System and method for mobile terminal initiated satellite communications

摘要

A system and method for improving efficiency of satellite communications is described. In one embodiment, efficient satellite communications is enabled through event-driven reporting by a mobile terminal.

主权项

1. A communications method in a mobile terminal, wherein communication between a plurality of mobile terminals and an operation center is supported by a carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, the method comprising:
transmitting a scheduled report to the operation center on a scheduled timeslot in said carousel of cyclically repeating ordered sequence of timeslots, said scheduled timeslot assigned to the mobile terminal; detecting an occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal; identifying a usable communication timeslot based on a sequential analysis of a plurality of consecutive timeslots in said carousel that includes timeslots of a scheduled reporting timeslot type that are assigned to mobile terminals and timeslots of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type that are not assigned to mobile terminals, said sequential analysis of said plurality of consecutive timeslots including analyzing each of said plurality of consecutive timeslots in the order defined by said carousel, said analyzing identifying a timeslot of an unscheduled reporting timeslot type as a usable communication timeslot when it is determined that another mobile terminal will not be using a return link to transmit a packet; and transmitting an unscheduled report based on said detected event on said identified usable communication timeslot.