US 2026/0213836 A1 · Method and Apparatus for Satellite Beam Centering Control for User Scheduling

Abstract

A satellite communications system (SCS) (20) implements a beam recentering function (32) that dynamically recenters one or more spot beams (10) with respect to their corresponding nominal beam coverage areas (40), as a component of user scheduling. Updating the beam center target (46) of a spot beam (10) can be understood as adjusting beamforming by the SCS (20) to move the beam center (14) of the spot beam (10), such that maximum signal power of the beam corresponds to different locations within the same nominal beam coverage area over time. In an example embodiment, the SCS (20) uses dynamic beam centering with respect to a plurality of forward user beams (100), with the underlying beamforming being ground-based beamforming, such as end-to-end beamforming, or being satellite-based beamforming, which may be supported by ground-based or satellite-based computation of the dynamically changing beamforming solution.

Claims37

Dependent claims

1-36. (canceled)

A satellite communications system comprising:

a ground segment comprising one or more satellite access nodes;
and
a space segment comprising one or more satellites;
wherein the one or more satellite access nodes and the one or more satellites are configured to cooperate to provide a plurality of spot beams, each spot beam serving a corresponding plurality of user terminals and having a corresponding nominal beam coverage area;
and
wherein processing circuitry comprised in the satellite communications system is configured to move beam centers of the plurality of spot beams with respect to the corresponding nominal beam coverage areas as a component of user scheduling by the satellite communications system, based on, with respect to each spot beam and with respect to each beam centering control interval in a succession of beam centering control intervals, selecting a beam center target to use for centering the spot beam, the beam center target corresponding to a location in the corresponding nominal beam coverage area.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

19/140,111Filed 22 Dec 2022

Published

23 Jul 2026

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04B 7/18543
Arrangements for managing radio, resources, i.e. for establishing or releasing a connection: for adaptation of transmission parameters, e.g. power…
H04B 7/18586
Satellite systems for providing broadband data service to individual earth stations: arrangements for data transporting, e.g. for an end to end…
H04B 7/1851
Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systems: systems using a satellite or space-based relay
H04B 7/2041
Multiple access: spot beam multiple access

Method and Apparatus for Satellite Beam Centering Control for User Scheduling

Life of this patent

Method and Apparatus for Satellite Beam Centering Control for User Scheduling

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims37