A test system for beam-hopping communication

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of satellite communication testing. Addressing the challenges of verifying beam-hopping communication in ground environments and the inability to test the functional performance requirements of systems and equipment, this invention proposes a beam-hopping communication testing system. This system is simple to use, requires minimal operation, and closely approximates the actual workflow. The system comprises a communication payload simulation device, a beam distribution and conversion device, a beam-hopping control center, and a ground terminal simulation device. Its simple composition eliminates the need for complex environments or equipment such as transceiver antennas, power amplifiers, wireless environments, or microwave anechoic chambers. This invention is particularly suitable for testing and verifying the beam-hopping functionality of satellite communication payloads and ground terminal equipment before system integration testing or satellite launch, and is also particularly suitable for testing and verifying the system's beam-hopping process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a test system for beam-hopping communication, which can be used for testing and verifying the beam-hopping function of satellite communication payloads and ground terminal equipment, as well as for testing and verifying the beam-hopping communication process of the system. The test method is simple and the test system is simple in composition, belonging to the field of satellite communication testing. Background Technology

[0002] As satellite communication speeds increase, the required signal bandwidth grows larger, leading to extreme scarcity of low-frequency spectrum resources. To achieve broadband and high-speed communication, various satellites are developing Ka-band spectrum resources as communication bands. While Ka-band satellite communication improves communication speed, it also brings disadvantages such as small coverage area and significant energy attenuation. Beam hopping communication combines rapid phased array beam agility with time-division multiplexing of transmission signals to achieve time-division coverage of different areas with a single beam, increasing the coverage area and providing on-demand services to users. However, due to the complexity of beam hopping communication systems and workflows, as well as the limited availability of testing instruments and methods, the development of equipment or systems has been slow, with key functions even being developed and verified simultaneously during on-orbit testing. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a test system for hopping beam communication that avoids the shortcomings of the above-mentioned background technology. This system effectively solves the problems that hopping beam communication is difficult to verify in a ground environment and that the functional performance requirements of the system and equipment cannot be tested.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0005] A test system for hopping beam communication is used to test the communication payload, ground terminal, and hopping beam communication process, including a beam hopping control center, beam distribution and conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment;

[0006] The beam hopping control center is used to generate configuration information and configure the beam distribution conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment.

[0007] The beam distribution and conversion equipment is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam switching control center, the transmission signal and switching position number of the communication payload simulation equipment, and the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment. Based on the configuration information and switching position number, it converts the transmission signal of the communication payload simulation equipment into a downlink signal and sends it to the ground terminal simulation equipment, and converts the received transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment into an uplink signal and sends it to the communication payload simulation equipment.

[0008] The communication payload simulation device is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center, generate the transmission signal and hopping position number of the communication payload simulation device according to the configuration information, and send them to the beam distribution conversion device. At the same time, it receives the uplink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion device.

[0009] The ground terminal simulation equipment is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam switching control center, generate the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment according to the configuration information, send it to the beam distribution conversion equipment, and simultaneously receive the downlink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion equipment.

[0010] Furthermore, the configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center includes: the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping locations, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping location;

[0011] The beam hopping control center sends the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping location to the beam distribution and conversion equipment;

[0012] The beam hopping control center sends the number of beam hopping positions, the correspondence between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping position to the communication payload simulation equipment and the ground terminal simulation equipment, respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the beam distribution and conversion equipment has one pair of payload signal input / output ports and multiple pairs of ground signal input / output ports. The beam distribution and conversion equipment receives beam hopping position configuration information sent by the beam hopping control center to determine the number of ground signal input / output ports. It also receives ground terminal number and beam hopping position correspondence configuration information sent by the beam hopping control center to set the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and ground signal input / output ports. Additionally, it receives hopping position numbers and transmission signals from the communication payload simulation equipment, as well as transmission signals from the ground terminal simulation equipment. Based on the hopping position number, it forwards the transmission signals from the communication payload simulation equipment to the corresponding ground signal output port to generate downlink signals for the ground simulation equipment. Furthermore, based on the hopping position number, it forwards the transmission signals from the corresponding ground simulation equipment to the payload signal output port to generate uplink signals for the communication payload simulation equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, the communication payload simulation equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center to determine the number of logical ports of the communication payload; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the correspondence between the logical ports of the communication payload, the ground terminal number, and the beam hopping position, thereby determining the correspondence between the ground terminal data and the beam hopping position; it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the amount of ground terminal data and the length of the transmitted signal generated at the hopping position, and simultaneously generates a hopping position number to send to the beam distribution and conversion equipment. The hopping position number contains the time correspondence between the hopping position number and the transmitted signal; it receives the uplink signal sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment, correctly parses it, and completes the uplink communication of the system.

