Satellite communications system employing frequency reuse
US4879711A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1987 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02D30/70
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A satellite communications system employs separate subsystems for broadcast and point-to-point two-way communications using the same assigned frequency band and employs an antenna system which uses a common reflector (12). The point-to-point subsystem achieves increased communication capacity through the reuse of the assigned frequency band over multiple, contiguous zones (32, 34, 36, 38) covering the area of the earth to be serviced. Small aperture terminals in the zones are serviced by a plurality of high-gain downlink fan beams (29) steered in the east-west direction by frequency address. A special beam-forming network (98) provides in conjunction with an array antenna (20) the multiple zone frequency address function. The satellite (10) employs a filter interconnection matrix (90) for connecting earth terminals in different zones to permit multiple reuse of the entire band of assigned frequencies. A single pool of solid-state transmitters allows rain-disadvantaged users to be assigned higher than normal power at minimum cost and geographically disperses the transmitter intermodulation products. In an alternate embodiment, the satellite (200) employs direct radiating array anten…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.