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Method and apparatus to provide communication protection technology for satellite earth stations

  • US 20040042569A1
  • Filed: 09/03/2002
  • Published: 03/04/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. A system for communication protection that reduces interference signals in L-band, C-band or Ku-band satellite down links resulting from terrestrial, co-channel or adjacent channel satellite interference signals resulting from a variety of sources, the system comprising:

  • Antenna or interface means for receiving the main satellite down link signal directly or by down conversion to a convenient intermediate frequency, An auxiliary reference input port means for receiving and discriminating in band interference or jamming signals using either a separate auxiliary antenna, antenna feed or transmission line reference signal, used either directly or by down conversion to the same intermediate frequency, Coherent and synchronized down conversion means for both main and auxiliary signals effectively using the same reference local oscillator from a common source for injection into the main conversion path and to the auxiliary conversion path, phase locking or injection locking the local oscillator of the auxiliary conversion path to the local oscillator of the main conversion path, or providing a common reference clock signal from a common source to all conversion paths using a separate phase lock loop (PLL) local oscillator circuit for each conversion path, etc., A group delay equalization network in the main and/or auxiliary paths to match the cumulative delays in the main and auxiliary signals so that the interference signal components substantially correspond in the frequency range or bandwidth of interest, An auxiliary channel filter in the auxiliary signal path to select a segment of the channel or band and to discriminate against out-of-channel or out-of-band such that the signal output corresponds to the interference signal of interest, An automatic gain control (AGC) in the auxiliary signal path to set the dynamic range of the auxiliary signal path to substantially match the signal levels of interference on the two signals to the gain and dynamic range of the signal modulator. A reference coupler connected to the auxiliary input port following delay and gain control with a portion of the reference signal being provided for modulation and substantially representing the interference signal, the remaining portion of the reference signal being provided as a reference local oscillator for correlation with a sample of the system output error, A summing coupler connected to the main input port following delay control with the input port coupled to the main received signal, the second input port coupled to a modulated sample of the auxiliary input signal, and the output port being the sum of the two signals providing the cancellation signal, A channel filter in the post-cancellation error signal path to establish the bandwidth of the main channel and interference signal and the bandwidth of the cancellation process either coupled to the output port of the summing coupler after cancellation and whose output is provided to the input to the output coupler, or coupled to the error monitor port of the output coupler and whose output is provided to the correlating receiver as the error signal, An output coupler coupled to the output of the summing coupler or the output of the channel filter receiving a signal corresponding to the sum of the main receive signals and the modulated auxiliary signal, and corresponding to the cancellation or error signal, A correlating receiver having a first input coupled to the cancellation or error signal and a second input coupled to the auxiliary input reference coupler and responsive to these two signals where the reference signal serves as the local oscillator, the correlating receiver determining the phase and amplitude relationship between the reference and error signals, and providing a two port output conveying a measure of the error signal correlated to the reference signal in a defined bandwidth, either as quadrature (I/Q) signals, or as magnitude and phase signals, A system control having two inputs corresponding to the two output ports of the correlating receiver and responsive to error or cancellation signal magnitude and phase, applying the interference detection and suppression algorithm by providing two output ports to a signal modulator to modulate the auxiliary reference signal to cancel the interference, an output port to optimize the delay mismatch between the main received and the auxiliary reference signals, an output port to set the gain and dynamic range of the auxiliary reference signal into the process, and an output port consisting of a system data bus to communicate between control functions in other channels or bands and in an integrated manner with the satellite receiver to receive performance measurements of the channel, A signal modulator with input port connected to the reference coupler and output port connected to the second input port of the summing. coupler, electrically coupled to the system control, and responsive to the amplitude and phase controls for adaptive adjustment of the auxiliary signal to generate the canceling signal that is equal in level and opposite in phase with respect to the interference in the main channel.

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