Mobile device orientation guidance for satellite-based communications

Abstract

In some implementations, a mobile device may determine a set of target orientations for the mobile device, where an antenna lobe of the mobile device is directed toward a satellite, the set of target orientations based on an orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The mobile device may determine a current orientation of the mobile device. The mobile device may provide guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from a current orientation to an orientation within a target set of orientations.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 821,149, filed on August 19, 2022, entitled “MOBILE DEVICE ORIENTATION GUIDANCE FOR SATELLITE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS,” which is assigned to its assignee and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to enabling mobile devices (eg, cellular telephones) to communicate using satellite-based communications. Background Art

[0004] In the past, satellite-based communications were limited to satellite phones with dedicated antennas to enable the satellite phone to effectively send and receive signals to and from satellites. As the number of communications satellites increases, the potential for satellite-based communications to other types of devices also increases. However, for devices that have antennas that are not dedicated to satellite-based communications (e.g., standard mobile phones), such communications may be impractical if the user is unable to orient the mobile phone so that the communications satellite falls within the main lobe or node of the mobile phone antenna. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to the present disclosure, an example method of implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite may include determining, using the mobile device, a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward a satellite, the set of target orientations being based on an orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The method may also include determining a current orientation of the mobile device. The method may also include providing, at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device, guidance for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, an example mobile device for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite may include: a transceiver; a memory; a user interface (UI); and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed at a satellite, and the set of target orientations is based on the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine a current orientation of the mobile device. The one or more processors may also be configured to provide guidance at the UI for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an example apparatus for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite may include components for determining a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward a satellite, the set of target orientations being based on an orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The apparatus may also include components for determining a current orientation of the mobile device. The apparatus may also include components for providing guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an example non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the instructions including code for determining a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, the set of target orientations being based on an orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The instructions may also include code for determining a current orientation of the mobile device. The instructions may also include code for providing guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0009] This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of the present disclosure, any or all of the drawings, and each claim. The foregoing and other features and examples will be described in more detail in the following description, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a diagram of a satellite-based communication system that may be used for satellite-based communications with a mobile device in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 is a simplified illustration of how a user can orient a mobile device so that the main antenna lobe of the mobile device's antenna is pointed toward a satellite for satellite-based communications.

[0012] Figure 3 is an example architecture that can be used by a mobile device to implement a process of providing user interface (UI) guidance to a user for mobile device orientation according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4A is a diagram of a reference coordinate system for a mobile device according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4B is a diagram of the North-East-Up (ENU) reference coordinate system relative to the device location.

[0015] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating antenna lobe directions relative to a mobile device according to the environment.

[0016] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram illustrating different methods that may be used to rotate from a current orientation (or rotation vector (RV)) to a target orientation according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating limitations that may exist when restricting the rotation of a mobile device to certain rotation axes.

[0018] Figure 8 is a diagram providing an example of how a camera may be further utilized by a mobile device to provide guidance for rotating the mobile device for satellite-based communications, according to an embodiment.

[0019] Fig. 9 is a flow diagram of an example UI process that may be performed by a mobile device to guide a mobile device user to orient the mobile device to align a primary antenna lobe with a satellite for satellite-based communications, according to an embodiment.

[0020] Fig.10 is a series of screens that may be displayed on a screen (graphical UI) of a mobile device to guide a user of the mobile device to rotate the mobile device to a target orientation according to an embodiment.

[0021] Fig.11 According to an embodiment, a mobile device may be used as Fig.10 An alternative UI flow for the process shown.

[0022] Fig.12 is a UI flow that can be used by a mobile device to guide a user to orient the mobile device to a target orientation by tilting the mobile device to a target pitch according to an embodiment.

[0023] Fig.13 is an illustration of an example screen prompting a user to rotate a mobile device to adjust both pitch and yaw simultaneously, according to an embodiment.

[0024] Fig.14 is a flow chart of a method of implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite according to an embodiment.

[0025] Fig.15 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device that can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0026] According to some example implementations, the same reference symbols in the various drawings indicate the same elements. In addition, multiple instances of an element can be represented by following a letter or hyphen and a second digit after the first digit of the element. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be represented as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc. or 110a, 110b, or 110c, etc. When only the first digit is used to refer to such an element, any instance of the element will be understood (for example, the element 110 in the previous example will refer to element 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 or to element 110a, 110b, or 110c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Several illustrative examples will now be described with respect to the drawings which form a part of the present disclosure. Although specific examples are described below in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented, other examples may be used and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure of the appended claims.

[0028] References throughout this specification to "one example" or "an example" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one example of the claimed subject matter. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in one example" or "an example" in multiple places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more examples.

[0029] Depending on the application according to the specific example, the methods described herein can be implemented by various components. For example, such methods can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, and / or a combination thereof. In a hardware implementation, for example, the processing unit can be in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other device units designed to perform the functions described herein, and / or a combination thereof.

[0030] As used herein, the term "mobile device" may include a mobile electronic device that may be capable of wireless communication. Although generally shown as a mobile phone (or "user equipment" (UE) of a cellular network), the wireless communication capabilities of a mobile device are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a mobile device may be any wireless communication device that can be directed by a user (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.), or other electronic devices that can be used for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning as described herein. According to some embodiments, a mobile device may be used to communicate via a wireless communication network. A mobile device may be mobile or may be stationary (e.g., at certain times), and may communicate with a terrestrial radio access network (RAN) when within the range of the RAN. As used herein, the term mobile device may be interchangeably referred to as a UE, an access terminal (AT), a client device, a wireless device, a subscriber device, a subscriber terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal (UT), a mobile device, a mobile terminal, a mobile station, or a variant thereof. Typically, a mobile device can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the mobile device can connect to an external network (such as the Internet) and to other mobile devices. Other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the mobile device, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, etc.), etc.

[0031] As described herein, a GNSS receiver may include and / or be incorporated into an electronic device (such as a mobile device). This may include a single entity or may include multiple entities such as in a personal area network, such as a personal area network in which a user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and a separate wired or wireless modem. As described herein, an estimate of the position of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver may be referred to as a location, a location estimate, a location fix, a fix, a position, a location estimate, or a location fix, and may be geodetic, thus providing a GPS receiver with location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include a height component (e.g., altitude, height above ground or depth below ground, number of floors or number of underground floors). In some embodiments, the location of a GPS receiver and / or an electronic device including a GPS receiver may also be represented as an area or volume (defined geographically or in terms of a city) in which the GPS receiver is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). In the description contained herein, unless otherwise indicated, the use of the term location may include any of these variations. When calculating the position of a GPS receiver, such calculations may solve for the local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates, and then convert the coordinates from one coordinate system to another if necessary.

[0032] In recent years, satellite-based communication systems have increased, expanding the coverage of voice-based and data-based communications. This can enable telephone coverage and Internet access to areas that were previously not covered by terrestrial wireless (e.g., cellular / mobile communication networks) or wired networks (e.g., traditional wired telephone networks, cable, digital subscriber lines (DSL), etc.).

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram of a satellite-based communication system 100 in which satellites 110 orbit the earth 120, following paths in orbital planes 130. The diagram has been greatly simplified to avoid clutter. In actual embodiments, the satellite-based communication system 100 may include dozens of satellites 110 with many orbital planes 130. For example, The communication system has 66 satellites: 11 satellites in each of the six orbital planes. To help optimize communication efficiency, the satellites 110 in this satellite-based communication system 100 are generally equally spaced, such that the spacing 140 between all satellites 110 in an orbital plane 130 is approximately the same.

[0034] Satellite-based communication systems (such as Figure 1A system shown in Figure 1) typically operates satellites in low earth orbit (LEO), where the satellites are at an altitude of 2,000 km or less. That said, some satellite-based communication systems may operate in medium earth orbit (MEO) (at an altitude of approximately 10,000 to 20,000 callers) or geostationary orbit (GEO) (at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km). For LEO satellites, this means that the satellites are moving much faster across the sky relative to users on the Earth's surface.

