Optimising maximum transmission units for vehicle-satellite communications

A satellite-communications enabled vehicle, the vehicle comprising:

• a satellite modem;
• a transceiver/antenna arrangement;
• one or more processors or processing circuitry;
• a memory, and
• an electronic control system, ECU,
• wherein the vehicle is configured to receive new default MTU settings for a satellite communications channel, wherein the new default MTU settings are based on:
• a current vehicle geographic location;
• satellite-communications channel availability for the vehicle at the determined current vehicle location;
• and
• a dynamically adjusted a maximum transmission unit, MTU, for use by the vehicle for communications over the current or next available satellite-communications channel based on a predicted optimal MTU for the geographic location of the vehicle and the determined satellite-communications channel availability.

Apparatus configured to control satellite-communications between a server and a satellite-communications enabled vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

• memory;
• one or more processors or processing circuitry;
• and
• computer program code stored in the memory, wherein the computer program code is configured, when loaded from the memory and executed by the one or more processors or processing circuitry to cause the apparatus to implement a method of controlling communications over a satellite communications channel used by a satellite-communications enabled vehicle, the method comprising:
• determining a current vehicle geographic location;
• determining satellite-communications channel availability for the vehicle at the determined current vehicle location;
• and
• dynamically adjusting a maximum transmission unit, MTU, used by the vehicle for communications over a current or next available satellite-communications channel based on a predicted optimal MTU for the geographic location of the vehicle and the determined satellite-communications channel availability, wherein the dynamic adjustment of the MTU increases the data volume which can be communicated between the vehicle and a communications satellite using the respective current or next available satellite-communications channel.

A computer-program product comprising computer code, which, when loaded from a memory and executed by one or more processors or processing circuitry of an apparatus cause the apparatus to implement a method of controlling communications over a satellite communications channel used by a satellite-communications enabled vehicle, the method comprising:

• determining a current vehicle geographic location;
• determining satellite-communications channel availability for the vehicle at the determined current vehicle location;
• and
• dynamically adjusting a maximum transmission unit, MTU, used by the vehicle for communications over a current or next available satellite-communications channel based on a predicted optimal MTU for the geographic location of the vehicle and the determined satellite-communications channel availability, wherein the dynamic adjustment of the MTU increases the data volume which can be communicated between the vehicle and a communications satellite using the respective current or next available satellite-communications channel.