Patent ID: 9641135
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: H03F,H04B

Claim:
1. A method for detecting an unbalance of a multi-port amplifier intended to be on-board a satellite, the multi-port amplifier comprising a plurality of paths, each path being configurable in gain and in phase, the multi-port amplifier comprising a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, each input port being associated with an output port to form a pathway, each output port being connected to an antenna of the satellite, wherein a first pathway is configured in frequency in a transmission channel defining a first useful band to receive signals from a transmitting station on a ground and to retransmit them via a first antenna after amplification in the multi-port amplifier to a first earth station of a first geographical zone, a second output port of a second pathway being configured to transmit via a second antenna to a second earth station of a second geographical zone, said method comprising: transmitting a first test signal which is spread spectrum modulated from the first transmitting station to the first pathway of the multi-port amplifier, the first test signal being generated in at least the first useful band of the first pathway; receiving by the second earth station configured in frequency to receive signals transmitted by the second antenna connected to the second pathway of the multi-port amplifier, said signals received by the second earth station being likely to comprise a replica of the first test signal; detecting and measuring at least one power of received signals corresponding to the replica of the first test signal having leaked at the output of the second output port; computing at least one unbalance value of the multi-port amplifier from the measurement of the power of the replica of the first test signal received in the second earth station.