[0035] The position of the satellite 110 can be tracked in real time by a tracking entity such as a provider of the satellite-based communication system 100, a government, a space agency, etc., which can provide the satellite position information to a receiving device (e.g., a computer server), so that the receiving device can derive satellite movement from historical position information and fit the satellite movement to a model that can be used to predict future satellite positions. As an example, the 18th Space Defense Squadron (18SPDS) of the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) publishes two-line root (TLE) data, which can be used with the unclassified simplified general perturbation #4 (SGP4) library to derive orbit information based on radar observations. The historical orbit information extracted from the TLE data can allow a device such as a computer server to determine orbital parameter values ​​that fit satellite movement to an orbital model. These orbital parameter values ​​(and at least one associated timestamp) can then be delivered to a mobile device, enabling the mobile device to accurately predict future satellite positions by inferring satellite movement from the orbital model. Alternatively, the TLE data can be used directly by the mobile device to calculate future satellite positions using the SGP4 library. However, the accuracy of such calculated satellite positions tends to decrease rapidly over time.

[0036] Depending on the type of orbital model used for satellite position estimation, these orbital parameters may vary. For example, for a Kepler model, the orbital parameters may include Kepler orbital parameters such as the square root of the semi-major axis, eccentricity, mean anomaly, inclination, right ascension of the ascending node (RAAN), RAAN rate, and argument of perigee, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, equinox orbital modeling may be used, in which case the orbital parameters may include some or all of the equinox element set: semi-major axis, components of the eccentricity vector in the equinox reference frame, components of the ascending node vector in the equinox reference frame, and mean longitude. In some embodiments, auxiliary parameters or derived parameters may be used as orbital parameters. For example, in classical Kepler orbital modeling, derived parameters such as the orbital time period may be used to represent the Kepler element set instead of the semi-major axis because there is a direct relationship between the two.

[0037] Depending on the robustness of the orbital model, it can enable a receiving mobile device to accurately determine the position of satellites in the satellite-based communication system 100 (e.g., within a threshold tolerance) for weeks, months, or even more than a year. Mobile devices can use such orbital models to determine satellite positions for satellite-based communications. However, such communications can be challenging.

[0038] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating some of the challenges of implementing satellite-based communications with mobile devices, such as cell phones with traditional form factors (e.g., without dedicated antennas for satellite communications). Here, (e.g., Figure 1 Satellite 210 of satellite-based communication system 100 may serve one or more terrestrial devices by directionally transmitting and receiving signals using one or more RF beams. In order to engage in satellite-based communications using mobile device 230, not only may such communications need to be line-of-sight, but user 240 may also need to orient mobile device 230 so that a primary antenna node 250 of the mobile device antenna is substantially pointed toward satellite 210. This may be particularly challenging because satellite 210 may not be visible to the user, satellite 210 moves relative to mobile device 230, and the orientation of primary antenna node 250 relative to the mobile device may be unknown to user 240.

[0039] Once the main antenna node 250 is pointed at the satellite 210, the mobile device 230 can only take a few seconds to establish a communication link with the satellite 210 and send / receive data. In some embodiments, such functionality can be provided (e.g., by a mobile operator) to users or subscribers of satellite-based communication services to enable users to send and / or receive data when they are not within the coverage of a terrestrial wireless network (e.g., a cellular network). Data can be sent in an emergency and can include, for example, an SOS or other emergency message. In addition or alternatively, when a communication link is established between the mobile device 230 and the satellite 210, text messages can be buffered and sent / received. Such satellite-based communications can be used to facilitate other data and / or voice services.

[0040] However, such communications rely on the user 240 being able to successfully point the mobile device 230's master antenna node 250 toward the satellite 210. And different factors can make this particularly challenging. The accuracy with which the mobile device 230 with the master node 250 needs to point toward the satellite 210 is a function of the available error budget. The error budget is typically a function of the antenna master node 250 characteristics. (The error budget may also include power constraints (e.g., available battery power). For example, an antenna master node may be preferred for transmit / receive because it will use the least amount of power.) Much of the available error budget is allocated to account for user pointing errors, resulting in more stringent requirements on mobile device components (e.g., such as Fig.15 For example, as described in more detail below, the master antenna node 250 may not be oriented relative to the mobile device 230 in a manner that makes it easy or intuitive to "point" the master antenna node 250 at the satellite 210. In addition, the master antenna node 250 may be relatively narrow, so that an error of, for example, 2° to 5° may affect performance.

[0041] Embodiments herein help address at least some of these issues by providing intelligent guidance to the user via a user interface (UI) to allow the user to properly orient the mobile device so that the primary antenna lobe (also referred to herein as the primary antenna "node") is oriented toward the satellite for satellite-based communications. As discussed in further detail below, embodiments may utilize different sensing modalities on the mobile device to ensure that the orientation process is easy to use, accurate, robust to sensing errors / user errors, and intelligent (e.g., in occluded locations, surrounding environments, and usage scenarios). Depending on the functionality of the mobile device, the sensing modalities may include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (e.g., accelerometers and gyroscopes), a magnetometer, a barometer, a GNSS receiver, a camera, RF sensing, and / or other types of sensors.

[0042] As described in more detail below, the process of providing intelligent guidance for mobile device orientation to a user can vary depending on the desired functionality. In general, information about the location of the mobile device on the earth and the location of the satellite in orbit can be used to determine the location of the satellite relative to the mobile device. The desired orientation or "target" orientation or set of target orientations of the mobile device can then be determined based on the relative position, the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device, and the current orientation of the mobile device relative to the earth (e.g., a rotation vector (RV)). In some cases, the deflection angle may need to be adjusted to account for the RV and satellite positions in the same coordinate system.

[0043] Figure 3 is an example architecture 300 that can be used by a mobile device to implement a process for providing UI guidance for mobile device orientation to a user, according to an embodiment. Figure 3The various components in the various blocks shown in the figure may be implemented by software and / or hardware components of the mobile device, such as Fig.15 Those components shown in , which will be discussed below.

[0044] The architecture 300 is centered around an orientation engine 310. The orientation engine 310 collects information from various sources (e.g., the previously mentioned sensing modalities, calibration / characterization information, etc.) to determine the existing orientation and target orientation of the mobile device, thereby enabling the UI engine 320 to guide the user (e.g., using visual and / or audio guidance) to rotate the mobile device from the existing orientation to the target orientation. As shown, the information sources used by the orientation engine 310 may include one or more sensor-based orientation sources 330, a GNSS receiver 340, and an offline calibration / characterization 350.

[0045] The sensor-based position source(s) 330 may include one or more sensors indicating the RV (position) of the mobile device and / or components coupled thereto (e.g., including downstream firmware and / or software components that receive and process sensor information) that are capable of deriving the RV and providing it to the position engine 310. In some embodiments, the sensor-based position source(s) 330 may include functionality of the operating system of the mobile device that receives sensor information from various sensors of the mobile device and outputs the RV of the mobile device relative to an earth-based coordinate system (such as an East, North, Up (ENU) coordinate system). As indicated by the dashed arrows, providing the RV of the mobile device to the position engine 310 by the sensor-based position source(s) 330 (e.g., before outputting any UI guidance) may be optional. In addition, the RV may be provided to the UI engine 320 to enable the mobile device to provide real-time UI guidance to the user based on updated / real-time RV information about the mobile device.

[0046] like Figure 4A As shown, the reference frame of the mobile device 410 can include mutually orthogonal fixed axes (x-axis 420, y-axis 430, and z-axis 440) that intersect at an intersection 450 within, on, or near the body of the mobile device 410. As noted, the various modalities of the sensor-based orientation source(s) 330 can include an IMU and a magnetometer, which can allow the sensor-based orientation source(s) 330 to provide a coordinate system for the mobile device 410 relative to the earth, such as Figure 4B470 . As shown, the ENU coordinate system includes mutually orthogonal axes, including an east (x) axis 455, a north (y) axis 460, and an up (z) axis 465 at an intersection / origin 470 relative to the earth 475. According to some embodiments, the RV (which can be provided by (multiple) sensor-based orientation sources 330) represents a vector on the ENU for alignment with the XYZ coordinate system of the mobile device. This can be provided as a quaternion with a unit norm. The intersection / origin 470 of the ENU corresponding to the position of the mobile device on the earth 475 (e.g., latitude / longitude / altitude) can be provided by the GNSS receiver 340.

[0047] The output of the GNSS receiver 340 may vary depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, the output may include the location of the mobile device relative to the earth (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude). Additionally or alternatively, the GNSS receiver 340 may provide pseudoranges and / or other information based on measurements of RF signals from GNSS satellites, enabling the orientation engine 310 to determine the location of the mobile device relative to the earth and its surroundings (e.g., obstacles, etc.).

