Abstract:
A method and apparatus for operating a satellite system including different satellites that may belong to different types of satellite constellations. In some implementations, the satellite system may include a LEO satellite constellation and one or more non-LEO satellite constellations that can be used to increase the forward link capacity of the LEO satellite constellation, for example, by allowing an LEO satellite to offload at least some of its forward link traffic to one of the non-LEO satellites. The user terminals can dynamically switch forward link communications between a LEO satellite and a non-LEO satellite while maintaining a return link connection with the LEO satellite.
Abstract:
Methods, systems, and devices are described for establishing a wireless communications link at an aircraft terminal (AT). An AT may determine a timing offset based on the propagation delay between the AT and a ground station, which in some cases may be more than 100 kilometers away. The AT may then transmit an initial access message to the ground station based on the determined timing offset. In some embodiments, the AT may receive an access response message from the ground station that includes a timing alignment value and adjust the timing offset based on this value. The AT may transmit a connection message to the ground station that includes AT location information. This information may be used by the ground station to facilitate beamforming.
Abstract:
Methods, systems, and devices are described for implementing timing advances in which a propagation delay may exceed a time period of a portion of a radio frame. In some examples, a transmitter may identify a timing advance indicating a time to initiate wireless uplink transmission of a subframe. Such a timing advance may compensate for a propagation delay between the transmitter and a receiver of the wireless uplink transmission. The timing advance may be applied as an integer component and a fractional component in relation to a duration of the subframe, to adjust the time to initiate the wireless uplink transmission of the subframe. The integer component may be used to adjust one or more subframe characteristics, and the fractional component that may be used to adjust the time to initiate the wireless uplink transmission of the subframe.
Abstract:
Methods, systems, and devices are described for establishing a wireless communications link at an aircraft terminal (AT). An AT may determine a timing offset based on the propagation delay between the AT and a ground station, which in some cases may be more than 100 kilometers away. The AT may then transmit an initial access message to the ground station based on the determined timing offset. In some embodiments, the AT may receive an access response message from the ground station that includes a timing alignment value and adjust the timing offset based on this value. The AT may transmit a connection message to the ground station that includes AT location information. This information may be used by the ground station to facilitate beamforming.
Abstract:
Methods, systems, and devices are described for transmitting across a broad azimuth using an antenna array. In one example, a method is described that includes forming two subarrays from an antenna array. Beamforming weights are selected for each subarray to cause the radiation patterns to be complementary over a range of the azimuth of a cell. The beamforming weights may be selected according to a recursive relation based on the number of antenna elements in each subarray. Information may be encoded, scrambled, and mapped to modulation symbols. A Space Frequency Block Code (SFBC) such as an Alamouti Code may then be used to form two signals to be transmitted over the two subarrays.