A high-speed satellite communication system applied to deep-sea micro-buoy

Abstract

The application provides a high-speed satellite communication system applied to a deep-sea micro buoy, which is enclosed in a watertight cover and comprises: a plurality of system common array surface antennas, a transceiving radio frequency front end and a wireless communication monitoring unit which are integrally designed and share the same structure; the plurality of system common array surface antennas are circular array antennas, and S-band planar array antennas, Beidou / GPS positioning receiving antennas and wireless MIMO wireless are integrated on the array surface; through cooperation with the transceiving radio frequency front end, the transceiving of Tianhong No.1 communication signals and Tianxian No.2 SMA signals, the receiving of Beidou / GPS positioning signals and the transceiving of wireless communication signals are realized on the premise that the ratio of equivalent omnidirectional radiation power and antenna gain to system noise temperature meets the communication link condition; the wireless communication monitoring unit monitors the internal working state of the system in real time, issues instructions to realize function configuration, and establishes a wireless data transmission link with a ship end platform within 5km.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2025102306518, filed on February 28, 2025, entitled "An Integrated High-Speed ​​Satellite Communication Terminal", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This invention belongs to the field of deep-sea satellite communication technology, and specifically relates to a high-speed satellite communication system for use with micro-buoys in deep-sea areas. Background Technology

[0003] To meet the urgent need for real-time data transmission in deep-sea scientific research observations, my country's satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys (hereinafter referred to as "satellite communication system") is gradually using my country's independently controllable space-based satellites as relays to complete scientific data transmission between ships and shore-based systems.

[0004] Currently, satellite communication systems for deep-sea micro-buoys, when adapted to my country's independently controllable satellite resources, mostly only support the BeiDou satellite network. The maximum data transmission rate between ships and shore-based systems is only 77 bytes / min, far from meeting the demands for high-speed transmission. Although my country has already built a satellite network with wide coverage and strong transmission capabilities—for example, the Tiantong-1 satellite mobile communication network covers my country's land, surrounding sea areas, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean, supporting data transmission links with a maximum code rate of 384 kbps, and the Tianlian-2 satellite relay communication network achieves global coverage, with its S-band Multiple Access (SMA) service supporting data transmission at a maximum code rate of 50 kbps and short message communication at a code rate of 1.74 kbps—there are currently few satellite communication systems that support these two types of satellite resources, and most only support a single satellite network. Even when supporting signal transmission and reception from multiple satellite systems, it is usually necessary to deploy multiple independent antenna systems. This not only further occupies platform space, but also causes serious mutual coupling interference due to the close arrangement of antennas, reducing the system's effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and the ratio of antenna gain to system noise temperature (Gain / Temperature, G / T). The deficiency of these two key indicators directly limits the stability of the communication link and the data transmission rate, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-speed data transmission.

[0005] Deep-sea micro-buoys are deployed on the sea surface for extended periods, and their satellite communication systems require maintenance during long-term operation. However, current satellite communication systems generally lack direct monitoring methods for their operational status, as well as effective means of quickly issuing control commands and configuring satellite communication system functions. Furthermore, to avoid the impact of severe sea conditions on communication links, deep-sea micro-buoys need to submerge to a depth of 200 meters and remain there until sea conditions improve before surfacing again to complete data transmission. Therefore, the overall system structure also needs to withstand 200-meter water pressure and possess excellent corrosion resistance.

[0006] To address the aforementioned application needs, there is an urgent need for an integrated high-speed satellite communication system suitable for small deep-sea buoys, with adaptive satellite tracking and link selection capabilities, capable of supporting my country's Tiantong-1 satellite mobile communication network, Tianlian-2 relay satellite SMA service network, and BeiDou satellite network, achieving high-speed data transmission with a maximum code rate of 384 kbps. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical defects and propose a high-speed satellite communication system for use with micro-buoys in deep sea.

[0008] In view of this, the present invention proposes a high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys, characterized in that the system is enclosed within a watertight enclosure and deployed on a deep-sea micro-buoy, with an overall size controlled within a diameter of 540mm × height of 700mm. The system includes: a multi-system co-array antenna, a transceiver radio frequency front-end, and a wireless communication monitoring unit; wherein, The multi-system co-array antenna is a circular array antenna, which integrates an S-band planar array antenna, a BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna, and a wireless multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna. Through cooperation with the transceiver radio frequency front end, the EIRP and G / T values ​​meet the communication link conditions, enabling the transmission and reception of Tiantong-1 satellite communication signals and Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signals, the reception of BeiDou / GPS positioning signals, and the transmission and reception of wireless communication signals. The wireless communication monitoring unit is used to monitor the internal working status of the system in real time, issue commands to implement function configuration, and establish a wireless data transmission link with the ship's end platform within a 5km range to realize real-time interaction of status data. The multi-system co-array antenna, transceiver RF front-end, and wireless communication monitoring unit adopt an integrated design, sharing the same structure, which meets the requirements of miniaturization while reducing system power consumption.

