Multi-Channel Single Carrier Per Channel (SCPC) Systems and Related Methods

• US 20110058518A1
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Comtech EF Data (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comtech EF Data (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Dale, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/877,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/22 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits

Abstract

A multi-channel demodulating system comprising an analog to digital converter (ADC) that samples an input signal and produces a digital signal, a tuning, filtering, and decimation stage coupled to the ADC and configured to select a transponder based on a frequency range of the digital signal and deliver a signal representative of the digital signal to the transponder, and a demodulator coupled to the selected transponder, a decoder, and the circuit stage, the demodulator configured to receive the representative signal from the transponder, the demodulator and decoder configured to separate and process the representative signal to produce a processed signal. The system further comprises a packet de-encapsulation module coupled to the demodulator and decoder configured to de-encapsulate packets of data contained in the processed signal, a switch coupled to the packet de-encapsulation module and a satellite router, the switch configured to transmit the packets of data to the satellite router.

Claims

1. A multi-channel demodulating system comprising:

an analog to digital converter (ADC) that samples an input signal and produces a digital signal;

a tuning, filtering, and decimation stage coupled to the ADC and configured to select a transponder from a plurality of transponders based on a frequency range of the digital signal and deliver a signal representative of the digital signal to the transponder;

a demodulator coupled to the selected transponder, a decoder, and the circuit stage, the demodulator configured to receive the representative signal from the transponder, the demodulator and decoder configured to separate and process the representative signal to produce a processed signal;

a packet de-encapsulation module coupled to the demodulator and decoder, and configured to de-encapsulate packets of data contained in the processed signal; and

a switch that is coupled to the packet de-encapsulation module and a satellite router, the switch configured to transmit the packets of data to the satellite router.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tuning, filtering, and decimation stage is further configured to perform Nyquist filtering.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tuning, filtering, and decimation stage is further configured to perform surface acoustic wave (SAW) filtering.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tuning, filtering, and decimation stage is further configured to downconvert the representative signal from the transponder to complex baseband.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least a second demodulator and a second decoder that are arranged in a parallel configuration and configured to separate and process data included in channels within the representative signal received from the transponder.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein channel bandwidths are multiples of a constant multiplicative factor.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the packet de-encapsulation module is configured to de-encapsulate packets that have been encapsulated using high-level data link control (HDLC).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the packets of data are packets of data that have been encapsulated using multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE) and wherein the packet de-encapsulation module is configured to de-encapsulate the packets that have been encapsulated using multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the de-encapsulation module is configured to perform virtual local area network (VLAN) tagging using VLAN tags.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the VLAN tags are associated with each channel defined within the transponder.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch is an Ethernet switch.

12. A multi-channel modulating system comprising:

a satellite router that transmits a signal comprising data packets to a switch coupled with a packet encapsulation module configured to encapsulate the data packets and incorporate the encapsulated data packets into a data stream having one or more channels;

a multi-channel encoding and modulation module coupled to the packet encapsulation module and configured to combine the one or more channels of the data stream into a bandwidth of a single output signal;

an interpolation module coupled to the multi-channel encoding and modulation module and is configured to interpolate the signal received from the multi-channel encoding and modulation module and upconvert the signal;

a filter that is coupled with the interpolation module and is configured to receive the signal from the interpolation module and filter the signal; and

a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that is coupled with the filter and is configured to produce an analog signal that is transmitted to an upconverter.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the data packets include virtual local area network (VLAN) tags.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the switch is an Ethernet switch.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the interpolation module upconverts the signal from complex baseband to an intermediate frequency (IF).

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the analog signal produced by the DAC is a low-IF analog signal.

17. A method of transmitting data using a multi-channel demodulating system, the method comprising:

sampling an input signal and producing a digital signal using an analog to digital converter (ADC);

selecting a transponder from a plurality of transponders based on a frequency range of the digital signal using a tuner, a filter, and a decimator that are coupled together to form a circuit stage;

separating and processing the digital signal with a demodulator and a decoder coupled to the transponder after it is passed through the transponder;

de-encapsulating packets of data contained in the processed digital signal received from the decoder using a packet de-encapsulation module coupled to the demodulator and decoder; and

transmitting the de-encapsulated packets of data to a satellite router through a switch coupled between the packet de-encapsulation module and the satellite router.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising Nyquist filtering the digital signal at the circuit stage with the filter.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising surface acoustic wave (SAW) filtering the digital signal at the circuit stage with the filter.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising downconverting the digital signal at the circuit stage to complex baseband using the tuner, filter, and decimator.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising separating and processing data included in channels within the signal received from the transponder using at least a second demodulator and a second decoder arranged in a parallel configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein channel bandwidths are multiples of a constant multiplicative factor.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising de-encapsulating packets that have been encapsulated using high-level data link control (HDLC) at the packet de-encapsulation module.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising de-encapsulating packets that have been encapsulated using multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE) at the packet de-encapsulation module.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing virtual local area network (VLAN) tagging using the de-encapsulation module is configured to perform virtual local area network (VLAN) tagging using VLAN tags.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the VLAN tags are associated with each channel defined within the transponder.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the switch is an Ethernet switch.

28. A method of transmitting data using a multi-channel modulating system, the method comprising:

transmitting a signal to a switch that is coupled with a packet encapsulation module using a satellite router, the signal comprising data packets;

encapsulating the data packets using the packet encapsulation module and incorporating the encapsulated data packets into a data stream having one or more channels;

combining the one or more channels of the data stream into a bandwidth of a single output signal using a multi-channel encoding and modulation module that is coupled to the packet encapsulation module;

interpolating the signal received from the multi-channel encoding and modulation module and upconverting the signal using an interpolation module that is coupled to the multi-channel encoding and modulation module;

receiving the signal from the interpolation module and filtering the signal using a filter that is coupled with the interpolation module; and

producing an analog signal that is transmitted to an upconverter using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that is coupled with the filter.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the data packets include virtual local area network (VLAN) tags.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the switch is an Ethernet switch.

31. The system of claim 28, further comprising upconverting the signal from complex baseband to an intermediate frequency (IF) using the interpolation module.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the analog signal produced by the DAC is a low-IF analog signal.