A method and system for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit satellites

Abstract

This invention provides a method and system for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, comprising: LEO satellites transmitting a spot beam to a target area via a directional antenna, initially providing communication services to all target terminals within the spot beam coverage area; when a preset switching period ends, a satellite resource control center determines a new LEO satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the LEO satellite; controlling the new LEO satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that its transmitted spot beam covers the target area; simultaneously generating beam switching commands and sending them in batches to all target terminals; and all target terminals executing beam switching actions to continue providing communication services to all target terminals via the spot beam transmitted by the new LEO satellite. This invention achieves unified beam switching for all user terminals within the target area, avoiding high concurrency of switching commands at the satellite resource control center when the number of users is large, and improving user communication response speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and specifically to a method and system for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit satellites. Background Technology

[0002] Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems refer to mobile satellite communication systems that use satellites operating at an altitude of approximately 500–2000 kilometers above the Earth's surface as the space segment, ground-based satellite monitoring and control centers and gateway stations as the ground segment, and fixed or handheld satellite terminal equipment as the user segment. Compared to high Earth Orbit (HEO) satellite systems such as geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, LEO satellites have a smaller coverage area and require multiple satellites orbiting the Earth to provide seamless global coverage for satellite mobile communication services such as voice, SMS, fax, and data. LEO satellites can transmit multiple narrow beams to the ground via multi-spot beam directional antennas, with each beam covering a specific ground area to provide communication for users within that coverage area.

[0003] Typically, a single satellite needs to generate multiple spot beams, and the coverage area of ​​these beams changes continuously as the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite moves at high speeds. Since the speed of a LEO satellite is approximately 7500 m / s, the coverage time of each spot beam in a specific area on the ground is only a few minutes. To ensure that user terminals can access the system normally and maintain stable communication, when a spot beam is about to lose coverage of an area, the terminal needs to send a beam switching request message. The ground-based satellite resource control center, based on the satellite's real-time position, allocates spot beam resource information to the terminal for the area that will soon be covered. After successfully connecting to the new spot beam, the terminal continues communication, performing beam switching every few minutes until communication ends. Figure 1 The diagram shows a schematic of low-Earth orbit satellite beam coverage in the prior art. The terminal first accesses the system and communicates on the beam resources of satellite 1. As the satellite moves, beam 3 of satellite 1 will gradually cease to provide service to that area. After receiving information from beam 7 of satellite 2, the terminal will initiate a handover request within beam 3 of satellite 1, requesting to switch to the beam 7 resources of satellite 2 to continue communication.

[0004] However, since different terminal users are located in different places within the same beam coverage area, when switching beams or satellites, terminals in different locations need to send switching requests. The satellite resource control center will also respond to each switching request message in real time and allocate new beam resource information. When the system has a large amount of traffic, the satellite resource control center will be in a state of high load and high concurrency for a long time. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address this issue, the present invention provides a communication resource scheduling method and system for low-orbit satellites, aiming to solve the technical problem in the prior art where satellite resource control centers experience high traffic and load when switching beams or satellites at terminals, thus affecting communication response speed.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit satellites, the method comprising:

[0008] Step S1: The first low-orbit satellite transmits a first spot beam to the target area through a directional antenna, and begins to provide communication services to all target terminals within the coverage area of ​​the first spot beam;

[0009] Step S2: When the preset switching cycle ends, the satellite resource control center determines the second low-orbit satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the first low-orbit satellite;

[0010] Step S3: The satellite resource control center controls the second low-orbit satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the second spot beam emitted by the second low-orbit satellite covers the target area; and the satellite resource control center generates a beam switching command carrying resource information of the second spot beam, and sends the beam switching command in batches to all target terminals;

[0011] Step S4: All target terminals respond to the beam switching command by performing a beam switching action to continue providing communication services to all target terminals through the second point beam, and use the second low-orbit satellite as the new first low-orbit satellite, repeating steps S1 to S4.

[0012] Furthermore, step S1 also includes:

[0013] After the target terminal is powered on, it performs a beam search operation and accesses the first point beam covering the target area where the target terminal is located, so as to provide communication services to the target terminal through the first point beam.

