Low latency schedule-driven handovers

US11729684B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Space Exploration Technologies Corp. · US

Inventors

• Chen Chen · Irvine, US
• Pavel Chikulaev · Redmond, US
• Sergii Ziuzin · Redmond, US
• David Sacks · Redmond, US
• Peter J. Worters · Menlo Park, US
• Darshan Purohit · San Jose, US
• Yashodhan Dandekar · Cupertino, US
• Vladimir Skuratovich · Seattle, US
• Andrei Pushkin · Woodinville, US
• Phillip E. Barber · Sammamish, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 2, 2021
• Grant date: Aug 15, 2023
• Expiry date: Jun 2, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W36/18
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Systems, methods, and non-transitory media are provided for low latency handovers. An example method can include receiving, by a user terminal associated with a cell served by a satellite, a schedule of communications between the user terminal and one or more satellites; requesting, based on the schedule, a handover from a beam of the satellite to a different beam of one of the satellite or a different satellite; processing packets transmitted over the beam of the satellite and/or the different beam of the one of the satellite or the different satellite; performing the handover from the beam of the satellite to the different beam of the one of the satellite or the different satellite; and after the handover, transmitting, by the user terminal, one or more packets via the different beam of the one of the satellite or the different satellite.