HIGH CAPACITY SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

• US 20140024307A1
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Roos, Dave, Kay, Stanley, Morris, Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18528 Satellite systems for providing two-way communications service to a network of fixed stations, i.e. fixed satellite service or very small aperture terminal [VSAT] system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2041 Spot beam multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A high capacity satellite communications system including a satellite with a beam for a forward downlink focused on a geographic area for which disproportionately higher capacity is desired, a hub located in a geographic area for which disproportionately lower capacity is desired, compared to the location of a VSAT, and the VSAT located in area where a beam for a forward downlink received by the VSAT from the satellite does not overlap with a beam for a return downlink received by the hub from a satellite.

Claims

1. A high capacity satellite communications system comprising:

at least one satellite with at least one beam for a forward downlink focused on a first geographic coverage area;

at least one hub located in a second geographic coverage area which is different from the first geographic coverage area, the first geographic coverage area and the second geographic coverage area configured with disproportionate amounts of bandwidth capacity such that the first geographic coverage area provides more bandwidth capacity and the second geographic coverage area provides less bandwidth capacity; and

at least one VSAT located in the first geographic coverage area where a first beam for the forward downlink received by the VSAT from a satellite does not overlap with a second beam for a return downlink received by a hub from the satellite.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hub is configured to use a return bandwidth that is at most half of a forward bandwidth.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one satellite is configured to switch to one or more redundant hubs if that at least one hub is unavailable.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one satellite is configured to use as few carriers as possible for the forward downlink based on the continuity of the frequencies available to the at least one satellite and a maximum bandwidth capacity of the at least one VSAT.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one VSAT uses one of SCMA and CPM on a return uplink to the at least one satellite.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one VSAT is configured to use a return bandwidth that is at most half of the available return bandwidth.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the return bandwidth is contiguous.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one satellite comprises at least one multiplexer;

and wherein the at least one multiplexer is configured to multiplex data received from the at least one hub.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one hub comprises at least one multiplexer;

and wherein the at least one multiplexer is configured to multiplex data originating from the at least one hub.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one VSAT comprises at least one demultiplexer;

wherein the at least one demultiplexer is configured to demultiplex data received from the at least one satellite.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the frequency reuse plan varies depending on the proportionality of the traffic provided.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one beams receives 1/3 of the available spectrum.

13. A high capacity satellite communications system comprising:

a VSAT population comprising VSATs;

a hub population comprising hubs, wherein the hub population is geographically segregated from the VSAT population; and

at least one satellite comprising at least one multiplexer configured to multiplex data received from a hub in the hub population.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink on a different frequency band from a frequency band used for a beam for a forward downlink.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein half the hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a left handed polarity and an other half of the hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a right handed polarity.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the hub population is partitioned into two or more approximately equal-sized groups of hubs, each group of hubs being configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a fraction of the total return bandwidth available.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the VSATs in the VSAT population are concentrated in a first geographic coverage area and at least one hub is located in a second geographic coverage area which is different from the first geographic coverage area, the first geographic coverage area and the second geographic coverage area configured with disproportionate amounts of bandwidth capacity such that the first geographic coverage area provides more bandwidth capacity and the second geographic coverage area provides less bandwidth capacity.

18. A method for a high capacity satellite communications system comprising:

constructing at least one hub, wherein at least one VSAT is located in a first geographic coverage area, and the at least one hub is located in a second geographic coverage area which is different from the first geographic coverage area, the first geographic coverage area and the second geographic coverage area configured with disproportionate amounts of bandwidth capacity such that the first geographic coverage area provides more bandwidth capacity and the second geographic coverage area provides less bandwidth capacity;

configuring the at least one hub to use a return bandwidth that is no more than half a forward bandwidth; and

configuring at least one satellite to use as few carriers as possible based on the continuity of the frequencies available to the at least one satellite.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the at least one satellite to multiplex data for at least one VSAT received from the at least one hub; and

configuring the at least one VSAT to demultiplex data received from the at least one satellite.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the at least one hub to multiplex data for at least one VSAT originating from the at least one hub; and

configuring the at least one VSAT to demultiplex data received from the at least one satellite.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the at least one VSAT to use a return bandwidth of no more than half the available return bandwidth to the at least one satellite.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

configuring the at least one VSAT to use SCMA when sending data to the at least one satellite.

23. A high capacity satellite communications system comprising:

a VSAT population comprising VSATs;

a hub population comprising hubs, wherein the hub population is geographically segregated from the VSAT population; and

at least one hub comprising at least one multiplexer configured to multiplex data originating from the at least one hub in the hub population.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink on a different frequency band from a frequency band used for a beam for a forward downlink.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein half the hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a left handed polarity and an other half of the hubs in the hub population are configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a right handed polarity.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the hub population is partitioned into two or more approximately equal-sized groups of hubs, each group of hubs being configured to receive a beam for a return downlink using a fraction of the total return bandwidth available.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the VSATs in the VSAT population are concentrated in a first geographic coverage area and at least one hub is located in a second geographic coverage area which is different from the first geographic coverage area, the first geographic coverage area and the second geographic coverage area configured with disproportionate amounts of bandwidth capacity such that the first geographic coverage area provides more bandwidth capacity and the second geographic coverage area provides less bandwidth capacity.