Communication system with multi band gateway

• US 9,967,792 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxar Space LLC (Galileo Parent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Space Systems/Loral Incorporated (Loral Space and Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chan, Hampton
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/659,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/1851 Systems using a satellite or space-based relay H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0094 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0062 Avoidance of ingress interference, e.g. ham radio channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A satellite includes a first communication path for communicating with one or more gateways using a first frequency band while communicating with a set of the user terminals using a user frequency band and a second communication path for communicating with the one or more gateways using a second frequency band while communicating with at least a subset of the user terminals using the user frequency band. The second frequency band has a lower capacity than the first frequency band. Communication between the one or more gateways and the satellite can be switched between the first communication path and the second communication path for any of a number of reasons including as part of an incremental roll-out of services, in response to degradation in link quality or other reason.

Claims

1. A method of operating a satellite, comprising:

using a first frequency band for a feeder link between a gateway and the satellite while using a user frequency band for a user link between a set of user terminals and the satellite in order to send information between the gateway and the set of user terminals;

using a second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using the user frequency band for the user link between the subset of the user terminals and the satellite in order to send information between the gateway and the subset of the user terminals, the second frequency band has a lower capacity than the first frequency band;

in response to identifying a problem with the first frequency band, switching from using the first frequency band to using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using the user frequency band for the user link between the user terminals and the satellite; and

the using the first frequency band, the using the second frequency band and the switching are performed by the satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first frequency band is at least one of a V band and a Q band;

the second frequency band is a Ka band; and

the user frequency band is the Ka band.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting rain fade, the switching is performed in response to detecting rain fade and the switching includes switching communicating with the gateway from a V band to a Ka band.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a degradation in link quality, the switching is performed in response to detecting the degradation in link quality and the switching includes switching communicating with the gateway to the second frequency band without changing frequency band for the subset of user terminals, the communicating with the gateway using the second frequency band is performed in response to the switching.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the switching communicating with the gateway decreases communication capacity of the satellite.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the using the first frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the set of user terminals; and

the using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for only the subset of user terminals so that some user terminals are not serviced when communicating with one or more gateways using the second frequency band.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the using the first frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the set of user terminals; and

the using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the set of user terminals with at least a subset of the user terminals communicating at a lower capacity due to lower allocated bandwidth for the subset of user terminals.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

switching frequencies within the user frequency band for communicating with at least the subset of the user terminals when switching communicating with the gateway between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite initially on deployment of the satellite;

performing an initial switching of the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite from the second frequency band to the first frequency band after a first period of time using the second frequency band; and

using the first frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite in response to the initial switching.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a degradation in link quality, the switching is also performed in response to detecting the degradation in link quality and the switching includes switching communicating with the gateway to the second frequency band.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the switching comprises operating one or more switches to select a different input among at least a first input and second input, the first input is for communication in the first frequency band, the second input is for communication in the second frequency band, the output of the switch is transmitted to user terminals.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the switching comprises operating one or more switches to select a different output among at least a first output and second output, the first output is for communication in the first frequency band, the second output is for communication in the second frequency band, the input of the switch includes signals received from user terminals.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the switching comprises:

operating one or more switches to select a different input among at least a first input and second input, the first input is for communication in the first frequency band, the second input is for communication in the second frequency band, the output of the switch is transmitted to user terminals; and

operating one or more switches to select a different output among at least a first output and second output, the first output is for communication in a third frequency band, the second output is for communication in the second frequency band, the input of the switch includes signals received from user terminals.

14. A method of operating a satellite, comprising,

providing a communication path between a gateway and a plurality of user terminals via the satellite including using a first frequency band for a feeder link between a gateway and the satellite while using a user frequency band for a user link between a user terminal and the satellite;

testing the communication path to identify problems related to the first frequency band; and

in response to identifying a problem with the first frequency band switching from using the first frequency band to using a second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using the user frequency band for the user link between the user terminal and the satellite, the second frequency band has a lower capacity than the first frequency band.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the testing includes:

detecting a degradation in link quality; and

the switching includes switching from the first frequency to the second frequency in response to detecting the degradation in link quality.