[0014] Furthermore, the step of sending the beam switching command in batches to all target terminals includes:

[0015] The satellite resource control center sends a beam switching command to the target terminal through the first spot beam that is communicating with the target terminal, instructing the target terminal to establish communication through the second spot beam.

[0016] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0017] The satellite resource control center obtains real-time motion information of at least one low-orbit satellite through the gateway station, calculates the spot beam parameters that each low-orbit satellite needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and sends a resource configuration command carrying the spot beam parameters to the gateway station at the end of each preset switching cycle.

[0018] The gateway station receives resource configuration instructions from the satellite resource control center and sends the resource configuration instructions to the corresponding low-orbit satellites;

[0019] The real-time motion information includes at least one of the following: current position, beam direction, motion direction, and motion trajectory.

[0020] The spot beam parameters include at least one of the following: number of spot beams, spot beam direction, and spot beam frequency.

[0021] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0022] Each of the low-orbit satellites receives a resource configuration instruction from the gateway station and adjusts the transmitted spot beam parameters based on the resource configuration instruction so that the spot beams transmitted by each low-orbit satellite cover different areas on the ground, and user terminals can access the satellite network.

[0023] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0024] After the user terminal accesses the satellite network, it receives beam signaling information covering the current area and obtains the allocated communication resources, and sends uplink user data to the low-orbit satellites that take over the current area.

[0025] The low-orbit satellite forwards the uplink user data to the ground communication network via inter-satellite links and gateway stations, so that the downlink user terminals can respond.

[0026] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0027] Each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites sends traffic load data to the gateway station;

[0028] The gateway station receives the traffic load data and feeds it back to the satellite resource control center;

[0029] The satellite resource control center optimizes resource allocation parameters based on real-time traffic load data;

[0030] The traffic load data includes at least one of communication data, network links, and the number of users.

[0031] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a communication resource scheduling system for low-Earth orbit satellites, the system comprising: a satellite resource control center, a gateway station communicatively connected to the satellite resource control center, a plurality of low-Earth orbit satellites wirelessly connected to the gateway station, and a user terminal;

[0032] The user terminal is used to perform a beam search operation after powering on, and access the target area covered by the user terminal within the spot beam to access the satellite network;

[0033] The low-orbit satellite is used to transmit spot beams to a target area via a directional antenna, providing communication services to all user terminals within the coverage area of ​​the spot beams.

[0034] The satellite resource control center is configured to, whenever a preset switching period ends where the low-orbit satellite begins to provide communication services to all user terminals within the coverage area of ​​the spot beam, determine a new low-orbit satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the low-orbit satellite; control the new low-orbit satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite covers the target area; and generate a beam switching command instructing the user terminal to establish communication with the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite, and send the beam switching command in batches to all user terminals within the target area through the spot beam currently communicating with the user terminal, so as to instruct the user terminal to establish communication through the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite.

[0035] The user terminal is also used to perform a beam switching action in response to the beam switching command, so as to access the satellite network through the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite and continue to use the communication service.

[0036] Furthermore, the satellite resource control center is also used to acquire real-time motion information of each of the low-orbit satellites, calculate the spot beam parameters that each of the low-orbit satellites needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and send a resource configuration instruction carrying the spot beam parameters to the gateway station at the end of each preset switching cycle.

[0037] The gateway station is also used to receive resource configuration instructions from the satellite resource control center and send the resource configuration instructions to the corresponding low-orbit satellites;

[0038] Each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites is also used to receive resource configuration instructions from the gateway station, and adjust the transmitted spot beam parameters based on the resource configuration instructions, so that the spot beams transmitted by each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites cover different areas on the ground, and the user terminals can all access the satellite network;

[0039] The real-time motion information includes at least one of the following: current position, beam direction, motion direction, and motion trajectory.

[0040] The spot beam parameters include at least one of the following: number of spot beams, spot beam direction, and spot beam frequency.

[0041] Furthermore, each of the low-orbit satellites is also used to send traffic load data to the gateway station;

[0042] The gateway station is also used to receive the traffic load data and feed the traffic load data back to the satellite resource control center;

[0043] The satellite resource control center is also used to optimize resource configuration parameters based on real-time traffic load data;

[0044] The traffic load data includes at least one of communication data, network links, and the number of users.

