Proposal of an Algorithm for an Efficient Forward Link Adaptive Coding and Modulation System for Satellite Communication

This paper proposes the algorithm for forward link adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) and the detailed design for a satellite communication system to improve network reliability and system throughput. In the ACM scheme, the coding and modulation schemes are changed by as much as the channel can provide depending on the quality of the communication link. To implement the forward link ACM system in the Ka-band, channel prediction and modulation/coding decision methods are proposed and simulated. The parameters of the adaptive filter predictor based on the least mean square are optimized, the minimum mean square error of the channel predictor is 0.0608 when step size and the number of filter tap are 0.0001 and 4, respectively. A test-bed is set up to verify the forward link ACM system, and a test is performed using a Ka-band satellite (i.e., Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite [COMS]). This test verifies that the ACM scheme can increase the system throughput.