HK1058124B - Method and apparatus for providing bi-directional data services and live television programming to mobile platforms - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for providing bidirectional data services and live television programming to mobile platforms

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a global system for providing live television programming and bi-directional data services to mobile platforms (mobile platforms), such as airplanes, using satellite communications.

Background

Broadband data and video services, on which our society and economy are increasingly dependent, are not readily available to users on mobile platforms such as airplanes, ships, trains, and automobiles to date. While existing technologies are capable of delivering such services to all forms of mobile platforms, past solutions are generally expensive, have low data transfer rates, and/or are only suitable for use in a very limited government/military user market or some high-end maritime market (e.g., cruise vessels).

Currently, users on the ground can obtain a wide variety of broadcast television services via satellite links. Such services include commercial DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellite) services such as DirecTV^*And Echostar^*) And customized video Services, such as rebroadcast video Services on dedicated FSS (fixed Satellite Services) or BSS (Broadcast Satellite Services) satellites. Data services that can be provided via satellite links include all conventional internet services (e.g., email, web browsing, web conferencing, etc.) as well as VPNs (Virtual private networks) for use by groups and government agencies.

Previously developed systems that attempt to provide live television and data services for mobile platforms have met with only limited success. One major obstacle is that the access costs for such broadband data and video services have been high. Another problem is that previously developed systems have limited capacity and they do not meet the needs of individual mobile platforms carrying tens or even hundreds of individuals who may request different broadcast program channels or different data services simultaneously. Furthermore, existing systems are generally not easily scalable to meet the needs of the traveling public.

Currently, some available services provide a limited portion of the above services. One of the services is to provide narrow-band internet connectivity for users on mobile platforms. Another service is to provide live signals (e.g., EchoStar) from an existing source^*And DirectTV^*) By a dedicated satellite link (e.g. Airshow)^*) A customized television broadcast signal is provided. However, there is currently no system or method that can provide high speed (i.e., greater than 64Kbps) data network services, let alone high speed network services with video services, to a user population on a mobile or remote platform.

There are several operating systems that provide limited internet data services on commercial flights and cruise vessels. The link capacity of these systems is extremely limited (mainly using communication links developed for telephony) and the service charges are very expensive (more than $ 1 per minute for voice connections) links. For these reasons, and because of the inherent limitations in the capacity of such systems, their commercial success and resulting adoption has been limited.

Current operating systems typically employ Inmarsat satellite communication links or terrestrial wireless communication links (i.e., the National Air Telephone System "NATS"), which are used to make two-way connections to mobile platforms. These forms of connection have the following disadvantages:

1) limited connection bandwidth (typically less than 64 Kbps);

2) limited overall system capacity (due to limited spectrum);

3) the cost is high.

Inmarsat operates in the L-band spectrum and therefore has little bandwidth and available capacity that can be used to provide broadband services to the traveling public. NATS-based solutions (i.e., GTE Airfone)^*，AT&T Claircom) uses a telephone mounted on the back of a seat, which is familiar to civil aviation travelers. They also offer very limited capacity due to their operation in the L-band. These systems suffer from the additional problem that they can only be connected on land.

The connection method of the current mobile platform is usually narrow-band and limits the data stream to the place which can not be reached by the general network. Typically, the connection between the user's computer and the air-to-ground or ship-to-shore telephone system is accomplished through the use of a standard computer telephone modem. In this scheme, each user can individually use the entire communication channel during his/her call, and can effectively prevent others from using the part of the telephone system.

Another service that has received attention is to provide pre-stored world wide web (word-wide-web) content to users of mobile platforms. It is expected that this service will be integrated with a server located on the mobile platform to provide its stored content to the user on the mobile platform through a simple touch screen interface. When the mobile platform is in a stopped state, e.g. an aircraft is stopped at an airport or a ship is stopped at a port, the content on the server is updated every few weeks. Updating data on the mobile platform may be done by loading a cdrom (compact disc read only memory) or replacing a hard drive on the server. Although the content stored on the mobile platform with this service may be changed, the change is not real-time.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that a significant need exists for a system and method for providing live television programming and two-way data communications to users on mobile platforms via one or more satellite links. More specifically, there is a need to provide internet data communications, direct broadcast satellite services via BSS satellites, and the relaying of video data of live television programming to one or more users on mobile platforms via Ku or Ka band satellites. By having each user request and receive real-time data in the internet or other form, as well as the particular active broadcast program that the user wishes to view.

