Patent ID: 9209891
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for beamforming in a satellite communications network, the method comprising: obtaining, by a satellite, receive signals using corresponding receive antenna elements; combining the receive signals to form receive beam signals at multiple receive frequency channels, the receive beam signals corresponding to one or more receive beams; partitioning, by the satellite, the receive beam signals by receive frequency channel into multiple groups of receive beam signals, each group corresponding to a different frequency spectrum and the multiple groups including a first group and a second group; communicating the first group of receive beam signals to a first switch that is configured to process signals associated with a first frequency corresponding to the first group and not process signals associated with a second frequency corresponding to the second group; communicating the second group of receive beam signals to a second switch different from the first switch, wherein the second switch is configured to process signals associated with the second frequency corresponding to the second group and not process signals associated with the first frequency corresponding to the first group; switching, by the first switch, the first group of receive beam signals to generate a first group of transmit beam signals; switching, by the second switch, the second group of receive beam signals to generate a second group of transmit beam signals; combining transmit beam signals that include the first group of transmit beam signals and the second group of transmit beam signals to form transmit signals to be transmitted using corresponding transmit antenna elements to form one or more transmit beams at multiple transmit frequency channels; and transmitting, by the satellite, the transmit signals using the corresponding transmit elements.