[0045] The present invention, by adopting the above technical solution, has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0046] This invention proposes a method for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, comprising the following steps: S1: A first LEO satellite transmits a first spot beam to a target area via a directional antenna, initiating communication services for all target terminals within the coverage area of ​​the first spot beam; S2: When a preset switching period ends, a satellite resource control center determines a second LEO satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the first LEO satellite; S3: The satellite resource control center controls the second LEO satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the second spot beam transmitted by the second LEO satellite covers the target area; and the satellite resource control center generates a beam switching command carrying resource information of the second spot beam and sends the beam switching command in batches to all target terminals; S4: All target terminals respond to the beam switching command by performing a beam switching action to continue providing communication services to all target terminals via the second spot beam, and the second LEO satellite is used as the new first LEO satellite, repeating steps S1 to S4. Therefore, a unified resource scheduling mechanism for low-orbit satellite communication beam switching is proposed to achieve unified beam switching for all communication terminals in a certain area, avoiding high concurrency of switching commands in the satellite resource control center when the number of users is large, and improving the user communication response speed.

[0047] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0048] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0049] Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of low-Earth orbit satellite beam coverage in the prior art is shown;

[0050] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication resource scheduling method for low-Earth orbit satellites according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0051] Figure 3 A simplified schematic diagram of low-Earth orbit satellite beam coverage provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0052] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a communication resource scheduling method for low-Earth orbit satellites according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0053] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication resource scheduling system for low-Earth orbit satellites provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0055] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0056] This invention provides a method for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit satellites, such as... Figure 2 As shown, it may include at least the following steps S201~S204:

[0057] In step S201, the first low-orbit satellite transmits a first spot beam to the target area through a directional antenna, and begins to provide communication services to all target terminals within the coverage area of ​​the first spot beam.

[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, the target area is a specific region where the ground is divided. For multiple fixed regions on the ground, there are corresponding spot beams to cover them, so as to ensure that user terminals located in different regions on the ground can access the low-orbit satellite system normally.

[0059] The target terminal refers to a user terminal located within the target area. After the target terminal is powered on, it can perform a beam search operation to attempt to connect to the first point beam covering the target area where the target terminal is located, and establish a connection with the low-Earth orbit satellite system to provide communication services to the target terminal through the first point beam.

[0060] Simultaneously, the first low-orbit satellite transmits basic information such as resource allocation within the first spot beam via a directional antenna, providing communication services to user terminals within the target area. For example... Figure 3 The image shown is a schematic diagram of low-Earth orbit satellite beam coverage. Figure 3 Low-Earth orbit satellite 1 provides communication services to cells 1 and 3 on the ground through beams 1 and 3, while low-Earth orbit satellite 2 provides communication services to cell 4 on the ground through beam 2. At this time, the target terminal accesses the low-Earth orbit satellite system through beam 3 of low-Earth orbit satellite 1.

[0061] Step S202: When the preset switching cycle ends, the satellite resource control center determines the second low-orbit satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the first low-orbit satellite.

[0062] When the first low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite begins providing service to the target area, the satellite resource control center simultaneously starts a beam switching timer. When the preset switching period arrives, the beam switching process is initiated. At this time, based on the satellite's real-time motion information, the satellite resource control center instructs a new LEO satellite to continue providing beam coverage and communication services to the target area. The real-time motion information can include the current position, beam direction, direction of motion, and trajectory. It can be understood that in practical applications, to improve beam switching efficiency, a second LEO satellite can be selected, besides the first LEO satellite, that is closest to the target area in terms of current position and whose direction of motion and trajectory are directed towards the target area.

[0063] It should be noted that the preset switching period can be set based on the duration for which the low-Earth orbit satellite's transmitted beam can cover a specific area, and is specifically affected by factors such as the low-Earth orbit satellite's moving speed, the size of the target area, and the beam transmission range. In practical applications, the preset switching period can be specifically set according to requirements, and this embodiment of the invention does not impose any limitations on this.

[0064] In step S203, the satellite resource control center controls the second low-orbit satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the second spot beam emitted by the second low-orbit satellite covers the target area; and the satellite resource control center generates a beam switching command carrying resource information of the second spot beam and sends the beam switching command in batches to all target terminals.