[0048] Thus, the outputs of the sensor-based orientation source(s) 330 and the GNSS receiver 340 can allow the orientation engine 310 to determine the attitude of the mobile device with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) (e.g., RV and position) relative to the earth. It can be noted that because the RV from the sensor-based orientation source(s) 330 can be based on measurements of magnetic north, and because satellite positions / directions are inherently related to geographic north, the orientation engine 310 can make adjustments (e.g., based on the position provided by information from the GNSS receiver 340) to convert the RV from a magnetic north coordinate system to a geographic north coordinate system. Alternatively, the orientation engine 310 can make adjustments to represent relative satellite positions relative to magnetic north.

[0049] The offline calibration / characterization provided at block 350 provides the orientation engine 310 with information about the antenna lobe (eg, main lobe) of the mobile device relative to the mobile device coordinate system (eg, Figure 4A This can be determined on a per-device basis based on calibration (e.g., field determination of the antenna lobe direction based on the known location of the mobile device's RV and the satellite or other transmitting device) and / or based on characterization of the device type (e.g., certain brands / models of mobile devices may have a known direction of the main antenna lobe relative to the coordinate system of the mobile device). Figure 5 An illustration of the antenna lobe directions is provided in and described below.

[0050] Additionally or alternatively, embodiments may utilize online calibration / characterization to determine the main antenna lobe direction relative to the mobile device. Data such as known mobile device orientation and signal strength measurements from devices at known locations may be used to determine the main antenna lobe direction. Collecting relevant data to make this determination may be done opportunistically (e.g., during ordinary use) and / or by performing a calibration process that may involve providing instructions to the mobile device user to perform one or more calibration tasks, such as orienting the mobile device in a certain manner.

[0051] Figure 5 5 is a diagram illustrating antenna lobe directions 510 relative to a mobile device 520, thereby illustrating considerations that may be taken into account when orienting the mobile device 520 to communicate with a satellite 530. In this example, a front view, a top view, and a left view are provided to help illustrate antenna lobe directions 510 that are not clearly aligned with any XYZ axis of the mobile device (e.g., as shown in FIG. Figure 4A ).

[0052] In this example, and in many practical embodiments, various assumptions may be applied. For example, under mild assumptions, the antenna main lobe may be considered as a single direction along its peak, which is represented by antenna lobe direction 510. The device orientation around the axis along antenna lobe direction 510 (e.g., the rotation shown by arrow 540) may not affect the communication of mobile device 520 with satellite 530. Therefore, this can be used as a degree of freedom when determining the target orientation for communicating with satellite 530. For example, the target orientation of mobile device 520 can be determined so that mobile device 520 is in a relatively comfortable position for the user (e.g., rather than a position in which the screen of mobile device 520 faces downward). In addition or as an alternative to avoiding inconvenient postures / orientations, embodiments can use this degree of freedom to optimize other considerations, such as reducing the workload from the current orientation to the target orientation (certain rotation angles), optimizing performance, and the like. Antenna lobe direction 510 can also take into account the shape of the antenna lobe and / or potential sensing errors. For example, if the antenna lobe is wider and one direction follows another, the resulting antenna lobe direction 510 may be moved towards the center of the lobe rather than the peak.

[0053] return Figure 3, the orientation engine 310 can use various information sources and information about satellite positions (e.g., the orbital model of the communication satellite described previously) to determine a target orientation, which can be provided to the UI engine 320. Likewise, the determination of the target orientation can utilize any allowed rotation (e.g., about an axis along the antenna lobe direction 510) to take into account factors such as user comfort, performance optimization, etc. The UI engine 320 can then use the target orientation along with the current orientation (e.g., as provided by (multiple) sensor-based orientation sources 330) to determine guidance for orienting the mobile device along the target orientation for the user. As described in more detail below, the guidance can be provided in various ways (e.g., visually and / or audibly) using the UI of the mobile device.

[0054] As noted, different techniques for selecting a target RV may be employed to balance allowed rotations, user comfort, and / or other factors. For example, one technique may involve selecting a target RV such that the angular change along the U axis (e.g., the gravity vector) is minimized, which may minimize the total angle that needs to be adjusted after a left / right (azimuth) rotation. This may be the equivalent adjustment from azimuth to elevation, as viewed from the antenna lobe direction. Alternative techniques for selecting a target RV may include minimizing the y axis of the mobile device coordinate system (e.g., as Figure 4A ) and the U axis of the ENU coordinate system (e.g., Figure 4B ), and minimizing the x-axis of the mobile device to make it as close to horizontal as possible (e.g., the EN plane of the ENU coordinate system), resulting in the mobile device being as upright as possible.

[0055] Depending on the desired functionality, the guidance provided by the mobile device may use one or more operations to reach the target location from the current location (current RV). Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram showing examples of two different methods.

[0056] Fig. 6A 6 is a diagram illustrating a first method in which a single rotation is performed. Here, the RV (orientation) of the mobile device is represented by a normalized vector that depicts a sphere 600 around the origin 605 of the ENU coordinate system. In this example, the mobile device (e.g., orientation engine 310) uses a single-step method to rotate the mobile device from the current RV 610 to the target RV 620 using the shortest path 630. This may involve a single angular movement along a circle 640. Although a single rotational movement may be simple, it may be inconvenient in some cases. To avoid inconvenient movements, a multi-step approach may be taken, such as Figure 6B shown.

[0057] Figure 6Bis a diagram illustrating a second method, in which rotations are performed in a reasonable manner to help reduce rotations that are inconvenient for the user. More specifically, multiple rotations are used to move from the current RV 650 to the target RV 660. These rotations include an azimuth rotation 670 and an elevation rotation 680. The order of the rotations may be changed depending on the desired functionality, user comfort, etc. Other implementations may involve rotations along any of the three rotation axes (e.g., pitch, yaw, and / or roll rotations). That is, rotations along certain rotation axes may be inconvenient for the user, and using three steps / rotations (e.g., instead of two) may result in an increase in cumulative user errors. However, omitting certain movements / rotations may limit coverage. Figure 7 Instructions for this are provided in .

[0058] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating limitations that may exist when limiting the rotation of mobile device 710 to yaw and pitch rotations. That is, when antenna lobe direction 720 is not at right angles to either device y-axis, a user may not be able to point antenna lobe direction 720 in certain areas. Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 1 , the antenna lobe direction 720 extends outward at an angle of approximately 45° (similar to Figure 5 720 to the shadow region 730. (In the worst case, where the antenna direction is in a plane that cuts right between the x-axis and the y-axis, a 90° rotation (roll) about the z-axis to a portrait mode will still not overcome the limited coverage.) In this case, an embodiment may solve the optimization problem of aligning the antenna lobe direction 720 as closely as possible with the satellite within the constraints of any rotational limitations on the mobile device 710.

[0059] When determining the current target RV / orientation, embodiments may account for and mitigate sensor errors in the sensors of the mobile device. For example, the current RV may not always be accurate, especially in azimuth that relies on a magnetometer. A calibrated magnetometer may have an error of up to 5° in azimuth, and an uncalibrated magnetometer may have an error of 20° or more. For example, this may be due to nearby objects interfering with the magnetic field near the mobile device. To mitigate this error, some embodiments may include a method for determining the current mobile device orientation (e.g., by Figure 3 (multiple) sensor-based orientation sources 330) include a calibration step (e.g., a figure 8 movement calibration) before. In addition or alternatively, once the mobile device has been oriented to the target RV, the UI engine (e.g., Figure 3The UI engine 320 of the camera may ask the user to pan left / right (adjust yaw rotation) to account for sensor-based azimuth errors in the target RV. (As described in more detail later, this may be done intelligently using signal strength feedback.) Additionally or alternatively, other sensors (camera, RF, etc.) may be relied upon to correct or reduce azimuth and / or other errors.

[0060] Similarly, embodiments can account for and mitigate user errors. For an SOS / help signal, the user may be in distress. Fatigue, disability, age, etc. may limit or impede the ability to move and hold the mobile device steadily. In this case, the mobile device can detect the presence of hand tremor from sensor signals (e.g., IMU, camera, etc.), and optionally detect the main axis of the tremor. In such embodiments, the mobile device can then guide the user to hold the device in a certain manner so as to minimize the effect of the tremor on the alignment of the antenna lobe with the satellite. In other words, the mobile device can guide the user to rotate the mobile device in a manner that maximally aligns the tremor rotation axis with the direction of the antenna main lobe.

