RECEIVE ONLY SMART GROUND-TERMINAL ANTENNA FOR GEOSTATIONARY SATELLITES IN SLIGHTLY INCLINED ORBITS
First Claim
1. A method for a ground terminal performing communication, comprising:
- said ground terminal performing first Fourier transform (FT) of multiple first inputs from multiple antenna feeds of said ground terminal into multiple first outputs in multiple respective signal paths arranged in parallel; and
said ground terminal applying a first beam weighting vector (BWV) to multiple first signals from said first outputs in said respective signal paths arranged in parallel so as to adjust amplitudes and phases of said first signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A receive only smart antenna with a command pointing option for communicating with geostationary satellites that autonomously detects the directions from which desired signal are received, and steer the multiple beams accordingly. An array feed is used to illuminate a parabolic reflector. Each feed element of the receive only smart antenna is associated with a unique beam pointing direction. As a receiver is switched to different feed elements, the far-field beam is scanned, making it possible to track a geostationary satellite in a slightly inclined orbit. This eliminates the need for mechanical tracking and maintains high antenna gain in the direction of the geostationary satellite. The receive only smart antenna also features capabilities to form multiple simultaneous beams supporting operations of multiple geo-satellites in closely spaced slightly inclined orbits. The designs can support orthogonal beams for enhanced bandwidth capacity via multiple beams with excellent spatial isolation.
9 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for a ground terminal performing communication, comprising:
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said ground terminal performing first Fourier transform (FT) of multiple first inputs from multiple antenna feeds of said ground terminal into multiple first outputs in multiple respective signal paths arranged in parallel; and said ground terminal applying a first beam weighting vector (BWV) to multiple first signals from said first outputs in said respective signal paths arranged in parallel so as to adjust amplitudes and phases of said first signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for a ground terminal performing communication, comprising:
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said ground terminal performing Fourier transform (FT) of multiple first inputs from multiple antenna feeds of said ground terminal into multiple first outputs in multiple respective signal paths arranged in parallel; and said ground terminal comparing multiple samples from said first outputs in said respective signal paths arranged in parallel. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for a ground terminal performing communication comprising:
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said ground terminal performing Fourier transform (FT) of multiple first inputs from multiple antenna feeds of said ground terminal into multiple first outputs in multiple respective signal paths arranged in parallel; and said ground terminal determining which of said antenna feeds are illuminated by a reflector of said ground terminal based on information associated with said first outputs. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification