Combined navigation and mobile communication satellite architecture

• US 6,311,128 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Montalvo, Armando, Bazak, Henry V. Jr., Busche, Gregory C., Prum, Samuel, Bennett, Pauline C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/498,495
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/200, 701/214, 701/215, 342/357.09, 342/357.06, 342/357.01, 343/893, 343/853, 324/331, 364/449, 455/426, 455/411, 455/428, 455/438, 455/552, 375/200, 375/211, 375/221
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/02 Details of the space or ground control segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/425 by combining or switching between signals derived from different satellite radio beacon positioning systems

Abstract

A navigation and mobile communication satellite system including a Geo-Mobile (GEM) satellite (14) and a plurality of Global Position System (GPS) satellites (50). The GEM satellite (14) is in operative communication with at least one ground segment (12) and at least one user segment (16), and includes a GEM processor for providing communication services to the user segments (16). The GPS network is also in operative communication with at least one of the user segments (16) and at least one of the ground segments (12). The GPS network provides navigation data to the user segment (16). Each of the ground segments (12) include a gateway station (28) for receiving the navigation data and uplinking the navigation data to the GEM satellite (14) such that the navigation data is rebroadcast to the user segments (16) at a higher power than from the GPS network alone. In this manner, the GEM system provides a navigation signal at a much higher power than the present GPS system. This signal is of sufficient strength to overcome the effects of a lower power signal jammer, which may be effective against the weaker GPS signal.

Claims

1. A navigation and mobile communication satellite system (10) comprising:

a Geo-Mobile (GEM) satellite (14) in operative communication with at least one ground segment (12) and at least one user segment (16), the GEM satellite (14) including a GEM processor (100) for providing communication and navigation services to said user segments (16);

a plurality of Global Position System (GPS) satellites (50) in operative communication with at least one of said user segments (16) and at least one of said ground segments (12), said GPS satellites (50) providing wide band, high data rate navigation signals containing navigation data to said user segment (16) and said ground segment (12);

wherein each of said ground segments (12) include a gateway station (28) for receiving and formatting said wide band, high data rate navigation signals into a GEM processor format and uplinking said navigation data to said GEM satellite (14) such that said navigation processed signals are rebroadcast from said GEM satellite (14) to said user segment (16) at a higher power than from said GPS satellites (50).

2. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein said user segment includes a user terminal having combined navigation and communication capabilities.

3. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein said gateway station (28) includes a preprocessor (102) for receiving said wide-band, high data-rate signals from said GPS satellites (50) and formatting sad signals for reception and processing by said GEM processor.

4. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 3 wherein said preprocessor comprises an analog receive section, a digital processor and an analog transmit section.

5. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 4 wherein said analog receive section comprises a down-converter, a filter, and an amplifier for processing said wide-band, high data-rate signal to a lower frequency range suitable for baseband processing.

6. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 5 wherein said digital processor (112) includes means for digitizing a baseband version of said wide-band, high data-rate signal into discreet time frequencies compatible with an input spectrum channelization of said GEM satellite (14).

7. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 6 wherein said analog transmit section comprises an up-converter, a filter, and an amplifier for processing said baseband discreet time frequency signals into the input spectrum frequency band of said GEM satellite.

8. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein each of said gateway stations is in operative communication with a public switched telephone network for providing communication signals to said user segments.

9. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein each of said gateway stations is in operative communication with a public land mobile telephone network for providing communication signals to said user segments.

10. The navigation and mobile communication system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said gateway stations includes a satellite operations center for providing telemetry, tracking and control of said GEM satellite.

11. A gateway station (28) for a Geo-Mobile (GEM) satellite system (10) comprising:

a receiver (110) in operative communication with said GEM satellite (14) and a network of global positioning system (GPS) satellites (50), said GEM satellite (14) providing communication services to a plurality of user terminals (16) and said GPS network (50) providing navigation data to said plurality of user terminals (16);

a preprocessor (102) for formatting wide-band, high data-rate navigation signals received from said GPS network (50) by said receiver (110) into GEM processor format; and

a transmitter in operative communication with said GEM satellite (14) for transmitting said processed navigation signals from said preprocessor (102) to said GEM satellite (14) such that said navigation processed signals are rebroadcast to said user terminals (16) at a higher power than from said GPS satellites (50).

12. The gateway station of claim 11 wherein said processor comprises an analog receive section, a digital processor and an analog transmit section.

13. The gateway station of claim 12 wherein said analog receive section comprises a down-converter, a filter, and an amplifier for processing said wide-band, high data-rate signal to a lower frequency range suitable for baseband processing.

14. The gateway station (28) of claim 13 wherein said digital processor (112) includes means for digitizing a baseband version of said wide-band, high data-rate signal into discreet time frequencies compatible with an input spectrum channelization of said GEM satellite (14).

15. The gateway station of claim 14 wherein said analog transmit section comprises an up-converter, a filter, and an amplifier for processing said baseband discreet time frequency signals into the input spectrum frequency band of said GEM satellite.

16. In a Geo-Mobile (GEM) satellite network (10) including a GEM satellite (14) in operative communication with at least one ground segment (12) and at least one user segment (16), an improved Global Position System (GPS) satellite network (50) comprising:

a gateway station (28) in operative communication with said GEM satellite (14) and said GPS satellite network (50), said gateway station (28) providing uplink transmission of processed navigation signals, that are in GEM processor format, from said GPS satellite network (50) to said GEM satellite (14) such that said navigation processed signals are rebroadcast to said user terminals (16) at a higher power than from GPS satellites (50).

17. The GPS satellite network of claim 16 wherein said gateway station includes a preprocessor having an analog receive section, a digital processor and an analog transmit section such that wide-band, high data-rate navigation signals from said GPS satellite network are formatted for reception and rebroadcasting by said GEM satellite.

18. The GPS satellite network of claim 16 wherein said ground segment includes a portable user terminal capable of proving both communication and navigation functions.