US 12,273,936 B1
System for controlling connection of a device to a non-terrestrial network
Egil Gronstad, Bellevue, WA (US); John Joseph Humbert, IV, Olathe, KS (US); Karri M. Kuoppamaki, Kirkland, WA (US); Jun Liu, Sammamish, WA (US); Kun Lu, Bellevue, WA (US); Scott Francis Migaldi, Cary, IL (US); and Brian A. Olsen, Kirkland, WA (US)
Assigned to T-Mobile USA, Inc., Bellevue, WA (US)
Filed by T-Mobile USA, Inc., Bellevue, WA (US)
Filed on May 3, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/654,834.
Int. Cl. H04W 76/10 (2018.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04W 64/00 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 76/10 (2018.02) [H04B 7/18513 (2013.01); H04W 64/00 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
at least one hardware processor; and
at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the system to:
receive orbital information for a first interconnected satellite of a non-terrestrial network,
wherein the first satellite is out of range to connect to a ground station of a terrestrial network when the first satellite is connected to a wireless device,
wherein there is at least one other interconnected satellite between the first interconnected satellite and a nonconnected satellite an orbital path of the non-terrestrial network
wherein the first interconnected satellite is communicatively coupled to at least one other interconnected satellite
wherein the at least one other interconnected satellite is communicatively coupled to a ground station, and
wherein the orbital information includes a location of the first interconnected satellite and a velocity of the first interconnected satellite;
determine a location of the wireless device,
wherein the location includes a longitude and latitude for the wireless device;
determine the location of the wireless device relative to the first interconnected satellite;
calculate a connectivity window based on the relative location of the wireless device to the first interconnected satellite,
wherein the connectivity window is a time period at the location of the wireless device during which the wireless device receives a signal from a satellite in the non-terrestrial network to perform a network connection with the non-terrestrial network;
connect the wireless device to the non-terrestrial network when the connectivity window of the at least one first interconnected satellite is open; and
cause the ground station to determine a location of the nonconnected satellite when the first interconnected satellite connects to the wireless device, and
cause the ground station to transmit the location of the nonconnected satellite to the at least one other interconnected satellite;
cause the at least one other interconnected satellite to transmit the location of the nonconnected satellite to the first interconnected satellite;
receive the location of the nonconnected satellite from the first interconnected satellite;
wherein the wireless device calculates a connectivity window for the nonconnected satellite when the wireless device connects to the at least one other interconnected satellite; and
prevent the wireless device from searching for a network connection to the non-terrestrial network when the wireless device is outside the connectivity window of a satellite in the non-terrestrial network.