Method and apparatus for improved non-geostationary communications

• US 9,425,889 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jalali, Ahmad, Ames, William Giffin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US14/224,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20150162975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18517 Transmission equipment in earth stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18586 Arrangements for data transporting, e.g. for an end to end data transport or check
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

The present disclosure presents a method and an apparatus for communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network. For example, the method may include receiving data, at a relay node, from a first NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein the relay node is located at a boundary or a common beam area associated with the first satellite and a second satellite of the NGSO satellite network, and wherein the data is received at the relay node in response to identifying by the first NGSO satellite that an internet point of presence (IPP) is not available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the first NGSO satellite, and relaying the data from the relay node to a second NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein an IPP is available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the second NGSO satellite. As such, communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network may be achieved.

Claims

1. A method for communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network, comprising:

receiving data, at a relay node, from a first NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein the relay node is located at a boundary or a common beam area associated with the first satellite and a second satellite of the NGSO satellite network, and wherein the data is received at the relay node in response to identifying by the first NGSO satellite that an internet point of presence (IPP) is not available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the first NGSO satellite; and

relaying the data from the relay node to a second NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein an IPP is available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the second NGSO satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the data from the second NGSO satellite to a gateway associated with an IPP of the second NGSO satellite.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the data received from the first NGSO satellite, wherein the received data is encoded using incremental redundancy (IR) for transmitting to and receiving at the relay node.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a beam associated with the first or the second satellite use a frequency reuse factor of one.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of beams associated with the first or the second satellite are grouped or segregated into multiple rows with adjacent NGSO satellites or beams using different antenna polarizations for reducing interference.

6. An apparatus for communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network, comprising:

means for receiving data, at a relay node, from a first NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein the relay node is located at a boundary or a common beam area associated with the first satellite and a second satellite of the NGSO satellite network, and wherein the data is received at the relay node in response to identifying by the first NGSO satellite that an internet point of presence (IPP) is not available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the first NGSO satellite; and

means for relaying the data from the relay node to a second NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein an IPP is available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the second NGSO satellite.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

means for transmitting the data from the second NGSO satellite to a gateway associated with an IPP of the second NGSO satellite.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

means for decoding the data received from the first NGSO satellite, wherein the received data is encoded using incremental redundancy (IR).

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a beam associated with the first or the second satellite use a frequency reuse factor of one.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of beams associated with the first or the second satellite are grouped or segregated into multiple rows with adjacent NGSO satellites or beams using different antenna polarizations for reducing interference.

11. An apparatus for communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network, comprising:

receiving data, at a relay node, from a first NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein the relay node is located at a boundary or a common beam area associated with the first satellite and a second satellite of the NGSO satellite network, and wherein the data is received at the relay node in response to identifying by the first NGSO satellite that an internet point of presence (IPP) is not available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the first NGSO satellite; and

relaying the data from the relay node to a second NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein an IPP is available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the second NGSO satellite.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

transmitting the data from the second NGSO satellite to a gateway associated with an IPP of the second NGSO satellite.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

decoding the data received from the first NGSO satellite, wherein the received data is encoded using incremental redundancy (IR) for transmitting to and receiving at the relay node.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a beam associated with the first or the second satellite use a frequency reuse factor of one.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of beams associated with the first or the second satellite are grouped into multiple rows with adjacent NGSO satellites or beams using different antenna polarizations for reducing interference.

16. A computer program product for communications in a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite network, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code executable by a computer for;

receiving data, at a relay node, from a first NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein the relay node is located at a boundary or common beam area associated with the first satellite and a second satellite of the NGSO satellite network, and wherein the data is received at the relay node in response to identifying by the first NGSO satellite that an internet point of presence (IPP) is not available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the first NGSO satellite; and

relaying the data from the relay node to a second NGSO satellite of the NGSO satellite network, wherein an IPP is available in at least one of a plurality of beams associated with the second NGSO satellite.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

code for transmitting the data from the second NGSO satellite to a gateway associated with an IPP of the second NGSO satellite.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

code for decoding the data received from the first NGSO satellite, wherein the received data is encoded using incremental redundancy (IR) for transmitting to and receiving at the relay node.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a beam associated with the first or the second satellite use a frequency reuse factor of one.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the plurality of beams associated with the first or the second satellite are grouped or segregated into multiple rows with adjacent NGSO satellites or beams using different antenna polarizations for reducing interference.