[0065] Specifically, the satellite resource control center can send beam switching commands to all target terminals within the target area via the first spot beam that is communicating with the target terminal, instructing the target terminals to perform batch beam switching operations. Simultaneously, the second low-orbit satellite, according to the resource allocation instructions from the satellite resource control center, adjusts the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that its emitted second spot beam covers the target area.

[0066] In step S204, all target terminals respond to the beam switching command by performing beam switching action to continue providing communication services to all target terminals through the second point beam, and the second low-orbit satellite is used as the new first low-orbit satellite, and steps S201 to S204 are repeated.

[0067] During the process of the satellite resource control center sending beam switching commands to all target terminals, it can inform the target terminals of the resource information of the second point beam that needs to be re-established. The target terminals then establish communication through the second point beam based on the received resource information parameters. After taking over the target area, the second low-Earth orbit satellite interacts with all target terminals within the target area through signaling, enabling the target terminals to successfully access the low-Earth orbit satellite system within the coverage area of ​​the second point beam and continue communication. Figure 3 As shown, after beam switching, LEO satellite 1 provides communication services to cells 1 and 2 on the ground via beams 1 and 2, while LEO satellite 2 provides communication services to cell 3 on the ground via beam 1. At this time, the target terminal accesses the LEO satellite system via beam 1 of LEO satellite 2. Thus, batch beam switching of all target terminals within the target area is achieved, eliminating the need for individual target terminals to send beam switching requests to the satellite resource control center, significantly reducing the workload of the satellite resource control center.

[0068] When the second low-Earth orbit satellite begins providing communication services to all target terminals within the target area, the satellite resource control center also restarts the timer. When the next preset switching cycle arrives, the next beam switching procedure is executed. In other words, the second low-Earth orbit satellite can be used as the first low-Earth orbit satellite, and steps S201~S204 can be executed again. By repeating this cycle, regular beam switching operations can be achieved, ensuring stable communication for user terminals.

[0069] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for scheduling communication resources of low-orbit satellites from the perspective of a satellite resource control center, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it may include at least the following steps S401~S404:

[0070] In step S401, the satellite resource control center obtains real-time motion information of at least one low-orbit satellite through the gateway station, calculates the point beam parameters that each low-orbit satellite needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and sends a resource configuration command carrying the point beam parameters to the gateway station at the end of each preset switching cycle.

[0071] In practical applications, satellite resource control centers need to simultaneously monitor the real-time motion status and beam switching of multiple low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Gateway stations located at different ground positions can interact with the satellite resource control center via wired connections. Real-time motion information of the LEO satellites can be sent to the gateway stations first, and then forwarded to the satellite resource control center. This real-time motion information can include the current position, beam pointing, direction of motion, and trajectory of the LEO satellites. Based on this real-time motion information, the satellite resource control center calculates the required spot beam parameters for each LEO satellite, including the number of spot beams, beam pointing, and spot beam frequency, to achieve beam coverage of different areas on the ground and avoid co-channel interference between adjacent areas. Each time the satellite resource control center completes its real-time calculations, it sends a resource configuration command carrying the spot beam parameters to the gateway stations, which then forward the resource configuration command to the LEO satellites.

[0072] In step S402, the gateway station receives the resource configuration instruction from the satellite resource control center and sends the resource configuration instruction to the corresponding low-orbit satellite.

[0073] The gateway station is connected to the low-Earth orbit satellite via wireless communication. Whenever the gateway station receives a resource allocation instruction from the satellite resource control center, it distributes the resource allocation instruction to the corresponding low-Earth orbit satellite through wireless frequency resources.

[0074] In step S403, each low-orbit satellite receives a resource configuration instruction from the gateway station and adjusts the transmitted spot beam parameters based on the resource configuration instruction so that the spot beams transmitted by each low-orbit satellite cover different areas on the ground, and user terminals can access the satellite network.

[0075] Each low-orbit satellite adjusts the direction of its directional antenna according to the received resource allocation instructions and generates a corresponding number and frequency of spot beams to cover different areas on the ground so that user terminals can access the satellite network.

