intersects the second interference contour, declaring an interference and reassigning a second resource to the first beam.

9. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said high altitude communications device is selected from a satellite and a communications platform located in a stratospheric location.

10. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said first interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB contour from said first user.

11. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said second interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB from a second user.

12. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said gateway station determines whether the second user is inside the first interference contour.

13. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein said gateway station determines when the second user is outside the first contour, determining a closest point between the second contour and the first mobile user;

and determining whether the point is within the first interference contour; and

wherein the step of declaring comprises declaring an interference when the point is within the first contour.

14. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said first resource comprises a code.

15. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein said first resource comprises a frequency.

16. A method of operating a communications system comprising the steps of:

assigning a first resource to a first beam of a first mobile user, defining a first interference contour around said first mobile user;

assigning the first resource to a second beam of a second user;

defining a second interference contour around said second user;

moving the first beam and first interference contour with the mobile user;

determining whether the second user is inside the first interference contour;

declaring an interference when the second user is inside the first interference contour;

when the second user is outside the first contour, determining a closest point between the second contour and the first mobile user; and

determining whether the closest point is within the first interference contour; and

declaring an interference when the point is within the first contour; and

,

reassigning a second resource to the first beam.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB contour from said first user.

18. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said second interference contour corresponds to −

10 dB from a second user.

19. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said step of determining comprises the steps of determining whether the second user is inside the first interference contour.