Patent Publication Number: US-2021184760-A1

Title: Multi-mode communication system with satellite support mechanism and method of operation thereof

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to a multi-mode communication system, and more particularly to a communication system for reduced power operations while under emergency conditions. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Modern satellite communication systems rely on costly, high maintenance, and immobile ground-based stations. The ground-based stations can provide high bandwidth access to satellites in Geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) or low Earth orbit (LOE). Unfortunately, these ground-based stations are susceptible to natural disasters and power outages. These resources can be taken away by weather phenomena, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, or just a loss of power to a stricken area. As first responders attempt to respond to any natural disaster, they desperately need communication services that have been disabled by the disaster the first responders are addressing. 
     Thus, a need still remains for a multi-mode communication system with satellite support mechanism to provide improved performance, data reliability and recovery. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems. 
     Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, including a multi-mode communication system, including: a flat panel antenna configured to couple a satellite including receiving a down-link satellite packet; a satellite Rx/Tx, coupled to the flat panel antenna, configured to decode the down-link satellite packet; a storage device, coupled to the satellite Rx/Tx, configured to store satellite data from the down-link satellite packet; an interface module, coupled to the storage device, configured to encode and transfer the satellite data as cellular communication packets, WiFi packets, location and services packets, or a combination thereof when a local infrastructure is disabled; and wherein: the interface module is further configured to receive the cellular communication packets, the WiFi packets, the location and services packets, or a combination thereof and store the content in the satellite data; the satellite Rx/Tx is further configured to encode the satellite data as an up-link satellite packet; and the flat panel antenna is further configured to transmit the up-link satellite packet to the satellite. 
     An embodiment of the present invention provides a method including: coupling a flat panel antenna to a satellite including receiving a down-link satellite packet; decoding the down-link satellite packet including storing the satellite data; encoding the satellite data to form cellular communication packets, WiFi packets, location and services packets, or a combination thereof; transmitting the cellular communication packets, the WiFi packets, and the location and services packets, when the local infrastructure is disabled; storing the cellular communication packets, WiFi packets, location and services packets in the satellite data; encoding an up-link satellite packet from the satellite data; and transmitting the up-link satellite packet through the flat panel antenna to the satellite. 
     Certain embodiments of the invention have other steps or elements in addition to or in place of those mentioned above. The steps or elements will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description when taken with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram of a multi-mode communication system with satellite support mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a flat panel antenna in an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is an assembly drawing of a segment of the feedhorn array of  FIG. 2  in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of the transportable base station in an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a method of operation of a multi-mode communication system in an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is to be understood that other embodiments would be evident based on the present disclosure, and that system, process, or mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of an embodiment of the present invention. 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In order to avoid obscuring an embodiment of the present invention, some well-known circuits, system configurations, and process steps are not disclosed in detail. 
     The drawings showing embodiments of the system are semi-diagrammatic, and not to scale and, particularly, some of the dimensions are for the clarity of presentation and are shown exaggerated in the drawing figures. Similarly, although the views in the drawings for ease of description generally show similar orientations, this depiction in the figures is arbitrary for the most part. Generally, the invention can be operated in any orientation. 
     As an example, objects in low-Earth orbit are at an altitude of between 160 to 2,000 km (99 to 1200 mi) above the Earth&#39;s surface. Any object below this altitude will suffer from orbital decay and will rapidly descend into the atmosphere, either burning up or crashing on the surface. Objects at this altitude also have an orbital period (i.e. the time it will take them to orbit the Earth once) of between 88 and 127 minutes. A geosynchronous orbit is a high Earth orbit that allows satellites to match Earth&#39;s rotation. Located at 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth&#39;s equator, this position is a valuable spot for monitoring weather, communications and surveillance. 
     As an example, three parameters can be manipulated in order to optimize the capacity of a communications link—bandwidth, signal power and channel noise. An increase in the transmit power level results in an increase of the communication link throughput, likewise a decrease in power will result in the opposite effect reducing the throughput. Also for example, another way to improve the link throughput would be to increase the size of the receiving antenna in order to have a higher level of energy received at an aircraft. But this is where operational constraints become apparent, as, this would lead to an unfeasible installation for a commercial or business aircraft. 
     The term “module” referred to herein can include specialized hardware supported by software in an embodiment of the present invention in accordance with the context in which the term is used. For example, the software can be machine code, firmware, embedded code, and application software. Also, for example, the specialized hardware can be circuitry, processor, computer, integrated circuit, integrated circuit cores, a pressure sensor, an inertial sensor, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), passive devices, or a combination thereof. The term “abut” referred to herein is defined as two components in direct contact with each other with no intervening elements. The term “couple” referred to herein is defined as multiple objects linked together by wired or wireless means. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , therein is shown a functional block diagram of a multi-mode communication system  100  with satellite support mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-mode communication system  100  is depicted in  FIG. 1  as a functional block diagram of the multi-mode communication system  100  with a transportable base station  102 . 