It would also be desirable to provide a system and method to enable hundreds or more of mobile platforms (e.g., aircraft) to communicate with multiple satellites. Wherein each of the satellites has a plurality of independent transponders such that each mobile platform can communicate with a designated transponder to allow each passenger to conduct two-way data communications and view their selected live television program.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for providing television and data services to a mobile platform in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention utilizes a terrestrial portion to receive both video and data content, while simultaneously transmitting the content to an aerial portion via a terrestrial antenna using radio frequency signals. The aerial part comprises a satellite comprising at least one transponder, preferably a plurality of individual transponders, which satellite receives radio frequency signals transmitted by the aerial of the terrestrial part and relays these signals to at least one, and usually a plurality of, mobile systems, using the transponder on the satellite. Each mobile system is located on a mobile platform (e.g., aircraft, ship, etc.), receives radio frequency signals from at least one satellite transponder, and distributes the forwarded video and data content to individual users according to user selections. Thus, each user receives only the video programs and/or data content that he/she specifically selected or requested.

Optionally, but preferably, the ground segment includes at least one dedicated link to an internet provider, and may also provide one or more dedicated links to private/federated Intranet (Intranet) customers. A content management center in the ground segment is also connected to its network operations center for controlling the transmission of live television programs and other data to the air segment.

All information sent by the ground station to the mobile platform is broadcast over the entire coverage area of the satellite transponder. Each satellite is located on a geosynchronous Orbit (GeoStationary Orbit) or a Non-GeoStationary Orbit (Non GeoStationary Orbit). Preferably, packet multiplexing is used to provide multiple simultaneous accesses to multiple users on each mobile platform.

The mobile system includes a suitable antenna system thereon for bi-directional communication with the designated transponder. In a preferred form, the antenna system comprises a controllable antenna carried by the mobile platform for transmitting radio frequency signals to and from the satellite within the coverage area. The antenna system is connected to the receiver and the receiver decodes and demodulates the received radio frequency signals to produce digital video, audio and data content signals. These signals are preferably provided in packets and fed back to the router which filters the packets so that only the content selected/requested by the user on the mobile platform is sent to the user. In this context, a user may be defined as a passenger, a cabin crew, a maintenance person and a non-human entity, e.g. an unattended data device. The delivery system routes the data content either directly to the appropriate subscriber at an access station independently associated with each subscriber or to a designated component (e.g., overhead monitor) distributed on the mobile platform. In this way, each subscriber or user receives only the specific data content (i.e., either data or television programming) he/she has requested, or simply provides the data content to all passengers on the mobile platform.

The method and apparatus of the present invention provides the ability to conduct two-way data communications between multiple independent mobile platforms, with each user on each mobile platform being able to request and obtain internet data or other forms of real-time data individually. The present invention further enables a user to request and view live television programming for a selected channel individually.

Drawings

Various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following specification and appended claims with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the three main parts of the system of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile system loaded on each mobile platform.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, a system 10 is shown for providing data content to or receiving data content from a plurality of mobile platforms 12a-12f in one or more different coverage areas 14a and 14b, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system 10 is generally comprised of a ground portion 16, a plurality of satellites 18a-18f forming a space portion 17, and a mobile system 20 disposed on each mobile platform 12. The mobile platform may be comprised of an aircraft, a cruise vessel, or any other mobile vehicle. In the drawings of the present invention, the mobile platform 18 is an airplane as an example. Although the following description describes the mobile platform as an example of an aircraft, the scope of application of the system 10 is not intended to be limited to aircraft.

The space portion 17 may include any number of satellites 18 in the coverage areas 14a and 14b that are needed to cover the respective areas. The satellites 18a, 18b, 18d and 18e are preferably Ku or Ka band satellites. Satellite 18c or 18f is a BSS (broadcast satellite service) satellite. Each of the satellites 18 is operating in a GSO (geosynchronous orbit) or NGSO (geosynchronous orbit). Examples of NGSO tracks that may be used in the present invention include LEO (Low Earth Orbit), MEO (Medium Earth Orbit), and HEO (high elevation Elliptical Orbit). Each of the satellites 18 has at least one, and preferably a plurality of, radio frequency transponders. For example, the satellite 18a is depicted as having four transponders 18a₁-18a₄. Each of the other listed satellites 18 preferably also has more or less rf transponders as determined by the need to handle the anticipated number of mobile platforms 12 operating in the coverage area. The transponder provides "bent-pipe" (bent-pipe) communication between the aircraft 12 and the ground portion 16. The frequency bands used on these communication links may include any radio frequency band ranging between approximately 10MHz to 100 MHz. The transponders preferably consist of Ku band transponders, the frequency bands of which are specified by the FCC (federal communications commission) and the ITU (international telecommunications union) for fixed satellite services FSS or BSS satellites. Of course, different types of transponders may be used (i.e., each satellite 18 need not include multiple transponders of the same kind) and each transponder may operate on a different frequency. Repeater 18a₁-18a₄Each of which includes wide geographic coverage, efficient EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power), and high gain/noise temperature (G/T).

