Adaptive AR Satellite Acquisition Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing augmented reality (AR) applications for pointing antennas towards satellites suffer from limited accuracy due to sensor inaccuracies, particularly when using narrowbeam antennas, leading to difficulties in acquiring satellite signals, especially for non-geostationary satellites like LEOs, which require precise directional alignment to overcome power density limitations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an adaptive AR system that employs an offset generator to adjust the displayed position of satellite icons on a device's screen, allowing users to pivot the antenna towards a corrected direction, effectively emulating a wider beam pattern to enhance signal acquisition, even with narrowbeam antennas, by applying a series of offsets based on sensor data and orbital parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If narrowbeam antennas are used to increase directional precision, then antenna gain is improved, but the ability to acquire satellite signals deteriorates due to sensor inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating multiple candidate satellite positions based on sensor data before actual signal acquisition. The offset generator creates predicted positions that account for potential sensor errors, allowing the narrowbeam antenna to be directed to these pre-calculated positions rather than relying solely on potentially inaccurate direct sensor measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by introducing position offsets to the satellite location data. Instead of using the raw sensor-derived position directly, the system generates multiple offset positions and tests them, effectively transforming a single precise but potentially inaccurate position into multiple candidate positions that increase the probability of successful signal acquisition.
2Measurement precision
If sensor accuracy is improved to increase pointing precision, then directional accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates copies of the satellite position information by generating multiple candidate positions with different offsets. Instead of relying on a single complex high-precision sensor system, the invention uses software to create multiple virtual copies of the position data that can be tested with the existing simpler sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset generator acts as an intermediary between the sensor data and the antenna pointing system. It processes the raw sensor information and generates corrected position data, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between imperfect sensor measurements and the requirements for accurate antenna pointing without requiring more complex hardware.
3Reliability
If the antenna beamwidth is widened to improve signal acquisition, then satellite signal detectability is improved, but antenna gain deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning or position testing at multiple offset locations before final signal acquisition. By pre-calculating and testing multiple candidate positions, the system can effectively widen its search area without requiring a physically wider antenna beam, thus maintaining high gain while improving acquisition reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system addresses the beamwidth-gain tradeoff by adding a temporal or iterative dimension to the acquisition process. Instead of relying on a single widebeam setting, the system iterates through multiple directional candidates over time, effectively distributing the wide coverage function across multiple sequential narrowbeam measurements rather than requiring a single widebeam configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
Satellite acquisition, for enabling a user device to engage in satellite communications, may be implemented using augmented reality (AR). An AR display may be presented to a user, and the user may use the AR display to point the user device toward a desired satellite. The process may include offsetting the position of a satellite icon representing the desired satellite in the AR display if acquisition is unsuccessful and thus indicating that the user device should be pointed to the offset position. In the case of a non-geosynchronous earth-orbit (non-GEO) satellite, such as a low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite, the position of the satellite icon representing such a non-GEO satellite may be compensated for satellite movement during a satellite acquisition attempt.