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Repeaters for multibeam satellites

  • US 5,822,312 A
  • Filed: 04/17/1996
  • Issued: 10/13/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A communications repeater for a multibeam satellite in which a satellite radio-frequency communications band for each beam is comprised of a plurality of associated channels, each channel containing intelligence separable into distinct subchannels, said satellite repeater having an input demultiplexer for each incoming beam for dividing beams into channels and an output multiplexer for each outgoing beam for combining channels into beams wherein the improvement comprises the combination of:

  • first means for interbeam switching a plurality of the channels produced at the output of said input demultiplexers, thereby creating a set of interbeam-switched channels;

    means for selecting and for dividing into subchannels at least one channel from each of at least two of the incoming beams, wherein each said means for selecting and for dividing is connected to an output of an input demultiplexer and includes a frequency downconverter in series with a bank of surface-acoustic-wave filters;

    second means for interbeam switching the subchannels produced by dividing the selected channels;

    means for combining the interbeam-switched subchannels into a set of interbeam-switched subchannelized channels; and

    means for connecting the interbeam-switched channels and the interbeam-switched subchannelized channels to the inputs of the output multiplexers.

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