[0009] As an improvement to the above system, the circular array aperture of the multi-system co-array antenna is no more than 430mm. One element of the S-band planar array antenna is placed at the center of the circle, and the other eight elements are evenly distributed on the same equidistant circle. The BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna and the wireless MIMO antenna are placed at the edge of the circular array. Without increasing the size of the circular array, the spacing between different antennas is maximized to achieve system miniaturization and reduce the mutual coupling effect of antennas.

[0010] As an improvement to the above system, the S-band planar array antenna adopts a wideband design, and its operating frequency band covers the transceiver frequency band of the Tiantong-1 satellite communication signal and the transceiver frequency band of the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signal, supporting multiple domestic satellite resources.

[0011] As an improvement to the above system, the S-band planar array antenna is left-hand circularly polarized, and the BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna is right-hand circularly polarized, thereby reducing interference between antennas through polarization differences.

[0012] As an improvement to the above system, the wireless MIMO antenna uses two rod-shaped spiral antennas with a length of 30mm, operates in the frequency band of 900~930MHz, and supports 2×2 MIMO communication mode.

[0013] As an improvement to the above system, the system also includes a communication signal processing unit and a duplexer group, which are integrated into a single design with the multi-system co-array antenna, transceiver RF front-end and wireless communication monitoring unit, sharing the same structure; wherein the port of the duplexer group and the port of the S-band planar array antenna use SMP connectors, and replace RF cables with KK post-to-post connections, thereby reducing connection loss by more than 1dB.

[0014] As an improvement to the above system, the ratio of equivalent omnidirectional radiated power and antenna gain to system noise temperature satisfies the following communication link conditions: EIRP is not less than 30dBW and 10dBW respectively in the Tiantong-1 satellite communication link and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service link, and the G / T value is not less than -11dB / K and -26dB / K respectively, supporting 384kbps high-speed data communication mode, 50kbps low-speed data communication mode and 1.74kbps emergency data communication mode.

[0015] As an improvement to the above system, the communication signal processing unit includes: a signal processing module and an application processing module, wherein, The signal processing module is used to perform characteristic detection and communication protocol processing on the signals of the transceiver radio frequency front end, demodulate the received link radio frequency signals, and modulate the transmitted link signals; it is used to control the power supply switch of the transceiver radio frequency front end of different satellite links according to the switching command and switch different satellite communication links to realize communication mode switching; it is used to complete the data transmission in the Tiantong-1 high-speed communication link according to the AT command and query its own configuration status. The application processing module is used to send switching command control to the signal processing module; and to send AT commands to the signal processing module.

[0016] As an improvement to the above system, the internal operating status monitored by the wireless communication monitoring unit includes: satellite tracking status, communication mode switching, and internal temperature. Compared with the prior art, the technical advantages of the present invention are as follows: The high-speed satellite communication system of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "system") is able to establish a stable satellite communication link with ship-based or shore-based systems under sea state level 4 conditions, and meets the requirements of lightweight and miniaturization.

[0017] This high-speed satellite communication system features an integrated design and compact structure, with overall dimensions controlled within 540mm in diameter and 700mm in height, making it suitable for installations with limited space at the top of buoys. The watertight dome's wave-transparent portion is made of fiberglass, connected to a TC4 titanium alloy base via carbon fiber to enhance structural strength. It combines 2MPa pressure resistance, corrosion resistance, and radio frequency transparency, enabling stable operation as it dives with the buoy to depths of up to 200 meters. The satellite communication antenna employs a multi-antenna coplanar layout, integrating three types of functional antennas on the same plane with optimized placement, effectively reducing mutual coupling between antennas and achieving efficient integration of multi-satellite signal transmission and reception with positioning functions.