[0015] Furthermore, the ground terminal simulation equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center to determine the number of beam hoppings required for the test; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the correspondence between the ground signal input / output ports of this equipment and the beam distribution and conversion equipment; and it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the timing and duration of each ground terminal simulation equipment transmitting and receiving downlink signals.

[0016] The ground terminal analog equipment sends transmit signals to the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position; and receives downlink signals sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position, and correctly parses them to complete the downlink communication of the system.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0018] 1. This invention supports functional testing and verification of satellite communication payloads and ground terminal equipment, and supports functional testing and verification of hopping beam communication systems;

[0019] 2. The testing method designed in this invention is simple, and the testing system is easy to build;

[0020] 3. This invention can accelerate the development of beam-hopping communication functions for equipment and systems and improve the efficiency of design and development work. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the beam skipping communication test system of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1 The present invention will be further described with reference to specific embodiments.

[0023] This invention proposes a system testing method combining unified transmission and reception with centralized control. It designs a test system for beam-hopping communication in a terrestrial wired environment. The system is simple in composition, requiring no complex equipment or environment such as antennas, power amplifiers, wireless environments, or microwave anechoic chambers. It supports the testing and verification of beam-hopping functionality and the beam-hopping communication process for satellite communication payloads and ground terminal equipment. Figure 1 As shown, the test system includes a beam switching control center, beam distribution and conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment.

[0024] The beam hopping control center is used to generate configuration information, which can control the beam distribution conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment. The configuration information is then assigned to the beam distribution conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment.

[0025] Specifically, the beam hopping control center generates the configuration information required by each device. This configuration information includes: the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping locations, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping location. The beam hopping control center then sends the number of beam hopping locations and the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping locations to the beam distribution and conversion equipment. The beam hopping control center then sends the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping locations, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping location to the communication payload simulation equipment and the ground terminal simulation equipment, respectively.

[0026] The beam distribution conversion device is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center, the transmission signal and hopping position number of the communication payload simulation device, and the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation device. Based on the configuration information and hopping position number, it controls the channel switch inside the beam distribution conversion device to switch, converts the transmission signal of the communication payload simulation device into a downlink signal and sends it to the ground terminal simulation device, and converts the received transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation device into an uplink signal and sends it to the communication payload simulation device.

[0027] Specifically, the beam distribution and conversion equipment has one pair of payload signal input / output ports and multiple pairs of ground signal input / output ports. The beam distribution and conversion equipment receives beam hopping position configuration information sent by the beam hopping control center to determine the number of ground signal input / output ports. It also receives configuration information from the beam hopping control center regarding the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping positions, setting the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and ground signal input / output ports. Furthermore, it receives hopping position numbers and transmission signals from the communication payload simulation equipment, as well as transmission signals from the ground terminal simulation equipment. Based on the hopping position numbers, it controls the internal channel switches of the beam distribution and conversion equipment to switch between them, forwarding the transmission signals from the communication payload simulation equipment to the corresponding ground signal output port to generate downlink signals for the ground simulation equipment. Additionally, based on the hopping position numbers, it controls the internal channel switches of the beam distribution and conversion equipment to switch between them, forwarding the transmission signals from the corresponding ground simulation equipment to the payload signal output port to generate uplink signals for the communication payload simulation equipment.

[0028] The communication payload simulation device is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center, generate the transmission signal and hopping position number of the communication payload simulation device according to the configuration information, and send them to the beam distribution conversion device. At the same time, it receives the uplink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion device.

[0029] Specifically, the communication payload simulation equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, determines and configures the number of logical ports of the communication payload, and determines the logical port number of the communication payload; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, determines the correspondence between the logical ports of the communication payload, the ground terminal number, and the beam hopping position, and thus determines the correspondence between the ground terminal data and the beam hopping position; it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, determines the amount of ground terminal data and the length of the transmitted signal generated at the hopping position, the length of the transmitted signal and the amount of data generated cannot exceed the dwell time, and generates a hopping position number which is sent to the beam distribution and conversion equipment. The hopping position number contains the correspondence between the hopping position number and the time of the transmitted signal; it receives the uplink signal sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment, correctly parses it, and completes the uplink communication of the system.

