Hughes Network Systems, LLC

Hughes Electronics Corporation

The Directv Group, Inc.

Hughes Eelctronics Corporation

Anthony Robert Noerpel

Stanley Edward Kay

Chandra Joshi

Dave Roos

Channasandra S Ravishankar

Chi-Jiun Su

David Alan Roos

Wei Zhao

Michael I Parr

Stephanie Demers

John G Himes

Lin-Nan Lee

Neal David Becker

Allan B Lamkin

Jun Xu

James Jehong Jong

Mohammad Soleimani

Yash Vasavada

Rajeev Gopal

Adrian Morris

Uday R Bhaskar

Charles A Barnett

Robert James Torres

Gaguk Zakaria

Udaya Bhaskar

Nassir Benammar

Liping Chen

Deepak Manohar Arur

John Corrigan

Enrique Laborde

Lin-nan Lee

Abheek Saha

Je-Hong Jong

Prabir Datta

Richard H Johnson

Farzad Talaie

John L Rotondo

Xiaoping He

Paul Gaske

James Hobza

Sandeep Verma

Mahesh Kamath

Gerard Stelzer

Chanasandra Ravishankar

Xiaoling Huang

Craig Schweinhart

Moe Rahnema

Harish Ramchandran

Michael Warren Castelloe

Zhengping Gao

Neeraj Tewari

David Roos

Hongjun Li

Tom Peters

Fei Yang

Kennon Cogdell

Xiang Chen

Yi Chen

Jean-Aicard Fabien

Mike Parr

Steven Arnold

Michael Castelloe

Gerard P Stelzer

A receive planar phased array antenna on a communications platform is used to estimate a pointing error of the antenna and to orient the antenna boresight towards the transmitter. A method for orienting the communications antenna includes: segmenting a receive phase array antenna into N sub-arrays with M-antenna elements in each sub-array; receiving, a known signal, by each of the M-antenna elements of at least four (4) of the N-sub-arrays; scanning in a direction of the known signal by applying a beam weight associated with each of the M elements in each of the at least 4-sub-arrays to obtain M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays; combining the M-weighted signals for each of the at least 4-sub-arrays into signals A, B, C and D, respectively; generating an azimuth difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+B) and (C+D) and an elevation difference signal per a weighted sum of (A+C) and (B+D); computing the weights of the azimuth difference signal, such that the azimuth difference signals is driven to a zero signal; and computing the weights of the elevation difference signal, such that the elevation difference signal is driven to a zero signal.

Method and system for orienting a phased array antenna

Modulation and coding for a high altitude platform is disclosed. An example method includes determining a first modulation scheme and a first coding scheme that is spectrally efficient for a feeder link communicatively coupled to a gateway antenna and determining a second modulation scheme and second coding scheme that is robust for user links communicatively coupled to respective user antennas. Each user antenna is configured to communicate with a specified cell within a specified area. The example method also includes provisioning the telecommunications apparatus with the first modulation scheme, the first coding scheme, the second modulation scheme, and the second coding scheme.

Modulation and coding for a high altitude platform

An RF communications transmitter system comprising a processor, a switch and a plurality of feedhorns. The switch is configured to receive a feed signal of a frequency bandwidth. The processor is configured to control the switch to provide the feed signal to each of at least two of the feedhorns for a respective time period. Each of the at least two feedhorns is configured to generate a beam during the respective time period that the feed signal is provided thereto, wherein the beam is formed based on the feed signal and is transmitted to cover a geographic area of the Earth. The formation and transmission of the beams by the feedhorns is controlled by the processor to provide a time-based allocation of bandwidth amongst the beams based on the time period that the feed signal is provided to each of the feedhorns and a respective frequency/polarization reuse scheme.

Approaches for improved frequency reuse efficiency and interference avoidance for a multi-beam satellite communications network

A method for determining routes for a data circuit between source and destination terminals, where the circuit is formed via satellites traveling in respective non-geostationary orbits, and a total time during which the circuit is active is divided into time intervals. The determination of each route comprises, for each time interval, (i) selecting an uplink satellite to service the source terminal as an ingress node for the circuit, and (ii) determining a series of inter-satellite links connecting the uplink satellite to a downlink satellite servicing the destination terminal during the respective time interval, wherein the series of links is determined to be valid during the respective time interval. Each of the plurality of time intervals is of a duration based on a validity time, based on the satellites traveling in their respective orbits, for the inter-satellite link of all of the routes that is of the shortest duration.

Radio resource management and routing for fixed data circuits in an NGSO satellite data communications system

A telecommunications platform comprises an antenna configured to generate a plurality of communications beams within a respective footprint on the surface of the Earth, wherein each communications beam provides data communications services over a respective cell coverage area on the surface of the Earth. The telecommunications platform further comprises a processor configured to control the plurality of communications beams of the antenna to form the respective cell coverage areas in a fixed cell pattern that remains essentially fixed relative to the surface of the Earth, such that, as the telecommunications platform travels through an orbit around the Earth, the footprint of the antenna sweeps across the fixed cell pattern and provides the communications services via the cell coverage areas of the fixed cell pattern that are within the footprint of the antenna at any given point in time.

