Dynamic frequency allocation of satellite beams

• US 9,730,227 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Marsh, Gene Wesley, Wu, Qiang, Black, Peter John, Vassilovski, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Aminzay, Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US14/864,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 455 302, 455 301, 455 9, 455 121, 455 132, 4554221, 455427, 455428, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18539 Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/243 taking into account interferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating one or more satellites in a non-geosynchronous orbit (NGSO) satellite constellation are disclosed. In some aspects, the satellite may allocate a first frequency band to a first beam, and may allocate a second frequency band to a second beam. Then, if the first beam is disabled, the satellite may re-map the first frequency band from the first beam to the second beam. In this manner, frequency resources initially allocated to a disabled beam may be re-mapping to another, non-disabled beam.

Claims

1. A method of operating a satellite, the method comprising:

allocating a first frequency band to a first beam of the satellite, the first beam to provide a first coverage area on Earth extending across a footprint of the satellite;

allocating a second frequency band to a second beam of the satellite, the second beam to provide a second coverage area on Earth extending across the footprint of the satellite;

disabling the first beam based, at least in part, on the first coverage area provided by the first beam touching an exclusion zone associated with equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits; and

re-mapping the first frequency band from the first beam to the second beam.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the second beam from the satellite, the second beam including both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, the second beam transmitting first data on the first frequency band and transmitting second data on the second frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band occupy non-adjacent ranges of frequencies in the Ku band.

5. The method of claim 1, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extending across an entire width of the footprint of the satellite.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first coverage area and the second coverage area each comprise an oblong elliptical shape having a major axis oriented in an east-west direction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the second beam to provide the second coverage area of the footprint irrespective of disabling the first beam.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the first beam;

re-mapping the first frequency band from the second beam to the first beam; and

concurrently transmitting the first beam and the second beam from the satellite, the first beam transmitting first data on the first frequency band and the second beam transmitting second data on the second frequency band.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extends across a fraction of the width of the footprint of the satellite.

10. An apparatus for operating a satellite, the apparatus comprising:

means for allocating a first frequency band to a first beam of the satellite, the first beam to provide a first coverage area on Earth extending across a footprint of the satellite;

means for allocating a second frequency band to a second beam of the satellite, the second beam to provide a second coverage area on Earth extending across the footprint of the satellite;

means for disabling the first beam based, at least in part, on the first coverage area provided by the first beam touching an exclusion zone associated with equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits; and

means for re-mapping the first frequency band from the first beam to the second beam.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for transmitting the second beam from the satellite, the second beam including both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, the second beam to transmit first data on the first frequency band and to transmit second data on the second frequency band.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extending across an entire width of the footprint of the satellite.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each comprise an oblong elliptical shape having a major axis oriented in an east-west direction.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for enabling the second beam to provide the second coverage area of the footprint irrespective of disabling the first beam.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for enabling the first beam;

means for re-mapping the first frequency band from the second beam to the first beam; and

means for concurrently transmitting the first beam and the second beam from the satellite, the first beam transmitting first data on the first frequency band and the second beam transmitting second data on the second frequency band.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extends across a fraction of the width of the footprint of the satellite.

18. An apparatus for operating a satellite, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

allocate a first frequency band to a first beam of the satellite, the first beam to provide a first coverage area on Earth extending across a footprint of the satellite;

allocate a second frequency band to a second beam of the satellite, the second beam to provide a second coverage area on Earth extending across the footprint of the satellite;

disable the first beam based, at least in part, on the first coverage area provided by the first beam touching an exclusion zone associated with equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits; and

re-map the first frequency band from the first beam to the second beam.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the apparatus to further:

transmit the second beam from the satellite, the second beam including both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, the second beam to transmit first data on the first frequency band and to transmit second data on the second frequency band.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extending across an entire width of the footprint of the satellite.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each comprise an oblong elliptical shape having a major axis oriented in an east-west direction.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the apparatus to further:

enable the second beam to provide the second coverage area of the footprint irrespective of disabling the first beam.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the apparatus to further:

enable the first beam;

re-map the first frequency band from the second beam to the first beam; and

concurrently transmit the first beam and the second beam from the satellite, the first beam transmitting first data on the first frequency band and the second beam transmitting second data on the second frequency band.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extends across a fraction of the width of the footprint of the satellite.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a satellite, cause the satellite to perform operations comprising:

allocating a first frequency band to a first beam of the satellite, the first beam to provide a first coverage area on Earth extending across a footprint of the satellite;

allocating a second frequency band to a second beam of the satellite, the second beam to provide a second coverage area on Earth extending across the footprint of the satellite;

disabling the first beam based, at least in part, on the first coverage area provided by the first beam touching an exclusion zone associated with equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits; and

re-mapping the first frequency band from the first beam to the second beam.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the satellite to perform operations further comprising:

transmitting the second beam from the satellite, the second beam including both the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, the second beam to transmit first data on the first frequency band and to transmit second data on the second frequency band.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band occupy non-adjacent ranges of frequencies in the Ku band.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extending across an entire width of the footprint of the satellite.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, the first coverage area and the second coverage area each comprise an oblong elliptical shape having a major axis oriented in an east-west direction.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors cause the satellite to perform operations further comprising:

enabling the second beam to provide the second coverage area of the footprint irrespective of disabling the first beam.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the satellite to perform operations further comprising:

enabling the first beam;

re-mapping the first frequency band from the second beam to the first beam; and

concurrently transmitting the first beam and the second beam from the satellite, the first beam transmitting first data on the first frequency band and the second beam transmitting second data on the second frequency band.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first coverage area and the second coverage area each extends across a fraction of the width of the footprint of the satellite.