[0030] The ground terminal simulation equipment is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam switching control center, generate the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment according to the configuration information, send it to the beam distribution conversion equipment, and simultaneously receive the downlink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion equipment.

[0031] Specifically, the ground terminal simulation equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, determines the number of beam hopping required for the test, and configures it accordingly; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, and determines the correspondence between the ground signal input / output ports of this equipment and the beam distribution and conversion equipment; it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center, parses it according to the protocol, and determines the timing and duration of each ground terminal simulation equipment's signal transmission and downlink signal reception. The transmission signal length and data volume of the ground terminal cannot exceed the dwell time.

[0032] The ground terminal analog equipment sends transmit signals to the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position; and receives downlink signals sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position, and correctly parses them to complete the downlink communication of the system.

Claims

1. A test system for hopping beam communication, used for testing communication payloads, ground terminals, and hopping beam communication processes, characterized in that, This includes a beam-hopping control center, beam distribution and conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment; The beam hopping control center is used to generate configuration information and distribute it to the beam distribution conversion equipment, communication payload simulation equipment, and ground terminal simulation equipment. The beam distribution and conversion equipment is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam switching control center, the transmission signal and switching position number of the communication payload simulation equipment, and the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment. Based on the configuration information and switching position number, it converts the transmission signal of the communication payload simulation equipment into a downlink signal and sends it to the ground terminal simulation equipment, and converts the received transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment into an uplink signal and sends it to the communication payload simulation equipment. The communication payload simulation device is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center, generate the transmission signal and hopping position number of the communication payload simulation device according to the configuration information, and send them to the beam distribution conversion device. At the same time, it receives the uplink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion device. The ground terminal simulation equipment is used to receive configuration information generated by the beam switching control center, generate the transmission signal of the ground terminal simulation equipment according to the configuration information, send it to the beam distribution conversion equipment, and receive the downlink signal converted by the beam distribution conversion equipment. The configuration information generated by the beam hopping control center includes: the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between ground terminal numbers and beam hopping locations, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping location. The beam hopping control center sends the number of beam hopping locations, the correspondence between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping location to the beam distribution and conversion equipment; The beam hopping control center sends the number of beam hopping positions, the correspondence between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position, and the dwell time of the beam at each hopping position to the communication payload simulation equipment and the ground terminal simulation equipment, respectively.

2. The test system for beam hopping communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam distribution and conversion equipment has one pair of payload signal input / output ports and multiple pairs of ground signal input / output ports. The beam distribution and conversion equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information sent by the beam hopping control center to determine the number of ground signal input / output ports. It also receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position sent by the beam hopping control center to set the correspondence between the ground terminal number and the ground signal input / output ports. The system receives the transition position number and transmission signal sent by the communication payload simulation device and the transmission signal sent by the ground terminal simulation device. Based on the transition position number, it forwards the transmission signal of the communication payload simulation device to the corresponding ground signal output port to generate a downlink signal and sends it to the ground simulation device. Based on the transition position number, it forwards the transmission signal of the corresponding ground simulation device to the payload signal output port to generate an uplink signal and sends it to the communication payload simulation device.

3. The test system for beam hopping communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication payload simulation equipment receives beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center to determine the number of logical ports of the communication payload; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the correspondence between the logical ports of the communication payload, the ground terminal number, and the beam hopping position, thereby determining the correspondence between the ground terminal data and the beam hopping position; it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the amount of ground terminal data and the length of the transmitted signal generated at the hopping position, and simultaneously generates a hopping position number to send to the beam distribution and conversion equipment. The hopping position number contains the time correspondence between the hopping position number and the transmitted signal; it receives the uplink signal sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment, correctly parses it, and completes the uplink communication of the system.

4. The test system for beam hopping communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ground terminal simulation equipment receives the beam hopping position number configuration information from the beam hopping control center to determine the number of beam hoppings required for the test; it receives the correspondence configuration information between the ground terminal number and the beam hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the correspondence between the ground signal input / output ports of this equipment and the beam distribution and conversion equipment; and it receives the beam dwell time configuration information at each hopping position from the beam hopping control center to determine the timing and duration of each ground terminal simulation equipment transmitting and receiving downlink signals. The ground terminal analog equipment sends transmit signals to the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position; and receives downlink signals sent by the beam distribution and conversion equipment according to the dwell time of the beam at each transition position, and correctly parses them to complete the downlink communication of the system.

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