SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM CONSTITUTED WITH PRIMARY AND BACK-UP MULTI-BEAM SATELLITES
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Accused Products
Abstract
A satellite communication system for providing communications between user terminals and gateways constituted with m primary satellites. In one embodiment, n back up satellites are also provided. Further, each satellite, primary or back-up, is equipped to project N/m beams onto and across an area in a loosely-packed array manner. M of the m primary and n back-up satellites collectively create N beam spots to cover the area. Moreover, each sub-area is covered by a beam spot separated from another sub-area covered by another beam spot by one beam width. Each satellite is also equipped to facilitate communication over 1 of m band of frequencies on one beam. AS a result, any of the m primary satellites may be efficiently replaced on demand by a selected one of the n back-up satellites. The gateways and user terminals are configured to communicate signals through or with both or either the primary and back-up satellites.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1-30. -30. (canceled)
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31. A satellite communication system comprising:
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m primary satellites, each equipped to project N/m beams onto an area, the N/m beams from each primary satellite projected across the area in a loosely-packed array such that beam spots from any one of the m primary satellites are separated by one beam width, wherein N is the total number of beams projected over the area by the m primary satellites; and n back-up satellites, each equipped to project N/m beams onto the area such that beam spots from the n back-up satellites are positioned within the gaps between the beam spots from the m primary satellites, wherein failure of a primary satellite causes one of the n back-up satellites to redirect its beams to cover the area previously covered by the beams from the failed primary satellite. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of satellite communication, comprising:
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projecting N/m beams from each of m primary satellites onto an area in a loosely-packed array, the N/m beam spots from each of the m primary satellites separated by one beam width, wherein N is the total number of beams projected over the area by the m primary satellites; projecting N/m beams from each of n back-up satellites onto the area such that the beam spots from the n back-up satellites are positioned within the gaps between the beam spots from the m primary satellites; detecting a failure of one of the m primary satellites; and redirecting the N/m beams from one of the n back-up satellites to cover the areas previously covered by the beams from the failed primary satellite. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. Apparatus for use in a satellite communication system, comprising:
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means for configuring each of m primary satellites to project N/m beams onto an area in a loosely-packed array, the N/m beam spots from each of the m primary satellites separated by one beam width, wherein N is the total number of beams projected over the area by the m primary satellites; means for configuring each of n back-up satellites to project N/m beams such that the beam spots from the n back-up satellites are positioned within the gaps between the beam spots from the m primary satellites; means for detecting a failure of one of the m primary satellites; and means for redirecting the N/m beams from one of the n back-up satellites to cover the areas previously covered by the beams from the failed primary satellite. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50)
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Specification