Power scheduling for vehicle satellite communications

A vehicle satellite-communications scheduler for scheduling vehicle satellite-communications for a vehicle having a power controller configured to provide power to a satellite communications modem of the vehicle independently of power provided to a telematics gateway of the vehicle, wherein both the satellite communications modem and the telematics gateway are powered independently from the rest of the vehicle, wherein the scheduler is configured, responsive to the power controller receiving a low power mode request and based on a schedule for when a satellite is visible along a line of sight to the vehicle to:

• determine a geographic location of the vehicle;
• determine at least a start time when a satellite will next be available for vehicle satellite-communications based on the determined geographic location of the vehicle to have line of sight communications with the satellite;
• and
• configure the power controller to schedule a modem power mode wake-up of the satellite communications modem at the determined start-time.

A control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising:

• memory;
• one or more processors or processing circuitry;
• and
• computer-program code which, when loaded from memory and executed by the one or more processors, causes the vehicle to be configured to implement a method for scheduling vehicle-satellite communications for the vehicle, wherein the vehicle further comprises a power controller configured to provide power to a satellite communications modem of the vehicle independently of power provided to a telematics gateway of the vehicle, wherein both the satellite communications modem and the telematics gateway are independently powered from the rest of the vehicle, and wherein the computer-program code configures, responsive to the power controller of the vehicle receiving a low power mode request, the vehicle to:
• determine a geographic location of the vehicle;
• determine at least a start time when a satellite will next be available for vehicle satellite-communications based on the determined geographic location of the vehicle;
• and
• configure the power controller to schedule a modem power mode wake-up and/or a telematics power mode wake-up at the determined start-time.

A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer-code which when loaded from memory and executed by one or more processors of a control system or circuitry of a vehicle, causes the vehicle to implement a method for scheduling vehicle-satellite communications for a vehicle comprising a power controller configured to provide power to a satellite communications modem of the vehicle independently of power provided to a telematics gateway of the vehicle, wherein both the satellite communications modem and the telematics gateway are powered independently from the rest of the vehicle, the method comprising:

• responsive to the power controller of a vehicle receiving a low power mode request and based on a schedule for when a satellite is visible along a line of sight to the vehicle,
• determining, by the vehicle, a geographic location of the vehicle determining, by the vehicle, at least a start time when a satellite will next be available for vehicle satellite-communications based on the determined geographic location of the vehicle to have line of sight communications with the satellite;
• and
• configuring, by the vehicle, the power controller to schedule a modem power mode wake-up of the satellite communications modem at the determined start-time.