Referring to fig. 1, the ground segment 16 includes a ground station 22 that is capable of two-way communication with a content Center 24 and a NOC (Network Operations Center) 26. A second ground station 22a located in a second coverage area 14b may be used if more than one different coverage area is required for the service. In this case, ground station 22a is also capable of two-way communication with NOC26 via a ground link or any other suitable means for establishing a communication link with NOC 26. The ground station 22a may also be in two-way communication with the content center 24 a. For ease of discussion, the present invention will also illustrate the operation of system 10 in coverage area 14 a. It will be appreciated, however, that the same operations associated with satellites 18d-18f occur in coverage area 14 b. It will also be appreciated that the present invention can be scaled (scalable) to any number of coverage areas 14 in a manner to be described below.

The ground station 22 includes the antennas and associated antenna control electronics that are required to transmit the data content to the satellites 18a and 18 b. The antenna of the ground station 22 may also be used to receive the transponder 18a₁-18a₄Forwarded data content originating from a respective mobile system 20 on each aircraft 12 in coverage area 14 a. The ground station 22 may also be located anywhere in the coverage area 14 a. Likewise, the ground station 22a (if installed) may also be located anywhere in the second coverage area 14 b.

The content center 24 communicates with various external data content providers and is responsible for controlling the transmission of the video and data information it receives to the ground station 22. The content center 24 preferably contacts an ISP (internet service provider) 30, a video content source 32 and a PSTN (public switched telephone network) 34. The content center 24 may also communicate with one or more VPNs (virtual private networks) 36. ISP30 provides internet access to users on aircraft 12. The video content source 32 provides live television programming (e.g., a Cable News Network (CNN)^*) And ESPN^*). NOC26 performs traditional network management, user authentication, accounting, customized services and billing. The content center 24a associated with the ground station 22a in the second coverage area 14b is also preferably able to communicate with the ISP38, the video content provider 40, the PSTN42, and optionally the internetThe VPNs 44 communicate with each other. An optional wireless telephone system 28 is also included as an alternative to the satellite return link.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the mobile system 20 mounted on each aircraft 18 will be described in greater detail. Each mobile system 20 includes a data content management system provided in the form of a router/server 50 (hereinafter "server") that communicates with a communication subsystem 52, a control unit and display system 54, and a distribution system provided in the form of a local area network 56. Alternatively, the server 50 can be configured to work with NATS (national Wireless telephone System) 58, CIS (Crew Information Services System) 60, and/or IFE (In-Flight Entertainment System) 62.

The communication subsystem 52 includes a transmitter subsystem 64 and a receiver subsystem 66. Transmitter subsystem 64 includes an encoder 68, a modulator 70, and an upconverter 72 for encoding, modulating, and upconverting the data content signals from server 50 for transmission to a transmit antenna 74. The receiver subsystem 66 includes a decoder 76, demodulator 78 and down-converter 80 for decoding, demodulating and down-converting signals received by a receive antenna 82 into baseband video and audio signals and data signals. Although only one receiver subsystem 66 is shown, it is preferred to have multiple receiver subsystems 66 to be able to receive rf signals from multiple rf repeaters simultaneously. If multiple receiver subsystems 66 are shown, multiple components 76-80 are required accordingly.

The signals received by the receiver subsystem 66 are then input into the server 50. System controller 84 is used to control all subsystems on mobile system 20. The system controller 84 provides signals to an antenna controller 86, which antenna controller 86 electronically steers the receive antenna 82 so that the receive antenna is always directed to a particular one of the satellites 18. Hereinafter, this particular satellite is referred to as the "target" satellite. The transmitting antenna 74 is slaved to the receiving antenna 82, which also tracks the target satellite 18. It is desirable that some types of mobile antennas can transmit and receive from the same aperture. In this case, the transmitting antenna 74 and the receiving antenna 82 are integrated.

