Thales

Alcatel

Centre National Detudes Spatiales

Philippe Voisin

Florence Dolmeta

Hélène Gachon

Bertrand Onillon

Didier Casasoprana

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Croq

Regis Lenormand

Cédric Baudoin

Gerard Caille

Laurent Roullet

Ludovic Schreider

Bernard Charrat

Frederic Croq

Yann Cailloce

Mathieu Dervin

Gérard Caille

Muriel Aveline

Luc Delamotte

Olivier Maillet

Frederic Magnin

Aline Briand

Bruno Trancart

Sandra Vime

Jean-Philippe Taisant

Cécile Larue De Tournemine

Luc Cavelier

Jean Bouin

Claude Argagnon

R&eacute;gis Lenormand

Didier Le Boulc'H

Didier Leboulc'h

Cécile Guiraud

Eric Desrousseaux

Jacques Belmont

Matthieu Hoffmann

G&eacute;rald Chretien

Eva Maria Gonzalez Esteban

Cecile Guiraud

A method for estimating, at one and the same given time, a set of attenuations of one or more first radiofrequency RF uplinks, implemented by a VHTS space telecommunications system. In an auxiliary usage step, an on-board regenerative or digital transparent processor DTP generates at least one beacon signal that is or are distributed, in the Q band, to N nominal access stations GWn(i) in order to be measured in terms of power, or measures the spectral power of each traffic signal transmitted by the nominal access stations GWn(i), i varying from 1 to N. In a following step, the attenuation levels An(i) of the uplinks LUn(i) are determined based on the powers of the one or more beacon signals that are measured on the corresponding downlinks LDn(i) in the Q band, or based on the one or more spectral powers, measured by the DTP, of the traffic signals received on the one or more uplinks LUn(i).

Method and system for estimating attenuations of the respective uplinks of nominal satellite access station(s) to a VHTS very high throughput telecommunications satellite

A VHTS or HTS multibeam telecommunications payload includes a first multibeam antenna system with passive antennas, which is configured to receive from and transmit to spots of access stations GW respectively in a first satellite receive Rx band and a first satellite transmit Tx band, and a second multibeam antenna system with passive antennas, which is configured to receive from and transmit to a user coverage zone respectively in a second satellite receive Rx band and a second satellite transmit Tx band, by generating multiple satellite receive user spots and multiple satellite transmit user spots. The payload is wherein it comprises a digital core, based on a digital transparent processor DTP offering total connectivity and total flexibility of allocation of frequency slots to the access station and user spots, and associated with the DTP an RF switching set, made up of one or more matrices of RF switches on source accesses of user spots in satellite transmit Tx only or in satellite transmit Tx and in satellite receive Rx so as to implement operation by beam hopping on clusters Gj/G'j of Tx and/or Rx user spots for which the number of spots Rj/R&#x2032;j is less than or equal to the total number P of access station spots.

Flexible payload architecture for VHTS and HTS applications

A distributed amplification device with p inputs, p outputs, p amplification paths comprises a redundant reservoir ofamplifiers including n-p back-up amplifiers, an input redundancy ring and an output redundancy ring formed by rotary switches, the input and output redundancy rings sharing the same technology. The internal amplification pathways associated with the n-p back-up amplifiers frame in an interlaced manner the internal amplification pathways associated with the p nominal amplifiers and the amplification paths of the routing configurations each pass through at least five rotary switches. The input and output redundancy rings are topologically and geometrically configured and the family of the routing configurations is chosen such that the electrical lengths of all the paths of one and the same routing configuration of the family are equal.

Architecture of a wideband distributed amplification device

The present invention relates to a device for managing signal routing on board a satellite, and use of 'agile' digital transparent processors. The device decorrelates the spreading band of the uplink to said satellite from the instantaneous useful band of each signal, used for routing on board the satellite and on the downlink. For a given protection dictating the spreading width of the uplink signals, the device makes it possible to optimize connectivity, i.e. the number of routes through said satellite, as well as the total capacity of the satellite by means of individualized control of the gain of each route. The routing band is limited to the instantaneous useful communication band and is not extended to the spreading band of the uplink. The band used in the downlink by each signal can also be limited to the instantaneous useful band or possibly widened by a new frequency spread.

Dynamic management of signal routing capacity for satellites using a digital transparent processor having rapid reconfiguration

A multi-spot transmission and reception system includes at least one outbound section implementing the reception of a hub frequency band and its transposition into user transmission sub-bands, at least one return section implementing the reception of user frequency sub-bands, and their transposition into a hub transmission band and a mesh section comprising a digital transparent processor DTP. The mesh section includes: frequency sampling and recombining means to sample, on user reception sub-bands a mesh band fraction, and to recombine the sampled mesh band fractions on an input of the DTP; and frequency division and reinjection means to divide the frequency band routed to an output of the DTP, into band fractions, and to reinject the band fractions obtained into the user transmission sub-bands. An application of the system is to repeaters on board telecommunications satellites.

