Patent GB-1395511-A (GB)
Title: Communication system
IPC: H04B1/66
Filed: 1972-08-02
Abstract: 1395511 Satellite communication systems POST OFFICE 2 Aug 1972 [11 Aug 1971] 36148/72 Heading H4L A T.D.M.A. satellite communication system wherein stations transmit information signal bursts to arrive at the satellite in non-overlapping time sequence, comprises at a ground station, a plurality of interface modules capable of receiving signals of different types from a terrestrial source for transmission via the satellite and storing said signals as blocks of data in digital form, each module being capable of processing only one type of signal, and programmeable means for extracting, following the initiation of the station burst, selected blocks or portions of blocks of data on a time-separated basis for transmission during the station burst. General description.-As shown in Fig. 1, voice, data, video signals &c. from terrestrial interface equipment 104 in a ground station 100 are to be transmitted via a link 108 including a satellite repeater to receiving equipment at a ground station 102, the co-operating receiver and transmitter at stations 100, 102 not being shown. Terrestrial interface modules 100 are each adapted to receive a particular type of signal, convert it into digital form suitable for incorporation in the station burst and store it until it is read-out at the appropriate time in time compressed form in the burst. Some of the modules may be provided with bit stuffing facilities. Fig. 2, shows a frame 200 of the T.D.M.A. system comprising Z stations, a typical station burst 204 comprising a preamble followed by a data portion. The preamble 206 consists of a guard time of 8 to 16 bit spaces followed by 48 bits of carrier and symbol timing recovery, a 20 bit unique word identical for all the stations other than the synchronizing station (identified as a non-reference signal), for synchronizing the receivers, an 8 bit station identification code and twenty bits for signalling &c. Periodically the 20 bit unique word is inverted to provide a reference for sub-multiplexing. Transmission is by four phase PSK, i.e. a symbol consists of two bits transmitted simultaneously, a pseudo-random code being added to the bit stream at the transmitter to impart a more evenly distributed power spectrum to the modulator and removed at the receiver. Transmission of the bits within the station is via two channels designated P, Q, respectively. The data portion of the burst 208 is divided into four sub-bursts corresponding to the four modules 110. As shown the reference station is A, B and C being secondary reference stations capable of taking over if station A fails. Station A transmits a reference burst 210 and if station A fails the new reference burst is sent at the same relative time within the frame so that readjustment of the burst time of the other stations is not required. The reference burst consists of 48 bits of carrier and symbol timing recovery, a 20 bit reference unique word, an 8 bit station identification code and 2 bits for signalling. At the ground station 100, Fig. 1, a unit 112 controls the formation of the station burst. At the sub-burst time allotted to a module 110, unit 112 is programmed to extract a block of data from the module and transmits it through the T.D.M.A. system. At station 102 a unit 114 is programmed to extract the sub-bursts and supply them to the respective terrestrial interface units 116 where they are converted back to their original form, expanded and supplied to the terrestrial interface equipment 106. Initial acquisition of the correct burst position for a station is accomplished by transmitting a narrow band low power PN sequence having a bit period equal to the frame period which is in phase with a start signal from the burst synchronizer. On the receiver side the phase of the received acquisition signal is compared with the time of reception of the reference burst and the phase of the transmitted acquisition signal is altered until the received acquisition signal is at the correct time position relative to the reference signal. Windows are provided electronically to ensure that no two earth stations are simultaneously transmitting the acquisition signal. A predictive means is used to correct brief transmission interruptions to avoid the need for entering into the above acquisition operation. An aperture is provided electronically during which the receiver looks for the reference signal, the system being considered as locked on to the reference signal when five reference pulses (derived from the reference signal) have coincided with the aperture for five consecutive frames. If the reference signal is not detected for a period of five frames, frame recycling is inhibited until the reference signal is detected. When the system is locked on to the reference pulse a pulse is generated which starts an aperture counter to provide an aperture for detection of the pulse derived from the non- reference signal operating in a similar manner to that of the reference signal, but controlled by a memory storing the time from the start of a frame at which the non-reference aperture should be generated. The memory may be programmed to alter the timing according to known traffic patterns. Burst synchronizer.