Satellite for end-to-end beamforming with access node clusters
First Claim
1. A satellite for providing communications between a plurality of access node clusters and a plurality of user terminals, wherein each access node cluster of the plurality of access node clusters comprises a plurality of access nodes geographically distributed within a corresponding access node area, and wherein the plurality of user terminals are geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the satellite comprising:
- a feeder-link antenna subsystem comprising a feeder-link element array to illuminate the plurality of access node clusters, the feeder-link element array comprising an array of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements and an array of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements;
a user-link antenna subsystem comprising a user-link element array to illuminate the user coverage area, the user-link element array comprising an array of cooperating user-link constituent transmit elements and an array of cooperating user-link constituent receive elements;
a plurality of forward-link transponders, each coupled between a respective one of the feeder-link constituent receive elements and a respective one of the user-link constituent transmit elements; and
a plurality of return-link transponders, each coupled between a respective one of the user-link constituent receive elements and a respective one of the feeder-link constituent transmit elements.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.
120 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A satellite for providing communications between a plurality of access node clusters and a plurality of user terminals, wherein each access node cluster of the plurality of access node clusters comprises a plurality of access nodes geographically distributed within a corresponding access node area, and wherein the plurality of user terminals are geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the satellite comprising:
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a feeder-link antenna subsystem comprising a feeder-link element array to illuminate the plurality of access node clusters, the feeder-link element array comprising an array of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements and an array of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements; a user-link antenna subsystem comprising a user-link element array to illuminate the user coverage area, the user-link element array comprising an array of cooperating user-link constituent transmit elements and an array of cooperating user-link constituent receive elements; a plurality of forward-link transponders, each coupled between a respective one of the feeder-link constituent receive elements and a respective one of the user-link constituent transmit elements; and a plurality of return-link transponders, each coupled between a respective one of the user-link constituent receive elements and a respective one of the feeder-link constituent transmit elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for providing a communication service to user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area via an end-to-end relay comprising multiple receive/transmit signal paths, the method comprising:
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receiving, by a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements, composite input forward signals that are superpositions of a plurality of forward uplink signals transmitted by a set of access nodes, the set of access nodes comprising access nodes of at least one of a plurality of access node clusters, wherein each of the plurality of access node clusters comprises a plurality of access nodes at geographically distributed locations within a corresponding one of a plurality of access node areas; generating a plurality of forward downlink signals from the composite input forward signals via the multiple receive/transmit signal paths; and transmitting the plurality of forward downlink signals by a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent transmit elements, wherein the forward downlink signals are transmitted to a plurality of the user terminals. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for providing a communication service to user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area via an end-to-end relay comprising multiple receive/transmit signal paths, the method comprising:
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receiving return uplink signals by a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent receive elements from at least some of the plurality of user terminals; generating a plurality of return downlink signals from the received return uplink signals; and transmitting the plurality of return downlink signals by a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements to a set of access nodes, the set of access nodes comprising access nodes of at least one of a plurality of access node clusters, wherein each of the plurality of access node clusters comprises a plurality of access nodes at geographically distributed locations within a corresponding one of a plurality of access node areas. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification