System for determining and registering location of mobile terminal for communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites

• US 5,548,801 A
• Filed: 02/01/1994
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KDDI Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kokusai Densin Denwa Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Araki, Noriyuki, Shinonaga, Hideyuki, Itoh, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAILE, ANDREW I
• Application Number:
  US08/189,891
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/13.3, 455/25, 455/33.3, 455/33.1, 455/56.1, 342/357, 340/988, 379/60
• US Class Current: 455/13.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/38 Determining a navigation solution using signals transmitted by a satellite radio beacon positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1855 using a telephonic control signal, e.g. propagation delay variation, Doppler frequency variation, power variation, beam identification

Abstract

A system for determining and registering the location of mobile terminals in a mobile communication system using non-geosynchrous satellites, in which each land earth station transmits its identification information via spot beams of satellites or together with identification information of a spot beam and that of satellite. A mobile terminal thus receives identification information, and transmits the received identification information together with information on time of reception and the terminal identifying information to the terrestrial network for registering the latest location information. Since the latest location information of mobile terminal is registered in the terrestrial network as mentioned above, a call can be connected to the mobile terminal simply by sending a call announcement message by referring the registered location information. This leads to reduction of the number of circuits that are needed for sending call announcement messages.

Claims

1. A system for determining and registering locations of mobile terminals for a communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites and a terrestrial network wherein:

said non-geosynchronous satellites are disposed and the terrestrial network on the earth has a plurality of land earth stations so that each of said mobile terminals in a selected service area on the earth is allowed to communicate with at least one of said land earth stations via at least one of said satellites;

each of said non-geosynchronous satellites irradiates at least one corresponding spot beam to each of smaller areas into which a coverage area of the system is divided, whereby each of said satellites selectively communicates with said mobile terminals in said coverage area through said at least one corresponding spot beam;

identification information on any of said land earth stations, of said non-geosynchronous satellites and of each spot beam irradiated to communicate with a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites is transmitted through said each spot beam irradiated from a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites; and

each of said mobile terminals in said selected area effectively registers information on its location in said terrestrial network using said identification information received via said non-geosynchronous satellites.

3. A mobile terminal location determining and registering system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said land earth stations transmits its corresponding identification information via all of said non-geosynchronous satellites with which it is allowed to communicate;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected service area receives said transmitted identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said received identification information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

at least one of said land earth stations receives said identification information on said land earth stations transmitted from said each mobile terminal; and

said identification information on said land earth stations received by said mobile terminal is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal.

4. A mobile terminal location determining and registering according to claim 3, wherein when said each mobile terminal receives identification information on said land earth stations:

said each mobile terminal transmits said identification information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites; and

said identification information on said land earth stations received by said each mobile terminal and transmitted therefrom is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal.

2. A system for determining and registering locations of mobile terminals for a communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites and a terrestrial network wherein:

said non-geosynchronous satellites are disposed and the terrestrial network on the earth has a plurality of land earth stations so that each of said mobile terminals in a selected service area on the earth is allowed to communicate with at least one of said land earth stations via at least one of said satellites;

each of said non-geosynchronous satellites irradiates at least one corresponding spot beam to each of smaller areas into which a coverage area of the system is divided, whereby each of said satellites selectively communications with said mobile terminals in said coverage area through said at least one corresponding spot beam;

and wherein;

identification information on one of said satellites and on said spot beam is transmitted through a corresponding spot beam of a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected service area receives said identification information transmitted;

each of said mobile terminals transmits via one of said non-geosynchronous satellites said received identification information on said satellites and said corresponding spot beam and time information on the time when it receives said identification information;

at least one of said land earth stations receives said identification information and said time information transmitted from a corresponding one mobile terminal;

said terrestrial network calculates an area where said corresponding one mobile terminal is assumed to exist at the time when said corresponding one mobile terminal transmits said identification information, on the basis of the area of the earth to which the spot beam of the satellite corresponding to said identification information was irradiated; and

said calculated area is registered as a location of said mobile terminal.

