Multi-Orbit Satellite Gateway for Interoperable 5G Backhaul
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing satellite communication systems face challenges in providing interoperable and cost-effective multi-orbit integrated access and backhaul (IAB) due to vendor-proprietary solutions and limitations in 5G IAB, which restricts the use of multiple satellite links from different orbits.
Innovation Solution
A multi-orbit satellite communication system architecture that utilizes 5G integrated access and backhaul networks with over-the-air connections from low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), enabling parallel operation and trunking to bond disparate access networks, using multi-link trunking modules for managing communications across multiple satellite links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-proprietary solutions are deployed for satellite communication terminals, then mobility can be enabled on various satellite communication platforms, but interoperation between different platforms is not achieved and separate overlapping networks are required which are expensive to deploy, operate, and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal gateway device that can handle multiple satellite orbits (GEO, MEO, LEO) and different access technologies through a single standardized interface. The gateway device includes multiple orbit interface units that can process signals from different satellite types, enabling one network infrastructure to serve multiple satellite platforms without requiring separate proprietary networks for each vendor or orbit type.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device acts as an intermediary between mobile terminals and the core network, translating and routing signals between different satellite orbits and the standardized 5G network interface. This mediator function allows heterogeneous satellite systems to interoperate through a common standardized gateway, eliminating the need for multiple separate network infrastructures.
2Reliability
If 5G integrated access and backhaul (IAB) is used, then robust interoperability is provided, but the one-to-one association between nodes limits the ability to simultaneously provide backhaul service using multiple different satellite links
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device is segmented into multiple independent orbit interface units, each capable of handling connections to different satellite orbits simultaneously. This segmentation allows the gateway to maintain multiple backhaul links in parallel rather than being limited to a single one-to-one association, enabling simultaneous use of GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite links for backhaul services.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple satellite link interfaces into a single gateway device that can aggregate backhaul capacity from multiple orbits. The gateway combines the capabilities of handling GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite connections simultaneously, allowing the network to utilize multiple different satellite links for backhaul service rather than being restricted to a single link.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate overlapping networks are deployed for different satellite platforms, then global mobility for terminals can be facilitated, but deployment, operation, and maintenance costs become very expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway device provides universal access to multiple satellite orbits through a single standardized interface, eliminating the need for separate proprietary networks for each satellite platform. This multi-functional gateway can handle GEO, MEO, and LEO satellites simultaneously, providing global mobility coverage through one unified network infrastructure rather than multiple overlapping networks.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing integrated access and backhaul service for a communication network, including: receiving, by a terminal device, backhaul data from a mobile terminal associated with the communication network; selecting, by the terminal device, a backhaul link from among a plurality of backhaul links, wherein the plurality of backhaul links comprise a first backhaul link associated with a first satellite orbit, and a second backhaul link associated with a second satellite orbit; and transmitting, by the terminal device, the backhaul data to a gateway device associated with the communication network using the selected backhaul link.