[0076] In step S404, after the user terminal accesses the satellite network, it receives beam signaling information covering the current area and obtains the allocated communication resources, and sends uplink user data to the low-orbit satellite that takes over the current area; the low-orbit satellite forwards the uplink user data to the ground communication network through inter-satellite links and gateway stations so that the downlink user terminal can respond.

[0077] After user terminals in different regions access the satellite network through beam search, they receive beam signaling information and obtain allocated radio resources, and send uplink user data to low-Earth orbit satellites. The low-Earth orbit satellites can then forward the uplink user data to the ground network through inter-satellite links and gateway stations. After receiving the uplink user data, the downlink user terminals execute a response, thus realizing satellite communication between uplink and downlink users.

[0078] In this embodiment of the invention, the satellite network adopts a unified preset switching period. A beam switching timer is started when a spot beam begins providing communication services to a certain area. When the preset switching period expires, the resource configuration command regenerated by the satellite resource configuration center is sent to the gateway station, which then distributes it to the corresponding low-Earth orbit satellites. Before beam switching, user terminals communicating in different areas are notified that they will soon switch to a new frequency resource. After the beam switching timer expires, beam switching occurs, and user terminals switch to the new spot beam to continue communication according to the newly allocated frequency resource parameters.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the invention, each low-orbit satellite can also send traffic load data to the gateway station; the gateway station receives the traffic load data and feeds it back to the satellite resource control center; the satellite resource control center can optimize resource configuration parameters based on real-time traffic load data.

[0080] Traffic load data includes communication data, network links, and the number of users. In other words, the gateway station uses user data transmitted by each low-Earth orbit satellite to statistically analyze the link load of the satellite network and the number of users in different areas, feeding this data back to the satellite resource control center. The satellite resource control center then optimizes resource allocation parameters based on the real-time traffic load data from the gateway station. For example, when the number of users in a certain area is large or the data bandwidth is overloaded, multiple spot beams can be allocated to simultaneously cover that area, flexibly configuring the user capacity of each cell.

[0081] This invention provides a method for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and a flexible area coverage and beam switching mechanism for LEO satellites. Through real-time control by a satellite resource control center and the directional antennas of LEO satellites, real-time and unified scheduling of beam switching at satellite network points is achieved. Employing a unified scheduling mechanism for beam switching within the LEO satellite system—that is, a mechanism where satellites instruct terminals within a cell to switch beams—can further increase the user capacity within a cell while ensuring communication continuity. Compared to the fixed, proximity-based area coverage principle used by traditional LEO satellites, this method allows for flexible and real-time resource allocation based on the number of users in different areas. Furthermore, during satellite terminal communication, the dynamic allocation of LEO satellites providing services further improves the anti-interference performance of LEO satellite communication, preventing communication interruptions in a coverage area due to malicious interference from a single satellite.

[0082] Furthermore, as Figure 2 or Figure 4 In specific implementation, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication resource scheduling system for low-orbit satellites, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the system may include: a satellite resource control center 510, a gateway station 520 that is communicatively connected to the satellite resource control center 510, multiple low-orbit satellites 530 that are wirelessly connected to the gateway station 520, and a user terminal 540.

[0083] like Figure 5As shown, the satellite resource control center 510 and the gateway station 520 are ground-based devices. The gateway station 520 connects the ground network and the satellite network, executes commands from the satellite resource control center 510, and reports data such as link quality and traffic load to the satellite resource control center 510, informing the satellite resource control center 510 of its optimized configuration strategies. The satellite resource control center 510 is responsible for scheduling and monitoring the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite system resources, sending corresponding configuration parameter commands to the ground gateway station 520 via a wired ground network connection. The gateway station 520 then transmits these commands to the LEO satellite 530 via a wireless link. The LEO satellite 530 transmits a spot beam through a directional antenna to provide communication services to the ground area. The user terminal 540 receives and analyzes the signals transmitted by the LEO satellite 530, obtains the corresponding spot beam information, and sends uplink user data to the LEO satellite 530 using the allocated wireless link resources. The uplink user data is then forwarded to the ground network via the inter-satellite link and the gateway station 520.

