IP Library Granted Patent US 12,526,041
Granted Patent B2
US 12,526,041 · App. 18/278,415 · Granted Jan 13, 2026

Satellite communication system, transmission power control method, transmission power controller, and program

Inventors: Koichi Harada (Musashino, JP); Fumihiro Yamashita (Musashino, JP); Hiroki Shibayama (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
H04B7/18543H04B7/1855H04W84/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,526,041
App. No.
18/278,415
Granted
Jan 13, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A transmission power controller includes: a control unit that outputs, within a range not exceeding a transmission power control (TPC) set point, a TPC controlled variable that increases transmission power of a transmission system device more in a case of a larger attenuation of a reception signal received from a communication satellite; a data accumulation unit that accumulates the TPC controlled variable; an appropriate value extraction unit that extracts, as a TPC appropriate set point, the largest TPC controlled variable among the accumulated TPC controlled variables except a top predetermined proportion; and an updating unit that outputs, to the transmission system device, a reference transmission power increase signal that increases the reference transmission power more in a case of a larger difference between the TPC set point and the TPC appropriate set point and updates the TPC set point with the TPC appropriate set point. Thereby, efficient use of a transmitter is enabled.

Claims (29)

1 . A satellite communication system comprising:

a communication satellite; and

a satellite communication earth station configured to transmit and receive signals to and from the communication satellite,

wherein the satellite communication earth station includes:

a transmission power controller configured to output a transmission power control (TPC) controlled variable, the TPC controlled variable being a controlled variable of transmission power control for making constant a level of a transmission signal arriving at the communication satellite; and

a transmission system device configured to output the transmission signal with a transmission power obtained by adding a power according to the TPC controlled variable to a reference transmission power, and

the transmission power controller includes circuitry configured to:

output for each of control cycles, to the transmission system device, the TPC controlled variable for increasing the transmission power more in a case of a larger attenuation of a reception signal received from the communication satellite, the TPC controlled variable being equal to or less than a TPC set point;

accumulate the TPC controlled variable for each of the control cycles;

extract, as a TPC appropriate set point, the largest TPC controlled variable among the accumulated TPC controlled variables except a top predetermined proportion;

output, to the transmission system device, a reference transmission power increase signal for increasing the reference transmission power more in a case of a larger difference between the TPC set point and the TPC appropriate set point; and

update the TPC set point with the TPC appropriate set point.

2 . The satellite communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured to classify the accumulated TPC controlled variables in accordance with magnitude, and extract, as the TPC appropriate set point, a representative value of a classification to which the largest TPC controlled variable except the top predetermined proportion belongs.

3 . A transmission power control method for making constant a level of a transmission signal arriving at a communication satellite, the transmission power control method comprising:

outputting a transmission power control (TPC) controlled variable to a transmission system device for each of control cycles, the TPC controlled variable being a controlled variable of transmission power control for increasing transmission power more in a case of a larger attenuation of a reception signal received from the communication satellite and equal to or less than a TPC set point, and the transmission system device being configured to output the transmission signal with the transmission power obtained by adding a power according to the TPC controlled variable to a reference transmission power;

accumulating the TPC controlled variable for each of the control cycles;

extracting, as a TPC appropriate set point, the largest TPC controlled variable among the accumulated TPC controlled variables except a top predetermined proportion;

outputting, to the transmission system device, a reference transmission power increase signal for increasing the reference transmission power more in a case of a larger difference between the TPC set point and the TPC appropriate set point; and

updating the TPC set point with the TPC appropriate set point.

4 . The transmission power control method according to claim 3 , wherein

the extracting includes classifying the accumulated TPC controlled variables in accordance with magnitude, and extracting, as the TPC appropriate set point, a representative value of a classification to which the largest TPC controlled variable except the top predetermined proportion belongs.

5 . A transmission power controller for making constant a level of a transmission signal arriving at a communication satellite, the transmission power controller comprising circuitry configured to:

output a transmission power control (TPC) controlled variable to a transmission system device for each of control cycles, the TPC controlled variable being a controlled variable of transmission power control for increasing transmission power more in a case of a larger attenuation of a reception signal received from the communication satellite and equal to or less than a TPC set point, and the transmission system device being configured to output the transmission signal with the transmission power obtained by adding a power according to the TPC controlled variable to a reference transmission power;

accumulate the TPC controlled variable for each of the control cycles;

extract, as a TPC appropriate set point, the largest TPC controlled variable among the accumulated TPC controlled variables except a top predetermined proportion;

output, to the transmission system device, a reference transmission power increase signal for increasing the reference transmission power more in a case of a larger difference between the TPC set point and the TPC appropriate set point; and

update the TPC set point with the TPC appropriate set point.

6 . The transmission power controller according to claim 5 , wherein the circuitry is configured to classify the accumulated TPC controlled variables in accordance with magnitude, and extract, as the TPC appropriate set point, a representative value of a classification to which the largest TPC controlled variable except the top predetermined proportion belongs.

7 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording a program to be executed by a computer to cause the computer to function as the transmission power controller according to claim 5 .

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 21, 2025
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 072499/0774 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2023
From: HARADA, KOICHI; YAMASHITA, FUMIHIRO; SHIBAYAMA, HIROKI
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064676/0442 →
Continuity (2)
Related Publication 20240137114A1 · Apr 25, 2024
Related Publication 20240235663A9 · Jul 11, 2024
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