AST & Science, LLC

A ground station processes downlink signals received from respective satellites. The ground station has a plurality of signal conditioning devices each receiving a respective one of the downlink signals and providing a conditioned downlink signal. A plurality of Doppler and/or Delay compensator devices each receive a respective conditioned downlink signal from a respective one of the plurality of signal conditioning devices. The compensator devices conduct Doppler and/or Delay compensation on the received conditioned downlink signal, and provide a compensated downlink signal output. A selector or diversity combiner receives the compensated downlink signal from each of the plurality of Doppler and/or Delay compensators. The selector or diversity combiner selects one of the received compensated downlink signals based on received signal strength of each received compensated downlink signal to provide a selected downlink signal, or diversity combines all of the received compensated downlink signals to provide a diversity combined signal. The selector or diversity combiner provides the selected downlink signal or the diversity combined signal to an eNodeB.

An antenna array has a plurality of square or rectangular antenna assemblies. Each assembly includes a first antenna assembly surface with a solar cell and a second antenna assembly with one or more antenna elements. The antenna assemblies are interconnected without gaps therebetween to form a first contiguous array surface comprised of the first antenna assembly surfaces and a second contiguous array surface comprised of the second antenna assembly surfaces. The antenna assemblies are connected together by mechanically stored-energy connectors, such as spring tape, that self-deploy the array in space without the use of electric energy.

A LEO satellite communication system is in communication with a first setting satellite having a first field of view including a first plurality of cells, and a second rising satellite having a second field of view including a second plurality of cells. The first and second satellites have an overlapping field of view having an overlapping plurality of cells located therein. A first processing device has a first communication port communicating with a first cell of the first plurality of cells via said first antenna over a first beam, and a second communication port communicating with an overlapping cell of the overlapping plurality of cells via said second antenna over a second beam. Said first processing device switches from said first communication port to said second communication port in response to the first cell of the first plurality of cells moving into the overlapping field of view.

A Satellite Radio Access Network includes a base station for communicating with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view. A network broadcasting signal is provided via an inactive or access beam covering a plurality of cells in the field of view. An access request is detected from a user device, such as a smartphone, within an area covered by the inactive beam. In response to the access request, a beam is transitioned from inactive to active to provide network access to the user device. Once the user device is out of range, the active beam is transitioned back to an inactive beam. An inactivity timer is used to detect an idle active cell that should be transitioned to an inactive cell.

The technology relates to a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) satellite communication system and corresponding method. The satellite communication system has, in one arrangement, a base station configured to communicate with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view. The base station includes a plurality of base band units and a base station memory configured to store control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information associated with a cell in the field of view. The system also includes a processing device configured to cause the satellite to generate a satellite beam in accordance with the control information, downlink signal information and uplink signal information stored in the base station memory.

Within a satellite communications system, a base station communicates with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view. The base station has a processor that instructs the satellite to generate a wide beam signal covering a plurality of cells in the field of view, and detects an access request from a user equipment within the plurality of cells over the wide beam signal. The base station, comprising a processing device such as an eNodeB, then generates one or more network broadcast/access signals that is uplink to a satellite and broadcasted via one or more nominal beams generated by the satellite, covering all the inactive cells, one of the plurality of cells having the access request.

A ground station determines a location of a user equipment (UE) by triangulating signals from a single satellite at different times and positions as it orbits the earth. The ground station processing device determines a first pathlength between the UE and the satellite when the satellite is at a first position, and a second pathlength between the UE and the satellite when the satellite is at a second position. The ground station processing device triangulates an actual position of the UE based on the first pathlength and the second pathlength.

A ground station communicates with a satellite having a field of view (FOV), the satellite directly communicating with user equipment (UE) over uplink signals and downlink signals. The ground station has a Dynamic Time Division Duplex (DTDD) controller configured to establish UE uplink time slots during which the UE sends UE uplink signals, the UE uplink time slots based on a unique delay for the UE, whereby UE uplink signals are received at the satellite during a same satellite uplink time slot. The controller avoids overlapping uplink and downlink signals being received at the satellite, as well as at the UE.

A communication system has a control module with a control processing device, and a plurality of common modules. Each of the common modules has a common processing device. The control module and the plurality of common modules are connected with at least one adjacent common module to form a communication array. The control module and the common modules communicate via a first routing path having a first path of common modules of the plurality of common modules, and a second routing path having a second path of common modules of the plurality of common modules different than the first path of common modules. The control module and the plurality of common modules communicate via the second routing path when one of the first set of common modules fails.

A communication system has a phased antenna array configured to communicate via a plurality of beams with a wireless device, such as user equipment (e.g., a smart phone). The plurality of beams defines a field of view of the phased antenna array, the field of view having a plurality of cells and each of the plurality of beams is associated with one of the plurality of cells within the field of view. A processing device detects the wireless device within the field of view and determines a coarse geographic location of the wireless device within the field of view of the wireless device when the wireless device is within the field of view, or within a cell. The system further determines a fine geographic location for the wireless device based on frequency offset (due to Doppler) and signal flight time.