Mobile satellite modem for combined geostationary, medium and low earth orbit satellite operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11233562-B1
Application number	US-202017136558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 29, 2020
Priority date	Dec 29, 2020
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

The present teachings include a method and computing apparatus for triggering synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite, retrieving ephemeris information for the satellite and beam configuration information for the beam, calculating a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information, and adjusting the carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity. In the method, the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
triggering synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite;
retrieving an ephemeris information for the satellite and a beam configuration information for the beam;
calculating a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information; and
adjusting a carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity,
wherein the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising synchronizing a timing of the communicating via the satellite modem to a gateway.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising synchronizing a transmit power of the transmitting from the satellite modem.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting further compensates for a UT movement induced doppler offset in the carrier frequency.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting further compensates for a velocity of the satellite relative to a gateway.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising directing an antenna controller to point an antenna to a real-time location of the satellite.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repointing to a new satellite having a same satellite type as the satellite type.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the triggering comprises one or more of receiving a message to synchronize, determining that the satellite modem is within a coverage area of the satellite, imminent arrival of the satellite modem into the coverage area of the satellite, and imminent departure of the satellite modem from a current coverage area.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retrieving comprises accessing an ephemeris repository via a satellite link to retrieve the ephemeris information.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicating comprises receiving and transmitting.

11. A computing apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the apparatus to:
trigger synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite;
retrieve an ephemeris information for the satellite and a beam configuration information for the beam;
calculate a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information; and
adjust a carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity,
wherein the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

12. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus to synchronize a timing of the communicating via the satellite modem to a gateway.

13. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus to synchronize a transmit power of the transmitting from the satellite modem.

14. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the adjusting further compensates for a UT movement induced doppler offset in the carrier frequency.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the adjusting further compensates for a velocity of the satellite relative to a gateway.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus to direct an antenna controller to point an antenna to a real-time location of the satellite.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further configure the apparatus to repoint to a new satellite having a same satellite type as the satellite type.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the triggering comprises one or more of receiving a message to synchronize, determine that the satellite modem is within a coverage area of the satellite, imminent arrival of the satellite modem into the coverage area of the satellite, and imminent departure of the satellite modem from a current coverage area.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the retrieving comprises access an ephemeris repository via a satellite link to retrieve the ephemeris information.

20. The computing apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the communicating comprises receive and transmitting.

Assignees

• Montgomery Guy
• Choquette George
• Roy Satyajit
• Hughes Network Systems Llc

Inventors

• Montgomery Guy
• Choquette George
• Roy Satyajit

Classifications

• H04B7/18517

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H04B7/18519 Primary

  Operations control, administration or maintenance · CPC title

• H04B7/18513 Primary

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

• H04B7/2675

  Frequency synchronisation · CPC title

• H04B7/2048

  Frame structure, synchronisation or frame acquisition in SS-TDMA systems · CPC title