# US 11,909,504 B1 · Communication with multiple satellite networks

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,909,504 B1
- Document ID: US11909504B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/989,596
- Filed: 2022-11-17
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2022-11-17
- Assignees: Hubble Network Inc.
- Applicants: Hubble Network Inc.
- Inventors: Louis Legrand; Ben Juda Wild
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909504B1

## CPC

- H04B 7/18513: {Transmission in a satellite or space-based system}
- G01S 19/27: creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver
- G01S 19/42: Determining position
- H04B 7/18519: {Operations control, administration or maintenance}
- G01S 19/258: {relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view}
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Techniques for leveraging information from a first satellite network to improve communications with a second satellite network are described. According to some embodiments, an endpoint device in an LPWAN communicates with satellites in a GNSS as well as with satellites in another satellite network (e.g., an LPWAN satellite network). By communicating with the GNSS satellites, the endpoint device is able to determine one or more locations in the sky overhead that provide favorable (e.g., unobstructed) communication paths between the endpoint device and satellites in those locations. Then, using ephemeris data for both satellite constellations, the endpoint device determines a time when one or more satellites of the LPWAN satellite network will be in (or near to) one or more of those same locations. At the determined time, the endpoint device transmits data to be received by the one or more satellites of the LPWAN satellite network.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, at an endpoint device via a GNSS receiver of the endpoint device, GNSS ephemeris data for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS);
receiving, at the endpoint device via an LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device, satellite ephemeris data for a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) satellite network;
receiving, at the endpoint device via the GNSS receiver, first data from a subset of the satellites of the GNSS, the first data including time data;
determining, based at least on the first data from the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, a location of the endpoint device;
determining, based at least on the first data from the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, signal strengths of satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS;
determining, based at least on the first data from the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, including the time data, the signal strengths of the satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, and the GNSS ephemeris data, position information for one of the satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS at a time when the first data from the subset of the satellites of the GNSS was received;
determining, based at least on the location of the endpoint device, the position information for the one of the satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, the time data, and the satellite ephemeris data, a time when a satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device; and
transmitting second data from the endpoint device via the LPWAN satellite radio at the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network is in the position to receive the transmission.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in the position to receive the transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device is further based at least on directional characteristics of an antenna of the endpoint device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based at least on the signal strengths of the satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS, a path loss between the endpoint device and the one of the satellites in the subset of the satellites of the GNSS.

### Claim 4

An endpoint device comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the endpoint device to:
receive GNSS ephemeris data for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS);
receive, via an LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device, satellite ephemeris data for a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) satellite network;
receive, via a GNSS receiver of the endpoint device, first data from a satellite of the GNSS, the first data including time data;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, a location of the endpoint device;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, a signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, including the time data, the signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS, and the GNSS ephemeris data, position information for the satellite of the GNSS at a time when the first data from the satellite of the GNSS was received;
determine, based at least on the location of the endpoint device, the position information for the satellite of the GNSS, the time data, and the satellite ephemeris data, a time when a satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device; and
transmit second data via the LPWAN satellite radio at the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network is in the position to receive the transmission.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The endpoint device of claim 4, wherein determining the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device is further based at least on directional characteristics of an antenna of the endpoint device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The endpoint device of claim 4, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to determine, based at least on the signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS, a path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the GNSS.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The endpoint device of claim 6, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to estimate, based at least on the path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the GNSS, and based at least on a difference in altitude between the satellite of the GNSS and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network, a path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The endpoint device of claim 7, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to adjust, prior to transmitting the second data from the endpoint device to the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network, a transmit power of the LPWAN radio of the endpoint device based at least on the path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The endpoint device of claim 4, wherein the GNSS ephemeris data is received from a ground-based network or from one or more satellites of the GNSS.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The endpoint device of claim 4, wherein the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network is in a same position as a position of the satellite of the GNSS at the time when the first data from the satellite of the GNSS was received if the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network is within a nearness tolerance of the position of the satellite of the GNSS at the time when the first data from the satellite of the GNSS was received.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The endpoint device of claim 10, wherein the nearness tolerance is a tunable parameter.

### Claim 12

A system comprising:
a satellite configured to be placed in low Earth orbit as part of a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) satellite network; and
an endpoint device including at least one processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the endpoint device to:
receive GNSS ephemeris data for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS);
receive, via an LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device, satellite ephemeris data for the LPWAN satellite network;
receive, via a GNSS receiver of the endpoint device, first data from a satellite of the GNSS the first data including time data;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, a location of the endpoint device;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, a signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS;
determine, based at least on the first data from the satellite of the GNSS, including the time data, the signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS, and the GNSS ephemeris data, position information for the satellite of the GNSS at a time when the first data from the satellite of the GNSS was received;
determine, based at least on the location of the endpoint device, the position information for the satellite of the GNSS, the time data, and the satellite ephemeris data, a time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device; and
transmit second data via the LPWAN satellite radio at the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network is in the position to receive the transmission.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein determining the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device is further based at least on directional characteristics of an antenna of the endpoint device, wherein determining the time when the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network will be in a position to receive a transmission from the LPWAN satellite radio of the endpoint device is further based at least on directional characteristics of an antenna of the endpoint device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to determine, based at least on the signal strength of the satellite of the GNSS, a path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the GNSS.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to estimate, based at least on the path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the GNSS, and based at least on a difference in altitude between the satellite of the GNSS and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network, a path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions comprise further instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the endpoint device to adjust, prior to transmitting the second data from the endpoint device to the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network, a transmit power of the LPWAN satellite radio based at least on the path loss between the endpoint device and the satellite of the LPWAN satellite network.