IP Library Granted Patent US 11,588,542
Granted Patent B2
US 11,588,542 · App. 16/952,657 · Granted Feb 21, 2023

System and method for improving link performance with ground based beam former

Inventor: Channasandra Ravishankar (Clarksburg, MD)
Assignee: Hughes Network Systems, LLC
H04B7/1555H04B7/0695H04B7/10H04B7/1855H04B7/18558
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,588,542
App. No.
16/952,657
Granted
Feb 21, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and system for improving link performance for a user terminal (UT) in a satellite network is disclosed. The method including: providing a first beam servicing a first service area that is adjacent a second service area serviced by a second beam; transmitting, from the first service area, a transmission via the first beam to a receiver via a satellite; beamforming the first beam and the second beam at the receiver; extracting the first beam and a remnant signal of the first beam from the second beam; and processing the first beam and the remnant signal to receive the transmission, wherein the remnant signal may include a portion of the transmission received by a second beam antenna of the satellite.

Claims (36)

1. A method for improving link performance for a user terminal (UT) in a satellite network, the method comprising:

providing a first beam servicing a first service area sharing an edge with a second service area serviced by a second beam and other beams servicing other service areas;

transmitting, from the UT disposed in the first service area in an area close to the edge, a transmission via the first beam to a receiver via a satellite;

relaying, by the satellite, the first beam, the second beam, and the other beams;

beamforming the first beam and the second beam at the receiver;

extracting the first beam and a remnant signal of the first beam from the second beam and suppressing the other beams; and

processing the first beam and the remnant signal jointly to receive the transmission with an improved signal to noise ratio (SNR) as compared to an SNR of the transmission alone,

wherein the remnant signal comprises a portion of the transmission as received at the satellite within the second beam.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first beam comprises a return link.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the remnant signal comprises a side-lobe of the transmission or a signal below 3 dB of a main-lobe peak of the transmission.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission comprises a linearly polarized signal and the satellite maps the linearly polarized signal to a circularly polarized signal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission comprises a linearly polarized signal and the satellite maps the linearly polarized signal to two circularly polarized signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first beam and the second beam are diverse by a carrier frequency, a polarization or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the satellite comprises a first satellite to service the first beam and a second satellite to service the second beam.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a definition of the first beam complements a definition of the second beam.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein a center of the first beam is disposed near an edge of a service area of the second beam.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the processing determines communication via the first satellite is blocked, when the first beam comprises a zero signal and a portion of the remnant signal attributable to the second satellite comprises a non-zero signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the area close to the edge comprises an area in an outer one third radius region away from a beam center of the first service area.

12. A system to improve link performance for a user terminal (UT) in a satellite network, the system comprising:

a satellite to

receive a first beam servicing a first service area sharing an edge with a second service area serviced by a second beam and other beams servicing other service areas; and

relay the first beam, the second beam and the other beams;

the UT to transmit, from the first service area in an area close to the edge, a transmission via the first beam to a receiver via the satellite;

a ground based beam former (GBFF) to beamform the first beam and the second beam at the receiver;

a gateway to extract the first beam and a remnant signal of the first beam from the second beam while suppressing the other beams; and

a Base Station to process the first beam and the remnant signal jointly to receive the transmission with an improved signal to noise ratio (SNR) as compared to an SNR of the transmission alone,

wherein the remnant signal comprises a portion of the transmission as received at the satellite within the second beam.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first beam comprises a return link.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the remnant signal comprises a side-lobe of the transmission or a signal below 3 dB of a main-lobe peak of the transmission.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the transmission comprises a linearly polarized signal and the satellite maps the linearly polarized signal to a circularly polarized signal.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the transmission comprises a linearly polarized signal and the satellite maps the linearly polarized signal to two circularly polarized signals.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the first beam and the second beam are diverse by a carrier frequency, a polarization or a combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the satellite comprises a first satellite to service the first beam and a second satellite to service the second beam.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein a definition of the first beam complements a definition of the second beam.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein a center of the first beam is disposed near an edge of a service area of the second beam.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the Base Station determines that communication via the first satellite is blocked, when the first beam comprises a zero signal and a portion of the remnant signal attributable to the second satellite comprises a non-zero signal.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 21, 2023
From: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 063404/0347 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2021
From: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
To: U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 055211/0044 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2020
From: RAVISHANKAR, CHANNASANDRA
To: HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, LLC
Reel/Frame 054419/0991 →