Multi-spot transmission and reception system on board a satellite and satellite comprising such a system

A transmit and/or receive array antenna comprises an array (R) of sub-arrays (SR) of at least one radiating element (ER) and control means charged with controlling the amplitude and/or the phase of the radiofrequency signals to be transmitted or received in the form of waves by each of the sub-arrays (SR) so that they transmit or receive signals according to a chosen pattern. The sub-arrays (SR) comprise a mean number of radiating elements (ER) which increases from the center of the array (R) to its periphery, and are arranged with respect to one another so as to constitute an irregular mesh offering pattern sidelobes of low intensity and a high gain in a favored direction.

Array antenna with irregular mesh and possible cold redundancy

The present invention relates to an amplification device for a satellite in order to amplify a plurality of n transmission channels to an output corresponding to a beam, the device comprising:

Broadband amplifying device

A satellite amplifier systemadapted to amplify and distribute flexibly P input transmission channels to N outputs each corresponding to one beam includes a switchhaving at least P inputs for routing the plurality P of transmission channels to a plurality of outputs, at least one Butler matrixeach input of which is connected to an output of the switch, and at least one inverse Butler matrix, each output of the Butler matrix being connected to a corresponding input of the inverse Butler matrix by an amplifier. The systemfurther includes a plurality of output demultiplexersfor separating a plurality of transmission channels by frequency, the input of each of the output demultiplexers being connected to an output of the inverse Butler matrix.

Satellite amplifier system

The present invention relates to an amplifier system for satellites, in particular for radio-frequency amplifier systems incorporating travelling wave tube amplifiers and used in space repeaters. The amplifier system () includes two amplifier modules (A, A) each having an input and an output, a signal divider (D) having an input, a first output, and a second output, a signal combiner (C) having a first input, a second input and an output. The first output of the divider (D) is connected to the input of the first amplifier module (A) via a connection length Le. The second output of the divider (D) is connected to the input of the second amplifier module (A) via a connection length Le. The output of the first amplifier module (A) is connected to the first input of the combiner (C) via a connection length Ls. The output of the second amplifier module (A) is connected to the second input of the combiner (C) via a connection length Ls. The connection length satisfies the equation Le+Ls=Le+Lsand the connection length Lsis different from the connection length Ls.

Amplifier system for satellites

The invention concerns a method of communication between ground stations via satellites traveling around the Earth and forming part of a constellation overflying at least a major portion of the Earth, each ground station communicating during a particular time with a given satellite of the constellation. Two ground stations communicate via respective given satellites with which the stations are respectively communicating. To minimize the control means on board each satellite, the two satellites communicate via a predetermined communications link. A link of the above kind generally comprises one or more predetermined satellites.

Method of communication between earth stations using a constellation of satellites

A telecommunications system antenna for communicating, in transmission and in reception, with a large area whose position relative to the antenna varies. The antenna has motors ( ) for pointing the antenna towards the area and radiating elements ( ) associated with a control device for modifying the antenna's radiation pattern according to the relative position of the antenna and the area. When the antenna is installed on a telecommunications satellite, as the antenna moves, the antenna can remain constantly in communication with an area of the Earth covering several hundred kilometers.

Telecommunication system antenna and method for transmitting and receiving using the antenna

The invention concerns a telecommunications system in which the Earth is divided into areas ( ) within which communications are effected by means of transmit and receive means on a spacecraft, such as a satellite, allocated to communication for a plurality of areas. Areas ( ) of a first category ( ) are allocated signals having respective polarizations (P , P ) and carrier frequencies (&Dgr;F , &Dgr;F ) such that two adjacent areas of the first category are allocated signals having different polarizations or carrier frequencies. Each area of a second category ( ) is allocated signals having all the available polarizations and all the available carrier frequencies.

Frequency and polarization allocation for satellite telecommunication systems

Transmit and/or receive antenna comprising an array (,) of radiating elements (,) and a controller for controlling the amplitude and/or the phase of the signals transmitted or received by each element so that the antenna is able to transmit or receive according to a specified pattern. The array (,) comprises an excess number (N&plus;Q) of radiating elements relative to the requirements and the antenna includes a control device for activating the number (N) of elements which is just necessary to meet the requirements. This control device activates a reserve element (,) should failure of an active element be detected.

Active antenna with array of radiating elements with redundant architecture

The invention concerns an antenna with high scanning capacity. The antenna comprises a panel (,) of static radiating elements which are controlled to transmit in variable directions relative to a direction (,) perpendicular to the plane of the panel. Reflectors (,) amplify the scanning effected by the panel (,) of radiating elements. The reflectors (,) are segments of paraboloids with the same axis (,) and the same focus (,), for example.

Growing community of inventors

Toulouse, France

Philippe Voisin