     The transportable base station  102  can be a self-contained hardware structure that can couple to a satellite  104  in order to provide communication in a region where the local infrastructure  105  is disabled due to damage or loss of power. The transportable base station  102  can be customized to provide support for the satellite  104  in low-Earth orbit (LEO), at an altitude of between 160 to 2,000 km (99 to 1200 mi) above the Earth&#39;s surface, or geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), which is a high Earth orbit located at 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth&#39;s equator, that allows satellites to match Earth&#39;s rotation. The satellite  104  can transmit and receive a Ka band signal in the range of 17.8 to 18.6 GHz or 27.5 to 28.35 GHz. It is understood that the transportable base station  102  can be configured to support other orbit altitudes and frequency spectrums without limiting the invention. 
     The transportable base station  102  can provide a communication link between the satellite  104  and cellular application  106 , including cell phones supporting third generation telecommunication (3G), long term evolution (LTE), fourth generation telecommunication (4G), fifth generation telecommunication (5G), or a combination thereof. The transportable base station  102  can also provide a communication link between the satellite  104  and a wireless fidelity application (WiFi)  108 . The WiFi application  108  can include computers, laptops, tablets that access a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a Fiber-Channel token ring (FC), or a combination thereof. The transportable base station  102  can also provide a communication link between one or more of the satellite  104  and a global positioning system application (GPS)  110 . 
     By way of an example, in a disaster situation, the transportable base station  102  can provide basic and advanced communication services for first responders attempting to restore power and assist residence in a devastated region. The transportable base station  102  can be configured to support other interface structures (not shown), including Bluetooth, Near Field communication, laser communication, or the like. 
     The transportable base station  102  can include a flat panel antenna  112  coupled to a satellite receiver/transmitter (Rx/Tx)  114  configured to communicate with the satellite  104  orbiting the Earth in the LEO or the GEO position. The flat panel antenna  112  can be configured to support frequencies in a Ku frequency band, in the range of 13.4 GHz through 14.9 GHz, in a Ka frequency band, in the range of 27.5 GHz through 32.5 GHz, in a 5G frequency band, targeted for 15 GHz or 28 GHz, or a combination thereof. It is understood that other frequency ranges can be supported in both higher frequency and lower frequencies. The flat panel antenna  112  can be a feed horn array coupled to a waveguide interposer and a waveguide interface for communicating with the satellite Rx/Tx  114 . 
     A power module  116  can provide independent power required to operate the transportable base station  102 . The power module  116  can include batteries, solar power, a generator interface, wind mill power, or a combination thereof. The power module  116  can include any sustainable power source that will provide sufficient energy to enable the communication through the transportable base station  102 . 
     The transportable base station  102  can also include a station controller  118 , such as a processor, a micro-computer, a micro-processor core, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) an embedded processor, a microprocessor, a hardware control logic, a hardware finite state machine (FSM), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a combination thereof. The station controller  118  can manage the operations of the transportable base station  102  including managing a satellite data  119 . The satellite data  119  can be the payload from down-link satellite packets  121  or the preparation data for encoding up-link satellite packets  122 . The station controller  118  can access a storage device  120  that can provide a data storage function for receiving and reformatting the down-link satellite packets  121  of the satellite data  119  for transfer to the cellular application  106 , the WiFi application  108 , the global positioning system application (GPS)  110 , or a combination thereof. The station controller  118  can access a storage device  120  that can provide a data storage function for assembling the satellite data  119  requests from the cellular application  106 , the WiFi application  108 , the global positioning system application (GPS)  110 , or a combination thereof that can be submitted to the Satellite Rx/Tx  114  to generate the up-link satellite packets  122 . 
     The storage device  120  can include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state storage device (SSD), non-volatile memory, volatile memory, or a combination thereof. The physical capacity of the storage device  120  can be configured based on the number and type of interface modules  123  that are to be activated by the transportable base station  102 . 
     By way of an example, the transportable base station  102  can be configured with a first interface module  124  that can provide cellular communication packets  126  to the cellular application  106 , a second interface module  128  that can provide WiFi packets  130  for the WiFi application  108 , and an Nth interface  132  that can provide location and services packets  134  to the GPS application  110 . It is understood that other types of the interface modules  123  can be installed in the transportable base station  102  in order to address the communication needs of a region (not shown) that has the local infrastructure  105  disabled due to damage or loss of power. 