5. A system for determining and registering locations of mobile terminals for a communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites and a terrestrial network wherein:

said non-geosynchronous satellites are disposed and the terrestrial network on the earth has a plurality of land earth stations so that each of said mobile terminals in a selected service area on the earth is allowed to communicate with at least one of said land earth stations via at least one of said satellites;

each of said non-geosynchronous satellites irradiates at least one spot beam to each of smaller areas into which a coverage area of the system is divided, whereby each of said satellites selectively communicates with said mobile terminals in said coverage area through said at least one spot beam;

identification information on any of said land earth stations, of said non-geosynchronous satellites and of each spot beam irradiated to communicate with a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites is transmitted through said each spot beam irradiated from a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected area effectively registers information on its location in said terrestrial network using said identification information received via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said land earth stations transmits its corresponding identification information via all of said non-geosynchronous satellites with which it is allowed to communicate;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected service area receives said transmitted identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said received identificational information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

at least one of said land earth stations receives said identification information on said land earth stations transmitted from said each mobile terminal;

said identification information on said land earth stations received by said mobile terminal is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal;

and wherein;

when said each mobile terminal receives said identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said received identification information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites; and

said terrestrial network selects a part of said identification information on said land earth stations received by and transmitted from said mobile terminal so that said identification information on said land earth stations selected by said terrestrial network is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal.

6. A system for determining and registering locations of mobile terminals for a communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites and a terrestrial network wherein:

said non-geosynchronous satellites are disposed and the terrestrial network on the earth has a plurality of land earth stations so that each of said mobile terminals in a selected service area on the earth is allowed to communicate with at least one of said land earth stations via at least one of said satellites;

each of said non-geosynchronous satellites irradiates at least one spot beam to each of smaller areas into which a coverage area of the system is divided, whereby each of said satellites selectively communicates with said mobile terminals in said coverage area through said at least one spot beam;

identification information on any of said land earth stations, of said non-geosynchronous satellites and of each spot beam irradiated to communicate with corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites is transmitted through said each spot beam irradiated from a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected area effectively registers information on its location in said terrestrial network using said identification information received via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said land earth stations transmits its corresponding identification information via all of said non-geosynchronous satellites with which it is allowed to communicate;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected service area receives said transmitted identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said received identification information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

at least one of said land earth stations receives said identification information on said land earth stations transmitted from said each mobile terminal;

said identification information on said each land earth stations received by said mobile terminal is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal;

and wherein;

when said each mobile terminal receives said identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal selects a part of said received identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said selected identification information on said land earth stations via said non-geosynchronous satellites; and

said identification information on said land earth stations received by, selected by and transmitted from said mobile terminal is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal.

7. A system for determining and registering locations of mobile terminals for a communication system with non-geosynchronous satellites and a terrestrial network wherein:

said non-geosynchronous satellites are disposed and the terrestrial network on the earth has a plurality of land earth stations so that each of said mobile terminals in a selected service area on the earth is allowed to communicate with at least one of said land earth stations via at least one of said satellites;

each of said non-geosynchronous satellites irradiates at least one spot beam to each of smaller areas into which a coverage area of the system is divided, whereby each of said satellites selectively communicates with said mobile terminals in said coverage area through said at least one spot beam;

identification information on any of said land earth stations, of said non-geosynchronous satellites and of each spot beam irradiated to communicate with a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites is transmitted through said each spot beam irradiated from a corresponding one of said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected area effectively registers information on its location in said terrestrial network using said identification information received via said non-geosynchronous satellites;

each of said land earth stations transmits its corresponding identification information via all of said non-geosynchronous satellites with which it is allowed to communicate;

each of said mobile terminals in said selected service area receives said transmitted identification information on said land earth stations;

said each mobile terminal transmits said received identification information on said land earth stations transmitted from said each mobile terminal;

said identification information on said land earth stations received by said mobile terminal is registered as location information of said each mobile terminal;

and wherein;

said each mobile terminal receives at least a part of said identification information on said land earth stations, and when said received identification information land earth stations contains said identifying information on said land earth stations already transmitted from said each one mobile terminal, said each mobile terminal does not transmit said received identifying information on said land earth station.