Level 1 - Up-link Only  

Equipment Health Monitoring - machine CANBus/GPS output only - one way outwards data traffic

Level 2 - Up-link Only

Mission Control Operations - Productivity

Data output from third party productivity systems.

Level 3 - Up-link Only

Operator Health Monitoring

We intend to offer a bio-metrics solution for construction equipment operators, using the bio-metrics technology employed by ESA to monitor the health of astronauts on-board the International Space Station.

There are two solutions:

a) Closed cabin - a sensor in the cabin linked to the modem picks up and reports on basic operator body functions such as heart-beat.

b) Open or closed cabin - the operator wears a wireless vest with sensors that pick up and wirelessly transmit to a nearby receiver (within 20 metres and connected to the modem), a wider range of bodily functions than the remote sensor can access.

Level 4 - Uplink and Down-link

Audio/Visual Communications

Web-based AV methods such as Skype, MSN etc to allow direct, real-time interaction between a machine operator and base. In this case, as more band-width is used, regular polling falls away automatically to make way for the audio Visual conversation taking place. As soon as the AV link is closed, regular polling flows back and resumes as usual.

Level 5 - Uplink and Downlink

Remote control of equipment

We think that it is time to encourage the introduction of remote control of equipment. This is especially relevant for heavy mine trucks operating around the clock with three driver shifts over a regular route in and out of an open cut mine. Like bio-metrics, the technology has been waiting for sufficient commercially priced bandwidth.

A mobile satellite broadband link allows the trucks to be driven by remote control from anywhere on earth.

Business Model

EstrellaSat leases satellite channel on a per modem rate.

The equipment (on-machine modem/antenna and earth station channel units at base) can be either purchased or leased by customers. In any event, all equipment whether sold or leased will be fully maintained world-wide by EstrellaSat, with planned service facilities in Noordwijk, The Netherlands for Europe-Africa, Singapore for Asia-Pacific and Austin, Texas for the Americas. 

Service is subject to additional charges.

The most important aspect of this model and the reason we designed it this way is that all equipment and data will be under the sole control and jurisdiction of the customer. Data from the field goes directly to the customer without being processed or accessed in any way by EstrellaSat or anyone else.

This private control of data flow aspect is critical for commercial privacy reasons.

All of the various technologies outlined here already exist and are proven in service, mostly in Space applications. EstrellaSat is creating a new, value creating service for the customer that will produce clear and identifiable productivity gains for equipment owners and operators.

Level 1 Uplink Service in Detail

This service will be a mobile equipment monitoring and control system that is global from inception.

We are developing a service whereby a customer can get an intuitive, visual real-time global or continental space level view () of the location of all his trucks wherever they are.  Each truck will have some vital information always visible to the control operator. Where there is an exception (over limit brake temperature variance for example) this will show up on the control operators Space-View screen as a flashing warning message centred on the affected truck.

The operator clicks on the truck and brings up a birds eye view () of the mine site, (specific overlay of the mine site showing all roads and tracks) where he can see where the truck is located on the mine road, and where all the other trucks are at that particular moment. He can click again and bring up the () 3D transparent image of the affected truck with the affected system (say rear left brake system) highlighted in red. He can click again and see in detail a () 3D transparent image of the affected brake system in detail.

Any or all of these image stages can be shared with others around the world, including the truck driver on a screen in his cabin, a mobile mechanic in the field at the mine on his PDA or Blackberry, the mine control room, and the product support office at the manufacturers Product Support HQ.
 
Phase 2 will allow a dense, high band width (L-Band or Ku Band) interactive uplink/downlink communication by all these parties using, for example, Skype type web communications to allow real-time discussion of the engineering problem and remote engineering assistance to technicians at the mine site. 

Equipment

An EstrellaSat modem will pick up data streamed off the machine CANBus and transmitted using a small form factor non mechanical tracking satellite antenna, via the satellite to a ground station channel unit located either in a regional satellite teleport or an entirely customer owned facility. The important point of this system is that it can be fully private. The entire system from the in field modem to the regional (Americas, Europe/Africa, Asia/Pacific) ground station channel unit can be entirely under the operating control of the customer.

Only EstrellaSat customers' units at for example a big mine site will be able to use the service.

At the customer's service base, EMDP includes a complete mission control unit.

Technology Background

Satellite Link

EMDP mobile satellite broadband is based on digital signal processing technology originally developed in connection with the Voyager Space Mission, using turbo-coding to exponentially increase data transmission capacity to and from a satellite. Bandwidth when mobile achieved over L-Band is from 64 kbps to 400 kbps. 

Intuitive Visual Monitoring and Control

EMDP front end intuitive visual monitoring and control systems were developed for the monitoring and control of long range interplanetary spacecraft, especially the ongoing Mars missions, and have so far not been used commercially. Successful terrestrial trials have been carried out on Formula One racing cars.

Summary

We believe that our proposed EMDP service will revolutionise the monitoring and control of mobile heavy equipment located in very remote areas, especially away from existing terrestrial 3D and 4D telecoms networks. By utilising highly advanced intuitive visual displays, a wide range of users, physically located anywhere in the world, will be able to quickly grasp fast developing real time maintenance issues in the field (a picture tells a thousand words).

The broadband satellite link will also enable control operators to communicate audio/visually with people at the site. So for example the driver with his in cabin screen, the onsite technician with his Blackberry, the mine control operator, product support at dealer base and engineers customer HQ can all communicate in real time.

We are only beginning to understand the wide variety of applications that EMDP will enable. For example, it can also allow for remote monitoring of operator health and performance, in the same way as the technology allows for remote monitoring of astronauts.