According to fig. 2, a Local Area Network (LAN)56 is used to connect the server 50 to a plurality of access stations 88 mounted on the seats of the aircraft 12 a. Each access station 88 may be used to connect the server 50 directly to the user's laptop computer, PDA (personal digital assistant), or other personal computing device of the user. Each access station 88 may also consist of a computer/display mounted on the back of the seat. A Local Area Network (LAN)56 enables two-way data communication between the user's computing device and the server 50 so that each user can request the television programming channel they desire, access the desired web site and his/her e-mail, or perform a variety of other tasks unrelated to other users on the aircraft 12.

The receive antenna 82 and the transmit antenna 74 may each be formed of any form of controllable antenna. Preferably, the antennas are comprised of electronically scanned phased array antennas. Phased array antennas are particularly well suited for aerospace applications where aerodynamic drag is a particular consideration. One particular form of electronically scanned phased array antenna suitable for use with the present invention is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 5886671 to boeing.

In operation of the system 10, according to fig. 1, the data content is preferably formatted into IP (internet protocol) packets prior to transmission by the ground station 22 or transmitting antenna 74 of the respective mobile system 20. For purposes of discussion, the data content transmitted by the ground station 22 in the form of IP packets is referred to as "forward link" transmission. The content data is preferably provided to each aircraft 12 simultaneously using IP packet multiplexing, which operate using unicast, multicast and broadcast transmission techniques in the coverage area 14 a.

Repeater 18a₁-18a₄IP data content packets that they receive are forwarded by the repeater to the aircraft 12 operating in the coverage area 14 a. If there are more than one on the coverage area 14aA single satellite 18, and preferably a single satellite, is capable of covering an area including the entire continental united states. Thus, depending on the geographic size of the coverage area and the mobile platform traffic expected in the area, it may be necessary to cover the entire area with only one satellite having a single transponder. Other different coverage areas than the continental united states are regions of europe, south/central america, east asia, middle east, north atlantic, etc. It is expected that in a larger service area than the continental united states, multiple satellites 18 (each with one or more transponders) will be required to provide full coverage of the entire area.

The receiver antenna 82 and the transmitter antenna 74 are preferably mounted on top of the fuselage of the aircraft 18 with which they are associated. The receive antenna 74 of each aircraft receives all of the radio frequency transmissions of the encoded radio frequency signal representing the slave transponder 18a₁-18a₄At least one forwarded IP data content packet. The reception antenna 82 receives HP (horizontal polarization) and VP (vertical polarization) signals, and inputs these signals to at least one receiver 66. If more than one receiver 66 is installed, then one of the designated transponders 18a is assigned to a particular transponder₁-18a₄Used together, the transponder is carried by a target satellite 18 aimed at the receiver. The receiver 66 decodes, demodulates and down-converts the encoded radio frequency signal to generate a video signal, an audio signal and a data signal, and inputs them into the server 50. Which filters and discards data content that is not intended for the user at the aircraft 18 and forwards the remaining data content to the appropriate access station 88 via LAN 56. In this manner, each user receives only a portion of their previously requested programming or other information. Accordingly, each user is free to request and receive their desired television programming channel, access their e-mail and access the internet, or perform other data transfer operations unrelated to other users on the aircraft 12 a.

It is an advantage of the present invention that system 10 can also receive live television programming (e.g., news, sports, weather, entertainment, etc.)) For DBS transmission. Examples of DBS service providers include DirectV^*And Echostar^*. DBS transmissions occur in frequency bands designated for BSSs (broadcast satellite service), and are generally circularly polarized in north america. Thus, as an optional option, a linear polarization transformer may be added to the receiving antenna 82 for receiving broadcast satellite services in north america. In the Ku band, the FSS band carrying data services and the BSS band carrying DBS transmissions are adjacent to each other. In an alternative embodiment of system 10, a single Ku band receive antenna may be used to receive DBS transmissions from DBS satellites 18c and 18f in the BSS band, or to receive data traffic from one of FSS satellites 18a and 18b in the FSS band, or both, using the same receive antenna 82. Simultaneous reception of multiple satellites is accomplished by using either a multi-beam receiving antenna 82 or a single-beam receiving antenna 82 that are co-located with the satellites in the gap in the geostationary satellite orbit.

