Telecommunications – Radiotelephone system – Zoned or cellular telephone system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-17
2004-01-06
Trost, William (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Radiotelephone system
Zoned or cellular telephone system
C455S456100, C455S456300, C455S456600, C455S457000, C455S427000, C455S430000, C455S550100, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675011
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication control apparatus, a portable communication apparatus and a communication control method, all for performing communications via a communication satellite and a ground radio base station, and more particularly to a fitted-on type miniature communication control system such as, a wrist watch type system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile radiotelephone systems like an automobile telephone and a cellular telephone are nowadays utilized widely. In recent years, new mobile radiotelephone systems such as a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) in Japan and a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) in Europe have been developed. Now the miniaturization of the mobile radiotelephone systems and an improvement in their performances are being carried out in accordance with the digitization of communication/call data. As a result, a small-sized communication terminal having a high performance can be used for sending and receiving data to and from a facsimile and a personal computer.
A system utilizing a communication satellite (geostationary satellite), which moves in a stationary orbit, is mainly used as a satellite communication system. In a satellite communication system utilizing a geostationary satellite, a communication terminal requires a large-sized parabola antenna. A worldwide mobile communication system employing, in place of a geostationary satellite, a plurality of non-geostationary satellites which move in orbits lower in height than the orbit of the geostationary satellite, is being planned now. Among others, considerations and experiments have already been initiated for plans such as the “Iridium Project”, “Odyssey”, “Global Star” and “Inmarsat-P” in order to bring them into practice.
In the mobile communication system utilizing non-geostationary satellites, one communication terminal outputs radio waves of the same degree as those for a current portable telephone and performs communications with another communication terminal via a communication satellite.
In recent years, a GPS (Global Positioning System) which measures a current position through the use of a GPS satellite has been generally utilized. A navigation apparatus which is mounted in a vehicle is mainly adopted in the GPS. Of late, however, a portable GPS reception apparatus has also been employed in accordance with the miniaturization of a GPS reception unit which receives radio waves from a GPS satellite. In Europe and the United States, a DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) in which a fixed reception station accurately receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and correction data is created based on the received radio waves, is also utilized in order to improve the measurement accuracy in the GPS.
The mobile radiotelephone systems such as a cellular telephone and the PHS are basically those for achieving a call between communication terminals through a relay radio base station. According to those systems, however, it is also possible to realize a long-distance call between communication terminals and to establish a connection between a communication terminal and a public line network. According to the mobile radiotelephone systems, a service area is divided into radio zones known as intermediate-distance area cells or short-distance area microcells. Radio base stations are provided in the individual radio zones and are in charge of them. The radio base stations are connected to each other via a private line network or a public line network, due to which a call can be made between communication terminals which differ in radio zone and which are far distant from each other, as well as between a communication terminal and a subscriber's telephone connected to the public line network.
In principle, the mobile radiotelephone systems can realize a call when a communication terminal is present in a radio zone where the communication terminal can receive radio waves from a radio base station. In order to cover all areas as the radio zones, the mobile radiotelephone systems have to be provided with a large number of radio base stations.
Depending on country and system, the mobile radiotelephone systems differ from each other in radio frequency, connection method, communication protocol and standards for the communication terminals. These differences make mutual connection and data exchange impossible, which results in that a communication terminal, which is adopted in one mobile radiotelephone system, cannot be used in another mobile radiotelephone system.
In the mobile communication systems such as the “Iridium Project”, “Odyssey”, “Global Star”, “Inmarsat-P”, etc. which are being planned now, communications are performed using non-geostationary satellites. In general, a geostationary satellite travels along a stationary orbit whose height is 36,000 km. Meanwhile, a non-geostationary satellite travels along a low earth orbit or a medium earth orbit. The height of the low earth orbit is approx. 500 km to several thousand kilometers, and is lower than that of the orbit of the geostationary satellite. The height of the medium earth orbit is approx. 10,000 km, and is located inside the Van Allen belts. In the mobile communication systems utilizing non-geostationary satellites, since the height of the orbit of a communication satellite is low, the radio wave propagation delay time is short and the propagation loss of radio waves is small. Those permit the size and weight of a communication unit, etc., which are mounted in the communication terminal or the communication satellite, to be reduced.
The mobile communication systems utilizing non-geostationary satellites have an advantage in that a call area, which is considerably wider than a radio zone (call area) where radio waves can be received from a radio base station, can be attained. However, the above-mentioned mobile communication systems have the following problem:
A non-geostationary satellite moves relative to the earth at high speed, and accordingly the period of time over which the communication satellite stays in a communicable area, where it can communicate with a communication terminal, is short. In the case where the non-geostationary satellite moves in an orbit whose height is 1,000 km, the period of time over which the satellite stays in the communicable area, which begins at a specific point on the ground, is only twelve minutes. In order to enable a call to be made continuously from the specific point on the ground, a large number of non-geostationary satellites are required, and those satellites have to be successively located in communicable areas where they can communicate with the communication terminal. Since the speed at which the non-geostationary satellites move relative to the earth is high, a frequency shift due to the Doppler effect is considerable.
The antennas and the bodies of the communication terminal, which are employed in the mobile communication systems utilizing the non-geostationary satellites, can be made smaller in size than those employed in a system employing a geostationary satellite, but have larger sizes than those employed in the mobile radiotelephone systems. In the mobile communication systems utilizing the non-geostationary satellites, the communication fees are more expensive than those in the mobile radiotelephone systems, because the costs of launching and controlling a large number of communication satellites are huge.
In order to bring the communication fees down close to the fees charged for use of the mobile radiotelephone systems, it has been considered to employ, in the mobile communication systems utilizing the non-geostationary satellites, dual-mode communication terminals which contain communication circuits for the mobile radiotelephone systems so that not only the mobile communication systems but also the mobile radiotelephone systems can be utilized. According to the mobile communication systems utilizing the non-geostationary satellites and employing the dual-mode communication ter
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Ferguson Keith
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Trost William
LandOfFree
Communication terminal device with communication controller does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Communication terminal device with communication controller, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Communication terminal device with communication controller will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3258071