SATCOM Predictive Quality Assessment System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack the ability to effectively assess and mitigate the impact of natural and man-made interference on satellite communications, such as ionospheric scintillation, clouds, and jamming, on communication quality for commercial and military SATCOM equipment, leading to degraded performance and potential denial of service.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a database and user interface to evaluate the effects of degrading interference sources on SATCOM communications by selecting equipment, satellites, and time periods, providing predictive quality assessments and recommending alternative configurations to improve communication effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If SATCOM equipment is used for military and commercial communications, then communication capability is provided, but susceptibility to interference and denial from natural and man-made phenomenology increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of communication scenarios by evaluating equipment choices, satellite pairings, and potential interference sources before actual communication occurs. It predicts bit error rates and communication quality under various interference conditions (ionospheric scintillation, jamming, precipitation) to prevent communication failures before they happen.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback on communication quality by calculating predicted bit error rates and communication effectiveness based on selected equipment, satellite, and environmental conditions. This feedback enables users to adjust their equipment choices, satellite selections, or operational parameters to achieve reliable communication.
2Measurement precision
If multiple degrading interference sources are present (jamming, ionospheric scintillation, precipitation), then communication quality deteriorates, but ability to assess and differentiate these effects is currently unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the assessment of interference effects by evaluating each type of phenomenology (ionospheric scintillation, jamming, precipitation, clouds) separately and independently. It calculates the specific impact of each interference source on communication quality, allowing users to understand and address individual interference mechanisms rather than treating them as a single undifferentiated problem.
3Device complexity
If equipment choices and satellite pairings are made without assessment tools, then system complexity is reduced, but ability to evaluate communication quality and mitigate interference effects is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary assessment tool that evaluates communication scenarios without requiring users to directly manage the complexity of multiple interference models, equipment specifications, and satellite orbital mechanics. The intermediary calculates predicted bit error rates and communication quality by integrating these complex factors, presenting simplified guidance to users while maintaining high assessment accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The system of the present invention allows a user to select one or multiple SATCOM radio and antenna equipment types, select their current location(s) or a route and select the UHF SATCOM satellite for a multi-user communication network or architecture. The system presents an assessment of the level of performance of the selected system equipment and provides a capability to assess the impact of degrading factors, such as man-made interference (jamming) and natural phenomena (e.g. rain, clouds, ionospheric scintillation). This predictive assessment is a tailored result showing the phenomenology effects. Natural phenomenology like ionospheric scintillation, clouds, and precipitation, plus man-made phenomenologies like SATCOM jammers need to be differentiated by behavior characteristics and performance on a SATCOM frequency. If the system assessment determines the communication link is weak or ineffective based off the user's inputs, the application provides the ability to select alternative configurations, e.g. other radio and antenna equipment pairing and/or other satellite options or access times. The system of the present invention can be updated and modified as the satellite communication community and users identify new equipment and additional ionospheric scintillation data resources. Using satellite communication equipment (radio, antenna and satellite specifications) databases and near-real time external data, if available, allows the system of the present invention to generate an assessment tool that shows the quality of the communication overarching architecture.