Steerable Satellite Antenna Pointing via Power-Distribution Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Satellite antenna systems using spot beams are susceptible to pointing errors, which can significantly impact communication quality due to misalignment, and existing methods for determining and correcting these errors are complex and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A computationally-efficient image-processing technique that converts received-signal power measurements into a power-distribution image to determine the center location of an uplink signal, allowing for accurate calculation of pointing corrections by comparing this location to a reference point, thereby adjusting the antenna system's orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional methods are used to determine pointing errors, then measurement capability is provided, but device complexity and computation time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a power-distribution image that copies the spatial distribution of signal power across antenna elements. This image serves as a simplified representation of the complex electromagnetic field interactions, allowing pointing error determination through image processing rather than complex electromagnetic calculations. The image acts as a surrogate model that preserves the essential information needed for measurement while dramatically reducing computational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex electromagnetic field analysis with image processing techniques. Instead of solving Maxwell's equations or performing complex signal processing to determine pointing errors, the system converts power measurements into a visual power-distribution image and uses image processing algorithms to extract pointing error information. This substitution of analysis methodology reduces computational burden while maintaining measurement precision.
2Measurement precision
If complex pointing error determination methods are used, then measurement accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a power-distribution image that visually represents the signal power across antenna elements, the patent enables rapid extraction of pointing error information through image processing. This image-based approach allows for quick identification of the main lobe position and calculation of pointing errors without time-consuming electromagnetic simulations or complex mathematical iterations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms raw power measurement data into a different parameter representation (the power-distribution image) that is more amenable to rapid analysis. By changing the form of the data from numerical arrays to visual images, the system enables the use of efficient image processing algorithms that can quickly determine pointing errors through techniques like center-of-gravity calculation or peak detection, significantly reducing processing time compared to traditional methods.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods disclosed herein for pointing a steerable antenna system (22) onboard a satellite (10) exploit advantageous image-processing techniques that provide a computationally-efficient and accurate way of determining the pointing error of the steerable antenna system (22) and determining corresponding pointing corrections. Received-signal power measurements for individual array elements in an antenna array of the steerable antenna system provide the basis for forming a power-distribution image (70) that reveals where an uplink signal (42) falls on the array (50), which in turn provides a basis for determining the appropriate pointing correction.