[0018] The system specifications meet the requirements for high-speed data transmission. The transceiver RF front-end and satellite communication antenna adopt an integrated design and share a common structure, directly connecting via SMP RF connectors to replace traditional RF cables, significantly reducing feeder loss. This design ensures that the system's EIRP is no less than 30dBW and G / T value is no less than -11dB / K in the Tiantong-1 satellite communication link, and the corresponding specifications are no less than 10dBW and -26dB / K in the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service link, providing solid support for a stable and efficient communication link.

[0019] The system is equipped with a wireless communication monitoring unit, significantly optimizing operation and maintenance convenience and cost control. This unit can monitor the internal status of the system in real time from the ship's end within a 5-kilometer range of the buoy via a wireless network, while also supporting the issuance of control commands and flexible function configuration. When the system malfunctions, there is no need to retrieve the buoy and read the status via cable; data can be directly obtained through the wireless network to locate the anomaly and carry out targeted repairs, greatly improving operation and maintenance efficiency and effectively reducing operation and maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a high-speed satellite communication system; Figure 2 Block diagram and signal flow diagram of a high-speed satellite communication system; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of multiple antennas installed in the same plane; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the integrated assembly of satellite communication antenna, wireless communication monitoring antenna, and transceiver radio frequency front end. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The high-speed satellite communication system described in this invention mainly consists of a watertight enclosure, a satellite communication antenna, a transceiver radio frequency front-end, a wireless communication monitoring unit, a communication signal processing unit, a mechanical servo tracking mechanism, a thermal control system, a power supply module, and a TC4 titanium alloy base. The overall system dimensions are controlled within a diameter of 540mm × height of 700mm to accommodate the limited installation space at the top of the buoy. A schematic diagram of the system's application environment is shown below. Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, the components are as follows: Figure 2 As shown. Among them, To ensure the high-speed satellite communication system can follow the buoy carrier to a depth of 200 meters and remain in a water pressure environment of 2MPa, the watertight enclosure must be pressure-resistant, corrosion-resistant, and have radio frequency transmission performance. In one embodiment, the wave-transmitting part is mainly made of glass fiber material, and the wave-transmitting part is connected to the TC4 titanium alloy base with carbon fiber material to improve the overall structural strength.

[0022] The satellite communication antenna adopts a multi-antenna coplanar layout design, integrating three antennas on the same mounting plane: an S-band coplanar antenna supporting the transmission and reception of Tiantong-1 satellite signals and Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signals; a Beidou / GPS positioning receiving antenna; and a wireless 2×2 MIMO antenna. By adjusting the placement of each antenna, the mutual coupling between antennas is minimized.

[0023] The transceiver RF front end and satellite communication antenna adopt an integrated design and share a common structure. The SMP RF connector is used for direct plug-in connection instead of RF cable connection, which effectively reduces feeder loss. This ensures that the EIRP of the high-speed satellite communication system is not less than 30dBW and 10dBW in the Tiantong-1 satellite communication link and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service link, and the G / T value is not less than -11dB / K and -26dB / K, respectively, meeting the requirements of high-speed data transmission link.

[0024] To address the lack of operational status monitoring methods in existing systems, the wireless communication module can monitor the internal status of the high-speed satellite communication system in real time from the ship's end within a 5-kilometer radius of the buoy via a wireless network. It can also issue control commands to flexibly configure system functions. When an anomaly occurs in the system, there is no need to retrieve the buoy and then read the internal status via cable; status data can be directly obtained through the wireless network to locate the anomaly and carry out targeted repairs, thus improving operational efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] Example This invention proposes a high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys. Leveraging my country's independently controllable Tiantong-1, Tianlian-2, and BeiDou satellite resources, it possesses multi-satellite adaptive tracking capabilities. Based on satellite signal coverage and link quality, it can autonomously select either the Tiantong-1 satellite mobile communication network or the Tianlian-2 relay satellite SMA service network, resolving communication interruptions caused by the limited coverage of a single satellite beam. This design fully utilizes the coverage advantages of my country's independent satellite resources, ensuring the stability of satellite communication throughout the entire deep-sea area. Furthermore, to meet the demand for large-scale data transmission of probes, the high-speed satellite communication system can support real-time data transmission with a maximum code rate of 384 kbps between ship / shore base stations.

[0027] This invention relates to a high-speed satellite communication system that addresses the core requirements of compatibility with multiple domestically produced satellite resources, system miniaturization, high reliability, and ease of maintenance. It utilizes three key technologies: multi-antenna co-array design, integrated RF front-end and antenna, and a wireless communication monitoring unit, making it suitable for the application scenarios of deep-sea micro-buoys. The high-speed satellite communication system mainly consists of a watertight enclosure with 2MPa pressure resistance and good wave transmission performance, an S-band planar array antenna, a BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna, a 2×2 MIMO wireless antenna, a satellite communication transceiver RF front-end, a servo tracking mechanism, a thermal control system, a power conversion unit, a wireless communication monitoring unit, and a TC4 titanium alloy base that can be mounted on top of the micro-buoy.

