Telecommunications – Carrier wave repeater or relay system – Portable or mobile repeater
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-18
2001-05-08
Trost, William G. (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Carrier wave repeater or relay system
Portable or mobile repeater
C455S427000, C455S428000, C455S018000, C455S020000, C455S022000, C370S316000, C370S323000, C370S325000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229986
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to multibeam satellite switching networks and, more particularly, to a reconfigurable analog channel processor for multibeam satellites.
BACKGROUND ART
Early communications satellites were used as dumb repeaters operating in a bent-pipe mode. Initially, no significant processing was carried in the satellite payload other than frequency translation and signal amplification and the information relayed to the destination was fundamentally identical to the information from the source. Multibeam satellites operating in the bent-pipe mode were then introduced. These multibeam satellites relayed messages from one or more sources to several destinations. However, the architecture of these multibeam satellites allowed limited flexibility in selecting between input sources and output destinations. Typical were the first broadcast satellites that relayed information to several geographic destinations.
Multibeam satellites having on-board switching capability were then introduced. In these satellites, incoming beams from a source carry several frequency-multiplexed channels. A typical satellite having on-board switching capability includes an input demultiplexer near the front end of the satellite. The input demultiplexer separates the incoming beams into transponder channels. These channels are then interbeam switched by means of coaxial switches so that information arriving from one of the incoming beams can be directed to one of several output beams.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an analog transponder processor for a multibeam satellite which can route any channel from any input beam signal to any channel of any output beam signal and which can reconfigure the number of channels, the channel bandwidths, the channel center frequencies and guard-bands, and the channel filter shapes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an analog transponder processor for a multibeam satellite which can operate in broadcast mode to route a channel from an input beam signal to more than one of the channels of the output beam signals.
In carrying out the above objects and other objects, the present invention provides an analog transponder processor for use in a multibeam satellite receiving input beam signals and transmitting output beam signals. The input and output beam signals have corresponding channels for carrying channel signals. The analog transponder processor includes an input switch matrix for power dividing input beam signals into sets of input beam signals. A plurality of channel processors each receive at least one input beam signal from the input switch matrix. The channel processors filter the input beam signals into channel signals. Each of the channel signals corresponds to a respective channel of the input beam signal. The channel processors change the frequency of at least one channel signal such that the at least one channel signal corresponds to a different channel than the respective channel of the input beam signals. An output switch matrix combines the channel signals into output beam signals. Each of the channel signals corresponds to a respective channel of the output beam signals.
In accordance with the analog transponder processor of the present invention, a processing method for use in a multibeam satellite is also provided.
These and other features, aspects, and embodiments of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
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Copeland Wilbert B.
Wu Shih-Chang
Hughes Electronics Corporation
Milord Marceau
Trost William G.
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