Common direct broadcasting service system
First Claim
1. A Common Direct Broadcasting Service (CDBS) system for a communications spacecraft, the CDBS system comprising:
- N uplink antennas, each of said N uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations, each of said uplinks including at least one of left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals, individual ones of said LHCP signals and said RHCP signals having frequencies within predetermined channels of at least one of a first predefined frequency band and a second predefined frequency band;
means for separating the LHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas from the RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas;
means for converting the separated LHCP signals and RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks, said first and second signals having frequencies within channels of at least one of a third predefined frequency band and a fourth predefined frequency band;
means for selecting a predetermined number of the first signals and second signals of the uplinks;
means for down-selecting signals of the predetermined number of the first and second signals having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the at least one of the third and fourth predefined frequency bands;
means for amplifying signals down-selected by said down-selecting means and for outputting resultant amplified signals; and
a plurality of downlink antennas for downlinking signals output by said amplifying means from the communications spacecraft to selected ones of the plurality of terrestrial receiving stations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a Common Direct Broadcasting Service (CDBS) system for a communications spacecraft. The CDBS system comprises N uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations. Each uplink includes left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and/or right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals. The LHCP signals and the RHCP signals have frequencies within predetermined channels of a first and/or second predefined frequency band. The CDBS system also comprises means for separating the LHCP signals of the uplinks received by each uplink antenna from the RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each uplink antenna. The CDBS system further comprises a plurality of receivers for converting the separated LHCP signals and RHCP signals of the uplinks to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks. The first and second signals have frequencies within channels of a third and/or fourth predefined frequency band. The CDBS system also includes means for selecting a predetermined number of the first and second signals of the uplinks, and means for down-selecting signals of the predetermined number of the first and second signals having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the third and/or fourth predefined frequency bands. The CDBS system further comprises a plurality of downlink antennas for downlinking signals down-selected by the down-selecting means from the communications spacecraft to selected ones of the plurality of terrestrial receiving stations.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A Common Direct Broadcasting Service (CDBS) system for a communications spacecraft, the CDBS system comprising:
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N uplink antennas, each of said N uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations, each of said uplinks including at least one of left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals, individual ones of said LHCP signals and said RHCP signals having frequencies within predetermined channels of at least one of a first predefined frequency band and a second predefined frequency band; means for separating the LHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas from the RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas; means for converting the separated LHCP signals and RHCP signals of the uplinks received by each of said N uplink antennas to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks, said first and second signals having frequencies within channels of at least one of a third predefined frequency band and a fourth predefined frequency band; means for selecting a predetermined number of the first signals and second signals of the uplinks; means for down-selecting signals of the predetermined number of the first and second signals having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the at least one of the third and fourth predefined frequency bands; means for amplifying signals down-selected by said down-selecting means and for outputting resultant amplified signals; and a plurality of downlink antennas for downlinking signals output by said amplifying means from the communications spacecraft to selected ones of the plurality of terrestrial receiving stations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for relaying signals between individual ones of a plurality of terrestrial transmitting stations and selected individual ones of a plurality of terrestrial receiving stations via a communications spacecraft, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing uplinks from the plurality of terrestrial stations to said communications spacecraft, each of said uplinks including at least one of left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals, individual ones of said LHCP signals and said RHCP signals having frequencies within predetermined channels of at least one of a first predefined frequency band and a second predefined frequency band; separating the LHCP signals of the uplinks from the RHCP signals of the uplinks; converting the separated LHCP signals and RHCP signals of the uplinks to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks, said first and second signals having frequencies within channels of at least one of a third predefined frequency band and a fourth predefined frequency band; selecting a predetermined number of the first signals and second signals of the uplinks; down-selecting selected ones of the predetermined number of the first and second signals having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the at least one of the third and fourth predefined frequency bands; and downlinking down-selected ones of the signals of the predetermined number of first and second signals from the communications spacecraft to selected ones of the plurality of terrestrial receiving stations. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A Common Direct Broadcast Service (CDBS) system for a spacecraft, comprising:
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N uplink antennas, each of said N uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations, each of said uplinks including at least one of left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals, individual ones of said LHCP signals and said RHCP signals having frequencies within predetermined channels of at least one of a first predefined frequency band and a second predefined frequency band; N separating means, individual ones of said N separating means for separating said LHCP signals received by respective ones of said uplink antennas from said RHCP signals received by said respective ones of said uplink antennas, and for outputting separated LHCP and RHCP signals; a first group of N receivers, individual ones of said first group of N receivers for converting the separated LHCP and RHCP signals output by a first one of said N separating means to first converted signals having frequencies within channels of at least one of a third and a fourth predefined frequency band; a second group of N receivers, individual ones of said second group of N receivers for converting the separated LHCP and RHCP signals output by a second one of said N separating means to second converted signals having frequencies within channels of at least one of said third and fourth predefined frequency bands; means for splitting said first converted signals into 2N corresponding first converted signals, and for splitting each of said second converted signals into 2N corresponding second converted signals; a plurality of switching means, individual ones of said plurality of switching means being controllable for selecting one of said 2N corresponding first converted signals and said 2N corresponding second converted signals, and for providing the selected one of said 2N corresponding first converted signals and said 2N corresponding second converted signals to a respective output; a plurality of downlink antennas, each of said downlink antennas for downlinking signals applied thereto to a respective pre-selected terrestrial region; and means, being controllable, for selecting at least one of said signals output by individual ones of said plurality of switching means, and for providing an output to selected ones of said plurality of downlink antennas.
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21. A Common Direct Broadcasting Service (CDBS) system for a communications spacecraft, the CDBS system comprising:
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a plurality of uplink antennas, each of said uplink antennas for receiving uplinks from terrestrial transmitting stations, each of said uplinks including at least one of left-hand circular polarized (LHCP) signals and right-hand circular polarized (RHCP) signals, said LHCP signals and said RHCP signals having frequencies within predetermined ones of N channels of a first predefined frequency band and N channels of a second predefined frequency band; means for converting the LHCP signals and the RHCP signals of said uplinks received by each of said uplink antennas to first signals and second signals, respectively, of the uplinks, said first and second signals having frequencies within predetermined ones of N channels of a third predefined frequency band and N channels of a fourth predefined frequency band; means for selecting N of the first signals and the second signals; means for down-selecting N/2 of the N first and second signals selected by said selecting means having frequencies within selected ones of the channels of the third and fourth predefined frequency bands; plurality of downlink antennas for downlinking signals down-selected by said down-selecting means from the communications spacecraft to selected ones of the plurality of terrestrial receiving stations. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification