Viasat, Inc.

Ems Technologies, Inc.

Eric L Cross

Samuel C Finney

Lance B Diamond

Bradley H Smith

Donald Lawson Runyon

James E Petranovich

Donald L Runyon, Jr

Douglas J Merrell

Michael G Guler

Terence D Newbury

Ian F Winfield

Alex Yeshanov

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

Systems and methods are described herein for adaptive pointing operations of a mobile antenna system that can be used to provide communication with a target satellite over a large geographical area, while also satisfying interference requirements with one or more other satellites. In particular, the adaptive pointing operations described herein control pointing of a beam of the antenna system towards the target satellite in a manner that takes into consideration the interference requirements of the other satellites. In some embodiments, the mobile antenna system can provide non-interfering communication with the target satellite, over the entire or substantially the entire coverage area (or footprint) of the target satellite. In doing so, services such as Internet, telephone and/or television services provided by the target satellite can be delivered to users throughout most or all of the satellite's coverage area, while also satisfying interference requirements with other satellites.

Methods and systems of adaptive antenna pointing for mitigating interference with a nearby satellite

Systems and methods are described herein for performing mispointing correction operations that can provide accurate pointing of an antenna towards a satellite, while also satisfying interference requirements with other satellites. As a result, the mispointing correction operations described herein can improve resource efficiency of communication systems using such antennas and help ensure compliance with interference requirements of other satellites.

Methods and systems for performing antenna pointing while mitigating interference with a nearby satellite

Methods, systems, and devices are described for operating an airborne satellite terminal in high temperature conditions. In one method, a satellite terminal is located within an enclosure beneath a radome on an exterior of an aircraft. The satellite terminal includes a transmit amplifier that may operate in different power modes, a temperature sensor thermally coupled with the transmit amplifier, and an antenna. A transmit signal is amplified using the transmit amplifier to generate an amplified signal, which signal may be transmitted through the radome using the antenna. The temperature of the transmit amplifier may be monitored with the temperature sensor while transmitting the amplified signal. Operation of the transmit amplifier may be switched from a normal power mode to a reduced power mode to reduce a power level of the amplified signal when the monitored temperature of the transmit amplifier exceeds a temperature threshold.

High temperature operation of an airborne satellite terminal

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for validating a two-way satellite communication system in an aircraft. The two-way satellite communication system may include a network access unit, a modem, and a satellite antenna assembly. A satellite link emulator may be disposed proximate the aircraft. A validation controller may initiate a validation test of the two-way satellite communication system using the satellite link emulator, including receiving, at the satellite link emulator, a transmitted uplink signal from the satellite antenna assembly, and transmitting, using the satellite link emulator, a downlink signal to the satellite antenna assembly in response to the received uplink signal. A pass/fail indication may be determined based on operation of the network access unit, the modem, and the satellite antenna assembly during the validation test.

Validation of a two-way satellite communication system without utilizing a satellite

Controlling an antenna's polarization sense. An antenna system includes a polarized antenna and a mechanism for controlling the polarization sense of the antenna. The controlling mechanism can include rotatable polarizer panels disposed between the antenna's aperture and the antenna's target. The polarizer panels are rotated to switch between polarization senses. The polarizer panels can comprise meander line polarizers that convert the polarization sense of a linear polarized antenna to a circularly polarized antenna and vice-versa. The meander line polarizers can be rotated from a position in which the meander line polarizer panels convert between linear polarization and right-hand-circular ('RHC') polarization to a position that converts between linear polarization and left-hand-circular ('LHC') polarization. The polarizer panels can be rotated using a mechanical system that rotates the polarizer panels based on a signal received from a remote device.

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Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Eric L Cross