Polygon Beam Service Areas for Satellite Boundary Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing satellite communication systems fail to provide fully flexible and arbitrary beam boundaries, which limits their ability to accommodate non-standard shapes such as country-specific boundaries, leading to inefficiencies in beam selection and communication.
Innovation Solution
The system divides the satellite coverage area into polygon-shaped Beam Service Areas (BSAs), allowing for precise beam boundary definition and selection based on location, using a method that includes associating each BSA with respective beam information and performing a point-in-polygon test to determine the appropriate beam for communication, enabling flexible beam switching and service area management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If satellite beams are defined as ellipses in a satellite coordinate system, then the beam shape is standardized and easy to implement, but the system cannot accommodate non-standard boundaries such as country borders or arbitrary geographic regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the satellite coverage area into multiple beam service areas (BSAs), each defined by a polygon with arbitrary vertices. This segmentation allows the system to cover complex geographic regions by dividing them into manageable polygonal sections, enabling flexible boundary definitions while maintaining systematic control over each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter for beam boundary definition from fixed elliptical coordinates to arbitrary polygon vertex coordinates. This parameter change allows beam boundaries to be defined by a series of latitude/longitude points that can form any closed polygon shape, thereby accommodating country borders, jurisdictional boundaries, or any custom geographic regions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ellipses are used to constitute a non-conformant beam, then some flexibility in beam shape is achieved, but fully arbitrary beam boundaries cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of trying to approximate arbitrary shapes by combining multiple standard ellipses, the patent inverts the approach by defining beam service areas directly as polygons with arbitrary vertices. This inversion eliminates the need to compose complex shapes from simpler geometric primitives, allowing direct specification of any closed boundary shape.
3Adaptability or versatility
If polygon-shaped BSAs are used to define beam boundaries, then arbitrary geographic regions and country borders can be accommodated, but the beam selection and point-in-polygon testing becomes more computationally complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling terminals to perform local point-in-polygon tests using the provided vertex coordinates. Each terminal can independently determine which BSA it is located in by applying geometric algorithms to its current position and the polygon definitions, eliminating the need for continuous centralized beam selection queries and reducing network overhead.
4Measurement precision
If beam service areas are defined with closed polygon boundaries, then precise jurisdictional boundaries can be enforced, but beam switching near boundaries becomes more complex requiring future path prediction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by predicting the future path of mobile terminals before they cross BSA boundaries. The system determines whether a terminal is approaching a boundary and predicts its trajectory, allowing proactive beam switching decisions. This prevents frequent or unstable beam switching by anticipating boundary crossings and preparing appropriate beam transitions in advance.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for selecting a beam from satellite beams to communicate with a terminal at a location. The method includes dividing a satellite coverage area into beam service areas (BSAs) for a satellite network, where each of the BSAs is associated with a respective beam information; selecting, with a computer, a select BSA from the BSAs based on the location; and communicating between the terminal and a gateway using a beam. In the method, the location is located in the select BSA, the beam is identified by the respective beam information associated with the select BSA, and the BSAs define a boundary having a closed polygon shape.