[0061] When determining the target RV / position, the mobile device (e.g., the position engine 310 and / or the UI engine 320) can take into account the time it takes for the user to rotate the mobile device, taking into account the satellite movement. That is, when determining the target RV and guiding the user to rotate the mobile device, the satellite will continue to move in the sky as the user attempts to point the device. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the mobile device can take this delay into account when determining the target position for antenna-satellite alignment. For example, this can be done by predicting the position of the satellite at a future time (e.g., the length of the delay). The mobile device can also allow a buffer period so that the mobile device is correctly aligned before the satellite arrives at the predicted position. In the example, if the expected time it takes for the user to correctly align the mobile device is five seconds, the mobile device can add a two-second buffer period and thus predict the satellite position seven seconds in advance. This allows the mobile device user to correctly align the mobile device before the satellite is aligned with the antenna lobe.

[0062] As noted, some embodiments may provide intelligent UI guidance taking into account context / surroundings. For example, a mobile device such as a smartphone may understand user activity based on an IMU and other sensory inputs. This may include identifying activities such as walking, running, biking, riding in public transportation, etc. According to some embodiments, the activity in which the user is engaged may be taken into account when determining a target orientation and / or an adjustment process for rotating a mobile device to a target orientation. For example, a more complex process and / or a more inconvenient target orientation may be allowed for a user who is not moving or riding in a vehicle then a user who is walking or riding a bicycle.

[0063] As noted, according to some embodiments, the camera of the mobile device can be used in various aspects of position determination and guidance. As previously described, sensor errors (particularly azimuth errors) may result in errors in determining the current and target positions. However, by using a camera, the mobile device can reduce or correct sensing errors by using camera images of certain objects. Objects such as celestial bodies (e.g., the sun, moon, stars) with known azimuth / elevation, horizons, and / or other known landmarks (e.g., again considering the current position of the mobile device) at a given time and location (e.g., a time and location derived from GNSS) can be used to correct azimuth and / or elevation errors. The camera can also be used to detect obstructions, such as mountains, buildings, etc., which will prevent the mobile device from performing line-of-sight communications with satellites. When such an obstacle is detected, the mobile device (e.g., via a UI) can remind the user to move to a position without obstruction, or simply guide the user to aim the antenna lobe of the mobile device at another (unobstructed) satellite.

[0064] Figure 8 is an illustration of how the camera may be further utilized by the UI when directing the user to aim the mobile device 810 to engage in satellite-based communications. Figure 88, a camera of a mobile device 810 captures an image of an environment 820 of the mobile device and displays the image on a screen 830 of the mobile device 810 in real time (or near real time). This can allow the mobile device 810 to provide real-time feedback to the user using the image of the user's surroundings. In this example, the UI further overlays a circle 840 (or other image / icon) representing the direction of the antenna lobe of the mobile device and a dot 850 (or other image / icon) representing the location of the satellite (e.g., current or future location) onto the image on the screen 830. This can allow the user to re-orient the mobile device 810 in a manner that aligns the antenna lobe with the satellite via the UI of the mobile device 810 with real-time feedback. More specifically, the dot 850 can move with the scene at the mobile device 810 (e.g., as if it were fixed in the sky), and the circle 840 can remain in the same relative position on the screen 830 (given the fixed orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the body of the mobile device 810). The user can align the antenna lobe with the satellite by rotating the mobile device 810 to place the circle 840 around the dot 850. The use of this or similar real-time UI feedback can provide an intuitive interface to the user (e.g., similar to a composite photo) that allows the user to determine a comfortable orientation of the mobile device 810 (rather than a fixed target orientation and an orientation selected by the mobile device 810). This also reduces or minimizes any accumulation of user errors and provides the user with a visual cue of the margin of error (e.g., the size of the circle 840). In addition, the use of the camera further provides the potential for occlusion detection. For example, if the user identifies an occlusion (e.g., the point 850 is located on an object rather than the open sky), the user can provide input to the mobile device 810 indicating that an occlusion exists (e.g., prompting the mobile device 810 to identify another satellite for communication and / or prompting the user to go to another location).

[0065] When using the camera in this manner, different considerations may be taken into account to ensure proper guidance of the mobile device 810. For example, each pixel in the camera image represents a unique angle of incidence in the camera field of view (FOV). Therefore, the position of the circle 840 representing the antenna lobe direction may be projected onto the camera image via a projection formula that is a function of the antenna lobe direction and the camera parameters / FOV. As for the position of the point 850 representing the satellite position, this may be projected onto the camera image as a function of the satellite direction, the current / real-time orientation of the mobile device 810, and the camera parameters / FOV. More specifically, the XY coordinates of the point 850 may be extracted from the camera's FOV (given the current orientation) and the position of the satellite in the ENU frame. In these examples, the camera parameters may include focal length, photo size in pixels, and / or photo orientation (e.g., landscape / portrait).

[0066] However, it may be noted that the image may be implemented without displaying the image to the user. Figure 8 Thus, according to some embodiments, the mobile device 810 can provide similar real-time feedback (e.g., similar to the dot 850 and circle 840) via the UI, without providing a real-time image on the screen 830. Such embodiments may not utilize a camera, but may use a "virtual camera" with camera parameters (e.g., FOV) that can be selected based on user convenience.

[0067] Depending on the desired functionality, the instructions provided to the user for rotating the mobile device to a target orientation (e.g., via UI engine 320, such as Figure 3 shown) guidance. Figures 9 to 13 A description of some embodiments of doing this is provided. It may be noted that Figures 9 to 13 The embodiments shown in are provided as non-limiting examples. For example, alternative graphical and textual prompts may be used. In addition, if the mobile device is in landscape mode (as opposed to portrait mode, such as Figures 9 to 13 (as shown), different graphics and / or prompts may be used.

[0068] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of an example UI process 900 that can be executed by a mobile device to guide a mobile device user to orient the mobile device so that the main antenna lobe is aligned with a satellite for satellite-based communications. The UI process can be executed by a user such as Figure 3 The UI engine 320 of the UI engine is executed. For example, the various graphical outputs shown in the process can be displayed on the screen of the mobile device. In some embodiments, depending on the desired function, additional audio prompts and / or other UI prompts can be provided to help assist the user.

[0069] UI process 900 begins by displaying a graphical output shown at box 910, thereby indicating to the user of the mobile device to obtain satellite positions. For example, the screen can be provided to the user while the orientation engine determines the current position of the device (e.g., relative to the earth) and the current (and / or future) position of one or more expected satellites that can be used by the mobile device for satellite-based communications. As further indicated by box 910, the graphical output can further guide the user on how to properly hold the mobile device to help reduce the interference of the user's hand with the communication signals from the satellite. According to some embodiments, the longitudinal or transverse orientation at startup can depend on the position / direction of the main node of the antenna. If the main node of the antenna extends from the bottom of the mobile phone, the user may be required to hold the mobile phone in a transverse mode to start. The mobile device can be prompted to display the graphical output at box 910 (and start the UI process 900) based on user input (e.g., on the previous screen) or other triggering events indicating the desire or need to participate in satellite-based communications. Triggering events can include user input indicating an emergency, the desire to communicate (e.g., when the mobile device is out of network coverage), automatic triggers detected by an operating system or software executed by the mobile device, etc.

[0070] If during the satellite acquisition / position determination process, the user selects the cancel or back button, the mobile device may then display the graphical content of box 920. As shown, this is a prompt for determining whether the user is willing to continue looking for satellites for satellite-based communications or abandon the process. The user may then select "No" to return to the functionality and UI output of box 910, or select "Yes" to abandon the process and return to the previous screen (e.g., the screen displayed before the graphical output of box 910), as indicated at box 930.

[0071] As indicated at box 940, if the positions of one or more expected satellites are not obtained relative to the position of the mobile device attempting to engage in satellite-based communications, then a graphical output shown at box 950 may be displayed, indicating to the user that no satellite positions were obtained and prompting the user to try again (return to the functionality and display shown at box 910) or to abort the process (return to the previous screen, as shown at box 930). For example, possible reasons for such a failure may include that the mobile device does not have predicted orbital information for any satellites, the mobile device has failed to use GNSS satellites to calculate its position within a certain threshold, and / or the mobile device has determined that no satellites are expected to be visible within a threshold time period (e.g., within the next few seconds / minutes). Otherwise, if the positions of one or more expected satellites are determined before the timeout, then the process may then continue to the functionality shown at box 960, where the mobile device provides guidance to the user (via the UI) on how to rotate the device to the target orientation. Figures 10 to 12 An example of such guidance is shown in , as described below.

