Aspects presented herein may improve the precision and performance of a TDOA-based UE positioning scheme that is associated with an NTN. In one aspect, a UE receives, from a first satellite, a first PRS at a first reception time. The UE receives, from a second satellite, a second PRS at a second reception time and an indication of a transmission-reception time difference, the transmission-reception time difference being a difference between a time the second satellite transmits the second PRS to the UE and a time the second satellite receives an RS from the first satellite. The UE calculates an RSTD for the first PRS and the second PRS based at least in part on the first reception time of the first PRS, the second reception time of the second PRS, and the transmission-reception time difference.

The present disclosure can perform positioning of a terminal even though a communication bandwidth capable of being used by a reference station is narrow. In a positioning method, a positioning system, a correction information generation method, and a correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, coordinates of a terminal are positioned by using the reference station, a plurality of relay stations communicating with the reference station, and the terminal communicating with the relay station. In the positioning method, the positioning system, the correction information generation method, and the correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, information for specifying the relay station communicating with the terminal is acquired, and the correction information is generated based on the positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station based on the coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal. In the positioning method and the positioning system of the present disclosure, the reference station transmits the correction information to the terminal via the relay station.

A routing method and apparatus for SDN-based LEO satellite network are disclosed. The LEO satellite network includes a control plane and a data plane. The control plane includes a central controller and a plurality of local controllers. The data plane includes a plurality of LEO satellite nodes and user terminals connecting to the LEO satellite nodes. The control plane may be located on the earth, and thus the centralized management and control of the data plane are placed on the earth. A local controllers monitors LEO satellite nodes in a subnet or subnets of the local controller. The distance between a local controller and a LEO satellite node is much smaller than the distance between a GEO satellite node and the LEO satellite node, and thus the time delay and the traffic loss of communication are reduced.

Radio communications systems use 100 to 200 satellites in random low-earth orbits distributed over a predetermined range of north and south latitudes. The satellites themselves create a radio route between ground stations via radio links between multiple satellites by virtue of onboard global navigation satellite system circuitry for determining the location of the satellite and route creation circuitry for calculating in real time the direction from the satellite's location at a particular instant to a destination ground station. Directional antennas in the satellites transmit routing radio signals to enhance the probability of reception by other satellites. One embodiment facilitates the creation of satellite-to-satellite links by assigning each satellite a unique identifier, storing orbital information defining the locations of all of the orbiting satellites in the system at any particular time, and including in the radio signal the unique identifier associated with the transmitting satellite.

A scheduler apparatus includes: a calculation unit to determine, on the basis of a time required for switching from a first orbiting satellite that is an orbiting satellite to which an earth station is currently directed to a second orbiting satellite candidate that is an orbiting satellite as a candidate for a second orbiting satellite that is an orbiting satellite to which the earth station is directed next, a future expected throughput between the earth station and the first orbiting satellite, and a future expected throughput between the earth station and the second orbiting satellite candidate, the second orbiting satellite and a switching timing at which the earth station switches a directed satellite from the first orbiting satellite to the second orbiting satellite; and an interface to transmit information on the second orbiting satellite and the switching timing determined by the calculation unit.

A scheduler apparatus includes: a calculation unit to determine, on the basis of a time required for switching from a first orbiting satellite that is an orbiting satellite to which an earth station is currently directed to a second orbiting satellite candidate that is an orbiting satellite as a candidate for a second orbiting satellite that is an orbiting satellite to which the earth station is directed next, a future expected throughput between the earth station and the first orbiting satellite, and a future expected throughput between the earth station and the second orbiting satellite candidate, the second orbiting satellite and a switching timing at which the earth station switches a directed satellite from the first orbiting satellite to the second orbiting satellite; and an interface to transmit information on the second orbiting satellite and the switching timing determined by the calculation unit.

A communication system is described. The system includes: at least one gateway able to provide broadband connectivity, a set of ground terminals, and a set of high altitude platforms (HAPs), where at least one aerial platform is able to communicate with at least one gateway using radio frequencies, each HAP is able to communicate with ground terminals using radio frequencies, and each HAP is able to communicate with each other HAP using radio frequencies. Ways to handoff a ground terminal/gateway from one HAP beam to another HAP beam are described. Ways to handoff a ground terminal/gateway from one HAP to another HAP are described. Ways that keep the communications payload radios active when there is data traffic and put the radios in sleep mode otherwise, thereby adjusting the communications payload power consumption to the data traffic requirements as a function of time and coverage area, are described.

Communication network architectures, systems and methods for supporting a network of mobile nodes. As a non-limiting example, various aspects of this disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication network comprising a complex array of both static and moving communication nodes (e.g., the Internet of moving things). For example, systems and method for vehicular positioning based on wireless fingerprinting data in a network of moving things including, for example, autonomous vehicles.

Radio communications systems use 100 to 200 satellites in random low-earth orbits distributed over a predetermined range of north and south latitudes. The satellites themselves create a radio route between ground stations via radio links between multiple satellites by virtue of onboard global navigation satellite system circuitry for determining the location of the satellite and route creation circuitry for calculating in real time the direction from the satellite's location at a particular instant to a destination ground station. Directional antennas in the satellites transmit routing radio signals to enhance the probability of reception by other satellites. One embodiment facilitates the creation of satellite-to-satellite links by assigning each satellite a unique identifier, storing orbital information defining the locations of all of the orbiting satellites in the system at any particular time, and including in the radio signal the unique identifier associated with the transmitting satellite.

Radio communications systems use 100 to 200 satellites in random low-earth orbits distributed over a predetermined range of north and south latitudes. The satellites themselves create a radio route between ground stations via radio links between multiple satellites by virtue of onboard global navigation satellite system circuitry for determining the location of the satellite and route creation circuitry for calculating in real time the direction from the satellite's location at a particular instant to a destination ground station. Directional antennas in the satellites transmit routing radio signals to enhance the probability of reception by other satellites. One embodiment facilitates the creation of satellite-to-satellite links by assigning each satellite a unique identifier, storing orbital information defining the locations of all of the orbiting satellites in the system at any particular time, and including in the radio signal the unique identifier associated with the transmitting satellite.