US 12,585,028 B1Granted

Mobile customer terminals (CTs) operation in an global navigation satellite system (GNSS) outage

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsMarcos Bruno Saldanha Tavares, Aditya Chopra, Arunabha Ghosh

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Technologies directed to a customer terminal (CT) establishing and maintaining a communication link with a satellite (SAT) in a satellite network during a Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) outage are described. One method includes establishing a communication link using position and velocity information of the CT. The method receives, at a first time, first timing information from a GNSS and updates a first clock of the CT accordingly. The method determines, at a second time after the first time, second timing information representing a clock drift between the first clock of the CT and a second clock of the SAT. The second timing information is derived from messages exchanged between the SAT and the CT prior to the second time. The method updates, using the second timing information, the first clock of the CT.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A customer terminal (CT) comprising:

an array antenna;
beamforming circuitry coupled to the array antenna;
a processing device coupled to the beamforming circuitry, wherein the processing device:
receives, at a first time, first timing information and first position information from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), wherein a first clock of the CT is based on the first timing information and the first position information;
establishes, using the first timing information and the first position information, a communication link with a satellite (SAT);
receives, from the SAT, second position information at a second time after the first time and first velocity information of the SAT at the second time;
determines, using the first timing information and the first position information, third position information of the CT at the second time and second velocity information of the CT at the second time;
determines, using the second position information and the third position information, a slant range vector between the SAT and the CT at the second time, the slant range vector comprising a magnitude and a direction, wherein the magnitude represents a physical distance between the SAT and the CT;
determines, using the magnitude of the slant range vector and a physical distance between the SAT and the Earth, an azimuth direction from the beamforming circuitry to the SAT;
determines that additional timing information and additional position information are not received from the GNSS at a third time after the first time;
receives second timing information and fourth position information from the SAT over the communication link;
and
updates the first clock of the CT using the second timing information and the fourth position information.

10 more elements

A method of operating a customer terminal (CT), the method comprising:

establishing a communication link with a satellite (SAT) using position and velocity information of the CT;
receiving, at a first time, first timing information from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS);
updating, using the first timing information, a first clock of the CT;
exchanging, over the communication link, messages between the CT and the SAT;
determining an outage of the GNSS after the first time;
determining, at a second time after the first time, second timing information, representing a clock drift between the first clock of the CT and a second clock of the SAT, from the messages exchanged between the SAT and the CT over the communication link prior to the second time;
and
updating, using the second timing information, the first clock of the CT.

5 more elements

A customer terminal (CT) comprising:

an array antenna;
beamforming circuitry coupled to the array antenna;
a processing device coupled to the beamforming circuitry, wherein the processing device:
establish a communication link with a satellite (SAT) using position and velocity information of the CT;
receive, at a first time, first timing information from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS);
update, using the first timing information, a first clock of the CT;
exchange, over the communication link, messages between the CT and the SAT;
determine an outage of the GNSS after the first time;
determine, at a second time after the first time, second timing information, representing a clock drift between the first clock of the CT and a second clock of the SAT, from the messages exchanged between the SAT and the CT prior to the second time;
and
update, using the second timing information, the first clock of the CT.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/118,493Filed 7 Mar 2023
Granted: 24 Mar 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G01S 19/256
Involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS: relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
H04B 7/18513
Systems using a satellite or space-based relay: transmission in a satellite or space-based system
G01S 19/05
Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers: providing…
G01S 19/115
Wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters: airborne or satellite based…