Dual aperture dual modem SATCOM terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11595115-B2
Application number	US-202117406327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2021
Priority date	May 13, 2021
Publication date	Feb 28, 2023
Grant date	Feb 28, 2023

Abstract

An aircraft based satellite communication (SATCOM) terminal includes a broadband aperture configured to communicate through non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites for broadband communications, a management aperture configured to receive NGSO satellite management information from a geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite, and at least one processor that performs operations. The operations receive the NGSO satellite management information from the GSO satellite, where the NGSO satellite management information indicates positions and associated time of a set of the NGSO satellites. The operations acquire a second communication link with a second NGSO satellite among the set using the NGSO satellite management information during handoff switching from using a first communication link that was previously acquired with a first NGSO satellite to using the second communication link being acquired with the second NGSO satellite. The operations then perform broadband communications through the broadband aperture and the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite. Related ground-based control centers are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile satellite communication (SATCOM) terminal comprising:
a broadband aperture configured to communicate through non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites for broadband communications;
a management and broadcast-multicast aperture configured to receive, from a geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite, NGSO satellite management information;
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to perform operations to:
receive the NGSO satellite management information from the GSO satellite, wherein the NGSO satellite management information indicates positions and associated time of a set of the NGSO satellites;
acquire a second communication link with a second NGSO satellite among the set using the NGSO satellite management information during handoff switching from using a first communication link that was previously acquired with a first NGSO satellite to using the second communication link being acquired with the second NGSO satellite; and
perform broadband communications through the broadband aperture and the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite.

2. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein the set of NGSO satellites is one of: a set of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites; a set of medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites; and a set of highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites.

3. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein the operations control directional pointing of the broadband aperture based on a position and time of one of the NGSO satellites determined from the NGSO satellite management information to acquire the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite.

4. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 3 , wherein the operations:
generate antenna pointing information based on latitude, longitude, altitude, and associated time of the second NGSO satellite determined from the NGSO satellite management information and based on latitude, longitude, altitude, and associated time of an aircraft transporting the SATCOM terminal; and
control the directional pointing of the broadband aperture based on the antenna pointing information to acquire the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite.

5. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein the operations control transmitter and/or receiver signaling timing for acquiring the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite, based on location and associated time of the second NGSO satellite indicated by the NGSO satellite management information and based on location and associated time of an aircraft transporting the SATCOM terminal as obtained from a communication bus of the aircraft.

6. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the operations control transmission power level through the management aperture toward the second NGSO satellite based on the position of the second NGSO satellite indicated by the NGSO satellite management information and based on position of an NGSO satellite gateway Earth station which is indicated by the NGSO satellite management information and which is serving the second NGSO satellite, to acquire the communication link with the second NGSO satellite.

7. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 6 , wherein the operations to control transmission power level through the management aperture comprise to:
estimate a first slant range between the second NGSO satellite and the NGSO satellite gateway Earth station serving the second NGSO satellite, based on latitude, longitude, and altitude of the second NGSO satellite determined from the NGSO satellite management information and based on latitude, longitude, and altitude of the NGSO satellite gateway Earth station determined from the NGSO satellite management information;
estimate a second slant range between the second NGSO satellite and an aircraft transporting the SATCOM terminal, based on the latitude, the longitude, and the altitude of the second NGSO satellite determined from the NGSO satellite management information and based on latitude, longitude, and altitude of the aircraft; and
estimate a transmission power level to be used for transmission to acquire the communication link with the second NGSO satellite, based on the first and second slant ranges.

8. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the NGSO satellite management information further indicates frequency drift of the set of the NGSO satellites and/or frequency drift of at least one NGSO satellite gateway Earth station serving the NGSO satellites; and
the operations estimate frequency to be used for receiving signaling from the second NGSO satellite during acquisition and/or to be used for transmitting signaling to the second NGSO satellite during acquisition, based on the frequency drift indicated by the NGSO satellite management information for the second NGSO satellite and for the NGSO satellite gateway Earth station serving the second NGSO satellite.

9. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the NGSO satellite management information further indicates speed and direction of the NGSO satellites in the set; and
the operations estimate frequency to be used for receiving signaling from the second NGSO satellite during acquisition and/or to be used for transmitting signaling to the second NGSO satellite during acquisition, based on the speed and direction of the second NGSO satellite indicated by the NGSO satellite management information and based on speed and direction of an aircraft transporting the SATCOM terminal as obtained from a communication bus of the aircraft.

10. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 1 , further comprising:
a broadband modem coupled to the broadband aperture and configured by the operations to establish the second communication link for bidirectional communications through the second NGSO satellite using the NGSO satellite management information; and
a management and broadcast-multicast modem coupled to the management and broadcast-multicast aperture and configured by the operations to receive the NGSO satellite management information from the GSO satellite.

11. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 10 , wherein:
the management and broadcast-multicast modem is configured by the operations for unidirectional receive-only communications to receive the NGS 0 satellite management information contained in broadcast-multicast traffic from the GSO satellite, and the broadband aperture is configured by the operations for the bidirectional communications through the second communication link with the second NGSO satellite.

12. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 10 , wherein:
the management and broadcast-multicast modem is configured by the operations for bidirectional communications to receive the NGSO satellite management information contained in broadcast-multicast traffic from the GSO satellite and to transmit unicast traffic from crew and passengers to the GSO satellite.

13. The mobile SATCOM terminal of claim 10 , further comprising an electronically scanned phase array antenna having a receive-only physical aperture with multi-beam capability and a transmit-only physical aperture,
wherein the receive-only physical aperture of the electronically scanned phase array antenna is configured by the operations to provide a first electronically steerable receive beam steered toward the GSO satellite to receive broadcast communications including the NGSO satellite management information and is further operated to provide a second electronically steerable receive beam steered toward the second NGSO satellite based on the NGSO satellite management information to receive broadband commun

Assignees

• Thales Avionics Inc

Inventors

• Panthi Sunil
• Tonnerre Arnaud

Classifications

• H04B7/18521

  Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service (for optical links between satellites H04B10/118) · CPC title

• H04B7/18513

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

• H04B7/18508

  with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service · CPC title

• H04B7/18541

  for handover of resources · CPC title

• H04B7/195

  Non-synchronous stations · CPC title