Satellite communication data delivery method and slave and master stations using the method

• US 7,079,505 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2001
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasai, Norimitsu, Okunishi, Masako, Okumoto, Tomoko
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/860,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20010048672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• Field of Search: 370/321, 370/323, 370/443, 370/444, 370/447, 370/347, 370/437, 370/468, 370/450, 370/401, 455/12.1, 455/13.2, 709/217
• US Class Current: 370/321
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks

Abstract

In a satellite communication data delivery method, delivery data is transmitted from a master station to a slave station over a packet exchanging system communication channel 3 via a satellite. The slave station demodulates the packet ID appended to a packet delivered. In case the packet ID is the same as the packet ID owned by the slave station, the slave station receives the data in the packet. The slave station transmits an assignment request signal for the dedicated communication channel 4 over the uplink of the control channels 5. The master station assigns an idle dedicated communication channel out of the dedicated communication channels 4 to the slave station and notifies the slave station of the assignment over the downlink of the control circuits 5. The slave station transmits response data to the master station over the assigned dedicated communication channel.

Claims

1. A satellite communication data delivery method in which data is delivered from a master station to a plurality of slave stations via a satellite, the method comprising:

at the master station, transmitting delivery data with an appended packet identifier to all of the plurality of the slave stations over a packet exchanging system communication channel via the satellite;

at the slave stations, receiving the delivery data, and requesting by at least one designated slave station having a same packet identifier as that appended to the delivery data over an uplink control channel via the satellite assignment of a dedicated communication channel during or on completion of the receiving of the delivery data;

at the master station, transmitting to the at least one designated slave station information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via the packet exchanging system communication channel; and

at the at least one designated slave station, transmitting response data to the master station over the dedicated communication channel assigned to the designated slave station.

2. A satellite communication data delivery method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via a downlink control channel.

3. A satellite communication data delivery method according to claim 1, wherein the master station transmits digital video data to the slave stations over the packet exchanging system communication channel.

4. A satellite communication data delivery method according to claim 1, wherein the slave station transmits response data to notify the master station that the data delivered by the master station has been successfully received.

5. A satellite communication data delivery method, comprising:

delivering data with an appended packet identifier over a packet exchanging system communication channel from a master station to a plurality of slave stations via a satellite;

requesting assignment from the master station of a dedicated communication channel over an uplink control channel via the satellite by at least one designated slave station of the plurality of slave stations having a same packet identifier as that appended to the delivery data that have received the delivered data;

assigning, by the master station, a dedicated communication channel and notifying the at least one designated slave station of the assignment in response to the requesting, wherein the notified assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via the packet exchanging system communication channel; and

transmitting, by the at least one designated slave station, response data corresponding to the data delivered in the delivering to the master station, over the dedicated communication channel assigned by the requesting.

6. A satellite communication data delivery method according to claim 5, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via a downlink control channel.

7. A slave station, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive delivery data with an appended packet identifier transmitted by a master station over a packet exchanging system communication channel via a satellite; and

a transmitter having a same packet identifier as that appended to the delivery data configured to transmit to the master station a signal over an uplink control channel requesting a dedicated communication channel,

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a designation of a dedicated communication channel from the master station, wherein received information of designation of the dedicated communication channel is via the packet exchanging system communication channel, and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit response data to the master station over the dedicated communication channel assigned by the master station.

8. A slave station according to claim 7, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via a downlink control channel.

9. A master station, comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit delivery data with an appended packet identifier to a plurality of slave stations over a packet exchanging system communication channel via a satellite and to receive, after transmitting the appended packet identifier, a channel assignment request from at least one designated slave station, having a same packet identifier as that appended the delivery data which corresponds to the transmitted packet identifier, over an uplink control channel via the satellite;

a channel assignment controller configured to assign a dedicated communication channel in response to the channel assignment request signal transmitted during or on completion of reception of the delivery data transmitted from the transceiver by the at least one slave station, wherein transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via the packet exchanging system communication channel; and

the transceiver further receiving response data from the at least one designated slave station over the dedicated communication channel.

10. A master station according to claim 9, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via a downlink control channel.

11. A slave station, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive packets with an appended packet identifier transmitted from a master station over a packet exchanging system communication channel via a satellite;

a transmitter having a same packet identifier as that appended the delivery data configured to transmit a channel assignment request signal to the master station over an uplink control channel and to transmit response data corresponding to delivery data from the master station;

a data type determination section configured to determine whether the packets received via the receiver are delivery data or a channel assignment signal; and

a channel controller configured to change the transmission channel for the transmitter to transmit the response data based on a channel assignment signal in case the packets determined by the data type determination section are a channel assignment signal, wherein transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via the packet exchanging system communication channel.

12. A slave station according to claim 11, wherein the transmitted information of assignment of the dedicated communication channel is via a downlink control channel.