Intermediate Station Signaling for Satellite Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Signaling data transfer in networks with long or undetermined delays, such as satellite connections, significantly retards the start of actual data transfer and decreases data rates, negatively impacting user experience due to prolonged roundtrip messaging times.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an intermediate station that conveys data packets and performs signaling between the transmitter and receiver, emulating the receiver's responses to reduce delays by using a terrestrial connection instead of satellite, thereby shortening the roundtrip time for signaling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If signaling is performed directly between two user terminals through a satellite connection, then the connection can be established, but the roundtrip messaging time becomes excessively long (up to seconds or dozens of seconds), substantially retarding the start of actual data transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network node (intermediary) that receives signaling messages from one user terminal, processes them, and forwards them to another user terminal. This intermediary acts as a mediator that reduces the effective roundtrip time by processing and relaying signaling messages more efficiently than direct satellite communication, thereby resolving the time loss problem without sacrificing data transfer capability.
2Reliability
If acknowledgement messages are sent through the same long-delay connection used for data transfer, then reliability is maintained, but the data rate decreases significantly due to the prolonged delay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication path into different components: a first connection for data transfer and a second connection (through the network node) for signaling and acknowledgement messages. By separating these functions, the system maintains reliability through proper acknowledgement mechanisms while avoiding the data rate penalty of using the same slow connection for both data and control messages.
Solution Approach 2:
The network node serves as an intermediary that handles acknowledgement messages separately from the main data transfer path. This allows reliability to be maintained through proper acknowledgment protocols while the data rate is preserved by using the faster second connection for signaling operations, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
3Ease of operation
If traditional signaling protocols are used in packet-switched mode, then protocol negotiation and connection management can be performed, but the messaging roundtrip time substantially retards the start of actual data transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The network node acts as an intermediary that accelerates the signaling process by receiving setup messages, processing them locally, and forwarding responses through a dedicated second connection. This reduces the overall signaling setup time while maintaining full protocol negotiation capability, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and time efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A radio system comprises a transmitter, an intermediate station, and a receiver for data transfer from the transmitter to the receiver. The intermediate station receives at least one data packet addressed to the receiver from the transmitter, transmits each data packet to the receiver, and performs signaling of the receiver to the transmitter in conjunction with the data transfer.