Downlink beam hopping waveform

• US 6,992,992 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Linsky, Stuart T., Yousefi, Esmaell, Jue, Reginald, Cooper, Scott A., Wright, David A., Bever, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOORE JR, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US09/599,040
• Time in Patent Office: 2,050 Days
• Field of Search: 370315-325, 370/389, 370/392, 370/393, 455/427, 455/428, 455/12
• US Class Current: 370/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system

Abstract

A frame signal (100) for communicating payloads (104, 110) of data includes a first payload field (104) and a first header field (102) with a first frame type indicator (120). The frame signal (100) also includes a second payload field (110) and a second header field (108) smaller than the first header field (102) that includes a second frame type indicator (128). The first payload field (104), first header field (102), second payload field (110), and the second header field (108) are encapsulated in a single frame (100) to provide multiple payload delivery with reduced overhead compared to individually transmitted single payload frames.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a communication frame, the method comprising:

transmitting a first header field including a first frame type field;

transmitting a first payload field;

transmitting a second header field smaller than the first header field and including a second frame type field; and

transmitting a second payload field;

the first payload field, first header field, second payload field, and the second header field being encapsulated in a single frame;

wherein transmitting the first header field comprises transmitting a first pseudorandom noise synchronization field, wherein transmitting the second header field comprises transmitting a second pseudorandom noise synchronization field, and wherein the first and second pseudorandom noise synchronization fields carry identical pseudorandom noise synchronization codes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first header field further comprises transmitting a hopping beam guard band having a duration encompassing an expected circuit switch downlink beam hopping delay.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first header field further comprises transmitting at least one of a first payload coding identifier and a first payload power gating identifier in the first payload field type indicator, and wherein transmitting the second header field further comprises transmitting at least one of a second payload coding identifier and a second payload power gating identifier in the second payload field type indicator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the first payload coding identifier comprises transmitting one of a heavy or light coding identifier, and wherein transmitting the second payload coding identifier comprises transmitting one of a heavy or light coding identifier.

5. A method for transmitting a communication frame, the method comprising:

transmitting a first header field including a first frame type field;

transmitting a first payload field;

transmitting a second header field smaller than the first header field and including a second frame type field; and

transmitting a second payload field;

the first payload field, first header field, second payload field, and the second header field being encapsulated in a single frame;

wherein transmitting the first header field further comprises transmitting at least one of a first payload coding identifier and a first payload power gating identifier in the first payload field type indicator, and wherein transmitting the second header field further comprises transmitting at least one of a second payload coding identifier and a second payload power gating identifier in the second payload field type indicator;

wherein transmitting the first payload coding identifier comprises transmitting one of a heavy or light coding identifier, and wherein transmitting the second payload coding identifier comprises transmitting one of a heavy or light coding identifier;

wherein transmitting the first payload power gating identifier comprises transmitting one of a first payload power gate identifier and a frame power gate identifier, and wherein transmitting the second payload power gating identifier comprises transmitting one or a second payload power gate identifier and the frame power gate identifier.

6. A downlink frame processing module comprising:

an outer coder;

an inner coder coupled to the outer coder, the inner coded data output; and

a downlink frame organizer connected to the coded data output, wherein the downlink frame organizer packages coded data present on the coded data output into a single frame including;

a first payload field;

a first header field including a first frame type field;

a second payload field; and

a second header field smaller than the first header field and including a

second frame type field;

wherein the first header field and the second header field include an identical pseudorandom noise synchronization code.

7. The downlink frame processing module of claim 6, further comprising a scrambler coupled to the inner coder and the outer coder.

8. The downlink frame processing module of claim 6, wherein the outer coder is a Reed-Solomon encoder and the inner coder is a Convolutional encoder.

9. The downlink frame processing module of claim 6, wherein the first header field further includes a hopping beam guard band having a duration encompassing an expected circuit switching beam hopping delay.

10. The downlink frame processing module of claim 6, wherein the first payload field type indicator includes at least one of a coding identifier and a power gating identifier.

11. The downlink frame processing module of claim 10, further comprising a data memory coupled to the outer coder.

12. The downlink frame processing module of claim 11, wherein the data memory stores 53-byte ATM cells.