Reverse wireless broadband system

• US 9,979,466 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxar Space LLC (Galileo Parent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Space Systems/Loral Incorporated (Loral Space and Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chu, Peter Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): CATTUNGAL, AJAY P
• Application Number:
  US14/820,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning

Abstract

A communication system uses resources (including a first signal path and a second signal path) in a first roundtrip direction for a first set of gateways and subscriber terminals while concurrently using the same resources (including the first signal path and the second signal path) in a second roundtrip direction for a second set of gateways and subscriber terminals.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communication platform, comprising:

utilizing communication platform resources, including a first signal path and a second signal path, in a first roundtrip direction for a first gateway and first subscriber terminals;

utilizing the communication platform resources, including the first signal path and the second signal path, in a second roundtrip direction for a second gateway and second subscriber terminals concurrently with utilizing the communication platform resources in the first roundtrip direction, the second direction is reverse of the first direction;

the first roundtrip direction includes a first forward path from the first gateway to the first subscriber terminals and a first return path from the first terminals to the first gateway;

the second roundtrip direction includes a second forward path from the second gateway to the second subscriber terminals and a second return path from the second subscriber terminals to the second gateway;

the first gateway connected to a network to provide network data to the first subscriber terminals over the first forward path;

the second gateway connected to the network to provide network data to the second subscriber terminals over the second forward path; and

the second forward path is in an opposite direction of the first forward path and in a same direction as the first return path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication platform resources include time slots for frequency channels; and

the utilizing the communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction includes using time slots from the first forward path from the first gateway to the first subscriber terminals to communicate for the second return path from the second subscriber terminals to the second gateway and using time slots from the first return path from the first subscriber terminals to the first gateway to communicate for the second forward path from the second gateway to the second subscriber terminals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that there is available unused capacity in the first forward path; and

assigning at least a subset of the available unused capacity to the second return path, the assigning being performed prior to the utilizing the communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

after commencing the utilizing of the communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction, determining that additional capacity is needed for the first roundtrip direction; and

transferring at least a subset of the communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction to the first roundtrip direction, in response to the determining that additional capacity is needed for the first roundtrip direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication platform resources include frequency subchannels; and

the utilizing the communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction includes using frequency subchannels from the first forward path to communicate for the second return path and using frequency subchannels from the first return path to communicate for the second forward path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first signal path comprises amplifiers, filters and frequency converters, the first signal path is configured to operate as a forward path for the first set of gateways and subscriber terminals and to operate as a return path for the second set of gateways and subscriber terminals; and

the second signal path comprises amplifiers, filters and frequency converters, the second signal path is configured to operate as a return path for the first set of gateways and subscriber terminals and to operate as a forward path for the second set of gateways and subscriber terminals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first gateway is in a first region and the first subscriber terminals are in a second region; and

the second gateway is in the second region and the second subscriber terminals are in the first region.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

creating a beam pattern that includes a first beam illuminating the first region and a second beam illuminating the second region, the utilizing communication platform resources in the first roundtrip direction includes receiving first forward data from the first gateway via the first beam and transmitting the first forward data to the first set of subscriber terminals via the second beam as well as receiving first return data from the first set of subscriber terminals via the second beam and transmitting the first return data to the first gateway via the first beam, the utilizing communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction includes receiving second forward data from the second gateway via the second beam and transmitting the second forward data to the second set of subscriber terminals via the first beam as well as receiving second return data from the second set of subscriber terminals via the first beam and transmitting the second return data to the second gateway via the second beam.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the utilizing communication platform resources in the first roundtrip direction and the utilizing communication platform resources in the second roundtrip direction are performed by the communication platform; and

the communication platform is a satellite.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that available capacity exists for utilizing communication platform resources in the first roundtrip direction; and

provisioning at least a subset of the communication platform resources associated with the first roundtrip direction for the second roundtrip direction, wherein the determining, provisioning and activating are performed by a network control center.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first set of gateways and subscriber terminals includes a first gateway in a first region and a first set of subscriber terminals in a second region;

the second set of gateways and subscriber terminals includes a second gateway in the second region, a second set of subscriber terminals in the first region, and a third gateway in a third region;

the second set of subscriber terminals communicate with the third gateway, via the communication platform, for a forward path; and

the second set of subscriber terminals communicate with the second gateway, via the communication platform, for a return path.

