ADAPTIVE BEAM FORMING WITH MULTI-USER DETECTION AND INTERFERENCE REDUCTION IN SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100203884A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ATC Technology Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Karabinis, Peter D., Zheng, Dunmin
• Application Number:
  US12/689,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20100203884A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18563 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00

Abstract

Satellite communications methods include receiving communications signals including co-channel interference at a space-based component from a plurality of wireless terminals in a satellite footprint over a satellite frequency band and reducing interference in the communication signals by (a) performing co-channel interference reduction on the communications signals to generate a plurality of interference reduced signals and (b) performing multiple access interference cancellation on the interference reduced signals. An interference reducing detector for a satellite communications system includes an interference reducer configured to perform co-channel interference reduction on communications signals to generate a plurality of interference reduced signals, and a detector configured to perform multiple access interference cancellation on the interference reduced signals. Satellite communications systems and satellite gateways including interference reducing detectors are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An interference reducer for a space-based component that is configured to receive components of a signal using at least first and second antenna patterns that differ in a spatial orientation and a polarization orientation, wherein the space-based component is configured to provide the components of the signal to the interference reducer and the interference reducer is configured to process the components of the signal to reduce a level of interference of the signal.

2. A method of reducing interference, comprising:

receiving, at a space-based component, components of a signal using at least first and second antenna patterns that differ in a spatial orientation and a polarization orientation;

providing the components of the signal to an interference reducer; and

processing the components of the signal at the interference reducer to reduce a level of interference of the signal.

3. A method of reducing interference, comprising:

receiving, at a space-based component, a plurality of components of a signal using a respective plurality of different antenna patterns;

selecting a subset of the received signal components for processing;

providing the selected subset of the received signal components to an interference reducer; and

processing the selected subset of the received signal components at the interference reducer to reduce a level of interference of the signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the antenna patterns differ in a spatial orientation and/or a polarization orientation

5. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the subset of the received signal components comprises selecting the subset of the received signal components based on a characteristic of the signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the signal comprises a geographic location associated with the signal, a signal strength associated with the signal, or a signal quality associated with the signal.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the signal comprises a return link control channel signal.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of a source of the signal;

wherein selecting a subset of the received signal components for processing comprises selecting a subset of the received signal components such that, for the determined geographic location, an improved performance measure is provided for the signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the performance measure comprises a signal to interference ratio and/or a signal to noise ratio.