Satellite modem with a dynamic bandwidth
First Claim
1. A method for providing to a network of sites, sharing a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) satellite link, a dedicated bandwidth for priority traffic and a shared dynamic bandwidth for high flow traffic, the method comprising:
- providing to each site a dedicated bandwidth for priority traffic by assigning to each site at least one dedicated sub-frame, said sub-frame being a time-slot during which the site transmits, and said sub-frame being one of a series of sequential sub-frames organized in a time-repeating sequence called a frame, said frame further comprising in its time sequence a burst sub-frame corresponding to the shared bandwidth available for high flow traffic;
providing to each site, at a regular time interval, a reservation micro time-slot during which the site can transmit a reservation for the burst sub-frame of a frame to come;
at each site determining when the reservation is to be sent as a function of an assignment protocol and a buffer status and transmitting the reservation;
assigning at each site, as a function of said reservations and according to said assignment protocol, the burst sub-frame to a corresponding site that will be allowed to transmit during said burst sub-frame, therefore providing to the network a dynamic bandwidth for high flow traffic; and
at said corresponding site determining when high flow traffic data is to be sent as a function of said reservations and said assignment protocol and transmitting the high flow traffic data.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides for a method that could be advantageously implemented in a satellite local area network (LAN) in which an average number of sites share a TDMA link. The invention provides for both a dedicated bandwidth to all the sites and a shared bandwidth that is dynamically assigned to the sites, therefore allowing for both synchronous traffic and for on request burst mode traffic. The method includes a reservation method of this shared bandwidth which is specially optimized for a satellite link. The method provides also for a network that automatically managed its communication bandwidth resources and the synchronization of the sites, without the need of an external controller. The present invention also provides for a satellite modem to transmit data from a site, to receive data from the sites and to manage the bandwidth resources of the TDMA satellite in accordance with the above method.
35 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for providing to a network of sites, sharing a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) satellite link, a dedicated bandwidth for priority traffic and a shared dynamic bandwidth for high flow traffic, the method comprising:
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providing to each site a dedicated bandwidth for priority traffic by assigning to each site at least one dedicated sub-frame, said sub-frame being a time-slot during which the site transmits, and said sub-frame being one of a series of sequential sub-frames organized in a time-repeating sequence called a frame, said frame further comprising in its time sequence a burst sub-frame corresponding to the shared bandwidth available for high flow traffic; providing to each site, at a regular time interval, a reservation micro time-slot during which the site can transmit a reservation for the burst sub-frame of a frame to come; at each site determining when the reservation is to be sent as a function of an assignment protocol and a buffer status and transmitting the reservation; assigning at each site, as a function of said reservations and according to said assignment protocol, the burst sub-frame to a corresponding site that will be allowed to transmit during said burst sub-frame, therefore providing to the network a dynamic bandwidth for high flow traffic; and at said corresponding site determining when high flow traffic data is to be sent as a function of said reservations and said assignment protocol and transmitting the high flow traffic data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A modem to transmit data from a site, to receive data from a network of sites and to manage bandwidth resources of a time-division multiple access (TDMA) satellite link shared by the network of sites, wherein said TDMA link provides to the network of sites a shared bandwidth for high flow traffic data, and provides to each site a dedicated bandwidth for priority traffic data and provides to each sites a reservation bandwidth for reservation data in which the site can request a time-slot of the shared bandwidth, the modem comprising:
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a receiving module receiving a received signal encoding the priority traffic data, the high flow traffic data and the reservation data from the TDMA satellite link, for providing received data; a transmitting module receiving framed data of the site to be transmitted and a synchronization signal, for transmitting, as a function of said synchronization signal, the framed data through the TDMA satellite link; a dedicated bandwidth port for coupling the priority traffic data of a subscriber equipment to the modem; a shared bandwidth port for coupling the high flow traffic data of the subscriber equipment to the modem; a synchronization module coupled to the receiving module for providing, as a function of the received data, a reference clock time and for generating said synchronization signal; a framing module, receiving a priority traffic data to transmit, a high flow traffic data to transmit, an assignment signal and a reservation signal, for storing momentarily in a buffer the high flow traffic data to transmit until its transmission and providing a buffer status signal about a status of a content of the buffer, and for generating, as a function of said high flow and priority traffic data to transmit and as a function of said assignment signal and said reservation signal, the framed data of the site to be transmitted; an input/output controller module, receiving the priority traffic data to transmit from the dedicated bandwidth port, the high flow traffic data to transmit from the shared-bandwidth port and the received data, for relaying said priority and high flow traffic data to transmit to the framing module, for relaying a received priority traffic of the received data to the dedicated bandwidth port and for relaying a received high flow traffic data of the received data to the shared-bandwidth port; a reservation module, adapted to manage the reservation data and the shared-bandwidth resources, having a first port connected to the receiving module for acknowledging from the reservation data of the received data said time-slot requests of the sites, and having a second port connected to the framing module, for receiving the buffer status signal and for transmitting to the framing module the assignment signal and the reservation signal, said reservation module generating, as a function of said requests of the sites and as a function of an assignment protocol, the assignment signal informing the framing module when to incorporate, in said framed data, the high flow traffic data to transmit in the shared-bandwidth of the TDMA link, and generating, in response to the buffer status signal and as a function of the assignment protocol, the reservation signal informing the framing module when to request, in the reservation data, a time-slot of the shared-bandwidth of the TDMA link. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification