Intersatellite communications systems
First Claim
1. A satellite communications system utilizing a multi-beam bent-pipe architecture including:
- a first communications satellite including means for receiving M electromagnetic radiation beams from each of M information sources;
a second communications satellite including means for transmitting N electromagnetic radiation beams to each of N information destinations;
where M and N are natural numbers and the sum of M and N is equal to or greater than 3;
means in said first satellite for transmitting an intersatellite electromagnetic radiation beam to said second satellite;
means in said second satellite for receiving the intersatellite electromagnetic radiation beam from said first satellite;
said intersatellite beam including at least one intersatellite communication channel comprising a plurality of intersatellite subchannels;
each of said M electromagnetic radiation beams including one or more incoming communication channels, at least one of said incoming communication channels in each of said M beams including a plurality of incoming subchannels;
each of said N electromagnetic radiation beams including one or more outgoing communication channels, at least one of said outgoing communication channels in each of said N beams including a plurality of outgoing subchannels;
interbeam switching means in said first satellite for directing the information contents of a plurality of incoming subchannels into respective ones of said plurality of intersatellite subchannels;
interbeam switching means in said second satellite for directing the information contents of said plurality of intersatellite subchannels into respective outgoing subchannels of said N outgoing channels;
whereby information contained in incoming subchannels associated with said M beams received from said M information sources served by said first communications satellite is interbeam-switched and transmitted in outgoing subchannels associated with said N beams transmitted to said N information destinations served by said second satellite.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved multi-beam bent-pipe communications satellite system and method includes a subchannel switching processor for extracting and switching subchannels of information to and from a plurality of uplink and downlink beams and an intersatellite link for routing certain of the extracted subchannels to another satellite in the system. The subchannel switching processor preferably employs a partial subchannelization processor that combines a coaxial switching network for switching some of the uplink channels at the channel level with an analog or digital transparent subchannel switching network connected to a portion of the uplink channels for extracting and switching at the subchannel level. The switched subchannels are combined to form channels, and then routed to either the downlink beams (where they are combined with other switched channels), or to the intersatellite link for transmission to another satellite. The system of the present invention could be a constellation of satellites, each satellite in the constellation connected to a plurality of other satellites using a plurality of intersatellite links.
96 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A satellite communications system utilizing a multi-beam bent-pipe architecture including:
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a first communications satellite including means for receiving M electromagnetic radiation beams from each of M information sources; a second communications satellite including means for transmitting N electromagnetic radiation beams to each of N information destinations; where M and N are natural numbers and the sum of M and N is equal to or greater than 3; means in said first satellite for transmitting an intersatellite electromagnetic radiation beam to said second satellite; means in said second satellite for receiving the intersatellite electromagnetic radiation beam from said first satellite; said intersatellite beam including at least one intersatellite communication channel comprising a plurality of intersatellite subchannels; each of said M electromagnetic radiation beams including one or more incoming communication channels, at least one of said incoming communication channels in each of said M beams including a plurality of incoming subchannels; each of said N electromagnetic radiation beams including one or more outgoing communication channels, at least one of said outgoing communication channels in each of said N beams including a plurality of outgoing subchannels; interbeam switching means in said first satellite for directing the information contents of a plurality of incoming subchannels into respective ones of said plurality of intersatellite subchannels; interbeam switching means in said second satellite for directing the information contents of said plurality of intersatellite subchannels into respective outgoing subchannels of said N outgoing channels; whereby information contained in incoming subchannels associated with said M beams received from said M information sources served by said first communications satellite is interbeam-switched and transmitted in outgoing subchannels associated with said N beams transmitted to said N information destinations served by said second satellite. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 25, 26)
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4. An intersatellite communications system utilizing bent-pipe multi-beam architecture including:
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means in a first communications satellite to receive a first incoming beam containing a first incoming channel from a first information source and a second incoming beam containing a second incoming channel from a second information source, said first incoming channel containing a first plurality of incoming subchannels and said second incoming channel containing a second plurality of incoming subchannels, one of said first plurality of incoming subchannels containing first communications information and one of said second plurality of incoming subchannels containing second communications information; means in said first satellite to combine said subchannels containing said first and second communication information respectively and to place said combined subchannels in a single channel in an electromagnetic beam carrier; means to transmit said carrier to a second communications satellite; means in said second satellite to receive said carrier and to separate the combined subchannels in said single channel in said carrier; means in said second communications satellite to transmit a first outgoing beam containing a first outgoing channel to a first information destination and a second outgoing beam containing a second outgoing channel to a second information destination, said first outgoing channel containing a first plurality of outgoing subchannels and said second outgoing channel containing a second plurality of outgoing subchannels; means in said second communications satellite to place said first communications information contained in one of said separated subchannels in one of said first plurality of outgoing subchannels; and means in said second communication satellite to place said second communications information contained in the other of said separated subchannels in one of said second plurality of outgoing subchannels. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 27, 28)
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9. A multi-beam bent-pipe satellite comprising:
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a plurality of receivers for receiving incoming information beams from the ground, wherein the incoming information beams include channels of information, and at least one channel in each of the incoming information beams further includes subchannels of information; a partial subchannelizing processor connected to the plurality of receivers, said partial subchannelizing processor including a coaxial switching network for switching the channels of information, a subchannel switching network connected to some, but not all of the channels of information that extracts the subchannel information from the incoming information beams and inter-beam switches the subchannel information, and means for combining the switched subchannel information and the switched channel information into a plurality of outgoing information beams; a plurality of transmitters connected to the outgoing information beams for transmitting the outgoing beams to the ground; and an intersatellite link connected to at least one of said outgoing information beams, wherein the intersatellite link transmits the outgoing information to another satellite. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An improved multi-beam bent-pipe satellite of the kind that receives a plurality of incoming beams of information and transmits a plurality of outgoing beams of information, wherein the incoming and outgoing beams include channels of information, and at least one of the channels in each beam further includes subchannels of information, the improvement comprising:
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a partial subchannelizing processor including channel switching circuitry that interbeam switches the channels of information, and subchannel switching circuitry in parallel with the channel switching circuitry that selects the subchannel information from the incoming beams, and interbeam switches the subchannel information onto a plurality of outgoing channels, said outgoing channels being further combined with the switched channels into outgoing beams; and an intersatellite link connected to at least one outgoing beam that includes the subchannel switched information, wherein the intersatellite link transmits the outgoing beam to another satellite. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification