Satellite Relay Format Conversion for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional satellite communication systems that use a data relay satellite for transmitting and receiving data between the ground and a satellite incur high power consumption due to the requirement of Forward Error Correction (FEC) circuits in the relay process.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a data relay satellite that only performs format conversion based on the modulation schemes used in the transmission channels between the user satellite and the terrestrial station, eliminating the need for error correction in the relay process, while the user satellite and terrestrial station handle error correction encoding and decoding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Forward Error Correction (FEC) circuits are installed in the data relay satellite to ensure reliable data transmission, then data transmission reliability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the error correction function into two segments: the user satellite performs FEC encoding on transmitted data, and the terrestrial station performs FEC decoding on received data. The data relay satellite is segmented out from the error correction process, performing only format conversion. This segmentation eliminates the need for FEC circuits in the relay satellite, reducing its power consumption while maintaining overall system reliability through the distributed error correction architecture.
2Reliability
If FEC circuits are installed in the data relay satellite for error correction, then data transmission quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the error correction function from the data relay satellite and relocates it to the user satellite and terrestrial station. The relay satellite retains only the essential format conversion function, removing the complex FEC encoding and decoding circuits. This extraction simplifies the relay satellite's device complexity while maintaining data transmission quality through the error correction capabilities of the endpoint devices.
3Reliability
If FEC circuits are installed in the data relay satellite to correct transmission errors, then data transmission reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the error correction functionality from the relay satellite and assigns it to the user satellite and terrestrial station. This segmentation eliminates the need to manufacture and install complex FEC circuits in the relay satellite, reducing manufacturing costs. The user satellite and terrestrial station, which already require sophisticated processing capabilities, can accommodate the error correction functions without additional cost penalties.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a satellite communication system in which the user satellite (2) and the terrestrial station (3) transmit data by way of the data relay satellite (1). The user satellite (2) and the terrestrial station (3) include FEC ENCs (24, 34)/FEC DECs (25, 35) that perform error correction encoding onto transmission data and decoding onto the reception data that is subjected to the error correction encoding, and the data relay satellite (1) includes format converting units (14, 15) that convert, based on a modulation scheme adopted for the transmission channel to the user satellite (2) and a modulation scheme adopted for the transmission channel to the terrestrial station (3), a signal received through one transmission channel to a format corresponding to the other transmission channel and thereby generate a transmission signal.