Resource allocation strategies in MF-TDMA satellite systems

In modern satellite communication systems, because of its high efficiency and flexibility, multi-frequency time-division multiple-access (MF-TDMA) technique is widely applied to the up-link of broadband communication satellites. The timeslot allocation strategy is the key to guarantee the efficient utilization of the system resources. This issue can be divided into two steps: channel select and in-channel slot allocation. In step 1, there are already some efficient methods such as the RCP-fit algorithm. This article concentrates on step 2, and proposes an inverse numbering slot tree as a model, thereby simplifying and solving the difficulty of time-evenly-dispersed slot allocation. Based on this bin-tree model, an optimized timeslot allocation algorithm is advanced including the Buddy-fit optimal allocation method and recursive adjusting process to reduce the detrimental influence caused by timeslot fragments. The simulation shows that the allocation algorithm is of high efficiency in the management of timeslot resources.