Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – With spaced or external radio wave refractor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-01
2001-12-25
Wimer, Michael C. (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
With spaced or external radio wave refractor
C343S766000, C343S91100R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06333718
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the tracking of satellites, particularly from earth.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The importance of satellite communications is already known and will increase in the future. Apart from the presently used geostationary satellites, it is also intended to launch constellations of nonsynchronous satellites, for broadband, high speed telecommunications applications.
It is naturally also necessary to provide ground stations able to track several of these satellites at the same time. The basic procedures to be used are known and are already used in professional electronics. However, difficulties to which reference will be made hereinafter are encountered in the case of the constraining requirements of cost and/or overall dimensions (weight and volume), as is the case in general public electronics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at improving this situation.
It is based on an electromagnetic, multi-satellite reception device comprising at least two sensors and means for pointing said sensors at the respective, separate satellites.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the pointing means comprise an electromagnetic lens having a substantially continuous, focal surface, at least for a substantial part of the celestial half-space. To it is added a mount able to individually position these sensors in the immediate vicinity of said focal surface, substantially at any useful point thereof, and in selectively controlled manner. The mount control means act as a function of data available concerning the position of the satellites to be sighted.
Preferably, the electromagnetic lens has a symmetry of revolution, particularly a spherical symmetry, as is the case for the Luneberg lens. Advantageously, the mount is then capable of at least two degrees of freedom of rotation for each of the sensors.
According to another aspect of the invention, the mount has a rotary element common to both sensors and capable of at least one of the degrees of freedom in rotation. In a special embodiment, said rotary element comprises a first frame pivoting on a support and a second frame pivoting on the first frame. In turn, the second frame supports at least one guidance means for the sensors, particularly by rail. In addition, said second frame can support the electromagnetic lens. As the electromagnetic lens has a symmetry of revolution, the rail can cover a circular arc, extending to a semicircle.
According to another aspect of the invention, the control means are arranged so as to temporarily stop the sighting of one of the satellites by one of the sensors. The other sensor continues to sight the other satellite, but said other sensor is jointly displaced on the rail and on the mount until the latter is brought into an opposite position on the focal surface (pivoting of 180° for a semicircular rail). The two sensors then appear in a reverse order on the rail ad it is possible to resume the sighting of both satellites in the new sensor configuration, without having at any time lost contact with one of them.
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patent: 5227806 (1993-07-01), Eguchi
patent: 5703603 (1997-12-01), Korzhenkov et al.
patent: 15 16 845 A (1969-07-01), None
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Johnson C M: Millimeter Wave Search System: IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 5, No. 8, Janvier 1963, pp. 105-106, XP002069180 See entire document.
Freyssinier Philippe
Poncel Yves
Dassault Electronique
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Wimer Michael C.
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