Viasat, Inc.

Ems Technologies, Inc.

Andrew Corporation

Donald Lawson Runyon

Anders Jensen

Dominic Q Nguyen

Mark J Miller

John Daniel Voss

Kenneth V Buer

Mark D Dankberg

Christopher J Cronin

Aaron J Mendelsohn

Lance B Diamond

David W Corman

Charles Pateros

Kurt A Zimmerman

James William Maxwell

Sharad V Parekh

William H Roeder

Richard W Sorenson, Jr

Michael Sayre Clott

Edward Mitchell Blalock

Daniel Llorens Del Rio

Eric L Cross

Ferdinando Tiezzi

James Crawford Carson

David Hancharik

David Mark Kokotoff

Ken J Larson

Jason T King

Joseph M Carlson

Kurt Alan Zimmerman

Kevin Mark Skinner

Darin Janoschka

Timothy J Martin

Charles Michael Luke

Stefano Vacarro

James K Tillery

Donald E Crockett, Iii

Anthony Guy Hamel

James Ernest Thompson, Jr

Matthew J Miller

Alex C Panos

Don Crockett

Jeremy D Standridge

Michael Chou

Andrew Michael Bacon

William Joshua Sparks

Donald E Crockett

Edward Mitch Blalock

Mark Miller

Martin Gimersky

Juddson C Frost

April A Spera

Emily Blickenstaff

Frank Klefenz

Gary Miller

James W Maxwell

William H Sorenson

The described features generally relate to adjusting a native antenna pattern of a satellite to adapt communications via the satellite. For example, a communications satellite may include an antenna having a feed array assembly, a reflector, and a linear actuator coupled between the feed array assembly and the reflector. The feed array assembly may have a plurality of feeds for communicating signals associated with a communications service, and the reflector may be configured to reflect the signals transmitted between the feed array assembly and one or more target devices. The linear actuator may have an adjustable length, or otherwise provide an adjustable position between the feed array assembly and the reflector. By adjusting the position of the feed array assembly relative to the reflector, the communications satellite may provide a communications service according to a plurality of native antenna patterns.

Coverage area adjustment to adapt satellite communications

Systems and methods for supporting more flexible coverage areas and spatial capacity assignments using satellite communications systems are disclosed. A hub-spoke, bent-pipe satellite communications system includes: terminals; gateways; a controller for specifying data for controlling satellite operations in accordance with a frame definition including timeslots for a frame and defining an allocation of capacity between forward and return traffic. The satellite communications system may employ a satellite with a feed array assembly and may use on-board beamforming or ground-based beamforming. Beam hopping within timeslots of the frame may be used to provide coverage to different cells in different time periods. The flexible coverage areas may be provided using changes in satellite position, antenna patterns, or beam resource allocations.

Flexible beamforming for satellite communications

In one example, an antenna system is described. The antenna system includes a primary antenna on an aircraft. The primary antenna is mechanically steerable and has an asymmetric antenna beam pattern with a narrow beamwidth axis and a wide beamwidth axis at boresight. The antenna system also includes a secondary antenna on the aircraft, the secondary antenna including an array of antenna elements. The antenna system also includes an antenna selection system to control communication of a signal between the aircraft and a target satellite via the primary antenna and the secondary antenna. The antenna selection system switches communication of the signal from the primary antenna to the secondary antenna when a performance characteristic for communication with the target satellite satisfies a threshold due to a position of the aircraft relative to the target satellite.

Methods and systems for mitigating interference with a nearby satellite

In one embodiment, an antenna system is described. The antenna system includes a primary antenna on an aircraft. The primary antenna is mechanically steerable and has an asymmetric antenna beam pattern with a narrow beamwidth axis and a wide beamwidth axis at boresight. The antenna system also includes a secondary antenna on the aircraft, the secondary antenna including an array of antenna elements. The antenna system also includes an antenna selection system to control communication of a signal between the aircraft and a target satellite via the primary antenna and the secondary antenna. The antenna selection system switches communication of the signal from the primary antenna to the secondary antenna when an amount of interference with an adjacent satellite reaches a threshold due to the wide beamwidth axis of the asymmetric antenna beam pattern.

An antenna includes a reflector and a waveguide assembly. The waveguide assembly includes a feed assembly and a support member that extends from behind the reflector to orient the feed assembly for direct illumination of the reflector. The waveguide assembly includes a first waveguide coupled to a first portion of a common waveguide, a second waveguide coupled to a second portion of the common waveguide, and a septum layer that includes a septum polarizer coupled between the common waveguide and the first and second waveguides.

Multi-band, dual-polarization reflector antenna

In one embodiment, an antenna assembly is described. The antenna assembly includes and antenna and an antenna positioner coupled to the antenna. The antenna positioner includes a single drive interface and a plurality of gears. The plurality of gears rotate in a first manner in response to a first drive direction applied through the single drive interface, and rotate in a second manner in response to a second drive applied through the single drive interface. The antenna positioner also includes a threaded rod that moves in a first rod direction and a second rod direction in response to rotation of the plurality of gears in the first manner and the second manner respectively. The antenna positioner also includes a tilt plate contacting the threaded rod. The tilt plate tilts about a pivot line in response to movement of the threaded rod to move a beam of the antenna in a spiral pattern.

Method and apparatus for beam-steerable antenna with single-drive mechanism

A waveguide architecture for a dual-polarized antenna including multiple antenna elements. Aspects are directed to dual-polarized antenna architectures where each antenna element includes a polarizer having an individual waveguide with dual-polarization signal propagation and divided waveguides associated with each basis polarization. The waveguide architecture may include unit cells having corporate waveguide networks associated with each basis polarization connecting each divided waveguide of the polarizers of each antenna element in the unit cell with a respective common waveguide. The waveguide networks may have waveguide elements located within the unit-cell boundary with a small or minimized inter-element distance. Thus, unit cells may be positioned adjacent to each other in a waveguide device assembly for a dual-polarized antenna array without increased inter-element distance between antenna elements of adjacent unit cells. Antenna waveguide ports may be connected to unit cell common waveguides using elevation and azimuth waveguide networks of the corporate type.

Compact waveguide power combiner/divider for dual-polarized antenna elements

Disclosed is a shaped horn in conjunction with a dielectric tube for enhanced aperture directivity that can achieve a near optimum efficiency. The shaped horn provides additional mode control to provide an improved off-axis cross-polarization response. The horn shape can be individually optimized for isolated horns or for horns in a feed array. The feed array environment can produce results that lead to a different optimized shape than the isolated horn. Lower off axis cross-polarization can result in improved efficiency and susceptibility to interference.

Enhanced directivity feed and feed array

A multi-beam antenna including a reflector having a single reflector surface defining a first focal region and a second focal region. A first feed group located within the first focal region includes a first feed oriented relative to the reflector to define a first beam pointed in a first direction. The multi-beam antenna further includes a fixed attachment mechanism attaching the first feed group to the reflector such that a position of the first feed group is fixed relative to the reflector. The multi-beam antenna further includes a second feed group located within the second focal region that includes a second feed oriented relative to the reflector to define a second beam pointed in a second direction. The multi-beam antenna further includes an adjustable attachment mechanism attaching the second feed group to the reflector, whereby a difference between the first direction and the second direction is adjustable.

Multi-beam shaped reflector antenna for concurrent communication with multiple satellites

Growing community of inventors

Duluth, GA, United States of America

Donald Lawson Runyon