UAV Orbital Simulation for Ground Antenna Tracking Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for evaluating satellite antennas lack accuracy and flexibility, as they often result in inaccurate measurements and are limited by the availability of deployable orbital satellites, preventing comprehensive testing.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to emulate satellite trajectories and perform measurements, allowing for flexible and customizable scenarios, including GEO, MEO, LEO, and HEO orbits, and operational scenarios like LEOP and satellite collision avoidance, to evaluate antenna pointing and tracking accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional Sun/Moon tracking or GEO satellite tracking methods are used to measure antenna offset and tracking accuracy, then the measurement process can be performed with existing infrastructure, but the measurements are inaccurate and lack flexibility due to limited availability of tracking objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of satellite orbital trajectories by mapping them onto UAV flight paths. The base station receives satellite orbital data and generates corresponding UAV flight paths that replicate the angular and temporal characteristics of actual satellite passes, enabling accurate antenna testing without requiring real satellites
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a base station as an intermediary that processes both satellite orbital data and UAV telemetry data. This intermediary system correlates the virtual satellite trajectory with actual UAV position and orientation measurements to compute accurate offset and tracking accuracy metrics
2Adaptability or versatility
If real orbital satellites are used for comprehensive antenna testing, then holistic evaluation of antenna performance can be achieved, but the limited number of deployable satellites restricts the flexibility and coverage of testing scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual representations of multiple satellite trajectories (GEO, MEO, LEO, HEO) that can be simultaneously simulated using a single or multiple UAVs. This allows comprehensive testing of various orbital scenarios without being constrained by the actual number of deployable satellites
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables dynamic reconfiguration of testing scenarios by allowing the base station to receive different satellite orbital parameters and generate corresponding UAV flight paths in real-time, making the system adaptable to various orbital types and operational scenarios
3Measurement precision
If multiple UAVs are deployed to simulate different satellite trajectories and constellations, then comprehensive antenna evaluation can be performed, but the complexity of coordinating and managing multiple UAVs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base station continuously receives telemetry data from multiple UAVs (position, orientation, velocity) and uses this feedback to monitor and coordinate their flight paths. This centralized feedback mechanism ensures accurate simulation of satellite constellations and handover scenarios while managing system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Here discloses an apparatus for evaluating the ground terminal antenna and simulating satellite orbital trajectory using at least one unmanned aerial vehicle configured to emulate satellite movement based on a pseudo satellite trajectory. Apparatus encompasses a base station for establishing telemetry with a ground terminal antenna and said at least one unmanned aerial vehicle on a flight path designed for a planned scenario of a satellite. The base station is configured to process the telemetry data and perform one or more measurements based on a set of operational angles and target direction of said at least one unmanned aerial vehicle on the flight in relation to providing the orbital trajectory simulation of the satellite with respect to the planned scenario. One or more measurements comprise an offset measurement based on the set of operational angles of the ground terminal antenna in relation to the target direction of said at least one unmanned aerial vehicle; and a tracking accuracy measurement based on the set of operational angles of the ground terminal antenna and target direction of said at least one unmanned aerial vehicle following the flight path for a time period.