The mobile system 20 receives and processes the re-broadcast television or customized video services in exactly the same manner. Relayed or customized video content is obtained from a video content source 32 and transmitted to the FSS satellites 18a and 18b via the ground station 22. The video content is suitably encoded for transmission by the content center 24 prior to being broadcast by the ground station 22. Customization of certain rebroadcast content may be performed at the server 50 of the mobile system 20 (fig. 2) to modify advertisements and other information content as needed for a particular market or according to the interests of the users at the aircraft 12.

A dedicated portal data content is utilized to provide a large amount of data content to users on the aircraft 12. This is done as a set of HTML pages loaded on the server 50 of each mobile system 20. The content is kept fresh according to a scheduling function controlled by the NOC26 of the ground segment 16 by periodically sending updated segments from the ground server of the content center 24. The server 50 can be easily configured to receive login information for a user, support user authentication, and track user and networked billing information to support a billing system. The authentication and accounting system may be configured to communicate with ground segment 16 to send accumulated data to NOC26 at convenient intervals.

The system 10 of the present invention also provides direct internet connectivity for various purposes via satellite links. For example, when a user on the aircraft 12 wants to obtain data content that is not cached on the server 50 or provides new content to a dedicated port using a satellite link as the path of the content source. The server may also be used to cache frequently accessed web pages and to place (host) frequently accessed DMS (Domain name System) look-up tables. The DMS lookup table is preferably maintained by the content center 24 and is periodically updated on the mobile system 20. Updating of portal cache contents may be accomplished by updating of a periodic "pushed" (pushed) cache in flight; either at the doors of the airport terminal equipment using any form of wired and wireless connection to communicate with the aircraft 18, or by the flight crew at the aircraft 12 manually operating the cache update to plug the CD-ROM carried on the aircraft into the cache server. The system 10 of the present invention performs on-the-fly periodic "push" cache updates over the satellite link. The updating of the cache contents preferably occurs during periods of low demand on the satellite link.

The optional wireless telephone system 28 may also be used with the system 10 where a line-of-sight link to the ground segment 16 is established and used as a physical infrastructure. For example, an alternative embodiment incorporating a wireless telephone system may be used on a low data rate return link (2.4kbps-9.6 kbps). It will also be appreciated that other regions, such as europe and asia, have similar wireless telephone systems that communicate with aircraft using terrestrial cellular communication links. Wireless telephone systems (NATS in north america) were originally designed to carry telephone traffic but have now been used to carry point-to-point analog modem data for a single user per call. For purposes of the present invention, aggregated return link (aggregate return line) traffic from the mobile system 20 is combined with a server/router 50, switch, or PBX (private branch exchange) (not shown) and then coupled into the radiotelephone return link through an analog modem or directly through a digital interface (e.g., CEPT-E1). By establishing multiple simultaneous connections between the router/switch and the wireless telephone system, extended communication capacity can be provided. The splitting/re-assembling of data flows between the on-board router and the NOC router may be accomplished with multilink, PPP (point-to-point) data encapsulation. In addition to expanded capacity, the tolerance to single connection failures increases as the number of multiple connections of a wireless telephone system increases. Handoffs (handoffs) between separate wireless telephone system antenna towers are managed by the wireless telephone system. Connections between the various airborne and terrestrial routers are automatically maintained as the mobile platform traverses multiple coverage areas.

One important application contemplated by the present invention is in connection with aircraft flying over the earth's waters and remote areas for extended periods of time, the areas over which it flies have little or no coverage by current satellite transponders. The invention can be operated with GSO satellites or new NGSO satellites to be launched into orbit over the ocean in the future to fully cover the earth (including the polar regions).

Referring to fig. 1, the transmission of data content from the aircraft 12a to the ground station 22 will be described. This transmission is termed a "return link" transmission. The antenna controller 86 causes the transmit antenna 74 to maintain its antenna beam always directed at the target satellite 18 a. The communication channels from each mobile system 20 back to the ground station 22 represent individually designated point-to-point links that are dynamically managed by the NOC26 of the ground segment 16, which may be assigned to transponders onboard designated satellites 18 if the system 10 is to accommodate hundreds or more of the aircraft 12. The preferred multiple access method for the return link is CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access) or a combination thereof. Multiple mobile systems may be assigned to a single repeater 18a₁-18a₄. If there are more numbers in coverage area 14aA corresponding increase in the number of transponders is required for operation of a given aircraft 12 equipped with mobile system 20.

The receive antenna 82 may implement a closed loop tracking system to align the antenna beam or to adjust the polarization of the antenna based on the amplitude of the received signal. The transmit antenna 74 is slaved to the orientation and polarization of the receive antenna 82. An alternative embodiment is to use an open loop tracking method that uses an onboard IRU (Inertial Reference Unit) and determines the pointing direction and polarization of the antenna based on the position and altitude of the mobile platform and the position of the satellites 18.

The encoded radio frequency signals transmitted from the transmit antennas 74 of the mobile systems 20 of a given aircraft 12 are transmitted to the transponder 18a₁-18a₄The specified one of (1). And then forwarded by the designated transponder to the ground station 22. The ground station 22 and the content center 24 communicate with each other to determine and provide data (e.g., content from the world wide web, email, or information from a user VPN) that is appropriate for the user's request.

Another concern is that the system 10 is a potential cause of interference due to the small aperture size of the receive antenna 82. The Aperture size of the receiving antenna 82 is typically smaller than a conventional VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) antenna. Thus, the beam from the receive antenna 82 can encompass adjacent satellites that travel along geosynchronous arcs. This may result in interference from satellites other than the target satellite, which interference is received by the particular mobile system 20. To overcome this potential problem, the system 10 preferably uses a lower than standard forward link data rate to overcome interference from adjacent satellites. For example, when system 10 is operating at a forward link data rate of at least 5Mbps per transponder, a typical FSS Ku-band transponder (e.g., Telstar-6) and an antenna with an active aperture having dimensions of approximately 17 inches by 24 inches (43.18cm by 60.96cm) are used. For comparison, the typical Ku-band repeater typically uses a conventional VSAT antenna and operates at a data rate of about 30 Mbps.

Using standard DVB (digital video broadcasting) waveforms, the forward link signal typically occupies only less than 8MHz of bandwidth in the total 27MHz bandwidth of the repeater. However, concentrating the power of the repeater within less than the full bandwidth of the repeater creates regulatory issues. Currently, FCC regulations are used to adjust the spectral density of the maximum EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power) from a transponder to prevent interference between close-spaced satellites. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, spread spectrum modulation techniques are used at modulator 70 to "spread" the forward link signal over the transponder bandwidth using well known signal spreading techniques. This reduces the spectral density of the transponder and eliminates the possibility of interference between two or more mobile systems 20.

It is also important that the transmitting antenna 74 comply with regulatory requirements so that interference with satellites adjacent to the target satellite 18 can be prevented. The transmit antennas in most mobile applications also tend to be smaller than conventional VSAT antennas (the latter typically representing a 1 meter diameter reflector antenna). Mobile transmitting antennas for aeronautical applications should have low aerodynamic drag, and be lightweight, have low power consumption, and be relatively small in size. For the reasons described above, the antenna aperture of the transmit antenna 74 is preferably smaller than that of a conventional VSAT antenna. The VSAT antenna is sized to generate an antenna beam that is sufficiently narrow to illuminate the FSS satellite in geosynchronous orbit with the earth. This is important because there is only a 2E separation between FSS satellites in geosynchronous orbit. The antenna aperture of the transmitting antenna 74 used in the present invention is smaller than the standard antenna aperture, which results in an antenna beam wide enough to illuminate satellites in geosynchronous orbit adjacent to the target satellite, which cause interference problems. The use of spread spectrum modulation techniques on the return link transmission also eliminates this potential problem. The signal transmitted by the transmit antenna 74 has a spread frequency to produce interfering signals on nearby satellites. The interfering signal is below a threshold spectral density of EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power) at which the signal is generated from the interference. Spread spectrum modulation techniques may not be required if the angular separation between satellites in a given coverage area can cause interference to be less of a problem.

Desirably, the system 10 of the present invention provides a means for providing bi-directional transmission of data content to a plurality of independent users on a large number of mobile platforms on-board an aircraft. The system 10 is also capable of providing data content, such as broadcast video services, and other forms of data content, to a large number of mobile platforms, such as airplanes, ships, or any other form of mobile platform, in real time that carries individuals who wish to access terrestrial data content sources or view live television programs. The system also enables multiple mobile platforms within a given coverage area to communicate with one or more transponders within the given coverage area and transmit data content back to the ground control system via a satellite. Thus, individual users on the mobile platform are able to independently access and obtain various forms of data content, as well as selected channels of live television programming. Importantly, the system 10 of the present invention is scalable to accommodate a large or small number of mobile platforms, and is also scalable across multiple satellites and coverage areas.

Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the present examples can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited. Other modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a study of the drawings, the specification and the appended claims.