[0084] Specifically, the user terminal 540 can be used to perform beam search operation after powering on, and access the target area covered by the user terminal 540 within the spot beam to access the satellite network;

[0085] The low-orbit satellite 530 can be used to transmit spot beams to a target area via a directional antenna, providing communication services to all user terminals 540 within the coverage area of ​​the spot beams;

[0086] The satellite resource control center 510 can be used to determine, based on the real-time motion information of the low-Earth orbit satellite 530, a new low-Earth orbit satellite 530 to take over the target area whenever a preset switching cycle ends, when the low-Earth orbit satellite 530 begins to provide communication services to all user terminals 540 within the coverage area of ​​the spot beam; control the new low-Earth orbit satellite 530 to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the spot beam emitted by the new low-Earth orbit satellite 530 covers the target area; and generate a beam switching command instructing user terminals 540 to establish communication with the spot beam emitted by the new low-Earth orbit satellite 530, and send the beam switching command in batches to all user terminals 540 in the target area through the spot beam that is currently communicating with user terminals 540, so as to instruct user terminals 540 to establish communication through the spot beam emitted by the new low-Earth orbit satellite 530.

[0087] User terminal 540 can also be used to perform beam switching actions in response to beam switching commands, so as to access the satellite network through the spot beam transmitted by the new low-Earth orbit satellite 530 and continue to use communication services.

[0088] Optionally, the satellite resource control center 510 can also be used to acquire real-time motion information of each low-orbit satellite 530, calculate the point beam parameters that each low-orbit satellite 530 needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and send a resource configuration command carrying the point beam parameters to the gateway station 520 at the end of each preset switching cycle.

[0089] The gateway station 520 can also be used to receive resource configuration instructions from the satellite resource control center 510 and send the resource configuration instructions to the corresponding low-orbit satellite 530.

[0090] Each low-orbit satellite 530 can also be used to receive resource configuration instructions from the gateway station 520, and adjust the parameters of the transmitted spot beams based on the resource configuration instructions so that the spot beams transmitted by each low-orbit satellite 530 cover different areas on the ground, and all user terminals 540 can access the satellite network.

[0091] The real-time motion information includes at least one of the following: current location, beam direction, direction of motion, and motion trajectory.

[0092] The spot beam parameters include at least one of the following: number of spot beams, spot beam pointing, and spot beam frequency.

[0093] Optionally, each low-orbit satellite is also used to send traffic load data to the gateway station;

[0094] Gateway station 520 can also be used to receive traffic load data and feed the traffic load data back to satellite resource control center 510;

[0095] The Satellite Resource Control Center 510 can also be used to optimize resource configuration parameters based on real-time traffic load data;

[0096] Traffic load data includes at least one of the following: communication data, network links, and number of users.

[0097] It should be noted that other corresponding descriptions of the functional modules involved in the communication resource scheduling system for low-Earth orbit satellites provided in this embodiment of the invention can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2 or Figure 4 The corresponding description of the method shown will not be repeated here.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the specific working process of the systems, devices, modules and units described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0099] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be physically independent of each other, or two or more functional units can be integrated together, or all functional units can be integrated into one processing unit. The integrated functional units described above can be implemented in hardware, or in software or firmware.

