# US 10,320,064 B2 · Multiport amplifiers (MPAs) using output filtering to improve performance over life

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- Number: US 10,320,064 B2
- Document ID: US10320064B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/364,115
- Filed: 2016-11-29
- Published: 2017-08-10
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-04
- Assignees: Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
- Applicants: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
- Inventors: Subrahmanyam V. Vaddiparty; Zheng Tu; Vijaya Korwar Gallagher
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320064B2

## CPC

- H01Q 1/288: {Satellite antennas}
- H01Q 21/24: Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction {(circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001)}
- H03F 3/211: {using a combination of several amplifiers (H03F3/60 takes precedence)}
- H04B 7/18515: {Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays}
- H03F 2200/294: the amplifier being a low noise amplifier [LNA]
- H03F 2203/21157: A filter circuit being added at the output of a power amplifier stage
- H04B 2001/0408: {with power amplifiers}
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)
- H03F: AMPLIFIERS
- H04B: TRANSMISSION

## Abstract

A payload subsystem of a satellite includes a plurality of transmit antenna feeds, a plurality of frequency filters, and a power amplification arrangement including a plurality of power amplifiers. The power amplification arrangement has at least one multiport amplifier, the multiport amplifier including a plurality of output ports, each output port coupled with a respective one of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds by way of a respective one of the plurality of frequency filters.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A payload subsystem of a satellite, comprising:
a plurality of transmit antenna feeds, a plurality of frequency filters, and a power amplification arrangement including a plurality of power amplifiers, the power amplification arrangement having at least one multiport amplifier, the multiport amplifier including a plurality of output ports, wherein:
each output port is coupled with a respective one of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds; and
each antenna feed is coupled with a single respective output port by way of a respective one of the plurality of frequency filters.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the payload subsystem is configured to operate at a frequency band of Ku band or higher.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the power amplification arrangement is configured to exhibit a ratio of carrier-to-isolation (C/I), between adjacent ones of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds, of at least 30 dB.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The payload subsystem of claim 3, wherein the power amplification arrangement exhibits a C/I, between adjacent ones of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds, of at least 30 dB irrespective of whether calibration of gain and phase variations over life and compensation for the gain and phase variations is performed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The payload subsystem of claim 4, wherein calibration of the gain and phase variations over life and compensation for the gain and phase variations is avoided.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The payload subsystem of claim 3, wherein the transmit antenna feeds correspond to a coverage map comprising a plurality of coverage regions, wherein adjacent coverage regions are diverse in one or both of channel center frequency and antenna polarization.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The payload subsystem of claim 6, wherein the antenna polarization is diverse in one or both of linear polarization type and circular polarization type.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein:
the payload subsystem further includes a digital channelizer configured to process a plurality of input signals and to create reconfigurable channels to route the plurality of input signals to a plurality of digital channelizer output ports; and
the plurality of digital channelizer output ports are communicatively coupled to the at least one multiport amplifier.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The payload subsystem of claim 8, wherein the at least one multiport amplifier includes a plurality of identical or nearly identical fixed power high power amplifiers (HPAs) whose inputs are communicatively coupled to the plurality of digital channelizer output ports.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The payload subsystem of claim 8, wherein the at least one multiport amplifier includes a plurality of identical or nearly identical variable power high power amplifiers (HPAs) whose inputs are communicatively coupled to the plurality of digital channelizer output ports, wherein output power levels of the variable power HPAs are set and varied approximately in unison.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein at least one of the frequency filters has a rolloff characteristic such that there is 15 dB attenuation between adjacent ones of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the frequency filters include surface acoustic wave filters.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the frequency filters are implemented as a band pass filter, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, or a serial combination of low-pass and high-pass filters.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the frequency filters have a passband at least as wide as a channel bandwidth allocated for one of the transmit antenna feeds.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The payload subsystem of claim 1, wherein the power amplifiers are implemented as either SSPAs or TWTAs.

### Claim 16

A satellite, comprising:
a payload subsystem including a plurality of transmit antenna feeds, a plurality of frequency filters, and a power amplification arrangement including a plurality of power amplifiers, the power amplification arrangement having at least one multiport amplifier, the multiport amplifier including a plurality of output ports, wherein:
each output port coupled with a respective one of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds;
each antenna feed is coupled with a single respective output port by way of a respective one of the plurality of frequency filters; and
the payload subsystem is configured to operate at a frequency band of Ku band or higher.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The satellite of claim 16, wherein the power amplification arrangement is configured to exhibit a ratio of carrier-to-isolation (C/I), between adjacent ones of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds, of at least 30 dB.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The satellite of claim 17, wherein the power amplification arrangement exhibits a C/I, between adjacent ones of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds, of at least 30 dB irrespective of whether calibration of gain and phase variations over life and compensation for the gain and phase variations is performed.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The satellite of claim 18, wherein calibration of gain and phase variations over life and compensation for the gain and phase variations is avoided.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The satellite of claim 17, wherein the transmit antenna feeds correspond to a coverage map comprising a plurality of coverage regions, wherein adjacent coverage regions are diverse in one or both of channel center frequency and antenna polarization.