Stationary fixed ground-based cells in a non-geostationary orbit communications system

A satellite system comprises LEO satellites and MEO satellites, and a control plane protocol architecture. The PHY, MAC, MAC/RLC and RRC layers are optimized for satellite environment. When the satellites are not processing satellites, eNB functions are implemented in a satellite gateway, and, when the satellites are processing satellites, protocol architecture in the control plane differ from LTE, as follows: PHY layer is moved to the communicating LEO/MEO satellite on the user link, MAC/RLC, RRC and PDCP are be located in satellite or gateway depending on satellite complexity, and the need to have mesh connectivity between UTs. When the RRC is implemented in the satellite, the RRC is divided into RRC-Lower and RRC-Upper layers. The RRC-L is satellite-based, and handles UT handover. The RRC-U is eNB-based, and handles resource management functions. The RRC-U communicates with the PDCP layer in the eNB to configure security, header and data compression.

Approaches for high speed global packet data services for LEO/MEO satellite systems

A description of a high altitude platform with multibeam coverage for aero-based terminals is provided herein. An example apparatus includes a plurality of user link antennas each configured to provide communication coverage among a plurality of aero-based terminals within a specified volume (or area) of the sky, each antenna being configured to communicate with a specified cell within the specified volume. The apparatus also includes a gateway link antenna configured to provide communication coverage to a ground-based gateway terminal. The user link antennas are configured to have differently sized apertures to maintain a similar spectral density among the cells within the specified coverage area. Such a configuration of user link antennas provides consistent Quality of Service and bandwidth for aero-based terminals (such as private and commercial aircraft) operating within the specified coverage area.

High altitude platform with multibeam coverage for aero-based terminals

Modulation and coding for a high altitude platform is disclosed. An example apparatus includes a gateway antenna configured to communicate with a ground-based gateway station and user antennas configured to provide communication coverage among a plurality of terminals within a specified area on the ground or in the air. Each user antenna is configured to communicate with a cell within the specified area. The example apparatus also includes a processor configured to demodulate and decode a first modulation scheme and a first coding scheme used for a feeder link provided by the gateway antenna, and apply at least a second modulation scheme and a second coding scheme for user links provided in spot beams by the user antennas. The first modulation scheme and the first coding scheme are configured to be relatively more spectrally efficient compared to the second modulation scheme and the second coding scheme for the user links.

Multibeam coverage for a high altitude platform ('HAP') is disclosed. An example method to provision a HAP includes determining an altitude range at which the HAP will operate and determining a minimum elevation angle from the ground to the HAP. The method also includes determining a coverage area of the HAP based on the altitude range and the minimum elevation angle and partitioning the coverage area into substantially equal-sized cells. The method further includes assigning an antenna to each of the cells and determining a beamwidth and an elevation angle for each antenna to provide communication coverage to the corresponding cell. The method moreover includes determining an aperture for each of the antennas based on the beamwidth and the elevation angle to provide the substantially equal-sized cells.

Multibeam coverage for a high altitude platform

A high capacity communication system and method, and a high capacity communications configuration system are provided. The high capacity communication system includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a signal generator to generate a signal including, wherein for a first frame portion extending from zero to &#x3c4; time the signal is generated per a first color reuse plan of a frequency spectrum and one or more polarizations, and for a second frame portion extending from &#x3c4; to T the signal is generated per a second color reuse plan of the frequency spectrum and the one or more polarizations; and an RF system to beam the signal concurrently to a first geographic area and a second geographic area. In the high capacity communication system, &#x3c4; is less than T, the first frame portion is intended for a first VSAT population disposed in the first geographic coverage area and the second frame portion is intended for a second VSAT population disposed in the second geographic coverage area, and the first color reuse plan maps the frequency spectrum and the one or more polarizations into fewer colors than the second color reuse plan.

Frequency reuse efficiency via interference avoidance for multi-beam satellite communications network

Approaches are provided for a congestion detection algorithm for detection of congestion in outroute port queues (associated with respective satellite downlink beams), of a Layer 2 switch on-board a processing satellite, before the congestion reaches the point of dropping packets. Such approaches employ congestion notification protocols to inform all inroute sources of the congested ports. The on-board Layer 2 switch sends congestion notifications to the on-board system controller. The system controller broadcasts a notification reflecting the report of contested ports/beams to source terminals. The source terminals then segregate bandwidth requests regarding traffic destined for congested beams from traffic destined to all uncongested beams, and categorize such requests based on respective traffic priority levels. The system controller makes bandwidth grants according to congestion (for example allowing only higher priority traffic on congested beams) to alleviate the congestion conditions of the respective ports/beams.

System and method for congestion management for downlink queues of digital processing satellites for differentiated quality-of-service (QOS)

Multibeam coverage for a high altitude platform is disclosed. An example apparatus includes a plurality of antennas configured to provide communication coverage among a plurality of terminals within a specified area on the ground, each antenna being configured to communicate with a specified cell within the specified area. The antennas of the example apparatus have differently sized apertures to maintain a similar surface spectral density among the cells within the specified area.

An approach provides a satellite air interface to efficiently support communication with a terrestrial network. One or more packets associated with a data communication session are received from a terrestrial network configured to provide cellular communications. A frame representing the packet for transmission is generated over a satellite link to a user terminal. Signaling information for the transmission of the packet over the terrestrial network is modified or eliminated for transmission over the satellite link.

Method and system for providing a satellite interface to support mobile communication services

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Lovettsville, VA, United States of America

Anthony Robert Noerpel