System and method for mobile terminal initiated satellite communications

• US 8,929,279 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SkyBitz, Inc. (Ametek Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SkyBitz, Inc. (Ametek Incorporated)
• Inventors: Battista, Rich, Brosius, Jay, Shankar, Uday
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): REDDIVALAM, SRINIVASA R
• Application Number:
  US13/442,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• US Class Current: 370/321
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18539 Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for improving efficiency of satellite communications is described. In one embodiment, efficient satellite communications is enabled through event-driven reporting by a mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A communications method in a mobile terminal, wherein communication between a plurality of mobile terminals and an operation center is supported by a carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, the method comprising:

transmitting a scheduled report to the operation center on a scheduled timeslot in said carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, said scheduled timeslot assigned to the mobile terminal;

detecting an occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal;

identifying a usable communication timeslot based on a sequential analysis of a plurality of consecutive timeslots in said carousel that includes timeslots of a scheduled reporting timeslot type that are assigned to mobile terminals and timeslots of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type that are not assigned to mobile terminals, said sequential analysis of said plurality of consecutive timeslots including analyzing each of said plurality of consecutive timeslots in the order defined by said carousel, said analyzing identifying a timeslot of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type as a usable communication timeslot when it is determined that another mobile terminal will not be using a return link to transmit a packet; and

transmitting an unscheduled report based on said detected event on said identified usable communication timeslot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said timeslots on a downlink are time division multiplexed timeslots.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said timeslots on an uplink are time division multiple access timeslots.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises identifying a timeslot of an event reporting timeslot type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying comprises identifying a timeslot of a scheduled reporting timeslot type that is not currently assigned to a mobile terminal.

6. A mobile terminal in a communication system, wherein communication between a plurality of mobile terminals and an operation center is supported by a carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a scheduled report to the operation center on a scheduled timeslot in said carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, said scheduled timeslot assigned to the mobile terminal; and

an event detector that detects an occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal; and

a timeslot identifier that identifies a usable communication timeslot based on a sequential analysis of a plurality of consecutive timeslots in said carousel that includes timeslots of a scheduled reporting timeslot type that are assigned to mobile terminals and timeslots of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type that are not assigned to mobile terminals, said sequential analysis of said plurality of consecutive timeslots including analyzing each of said plurality of consecutive timeslots in the order defined by said carousel, said analyzing identifying a timeslot of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type as a usable communication timeslot when it is determined that another mobile terminal will not be using a return link to transmit a packet.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein said timeslots on a downlink are time division multiplexed timeslots.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein said timeslots on an uplink are time division multiple access timeslots.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein said timeslot identifier identifies a timeslot of an event reporting timeslot type.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein said timeslot identifier identifies a timeslot of a scheduled reporting timeslot type that is not currently assigned to a mobile terminal.