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Wireless communication system, apparatus and method using an atmospheric platform having a wideband trunkline

  • US 6,781,968 B1
  • Filed: 01/28/2000
  • Issued: 08/24/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
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First Claim
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1. An apparatus for aggregating and transmitting a plurality of signals and for receiving and de-aggregating the plurality of signals by way of a wireless trunkline between an atmospheric platform having an airborne antenna array subsystem and an airborne trunkline antenna subsystem and a ground based gateway having a gateway antenna subsystem and a gateway network processing subsystem, the apparatus comprising:

  • a downlink apparatus comprising;

    a payload portion on the atmospheric platform for accepting a plurality of downlink signals from the airborne antenna array subsystem, aggregating the plurality of downlink signals to create a downlink trunkline signal, and passing the downlink trunkline signal to the airborne trunkline antenna subsystem for transmission via the wireless trunkline to the gateway; and

    a gateway portion on the gateway for accepting the downlink trunkline signal received from the wireless trunkline by the gateway antenna subsystem, de-aggregating the downlink trunkline signal into the plurality of downlink signals, and passing the de-aggregated plurality of downlink signals to the gateway network processing subsystem; and

    an uplink apparatus comprising;

    a gateway portion on the gateway for accepting a plurality of uplink signals from the gateway network processing subsystem, aggregating the plurality of uplink signals to create an uplink trunkline signal, and passing the uplink trunkline signal to the gateway antenna subsystem for transmission by way of the wireless trunkline to the atmospheric platform; and

    a payload portion on the atmospheric platform for accepting the unlink trunkline signal received from the wireless trunkline by the airborne trunkline antenna subsystem, de-aggregating the uplink trunkline signal into the plurality of uplink signals, and passing the de-aggregated plurality of uplink signals to the airborne antenna array subsystem, wherein the payload portion of the downlink apparatus comprises;

    a set of P first frequency conversion multiplexers, each of the first frequency conversion multiplexers having M different input ports for receiving M different downlink signals, the M different downlink signals being aggregated and frequency shifted by the first frequency conversion multiplexer thereby creating a first payload IF signal at an output port, the first payload IF signal comprising a set of M signals spread over a first payload IF frequency range;

    a set of T second frequency conversion multiplexers, each of the second frequency conversion multiplexers having S different input ports for receiving S different ones of the P first payload IF signals from the first frequency multiplexers, the S different first payload IF signals being aggregated and frequency shifted by the second frequency conversion multiplexer thereby creating a second payload IF signal at an output port, the second payload IF signal comprising a set of S signals spread over a second payload IF frequency range;

    a third frequency conversion multiplexer having S different input ports for receiving S different ones of the T second payload IF signals from the second frequency multiplexers, the T different second payload IF signals being aggregated and frequency shifted by the third frequency conversion multiplexer thereby creating a third payload IF signal at an output port, the third payload IF signal comprising a set of T signals spread over a third payload IF frequency range; and

    a frequency converter having an input port for receiving the third IF signal from the third frequency conversion multiplexer, the third payload IF signal being frequency shifted by the frequency converter thereby creating a final payload IF signal at an output port, the final payload IF signal having a final payload IF frequency range, wherein the final payload IF signal is the downlink trunkline signal, and wherein the payload portion of the downlink apparatus further comprises;

    a first payload local oscillator (LO) signal applied to an LO input port of each of the first frequency conversion multiplexer;

    a second payload local oscillator signal applied to a set of S LO ports of each of the second frequency conversion multiplexers, wherein the second local oscillator signal comprises a set of S independent signals at S different frequencies one of each of the set of S signals being applied to one of each of the LO ports;

    a third payload local oscillator signal applied to a set of T LO ports of the third frequency conversion multiplexer wherein the third local oscillator signal comprises a set of T independent signals at T different frequencies one of each of the set of T signals applied to one of each of the LO ports; and

    a fourth payload local oscillator signal applied to an LO input port of the final frequency converter.

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