-The burst synchronizer, Fig. 12, generates a start of burst signal once each frame, monitors the local station burst position and adjusts the start signal by delaying or advancing it whenever the burst moves out of the correct position. The output of a stable oscillator 1200 operaring at the symbol rate of 30 Mhz is counted at 1202 and a control circuit 1206 normally resets the counter at the end of each frame count N=7500. A decoder 1204 detects the count from 1202 and supplies the burst start signal to the multiplexer and a pulse once per frame to AND gate 1236. If the local station burst is correctly positioned in the T.D.M.A. frame the counter will continue to be reset at each count of N. To detect the local burst position a counter 1222 is loaded with a number corresponding to the required time delay. Due to the round trip delay time, measurement of the burst position occurs once every one third second and this period is controlled by conventional means 1226. When a reference pulse from the preamble detector appears the counter 1222 begins counting down and when it reaches zero it supplies a pulse to comparator 1224. If the station burst is in the correct position the unique word in the received burst will be detected. In this case neither of AND gates 1214, 1216 will be energized and AND gate 1208 will provide an output to reset counter 1202 normally. A decoder 1230 provides one input to AND gates 1214, 1216, 1236 provided there is a count greater than zero in up-down error storage counter 1232 and if there is an error the circuit 1200 will energize either gate 1214 or 1216 to reset the counter 1202 at N+1 or N -1 respectively according to the direction error. With short-term transmission interruptions, rapid re-entry is effected by the arrangement shown in Fig. 12B, which operates on the frame counter 1202 (also shown in Fig. 12). The frame counter is sampled upon detection of the reference word to obtain the value #Tn which represents the time difference between the detected reference pulse and the start pulse. It is assumed that the start pulse occurs when the frame counter reverts to zero. Subscript n indicates that the time difference is the most recent measured. This time difference is stored at 1252 via gate 1250 and updated each frame and is also supplied to means 1254 which calculates the rate of change of the time difference in terms of symbols per unit time. This calculation is also updated each frame and stored at 1254 until the next frame. When there is a transmission interruption, e.g. loss of prime power, this is detected at 1266 and clock pulses from a battery-operated clock are supplied via gate 1264 to a counter 1260. The counter accumulates the clock pulses until transmission returns, whereupon detector 1266 gates the contents of counter 1260 into a multiplier 1258 for multiplication by the rate stored at 1254 and counter 1260 is reset. The output of the multiplier represents the number of symbols by which #T would have changed during the transmission interruption and this value shown as S, is combined at 1256 with the last measured value #T. This value is subtracted from N at 1268 and the difference is preset into frame counter 1202 upon receipt of the first detected reference pulse. Whenever synchronism is lost, as detected at 1228, Fig. 12, and also for initial access, the PSK modulator is disabled and an automatic entry unit is unlocked. Automatic entry unit.-The purpose of this unit, Fig. 13, is to place the earth station burst in its correct time position in the T.D.M.A. frame without interfering with other stations. The unit transmits low power acquisition pulses in phase with the start pulse from the burst synchronizer which are returned via the satellite, detected and supplied to the burst synchronizer and operated on in the manner described for the detected local unique word. During this period since the normal modulator is disabled there will be no detected unique word to interfere with the operation. The transmit portion of the unit comprises a function generator 1300, e.g. a PN sequence generator having a period equal to the frame period, and a PSK modulator 1302 receiving the lock/unlock control signal from the burst synchronizer, and an oscillator 1304. The function generator also receives the start pulses at the frame rate from the burst synchronizer and generates the pulse sequence in phase with the start pulse to modulate the carrier frequency from oscillator 1304 in modulator 1302, the output of the modulator being transmitted in normal fashion but at low power. After detection the received sequence is supplied to a unit 1310 operating in normal manner to provide acquisition pulses in phase with the received signal