Satellite terminal antenna pointing arrangement using separate forward and return satellites
US11387896B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 1, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jul 12, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 1, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B7/18589
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A terminal, allowing bidirectional communication with a gateway, receives information from the gateway through a forward satellite and sends information towards the gateway through a return satellite. The terminal comprises an antenna arrangement having a receive aperture for receiving signals from forward satellite and a transmit aperture for transmitting signals to return satellite. A controller computes a pointing direction from receive aperture towards the forward satellite based on the terminal's position and orientation, the antenna arrangement's geometry, and the forward satellite's orbital position; and computes a pointing direction from the transmit aperture towards the return satellite based on the computed pointing direction from the receive aperture towards the forward satellite and the return satellite's orbital position. The invention also relates to a system comprising a terminal and a gateway, and to a method for operating a terminal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.