     It is understood that the transportable base station  102  can provide needed satellite communication options, when the local infrastructure  105  cannot support the communication requirement for the region. This could be caused by natural disaster, man-made or naturally occurring power loss, damage to cell towers  107 , or communication traffic overload due to some calamity. The transportable base station  102  can provide a configurable communication interface for mobile applications, including police and fire department vehicles, military, commercial, and private water vessels, military, commercial, or private aircraft. 
     The transportable base station  102  can provide multiple communication types in an off-the-grid environment. Many remote locations rely on the satellite  104  for basic communication and Internet services. The transportable base station  102  can be installed in a mobile device (not shown) including an automobile, a train, a motorcycle, an airplane, a boat, a bicycle, or the like. The multi-mode communication system  100  of the present invention can quickly provide a communication infrastructure in regions where the local infrastructure  105  is disabled due to lack of power or natural disasters have disabled any of the local infrastructure  105  that may have been present. 
     It has been discovered that the multi-mode communication system  100  can quickly provide the cellular packets  126  for the cellular application  106 , the WiFi packets  130  for the WiFi application  108 , the location and services packets  134  to the GPS application  110 , or a combination thereof when the local infrastructure  105  is disabled or missing completely. Since the transportable base station  102  can be configured for communicating with specific ones of the satellite  104  and provide multiple of the interface modules  123  to address communication issues that previously required a base station the size of a house that cannot be transported or quickly configured to address outages that can befall a region. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , therein is shown an exploded view of a flat panel antenna  201  in an embodiment. The flat panel antenna  201  can include a feed horn array  202 , a waveguide interposer  204  and a waveguide interface board  206  that can direct the frequencies of the down-link satellite packets  121  of  FIG. 1  to the satellite Rx/Tx  114  of  FIG. 1 . By way of an example, the feed horn array  202  is shown having a four by 16 configuration. Each of the feed horns  208  can be configured to operate with three of the adjacent ones of the feed horn  208  to steer the down-link satellite packets  121  into the waveguide interposer  204 . The feed horn array  202  can have dimensions of 12.5 cm×2.15 cm (4.92″×0.85″). The embodiment of the flat panel array  201  is suitable for communication with the satellite  104  of  FIG. 1  in a low-Earth orbit (LEO) and using a Ka frequency spectrum in the range of 17.8 to 18.6 GHz or 27.5 to 28.35 GHz. 
     The waveguide interposer  204  can abut the feed horn array  202 . A tight seal between the waveguide interposer  204  and the feed horn array  202  can provide a low impedance path for the down-link satellite packets  121  at a received frequency in the Ka band specified as a frequency range of 27.5 GHz to 32.5 GHz as a down-link. In a further embodiment the flat panel antenna  201  can also transmit the up-link satellite packets  122  and receive the down-link satellite packets  121  at a frequency range of 11.075 GHz to 14.375 GHz to and from the satellite  104  that is in a geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). In this example, the flat panel antenna  201  used to support the satellite  104  operating in GEO has a dimension of 30 cm×30 cm (11.81″ by 11.81″) and is configured as a 32 by 32 array of the feed horn  208 . 
     The waveguide interposer  204  can have a waveguide opening  210  that is specific to the frequency used to communicate with the satellite  104 . The waveguide opening  210  for the satellite  104  configured in LEO can have a dimension of 19.05 mm by 9.525 mm of the rectangular shape of the waveguide openings  210 . The waveguide opening is oriented so that four of the feed horns  208  are aligned with the input of the waveguide opening  210 . This also allows the flat panel antenna  201  to use electronic tracking of the satellite  104 . 
     The waveguide interface board  206  can abut the waveguide interposer  204 , opposite the feed horn array  202 . The waveguide interface  206  can have a rectangular waveguide  212  formed on the surface that abuts the waveguide interposer  204 . the openings of the rectangular waveguide  212  are aligned with the waveguide openings  210  of the waveguide interposer  204 , forming an impedance matched structure that can pass the down-link satellite packets  121  with a gain of 20.0 to 23.8 dBi for the LEO configuration and a gain of 36.3 to 36.8 dBi for the larger of the flat panel antenna  201  in the GEO configuration. 
