公开(公告)号：EP0780998B1

公开(公告)日：2003-04-09

申请号：EP96119806.6

申请日：1996-12-10

Applicant: COM DEV LTD.

Inventor： Peach, Robert ,  Beauchamp, Gary ,  O'Donovan, Val

IPC: H04B7/185

CPC classification number: H04B7/18521

公开(公告)号：EP0780998A2

公开(公告)日：1997-06-25

申请号：EP96119806.6

申请日：1996-12-10

Applicant: COM DEV LTD.

Inventor： Peach, Robert ,  Beauchamp, Gary ,  O'Donovan, Val

IPC: H04B7/185

CPC classification number: H04B7/18521

Abstract: This invention concerns improvements in the efficiency and flexibility of multi-beam communications satellites connected by intersatellite links. It will increase the number of customers serviced and hence the revenue generated when intersatellite links are employed by multibeam satellites which use the currently available technology in a bent-pipe microwave architecture.
Existing multibeam systems use the bent-pipe microwave architecture. Information from one geographic region uplinked to one satellite can be transferred to a second satellite via intersatellite link and then downlinked into a second geographic region. These multibeam systems waste available bandwidth capacity by tying up complete intersatellite link transponders even if the channels are not full because information switching is conducted at a full transponder level. Further, if information is broadcast, as in news-gathering applications, to several downlink beams, the system ties up, in the receiving satellite, one transponder per downlink beam.
In future systems using on-board digital-processing technology, it is theoretically possible that information can be switched at a much finer bandwidth level. Hence, one intersatellite channel could handle traffic originating from several uplink beams on the first satellite with destinations to several downlink beams on the second satellite which avoids the inefficiency of a partially full transponder. However, customer terminals have to be designed for the modulation and coding architecture specific to that system and cannot be used with any other system.
The present invention solves spectral flexibility and inefficiency problems of existing systems, and is transparent to all modulation and coding architectures while still allowing for communication with all terminals currently in use with communications satellites. The approach used is to combine switching at a subchannel level (solving flexibility and inefficiency problems) while using technologies compatible with bent-pipe architecture (solving terminal-compatibility problems) with an intersatellite link. Technologies used include Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filtering and solid-state switching.
This invention will provide spectral efficiency and flexibility approaching but not equalling the theoretical efficiency and flexibility of future systems employing digital signal processing. It will, however, be significantly more efficient than future digital satellite systems in terms of the two most expensive satellite resources, power and mass.

Abstract translation: 本发明涉及通过卫星间链路连接的多波束通信卫星的效率和灵活性的改进。 这将增加所服务客户的数量，从而增加使用当前可用的技术在弯管微波架构中的多波束卫星采用卫星间链路时所产生的收入。 现有的多波束系统使用弯管微波架构。 从上行到一个卫星的一个地理区域的信息可以经由卫星间链路传送到第二卫星，然后下行链路进入第二地理区域。 即使信道不满，因为在完整的转发器级别进行信息交换，这些多波束系统通过捆绑完整的卫星间链路转发器来浪费可用的带宽容量。 此外，如在消息收集应用中广播信息到几个下行链路波束，则系统在接收卫星中绑定每个下行链路波束的一个应答器。 在将来使用板载数字处理技术的系统中，理论上可以在更精细的带宽级别切换信息。 因此，一个卫星间信道可以处理来自第一卫星上的多个上行链路波束的业务，其目的地到达第二卫星上的若干下行链路波束，这避免了部分完整的应答器的低效率。 然而，客户终端必须设计用于该系统专用的调制和编码架构，并且不能与任何其他系统一起使用。 本发明解决了现有系统的频谱灵活性和低效率问题，并且对所有调制和编码架构是透明的，同时仍允许与当前与通信卫星一起使用的所有终端的通信。 所采用的方法是在通过卫星间链路使用与弯管架构兼容的技术（解决终端兼容性问题）的同时，在子通道级别（解决灵活性和无效率问题）中组合切换。 所使用的技术包括表面声波（SAW）滤波和固态切换。 本发明将提供频谱效率和灵活性接近但不等于使用数字信号处理的未来系统的理论效率和灵活性。 然而，在两个最昂贵的卫星资源，电力和质量方面，它将比未来的数字卫星系统显着更有效率。