[0100] Those skilled in the art will understand that if the integrated functional unit is implemented in software and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or all or part of it, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, server, or network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention when running the instructions. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0101] Alternatively, all or part of the steps of the foregoing method embodiments can be implemented by hardware (such as a computing device, personal computer, server, or network device) related to program instructions. The program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program instructions are executed by the processor of the computing device, the computing device executes all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0102] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that within the spirit and principles of the present invention, modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the corresponding technical solutions to depart from the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling communication resources for low-Earth orbit satellites, characterized in that, The method includes: Step S1: The first low-orbit satellite transmits a first spot beam to the target area through a directional antenna, and begins to provide communication services to all target terminals within the coverage area of ​​the first spot beam; Step S2: When the preset switching cycle ends, the satellite resource control center determines the second low-orbit satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the first low-orbit satellite; Step S3: The satellite resource control center controls the second low-orbit satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the second spot beam emitted by the second low-orbit satellite covers the target area; and the satellite resource control center generates a beam switching command carrying resource information of the second spot beam, and sends the beam switching command in batches to all target terminals, including: The satellite resource control center sends a beam switching command to the target terminal through the first spot beam that is communicating with the target terminal, instructing the target terminal to establish communication through the second spot beam; Step S4: All target terminals respond to the beam switching command by performing beam switching action to continue providing communication services to all target terminals through the second point beam, and use the second low-orbit satellite as the new first low-orbit satellite, repeating steps S1 to S4; The satellite resource control center obtains real-time motion information of at least one low-orbit satellite through the gateway station, calculates the spot beam parameters that each low-orbit satellite needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and sends a resource configuration command carrying the spot beam parameters to the gateway station at the end of each preset switching cycle. The gateway station receives resource configuration instructions from the satellite resource control center and sends the resource configuration instructions to the corresponding low-orbit satellites; The real-time motion information includes at least one of the following: current position, beam direction, motion direction, and motion trajectory. The spot beam parameters include at least one of the following: number of spot beams, spot beam direction, and spot beam frequency; Each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites sends traffic load data to the gateway station; The gateway station receives the traffic load data and feeds it back to the satellite resource control center; The satellite resource control center optimizes resource allocation parameters based on real-time traffic load data; The traffic load data includes at least one of communication data, network links, and the number of users.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S1 further includes: After the target terminal is powered on, it performs a beam search operation and accesses the first point beam covering the target area where the target terminal is located, so as to provide communication services to the target terminal through the first point beam.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Each of the low-orbit satellites receives a resource configuration instruction from the gateway station and adjusts the transmitted spot beam parameters based on the resource configuration instruction so that the spot beams transmitted by each low-orbit satellite cover different areas on the ground, and user terminals can access the satellite network.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the user terminal accesses the satellite network, it receives beam signaling information covering the current area and obtains the allocated communication resources, and sends uplink user data to the low-orbit satellites that take over the current area. The low-orbit satellite forwards the uplink user data to the ground communication network via inter-satellite links and gateway stations, so that the downlink user terminals can respond.

5. A communication resource scheduling system for low-Earth orbit satellites, characterized in that, The system for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the system comprising: a satellite resource control center, a gateway station communicatively connected to the satellite resource control center, a plurality of low-orbit satellites wirelessly connected to the gateway station, and a user terminal; The user terminal is used to perform a beam search operation after powering on, and access the target area covered by the user terminal within the spot beam to access the satellite network; The low-orbit satellite is used to transmit spot beams to a target area via a directional antenna, providing communication services to all user terminals within the coverage area of ​​the spot beams. The satellite resource control center is configured to, whenever a preset switching period ends where the low-orbit satellite begins to provide communication services to all user terminals within the coverage area of ​​the spot beam, determine a new low-orbit satellite to take over the target area based on the real-time motion information of the low-orbit satellite; control the new low-orbit satellite to adjust the pointing angle of its directional antenna so that the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite covers the target area; and generate a beam switching command instructing the user terminal to establish communication with the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite, and send the beam switching command in batches to all user terminals within the target area through the spot beam currently communicating with the user terminal, so as to instruct the user terminal to establish communication through the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite. The user terminal is also used to perform a beam switching action in response to the beam switching command, so as to access the satellite network through the spot beam emitted by the new low-orbit satellite and continue to use the communication service.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The satellite resource control center is also used to acquire real-time motion information of each of the low-orbit satellites, calculate the spot beam parameters that each of the low-orbit satellites needs to transmit based on the real-time motion information, and send a resource configuration instruction carrying the spot beam parameters to the gateway station at the end of each preset switching cycle. The gateway station is also used to receive resource configuration instructions from the satellite resource control center and send the resource configuration instructions to the corresponding low-orbit satellites; Each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites is also used to receive resource configuration instructions from the gateway station, and adjust the transmitted spot beam parameters based on the resource configuration instructions, so that the spot beams transmitted by each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites cover different areas on the ground, and the user terminals can all access the satellite network; The real-time motion information includes at least one of the following: current position, beam direction, motion direction, and motion trajectory. The spot beam parameters include at least one of the following: number of spot beams, spot beam direction, and spot beam frequency.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned low-orbit satellites is also used to send traffic load data to the gateway station; The gateway station is also used to receive the traffic load data and feed the traffic load data back to the satellite resource control center; The satellite resource control center is also used to optimize resource configuration parameters based on real-time traffic load data; The traffic load data includes at least one of communication data, network links, and the number of users.

Images