Satellite, mobile terminal, and complementary terrestrial component in OFDM based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, and communication method thereof

• US 8,149,762 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2009
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Hee Wook, Kang, Kunseok, Ahn, Do-Seob, Lee, Ho Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US12/537,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20100128656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 370/316, 370/203, 370/295, 370/308, 370/400, 370/252, 370/340, 370/329, 370/260, 455/452.2, 455/456.1, 455/517, 455/506, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.4, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/427, 455/429, 455/430, 455/431, 455/432.1, 455/447, 455/448, 455/452.1, 455/446, 455/13, 455/3, 455/15, 455/16, 455/17
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

Provided is a communication method of a mobile terminal in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the method including: receiving location information of the mobile terminal from a satellite to determine a location of the mobile terminal within multiple beams; determining a subcarrier group for a communication with the satellite according to the location of the mobile terminal within the multiple beams; and communicating with the satellite using the subcarrier group for the communication with the satellite.

Claims

1. A communication method of a mobile terminal in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the method comprising:

receiving location information of the mobile terminal from a satellite to determine a location of the mobile terminal within multiple beams;

determining a subcarrier group for a communication with the satellite according to the location of the mobile terminal within the multiple beams; and

communicating with the satellite using the subcarrier group for the communication with the satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving and the determining comprises:

determining, among the multiple beams, a beam that includes the location of the mobile terminal; and

determining, between a central region and a boundary region of the determined beam, a region that includes the location of the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the subcarrier group comprises:

generating a subcarrier section using a plurality of different subcarrier groups to determine a single subcarrier group corresponding to the beam as the subcarrier group for the communication with the satellite, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the boundary region of the beam; and

determining all the subcarrier groups as subcarrier groups for the communication with the satellite, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the central region of the beam.

4. A communication method of a satellite in an OFDM based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the method comprising:

verifying location information of the mobile terminal using data, received from the mobile terminal, to determine a location of the mobile terminal within multiple beams;

determining a subcarrier group for a communication with the mobile terminal according to the location of the mobile terminal within the multiple beams; and

communicating with the mobile terminal using the subcarrier group for the communication with the mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the verifying and the determining comprises:

determining, among the multiple beams, a beam that includes the location of the mobile terminal; and

determining, between a central region and a boundary region of the determined beam, a region that includes the location of the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining of the subcarrier group comprises:

generating a subcarrier section using a plurality of different subcarrier groups to determine a single subcarrier group corresponding to the beam as the subcarrier group for the communication with the mobile terminal, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the boundary region of the beam; and

determining all the subcarrier groups as subcarrier groups for the communication with the mobile terminal, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the central region of the beam.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein time multiplexing is performed for data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal that is located in the central region of the beam, and data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal that is located in the boundary region of the beam, and the time-multiplexed data are transmitted to the corresponding mobile terminals.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the power of data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal that is located in the central region of the beam is less than the power of data to be transmitted to a mobile terminal that is located in the boundary region of the beam.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining of the subcarrier group comprises:

determining a particular subcarrier section of the entire subcarrier section as the subcarrier group for the communication with the mobile terminal, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the central region of the beam; and

generating the remaining subcarrier section excluding the particular subcarrier section, using a plurality of different subcarrier groups to determine, among the plurality of subcarrier groups, a single subcarrier group corresponding to the beam as the subcarrier group for the communication with the mobile terminal, when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is the boundary region of the beam.

10. A communication method of a complementary terrestrial component in an OFDM based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the method comprising:

sensing a satellite signal when data is received from a mobile terminal;

recognizing a subcarrier group used for a communication between a satellite and the mobile terminal, using the satellite signal; and

communicating with the mobile terminal using the remaining subcarrier groups excluding the recognized subcarrier group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the recognizing comprises:

in a case where the satellite communicates with a mobile terminal that is located in a boundary region of any one of multiple beams,

recognizing a first subcarrier group used for a communication between the satellite and the mobile terminal that is located in the boundary region of the beam, when the complementary terrestrial component is located in a central region of the beam,; and

recognizing the first subcarrier group and a second subcarrier group used for a communication between the satellite and a mobile terminal that is located in a boundary region of a neighboring beam adjacent to the beam, when the complementary terrestrial component is located in the boundary region of the beam.

12. A mobile terminal in an OFDM based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the mobile terminal comprising:

a location decision unit to receive location information of the mobile terminal from a satellite, and to determine a location of the mobile terminal within multiple beams;

a subcarrier group decision unit to determine a subcarrier group for a communication with the satellite according to the location of the mobile terminal within the multiple beams; and

a communication unit to communicate with the satellite using the subcarrier group for the communication with the satellite.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein:

when a region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is a boundary region of any one of the multiple beams, the subcarrier group decision unit generates a subcarrier section using a plurality of different subcarrier groups and determines any one of the subcarrier groups as the subcarrier group for the communication with the satellite, and

when the region that includes the location of the mobile terminal is a central region of any one of the multiple beams, the subcarrier group decision unit determines all the subcarrier groups as subcarrier groups for the communication with the satellite.

14. A complementary terrestrial component in an OFDM based multi-beam satellite system reusing the same frequency band for all the beams, the complementary terrestrial component comprising:

a satellite signal sensing unit to sense a satellite signal when data is received from a mobile terminal;

a subcarrier group recognition unit to recognize a subcarrier group used for a communication between a satellite and the mobile terminal, using the satellite signal; and

a communication unit to communicate with the mobile terminal using the remaining subcarrier groups excluding the recognized subcarrier group.

15. The complementary terrestrial component of claim 14, wherein:

in a case where the satellite communicates with a mobile terminal that is located in a boundary region of any one of multiple beams, when the complementary terrestrial component is located in a central region of the beam, the subcarrier group recognition unit recognizes a first subcarrier group used for a communication between the satellite and the mobile terminal that is located in the boundary region of the beam, and

when the complementary terrestrial component is located in the boundary region of the beam, the subcarrier group recognition unit recognizes the first subcarrier group and a second subcarrier group used for a communication between the satellite and a mobile terminal that is located in a boundary region of a neighboring beam adjacent to the beam.