SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, LEO SATELLITE RELAYING COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A GEO SATELLITE AND TERRESTRIAL STATIONS, THE UPLINKS AND DOWNLINKS USING THE SAME FREQUENCY BAND AND TIME-DIVISION MULTIPLEXING

• US 20140105100A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence & Space Sas (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Astrium Sas (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Dunat, Jean-Christophe, Tronc, Jerom
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/321
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/195 Non-synchronous stations

Abstract

A payload for a repeater satellite of a communication system. The repeater satellite being placed into drift orbit above the surface of a celestial body. The payload being configured to repeat data received from a stationary satellite above the surface of the celestial body towards a terminal substantially at the surface of the celestial body, and to repeat data received from the terminal towards the stationary satellite. The payload is further configured to use a single frequency band for repeating data towards the stationary satellite, referred to as uplink transmission, and for repeating data towards the terminal, referred to as downlink transmission, as well as to time-division

Claims

1. A payload for a repeater satellite in a telecommunication system, said repeater satellite being intended to be put into traveling orbit above the surface of Earth, and the payload being configured to repeat data received from a stationary satellite above the surface of Earth to a terminal that is substantially on the surface of Earth, and to repeat data received from the terminal to the stationary satellite, wherein said payload is further configured to use a same frequency band for repeating data to the stationary satellite, referred to as an uplink transmission, and for repeating data to the terminal, referred to as a downlink transmission, said frequency band being any one of the bands VHF, UHF, L, S, C, X, Ka or Q, and configured to perform the uplink transmissions and the downlink transmissions during different intervals of time.

2. The payload as claimed in claim 1, further comprises at least one power amplifier, said payload being configured to use said power amplifier both for the uplink transmissions and for the downlink transmissions.

3. The payload as claimed in claim 2, further comprises:

at least one uplink transmission antenna;

at least one downlink transmission antenna;

a router for routing a signal at an output of the power amplifier, representative of data to be repeated, either to said uplink transmission antenna or to said downlink transmission antenna.

4. The payload as claimed in claim 3, further comprises a multiplexer for multiplexing, at an input of the power amplifier, uplink transmission signals and downlink transmission signals.

5. The payload as claimed in claim 2, further comprises:

a plurality of downlink transmission antennas

a router for routing a signal at an output of the power amplifier, representative of data to be repeated, to any one of said downlink transmission antennas.

6. The payload as claimed in claim 1, wherein the payload is configured to use the same frequency band, which is used for the uplink transmissions and the downlink transmissions, for receiving data to be repeated from the terminal, referred to as an uplink reception, and for receiving data to be repeated from the stationary satellite, referred to as a downlink reception.

7. The payload as claimed in claim 6, further comprises a plurality of uplink reception antennas, said payload being configured to receive simultaneously on each of said uplink reception antennas.

8. The payload as claimed in claim 6, wherein the payload is configured to time multiplex the uplink transmission and the uplink receptions, or to time multiplex the downlink transmissions and the downlink receptions.

9. The payload as claimed in claim 6, wherein the payload is configured to use a same first frequency sub-band of the frequency band for the uplink receptions and the uplink transmissions, and to use a same second frequency sub-band of the frequency band for the downlink receptions and the downlink transmissions.

10. The payload as claimed in claim 6, wherein the payload is configured to perform the uplink receptions simultaneously with the downlink transmissions, and to perform the downlink receptions simultaneously with the uplink transmissions.

11. A telecommunication system for transferring data between at least one terminal, situated substantially on the surface of a celestial body, and at least one stationary satellite above the surface of the celestial body, comprising one or more signal repeater satellites, said repeater satellites traveling above the surface of the celestial body and comprising a payload as claimed in claim 1.

12. A telecommunication method for transferring data between a terminal, situated substantially on the surface of a celestial body, and a stationary satellite above the surface of the celestial body, the data transfer between said terminal and said stationary satellite being performed by a repeater satellite configured to repeat data received from said stationary satellite to said terminal and to repeat data received from said terminal to said stationary satellite, comprising the steps of:

repeating data to the stationary satellite, referred to as an uplink transmission and repeating data to the terminal, referred to as a downlink transmission by the repeater satellite utilizing a same frequency band, said frequency band being any one of the band VHF, UHF, L, S, C, X, Ka or Q; and

performing the uplink transmissions and the downlink transmissions during different intervals of time by the repeater satellite.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the step of using a same power amplifier for the uplink transmissions and for the downlink transmissions by the repeater satellite.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the step of using the same frequency band, which is used for the uplink transmissions and the downlink transmissions, for receiving data to be repeated from the terminal, referred to as an uplink reception, and for receiving data to be repeated from the stationary satellite, referred to as a downlink reception.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of time multiplexing the uplink transmissions and the uplink receptions, or time multiplexing the downlink transmissions and the downlink receptions.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the steps of using a same first frequency sub-band of the frequency band for the uplink receptions and the uplink transmissions, and using a same second frequency sub-band of the frequency band for the downlink receptions and the downlink transmissions.