Satellite ground terminal utilizing frequency-selective surface subreflector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10658757-B2
Application number	US-201715610447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2017
Priority date	Jun 19, 2015
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A device and method are described for duplex satellite communication over a single satellite antenna. A satellite ground terminal may utilize a frequency-selective surface module including a frequency-selective surface as a subreflector acting as a frequency diplexer to separate signals received and/or transmitted by a first feed and a second feed of a satellite ground terminal, where each feed has a separate antenna horn. The frequency-selective surface module may be used in combination with a second subreflector such that a first feed and a second feed of the satellite ground terminal are implemented on the same side of the frequency-selective surface module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication terminal for satellite communications, comprising:
a main reflector;
a first subreflector having a reflected focus, wherein the first subreflector is a frequency-selective subreflector that is transparent to signals transmitted on a first band of frequencies and reflective to signals transmitted on a second band of frequencies;
a second subreflector having a reflected focus, wherein the second subreflector is reflective to signals transmitted on the first band of frequencies;
a first feed located at a reflected focus of the first subreflector, wherein the first feed receives signals on the second band of frequencies;
a second feed located at a reflected focus of the second subreflector, wherein the second feed receives signals on the first band of frequencies; and
a receiver band selector switch communicatively coupled to outputs of the first feed and the second feed, wherein the receiver band selector switch outputs to a satellite indoor unit and allows switching between the first band of frequencies received by the second feed and the second band of frequencies received by the first feed,
wherein the communication terminal is a ground satellite terminal.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1 wherein the first subreflector and the second subreflector are not parallel.

3. The communication terminal of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first feed and the second feed comprises a transceiver.

4. The communication terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
one of the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies comprises a Q-band of frequencies; and wherein
one of the first band of frequencies and the second band of frequencies comprises a K-band of frequencies and a Ku-band of frequencies.

5. The communication terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first feed and the second feed are physically integrated into one unit.

6. The communication terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second subreflector is a solid metal reflector.

7. The communication terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is a very small aperture terminal (VSAT).

8. The communication terminal of claim 2 , wherein the main reflector is a prime focus dish, wherein the first subreflector is angled such that it is located at a prime focus of the main reflector.

Assignees

• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Jackson Thomas
• Hou Peter

Classifications

• H01Q19/19

  comprising one main concave reflecting surface associated with an auxiliary reflecting surface · CPC title

• H01Q19/17

  the primary radiating source comprising two or more radiating elements (H01Q19/15, H01Q25/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04B7/18513

  Transmission in a satellite or space-based system · CPC title

• H04B7/18517

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H01Q15/0013

  said selective devices working as frequency-selective reflecting surfaces, e.g. FSS, dichroic plates, surfaces being partly transmissive and reflective · CPC title