System comprising a satellite with radiofrequency antenna
First Claim
1. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention concerns a system comprising a radiofrequency antenna stationed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting round the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means. The invention is characterised in that the antenna is a radiofrequency antenna formed by a mesh generation of tiles and phase-shifting means connected thereto, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting means before being assembled on said tiles, said phase-shifting and/or delaying means being capable of diverting the radiofrequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radiofrequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them to the illuminating means along one or several channels.
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Citations
77 Claims
- 1. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels.
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63. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signal corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means alone one or several channels;
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characterized in that the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means transmit signals to the antenna while transmitting the external translation signal, the cosine of the self-compensation incidence and the cosine of the illumination direction incidence are substantially in the ratio (f+F−
Fe)/f where f is the earth side frequency, Fe is the value of the external translation, and F is the total frequency translation, and in that in the case where the illuminating means are split into sub-assemblies, the difference in incidence between the illumination in question and the focus is substantially reproduced in the difference between the self-compensation incidences corresponding to the illumination and those that would correspond to the focus, using the multiplying terms (f+F/f) and (sin(Φ
1)/sin(Φ
2) where Φ
1 is the illumination incidence angle of the focus and Φ
2 the self-compensation incidence angle that would result if the focus transmitted. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66)
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67. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tile, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signal received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions;
the antenna includes means for translating the frequency of the signals at the time of their diversion, for at least one channel and one path;
along at least one channel and at least one path, the signals use a different frequency before and after the antenna and in that the translation frequency originates from an external translation signal received by a tile face;
an external translation signal used along at least one channel in receiving is received by the tile face along which receiving takes place and is transmitted from a ground point called ground focus; and
wherein for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means receive signals the self-compensation incidence angle is substantially equal to Φ
2+(cos(Φ
2)(f+Fe)−
cos(Φ
1)(F+f))/sin(Φ
2)f where Φ
1 and Φ
2 are the angle of incidence of the illumination direction and that of the external translation signal, f the earth side frequency, Fe is the external translation value, and F is the total frequency translation. - View Dependent Claims (68)
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69. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separated from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth alone one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means alone one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passings from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions;
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means receive signals, the translation of frequency Fe is done from the external signal received by the illumination face and the self-compensation incidence is such that cosine(Φ
2)/cosine(Φ
1)=(f+Fe+F)/f where Φ
1 and Φ
2 are the angle of incidence of the illumination direction and the angle of incidence of self-compensation, f being the earth side frequency, Fe the value of the external translation, F the total frequency translation. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71)
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72. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth alone one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means alone one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination alone which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means receive signals, the translation Fe is done from the external signal received by the illumination face and is of the same direction as the total translation F, in that F=Fe and in that the self-compensation incidence is give by Φ
2−
Φ
1=−
2 cot(Φ
1)F/f where Φ
1 and Φ
2 are the angle of incidence of the illumination direction and the angle of incidence of self-compensation, f being the earth side frequency, Fe the value of the translation, F the total frequency translation.
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73. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signal corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means alone one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel along which illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna and at least one path direction, a deformation correction is made by variation of the phase-shift value Δ
P (2π
f/C)(cos(Φ
2)−
cos(Φ
1)) in at least one of the central portions, where Φ
1 is the angle of incidence of illumination, Φ
2 is that of the sighting direction, f is the earth side and illumination side frequency, and Δ
P is the transverse deformation value at each of the central portions.
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74. A system comprising radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating mean for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sighting being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on those same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel along which illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna and at least one path direction, a deformation correction is made by variation of the phase-shift of value Δ
P (2π
f/C)−
f1 (cos(φ
2)−
cos(Φ
1)) in at least one of the central portions, where Φ
1 is the angle of incidence of illumination, Φ
2 is that of the sighting direction, f2 and f1 are the earth side and illumination side frequencies, and π
P is the transverse deformation value at each of the central portions.
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75. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means transmit signals to the antenna, a deformation correction is made by variation of the phase-shift of Δ
P (2π
/C)(f cos(Φ
2)−
(f+F)cos(Φ
1)+Fe cos(Φ
1)) in at least one of the central portions, where f is the earth side frequency, Fe is the measured external translation value of the same sign as F if the frequency changes are in the same direction, F is the total frequency translation, Φ
1 is the angle of incidence of illumination, Φ
2 is that of the sighting direction, Φ
1 is that of the focus direction, Δ
P is the transverse deformation value at each of the central portions.
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76. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means receive signals, a deformation correction is made in at least one of the central portions by variation of the phase-shift of Δ
P (2π
/C)(f cos(Φ
2)−
(f+F)cos(Φ
1)−
Fe cos(Φ
1), where f is the earth side frequency, Fe is the measured external translation value of the same sign as F if the frequency changes are in the same direction, F is the total frequency translation, Φ
1 is the angle of incidence of illumination, Φ
2 is that of the sighting direction, Φ
1 is that of the focus direction and Δ
P is the transverse deformation value at each of the central portions.
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77. A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-sifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels;
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the radiofrequency antenna is substantially flat, the signals passing from one face to the other of said antenna and for at least one channel and in one path direction, it corresponds, to a direction of illumination along which the illuminating means transmit and/or receive signals to and from the antenna, a cone of self-compensation sightings to and from the earth defined by a common incidence on the plane of the antenna, called self-compensation incidence (the incidence of a direction being the angle that this direction makes with the normal to the plane of the antenna), the self-compensation sightings being such that the deformations of the antenna transverse to the general plane of the antenna and the attitude errors of the antenna about any axis contained within said plane are substantially without effect on these same signals diverted to or from this self-compensation sighting and of small effect in the neighboring sighting directions; and
wherein, for an illumination direction of at least one channel, along which illuminating means receive signals, a deformation correction is made in at least one of the central portions by variation of the phase-shift of Δ
P (2π
/C)(f cos(Φ
2)+Fe cos(Φ
2)−
(f+F)cos(Φ
1)) where f is the earth side frequency, Fe is the measured external translation value of the same sign as F if the frequency changes are in the same direction, F is the total frequency translation, Φ
1 is the angle of incidence of illumination, Φ
2 is that of the sighting direction, Φ
2 is that of the ground focus or opposite focus direction and Δ
P is the transverse deformation value at each of the central portions.
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Specification