16. A satellite, comprising:

an antenna system that communicates with a gateway and a plurality of user terminals; and

a set of one or more frequency converters in communication with the antenna system, the one or more frequency converters are configured to provide a communication path between the gateway and the plurality of user terminals that includes using a first frequency band for a feeder link between a gateway and the satellite while using a user frequency band for a user link between the user terminals and the satellite, the one or more frequency converters are configured to switch the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite from the first frequency band to a second frequency band while using the user frequency band for the user link between the user terminals and the satellite, the first frequency band has a higher capacity than the second frequency band; and

wherein the one or more frequency converters are configured to switch from the first frequency band to the second frequency band in response to a signal indicating a degradation in link quality.

17. The satellite of claim 16, further comprising:

a set of one or more receiving amplifiers in communication with the antenna system and the set of one or more frequency converters, the set of one or more receiving amplifiers receive uplink signals from the user terminals via the antenna system and provide the received uplink signals to the set of one or more frequency converters; and

a set of one or more output amplifiers in communication with the one or more frequency converters and the antenna system, the set of one or more output amplifiers receive downlink signals from the set of one or more frequency converters and provide the downlink signals to the antenna system for transmission to the gateway, the set of one or more frequency converters down convert frequencies of the received uplink signals to lower frequencies when communicating with the gateway using the second frequency band, the set of one or more frequency converters up convert frequencies of the received uplink signals to higher frequencies when communicating with the gateway using the first frequency band.

18. The satellite of claim 16, further comprising:

a set of one or more receiving amplifiers in communication with the antenna system and the set of one or more frequency converters, the set of one or more receiving amplifiers receive uplink signals from the gateway via the antenna system and provide the received uplink signals to the set of one or more frequency converters; and

a set of one or more output amplifiers in communication with the one or more frequency converters and the antenna system, the set of one or more output amplifiers receive downlink signals from the set of one or more frequency converters and provide the downlink signals to the antenna system for transmission to the user terminals, the set of one or more frequency converters down convert frequencies of the received uplink signals to lower frequencies when communicating with the gateway using the first frequency band and when communicating with the gateway using the second frequency band.

19. The satellite of claim 16, wherein:

the first frequency band is at least one of a V band and a Q band;

the second frequency band is a Ka band; and

the user frequency band is the Ka band.

20. The satellite of claim 16, wherein the one or more frequency converters comprise:

a first down converter configured to receive a first signal in the first frequency band;

a second down converter configured to receive a second signal in the second frequency band;

a switch having a first input, a second input and an output, the first input in communication with the first down converter, the second input in communication with the second down converter;

a filter in communication with the output; and

an output amplifier in communication with the filter.

21. The satellite of claim 16, wherein:

the one or more frequency converters are configured to switch communication with the subset of the user terminals to different frequencies in the user frequency band when the one or more frequency converters switch communication with the gateway to the second frequency band.

22. The satellite of claim 16, wherein:

the using the first frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the plurality of user terminals; and

the using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for only the subset of user terminals so that some user terminals are not serviced when communicating with the gateways using the second frequency band.

23. The satellite of claim 16, wherein:

the using the first frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the plurality of user terminals; and

the using the second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite includes providing communication for the plurality of user terminals with at least the subset of the user terminals communicating at a lower capacity due to lower allocated bandwidth for the subset of user terminals.

24. A satellite, comprising,

a bus;

and

a payload carried by the bus, the payload is configured to provide a communication path between a gateway and a plurality of user terminals including using a first frequency band for a feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using a user frequency band for a user link between the user terminals and the satellite, the payload is configured to adjust the communication path between the gateway and the plurality of user terminals to include using a second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using the user frequency band for the user link between the user terminals and the satellite, the second frequency band having a lower capacity than the first frequency band.

25. A satellite, comprising:

an antenna system that communicates with a gateway and a plurality of user terminals;

a first set of one or more frequency converters configured to provide a first transmission path between the gateway and the user terminals that includes using a first frequency band for a feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using a user frequency band for a user link between the user terminals and the satellite; and

a second set of one or more frequency converters configured to provide a second transmission path between the gateway and the user terminals that includes using a second frequency band for the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite while using the user frequency band for the user link between the user terminal and the satellite, the first frequency band has a higher capacity than the second frequency band so that the first transmission path is higher in bandwidth than the second transmission path, the first transmission path is switched to the second transmission path when a problem is detected with the first transmission path.