12. A satellite system, comprising:

an antenna system configured to create a beam pattern that includes a first beam illuminating a first region and a second beam illuminating a second region, the antenna system is configured to communicate with a first gateway in the first region via the first beam, the antenna system is configured to communicate with a second gateway in the second region via the second beam, the antenna system is configured to communicate with a first set of subscriber terminals in the second region via the second beam, the antenna system is configured to communicate with a second set of subscriber terminals in the first region via the first beam;

a first signal path comprising amplifiers, filters and frequency converters connected to the antenna system, the first signal path is configured to operate as a first forward path for communicating from the first gateway to the first set of subscriber terminals, the first signal path is configured to operate as a second return path for communicating from the second set of subscriber terminals to the second gateway; and

a second signal path comprising amplifiers, filters and frequency converters connected to the antenna system, the second signal path is configured to operate as a second forward path for communicating from the second gateway to the second set of subscriber terminals, the second signal path is configured to operate as a first return path for communicating from the first set of subscriber terminals to the first gateway;

the first gateway connected to a network to provide network data to the first subscriber terminals over the first forward path;

the second gateway connected to the network to provide network data to the second subscriber terminals over the second forward path; and

the second forward path is in an opposite direction of the first forward path and in a same direction as the first return path.

13. The satellite system of claim 12, wherein:

the first signal path and the second signal path are operated in a first roundtrip direction for the first gateway and the first set of subscriber terminals; and

the first signal path and the second signal path are operated in a second roundtrip direction for the second gateway and the second set of subscriber terminals, the second roundtrip direction is reverse of the first roundtrip direction.

14. The satellite system of claim 12, wherein:

data from the first gateway is received at the antenna system in a first frequency channel in a first set of time slots; and

data from the second set of subscriber terminals is received at the antenna system in the first frequency channel in a second set of time slots that are different than and interleaved with the first set of time slots.

15. The satellite system of claim 12, further comprising:

a network control center processing system that determines that there is available unused capacity in the forward path for communicating from the first gateway to the first set of subscriber terminals and assigns at least a subset of the available unused capacity to the return path for communicating from the second set of subscriber terminals to the second gateway.

16. The satellite system of claim 15, wherein:

after assigning at least a subset of the available unused capacity to the return path for communicating from the second set of subscriber terminals to the second gateway, the network control center processing system determines that there is a need for more capacity in the forward path for communicating from the first gateway to the first set of subscriber terminals and returns at least a subset of the assigned capacity to the forward path for communicating from the first gateway.

17. A satellite system, comprising:

a first gateway in a first region;

a second gateway in a second region;

a first set of subscriber terminals in the second region;

a second set of subscriber terminals in the first region;

a satellite configured to create a beam pattern that includes a first beam illuminating the first region and a second beam illuminating the second region, the satellite is configured to communicate with the first gateway and the second set of subscriber terminals via the first beam, the satellite is configured to communicate with the second gateway and the first set of subscriber terminals via the second beam, the satellite is configured to provide communication in a first roundtrip direction and concurrently in a second roundtrip direction;

the first roundtrip direction includes a first forward path from the first gateway to the first subscriber terminals and a first return path from the first terminals to the first gateway;

the second roundtrip direction includes a second forward path from the second gateway to the second subscriber terminals and a second return path from the second subscriber terminals to the second gateway;

the first gateway connected to a network to provide network data to the first subscriber terminals over the first forward path;

the second gateway connected to the network to provide network data to the second subscriber terminals over the second forward path; and

the second forward path is in an opposite direction of the first forward path and in a same direction as the first return path.

18. The satellite system of claim 17, wherein:

the satellite is configured to provide nominal return path communication from the first set of subscriber terminals to the first gateway over a same second signal path as reverse forward path communication from the second gateway to the second set of subscriber terminals.

19. The satellite system of claim 18, wherein:

the first signal path comprises amplifiers, filters and frequency converters; and

the second signal path comprises amplifiers, filters and frequency converters.

20. The satellite system of claim 17, wherein:

the first gateway transmits data to the satellite in the first beam using a first frequency range and a first set of time slots; and

the second set of subscriber terminals transmit data to the satellite in the first beam using the first frequency range and a second set of time slots, the second set of time slots are different than and interleaved with the first set of time slots.

21. A method of operating a communication platform, comprising:

utilizing a first signal path and a second signal path in a first roundtrip direction for a first gateway and first subscriber terminals;

provisioning a portion of a set of resources for the first signal path and the second signal path for communication between a second gateway and second subscriber terminals;

utilizing the first signal path and the second signal path in a second roundtrip direction with the provisioned resources for the second gateway and second subscriber terminals concurrently while utilizing the first signal path and the second signal path in the first roundtrip direction for the first gateway and first subscriber terminals;

the first roundtrip direction includes a first forward path from the first gateway to the first subscriber terminals and a first return path from the first terminals to the first gateway;

the second roundtrip direction includes a second forward path from the second gateway to the second subscriber terminals and a second return path from the second subscriber terminals to the second gateway;

the first gateway connected to a network to provide network data to the first subscriber terminals over the first forward path;

the second gateway connected to the network to provide network data to the second subscriber terminals over the second forward path; and

the second forward path is in an opposite direction of the first forward path and in a same direction as the first return path.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

transferring at least a portion of the set of resources for the first signal path and the second signal path to use with the first roundtrip direction; and

stopping the utilizing of the first signal path and the second signal path in the second roundtrip direction for the transferred resources.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the provisioning, transferring and stopping are performed dynamically.