[0028] 1. Multi-antenna co-array design Both the Tiantong-1 satellite communication signal transceiver antenna and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA signal transceiver antenna are left-hand circularly polarized and have similar signal frequency bands. Therefore, this invention adopts an S-band broadband array antenna. The array aperture is no more than 430mm, and it adopts a circular structure that matches the shape of the watertight cover. A single array element is placed at the center of the circle, and the remaining 8 array elements are evenly distributed on the same equilateral circle, effectively compressing the vertical installation space of the system.

[0029] Beidou / GPS positioning receiving antenna and wireless 2×2 MIMO antenna, such as Figure 3 As shown, the antennas are placed at the edge of the array, maximizing the spacing between different antennas without increasing the array size. This reduces mutual coupling and meets the requirements for system miniaturization. The BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna receives BeiDou / GPS positioning information, assisting the servo tracking mechanism in autonomously tracking satellite signals. The wireless 2×2 MIMO antenna uses two 30mm long rod-shaped helical antennas, supporting 2×2 MIMO communication mode, enabling system monitoring and control via a ship-based platform within a 5km range of the buoy. The S-band array antenna adopts a wideband design, covering the transmission and reception bands of the Tiantong-1 satellite communication signals and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signals, meeting the compatibility requirements of multiple domestic satellite resources.

[0030] To reduce mutual coupling interference when multiple antennas operate simultaneously, this invention optimizes the three types of antennas—S-band array antennas, BeiDou / GPS positioning and navigation antennas, and wireless 2×2 MIMO antennas—in two aspects. First, polarization isolation: the Tiantong-1 satellite communication signal transceiver antenna and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signal transceiver antenna are left-hand circularly polarized, while the BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna is right-hand circularly polarized, reducing interference through polarization differences. Second, spatial layout optimization: ensuring that the spacing between the remaining antennas and the S-band array antenna elements is greater than 85mm, further reducing mutual signal interference.

[0031] 2. The transceiver RF front-end and antenna are integrated into a single structure. To reduce signal loss and compress system size, high-speed satellite communication systems adopt an integrated design, including transceiver RF front-end, communication signal processing unit, wireless communication monitoring unit, duplexer group, and S-band array antenna, such as... Figure 4 The two devices share the same structure. The S-band array antenna port and the duplexer port use SMP connectors, and are connected via KK-pin mating to replace RF cables. This reduces mating loss by at least 1 dB compared to RF cable connection loss.

[0032] The integrated design ensures that the EIRP of the high-speed satellite communication system is no less than 30dBW and 10dBW in the Tiantong-1 satellite communication link and the SMA service link of the Tianlian-2 satellite, and the G / T value is no less than -11dB / K and -26dB / K, respectively. This guarantees a high-speed data transmission link with a code rate of 384kbps between the high-speed satellite communication system and shore / ship-based systems. Simultaneously, this design effectively reduces the size of the high-speed satellite communication system, meeting the requirements for system miniaturization, and avoids the problem of excessive power consumption caused by increasing transmission power to compensate for cable losses, thus meeting the system's low-power requirements.

[0033] The communication signal processing unit consists of a signal processing module and an application processing module. The signal processing module is responsible not only for detecting the signal characteristics and processing communication protocols of the transceiver RF front-end, but also for intermediate frequency digitization, modulation, channel coding, demodulation, and other tasks. It also controls the power supply switches of the transceiver RF front-ends for different internal satellite links via TTL levels, switching between different satellite communication links and completing communication mode switching. According to AT commands, it completes data transmission in the Tiantong-1 high-speed communication link and queries its own configuration status. The application processing module mainly includes sending switching commands to control the signal processing module to complete communication mode switching, sending AT commands to the signal processing module, communicating with the servo tracking unit to switch tracking satellites, and achieving data communication with the internal systems of the sea surface buoy.

