# US 2018/0026709 A1 · Satellite for end-to-end beamforming with non-overlapping feeder and user frequencies > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0026709 A1 - Document ID: US20180026709A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/715,475 - Filed: 2017-09-26 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-04-10 - Assignees: ViaSat, Inc. - Applicants: ViaSat, Inc. - Inventors: Kenneth V. Buer; Mark J. Miller - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026709A1 ## CPC - H04B 7/18513: {Transmission in a satellite or space-based system} - H01Q 1/06: Means for the lighting or illuminating of antennas, e.g. for purpose of warning - H01Q 1/288: {Satellite antennas} - H01Q 3/247: {by switching different parts of a primary active element} - H01Q 3/40: with phasing matrix - H01Q 5/50: Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation - H01Q 19/132: {Horn reflector antennas; Off-set feeding} - H01Q 21/0025: {Modular arrays} - 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)} - H01Q 25/001: {Crossed polarisation dual antennas (orthomode horns H01Q13/0258; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; orthomode transducers H01P1/161)} - H04B 7/024: Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems - H04B 7/0413: MIMO systems - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04B 7/18508: {with satellite system used as relay, i.e. aeronautical mobile satellite service} - H04B 7/18515: {Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays} - H04B 7/18517: {Transmission equipment in earth stations} - H04B 7/18534: {for enhancing link reliablility, e.g. satellites diversity} - H04B 7/1858: {Arrangements for data transmission on the physical system, i.e. for data bit transmission between network components} - H04B 7/18586: {Arrangements for data transporting, e.g. for an end to end data transport or check} - H04B 7/18589: {Arrangements for controlling an end to end session, i.e. for initialising, synchronising or terminating an end to end link} - H04B 7/204: Multiple access - H04B 7/2041: {Spot beam multiple access} - H04B 10/118: specially adapted for satellite communication - H04W 4/00: Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor - H04W 16/28: using beam steering - H04W 40/20: based on geographic position or location - H04W 76/10: Connection setup - H04W 84/06: Airborne or Satellite Networks (space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185) - H01Q 1/247: {with frequency mixer, e.g. for direct satellite reception or Doppler radar} - H04W 16/26: Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A satellite for providing communications between a plurality of access nodes and a plurality of user terminals, the plurality of access nodes geographically distributed over an access node coverage area and the plurality of user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the satellite comprising: a feeder-link antenna subsystem to illuminate the plurality of access nodes, wherein the feeder-link antenna subsystem comprises a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements and a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements; a user-link antenna subsystem to illuminate the user coverage area comprising a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent transmit elements and a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent receive elements; a first plurality of forward-link transponders, each coupled between one of the feeder-link constituent receive elements and one of the user-link constituent transmit elements, the first plurality of forward-link transponders receiving first forward composite uplink signals over a first frequency range and outputting first forward composite downlink signals over a second frequency range; and a second plurality of forward-link transponders, each coupled between one of the feeder-link constituent receive elements and one of the user-link constituent transmit elements, the second plurality of forward-link transponders receiving second forward composite uplink signals at a third frequency range and outputting second forward composite downlink signals over the second frequency range, wherein the third frequency range is non-overlapping with the first frequency range. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of forward-link splitters, each of the plurality of forward-link splitters receiving one forward composite uplink signal via one of the feeder-link constituent receive elements and splitting the one forward composite uplink signal into one of the first forward composite uplink signals and one of the second forward composite uplink signals. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, wherein inputs of the first plurality of forward-link transponders are coupled with a first set of the plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements and inputs of the second plurality of forward-link transponders are coupled with a second set of the plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the second frequency range is greater than a bandwidth of at least one of the first frequency range or the third frequency range. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is the same as a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is different from a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The satellite of claim 1, wherein the first frequency range begins at a first base frequency and the third frequency range begins at a second base frequency that is at least one and a half times the first base frequency. ### Claim 8 A method for providing communications between a plurality of access nodes and a plurality of user terminals, the plurality of access nodes geographically distributed over an access node coverage area and the plurality of user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the method comprising: receiving, at an end-to-end relay, a plurality of first forward composite uplink signals and a plurality of second forward composite uplink signals, wherein each of the plurality of first forward composite uplink signals is a superposition of a first plurality of forward uplink signals transmitted by the plurality of access nodes over a first frequency range and each of the plurality of second forward composite uplink signals is a superposition of a second plurality of forward uplink signals transmitted by the plurality of access nodes over a second frequency range, and wherein the second frequency range is non-overlapping with the first frequency range; generating a plurality of forward downlink signals, each of the plurality of forward downlink signals generated from one of the plurality of first forward composite uplink signals or the plurality of second forward composite uplink signals; and transmitting the plurality of forward downlink signals to the plurality of user terminals over a third frequency range. