Systems and methods for transmitting data via a satellite network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11855747-B2
Application number	US-202017122097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Dec 15, 2020
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting data using a satellite communication network are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, a satellite communication network includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a base station. The first terminal is configured to collect first target data. The second terminal is configured to receive a first data packet including the first target data from the first terminal via a local connection. The base station is in communication with the first terminal and the second terminal via at least one satellite. The base station is configured to: (i) receive copies of the first data packet from each of the first and second terminals via the at least one satellite; (ii) process a first copy of the first data packet; and (iii) delete a second copy of the first data packet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transmitting data using a satellite communication network, the method comprising:
establishing a local connection between a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal each configured to separately communicate with a base station via at least one satellite;
transmitting a first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection;
transmitting a first copy of the first data packet from the second terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite;
transmitting a second copy of the first data packet from the first terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite;
processing, at the base station, one of (1) the first copy of the first data packet received from the second terminal and (2) the second copy of the first data packet received from the first terminal; and
deleting, at the base station, the other of (1) the first copy of the first data packet received from the second terminal and (2) the second copy of the first data packet received from the first terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
attempting to transmit the first data packet from the first terminal via the at least one satellite before transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the processing includes processing the one of the first copy of the first data packet and the second copy of the first data packet that is first received at the base station via the at least one satellite.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein
at least one of: (i) the processing includes processing the first copy of the first data packet before the second copy of the first data packet is received at the base station; or (ii) the processing includes processing the second copy of the first data packet before the first copy of the first data packet is received at the base station.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
at the second terminal, creating an aggregated data packet including the first data packet and a second data packet, and
wherein transmitting the first copy of the first data packet from the second terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite includes transmitting the aggregated data packet from the second terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
collecting first target data at the first terminal, and
creating the first data packet to include the first target data, a unique identifier for the first terminal, a time of creation of the first data packet, and an expected transmission time from the first terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising
transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection upon determining that a next transmission opportunity for the second terminal to transmit to the base station via the at least one satellite will be earlier than an expected transmission time for the first terminal to transmit to the base station via the at least one satellite.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising
prior to transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection, adding data to the first data packet regarding a next transmission opportunity for the first terminal to transmit to the base station via the at least one satellite.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising
storing, in a memory of the first terminal, at least one expected transmission opportunity for the second terminal to transmit to the base station via the at least one satellite, and
transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection based on the at least one expected transmission opportunity for the second terminal.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising
transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection upon determining that the first terminal is not currently within a transmission window in which the first terminal can transmit data to the base station via the at least one satellite.

11. The method of claim 1 , comprising
transmitting the first data packet from the first terminal to the second terminal via the local connection upon determining that the first terminal was unable to successfully transmit a copy of the first data packet to the base station via the at least one satellite.

12. The method of claim 1 , comprising
transmitting the first copy of the first data packet from the second terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite at a next transmission opportunity in which the second terminal has a direct line of sight with the at least one satellite, and
transmitting the second copy of the first data packet from the first terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite at a next transmission opportunity in which the first terminal has a direct line of sight with the at least one satellite.

13. A satellite communication network comprising:
a first terminal configured to collect first target data;
a second terminal configured to receive a first data packet including the first target data from the first terminal via a local connection; and
a base station in communication with the first terminal and the second terminal via at least one satellite, the base station configured to: (i) receive copies of the first data packet from each of the first terminal and the second terminal via the at least one satellite; (ii) process a first copy of the first data packet received from one of the first terminal and the second terminal; and (iii) delete a second copy of the first data packet received from the other of the first terminal and the second terminal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the first data packet includes the first target data, a unique identifier for the first terminal, a time of creation of the first data packet at the first terminal, and an expected transmission time from the first terminal to the base station via the at least one satellite.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the second terminal is configured to create an aggregated data packet including the first data packet and a second data packet and transmit the aggregated data packet to the base station via the at least one satellite.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the second terminal is configured to collect second target data,
the first terminal is configured to receive a second data packet including the second target data from the second terminal via the local connection, and
the base station is configured to: (i) receive copies of the second data packet from each of the first terminal and the second terminal via the at least one satellite; (ii) process a first copy of the second data packet received from one of the first terminal and the second terminal; and (iii) delete a second copy of the second data packet received from the other of the first terminal and the second terminal.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein
the first data packet includes an expected transmission time that the first terminal intends to transmit the first data packet to the base station via the at least one satellite, and
the second terminal is configured to delete the first data packet when a next transmission opportunity for the second terminal to transmit data via the at least one satellite is later than the expected transmission time.

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Jagodits Thomas
• Ahluwalia Sandeep
• Barnett Charles A

Classifications

• H04B7/18558 Primary

  Arrangements for managing communications, i.e. for setting up, maintaining or releasing a call between stations · CPC title

• H04B7/18506

  Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service · CPC title

• H04B7/18523 Primary

  Satellite systems for providing broadcast service to terrestrial stations, i.e. broadcast satellite service (arrangements specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving H04H40/90; picture transmission via satellite H04N1/00103; television transmission via satellite H04N7/20) · CPC title

• H04B7/18582

  Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access · CPC title