Multi-band antenna for bundled broadband satellite internet access and DBS television service

• US 6,512,485 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Hudson, Erwin C., Luly, Robert A., Westall, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG V
• Application Number:
  US09/805,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 343/781.R, 343/781.P, 343/781.CA, 343/837, 343/840, 343/909, 343/753, 343/836
• US Class Current: 343/781.0CA
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/247 with frequency mixer, e.g. for direct satellite reception or Doppler radar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/132 Horn reflector antennas; Off-set feeding

Abstract

A multi-band reflector antenna has a main reflector defining a prime focus and a frequency selective surface (FSS) sub-reflector defining an image focus. One or more transmitter or receiver feeds are provided at each of the prime focus and image focus. In one application as a ground satellite terminal, the antenna supports Ka-band two-way broadband Internet access bundled with multi-satellite Ku-band direct broadcast television service (DBS).

Claims

1. A satellite antenna for providing bundled Ka-band two-way communications services such as broadband Internet access and Ku-band direct broadcast satellite television service, comprising:

a parabolic main reflector dish having an offset prime focal point;

a frequency selective surface sub-reflector defining an image focal point;

a first feed supported at said prime focal point;

a second feed supported at said image focal point;

a Ku-band low noise block down-converter system connected for receiving Ku-band direct broadcast satellite television signals reflected from said dish to one of said first feed and second feed;

a Ka-band transmitter connected to the other of said one feed and said second feed for illuminating said dish with Ka-band uplink signal transmissions;

a Ka-band low-noise block-down converter connected for receiving Ka-band downlink signals reflected from said dish to either one of said first feed and said second feed; and

a mast for mounting said dish to a supporting structure;

whereby two-way Internet access and satellite television service provided on at least two nearly or actually collocated satellites can be delivered to a subscriber by installation of a single satellite antenna reflector dish at a subscriber location.

2. The satellite antenna of claim 1 wherein said frequency selective surface is a flat or contoured surface.

3. The satellite antenna of claim 1 further comprising a feed/transceiver support boom fixed to said dish and said first feed, said second feed, said Ku-band low noise block down-converter, said Ka-band transmitter and said Ka-band low-noise block-down converter are all supported on said boom.

4. The satellite antenna of claim 1 wherein said first feed comprises side-by-side Ku-band feed horns and said Ku-band low noise block down-converter system comprises independent low noise block down-converter units each operatively associated with one of said Ku-band feed horns such that direct broadcast satellite television signals may be received from different Ku-band DBS satellites spaced along the geostationary arc.

5. A satellite antenna convertible between a two-way Ka-band data only configuration and a bundled Ka-band data-Ku-band DBS configuration, or the inverse, comprising:

a parabolic main reflector dish having an offset prime focal point;

a support boom affixed to said reflector dish;

a subreflector on said boom defining an image focal point of said dish reflector

a Ka-band transceiver supported on said boom, said transceiver having a Ka-band transmitter, a Ka band low noise block downconverter and a Ka-band feed horn mounted at said image focal point for illuminating said subreflector;

a Ku-band subassembly removably supported on said boom, said subassembly comprising a Ku-band feed supported at said prime focal point and a Ku-band low noise block down-converter system; and

said subreflector being interchangeable between a non-selective subreflector and a frequency selective surface subreflector;

whereby said satellite antenna operates in said data only configuration in the absence of said Ku-band subassembly and can be converted from the two way Ka-band data only configuration to the bundled configuration by installation of said Ku-band subassembly on said boom and a frequency selective surface as said subreflector.

6. The satellite antenna of claim 5 wherein said Ku band feed comprises a pair of side-by-side Ku-band feed horns and said Ku-band low noise block down-converter system comprises two independent low noise block down-converter units each operatively associated with one of said Ku-band feed horns such that direct broadcast satellite television signals may be received from two different satellites spaced along the geostationary arc.

7. The satellite antenna of claim 5 wherein said Ka-band transmitter and said Ka band low noise block downconverter are contained in a Ka-transceiver housing, said Ka-band feed horn is mounted to said housing, and said housing is detachably supported to said boom.

8. A method for delivering two-way communications services such as Internet access and direct broadcast satellite television service to a subscriber by installation of a single satellite antenna reflector dish at a subscriber location, comprising the steps of:

providing a Ka-band data satellite and a Ku-band direct broadcast satellite, the two satellites being nearly or actually collocated along the geostationary arc;

providing a satellite antenna at a subscriber location having a single parabolic main reflector dish with an offset prime focal point, two wide-band feed horns, a 20 GHz Ka-band LNBF, a 12 GHz Ku-band LNBF and a 30 GHz Ka-band transmitter, each said LNBF and said transmitter having a waveguide connection;

connecting one of said feed horns to said waveguide connection of said 20 GHz Ka-band LNBF and said 30 GHz Ka-band transmitter, and the other feed horn to said waveguide connection of said 12 GHz Ku-band LNBF, or alternatively connecting one of said feed horns to said waveguide connection of said 20 GHz Ka-band LNBF and said 12 GHz Ku-band LNBF, and the other feed horn to said waveguide connection of said 30 GHz Ka-band transmitter;

providing a flat or contoured frequency selective surface subreflector for illuminating said dish with the output of each of said two feed horns; and

aligning said dish for simultaneous reception of transmissions from said Ka-band satellite and said Ku-band satellite by said Ka-band LNBF and said Ku-band LNBF respectively and for uplink communication to said Ka-band satellite by said Ka-band transmitter.

9. A method for upgrading a Ka-band two-way satellite data communications terminal antenna for Ku-band DBS satellite television reception from a Ku-band direct broadcast satellite nearly or actually collocated along the geostationary arc with a Ka-band data satellite, said antenna having a single parabolic main reflector dish with an off-axis prime focus, a metal plate subreflector defining an image focus, a Ka-band feed horn at said image focus, and a Ka-band transceiver connected to said Ka-band feed horn, said method comprising the steps of:

replacing said metal plate subreflector with a flat frequency selective surface subreflector and installing one or more Ku-band LNBFs at or near said prime focus of said dish.

10. A tri-band, or multi-band, antenna comprising:

a parabolic reflector dish with a prime focus and a frequency selective surface subreflector defining an image focus;

a first feed horn at said prime focus and a second feed horn at said image focus; and

first, second and third radio-frequency communications modules, each of said modules comprising either a radio-frequency transmitter or a radio-frequency receiver, said modules operating on three different frequency bands such that the frequencies of only a first and a second of said bands are related by a factor of approximately two and a third of said frequency bands is removed from at least one of said first and second frequency bands by a factor greater than two;

the two of said modules operating at said first and said second of said bands being operatively connected to one of said first feed horn and said second feed horn and the third of said modules operating at said third frequency band being operatively connected to the other of said first feed horn and said second feed horn.

11. The tri-band, or multi-band, antenna of claim 10 wherein said frequency selective subreflector is a flat, or contoured, surface subreflector.

12. The tri-band, or multi-band, antenna of claim 10 wherein said first feed horn and said second feed horn are each a wide band feed horn.

13. The tri-band, or multi-band, antenna of claim 10 wherein said first feed horn and said second feed horn are each a corrugated wide band feed horn.

14. The tri-band, or multi-band, antenna of claim 10 wherein said prime focus is offset from the axis of said parabolic reflector dish.

15. The tri-band, or multi-band, antenna of claim 10 wherein said first of said modules is a 20 GHz band receiver, said second of said modules is a 30 GHz band transmitter and said third of said modules is a 12 GHz band receiver and the first and second modules are connected to said second feed horn and said third module is connected to said first feed horn.