Claims (23)

1. A system for providing data content to a plurality of mobile platforms via at least one satellite having at least one radio frequency transponder thereon and transmitting the data content from the mobile platforms to a ground based control center via said radio frequency transponder;

a self-contained mobile system associated with each mobile platform and carried by the mobile platform;

a ground antenna system associated with a ground control center for transmitting encoded radio frequency signals representative of the data content to the mobile system via the radio frequency repeater;

a network operations center in communication with the ground antenna system for dynamically managing a plurality of communication links between each of the mobile platforms and the ground antenna system to accommodate information requests issued by each of the mobile platforms;

each mobile system includes:

a controllable transmit antenna and a controllable receive antenna;

a communication subsystem, responsive to each of said antennas, for generating baseband video signals and data signals from said encoded radio frequency signals received by said receiving antenna and generating encoded radio frequency signals from data transmissions entered by each of a plurality of users;

a data content management system for filtering portions of said data content not intended for a user at said mobile platform;

a network for delivering said baseband video signal and said data signal output by said data content management system to said user, said network having a plurality of access stations such that a single user receives only a particular sub-portion of said baseband video signal and said data content associated with previous information selected by said user; and

the independent mobile system is also used to transmit the signals input by each of the users from each access station through the communication link being managed by the network operations center, via the radio frequency repeater, onto the terrestrial antenna.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said access station is adapted to interface with a personal computing device operated by said user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data content management system comprises a file server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the satellite comprises a plurality of radio frequency transponders, and wherein the ground control center designates one of the transponders to communicate with a designated mobile platform in a dedicated manner.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a local area network.

6. A system for providing real-time video signals to a mobile receiving platform via a satellite having at least one radio frequency transponder, the system comprising:

a ground system for transmitting a radio frequency signal representing the video signal to the satellite;

a network operations center in communication with a ground system for dynamically managing a plurality of communication links between each of said mobile receiving platforms and said ground system to accommodate information requests issued by each of said mobile receiving platforms;

a mobile receiving system mounted on said mobile receiving platform, the system comprising:

an antenna for receiving the radio frequency signal from the radio frequency repeater;

an antenna control system for steering the antenna to track the satellite while the mobile receiving platform is in motion;

a communication system responsive to signals received by said antenna for generating baseband video signals in accordance with the received signals;

a data content management system, responsive to said communication system, for determining which portion of said baseband video signal to transmit to each of a plurality of access stations on said mobile receiving platform for viewing by individuals on said mobile receiving platform; and

a distribution system for routing said portion of said baseband video signal to a particular said access station in response to said user's request, such that each said user receives only said portion of said baseband video signal in accordance with each said user's said request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of integrated receiver/decoders for decoding, demodulating, and digital/analog converting received video signals to the baseband video signals.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the data content management system comprises a server.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the baseband video signal represents a live television signal.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the baseband video signal represents a live television signal.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the ground system includes a network operations center for managing accounting and billing operations associated with each subscriber access system.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the ground segment is operative to transmit an encoded data signal to the transponder of the satellite; and

wherein the communication system is operative to demodulate a radio frequency signal and to digital/analog convert to generate the baseband data signal.

13. A system for providing a plurality of data content channels to a plurality of independent mobile receiving platforms, wherein each of said mobile receiving platforms has a plurality of users and for receiving data content transmitted by said users from said mobile receiving platforms, said system comprising:

a ground antenna for transmitting an encoded radio frequency signal representative of said data content;

at least one satellite having a plurality of radio frequency transponders in orbit over a desired geographic footprint within which said mobile platform moves to retransmit said encoded radio frequency signals;

a network operations center in communication with the ground antenna system for dynamically managing a plurality of communication links between each of the mobile receiving platforms and the ground antennas to accommodate information requests issued by each of the mobile receiving platforms;

a mobile receiving system installed on each mobile receiving platform, each mobile receiving system comprising:

an antenna system having a receiving antenna for receiving the encoded radio frequency signals from a designated one of the radio frequency repeaters;

a transmit antenna for transmitting the data content to a designated one of the radio frequency repeaters;

an antenna control system for steering the transmit and receive antennas to track the satellites while the mobile receiving platform is in motion;

a communication system responsive to said encoded radio frequency signals received by said receive antennas for demodulating and decoding said encoded radio frequency signals to produce baseband radio frequency signals and data signals;

the communication system includes a system for transmitting data content from each of the users to the designated one of the transponders via the transmitting antenna;

a data content management system, responsive to said receiver system, for determining which portion of said baseband video signal and which portion of said data signal are to be transmitted to a particular access station of a plurality of access stations on said mobile platform for use by said user of said mobile platform; and

a network system for routing said baseband video signal and said portion of said data signal to specific ones of said access stations in response to said user's request, such that each said user receives only said requested portion of said baseband video signal and said requested portion of said data signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication system comprises a plurality of integrated receiver/decoders.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the data content management system comprises a server.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a data system for providing a crew information service to the data content management system.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a wireless telephone system located on the mobile platform for transmitting data traffic to at least one terrestrial voice telephone receiving station within the coverage area.

