US 12,250,064 B2
Method and apparatus for handling communications between spacecraft operating in an orbital environment and terrestrial telecommunications devices that use terrestrial base station communications
Tyghe Robert Speidel, New York, NY (US); and Andrew J. Gerber, Darnestown, MD (US)
Assigned to Lynk Global, Inc., Falls Church, VA (US)
Filed by Lynk Global, Inc., Falls Church, VA (US)
Filed on Dec. 28, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/857,073.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/490,298, filed on Apr. 26, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/465,945, filed on Mar. 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2018/0254825 A1, Sep. 6, 2018
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04B 7/212 (2006.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04B 7/19 (2006.01)
CPC H04B 7/2125 (2013.01) [H04B 7/1858 (2013.01); H04B 7/18582 (2013.01); H04B 7/19 (2013.01); H04B 7/2123 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multiple-access transceiver adapted for operation in Earth orbit and configured for communication with terrestrial mobile stations, comprising:
a data parser that parses data received by the multiple-access transceiver according to a frame structure, wherein the frame structure defines which timeslots are allocated to which terrestrial mobile stations;
a signal timing module that adjusts timing of transmitted signals based on orbit to terrestrial propagation delays; and
a programmable radio capable of communicating from the Earth orbit to a terrestrial mobile station that uses a protocol usable both for communication between the programmable radio and the terrestrial mobile station and for communication between a terrestrial cellular base station and the terrestrial mobile station.