Bidirectional satellite communications

• US 10,374,696 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hemmati, Hamid, Tiwari, Abhishek
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US15/857,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20180191428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1125 using a single common optical path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/29 Repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/19 Earth-synchronous stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/195 Non-synchronous stations

Abstract

Particular embodiments may provide a transceiver in geosynchronous orbit. The transceiver may include a plurality of forward channel receivers. At least one of the forward channel receivers may receive (1) a forward channel laser communication beam transmitted from a ground station and (2) an E-band frequency having a bandwidth of 81-86 GHz. The transceiver may also include a plurality of forward channel transmitters having different frequencies. The forward channel transmitters may transmit user beams to endpoint devices, wherein the user beams are derived from the forward channel laser and MMW communication beams. The transceiver may also include a plurality of return channel receivers, wherein the return channel receivers receive user beams from the endpoint devices. The transceiver may also include at least one return channel transmitter, wherein the return channel transmitter transmits a return channel laser communication beam to a ground station.

Claims

1. A transceiver in geosynchronous orbit comprising:

a plurality of forward channel receivers, wherein at least one of the forward channel receivers receives (1) a forward channel laser communication beam transmitted from a ground station and (2) an E-band frequency having a bandwidth of 81-86 GHz;

a plurality of forward channel transmitters having different frequencies, wherein the forward channel transmitters transmit user beams to endpoint devices, wherein the user beams are derived from the forward channel laser and MMW communication beams;

a plurality of return channel receivers, wherein the return channel receivers receive user beams from the endpoint devices; and

at least one return channel transmitter, wherein the return channel transmitter transmits a return channel laser communication beam to a ground station.

2. The transceiver of claim 1, further comprising one or more processors and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:

receive forward channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at the forward channel receivers;

based on the forward channel data, generate a plurality of forward channel downlink signals, each of the forward channel downlink signals comprising at least a portion of the forward channel data; and

for each of the forward channel downlink signals, transmit the forward channel downlink signal to one of the forward channel transmitters.

3. The transceiver of claim 2, the processors being further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive return channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at the return channel receivers;

based on the return channel data, generate a single return channel downlink signal comprising the return channel data; and

transmit the return channel downlink signal to the return channel transmitter.

4. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein an endpoint device comprises an end user client device, and wherein the user beams are RF signals impinging on laser communication beams.

5. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein an endpoint device comprises a network gateway device, and wherein the user beams transmitted by the forward channel transmitters are laser communication beams transmitted in addition to E-band frequency signal having a bandwidth of 71-76 GHz.

6. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the return channel laser communication beam is transmitted in addition to a Q-band plus E-band frequency signal.

7. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the return channel laser communication beam is dual-polarized.

8. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is located on a satellite in low-earth orbit or medium-earth orbit.

9. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein a single antenna feed receives signals comprising multiple types of MMW bands simultaneously.

10. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein each of the forward channel transmitters transmit signals using frequencies on the Q/V-band. V-band, W E band, or W band.

11. A system comprising one or more processors and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:

receive forward channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at a plurality of forward channel receivers communicably connected to the system, wherein at least one of the forward channel receivers receives (1) a forward channel laser communication beam transmitted from a ground station and (2) an E-band frequency having a bandwidth of 81-86 GHz;

based on the forward channel data, generate a plurality of forward channel downlink signals, each of the forward channel downlink signals comprising at least a portion of the forward channel data; and

for each of the forward channel downlink signals, transmit the forward channel downlink signal to one of a plurality of forward channel transmitters communicably connected to the system, wherein the forward channel transmitters transmit, using different frequencies, user beams to endpoint devices, wherein the user beams are derived from the forward channel laser and MMW communication beams.

12. The system of claim 11, the processors being further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive forward channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at the forward channel receivers;

based on the forward channel data, generate a plurality of forward channel downlink signals, each of the forward channel downlink signals comprising at least a portion of the forward channel data; and

for each of the forward channel downlink signals, transmit the forward channel downlink signal to one of the forward channel transmitters.

13. The system of claim 12, the processors being further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive return channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at a plurality of return channel receivers, wherein the return channel receivers receive user beams from the endpoint devices;

based on the return channel data, generate a single return channel downlink signal comprising the return channel data; and

transmit the return channel downlink signal to a return channel transmitter, wherein the return channel transmitter transmits a return channel laser communication beam to a ground station.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein an endpoint device comprises an end user client device, and wherein the user beams are RF signals impinging on laser communication beams.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein an endpoint device comprises a network gateway device, and wherein the user beams transmitted by the forward channel transmitters are laser communication beams transmitted in addition to E-band frequency signal having a bandwidth of 71-76 GHz.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the return channel laser communication beam is transmitted in addition to a Q-band plus E-band frequency signal.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the return channel laser communication beam is dual-polarized.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is located on a satellite in low-earth orbit or medium-earth orbit.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein a single antenna feed receives signals comprising multiple types of MMW bands simultaneously.

20. A method of transmitting signals by a transceiver in geosynchronous orbit comprising:

by a plurality of forward channel receivers, receiving forward channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams, wherein at least one of the forward channel receivers receives (1) a forward channel laser communication beam transmitted from a ground station and (2) an E-band frequency having a bandwidth of 81-86 GHz;

by one or more processors of the transceiver and based on the forward channel data, generating a plurality of forward channel downlink signals, each of the forward channel downlink signals comprising at least a portion of the forward channel data;

by a plurality of forward channel transmitters having different frequencies, for each of the forward channel downlink signals, transmitting one or more user beams to one or more endpoint devices, wherein the user beams are derived from the forward channel laser and MMW communication beams;

by a plurality of return channel receivers, receiving return channel data transmitted by one or more uplink beams received at the return channel receivers, wherein the return channel receivers receive user beams from the endpoint devices;

by the one or more processors of the transceiver and based on the return channel data, generate a single return channel downlink signal comprising the return channel data; and

by at least one return channel transmitter, transmitting the return channel downlink signal to a ground station.