Configurable Satellite Channelizer for Dynamic Beam Hopping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing satellite communication systems to provide high data rate communication services to underserved consumers and small businesses is challenging due to the need for efficient frequency allocation and power management across a constellation of non-geostationary satellites.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a satellite communication system with a configurable channelizer that routes data traffic using time domain beam hopping and steerable spot beams, allowing for efficient switching of throughput and power among spot beams, and using a digital channelizer to manage and route subchannels efficiently, accommodating both narrow-band and wide-band communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a satellite system uses conventional frequency allocation and power management methods, then system design is simpler, but it cannot provide high data rate communication services to underserved consumers and small businesses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic frequency allocation and power management through a configurable channelizer that can be reprogrammed in orbit. The system uses time domain beam hopping where spot beams are dynamically switched among different frequency channels, and power is dynamically allocated based on real-time communication demands. This dynamic approach enables high data rates by efficiently utilizing available spectrum and power resources, while the reconfigurability allows the system to adapt to different service requirements without requiring complex custom design for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The satellite system changes operating parameters dynamically through the configurable channelizer, which can alter frequency allocation, beam switching patterns, and power distribution. The channelizer's ability to be reconfigured via software updates allows the system to optimize performance for different data rate requirements by changing operational parameters rather than requiring hardware redesign, thus achieving high productivity without proportional increase in design complexity.
2Reliability
If the satellite system implements efficient frequency allocation and power management with configurable channelizer, then communication service quality improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configurable channelizer serves multiple functions within a single device: it performs frequency allocation, power management, beam switching control, and routing of communication signals. This universal component can be reconfigured to handle different communication protocols, frequency bands, and service types, thereby improving communication service quality across various applications without requiring separate specialized systems for each function, thus managing complexity through consolidation rather than multiplication of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the configurable channelizer monitors communication service quality metrics and adjusts frequency allocation, power distribution, and beam switching patterns accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures reliable communication services by continuously optimizing system parameters based on real-time performance data, while the automated feedback control reduces the need for manual configuration complexity.
3Productivity
If the satellite system uses time domain beam hopping and steerable spot beams, then throughput and power switching efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The time domain beam hopping implementation uses periodic switching patterns where spot beams are systematically cycled through different frequency channels at predetermined intervals. This periodic action creates predictable, efficient throughput switching by organizing beam allocation into repeating sequences that optimize resource utilization. The regular timing patterns simplify the control logic compared to completely dynamic switching, thereby improving throughput efficiency while managing the complexity of the beam switching mechanism through structured periodic operation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the satellite system accommodates both narrow-band and wide-band communications with digital channelizer, then adaptability improves, but routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The digital channelizer implements dynamic routing where the routing tables can be reconfigured in orbit to accommodate different communication requirements. For narrow-band communications, the channelizer routes individual frequency channels independently, while for wide-band communications, it aggregates multiple channels and routes them as a group. This dynamic reconfigurability provides adaptability to handle both communication types efficiently, while the ability to load different routing table configurations reduces the need for permanently storing multiple complex routing schemes, thereby managing routing complexity through time-multiplexed configuration sets.
Data Source
AI summary
An example of a configurable channelizer includes N input ports and K output ports, each supporting M separately sampled subchannels; and one or more control circuits configured to store and apply a set of first routing tables to route subchannels in groups of R subchannels, each first routing table has M*K/R entries that link M*K/R groups of subchannels with the input ports, where R is an integer that is greater than or equal to 1.