Viasat, Inc.

Telebit Corporation

Mark J Miller

Kenneth V Buer

Mark D Dankberg

Christopher J Cronin

Charles Pateros

Donald Lawson Runyon

Aaron J Mendelsohn

John Hai O'Neill

Donald Wesley Becker

Kristi Ann Jaska

Robert Wilson

Steven R Hart

Aniruddha Das

John C Tchorz

David H Irvine

Donald L Runyon, Jr

Timothy J Martin

Richard Blount

James Murphy

Frederick Treesh

Michael G Mulligan

Anil K Agarwal

Gary Allen Anwyl

Thomas Eidenschink

Anthony Guy Hamel

Dwight W Decker

Robert Arthur Fitting

Rama Balasubramanian

Stephen R Hart

Sanford Leong

Charles N Pateros

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; and a satellite including: pathways; at least one LNA, an output of which is for coupling to a pathway and to amplify uplink beam signals in accordance with the allocation; and at least one HPA, an input of which is for coupling to the pathway and to amplify downlink beam signals in accordance with the allocation, and wherein the frame definition specifies at least one pathway as a forward pathway for at least one timeslot and as a return pathway for at least one other timeslot in the frame.

Flexible capacity satellite communications system

Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.

Access node farm for end-to-end beamforming

Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, an end-to-end beamforming system include a relay satellite and a ground network to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground network includes geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system (CPS). Beamformers of the ground network generate forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the satellite, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form forward user beams.

System and method for end-to-end beamforming

Systems and methods are described for robust scheduling of beam switching patterns in satellite communications systems. Embodiments operate in context of a hub-spoke satellite communications architecture having a number of gateway terminals servicing large numbers of user terminals over a number of spot beams. The satellite includes switching subsystems that distribute capacity to the user beams from multiple of the gateway terminals in a shared manner according to a beam group switching pattern. The beam group switching pattern is robustly formulated to continue distributing capacity during gateway outages (e.g., when one or two gateway terminals are temporarily non-operational due to rain fade, equipment failure, etc.). For example, the beam group switching pattern can be formulated to minimize worst-case degradation of capacity across user beams, to prioritize certain beams or beam groups, etc.

Robust beam switch scheduling

Satellite for end to end beamforming

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

System and method for return end-to-end beamforming

Ground network for end-to-end beamforming

Growing community of inventors

Vista, CA, United States of America

Mark J Miller