Interference management of a processing communications satellite

• US 6,865,166 B1
• Filed: 11/06/1998
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Perahia, Eldad, Wilcoxson, Donald C., Klemes, David G., Caso, Gregory S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US09/187,370
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 370/322, 370/347, 370328-330, 370/485, 370/350, 455/446
• US Class Current: 370/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18532 Arrangements for managing transmission, i.e. for transporting data or a signalling message

Abstract

A satellite based cellular communications system (10) for servicing multiple user terminals (14) is provided. The satellite based cellular communications system (10) includes at least one processing communications satellite (12) which supports communications uplinks (16) and communications downlinks (18) between multiple user terminals (14). A network operations center (24) having a central control processor (26) communicates with the processing communication satellite (12) on the communications uplinks (16) and the communications downlinks (18). The central control processor (26) minimizes intra-system interference between the multiple user terminals (14) by allocating a connection parameter to each user terminal (14) based upon accessing a plurality of communication system parameters.

Claims

1. A method for interference management of a processing communications satellite serving multiple user terminals in a satellite based cellular communications system using a combination of frequency-division and time-division multiple-access, said method comprising:

receiving a request for service from a user terminal;

prioritizing the multiple user terminals according to selected criteria, wherein said selected criteria include an amount of error correction selected by the user terminal;

accessing a database of communications system parameters including user terminal database parameters having a prioritization listing, antenna pattern parameters, spacecraft/antenna pointing error parameters and link condition database parameters;

applying an algorithm to at least one communications system parameter from the database of communications system parameters to determine a connection parameter to minimize intra-system interference in part upon the database of communications system parameters for the user terminal;

allocating the connection parameter to the user terminal; and

making a communications connection with the processing communications satellite by the user terminal using the connection parameter.

2. The method a defined in claim 1 further comprising monitoring to determine whether the communications connection is still active.

3. The methods defined in claim 2 further comprising redetermining the connection parameter for the user terminal based upon an updated database of communications system parameters.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the connection parameter is a frequency channel.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the connection parameter is a time slot.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising updating the database of communications system parameters after the communication connection ends.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected criteria include a bandwidth selected by the user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected criteria include a fee schedule of the user terminal.