Capacity reallocation method and apparatus for a tdma satellite

Abstract

In a time division multiple access communication system utilizing a satellite for communicating signals between a plurality of ground stations, at spaced times a reference ground station reallocates the total channel capacity of the system among the several ground stations to minimize system blocking and to thereby utilize the available system channel capacity more effectively. To increase the time between successive reallocations, channels are reallocated only when a ground station makes a channel capacity request that is greater than or equal to its corresponding present channel allocation. System blocking is minimized by using a table look-up scheme to generate excess capacity allocation factors for the stations and to thereby determine each station's proportionate share of excess system capacity. An appropriate portion of excess capacity is then added to each station's channel capacity request to provide a new channel allocation for each station. The new channel allocations are transmitted to appropriate ground stations and each station thereafter adjusts its burst duration to correspond to its new channel capacity allocation.