Hybrid Satellite Terrestrial Network Coverage Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) systems face challenges in providing effective coverage in suburban and urban areas due to obscured satellite visibility, requiring an efficient design to handle multicast and interactive communications across hybrid satellite/terrestrial networks with varying network characteristics like latency and bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating a satellite, terrestrial base transceiver stations, and a ground station to provide mobile interactive satellite services, utilizing advanced antenna technologies and beamforming to manage multicast and interactive communications, with the ability to switch between satellite and terrestrial networks for optimal coverage and capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If satellite-based MSS systems are used to provide coverage, then rural and remote area coverage is effective, but suburban and urban penetration is degraded due to obscured satellite visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines satellite-based MSS and terrestrial communication systems into a hybrid MSS/ATC system. The terrestrial component is integrated with the satellite system to provide complementary coverage, allowing the system to overcome the limitations of satellite-only coverage in urban areas while maintaining rural coverage capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The terrestrial base transceiver stations are designed to perform multiple functions: providing coverage in urban/suburban areas where satellite visibility is blocked, handing off calls from satellite to terrestrial networks, and enabling frequency reuse between satellite and terrestrial segments to increase overall system capacity.
2Productivity
If frequency reuse between satellite and terrestrial systems is implemented, then spectrum utilization efficiency increases, but co-channel interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements power control mechanisms that adjust transmission power levels locally based on the receiver's position and network segment. Terrestrial base stations and satellite transponders transmit at different power levels appropriate to their respective coverage areas, allowing frequency reuse while minimizing co-channel interference through localized power adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs power control with feedback mechanisms where mobile units report signal quality and interference levels, and base stations/satellites adjust their transmission power accordingly. This closed-loop control allows the system to maintain frequency reuse while dynamically managing co-channel interference based on real-time network conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If interactive communication services are added to MSS systems, then service functionality increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the MSS system into distinct functional components: satellite segment for broadcast and wide-area communication, terrestrial segment for local interactive communication, and a core network for data management. This segmentation allows interactive services to be added to the terrestrial and core network segments without fundamentally redesigning the entire satellite system, thereby managing complexity while enhancing functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile interactive satellite service includes a first satellite, a base station, and a ground station configured to provide respective and distinct first and second multicast content components to the first satellite and the base station. The first satellite communicates the first multicast content component in a first signal to a mobile device. The base station communicates the second multicast content component in a second signal to the mobile device, which can combine the received signals. For another embodiment, a mobile interactive service includes a mobile device, a first base station, a second base station, and a ground station configured to provide a first multicast content component to the first base station and a second multicast content component to the second base station. The first and second multicast content components are distinct, transmitted in respective first and second multicast signals and are combined by the mobile device.