Dynamic spatial allocation of satellite capacity based on mobile vessel load forecasting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10277310-B2
Application number	US-201715433876-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2017
Priority date	Feb 15, 2017
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing dynamic spatial allocation of satellite capacity based on aircraft load forecasting. In embodiments, a satellite communications system provides network access service over a service area via a plurality of satellite user beams, predicts spatial network resource demand for the service area over one or more service periods based at least in part on forecasted travel paths of a plurality of mobile multi-user terminals over the one or more service periods and respective predicted service demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals, determines a satellite capacity resource configuration for the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the predicted spatial network resource demand, and then adapts at least one characteristic of the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the determined satellite capacity resource configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for allocating satellite capacity in a multi-beam satellite system, comprising:
providing network access service over a service area via a plurality of satellite user beams;
predicting spatial network resource demand for the service area over one or more service periods based at least in part on forecasted travel paths of a plurality of mobile multi-user terminals over the one or more service periods and respective predicted service demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals, wherein the one or more service periods are future service periods and include a first service period preceding a second service period;
determining a satellite capacity resource configuration for the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the predicted spatial network resource demand;
adapting at least one characteristic of the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the determined satellite capacity resource configuration;
determining a difference between an actual spatial network resource demand and the predicted spatial network resource demand for the first service period;
determining that the difference satisfies a threshold; and
in response to the determining that the difference satisfies the threshold, revising the predicted spatial network resource demand for the second service period based at least in part on the actual spatial network resource demand of the first service period.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the respective predicted service demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals varies based on time of day; and
the predicting the spatial network resource demand over the first service period of the one or more service periods comprises selecting a value for the respective predicted network demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals based on a time of day of the first service period.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more service periods comprises a plurality of service periods, and wherein the predicted spatial network resource demand and the determined satellite capacity resource configurations are unique to each of the plurality of service periods.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the forecasted travel paths based at least in part on route path data for one or more mobile vessels for which the network access service is provided via respective ones of the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the forecasted travel paths are recalculated based at least in part on a change in the route path data for the one or more mobile vessels.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the determined forecasted travel paths are based at least in part on current route data for the one or more mobile vessels.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one adapted characteristic comprises: at least one beamforming parameter for at least one satellite user beam, a dwell time for at least one satellite user beam, a bandwidth for at least one satellite user beam, a coverage area change, or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predicted spatial network resource demand is based at least in part on one or more of: current service demand of the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals; historical service demand of the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals; current service demand of fixed terminals within the service area; historical service demand of the fixed terminals; the time of day of the one or more service periods; historical network utilization for service periods similar to those of the one or more service periods; respective numbers of active users for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals; respective numbers of predicted users for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals; or a network service plan that is offered to users of the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals is located on a mobile vessel that is currently not being provided network access service by the multi-beam satellite system.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spatial network resource demand is predicted for each user beam coverage area of the plurality of satellite user beams.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multi-beam satellite system comprises multiple satellites with service coverage areas that at least partially overlap with each other.

12. A network resource manager for allocating satellite capacity in a multi-beam satellite system, comprising:
a processor;
memory in electronic communication with the processor; and
instructions stored in the memory; wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
provide network access service over a service area via a plurality of satellite user beams;
predict spatial network resource demand for the service area over one or more service periods based at least in part on forecasted travel paths of a plurality of mobile multi-user terminals over the one or more service periods and respective predicted service demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals, wherein the one or more service periods are future service periods and include a first service period preceding a second service period;
determine a satellite capacity resource configuration for the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the predicted spatial network resource demand;
adapt at least one characteristic of the plurality of satellite user beams for the one or more service periods based on the determined satellite capacity resource configuration;

determine a difference between an actual spatial network resource demand and the predicted spatial network resource demand for the first service period;
determine that the difference satisfies a threshold; and
in response to the determining that the difference satisfies the threshold, revise the predicted spatial network resource demand for the second service period based at least in part on the actual spatial network resource demand of the first service period.

13. The network resource manager of claim 12 , wherein:
the respective predicted service demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals varies based on time of day; and
the instructions to predict the spatial network resource demand over the first service period of the one or more service periods are executable to cause the processor to:
select a value for the respective predicted network demands for the plurality of mobile multi-user terminals based on a time of day of the first service period.

14. The network resource manager of claim 12 , wherein the one or more service periods comprises a plurality of service periods, and wherein the determined satellite capacity resource configurations are unique to each of the plurality of service periods.

15. The network resource manager of claim 12 , wherein the instructions are executable to cause the processor to:
determine the forecasted travel paths based at least in part on route path data for one or more mobile vessels for which the network access service is provided via their respective multi-user network access terminals.

16. The network resource manager of claim 15 , wherein the forecasted travel paths are recalculated based at least in part on a change in the route path data for the one or more mobile vessels.

17. The network resource manager of claim 15 , wherein the determined forecasted travel paths are based at

Assignees

• Viasat Inc

Inventors

• Peponides George M

Classifications

• H04W72/51

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• H04L41/147

  for predicting network behaviour · CPC title

• H04L41/0896

  Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities (flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76) · CPC title

• H04B7/2041

  Spot beam multiple access · CPC title

• B64G1/1007

  Communications satellites · CPC title