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving comprises: receiving, at the end-to-end relay, a plurality of forward composite uplink signals via a plurality of feeder-link constituent receive elements; and splitting each of the plurality of forward composite uplink signals into one of the plurality of first forward composite uplink signals and one of the plurality of second forward composite uplink signals. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving comprises: receiving the plurality of first forward composite uplink signals via a first set of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements; and receiving the plurality of second forward composite uplink signals via a second set of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein a bandwidth of the third frequency range is greater than a bandwidth of at least one of the first frequency range or the second frequency range. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is the same as a bandwidth of the second frequency range. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is different from a bandwidth of the second frequency range. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the first frequency range begins at a first base frequency and the second frequency range begins at a second base frequency that is at least one and a half times the first base frequency. ### Claim 15 A satellite for providing communications between a plurality of access nodes and a plurality of user terminals, the plurality of access nodes geographically distributed over an access node coverage area and the plurality of user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the satellite comprising: a feeder-link antenna subsystem to illuminate the plurality of access nodes, wherein the feeder-link antenna subsystem comprises a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements and a plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent receive elements; a user-link antenna subsystem to illuminate the user coverage area comprising a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent transmit elements and a plurality of cooperating user-link constituent receive elements; a first plurality of return-link transponders, each coupled between one of the user-link constituent receive elements and one of the feeder-link constituent transmit elements, the first plurality of return link transponders receiving first return composite uplink signals over a first frequency range and outputting first return composite downlink signals over a second frequency range; and a second plurality of return-link transponders, each coupled between one of the user-link constituent receive elements and one of the feeder-link constituent transmit elements, the first plurality of return link transponders receiving second return composite uplink signals over the first frequency range and outputting second return composite downlink signals at a third frequency range, wherein the third frequency range is non-overlapping with the second frequency range. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, further comprising: a plurality of return-link signal combiners, each of the plurality of return-link signal combiners receiving one of the first return composite downlink signals and one of the second return composite downlink signals and combining the one of the first return composite downlink signals and the one of the second return composite downlink signals to obtain a combined return composite downlink signal for outputting via one of the feeder-link constituent transmit elements. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, wherein outputs of the first plurality of return-link transponders are coupled with a first set of the plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements and outputs of the second plurality of return-link transponders are coupled with a second set of the plurality of cooperating feeder-link constituent transmit elements. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is greater than a bandwidth of at least one of the second frequency range or the third frequency range. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, wherein a bandwidth of the second frequency range is the same as a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, wherein a bandwidth of the second frequency range is different from a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The satellite of claim 15, wherein the second frequency range begins at a first base frequency and the third frequency range begins at a second base frequency that is at least one and a half times the first base frequency. ### Claim 22 A method for providing communications between a plurality of access nodes and a plurality of user terminals, the plurality of access nodes geographically distributed over an access node coverage area and the plurality of user terminals geographically distributed over a user coverage area, the method comprising: receiving, at an end-to-end relay, a plurality of return composite uplink signals over a first frequency range; generating a plurality of first return composite downlink signals and a plurality of second return composite downlink signals, wherein each of the first plurality of return composite downlink signals is generated from one of the plurality of return composite uplink signals and each of the plurality of second return composite downlink signals is generated from one of the plurality of return composite uplink signals; and transmitting the plurality of first return composite downlink signals over a second frequency range and the plurality of second return composite downlink signals over a third frequency range, wherein the third frequency range is non-overlapping with the second frequency range. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the transmitting comprises: combining one of the plurality of first return composite downlink signals and one of the plurality of second return composite downlink signals to obtain a combined return composite downlink signal for outputting via one of a plurality of feeder-link constituent transmit elements. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the transmitting comprises: transmitting the plurality of first return composite downlink signals via a first set of feeder-link constituent transmit elements; and transmitting the plurality of second return composite downlink signals via a second set of feeder-link constituent transmit elements. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein a bandwidth of the first frequency range is greater than a bandwidth of at least one of the second frequency range or the third frequency range. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein a bandwidth of the second frequency range is the same as a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 27 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein a bandwidth of the second frequency range is different from a bandwidth of the third frequency range. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the second frequency range begins at a first base frequency and the third frequency range begins at a second base frequency that is at least one and a half times the first base frequency.