Satellite Communication System

• US 20170214462A1
• Filed: 01/27/2016
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Krejcarek, Lindsay E., Sullivan, John M., Busche, Greg, Jesiolowski, Jeffrey M., Whelan, David A., Feria, Ying J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,103,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/118 specially adapted for satellite communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/29 Repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18508 with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A satellite communication system may include a communication satellite orbiting Earth, a user terminal in radio communication with the communication satellite through a user link, a communication relay apparatus operating at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet and in optical communication with the communication satellite through a feeder link, and a gateway station in radio communication with the communication relay apparatus through a gateway link.

Claims

1. A satellite communication system comprising:

a communication satellite orbiting Earth;

a user terminal in radio communication with said communication satellite through a user link;

an unmanned aircraft operating at an altitude of between approximately 39,000 feet and approximately 180,000 feet and in optical communication with said communication satellite through a feeder link; and

a gateway station in radio communication with said unmanned aircraft through a gateway link.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said user link comprises a radio frequency communication signal.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said radio frequency communication signal of said user link comprises an operating frequency between approximately 1 GHz and approximately 40 GHz.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said gateway link comprises a radio frequency communication signal.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said radio frequency communication signal of said gateway link comprises at least one of an operating frequency between approximately 12 GHz and approximately 18 GHz, and an operating frequency between approximately 19 GHz and approximately 31 GHz.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said feeder link comprises an optical communication signal.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said unmanned aircraft comprises:

a radio frequency terminal to transmit and receive radio frequency communication signals over said gateway link; and

an optical terminal to transmit and receive optical communication signals over said feeder link.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said radio frequency terminal transmits a gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal to said gateway station, and wherein said radio frequency terminal receives a gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal from said gateway station.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said optical terminal transmits a feeder uplink optical communication signal to said communication satellite, and wherein said optical terminal receives a feeder downlink optical communication signal from said communication satellite.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said unmanned aircraft further comprises a signal processor, wherein said signal processor converts said feeder downlink optical communication signal to said gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal, and wherein said signal processor converts said gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal to said feeder uplink optical communication signal.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said signal processor combines a plurality of gateway uplink radio frequency communication signals onto a combined gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said signal processor converts said combined gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal to said feeder uplink optical communication signal.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein said signal processor forms a spot beam comprising said gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said unmanned aircraft operates at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein said unmanned aircraft flies in a predetermined flight path over a geographic area on Earth that includes said gateway station.

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

16. An unmanned aircraft used in a satellite communications network, said unmanned aircraft comprising:

a radio frequency terminal to transmit and receive radio frequency communication signals to and from a gateway station over a gateway link; and

an optical terminal to transmit and receive optical communication signals to and from a communication satellite in Earth orbit over a feeder link, and

wherein said unmanned aircraft operates at an altitude of between approximately 39,000 feet and approximately 180,000 feet.

17. The unmanned aircraft of claim 16 wherein:

said radio frequency terminal transmits a gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal to said gateway station,

said radio frequency terminal receives a gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal from said gateway station,

said optical terminal transmits a feeder uplink optical communication signal to said communication satellite, and

said optical terminal receives a feeder downlink optical communication signal from said communication satellite.

18. The unmanned aircraft of claim 17 further comprising a signal processor, wherein said signal processor:

converts said feeder downlink optical communication signal to said gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal;

converts said gateway uplink radio frequency communication signal to said feeder uplink optical communication signal; and

forms a spot beam comprising said gateway downlink radio frequency communication signal.

23. The unmanned aircraft of claim 16 wherein said unmanned aircraft operates at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet.

19. (canceled)

20. A method for providing satellite communication, said method comprising:

generating a user link for a first radio communication between a communication satellite in Earth orbit and a user terminal;

generating a feeder link for an optical communication between said communication satellite and an unmanned aircraft, operating at an altitude of between approximately 39,000 feet and approximately 180,000 feet; and

generating a gateway link for a second radio communication between said unmanned aircraft and a gateway station.