Noise compensation in satellite communications
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- employing a processor executing computer-readable instructions to perform the following acts;
identifying, by a terminal, a change in a return link signal quality of a gateway for a return link from the terminal through a satellite to the gateway, the return link being shared by a plurality of terminals having an interference relationship, wherein the identifying the change in the return link signal quality comprises;
identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio for the return link from the terminal comprising;
measuring a forward link signal-to-noise ratio at the terminal for a forward link from the gateway through the satellite to the terminal; and
approximating the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link at the gateway based on the forward link signal-to-noise ratio;
interpreting the change in the signal-to-noise ratio as indicating the change in the return link signal quality;
receiving a feedback signal at the terminal, from the gateway, the feedback signal indicating at least one of the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway or the change in the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway; and
adjusting a data rate, at the terminal, for a message sent from the terminal via the return link based on the change in the return link signal quality, without changing the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals, wherein the adjusting the data rate increases the return link signal quality in response to a degradation of the return link signal quality.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A quality measure, such as a signal-to-noise ratio, of a signal arriving at a gateway for a return link is used to adjust a data rate for the link. The return link is transferred from a terminal to the gateway through a satellite, and shared by a number of user terminals at any given time, including the terminal for which the data rate is adjusted. The terminals sharing the link have a certain interference relationship. Adjusting a data rate for a message sent from one or more terminals through the return link in the presence of signal degradation or power loss does not appreciably change the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals.
20 Citations
44 Claims
-
1. A method comprising:
employing a processor executing computer-readable instructions to perform the following acts; identifying, by a terminal, a change in a return link signal quality of a gateway for a return link from the terminal through a satellite to the gateway, the return link being shared by a plurality of terminals having an interference relationship, wherein the identifying the change in the return link signal quality comprises; identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio for the return link from the terminal comprising; measuring a forward link signal-to-noise ratio at the terminal for a forward link from the gateway through the satellite to the terminal; and approximating the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link at the gateway based on the forward link signal-to-noise ratio; interpreting the change in the signal-to-noise ratio as indicating the change in the return link signal quality; receiving a feedback signal at the terminal, from the gateway, the feedback signal indicating at least one of the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway or the change in the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway; and adjusting a data rate, at the terminal, for a message sent from the terminal via the return link based on the change in the return link signal quality, without changing the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals, wherein the adjusting the data rate increases the return link signal quality in response to a degradation of the return link signal quality. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
16. An apparatus comprising:
-
means for identifying, by a terminal, a change in a return link signal quality for a gateway for a return link from the terminal through a satellite to the gateway, the return link being shared by a plurality of terminals having an interference relationship, wherein the means for identifying the change in the return link signal quality comprises; means for identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio for the return link from the terminal, the means for identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio comprising; means for measuring a forward link signal-to-noise ratio at the terminal for a forward link from the gateway through a satellite to the terminal; and means for approximating the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link at the gateway based on the forward link signal-to-noise ratio; and means for interpreting the change in the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as indicating the change in the return link signal quality; means for receiving a feedback signal at the terminal, from the gateway, the feedback signal indicating at least one of the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway or the change in the return link signal-to-noise ratio as measured at the gateway; and means for adjusting a data rate, at the terminal, for a message sent from the terminal via the return link based on the change in the return link signal quality without changing the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals, wherein the means for adjusting the data rate increases the return link signal quality in response to a degradation of the return link signal quality. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. An apparatus comprising:
-
a comparator configured to identify a change, by a terminal, in a return link signal quality for a gateway for a return link from the terminal through a satellite to the gateway, the return link being shared by a plurality of terminals having an interference relationship, wherein identifying the change in the return link signal comprises; identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio for the return link from the terminal comprising; measuring a forward link signal-to-noise ratio at the terminal for a forward link from the gateway through the satellite to the terminal; and approximating the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link at the gateway based on the forward link signal-to-noise ratio; and interpreting the change in the signal-to-noise ratio as indicating the change in the return link signal quality; and a data rate generator configured to adjust a data rate, at the terminal, for a message sent from the terminal via the return link based on the change in the return link signal quality without changing the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals, wherein the data rate generator is configured to receive a feedback signal, at a terminal feedback input, from the gateway, the feedback signal indicating at least one of the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway or the change in the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway, and the data rate generator adjusts the data rate to increase the return link signal quality in response to a degradation of the return link signal quality. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
-
37. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon machine-executable instructions adapted for causing a machine to perform a method comprising:
-
identifying a change, at a terminal, in a return link signal quality for a gateway for a return link from the terminal through a satellite to the gateway, the return link being shared by a plurality of terminals having an interference relationship, wherein identifying the change in the return link signal quality comprises; identifying a change in a signal-to-noise ratio for the return link from the terminal; and interpreting the change in the signal-to-noise ratio as indicating the change in the return link signal quality; receiving a feedback signal at the terminal, from the gateway, the feedback signal indicating at least one of the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway or the change in the signal-to-noise ratio for the return link as measured at the gateway; and
adjusting a data rate, at the terminal, for a message sent from the terminal via the return link based on the change in the return link signal quality without changing the interference relationship among the plurality of terminals,wherein the return link comprises a messaging time slot among a plurality of time slots in a series of time frames, and the message is initiated at a random time within the messaging time slot, and the adjusting the data rate increases the return link signal quality in response to a degradation of the return link signal quality. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
Specification