Satellite communication system

• US 8,346,161 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sogabe, Yasushi, Fujimura, Akinori, Kuwahara, Takashi, Ejima, Futaba
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): TALUKDER, MD K
• Application Number:
  US12/301,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,058 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.3, 455/63.1, 455/427, 455/436, 455/13.2, 455/13.4, 455/422.1, 455/428, 375/130, 370/316, 370/320, 370/357, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2045 SS-FDMA, FDMA satellite switching

Abstract

When a transmission request for new data is issued under a situation where a plurality of data are transmitted to a specific service area from a plurality of service areas, a feeder link station searches an available frequency to be allocated to the new data in a down-link frequency band of the specific service area, and when any of data communications is completed, allocates a down-link frequency band used in the data communication as a down-link frequency band for the new data. A satellite repeater arranges the new data on the down-link frequency band right after the data communication is completed following a relay control by the feeder link station.

Claims

1. A satellite communication system comprising:

a feeder link station that issues a relay control by performing an up-link frequency allocation and a down-link frequency allocation in response to a transmission request received from a transmission source terminal in any one of a plurality of service areas; and

a satellite repeater that compresses a down-link frequency bandwidth allocated to each of the service areas and relays a communication between the service areas following receipt of the relay control by the feeder link station, the satellite repeater being separate from the feeder link station and communicating with the feeder link station via a feeder link,

wherein when the satellite repeater receives from the transmission source terminal a transmission request for new data that specifies a requested bandwidth to be used under a situation where a plurality of data are transmitted to a specific service area from the plurality of service areas, the satellite repeater converts a format of the transmission request and transmits the converted transmission request to the feeder link station via the feeder link, and when the feeder link station receives the converted transmission request, the feeder link station initially determines whether an up-link frequency band from the transmission source terminal to the satellite repeater corresponding to the requested bandwidth is available, when it is determined that the up-link frequency band is available, the feeder link station then determines whether a down-link frequency band included in a down-link frequency bandwidth of the specific service area corresponding to the requested bandwidth is available to be allocated to the new data, and when the down-link frequency band included in the down-link frequency bandwidth of the specific service area is determined to be available, the feeder link station allocates a down-link frequency band used in any of data communication to the specific service area as the down-link frequency band for the new data and transmits the relay control to the satellite repeater via the feeder link, and

the satellite repeater receives the relay control from the feeder link station via the feeder link, converts a format of the relay control, and arranges the new data on the down-link frequency band right after the data communication is completed, according to the relay control received from the feeder link station.

2. The satellite communication system according to claim 1, wherein

when the feeder link station determines that the down-link frequency band is not available to be allocated to the new data, the feeder link station instructs the transmission source terminal to perform an up-link data transmission first, and instructs the satellite repeater to temporarily save the up-link data from the transmission source terminal, and

when any of the data communications is completed, the satellite repeater reads the new data from the buffer, and arranges the new data on the down-link frequency band right after the data communication is completed, following the relay control by the feeder link station.

3. The satellite communication system according to claim 1, wherein under a situation that a plurality of data are transmitted from a plurality of service areas to the specific service area, the feeder link station changes a down-link frequency band occupied by each of the data in communication such that there is no unused segment in down-link frequency bands occupied by the data.

4. The satellite communication system according to claim 3, wherein when changing the down-link frequency band, the feeder link station rearranges the down-link frequency band in accordance with a priority of data to be transmitted.

5. The satellite communication system according to claim 3, wherein when data to be transmitted to the specific service area is a non-packet signal, the feeder link station detects an end of the data and a transmission request for unsent data, upon detecting the transmission request for the unsent data, performs a relay control such that a down-link frequency is allocated to the unsent data by changing a down-link frequency band occupied by the data in transmission, and upon detecting the end of data in transmission, further performs a relay control such that a down-link frequency band occupied by other data in transmission is changed to avoid any unused segment in the down-link frequency band.

6. The satellite communication system according to claim 4, wherein when data to be transmitted to the specific service area is a non-packet signal, the feeder link station detects an end of the data and a transmission request for unsent data, upon detecting the transmission request for the unsent data, performs a relay control such that a down-link frequency is allocated to the unsent data by changing a down-link frequency band occupied by the data in transmission, and upon detecting the end of data in transmission, further performs the relay control such that a down-link frequency band occupied by other data in transmission is changed to avoid any unused segment in the down-link frequency band.

7. The satellite communication system according to claim 5, wherein when data to be transmitted to the specific service area is the non-packet signal,

the satellite repeater includes a scheduler that detects an end of data in transmission and a transmission request for unsent data and schedules the down-link frequency, and

upon detecting the transmission request and the end of the data in transmission, the scheduler allocates a down-link frequency to the unsent data without waiting for the relay control from the feeder link station.

8. The satellite communication system according to claim 6, wherein when data to be transmitted to the specific service area is the non-packet signal,

the satellite repeater includes a scheduler that detects an end of data in transmission and a transmission request for unsent data and schedules the down-link frequency, and

upon detecting the transmission request and the end of the data in transmission, the scheduler allocates a down-link frequency to the unsent data without waiting for the relay control from the feeder link station.

10. The satellite communication system according to claim 1, wherein the feeder link station determines each terminal that is connected to the satellite communication system, determines a state of the up-link frequency and the down-link frequency for each of the plurality of service areas, determines a data volume buffered in the satellite repeater, and when the feeder link station receives the converted transmission request specifying a destination terminal, the feeder link station determines whether the destination terminal is connected to the satellite communication system prior to determining bandwidth allocation.

9. A satellite communication method, implemented on a satellite communication system that includes a feeder link station and a satellite repeater, comprising:

issuing a relay control, at the feeder link station, by performing an up-link frequency allocation and a down-link frequency allocation in response to a transmission request received from a transmission source terminal in any one of a plurality of service areas; and

compressing, at the satellite repeater, a down-link frequency bandwidth allocated to each of the service areas and relaying a communication between the service areas following the relay control, the satellite repeater being separate from the feeder link station and communicating with the feeder link station via a feeder link,

wherein when the satellite repeater receives from the transmission source terminal a transmission request for new data that specifies a requested bandwidth to be used under a situation where a plurality of data are transmitted to a specific service area from the plurality of service areas, the satellite repeater converts a format of the transmission request and transmits the converted transmission request to the feeder link station via the feeder link, and when the feeder link station receives the converted transmission request, the feeder link station initially determines whether an up-link frequency band from the transmission source terminal to the satellite repeater corresponding to the requested bandwidth is available, when it is determined that the up-link frequency band is available, the feeder link station then determines whether a down-link frequency band included in a down-link frequency bandwidth of the specific service area corresponding to the requested bandwidth is available to be allocated to the new data, and when the down-link frequency band included in the down-link frequency bandwidth of the specific service area is determined to be available, the feeder link station allocates a down-link frequency band used in any of data communication to the specific service area as the down-link frequency band for the new data and transmits the relay control to the satellite repeater via the feeder link; and

receiving, at the satellite repeater, the relay control from the feeder link station via the feeder link;

converting, at the satellite repeater, a format of the relay control; and

arranging, at the satellite repeater, the new data on the down-link frequency band right after the data communication is completed, according to the relay control received from the feeder link station.