CPRI satellite communication system and method
View Patent ↗The technology relates to a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) satellite communication system and corresponding method. The satellite communication system has, in one arrangement, a base station configured to communicate with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view. The base station includes a plurality of base band units and a base station memory configured to store control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information associated with a cell in the field of view. The system also includes a processing device configured to cause the satellite to generate a satellite beam in accordance with the control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information stored in the base station memory.
1. A satellite communication system comprising:
a base station configured to communicate with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view, the base station comprising a plurality of base band units and a base station memory configured to store control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information associated with a cell in the field of view; and
a processing device configured to cause the satellite to generate a satellite beam in accordance with the control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information stored in the base station memory.
2. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the UE comprises a wireless device.
3. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the UE comprises a cellular phone.
4. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the satellite is arranged to communicate directly with the UE.
5. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the base station memory includes a control information buffer to store the control information, a downlink signal buffer to store the downlink signal information, and an uplink signal buffer to store the uplink signal information.
6. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the downlink signal information and the uplink signal information each include in-phase and quadrature component information for respective downlink or uplink communication channels.
7. The satellite communication system of claim 1 , wherein the control information includes one or more of cell identifiers, a communication type, a packing order, a phase array format, beam handover (BHO) cell identifiers, or BHO rescheduling information.
8. A satellite communication method, comprising:
generating, by a gateway controller module, control information and uplink signal information associated with a cell in a field of view of a satellite configured to communicate with standard compliant user equipment (UE);
storing, by a common public radio interface (CPRI), the control information in a control information buffer;
storing, by the CPRI, the uplink signal information in an uplink signal buffer;
associating, by one or more processors, the control information and uplink signal information with one or more baseband units of a baseband unit array, wherein the control information is used by the gateway controller module to control each of the one or more baseband units;
obtaining, by the CPRI, downlink signal information from the one or more baseband units;
storing, by the CPRI, the downlink signal information in a downlink signal buffer; and
causing the satellite to generate a satellite beam in accordance with the stored control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the downlink signal information and the uplink signal information each include in-phase and quadrature component information for respective downlink or uplink communication channels.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the control information includes one or more of cell identifiers, a communication type, a packing order, a phase array format, beam handover (BHO) cell identifiers, or BHO rescheduling information.