[0072] Fig.10 A series of screens that can be displayed on a screen of a mobile device to guide a user of the mobile device to rotate the mobile device to a target orientation according to an embodiment are shown. The example shows a screen for rotating from a current orientation to a target orientation (e.g., Figure 6B ) and a closed-loop process for providing real-time feedback to the user (e.g., similar to Figure 8 Here, the first two screens 1010 and 1020 each include a text prompt 1050 and a graphical prompt 1060 for rotating the mobile device, first in the azimuth direction (shown on screen 1010) and then in the elevation direction (shown on screen 1020), but the order of the screens can be reversed depending on the desired functionality. As previously described, this can rotate the mobile device to a point where the satellite is within the FOV of the virtual camera.

[0073] When the satellite is within the FOV of the virtual camera, the same Figure 8 1030, the user may be prompted (using text prompt 1070) to rotate the device so that the point 1080 representing the satellite falls within the circle 1090 representing the direction of the main antenna lobe. Similarly, circle 1090 may be located at a fixed point on screen 1030, and point 1080 may move as the mobile device rotates. As previously described, since the main antenna lobe may not be aligned with the access of the mobile device, the movement of point 1080 may not directly or proportionally correspond to the movement of the mobile device. However, the properties of the virtual camera (e.g., virtual FOV) can be adjusted so that the process is not difficult for the user even if it is not intuitive. As shown in screen 1040, when the user successfully moves point 1080 into circle 1090 (enabling the mobile device to initiate a communication link with the satellite), the user may be prompted to maintain the orientation of the mobile device to allow communication to occur. Of course, in alternative embodiments, different text prompts and / or graphics may be used.

[0074] Fig.11 It shows that the Fig.10 An alternative UI flow 1100 to the process shown in FIG. Fig.10 , which can be reflected as a two-step rotation process, in which Fig.11 The first step / rotation is shown in Fig.12 If the user is unable to align the mobile device as follows, the user may be presented with a Fig. 9The prompt of box 950 of , thereby prompting the user to continue or abandon the process: enabling satellite-based communications within a specific time period (e.g., delay time plus buffer time, as previously described) to ensure that the mobile phone is correctly aligned in time to participate in communications with the satellite. If the user chooses to continue, a new satellite position can be determined and the process can be started again.

[0075] Fig.11 Flow 1100 may begin at block 1110, where a determination is made as to whether a satellite is overhead (e.g., within a threshold tolerance) or whether the mobile device is already facing the correct direction (e.g., the correct azimuth direction, again within a threshold tolerance). If so, the process may then proceed to provide elevation rotation guidance, as indicated at block 1120 (which is indicated at Fig.12 , discussed below). Otherwise, the process can continue to screen 1130, which includes text and graphical prompts to rotate the mobile device (e.g., about a vertical axis to change the azimuth direction). Once the user has correctly rotated the mobile device, screen 1140 can be displayed and the process can continue to the pitch rotation guidance, as indicated at box 1120. In some embodiments, when the user achieves the correct rotation (e.g., successfully rotates the device to trigger the display of screen 1140), the mobile device can provide other feedback, such as vibration, sound, etc., to help the user recognize when the mobile device has been correctly rotated.

[0076] Fig.12 A UI process 1200 is shown, which can be used to guide the user to orient the mobile device to a target orientation by tilting the mobile device to a target pitch. Fig.11 When the UI process 1100 of the embodiment of the present invention obtains the correct azimuth rotation, the UI process 1200 can be executed. Again, if the user fails to align the mobile device in the following manner, a screen similar to Fig. 9 The user is prompted with box 950 to continue or abandon the process: enabling satellite-based communications within a specific time period (e.g., delay time plus buffer time, as previously described) to ensure that the phone is properly aligned in time to participate in communications with the satellite. If the user chooses to continue, a new satellite position can be determined and the process can be started again. Pressing the cancel button can return the UI to the previous screen / function, restart the orientation guidance, or abandon the guidance entirely, depending on the desired function.

[0077] Flow 1200 can begin with the mobile device displaying screen 1210, where the user is prompted to tilt the mobile device so that block 1220 is aligned with line 1230. Here, line 1230 is fixed relative to the display, while block 1220 moves as the mobile device is tilted. Once the user successfully aligns block 1220 with line 1230 (e.g., obtains the correct spacing within a threshold), the mobile device can then display screen 1240. Similarly, one or more additional outputs (such as vibration, sound, etc.) can be provided to alert the user that the user has successfully rotated the mobile device to the correct orientation. As shown in screen 1240, the mobile device can prompt the user to maintain the current orientation of the mobile device to enable the mobile device to participate in satellite-based communications.

[0078] At block 1250, a determination is made as to whether the intended transaction is completed. Again, the intended transaction may vary, depending on the desired functionality. The intended transaction may include any combination of sending a message, downloading a message, or setting up an account. Here, the message may include a user message such as a text message (SMS), an email, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the intended transaction may include sending other types of messages, such as control or communication messages used by the mobile device (e.g., application layer or lower layer messages to / from a server), which may not be seen or used by the user.

[0079] At this point, process 1200 can take one of two different paths, such as Fig.12 . If the expected transaction is successfully completed, process 1200 can end. For example, this may mean returning to a previous UI / screen displayed by the mobile device before initiating the process of participating in satellite-based communications. If the expected transaction is not successfully completed, a filter window can be displayed, as shown in box 1260, thereby notifying the user that the satellite connection has been disconnected. At this point, the process can end, and (if the user chooses) the user can initiate the process of participating in satellite-based communications again. In some cases, the transaction may be partially completed, in which case the mobile device can display a window indicating which part of the transaction was completed (e.g., one message was transmitted instead of another message).

[0080] again, Figures 10 to 12 The screen / graphic provided in the for providing guidance to the user to rotate the mobile device to the target rotation is provided as a non-limiting example. Other embodiments may utilize different text prompts and / or graphics. In addition, some embodiments may combine prompts so that the user is prompted to rotate in multiple directions using a single screen.

[0081] Fig.13is an illustration of an example screen 1310 prompting a user to rotate the mobile device to adjust both pitch and yaw simultaneously. Specifically, orthogonally aligned graphics 1315 prompt the user to rotate the mobile device to adjust both yaw and pitch so that circle 1320 is aligned / centered on line 1330. Additional or alternative graphics may be utilized to provide the user with an intuitive interface that allows for rotational guidance along multiple axes of rotation.

[0082] Fig.14 is a flow chart of a method 1400 for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite according to an embodiment. Fig.14 Means of the functionality shown in one or more of the illustrated blocks may be performed by hardware and / or software components of the mobile device as described herein. Fig.15 Example components of a mobile device are shown in , which will be described in more detail below.

[0083] At block 1410, functionality includes determining, using a mobile device, a set of target orientations of the mobile device in which an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward a satellite, the set of target orientations being based on the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. As indicated in embodiments herein, the antenna lobe can include a main antenna lobe or node of the mobile device. Doing so can conserve power and / or reduce signal loss for the mobile device (e.g., compared to utilizing other antenna lobes that may be present). The set of orientations can include a plurality of orientations of the mobile device that result in the main antenna lobe pointing toward the satellite. For example, this can include rotation of the mobile device about an axis of the main antenna lobe, such as about Figure 5 Thus, according to some embodiments of method 1400, the target orientation set of the mobile device may include multiple orientations of the mobile device, wherein each orientation of the multiple orientations has a unique degree of rotation around an axis along the direction of the antenna lobe. That is, in some embodiments, the orientation set may include a single orientation.

[0084] As indicated in the embodiments of this document, the mobile device may implement various operations to determine the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device. Thus, some embodiments of method 1400 may also include determining the current position of the mobile device using the mobile device. In some embodiments, determining the current position of the mobile device may include using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device to determine the current position of the mobile device. That is, as indicated elsewhere herein, the current position of the mobile device may be determined using additional or alternative positioning components. According to some embodiments, method 1400 may also include determining the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device using the mobile device, wherein the position of the satellite is determined based at least in part on the position of the satellite and the current position of the mobile device. As indicated, the position of the satellite may be obtained using an orbital model to determine the current position of one or more satellites in the constellation. The model and / or the orbital parameter values ​​used by the model may be provided by a server. The orbital data may be valid for weeks, months, or longer. Therefore, for a given implementation, the model and / or orbital parameter values ​​may have been provided to the mobile device by the server a few days, weeks, etc. in advance.

[0085] The components for performing the functions at block 1410 may include a bus 1505, processor(s) 1510, DSP 1520, wireless communication interface 1530, sensor 1540, memory 1560, GNSS receiver 1580, and / or other components of mobile device 1500, such as Fig.15 and described in more detail below.

