Protection of commercial communications
View Patent ↗Methods and systems are provided for a protected communications architecture in which a pool of limited availability channels are shared through the transmission of encoded symbols with time-varying path diversity by a pool of users. The communications architecture can be managed by a network controller that stores availability data describing the availability of multiple-access satellite communications channels. The network controller allocates a first user to a first time-varying subset of the plurality of multiple-access satellite or terrestrial communications channels based on the availability data. The network controller updates the availability data based on the allocation of the first user. The network controller allocates a second user to a second time-varying subset of the plurality of multiple-access satellite or terrestrial communications channels based on the updated availability data. This process is repeated until all users are allocated bandwidth based on their priority, demand, and the overall bandwidth available within the pool.
1. A multi-path communication apparatus for multiplexing data among a plurality of communication channels the apparatus comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit data over the air via the plurality of communications channels; and
a network controller communicatively coupled with the transmitter, the network controller configured to:
receive, from the transmitter, a service request indicating a message to be transmitted, the message including a plurality of pieces of data that each make up a portion of the message, the plurality of pieces of data generated based on a forward error correction scheme such that a total number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data is based on the forward error correction scheme;
allocate, from the plurality of communication channels, a subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter for transmitting the message, where a number of channels allocated to the subset is based on the total of number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data and the forward error correction scheme; and
assign, for transmission by the transmitter, each of the plurality of pieces of data to a communication channel of the subset such that each communication channel of the subset is assigned to one or more of the plurality of pieces of data.
2. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the network controller is further configured to:
receive, from the transmitter, quality of service information indicating channel errors and channel outages for each channel of the plurality of communication channels; and
wherein being configured to allocate the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter includes being configured to:
compare the quality of service information for each channel of the plurality of communication channels to a channel quality threshold; and
determine, using the comparison, the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, channels of the plurality of communication channels that satisfy the channel quality threshold, and excluding, from the subset, communication channels of the plurality of communication channels that do not satisfy the channel quality threshold.
3. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pieces of data of the message are generated based on the subset of communication channels such that a total number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data is based on a total number of communications channels in the subset of communications channels.
4. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 1 , wherein being configured to allocate the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter includes being configured to:
determine the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, a number of channels of the plurality of communication channels to the subset, the number of channels based on the total of number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data.
5. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 4 , wherein being configured to allocate the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter further includes being configured to:
determine, using stored availability data, a channel availability of each of the plurality of communications channels;
further determine the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, channels of the plurality of communication channels indicated by the stored availability data as available, and excluding, from the subset, communication channels of the plurality of communication channels indicated by the stored availability data as unavailable; and
update the stored availability data based on the subset of communication channels allocated to the transmitter.
6. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiving station configured to receive, from the transmitter via the subset of communication channels, the plurality of pieces of data and to combine two or more of the plurality of pieces of data to retrieve the message.
7. A multi-path communication apparatus for multiplexing data among a plurality of communication channels, the apparatus comprising:
a receiving station configured to:
receive, from a transmitter, a message transmitted as a plurality of pieces of data that each make up a portion of the message, the plurality of pieces of data transmitted using a subset of a plurality of communication channels, where the plurality of pieces of data of the message are generated based on a forward error correction scheme such that a total number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data is based on the forward error correction scheme, and where the subset is determined from a number of channels of the plurality of communication channels assigned to the subset, the number of channels based on the total of number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data; and
combine two or more of the plurality of pieces of data to retrieve the message.
8. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the receiving station is further configured to:
determine quality of service information indicating channel errors and channel outages for each channel of the subset of communications channels; and
transmit, using the communications circuitry, the quality of service information to one of the transmitter and a network controller.
9. The multi-path communication apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the receiving station is further configured to:
determine that it did not successfully receive the first piece of the transmitted message;
and request, using the communications circuitry, that the transmitting apparatus retransmit the first piece of the transmitted message using at least one of a different channel and a different code rate.
10. A method for multiplexing data among a plurality of communication channels, the method comprising:
a network controller communicatively coupled with the transmitter, the network controller configured to:
receiving, from a transmitter configured to transmit data over the air via the plurality of communications channels, a service request indicating a message to be transmitted, the message including a plurality of pieces of data that each make up a portion of the message, the plurality of pieces of data generated based on a forward error correction scheme such that a total number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data is based on the forward error correction scheme;
allocating, using a network controller communicatively coupled with the transmitter, a subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter for transmitting the message, where a number of channels allocated to the subset is based on the total of number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data and the forward error correction scheme; and
assigning, for transmission by the transmitter, each of the plurality of pieces of data to a communication channel of the subset such that each communication channel of the subset is assigned to one or more of the plurality of pieces of data.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, from the transmitter, quality of service information indicating channel errors and channel outages for each channel of the plurality of communications channels; and
wherein allocating the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter includes:
comparing the quality of service information for each channel of the plurality of communication channels to a channel quality threshold; and
determining, using the comparison, the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, channels of the plurality of communication channels that satisfy the channel quality threshold, and excluding, from the subset, communication channels of the plurality of communication channels that do not satisfy the channel quality threshold.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of pieces of data of the message are generated based on the subset of communication channels such that a total number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data is based on a total number of communications channels in the subset of communications channels.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein being configured to allocate the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter includes:
determining the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, a number of channels of the plurality of communication channels to the subset, the number of channels based on the total of number of pieces of data in the plurality of pieces of data.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein being configured to allocate the subset of the plurality of communication channels to the transmitter further includes:
determining, using stored availability data, a channel availability of each of the plurality of communications channels;
further determining the subset of communication channels by assigning, to the subset, channels of the plurality of communication channels indicated by the stored availability data as available, and excluding, from the subset, communication channels of the plurality of communication channels indicated by the stored availability data as unavailable; and
updating the stored availability data based on the subset of communication channels allocated to the transmitter.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, from the transmitter via the subset of communication channels, the plurality of pieces of data; and
combining two or more of the plurality of pieces of data to retrieve the message.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the total number of communications channels includes at least fifty channels.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the total number of communications channels is such that a probability of failure of every communications channel of the plurality of communications channels is no greater than 10 −32 %.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of pieces of data each make up a different portion of the message.