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US 7,454,202 B2Granted
Low data rate mobile platform communication system and method
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorMichael de La Chapelle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform. The method includes substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites. Particularly, each ground based antenna communicates with a related one of the satellites. The method additionally includes substantially simultaneously communicating between each of the satellites and at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform.
Claims24
A method for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said method comprising:
- substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality of ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites, each ground based antenna communicating with a related one of the satellites;
- substantially simultaneously transmitting each of a plurality of return link signals from at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets that each include a plurality of signal transmitting patch elements to a different one of the satellites, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform;
- and
- steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing a beam steering controller of the mobile platform communication system, the controller operable to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and continuously determine which facet is active during a specific period of time;
- wherein substantially simultaneously transmitting the return signals from the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna to the satellites comprises transmitting at least one of messaging data packets and geolocation data via the return link signals;
- the method further comprising substantially simultaneously communicating between the ground based antennas and a ground based substation;
- wherein substantially simultaneously communicating between the ground based antennas and a ground based substation comprises:
- receiving the return link signals at the ground based antennas;
- transmitting the messaging data packets from the ground based antennas to a plurality of receivers, each ground based antenna transmitting the messaging data packets to a related one of the receivers;
- discarding duplicate messaging data packets utilizing a duplicate packet processor communicatively connected to each of the receivers;
- discarding corrupted messaging data packets utilizing the duplicate packet processor;
- and
- compiling the messaging data packets utilizing the duplicate packet processor.
10 more elements
A method for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said method comprising:
- substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality of ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites, each ground based antenna communicating with a related one of the satellites;
- substantially simultaneously transmitting each of a plurality of return link signals from at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets that each include a plurality of signal transmitting patch elements to a different one of the satellites, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform;
- and
- steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing a beam steering controller of the mobile platform communication system, the controller operable to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and continuously determine which facet is active during a specific period of time;
- wherein the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna comprises a multi-faceted electronically scanned phased array (MESPA) antenna and the controller is operable to dynamically scan each facet of the MESPA antenna over a scan range from a boresight of the respective facet;
- wherein steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing the beam steering controller comprises:
- generating a transmit/receive beam from the MESPA antenna;
- and
- steering the transmit/receive beam within the scan range of at least one of the facets to selectively point to a location approximately mid-way between two of the satellites such that the transmit/receive beam encompasses at least two of the satellites.
6 more elements
A method for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said method comprising:
- substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality of ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites, each ground based antenna communicating with a related one of the satellites;
- substantially simultaneously transmitting each of a plurality of return link signals from at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets that each include a plurality of signal transmitting patch elements to a different one of the satellites, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform;
- and
- steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing a beam steering controller of the mobile platform communication system, the controller operable to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and continuously determine which facet is active during a specific period of time;
- wherein the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna comprises a multi-faceted electronically switched scanned (MESS) antenna and the controller is operable to sequentially scan each facet in a fixed direction of a boresight of the respective facet;
- wherein steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing the beam steering controller comprises generating a transmit/receive beam fixed in the direction of the boresight from the facet having the respective boresight pointing to a location approximately mid-way between two of the satellites such that the transmit/receive beam encompasses at least two of the satellites.
3 more elements
A method for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said method comprising:
- substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality of ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites, each ground based antenna communicating with a related one of the satellites;
- substantially simultaneously transmitting each of a plurality of return link signals from at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets that each include a plurality of signal transmitting patch elements to a different one of the satellites, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform;
- and
- steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing a beam steering controller of the mobile platform communication system, the controller operable to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and continuously determine which facet is active during a specific period of time;
- the method further comprising:
- substantially simultaneously transmitting a plurality of forward link signals from a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter transmitting an independent one of the forward link signals from a related one of the ground based antennas;
- and
- receiving the forward link signals from the satellites at the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna;
- wherein receiving the forward link signals from the satellites comprises:
- providing the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna to be a MESPA antenna;
- dynamically scanning each facet of the MESPA antenna over a scan range from a boresight of the respective facet;
- generating a transmit/receive beam from the MESPA antenna;
- and
- steering the transmit/receive beam within the scan range of a selected one of the facets to selectively point to a location approximately mid-way between two of the satellites such that the transmit/receive beam encompasses at least two of the satellites.
11 more elements
A method for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said method comprising:
- substantially simultaneously communicating between a plurality of ground based antennas and a plurality of satellites, each ground based antenna communicating with a related one of the satellites;
- substantially simultaneously transmitting each of a plurality of return link signals from at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets that each include a plurality of signal transmitting patch elements to a different one of the satellites, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna included in a mobile platform communication system onboard a mobile platform;
- and
- steering the return link signals toward the satellites utilizing a beam steering controller of the mobile platform communication system, the controller operable to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and continuously determine which facet is active during a specific period of time;
- the method further comprising:
- substantially simultaneously transmitting a plurality of forward link signals from a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter transmitting an independent one of the forward link signals from a related one of the ground based antennas;
- and
- receiving the forward link signals from the satellites at the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna;
- wherein receiving the forward link signals from the satellites comprises:
- providing the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna to be a multi-faceted electronically switched scanned (MESS) antenna;
- sequentially scanning each facet in a fixed direction of a boresight of the respective facet;
- and
- generating a transmit/receive beam fixed in the direction of the boresight from the facet having the respective boresight pointing to a location approximately mid-way between two of the satellites such that the transmit/receive beam encompasses at least two of the satellites.
10 more elements
A system for providing communication and surveillance services to a mobile platform, said system comprising:
- at least one ground based substation adapted to substantially simultaneously communicate with a plurality of ground based antennas;
- a plurality of satellites having substantially overlapping forward link frequencies so that return link signals can be substantially simultaneously transponded through each of the satellites;
- a mobile platform communication subsystem onboard a mobile platform, the mobile platform communication subsystem comprising at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a transmit multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna adapted to substantially simultaneously transmit each of a plurality of return link signals to a different one of the satellites, each return link signal including substantially identical data that includes at least one of messaging data packets and geolocation data, and
- a plurality of receivers adapted to receive the message data packets from a related one of the ground based antennas and transmit the message data packets to a duplicate packet processor that discards duplicate message packets, discards corrupted message packets and compiles the remaining data packets.
1 more element
A mobile platform communication system comprising:
- at least one multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna including a plurality of facets and a plurality of patch elements on each of the facets, the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna adapted to substantially simultaneously communicate with a plurality of satellites;
- and
- a beam steering controller adapted to scan the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna to a location approximately mid-way between two of the satellites such that a transmit/receive beam generated by the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna encompasses at least two of the satellites, whereby the transmit/receive beam substantially simultaneously communicates redundant data signals between the multi-faceted electronically scanned antenna and the satellites.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.