Incrementally increasing deployment of gateways

• US 8,149,761 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Communications, Inc.
• Inventors: Hudson, Erwin C., Martin, Remberto L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma, Gautam
• Application Number:
  US11/847,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20080056176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/315, 370/316, 455/130, 455/131, 455/132, 455/150.1, 455/188.1, 455/189.1
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays

Abstract

In one embodiment, a satellite communications system includes first and second receivers, splitters, and combiners. The first receiver is configured to receive a first microwave communications signal; and the first splitter is coupled to the first receiver and configured to split the first microwave communications signal into at least first and second channels. The second receiver is configured to receive a second microwave communications signal; and the second splitter is coupled to the second receiver and configured to split the second microwave communications signal into at least third and fourth channels. The first combiner is coupled to the first and second splitters and configured to combine the first and third channels to form a third microwave communications signal; and the second combiner is coupled to the first and second splitters and configured to combine the second and fourth channels to form a fourth microwave communications signal.

Claims

1. A method for incrementally increasing deployment of additional gateways having frequency channels in a spot beam satellite comprising:

receiving a first communication signal from a first gateway at a spot beam satellite;

filtering said first communication signal at the spot beam satellite from said first gateway using a first frequency filter that separates said first communication signal into a first predetermined number of first input frequency channel signals that have a plurality of different frequencies;

sending said first predetermined number of first input frequency channel signals to a plurality of spot beam antennas at the spot beam satellite that are directed to different geographical locations; and

incrementally increasing deployment of additional frequency channels at the spot beam satellite from at least one additional gateway when said at least one additional gateway begins transmitting at least one additional communication signal to said spot beam satellite, said incrementally increasing comprising;

filtering said at least one additional communication signal from said at least one additional gateway, using at least one additional frequency filter that separates said at least one additional communication signal into a second predetermined number of additional input frequency channel signals that have a plurality of different frequencies;

combining said first predetermined number of first input frequency channel signals with said second predetermined number of additional input frequency channel signals in a plurality of power combiners to produce a plurality of combined frequency channel signals that comprise a first input frequency channel signal and an additional input frequency channel signal having different frequencies; and

sending said plurality of combined frequency channel signals to a plurality of spot beam antennas that are directed to different geographical locations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first input frequency channel signals have a plurality of frequencies that correspond to frequencies of said additional input frequency channel signals.

3. A spot beam satellite comprising:

a first filter that receives a first communication signal from a first gateway, located at a ground station, and splits said first communication signal into a first predetermined number of first frequency channel signals that have different frequencies;

at least one additional filter that receives additional communication signals from at least one additional gateway, and that separates said additional communication signal into a second predetermined number of additional frequency channel signals that have different frequencies, whenever said at least one additional gateway begins transmitting said additional communication signal;

a plurality of power combiners that are connected to said first filter and said at least one additional filter that, when said at least one additional gateway begins transmitting said additional communication signal, combine said predetermined number of first frequency channel signals with said predetermined number of additional frequency channel signals to produce a plurality of combined frequency channel signals that comprise a first frequency channel signal and an additional frequency channel signal that have different frequencies; and

a plurality of spot beam antennas coupled with said plurality of power combiners that transmit said plurality of combined frequency channel signals to a plurality of different geographical locations.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said first frequency channel signals have frequencies that correspond to frequencies of said additional frequency channel signals.