System and method of providing multiple antennas to track satellite movement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022011395-A1
Application number	US-202016927833-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 13, 2020
Priority date	Jul 13, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An example system can include a first antenna having a first orientation, a second antenna having a second orientation and a control system communicating with the first antenna and the second antenna. The control system performs operations which can include determining a pathway of a satellite, comparing the pathway to a first radiation pattern of the first antenna and a second radiation pattern of the second antenna, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each positioned such that a first keyhole of the first antenna does not overlap a second keyhole of the second antenna, to yield a comparison and selecting, based on the comparison, one of the first antenna or the second antenna to communicate with the satellite along the pathway.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
determining a pathway of a satellite; comparing, via a processor, the pathway to a first radiation pattern of a first antenna on earth and a second radiation pattern of a second antenna on earth, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each oriented such that a first keyhole of the first antenna does not overlap a second keyhole of the second antenna, to yield a comparison; and selecting, via the processor and based on the comparison, one of the first antenna or the second antenna to communicate with the satellite along the pathway.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting, via the processor and based on the comparison, one of the first antenna or the second antenna to communicate with the satellite along the pathway further comprises selecting the first antenna.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first antenna is selected based on the comparison determining that the pathway of the satellite will avoid the first keyhole of the first antenna.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting further comprises selecting from one of the first antenna, the second antenna and one or more additional antennas.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna is oriented at a first tilt and the second antenna is oriented at a second tilt such that the first keyhole and the second keyhole do not overlap.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first tilt is the same as the second tilt and the first antenna and the second antenna are tilted in different directions.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each oriented in a non-vertical direction such that the first keyhole and the second keyhole do not overlap.

8 . A system comprising:
a first antenna having a first orientation; a second antenna having a second orientation; a control system communicating with the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein the control system performs operations comprising:
determining a pathway of a satellite;
comparing the pathway to a first radiation pattern of the first antenna and a second radiation pattern of the second antenna, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each positioned such that a first keyhole of the first antenna does not overlap a second keyhole of the second antenna, to yield a comparison; and
selecting, based on the comparison, one of the first antenna or the second antenna to communicate with the satellite along the pathway.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are part of either a 3×3 array of antennas, a group of two or more antennas or a linear arrangement of two or more antennas.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the first antenna is selected based on the comparison determining that the pathway of the satellite will avoid the first keyhole of the first antenna.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the selecting further comprises selecting from one of the first antenna, the second antenna and one or more additional antennas.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first antenna is oriented at a first tilt and the second antenna is oriented at a second tilt such that the first keyhole and the second keyhole do not overlap.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first tilt is the same as the second tilt and the first antenna and the second antenna are tilted in different directions.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are each oriented in a non-vertical direction such that the first keyhole and the second keyhole do not overlap.

15 . A system comprising:
a processor; and a computer-readable storage device storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
transmitting path data associated with a path of the system to a gateway, where a control system associated with the gateway evaluates the path data and assigns, based on avoiding a keyhole, an antenna from a plurality of antennas associated with the gateway to communicate with an assigned antenna;
receiving an instruction to communicate with the assigned antenna; and
communicating with the assigned antenna across a coverage zone of the gateway.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the control system assigns one of a first antenna or a second antenna from the plurality of antennas to communicate with the system along the path.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the first antenna is selected by the control system based on a comparison determining that the path of the system will avoid a first keyhole of the first antenna.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of antennas comprises at least three antennas.

19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the first antenna is oriented at a first tilt and the second antenna is oriented at a second tilt such that the first keyhole and a second keyhole of the second antenna do not overlap.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the first tilt is the same as the second tilt and the first antenna and the second antenna are oriented in different directions.

Assignees

• Space Exploration Tech Corp

Inventors

• Tuchel James Alexander Morris
• Burks Andrew Louis

Classifications

• G01S3/30

  derived directly from separate directional systems · CPC title

• G01S3/10

  Means for reducing or compensating for quadrantal, site, or like errors · CPC title

• H04B7/18517 Primary

  Transmission equipment in earth stations · CPC title

• H04B7/1851

  Systems using a satellite or space-based relay (H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576) · CPC title

• G01S5/0226

  Transmitters · CPC title