IP Library Granted Patent US 10,270,522
Granted Patent B2
US 10,270,522 · App. 15/702,514 · Granted Apr 23, 2019

Systems and methods for increasing the transmission speed of a satellite VSAT

Inventors: Emanuel Girard Harrington (Bowie, MD); Paul E. LaCasse (New Market, MD); Mohana Subhash Oltikar (Germantown, MD); Raymond Helfrich (Germantown, MD)
Assignee: Hughes Network Systems, LLC
H04B7/18528H04B7/18517H04B7/18519H04B7/18595
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,270,522
App. No.
15/702,514
Granted
Apr 23, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for increasing or decreasing the transmission speed of a VSAT used in a satellite network. A VSAT may include an ASIC and an FPGA in a transmission block of the VSAT. The ASIC includes an ASIC transmit modulator configured to modulate an input information signal, and circuitry for bypassing at least a portion of the ASIC transmit modulator. The FPGA includes circuitry for receiving a signal bypassing at least a portion of the ASIC transmit modulator, and an FPGA transmit modulator configured to modulate the bypassed signal. In implementations, the system uses the ASIC to burst format an input information signal with a payload burst segment; bypasses a transmit modulator of the ASIC after burst formatting the input information signal with the ASIC; and uses an FPGA to insert additional burst segments into the ASIC burst-formatted signal.

Claims (44)

1. A satellite terminal, comprising:

circuitry comprising:

a burst formatter configured to burst format an input information signal;

a transmit modulator configured to modulate the input information signal burst formatted by the burst formatter; and

an output configured to output a signal bypassing at least a portion of the transmit modulator, the bypassed signal comprising the input information signal burst formatted by the burst formatter, wherein the circuitry comprises a bypass mode that is activated to bypass the portion of the transmit modulator.

2. The satellite terminal of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

3. The satellite terminal of claim 2 , wherein the transmit modulator comprises a register, wherein the register is configured to set a multiplexer to output a bypassed signal.

4. The satellite terminal of claim 1 , further comprising:

second circuitry, comprising:

an input coupled to the output and configured to receive a signal bypassing at a least a portion of the transmit modulator; and

a second transmit modulator configured to modulate the bypassed signal.

5. The satellite terminal of claim 4 , wherein the second circuitry further comprises: a registers block configured to apply timing controls to control signals received in a burst segment of the received signal bypassing at least a portion of the transmit modulator, where the timing controls are applied based on at least a transmission symbol rate of the second circuitry.

6. The satellite system of claim 4 , wherein the circuitry comprising the burst formatter is an ASIC and wherein the second circuitry is a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

7. The satellite terminal of claim 2 , wherein the system is a very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT).

8. The satellite terminal of claim 7 , wherein the VSAT comprises an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and wherein the ASIC is in the indoor unit.

9. The satellite terminal of claim 8 , wherein the circuitry further comprises an ASIC outdoor unit control (ODUC) signal block, and wherein the second circuitry further comprises an FPGA outdoor unit control (ODUC) signal block coupled to an output of the ASIC ODUC signal block.

10. The satellite terminal of claim 4 , further comprising a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) comprising an input and output, wherein the DAC input is coupled to an output of the second circuitry, and wherein the DAC output is coupled to a block upconverter (BUC).

11. The satellite terminal of claim 1 , wherein the bypassed signal comprises burst segments comprising data signals and control signals.

12. A method, comprising:

determining whether to bypass a transmit modulator of a first circuitry;

based on the determination, setting the first circuitry to a bypass mode or a regular mode;

using a first circuitry to burst format an input information signal with a payload burst segment;

if the first circuitry is set to a bypass mode, the burst formatted input information signal bypassing the transmit modulator; and

if the first circuitry is set to a regular mode, modulating the burst formatted input information signal using the transmit modulator of the first circuitry.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

setting the first circuitry to the bypass mode; and

the burst-formatted input information signal bypassing the transmit modulator.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: using a transmit modulator of a second circuitry to modulate the bypassed burst-formatted input information signal.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: using second circuitry to insert additional burst segments into the bypassed burst-formatted input information signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the additional burst segments comprise at least one of a unique word (UW) segment, a ramp up segment, a ramp down segment, or a pilot segment.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first circuitry is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the ASIC is an ASIC of a satellite terminal.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first circuitry is an ASIC of a satellite terminal and wherein the second circuitry is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) of the satellite terminal.

20. A method, comprising:

using first circuitry to burst format an input information signal with burst segments comprising a data signal and a control signal;

the burst-formatted input information signal bypassing at least a portion of a transmit modulator of the first circuitry; and

using second circuitry to insert additional burst segments into the bypassed, burst-formatted input information signal.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising: using a transmit modulator of the second circuitry to modulate the bypassed, burst-formatted input information signal.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the additional burst segments comprise at least two of a unique word (UW) segment, a ramp up segment, a ramp down segment, or a pilot segment.

23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising: the second circuitry applying timing controls to the control signals of the burst segments, where the timing controls are applied based on at least a transmission symbol rate of the second circuitry.

24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first circuitry is an ASIC of a satellite terminal and wherein the second circuitry is a component of the satellite terminal.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the second circuitry is an FPGA of the satellite terminal.

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein the control signal comprises a burst transmission timing signal.

27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the control signal comprises a burst information signal comprising burst information of at least one of: a modulation type of a current burst or a symbol rate of a current burst.

Assignments (5)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVE APPLICATION NUMBER 15649418 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 050600 FRAME 0314. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENTS. Recorded Sep 3, 2020
From: WELLS FARGO, NATIONAL BANK ASSOCIATION
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 053703/0367 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVE APPLICATION NUMBER 15649418 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 044376 FRAME: 0139. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Sep 3, 2020
From: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION - AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053723/0726 →
ASSIGNMENT OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENTS Recorded Oct 1, 2019
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 050600/0314 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 6, 2017
From: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION - AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 044376/0139 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 12, 2017
From: HARRINGTON, EMANUEL GIRARD; LACASSE, PAUL E.; OLTIKAR, MOHANA SUBHASH; HELFRICH, RAYMOND
To: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
Reel/Frame 043565/0670 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 14587422 · Dec 31, 2014
Related Publication 20180013487A1 · Jan 11, 2018