Uplink power control using power spectral density to avoid adjacent satellite interference

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11284354-B2
Application number	US-201916721531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Dec 31, 2018
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

A method and apparatus for uplink power control based on power spectral density are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method for use by a terminal in a satellite communication system, the terminal having an antenna, a modem and a controller, the method comprising: determining the scan and skew of the antenna; obtaining, using the controller, a value representing a maximum allowed Power Spectral Density (PSD) for the determined scan and skew; determining, using the controller, a maximum allowable modem power based on the value representing a maximum allowed PSD, where the maximum allowable modem power is that which ensures that transmissions from the terminal do not exceed the maximum allowed PSD if the maximum allowable modem output power is not exceeded by the modem; sending, using the controller, an indication of the allowable modem output power to the modem; and performing one or more transmissions from the terminal based on modem outputs in accordance with the maximum allowable modem output power.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for use by a terminal in a satellite communication system, the terminal having an antenna, a modem, and a block upconverter (BUC) coupled to the modem, and a controller, the method comprising:
determining the scan and skew of the antenna;
obtaining, using the controller, a value representing a maximum allowed Power Spectral Density (PSD) for the determined scan and skew;
determining, using the controller, a maximum allowable modem output power based on the value representing a maximum allowed PSD and based on a power transfer curve of a BUC power to modem power relationship, the maximum allowable modem output power being that which ensures that transmissions from the terminal do not exceed the maximum allowed PSD if the maximum allowable modem output power is not exceeded by the modem;
sending, using the controller, an indication of the maximum allowable modem output power to the modem; and
performing one or more transmissions from the terminal based on modem output power in accordance with the maximum allowable modem output power.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the controller is part of an antenna subsystem module (ASM).

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the maximum allowable modem output power is determined without communication with a hub in the satellite communication system.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the maximum PSD value is that which meets a regulatory limit.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein determining the maximum allowable modem output power comprises:
determining an Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP);
obtaining an antenna gain;
determining a maximum block upconverter (BUC) output power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain; and
determining the maximum allowable modem output power based on the maximum BUC output power.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein obtaining the antenna gain comprises calculating the antenna gain based on elevation angle.

7. The method defined in claim 5 wherein determining the maximum BUC output power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain comprises subtracting the antenna gain from the EIRP.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein sending the indication comprises sending a single message from an ASM of the terminal to the modem.

9. A terminal for use in a satellite communication system, the terminal comprising:
an aperture having radiating antenna elements operable to radiate radio frequency (RF) signals;
a modem coupled to the aperture;
a block upconverter (BUC) coupled to the modem; and
a controller coupled to the modem and the BUC and operable to
obtain a value representing a maximum allowed Power Spectral Density (PSD) for the scan and skew of the aperture,
determine a maximum allowable modem output power based on the value representing a maximum allowed PSD and based on a power transfer curve of a BUC power to modem power relationship, the maximum allowable modem output power being that which ensures that transmissions from the terminal do not exceed the maximum allowed PSD if the maximum allowable modem output power is not exceeded by the modem, and
send an indication of the maximum allowable modem output power to the modem, wherein the aperture transmits wirelessly based on modem output power in accordance with the maximum allowable modem output power.

10. The terminal defined in claim 9 wherein the controller is part of an antenna subsystem module (ASM) that includes the aperture.

11. The terminal defined in claim 9 wherein the maximum allowable modem output power is determined without communication with a hub in a satellite communication system in which the aperture transmits satellite communications.

12. The terminal defined in claim 9 wherein the maximum PSD value is that which meets a regulatory limit.

13. The terminal defined in claim 9 wherein the controller determines the maximum allowable modem output power by:
determining an Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP);
obtaining an antenna gain;
determining a maximum BUC power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain; and
determining the maximum allowable modem output power based on the maximum BUC power.

14. The terminal defined in claim 13 wherein the controller obtains the antenna gain by calculating the antenna gain based on elevation angle.

15. The terminal defined in claim 13 wherein the controller determines the maximum BUC power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain by subtracting the antenna gain from the EIRP.

16. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a terminal having an antenna, a modem a block upconverter (BUC) coupled to the modem, and a controller, cause the terminal to perform a method comprising:
determining the scan and skew of the antenna;
obtaining, using the controller, a value representing a maximum allowed Power Spectral Density (PSD) for the determined scan and skew;
determining, using the controller, a maximum allowable modem output power based on the value representing a maximum allowed PSD and based on a power transfer curve of a BUC power to modem power relationship, the maximum allowable modem output power being that which ensures that transmissions from the terminal do not exceed the maximum allowed PSD if the maximum allowable modem output power is not exceeded by the modem;
sending, using the controller, an indication of the maximum allowable modem output power to the modem; and
performing one or more transmissions from the terminal based on modem output power in accordance with the maximum allowable modem output power.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media defined in claim 16 wherein determining the maximum allowable modem power comprises:
determining an Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP);
obtaining an antenna gain;
determining a maximum block upconverter (BUC) power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain; and
determining the maximum allowable modem output power based on the maximum BUC power.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media defined in claim 17 wherein obtaining the antenna gain comprises calculating the antenna gain based on elevation angle, determining the maximum BUC power based on the EIRP and the antenna gain comprises subtracting the antenna gain from the EIRP, and determining the maximum modem output power is based on a power transfer curve of the BUC power to modem power relationship.

Assignees

• Kymeta Corp

Inventors

• Noel Turner
• Opfell Mark
• Hultman Eric Bjorn
• Ziuchkovski Steven Michael
• Subhadramma Lekshmi Priya Ravindran
• Chang Daeup
• Borchers Steven Charles
• Radko Ron

Classifications

• H04B7/19

  Earth-synchronous stations · CPC title

• H04W52/367 Primary

  Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range · CPC title

• H04B17/102

  Power radiated at antenna · CPC title

• H04B7/18517

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H04W52/146 Primary

  Uplink power control · CPC title