System and method for intermittent satellite communication with a fixed antenna
US6226494A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 23, 1997 |
| Grant date | May 1, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 23, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B7/18513
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A low-cost, low maintenance earth-based station is disclosed which includes a fixed aperture antenna directed to a fixed location. The system operates with a plurality of non-geosynchronous satellites that will periodically pass through a beam coverage region of the antenna. When one of the satellites comes within range of the earth-based station, the earth-based station detects the presence of the satellite and synchronizes the earth-based station with the satellite. When synchronization is complete, the earth-based station transmits stored data to the satellite. The data to be transmitted is stored within a data storage device that may be present at the earth-based station or remotely located and transmitted to the earth-based station using conventional techniques. The data may be transferred to the earth-based station from a remote data storage facility in response to a polling request after the satellite has been detected within range of the antenna, or automatically transferred from the remote storage facility and temporarily stored at the earth-based station in anticipation of the next satellite to come within range.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.