18. A system for enabling a single user on a mobile platform to send and receive data content from terrestrial data sources in real time, the system comprising:

a ground system for transmitting radio frequency signals representative of data content derived from a data content source;

a satellite system having at least one radio frequency repeater for repeating the radio frequency signals received from the ground system to the mobile platform and for repeating the radio frequency signals received from the mobile platform to the ground system;

a network operations center in communication with a ground system for dynamically managing a plurality of communication links between the mobile platform and the ground system to accommodate information requests issued by the mobile platform;

a mobile communication system installed on the mobile platform, comprising:

a receiving antenna for receiving the radio frequency signal from the radio frequency repeater;

a transmitting antenna for transmitting the radio frequency signal to a radio frequency repeater;

a communication subsystem, in communication with the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna, for converting the received radio frequency signal into data content, and converting user data sent by the user into a radio frequency signal, so that the transmitting antenna transmits the radio frequency signal to the radio frequency repeater;

a data content management system for receiving said data content from said communication subsystem and determining which sub-portions of said data content to transmit to particular ones of said users; and

a distribution system for delivering said sub-portions of said data content to said users such that each of said users can only receive a particular one of said sub-portions of said data content based on previous information transmissions made by each user.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the distribution system comprises a local area network.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the distribution system further comprises a plurality of independent access stations that are connectable to the electronic equipment of the user on the mobile platform.

21. A system for facilitating two-way communication of data content between a ground-based control center and a plurality of mobile platforms via a plurality of radio frequency repeaters, the system comprising:

a ground antenna for transmitting encoded radio frequency signals representative of said data content from said ground control center;

a network operations center in communication with the ground antenna for dynamically managing a plurality of communication links between each of the mobile platforms and the ground antenna system to accommodate information requests issued by each of the mobile platforms;

a mobile receiving system installed on each mobile receiving platform, each mobile receiving system comprising:

a controllable receiving antenna for receiving said encoded radio frequency information from said satellite on a designated transponder of said radio frequency transponder type;

an antenna control system for steering the transmit and receive antennas to track the satellites while the mobile receiving platform is in motion;

a communication system responsive to said encoded radio frequency signals received by said receiving antenna for producing output signals representative of live television programming and internet data;

a server responsive to the communications system for filtering out said portion of live television programming and said portion of internet data, said portion representing data content not requested by any of said users, and filtering out those portions of said data content not sent to any of said users on board said aircraft; and

a network system for routing said portion of said output signal and said portion of said internet data to a particular access station of a plurality of access stations based on inputs made by each said user at said access station.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the controllable receive antenna comprises an electronically controlled, phased array antenna.

23. A method of transmitting data content between a mobile receiving platform and a ground-based control segment, comprising the steps of:

using a terrestrial antenna associated with the terrestrial control portion to transmit an encoded radio frequency signal corresponding to the data content;

receiving said encoded radio frequency signal using a satellite having a plurality of transponders via one of said transponders designated by said ground control section and forwarding it to said mobile receiving platform;

receiving the encoded radio frequency signal using a controllable antenna carried by the mobile receiving platform;

steering the controllable antenna to track the satellite while the mobile receiving platform is in motion, thereby maintaining a continuous radio frequency connection with the satellite;

decoding and demodulating said encoded radio frequency signal to produce a plurality of data signals representative of said data content;

filtering out said data signals not requested by any user on said mobile platform to produce a limited subset of data content;

transmitting a selected portion of said subset of data content to an access station associated with said user in response to each said user's request, such that said user receives only the selected portion of said subset of data content corresponding to his/her previously submitted request; and

transmitting an encoded radio frequency signal representing the user requested information to the satellite,

wherein the plurality of communication links between the mobile receiving platforms and the terrestrial antennas are dynamically managed by a network operations center in communication with the terrestrial antennas to accommodate information requests issued by each mobile receiving platform.