Satellite system resource allocation optimization

• US 8,996,051 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxar Space LLC (Galileo Parent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Space Systems/Loral Incorporated (Loral Space and Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gemelos, Erin
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US13/793,922
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509, 455/12.1, 455/77, 370/316, 370/329
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system

Abstract

Resource allocation to user terminals of a satellite system is optimized, the user terminals configured for data communication with a satellite via a common antenna beam. A resource is allocated, within the common antenna beam, to each user terminal i such that, when total available bandwidth A of the common antenna beam is not less than the total desired bandwidth Ω=Σ_i=1ⁿ ω_i of the antenna beam, b_i is no less than ω_i, where: ω_i is bandwidth demand at user terminal i, approximately equal to T_i-des/s_i; T_i-des is proportional to a throughput requirement by user terminal i; and s_i is an estimated spectral efficiency of user terminal i. When A is less than Ω, bandwidth b_i is allocated to each user terminal such that a number of user terminals supplied respective bandwidth not less than ω_i is maximized.

Claims

1. A method for allocating resources to each of a plurality of user terminals, the user terminals configured for data communication with a satellite via a common antenna beam, the method comprising:

dynamically allocating, within the common antenna beam, a bandwidth b_i to each user terminal i such that, when total available bandwidth A of the common antenna beam is not less than the total desired bandwidth Ω

=Σ

_i=1ⁿ ω

_i of the antenna beam, b_i is no less than ω

_i, where;

ω

_i, is bandwidth demand at user terminal i, approximately equal to T_i-des/s_i;

T_i-des is proportional to a throughput requirement by user terminal i; and

s_i is an estimated spectral efficiency of user terminal i; and

, when A is less than Ω

, allocating the bandwidth b_i to each user terminal such that a number of user terminals supplied respective bandwidth not less than ω

_i, is maximized.

2. The method of claim 1, where b_i is no greater than A/Ω

×

ω

_i.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when A is less than Ω

, a first portion A₁ of bandwidth A is assigned to satisfy respective bandwidth demand ω

_i of each user terminal of a first subset of the user terminals and a second portion A₂ of bandwidth A is proportionately assigned to partially satisfy each user terminal of a second subset of the user terminals.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein no user terminal in the first subset of user terminals has a respective bandwidth demand greater than a respective bandwidth of any user terminal in the second subset of terminals.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a hierarchical ordering of user terminals on the basis of a respective ω

_i such that ω

₁≦

ω

₂≦

ω

₃≦

. . . ≦

ω

_n, wherein;

for a first subset of user terminals, for which ω

_j is not greater than A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>j−

1</sup> ω

_i, each terminal in the first subset is allocated respective bandwidth b_i of not less than ω

_i; and

for a second subset of user terminals, for which ω

_k is greater than A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>k−

1</sup> ω

_i, a remaining bandwidth Â

=A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>k−

1</sup> ω

_iis allocated to one or more of user terminals in the second subset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein wherein b_i is approximately equal to ω

_i.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the remaining bandwidth Â

is allocated to each of the one or more user terminals in the second subset such that the allocated respective bandwidth b_k for each user terminal in the second subset of terminals is approximately Â

×

ω

_i/Σ

_i=kⁿ ω

_i.

8. A method for allocating resources to each of a plurality of user terminals, the user terminals configured for data communication with a satellite via a common antenna beam, the method comprising:

dynamically allocating a resource r_i to each user terminal i such that, when the total resource A allocated to the antenna beam is not less than the total desired resource Ω

of the antenna beam, r_i is approximately equal to A/Ω

×

ω

_i, where ω

_i is resource demand at user terminal i, approximately proportional to d_i/s_i, where d_i is proportional to a throughput requirement per user terminal i and s_i is an estimated spectral efficiency at user terminal i; and

,

when A is less than Ω

, allocating resource r_i to each user terminal such that a number of user terminals supplied a respective resource not less than ω

_i is maximized.

9. A satellite configured for data communication via a common antenna beam with a plurality of user terminals, wherein:

the satellite and the plurality of user terminals are communicatively coupled with a controller, the controller configured to control the allocation of resources to each of a plurality of user terminals, by;

dynamically allocating, within the common antenna beam, a bandwidth b_i to each user terminal i such that, when total available bandwidth A of the common antenna beam is not less than the total desired bandwidth Ω

=Σ

_i=1ⁿ ω

_i of the antenna beam, b_i is no less than ω

_i where;

ω

_i is bandwidth demand at user terminal i, approximately equal to T_i-des/s_i;

T_i-des is proportional to a throughput requirement by user terminal i; and

s_i is an estimated spectral efficiency of user terminal i; and

, when A is less than Ω

, allocating the bandwidth b_i to each user terminal such that a number of user terminals supplied respective bandwidth not less than ω

_i, is maximized.

10. The satellite of claim 9, where b_i is no greater than A/Ω

×

ω

_i.

11. The satellite of claim 9, wherein, when A is less than Ω

, a first portion A₁ of bandwidth A is assigned to satisfy respective bandwidth demand ω

_i of each user terminal of a first subset of the user terminals and a second portion A₂ of bandwidth A is proportionately assigned to partially satisfy each user terminal of a second subset of the user terminals.

12. The satellite of claim 11, wherein no user terminal in the first subset of user terminals has a respective bandwidth demand greater than a respective bandwidth of any user terminal in the second subset of terminals.

13. The satellite of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control the allocation of resources to each of the plurality of user terminals, by:

generating a hierarchical ordering of user terminals on the basis of a respective ω

_i, such that ω

₁≦

ω

₂≦

ω

₃≦

. . . ≦

ω

_n, wherein;

for a first subset of user terminals, for which ω

_j is not greater than A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>j−

1</sup> ω

_i, each terminal in the first subset is allocated respective bandwidth b_i of not less than ω

_i; and

for a second subset of user terminals, for which ω

_k is greater than A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>k−

1</sup> ω

_i, a remaining bandwidth Â

=A−

Σ

_i=1<sup>k−

1</sup> ω

_i is allocated to one or more of user terminals in the second subset.

14. The satellite of claim 13, wherein wherein b_i is approximately equal to ω

_i.

15. The satellite of claim 14, wherein the remaining bandwidth Â

is allocated to each of the one or more user terminals in the second subset such that the allocated respective bandwidth b_k for each user terminal in the second subset of terminals is approximately Â

×

ω

_i/Σ

_i=kⁿ ω

_i.