Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

A user terminal for a satellite communication system is programmed to receive data specifying candidate satellites of a plurality of satellites as being available for links during a plurality of time slots. The user terminal is assigned to a ground network point-of-presence (PoP). The candidate satellites are scheduled to communicate with different ones of a plurality of gateway terminals during each time slot. The user terminal can, during a first time slot, transmit first data requests to one of the candidate satellites; detect a deviation from a communication quality threshold on a communication path between the phased array antenna and the ground network PoP; and in response to the detection, transmit second data requests to another candidate satellite. Additionally or alternatively, the user terminal can proactively avoid a communication interruption related to obstructed lines of sight of a phased array antenna of the user terminal by switching between candidate satellites.

A RF interchange includes a first differential transmission line extending between a first port and a first feed-through port. The interchange includes a second differential transmission line extending parallel to the first differential transmission line, between a second port and a second feed-through port. The interchange includes a third differential transmission line extending across the first differential transmission line and the second differential transmission line toward a first distribution/combination port. The interchange includes a first crossing section in which traces of the first differential transmission line and traces of the third differential transmission line are canted to form coupling regions in which positive traces extend in parallel and overlap, and in which negative traces extend in parallel and overlap, wherein the first crossing section is configured, when a first signal propagates on the first differential transmission line, to couple the first signal onto the third differential transmission line.

A temperature controlled phase compensation circuit may include a varactor coupled between a radio frequency (RF) transmission line and a node. A temperature controlled phase compensation circuit may include a resistance coupled between a voltage supply and the node, the voltage supply configured to supply a supply voltage. A temperature controlled phase compensation circuit may include a temperature controlled current source coupled to the node and configured to produce a capacitor voltage between the varactor and the resistance, wherein a capacitor voltage produced at the node and applied to the varactor is inversely related to temperature.

A method for assigning unique identifiers is disclosed. The method includes: obtaining a daisy-chain identifier update command set transmitted over a serial communication interface to a chain of serially connected worker modules (WMs). The chain of serially connected WMs comprises a first WM, a second WM, and a third WM. The method includes: enabling updating a first WM identifier associated with the first WM, disabling updating a second unique identifier associated with the second WM, obtaining a first identifier update value transmitted over the serial communication interface to the chain of serially connected WMs, updating the first WM identifier of the first WM based on the first identifier update value, obtaining a second identifier update value transmitted over the serial communication interface, enabling updating the second unique identifier associated with the second WM, and updating the second WM identifier based on the second identifier update value.

Systems and techniques for detecting connection failures for serially connected worker modules (WMs) are disclosed. A method for detecting connection failures for serially connected WMs includes driving a chip select (CS) signal at a known voltage level to a first IO port of a first WM of a chain of serially connected WMs, propagating the CS signal to a second IO port of the first WM, wherein the second IO port of the first WM is configured to be coupled to a first IO port of a second WM of the chain of serially connected WMs, and determining, based on detecting that a signal at a voltage level different than the known voltage level is present at the first IO port of the second WM, that a connection failure is present between the first WM and the second WM.

A computer system for mapping geographic sub-areas of a ground area to cells of a radio access network (RAN) implemented by a plurality of satellites can perform steps including one or more of: receiving, from a first satellite, connection data indicating that a first UE has connected to the RAN via a first beam of the first satellite, wherein the connection data identifies a physical localized identifier of the first beam and a connection time; determining, from a mapping of physical localized identifiers to virtual localized identifiers across a plurality of time slots, a first virtual localized identifier associated with the physical localized identifier of the first beam and the connection time, the first virtual localized identifier corresponding to a first of the geographic sub-areas; and, in response to the determining, causing to be stored location data for the first UE indicative of the first geographic sub-area.

In an embodiment, a receiver included in a communications system is configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal from a phased array antenna, the RF signal comprising at least a portion of a plurality of data beams included in a single channel, and separate the RF signal into a plurality of channels in which each channel of the plurality of channels includes at least a portion of a respective subset of the plurality of data beams. The receiver is further configured to decode each data beam of the plurality of data beams with a respective phase and a respective time delay. The receiver is further configured to output the plurality of data beams of the plurality of channels.

A phased array antenna system may include a measurement network. A phased array antenna system may include a first digital beamformer (DBF) coupled to the measurement network and configured to transmit a first radio frequency (RF) calibration signal onto the measurement network. A phased array antenna system may include a second DBF coupled to the measurement network and configured to receive a first RF signal, derived from the first RF calibration signal, from the measurement network, the second DBF comprising a processor configured to: compute, based on the first RF signal, a phase difference between the first RF signal and a second RF signal; and compute a phase compensation to be applied by at least one of the first DBF or the second DBF based on the phase difference.

In an embodiment, a communications system includes a first transmitter electrically coupled to a first antenna of a phased array antenna, the first transmitter configured to receive an input signal, apply a first baseband frequency shift to the input signal to generate a first baseband frequency shifted input signal, generate a first modulated signal based on the first baseband frequency shifted input signal and transmit the first modulated signal by the first antenna. The communications system includes a second transmitter electrically coupled to a second antenna of the phased array antenna. The second transmitter configured to receive the input signal, apply a second baseband frequency shift, different from the first baseband frequency shift, to the input signal to generate a second baseband frequency shifted input signal, generate a second modulated signal based on the second baseband frequency shifted input signal, and transmit the second modulated signal by the second antenna.