[0086] The functionality at box 1420 includes determining the current orientation of the mobile device. As described herein, the mobile device may have a variety of sensors, including one or more IMUs (and / or a combination of accelerometers and / or gyroscopes), magnetometers, RF sensors, etc., from which data can be obtained to determine the orientation of the mobile device. As noted elsewhere herein, in some cases it may be necessary to perform calibration of one or more of these orientation sensors (such as a magnetometer) to more accurately determine the orientation of the mobile device. Therefore, some embodiments of method 1400 may also include providing guidance at the UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device. Using the current orientation and the set of target orientations, the mobile device can then determine one or more steps for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to at least one target orientation, as described in the embodiments herein. The components for performing the functions at block 1420 may include a bus 1505, processor(s) 1510, DSP 1520, wireless communication interface 1530, sensor 1540, memory 1560, GNSS receiver 1580, and / or other components of mobile device 1500, such as Fig.15and described in more detail below.

[0087] The functions at block 1430 include providing guidance at the UI of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from a current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations. Figures 9 to 13 As described, for example, the mobile device may implement various steps and provide various types of UIs to guide the user to rotate the mobile device to an orientation within the target orientation set. In some embodiments, for example, the UI may include a GUI that displays a first graphic icon that moves as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon that is stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein when the mobile device is rotated to an orientation within the target orientation set, the first graphic icon is aligned with the second graphic icon. Examples thereof are provided elsewhere herein (e.g., regarding Figures 10 to 13 In some embodiments, method 1400 may additionally or alternatively include indicating to a user that a wireless communication link has not been established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device has not rotated to an orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period. The time period may be based on a calculated time window during which the satellite may be able to communicate with the mobile device if the mobile device is oriented to an orientation within the set of target orientations, and may also include an estimated time that may be taken to send and / or receive information with the satellite.

[0088] Other embodiments may utilize the detected movement type to provide guidance to the user. As noted, tremor may be detected and used via the UI. Thus, some embodiments of method 1400 may also include detecting a primary tremor rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing guidance to maximally align the tremor rotation axis with the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0089] The components for performing the functions at block 1430 may include a bus 1505, processor(s) 1510, DSP 1520, wireless communication interface 1530, sensor 1540, memory 1560, GNSS receiver 1580, and / or other components of mobile device 1500, such as Fig.15 and described in more detail below.

[0090] As indicated in the previously described embodiments, embodiments may include one or more additional operations, depending on the desired functionality. For example, according to some embodiments of method 1400, guidance for rotating the mobile device may include providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device. Such embodiments may also include estimating the real-time position of the satellite, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite. In addition or alternatively, guidance for rotating the mobile device may include guidance for adjusting the yaw, pitch, or roll of the mobile device, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, guidance for rotating the mobile device may include displaying an image of the environment of the mobile device, the image being captured by a camera of the mobile device. As previously described with respect to Figure 8 As described, such embodiments may also include displaying a first graphic icon on the image that moves as the mobile device rotates, and displaying a second graphic icon that is stationary relative to the mobile device on the image, wherein when the mobile device rotates to an orientation within the target orientation set, the first graphic icon is aligned with the second graphic icon. In addition or alternatively, the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device may include the position of the satellite at a future point in time. In some embodiments, method 1400 may also include determining the position of the satellite using an orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values, in which case the one or more orbital parameter values ​​may be received by the mobile device from a computer server. Some embodiments of method 1400 may also include wirelessly sending a message from the mobile device to the satellite when the mobile device is at an orientation within the target orientation set within a threshold degree of change. In such embodiments, wirelessly sending a message may include using an antenna of the mobile device used by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

[0091] Fig.15 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile device 1500 that may be used as described herein (eg, with Figures 1 to 14 For example, mobile device 1500 may execute Fig.14 One or more of the functions of the method shown in . It should be noted that Fig.15 It is only meant to provide a generalized description of various components, any or all of which may be used as appropriate. It may be noted that in some instances, Fig.15 The components shown may be located in a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices, which may be located at different physical locations. In addition, as previously noted, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments may be provided by Fig.15 One or more of the hardware and / or software components shown in FIG.

[0092] Mobile device 1500 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via bus 1505 (or may otherwise communicate as appropriate). The hardware elements may include processor(s) 1510, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special purpose processors (such as digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Processor(s) 1510 may include one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. Fig.15 As shown in , some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1520, depending on the desired functionality. Position determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communications may be provided in the processor(s) 1510 and / or the wireless communication interface 1530 (discussed below). The mobile device 1500 may also include one or more input devices 1570, which may include but are not limited to one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, and the like; and one or more output devices 1515, which may include but are not limited to one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, and the like.

[0093] The mobile device 1500 may further include a wireless communication interface 1530, which may include but is not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (such as Devices, IEEE802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, WAN devices and / or various cellular devices, etc.), etc., which can enable the mobile device 1500 to communicate with other devices described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 1530 can allow data and signaling to communicate (e.g., send and receive) with the TRP of the network (e.g., via eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, access point, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, computer systems and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled to the TRP), as described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1532 that send and / or receive wireless signals 1534. According to some embodiments, the (multiple) wireless communication antennas 1532 may include multiple discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. The (multiple) antennas 1532 may be able to use beams (e.g., Tx Beam and Rx beam) to send and receive wireless signals. Beamforming can be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques through corresponding digital and / or analog circuits. The wireless communication interface 1530 may include such circuits. (Multiple) antennas 1532 may also be used for satellite-based communications and may include a master node that can point to a satellite for satellite-based communications, as described herein. According to some embodiments, the orientation of the master node relative to the device body may be known / determined by the device manufacturer. In some embodiments, the (multiple) antennas 1532 used for satellite-based communications may be the same as the (multiple) antennas 1582 used by the GNSS receiver 1580.

[0094] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1530 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters and / or receivers for communicating with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The mobile device 1500 can communicate with different data networks, which may include various network types. For example, the wireless wide area network (WWAN) can be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE802.16) network, etc. A CDMA network can implement one or more RATs, such as WCDMA, etc. Includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ LTE, Advanced LTE, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, Advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from the 3GPP. 3GPP2 is described in documents from a consortium called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0095] The mobile device 1500 may also include sensor(s) 1540. The sensor(s) 1540 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), camera(s), magnetometer(s), altimeter(s), microphone(s), proximity sensor(s), light sensor(s), barometer(s), etc.), some of which may be used to obtain position-related measurements and / or other information. As described herein, the sensor 1540 may be used to determine the orientation of the mobile device 1500, which may be used to assist the user when rotating the mobile device 1500 to a target orientation. Additionally, as described herein, the camera may be used to capture images of the environment of the mobile device 1500, which may be displayed on a display (e.g., output device 1515) of the mobile device 1500.

[0096] Embodiments of the mobile device 1500 may also include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 1580 capable of receiving signals 1584 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1582 (which may be the same as the antenna 1532). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1580 may extract the location of the mobile device 1500 from GNSS satellites of a GNSS system such as a Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, IRNSS over India, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), etc. using conventional techniques. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1580 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS)), which can be associated with or otherwise capable of being used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunction Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), among others.

[0097] It can be noted that although Fig.15 GNSS receiver 1580 is shown as a different component in the figure, but the embodiments are not limited thereto. As used herein, the term "GNSS receiver" may include hardware and / or software components configured to obtain GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Therefore, in some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may include a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processors, such as (multiple) processors 1510, DSP 1520, and / or a processor within the wireless communication interface 1530 (e.g., a processor in a modem). Optionally, the GNSS receiver may also include a positioning engine that may use the GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the position of the GNSS receiver using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), a weighted least squares method (WLS), a filling filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors, such as (multiple) processors 1510 or DSP 1520.

[0098] The mobile device 1500 may also include and / or be in communication with memory 1560. The memory 1560 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network accessible memory, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0099] The memory 1560 of the mobile device 1500 may also include software elements ( Fig.15 1500), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1560, which may be executed by mobile device 1500 (and / or processor(s) 1510 or DSP 1520 within mobile device 1500). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0100] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial modifications may be made as required. For example, custom hardware may also be used and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) may be employed.

[0101] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the components that may include memory may include non-temporary machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / codes to a processor and / or other devices for execution. In addition or alternatively, a machine-readable medium may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes. In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. This medium may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash-EPROM, any other memory chip or cassette tape, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or codes.

[0102] The methods, systems and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may appropriately omit, replace or add various programs or components. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software. In addition, technology is constantly evolving, and therefore many of the elements are examples, which do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those specific examples.

