Multi-beam active phased array architecture with independent polarization control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9425890-B2
Application number	US-201514617630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 13, 2009
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

In an exemplary embodiment, a phased array antenna comprises multiple subcircuits in communication with multiple radiating elements. The radio frequency signals are independently adjusted for both polarization control and beam steering. In a receive embodiment, multiple RF signals of various polarizations are received and combined into at least one receive beam output. In a transmit embodiment, at least one transmit beam input is divided and transmitted through multiple radiating elements, with the transmitted beams having various polarizations. In an exemplary embodiment, the phased array antenna provides multi-beam formation over multiple operating frequency bands. The wideband nature of the active components allows for operation over multiple frequency bands simultaneously.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of satellite communication, the method comprising:
providing a user terminal antenna system within an overlapping region of a first spot beam and a second spot beam of a satellite, wherein at least one of a polarization and a frequency range of the first spot beam is different from a polarization and a frequency range of the second spot beam;
electronically configuring a transceiver of the user terminal antenna system to match the polarization and the frequency range of the first spot beam;
communicating a radio frequency signal between the electronically configured transceiver of the user terminal antenna system and the satellite via the first spot beam;
receiving, at the user terminal antenna system, a command to switch communication with the satellite from the first spot beam to the second spot beam;
in response to the received command, electronically reconfiguring the transceiver to match the polarization and the frequency range of the second spot beam; and
communicating the radio frequency signal between the electronically reconfigured transceiver of the user terminal antenna system and the satellite via the second spot beam.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the frequency range of the first spot beam is different than the frequency range of the second spot beam; and
the electronically reconfiguring the transceiver comprises changing an operating frequency of the transceiver from the frequency range of the first spot beam to the frequency range of the second spot beam.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the polarization of the first spot beam is different than the polarization of the second spot beam; and
the electronically reconfiguring the transceiver comprises changing an operating polarization of the transceiver from the polarization of the first spot beam to the polarization of the second spot beam in response to the received command.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the transceiver comprises an active antenna polarizer; and
the changing the operating polarization of the transceiver comprises changing polarization of the active antenna polarizer in response to the received command.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the active antenna polarizer comprises a vector generator to adjust at least one of phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signal communicated with the satellite.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the vector generator is responsive to the command to change adjustment of the radio frequency signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the command is received from a remote system controller.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising periodically electronically reconfiguring the transceiver to switch between the polarization and the frequency range of the first spot beam and the polarization and the frequency range of the second spot beam.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more performance metrics associated with the first spot beam and with the second spot beam, and wherein the command to switch communication with the satellite from the first spot beam to the second spot beam is based on the determined one or more performance metrics.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more performance metrics are selected from a group consisting of data rate, signal strength and beam capacity.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the command to switch communication with the satellite from the first spot beam to the second spot beam is based on movement of the user terminal antenna system.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transceiver comprises an active antenna polarizer, the active antenna polarizer including a vector generator to adjust at least one of phase and amplitude of the radio frequency signal communicated with the satellite.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising shifting of at least one of the first and second spot beams of the satellite to change the overlapping region from a first region to a second region.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the shifting of at least one of the first and second spot beams of the satellite is based on higher data traffic load of user terminal antenna systems within the second region than that within the first region.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
electronically reconfiguring transceivers of a first plurality of user terminal antenna systems within the second region to match the polarization and frequency range of the first spot beam; and
electronically reconfiguring transceivers of a second plurality of user terminal antenna systems within the second region to match the polarization and frequency range of the second spot beam.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a third spot beam of the satellite illuminating the overlapping region, and at least one of a polarization and a frequency range of the third spot beam is different from the polarization and the frequency range of the first spot beam and from the polarization and the frequency range of the second spot beam.

17. A method of satellite communication, the method comprising:
providing a user terminal antenna system within a coverage area of a spot beam of a satellite, the spot beam having a polarization and a frequency range;
electronically configuring a transceiver of the user terminal antenna system to match the polarization and the frequency range of the spot beam;
communicating a radio frequency signal between the electronically configured transceiver of the user terminal antenna system and the satellite via the spot beam;
receiving a command indicating that the satellite reconfigured the spot beam by changing at least one of the polarization and the frequency range of the spot beam;
in response to the received command, electronically reconfiguring the transceiver of the user terminal antenna system to match the polarization and the frequency range of the reconfigured spot beam; and
communicating the radio frequency signal between the electronically reconfigured transceiver of the user terminal antenna system and the satellite via the reconfigured spot beam.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the satellite reconfigures the spot beam by changing the frequency range of the spot beam; and
the electronically reconfiguring the transceiver comprises changing an operating frequency of the transceiver.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the satellite reconfigures the spot beam by changing the polarization of the spot beam; and
the electronically reconfiguring the transceiver comprises changing an operating polarization of the transceiver.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the satellite changes the polarization of the spot beam at a predetermined rate.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the predetermined rate is associated with authorized use of the user terminal antenna system.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the command is received from a remote system controller.

23. The method of claim 17 , further comprising maintaining communication between the user terminal antenna system and the satellite during reconfiguration of the spot beam and the transceiver.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the spot beam is a first spot beam, and the satellite further communicates using a second spot beam adjacent to the first spot beam.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the satellite reconfigures the second spot beam when reconfiguring the first sp

Assignees

• Viasat Inc

Inventors

• Corman David W
• Zienkewicz Rob
• Saunders David

Classifications

• H04W72/21

  in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network · CPC title

• H04W72/23

  in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal · CPC title

• H04B7/0408

  using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity · CPC title

• H04B7/18515

  Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays · CPC title

• H04B7/1858 Primary

  Arrangements for data transmission on the physical system, i.e. for data bit transmission between network components · CPC title