Redundant Beam Hopping Switch Network Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Redundant components in switch network systems remain dormant until active components fail, leading to underutilization of system capacity and increased space and mass due to the presence of spare components that are not actively used.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a combined redundancy and beam hopping switch network that activates spare components at the beginning of the system's life, allowing them to contribute to the network capacity, thereby increasing initial capacity and enabling graceful degradation as components fail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spare components are included in the system for redundancy, then system reliability is improved, but system mass and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the redundancy function with the beam hopping communication function by having spare components actively participate in signal transmission during normal operation. The same physical components serve both as backup redundancy elements and as active communication resources, eliminating the need for separate dormant spare components.
Solution Approach 2:
Spare components are designed to perform multiple functions: they serve as backup components for reliability and simultaneously as active communication resources for capacity enhancement. This multi-functionality allows the system to utilize the full potential of all components rather than having dedicated standby elements.
2Reliability
If spare components are included in the system for redundancy, then system reliability is improved, but system volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the redundancy function with the beam hopping communication function by having spare components actively participate in signal transmission during normal operation. The same physical components serve both as backup redundancy elements and as active communication resources, eliminating the need for separate dormant spare components.
3Ease of operation
If spare components remain dormant until failure, then component activation is simple, but system capacity is underutilized
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration of communication paths through spare components before any failure occurs. The beam hopping mechanism pre-establishes routing capabilities through all components including spares, so that when failure occurs, the system is already optimized for maximum capacity utilization without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reconfiguration of communication paths based on system state. The beam hopping mechanism can dynamically adjust signal routing to utilize available components optimally, transitioning from normal operation through failure scenarios while maintaining maximum capacity utilization throughout.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A redundancy network is coupled to a first plurality of signal components and to a beam hopping network. The redundancy network has redundancy network signal junctions configurable to define redundancy network signal paths through the redundancy network, with one path for each signal component. The beam hopping network has beam hopping junctions configurable to define beam hopping signals paths from the redundancy network to other signal components. The beam hopping junctions are dynamically adjustable to reconfigure the beam hopping signals paths so signals from the redundancy network are deliverable to at least two of the other signal components. The redundancy network signal junctions are reconfigurable in response to a failure of one of the first signal components to redefine the redundancy network signal paths so that signals from the remaining first signal components are distributable, by the beam hopping network, to all of the other signal components.