[0103] It has proven convenient at times, primarily for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerals, and the like. However, it should be understood that all of these and similar terms should be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise expressly stated, as is apparent from the above discussion, it should be understood that throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as "processing" or "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "correlating," "measuring," "performing," and the like refer to the actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or converting signals, which are typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmission device, or display device of the special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device.

[0104] The terms "and" and "or" as used herein may include multiple meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, "or", if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), is intended to mean A, B, and C (here in an inclusive sense), as well as A, B, or C (here in an exclusive sense). In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to describe a certain combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. In addition, the term "at least one of...", if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0105] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be merely components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. In addition, multiple steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0106] Based on this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0107] Item 1. A method for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the method comprising: determining a set of target orientations of the mobile device using the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward a satellite, the target orientation set being based on the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determining a current orientation of the mobile device; and providing guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0108] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device comprises providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

[0109] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, further comprising estimating a real-time position of the satellite, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

[0110] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device comprises providing guidance for adjusting yaw, pitch, or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

[0111] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device comprises displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image captured by a camera of the mobile device.

[0112] Clause 6. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device includes the position of the satellite at a future point in time.

[0113] Clause 7. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 6, further comprising determining a position of a satellite using the orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values, the one or more orbital parameter values ​​being received by the mobile device from a computer server.

[0114] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising wirelessly sending a message from the mobile device to a satellite when the mobile device is within a threshold degree of variation of a position within the set of target positions.

[0115] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein wirelessly transmitting the message comprises using an antenna of the mobile device used by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

[0116] Clause 10. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, further comprising determining, using the mobile device, a current location of the mobile device.

[0117] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein determining the current location of the mobile device comprises determining the current location of the mobile device using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device.

[0118] Clause 12. The method of any one of clauses 10 to 11, further comprising determining, using the mobile device, a position of a satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on the position of the satellite and a current position of the mobile device.

[0119] Clause 13. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the set of target orientations of the mobile device comprises a plurality of orientations of the mobile device, wherein each orientation of the plurality of orientations has a unique degree of rotation about an axis along a direction of an antenna lobe.

[0120] Clause 14. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 13, further comprising indicating to a user that a wireless communication link could not be established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device does not rotate to an orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period.

[0121] Clause 15. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein the UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays a first graphic icon that moves as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon that is stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein the first graphic icon is aligned with the second graphic icon when the mobile device is rotated to an orientation within a target orientation set.

[0122] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 1 to 15, further comprising detecting a primary flutter rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device comprises providing guidance that maximally aligns the flutter rotation axis with a direction of an antenna lobe.

[0123] Clause 17. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 16, further comprising providing guidance at a UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

[0124] Item 18. A mobile device for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the mobile device comprising: a transceiver; a memory; a user interface (UI); and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward a satellite, the target orientation set being based on an orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determine a current orientation of the mobile device; and provide guidance at the UI for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0125] Clause 19. The mobile device of Clause 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device in the guidance for rotating the mobile device.

[0126] Clause 20. The mobile device of clause 19, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to estimate real-time positions of satellites, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time positions of the satellites.

[0127] Clause 21. The mobile device of any of clauses 18 to 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include in the guidance for rotating the mobile device guidance for adjusting yaw, pitch, or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

[0128] Clause 22. A mobile device according to any of clauses 18 to 21, further comprising a camera, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include display of an image of an environment of the mobile device in the guidance for rotating the mobile device, wherein the image is captured by the camera.

[0129] Clause 23. A mobile device as described in any of clauses 18 to 22, wherein, to base the set of target positions on the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to base the set of target positions on the position of the satellite at a future point in time.

[0130] Clause 24. A mobile device according to any one of clauses 18 to 23, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to (i) determine the position of the satellite using the orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values, and (ii) receive the one or more orbital parameter values ​​from a computer server via the transceiver.

[0131] Clause 25. The mobile device of any of clauses 18 to 24, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to wirelessly transmit a message to a satellite via the transceiver when the mobile device is within a position within the set of target positions within a threshold degree of variation.

[0132] Clause 26. The mobile device of any of clauses 18 to 25, further comprising a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, wherein to wirelessly transmit the message, the one or more processors are configured to use an antenna of the mobile device used by the GNSS receiver.

[0133] Clause 27. The mobile device of any of clauses 18 to 26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to utilize the mobile device to determine a current location of the mobile device.

[0134] Clause 28. The mobile device of clause 27, wherein, to determine the current location of the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to use a GNSS receiver of the mobile device to determine the current location of the mobile device.

[0135] Clause 29. A mobile device according to any of clauses 18 to 28, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a position of a satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on the position of the satellite and a current position of the mobile device.

[0136] Clause 30. A mobile device as described in any of clauses 18 to 29, wherein the set of target orientations of the mobile device includes a plurality of orientations of the mobile device, wherein each orientation of the plurality of orientations has a unique degree of rotation about an axis along the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0137] Clause 31. A mobile device according to any one of clauses 18 to 30, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to indicate to a user via a UI that a wireless communication link has not been established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device has not rotated to an orientation within a target orientation set within a threshold time period.

[0138] Clause 32. A mobile device according to any one of clauses 18 to 31, wherein the UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a first graphic icon configured to move as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon configured to be stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein when the mobile device is rotated to an orientation within a target orientation set, the first graphic icon is configured to align with the second graphic icon.

[0139] Clause 33. A mobile device according to any one of clauses 18 to 32, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detect a main flutter rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein, in order to provide guidance for rotating the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to provide guidance that maximally aligns the flutter rotation axis with the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0140] Clause 34. A mobile device according to any one of clauses 18 to 33, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide guidance at the UI for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

[0141] Clause 35. An apparatus for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the apparatus comprising: a component for determining a set of target orientations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, the target orientation set being based on the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; a component for determining a current orientation of the mobile device; and a component for providing guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0142] Clause 36. The apparatus of clause 35, further comprising means for providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

[0143] Clause 37. The apparatus of clause 36, further comprising means for estimating real-time positions of satellites, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time positions of the satellites.

[0144] Clause 38. The apparatus of any one of clauses 35 to 37, wherein the means for providing guidance comprises means for adjusting the yaw, pitch or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

[0145] Clause 39. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 38, wherein the means for providing guidance comprises means for displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image being captured by a camera of the mobile device.

[0146] Clause 40. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 39, further comprising means for determining a position of a satellite using the orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values, the one or more orbital parameter values ​​being received by the mobile device from a computer server.

[0147] Clause 41. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 40, further comprising means for wirelessly transmitting a message from the mobile device to a satellite when the mobile device is within a position within the set of target positions within a threshold degree of variation.

[0148] Clause 42. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 41, wherein the means for wirelessly transmitting the message comprises means for using an antenna of the mobile device used by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

[0149] Clause 43. The apparatus of any one of clauses 35 to 42, further comprising means for determining a current location of the mobile device.

[0150] Clause 44. The apparatus of clause 43, wherein the means for determining the current location of the mobile device comprises means for determining the current location of the mobile device using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device.

[0151] Clause 45. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 44, further comprising means for determining a position of a satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on the position of the satellite and a current position of the mobile device.

[0152] Clause 46. An apparatus as described in any of clauses 35 to 45, further comprising means for indicating to a user that a wireless communication link has not been established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device has not rotated to an orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period.

[0153] Clause 47. The apparatus of any of clauses 35 to 46, further comprising means for detecting a primary flutter rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device comprises providing guidance that maximally aligns the flutter rotation axis with the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0154] Clause 48. The apparatus of any one of clauses 35 to 47, further comprising means for providing guidance at a UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

[0155] Clause 49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the instructions comprising code for performing the following: determining a set of target positions for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, the set of target positions being based on a position of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device and a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determining a current position of the mobile device; and

[0156] Guidance is provided at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from a current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

[0157] Clause 50. The computer-readable medium of Clause 49, wherein the instructions further comprise code for providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

[0158] Clause 51. The computer-readable medium of clause 50, wherein the instructions further comprise code for estimating a real-time position of a satellite, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

[0159] Clause 52. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 51, wherein the instructions further comprise code for providing guidance to adjust yaw, pitch, or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

[0160] Clause 53. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 52, wherein the instructions further comprise code for displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image being captured by a camera of the mobile device.

[0161] Clause 54. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 53, wherein the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device comprises the position of the satellite at a future point in time.

[0162] Clause 55. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 54, wherein the instructions further comprise code for determining a position of a satellite using an orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values, the one or more orbital parameter values ​​being received by the mobile device from a computer server.