[0034] 3. Wireless communication monitoring unit Considering that all functional units of the system are integrated within a sealed watertight enclosure, and data communication and power supply are achieved only through a single interface with the buoy, this invention designs a wireless communication monitoring unit to monitor the real-time operating status of each unit inside the watertight enclosure, including satellite tracking status, communication mode switching, and key parameters such as internal temperature. This unit can establish a wireless data transmission link between the system and the ship's end platform within a 5km range, enabling real-time interaction of status data. This facilitates the ship's end system to quickly obtain the system's operating status, improves operational efficiency, and meets the requirements for convenient system operation and maintenance. Existing solutions rely on wired communication after the buoy is retrieved to query internal status quantities and send configuration commands. The wireless communication monitoring unit designed in this invention can transmit status data to the ship's end platform in real time. The wireless communication monitoring unit selects the 900-930MHz range of the ISM open band as its operating frequency and employs 2×2 MIMO communication technology to improve link reliability. Two 30mm long helical rod antennas are used for the wireless communication monitoring antenna to further ensure the stability of the wireless signal.

[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-speed satellite communication system for use with micro-buoys in deep-sea areas, characterized in that, The system is enclosed within a watertight enclosure and installed on a deep-sea micro-buoy. Its overall dimensions are controlled to be within 540mm in diameter and 700mm in height. The system includes: a multi-system common-array antenna, a transceiver radio frequency front-end, a wireless communication monitoring unit, a communication signal processing unit, and a duplexer assembly. The multi-system co-array antenna is a circular array antenna with a diameter not exceeding 430mm. The array integrates an S-band planar array antenna, a BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna, and a wireless MIMO antenna. Through cooperation with the transceiver RF front-end, it ensures that the EIRP is not less than 30dBW and 10dBW respectively in the Tiantong-1 satellite communication link and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service link, and the G / T value is not less than -11dB / K and -26dB / K respectively. It supports 384kbps high-speed data communication mode and 50kbps high-speed data communication mode. The system employs a low-speed data communication mode of 1.74kbps and an emergency data communication mode of 1.74kbps to transmit and receive communication signals from the Tiantong-1 satellite and the SMA service signals from the Tianlian-2 satellite, as well as to receive BeiDou / GPS positioning signals and transmit and receive wireless communication signals. One element of the S-band planar array antenna is placed at the center, while the remaining eight elements are evenly distributed on the same equilateral circle. The S-band planar array antenna is left-handed circularly polarized, while the BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna is right-handed circularly polarized; this polarization difference reduces interference between antennas. The wireless communication monitoring unit is used to monitor the internal working status of the system in real time, issue commands to implement function configuration, and establish a wireless data transmission link with the ship's end platform within a 5km range to realize real-time interaction of status data. The multi-system co-array antenna, transceiver RF front-end, wireless communication monitoring unit, communication signal processing unit, and duplexer group adopt an integrated design, sharing the same structure, which meets the requirements of miniaturization design while reducing system power consumption; wherein the port of the duplexer group and the port of the S-band planar array antenna use SMP connectors, and replace RF cables with KK post-to-post connections, thereby reducing connection loss by more than 1dB.

2. The high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys according to claim 1, characterized in that, The BeiDou / GPS positioning receiving antenna and the wireless MIMO antenna are placed at the edge of the circular array. This maximizes the spacing between different antennas without increasing the size of the circular array, thereby miniaturizing the system and reducing the mutual coupling effect of the antennas.

3. The high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys according to claim 1, characterized in that, The S-band planar array antenna adopts a wideband design, and its operating frequency band covers the transmission and reception frequency bands of the Tiantong-1 satellite communication signal and the Tianlian-2 satellite SMA service signal, supporting multiple domestic satellite resources.

4. The high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless MIMO antenna uses two 30mm long rod-shaped spiral antennas, operates in the 900~930MHz frequency band, and supports 2×2 MIMO communication mode.

5. The high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication signal processing unit includes: a signal processing module and an application processing module, wherein... The signal processing module is used to perform characteristic detection and communication protocol processing on the signals of the transceiver radio frequency front end, demodulate the received link radio frequency signals, and modulate the transmitted link signals; it is used to control the power supply switch of the transceiver radio frequency front end of different satellite links according to the switching command and switch different satellite communication links to realize communication mode switching; it is used to complete the data transmission in the Tiantong-1 high-speed communication link according to the AT command and query its own configuration status. The application processing module is used to send switching command control to the signal processing module; and to send AT commands to the signal processing module.

6. The high-speed satellite communication system for deep-sea micro-buoys according to claim 1, characterized in that, The internal operating status monitored by the wireless communication monitoring unit includes: satellite tracking status, communication mode switching, and internal temperature.

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