NZ763056B2

NZ763056B2 - Flexible intra-satellite signal pathways

Info

Publication number: NZ763056B2
Application number: NZ763056A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Donald Becker; Aaron Mendelsohn
Original assignee: Viasat Inc
Filing date: 2017-09-22
Publication date: 2025-06-04

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for enabling flexible signal pathways within a satellite of a satellite communications system. For example, a pathway selection subsystem in a bent-pipe satellite enables a flexible arrangement of non-processed signal pathways that couple uplink antenna ports with downlink antenna ports via uplink and downlink pathway selectors. The pathway selectors can be dynamically reconfigured (e.g., on orbit), so that the configuration of the pathway selectors at one time can form one set of signal pathways between respective uplink and downlink antenna ports, and the configuration at another time can form a different set of signal pathways between respective uplink and downlink antenna ports. The pathway selection subsystem can have a simulcast mode which, when active, couples each of at least one of the uplink antenna ports with multiple of the user downlink antenna ports to form one or more simulcast signal pathways.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A bent-pipe satellite having flexible intra-satellite communications between a plurality of fixed spot beams, the satellite comprising: a fixed spot beam antenna subsystem having a plurality of uplink antenna ports and a plurality of downlink antenna ports, the uplink antenna ports comprising gateway uplink antenna ports and user uplink antenna ports, and the downlink antenna ports comprising gateway downlink antenna ports and user downlink antenna ports; and a pathway selection subsystem comprising a plurality of gateway uplink pathway selectors (GUPSs), a plurality of user downlink pathway selectors (UDPSs), and a divider- combiner network (DCN), wherein each GUPS is associated with a respective one of the gateway uplink antenna ports and each UDPS is associated with a respective one of the user downlink antenna ports, the pathway selection subsystem responsive to control signals to activate a plurality of non-processed forward signal pathways that couple the plurality of gateway uplink antenna ports with at least some of the plurality of user downlink antenna ports via the GUPSs and UDPSs, the pathway selection subsystem further comprising a forward simulcast mode which, when active, couples one of the gateway uplink antenna ports with multiple of the user downlink antenna ports such that one of the plurality of non-processed forward signal pathways is a forward simulcast signal pathway going from the associated GUPS to the multiple associated UDPSs via the DCN; and a pathway scheduling controller that provides the control signals to the pathway selection subsystem to activate the plurality of non-processed forward signal pathways according to a pathway selection schedule.

2. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 1, wherein: each GUPS comprises a GUPS input coupled with a respective one of the gateway uplink antenna ports, and a plurality of GUPS outputs; each UDPS comprises a UDPS output coupled with a respective one of the user downlink antenna ports, and a plurality of UDPS inputs; and each of at least some of the UDPS inputs is coupled with one of the GUPS outputs.

3. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 2, wherein: at least one of the non-processed forward signal pathways is formed by selecting one of the UDPS inputs of one of the UDPSs.

4. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 2 or 3, wherein: at least one of the non-processed forward signal pathways is formed by selecting one of the GUPS outputs of one of the GUPSs.

5. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1– 3 wherein: at least one of the GUPSs is a power divider that operates to couple one of the gateway uplink antenna ports with any one or more of the UDPSs at a time.

6. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1, 2, 4, or 5, wherein: at least one of the UDPSs is a power combiner that operates to couple multiple of the GUPSs with a respective at least one of the user downlink antenna ports at a time.

7. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1– 5 wherein: each UDPS is a selector switch that operates to couple one of the user downlink antenna ports with any single one of the GUPSs at a time.

8. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 7, wherein: the pathway selection subsystem further comprises a plurality of non-processed return signal pathways that couple at least some of the plurality of user uplink antenna ports with the plurality of gateway downlink antenna ports via a plurality of user uplink pathway selectors (UUPSs) and a plurality of gateway downlink pathway selectors (GDPSs).

9. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 8, wherein: the pathway selection subsystem further comprises a return simulcast mode which, when active, couples multiple of the user uplink antenna ports with one of the gateway downlink antenna ports, such that one of the plurality of non-processed return signal pathways is a return simulcast signal pathway.

10. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 8 or 9, wherein: each GDPS comprises a GDPS output coupled with a respective one of the gateway downlink antenna ports, and a plurality of GDPS inputs; each UUPS comprises a UUPS input coupled with a respective one of the user uplink antenna ports, and a plurality of UUPS outputs; and each of at least some of the UUPS outputs is coupled with one of the GDPS inputs.

11. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 10, wherein: at least one of the non-processed return signal pathways is formed by selecting one of the UUPS outputs of one of the UUPSs.

12. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 10 or 11, wherein: at least one of the non-processed return signal pathways is formed by selecting one of the GDPS inputs of one of the GDPSs.

13. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 8 – 12, wherein: at least one of the non-processed return signal pathways couples one of the user uplink ports with a corresponding one of the user downlink ports via one of the UUPSs and one of the UDPSs.

14. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 8 – 11 or 13 wherein: at least one of the GDPSs is a power combiner that operates to couple one of the gateway downlink antenna ports with any one or more of the UUPSs at a time.

15. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 8 – 10, 12 or 13, wherein: at least one of the UUPSs is a power divider that operates to couple multiple of the GDPSs with a respective at least one of the user uplink antenna ports at a time.

16. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 8 – 11, 13, or 14, wherein: each UUPS is a switch that operates to couple one of the user uplink antenna ports with any single one of the GDPSs at a time.

17. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 16, wherein the DCN has a plurality of DCN inputs and a plurality of DCN outputs, wherein each GUPS comprises a GUPS simulcast output coupled with a respective one of the plurality of DCN inputs, and wherein each UDPS comprises a UDPS simulcast input coupled with a respective one of the plurality of DCN outputs.

18. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 17, wherein: each GUPS comprises N+1 GUPS outputs comprising N monocast outputs and the GUPS simulcast output; each UDPS comprises N+1 UDPS inputs comprising N monocast inputs and the UDPS simulcast input; the divider-combiner network comprises N DCN inputs and N DCN outputs; and each monocast output of each GUPS is coupled with a respective monocast input of one of the UDPSs.

19. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 18, wherein the pathway selection subsystem further comprises: a plurality of channel filters, each coupled between a respective one of the GUPSs and a respective one of the gateway uplink antenna ports.

20. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 19, wherein the pathway selection subsystem further comprises: a plurality of frequency converters, each coupled between a respective one of the UDPSs and a respective one of the user downlink antenna ports.

21. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 20, wherein the pathway selection subsystem further comprises: a plurality of frequency converters, each coupled between a respective one of the GUPSs and a respective one of the gateway uplink antenna ports.

22. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 – 21 further comprising: a plurality of input subsystems, each comprising a low-noise amplifier coupled between a respective one of the GUPSs and a respective one of the gateway uplink antenna ports.

23. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1– 22, further comprising: a plurality of output subsystems, each comprising a respective portion of a multiport amplifier coupled between a respective one of the UDPSs and a respective one of the user downlink antenna ports.

24. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 23, wherein the multiport amplifier comprises a plurality of power amplifiers coupled between a first butler matrix and a second butler matrix.

25. The bent-pipe satellite of any one of claims 1 -24, further comprising: a memory, having stored thereon, the pathway selection schedule and a set of instructions, which, when executed, cause the pathway scheduling controller to provide the control signals to the pathway selection subsystem to activate the plurality of non-processed forward signal pathways according to a pathway selection schedule.

26. The bent-pipe satellite of claim 25, wherein the pathway selection schedule is updatable according to control information received from a ground terminal while the satellite is in orbit.