[0163] Clause 56. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 55, wherein the instructions further comprise code for wirelessly transmitting a message from the mobile device to the satellite when the mobile device is within a position within the set of target positions within a threshold degree of variance.

[0164] Clause 57. The computer-readable medium of any of clauses 49 to 56, wherein the code for wirelessly transmitting the message comprises code for using an antenna of the mobile device used by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

[0165] Clause 58. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 57, wherein the instructions further comprise code for determining a current location of the mobile device.

[0166] Clause 59. The computer-readable medium of Clause 58, wherein the code for determining the current location of the mobile device comprises code for determining the current location of the mobile device using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device.

[0167] Clause 60. A computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 49 to 59, wherein the instructions also include code for determining, using a mobile device, a position of a satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on the position of the satellite and a current position of the mobile device.

[0168] Clause 61. A computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 49 to 60, wherein the set of target orientations of the mobile device includes multiple orientations of the mobile device, wherein each orientation of the multiple orientations has a unique degree of rotation about an axis along the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0169] Clause 62. A computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 49 to 61, wherein the instructions also include code for indicating to a user that a wireless communication link has not been established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device does not rotate to an orientation within the target orientation set within a threshold time period.

[0170] Clause 63. A computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 62, wherein the UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays a first graphic icon that moves as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon that is stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein the first graphic icon is aligned with the second graphic icon when the mobile device is rotated to an orientation within a target orientation set.

[0171] Clause 64. A computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 49 to 63, wherein the instructions further include code for detecting a main flutter rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein providing guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing guidance that maximally aligns the flutter rotation axis with the direction of the antenna lobe.

[0172] Clause 65. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 64, further comprising a component for providing guidance at a UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the method comprising: Determining, using the mobile device, a set of target locations of the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is directed toward the satellite, the set of target locations being based on: the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device, and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determining a current location of the mobile device; and Guidance is provided at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Providing the guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising estimating the real-time position of the satellite, wherein: The real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Providing the guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing guidance for adjusting the yaw, pitch, or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Providing the guidance for rotating the mobile device includes displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image captured by a camera of the mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The position of the satellite relative to the mobile device includes the position of the satellite at a future point in time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the position of the satellite using an orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values ​​received by the mobile device from a computer server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly transmitting a message from the mobile device to the satellite when the mobile device is within a threshold degree of variance of a location within the set of target locations.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Wirelessly transmitting the message includes using an antenna of the mobile device used by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using the mobile device, a current location of the mobile device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: Determining the current location of the mobile device includes determining the current location of the mobile device using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, using the mobile device, a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein: Determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on: the position of the satellite, and The current location of the mobile device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The set of target positions of the mobile device includes a plurality of positions of the mobile device, wherein each position of the plurality of positions has a unique degree of rotation about an axis along a direction of the antenna lobe.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating to a user that the wireless communication link could not be established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device does not rotate to the orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays a first graphic icon that moves as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon that is stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein the first graphic icon is aligned with the second graphic icon when the mobile device is rotated to the orientation within the target orientation set.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a primary tremor rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein: Providing the guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing guidance that maximally aligns a tremor rotation axis with a direction of the antenna lobe.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing guidance at the UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

18. A mobile device for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the mobile device comprising: Transceiver; Memory; User interface (UI); as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Determining a set of target locations of the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, the set of target locations being based on: the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device, and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determining a current location of the mobile device; and Guidance is provided at the UI for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

19. The mobile device according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to include real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device in the guidance for rotating the mobile device.

20. The mobile device according to claim 19, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to estimate a real-time position of the satellite, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to include, in the guidance for rotating the mobile device, guidance for adjusting a yaw, a pitch, or a roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

22. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising a camera, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to include, in the guidance for rotating the mobile device, display of an image of an environment of the mobile device, wherein the image is captured by the camera.

23. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: To base the set of target positions on the positions of the satellites relative to the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to base the set of target positions on the positions of the satellites at future points in time.

24. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to (i) determine the position of the satellite using the orbit model and one or more orbital parameter values, and (ii) receive the one or more orbital parameter values ​​from a computer server via the transceiver.

25. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to wirelessly transmit a message to the satellite via the transceiver when the mobile device is at the position within the set of target positions within a threshold degree of variation.

26. The mobile device of claim 25, further comprising a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, wherein: To wirelessly transmit the message, the one or more processors are configured to use an antenna of the mobile device used by the GNSS receiver.

27. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to determine, using the mobile device, a current location of the mobile device.

28. The mobile device of claim 27, wherein: To determine the current location of the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to use a GNSS receiver of the mobile device to determine the current location of the mobile device.

29. The mobile device of claim 27, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to determine a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on: the position of the satellite, and The current location of the mobile device.

30. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The set of target positions of the mobile device includes a plurality of positions of the mobile device, wherein each position of the plurality of positions has a unique degree of rotation about an axis along a direction of the antenna lobe.

31. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to indicate to a user via the UI that the wireless communication link could not be established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device does not rotate to the orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period.

32. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display a first graphic icon configured to move as the mobile device rotates and a second graphic icon configured to be stationary relative to the mobile device, wherein the first graphic icon is configured to align with the second graphic icon when the mobile device is rotated to the orientation within the target orientation set.

33. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to detect a primary flutter rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein, to provide the guidance for rotating the mobile device, the one or more processors are configured to provide guidance that maximally aligns the flutter rotation axis with the direction of the antenna lobe.

34. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to provide guidance at the UI for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device prior to determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

35. An apparatus for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the apparatus comprising: means for determining a set of target locations for the mobile device, wherein an antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, the set of target locations being based on: the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device, and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; means for determining a current location of the mobile device; and Means for providing guidance at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

36. The device according to claim 34, wherein The means for providing guidance includes means for providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising means for estimating the real-time position of the satellite, wherein: The real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

38. The device according to claim 34, wherein: The means for providing guidance may include means for adjusting the yaw, pitch or roll of the mobile device, or any combination thereof.

39. The device according to claim 34, wherein: The means for providing guidance includes means for displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image being captured by a camera of the mobile device.

40. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for determining the position of the satellite using an orbital model and one or more orbital parameter values ​​received by the mobile device from a computer server.

41. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for wirelessly transmitting a message from the mobile device to the satellite when the mobile device is within the position within the set of target positions within a threshold degree of variation.

42. The device according to claim 41, wherein The means for wirelessly transmitting the message includes means for utilizing an antenna of the mobile device utilized by a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device.

43. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for determining a current location of the mobile device.

44. The device according to claim 43, wherein The means for determining the current location of the mobile device includes means for determining the current location of the mobile device using a GNSS receiver of the mobile device.

45. The apparatus of claim 43, further comprising means for determining a position of the satellite relative to the mobile device, wherein: Determining the position of the satellite is based at least in part on: the position of the satellite, and The current location of the mobile device.

46. ​​The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for indicating to a user that the wireless communication link could not be established between the mobile device and the satellite if the mobile device does not rotate to the orientation within the set of target orientations within a threshold time period.

47. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for detecting a primary tremor rotation axis experienced by the mobile device, wherein: Providing the guidance for rotating the mobile device includes providing guidance that maximally aligns a tremor rotation axis with a direction of the antenna lobe.

48. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for providing guidance at the UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing a wireless communication link between a mobile device and a satellite, the instructions comprising code for: Determine a target orientation set of the mobile device, wherein: The antenna lobe of the mobile device is pointed toward the satellite, and the target position set is based on: the orientation of the antenna lobe relative to the mobile device, and the position of the satellite relative to the mobile device; determining a current location of the mobile device; as well as Guidance is provided at a user interface (UI) of the mobile device for rotating the mobile device from the current orientation to an orientation within the set of target orientations.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein: The instructions also include code for providing real-time visual feedback on a display of the mobile device.

51. The computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein: The instructions also include code for estimating a real-time position of the satellite, wherein the real-time visual feedback is based on the estimated real-time position of the satellite.

52. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein: The instructions also include code for providing guidance to adjust yaw, pitch, or roll, or any combination thereof, of the mobile device.

53. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein: The instructions also include code for displaying an image of an environment of the mobile device, the image captured by a camera of the mobile device.

54. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising means for providing guidance at the UI of the mobile device for moving the mobile device to perform calibration of one or more orientation sensors of the mobile device before determining the current orientation of the mobile device.

Images