Hybrid satellite systems for enhanced performance and enhanced quality of service broadband communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10432299-B2
Application number	US-201715481442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2017
Priority date	Apr 6, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A communications terminal comprises data interface, a transport selection processor and a plurality of communications modems. The data interface receives input data from application sessions for transmission over a data communications network. Each of the application sessions imposes respective transmission requirements for transmission of the data over the data communications network. Each of the communications modems transmits the input data over the data communications network via a respective transmission platform, wherein each transmission platform exhibits respective transmission characteristics based on a transmission technology of the transmission platform. The modems are configured to transmit the input data simultaneously. For each of the application sessions, the transport selection processor selects a one of the modems, for transmission of the input data of the respective application session over the data communications network, based on the respective transmission requirements of the application session and the transmission characteristics of the respective transport platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communications terminal comprising:
a data interface configured to receive input data from a plurality of application sessions for transmission of the input data of each application session to a respective destination device, wherein each of the application sessions induces one or more respective transmission requirements for the transmission of the data from the application session to the respective destination device;
a transport selection processor; and
a plurality of modems; and
wherein each of the plurality of modems is configured to transmit the input data via a respective transmission platform, wherein, for at least two of the modems, each of the respective transmission platforms comprises a different transport or transmission technology that exhibits respective transmission characteristics, and wherein the plurality of modems are configured to transmit the input data simultaneously,
wherein, for each of the application sessions, the transport selection processor is configured to select a one of the plurality of modems, for transmission of the input data of the application session to the respective destination device, based on the respective transmission requirements of the application session and the transmission characteristics of the respective transmission platform, and wherein, for each of at least two of the application sessions, the transport selection processor is configured to select a different one of the at least two modems for which the respective transmission platforms comprise the different transport or transmission technologies,
wherein the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions share a common anchor gateway that provides an interface between the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions and a common core network, and
wherein, via the common anchor gateway, a common source or destination address is used for data communications between the communications terminal and the anchor gateway over the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions.

2. A method comprising:
receiving, by a communications terminal, input data from a plurality of application sessions for transmission of the input data of each application session to a respective destination device, wherein each of the application sessions induces one or more respective transmission requirements for the transmission of the data from the application session to the respective destination device; and
selecting, for each of the application sessions, a one of a plurality of modems of the communications terminal, for transmission of the input data of the application session to the respective destination device, wherein each of the plurality of modems is associated with a respective transmission platform for transmission of the input data, wherein, for at least two of the modems, each of the respective transmission platforms comprises a different transport or transmission technology that exhibits respective transmission characteristics, and wherein the plurality of modems transmit the input data simultaneously; and
wherein the selection of the one of the plurality of modems, for each of the application sessions, is based on the respective transmission requirements of the application session and the transmission characteristics of the respective transmission platform, and wherein, for each of at least two of the application sessions, the selection of the one of the plurality of modems comprises selection a different one of the at least two modems for which the respective transmission platforms comprise the different transport or transmission technologies, and
wherein the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions share a common anchor gateway that provides an interface between the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions and a common core network, and
wherein, via the common anchor gateway, a common source or destination address is used for data communications between the communications terminal and the anchor gateway over the respective transmission platforms of the respective modems selected for the at least two of the application sessions.

3. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission requirements comprise one or more of transmission latency, jitter, throughput and reliability.

4. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission characteristics of each transmission platform are based on one or more of the respective transport or transmission technology of the transmission platform, a service type of the transmission platform, one or more operating conditions of the transmission platform and business conditions associated with the transmission platform.

5. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission characteristics of each transmission platform comprise one or more of an availability of the transmission platform, a throughput of the transmission platform, transmission latency of the transmission platform, a transmission reliability of the transmission platform and an associated cost of the transmission platform.

6. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein each transmission platform via which the terminal transmits application session data is assigned a respective network address to identify the communications terminal and the transmission platform that comprise a source of the application session data transmitted via that transmission platform.

7. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to disable one or more of the modems based on regulatory requirements.

8. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the selection of the one of the plurality of modems, for each of the application sessions, is further based on an availability of each of the respective transmission platforms.

9. The communications terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a traffic classification processor configured to classify the input data, wherein the selection of the one of the plurality of modems, for each of the application sessions, is further based on the classification of the input data of the respective application session.

10. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the transmission requirements comprise one or more of transmission latency, jitter, throughput and reliability.

11. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the transmission characteristics of each transmission platform are based on one or more of the respective transport or transmission technology of the transmission platform, a service type of the transmission platform, one or more operating conditions of the transmission platform and business conditions associated with the transmission platform.

12. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the transmission characteristics of each transmission platform comprise one or more of an availability of the transmission platform, a throughput of the transmission platform, transmission latency of the transmission platform, a transmission reliability of the transmission platform and an associated cost of the transmission platform.

13. The method according to claim 2 , wherein each transmission platform is assigned a respective network address to identify the communications terminal and the transmission platform that comprise a source of

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Ravishankar Channasandra
• Choquette George
• Morris Adrian

Classifications

• H04L12/5692

  Selection among different networks · CPC title

• H04B7/18584 Primary

  Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control (data switching networks H04L12/00) · CPC title

• H04B7/18528

  Satellite systems for providing two-way communications service to a network of fixed stations, i.e. fixed satellite service or very small aperture terminal [VSAT] system · CPC title

• H04W84/06

  Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) · CPC title

• H04W40/12

  based on transmission quality or channel quality · CPC title