     It has been discovered that multi-layer structure of the flat panel antenna  201  can improve gain the antenna structure is assembled by joining the feed horn array  202 , the waveguide interposer  204 , and the waveguide interface board  206 . By matching the impedance of the combined structure, the flat panel antenna  201  can boost the overall gain of the flat panel antenna  201  by 1 to 3 dB. In addition, the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of the antenna is less than 2:1, and the return loss is also lower than −10 dB. Because the structure requires the up-link satellite packet  122  and the down-link satellite packets  121  to make a 90-degree turn between the waveguide interposer  204  and the waveguide interface board  206 , a bulge structure was added to the waveguide interface board  206  to reduce the reactance of the circuit and optimized the transmission of the up-link satellite packet  122  and the down-link satellite packets  121 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , therein is shown an assembly drawing of a segment  301  of the feedhorn array  202  of  FIG. 2  in an embodiment of the present invention. The assembly drawing of the segment  301  depicts a feed horn layer  302  can be formed in the shape of a square approximately 8.5 mm on a side and a depth of approximately 2.5 mm. The feed horn layer  302  can be formed of a plastic including Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK), or the like. An active surface  304  can be plated with Nickel (Ni) in order to direct the frequencies of the down-link satellite packets  121  of  FIG. 1  into an opening  306 . 
     A slot layer  308  can be formed to fit on the feed horn layer  302 . A slot opening  310  can be cut through the slot layer  308  the sides of the slot opening  310  and the surface of the slot layer can be coated with Nickel (Ni) in order to direct the frequencies from the feed horn layer  302  through the slot opening  310 . The position of the slot opening  310  can be set to allow up to four of the segments  301  to be directed into a single one of the waveguide openings  210  of  FIG. 2  on the waveguide interposer  204  of  FIG. 2 . 
     The size of the slot opening  310  is an important aspect of the operation of the transportable base station  102  of  FIG. 1 . In order to calculate the correct size of the slot opening  310  for the target frequencies the design is subject to the following equations: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
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     Where ε0 is the permuttivity of free space, μ0, is the permeability of free space, which is exactly 4π×10−7 W/A·m, by definition. W is the width of the slot opening  310 , fr is the resonant frequency of the waveguide interposer  204  of  FIG. 2  that the slot opening  310  is to be coupled. In order to receive the geostationary frequency band, the slot length and width length must be determined. When the horizontal length is W and the vertical length is L, the design parameters of the slots can be expressed by permittivity (εr), resonance frequency (fr), and substrate thickness (h). 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
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     Where v0 is the speed of light in free space, εreff is the effective dielectric constant 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
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     where ΔL is defined to be the patch length of the microstrip antenna that is larger than its physical size because of the fringing effect. 
     It has been discovered that the feed horn array  202  can be designed to support a specific frequency spectrum by adjusting the slot opening  310  positioned beneath the feed horn array  202 . The dimensions of the slot opening  310  can provide an impedance matching to the waveguide opening  210  of  FIG. 2  of the waveguide interposer  204  of  FIG. 2 . By matching the impedance of the waveguide opening  210 , an antenna gain in the range of 30 dBi to 36.8 dBi can be achieved. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , therein is shown a functional block diagram of the transportable base station  102  in an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The functional block diagram of the transportable base station  102  depicts the flat panel antenna  112  coupled to the satellite Rx/Tx  114 . A low-noise Amplifier unit  402  can be in the receiver path in order to boost the received signal level. An up-amplifier unit  404  can boost the signal voltage in the transmission path to the satellite Rx/Tx  114 . The low-noise amplifier unit  402  can be an analog circuit configured to raise the signal level without introducing electrical noise into a satellite frequency  403 . The up-amplifier unit  404  can be an analog circuit configured to raise the voltage level of an encoded signal, at the satellite frequency  403 , in preparation for sending the up-link satellite packet  122  of  FIG. 1  to the satellite  104  of  FIG. 1 . 
     A control/distribution/switching module  406  can process the down-link satellite packets  121  of  FIG. 1  and generate the frequency and data content for the up-link satellite packets  122 . The control/distribution/switching module  406  can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that includes a signal generator  408  for generating and tracking the reference frequency for encoding/decoding the data sent to or received from the satellite  104 . 
     A low-noise block downconverter  410  can serve as the RF front end of the satellite Rx/Tx  114 , receiving the microwave signal from the satellite  104 , amplifying it, and down-converting the block of frequencies to a lower block of intermediate frequencies (IF). The low-noise block downconverter  410  can be a hardware circuit tuned for reducing the frequencies received from the satellite  104  to a more easily routable internal frequency  411 . It is understood that the internal frequency  411  can be a decades lower frequency than the satellite frequency  403 . 
     In the transmission path, a block up-converter  412  can receive encoded messages at the internal frequency  411  and boost the frequency of the encoded messages to the satellite frequency  403 . The block up-converter  412  can be a hardware circuit capable of combining the encoded messages at the internal frequency  411  with the reference frequency generated by the signal generator  408  to produce the encoded messages at the satellite frequency  403 . 
     A band pass filter (BPF)/mixer  414  can condition messages that are processed by a WiFi module  416  that can support 802.11 b/g/n for providing Internet access. The BPF/mixer  414  and the WiFi module  416  are both hardware modules that work together to transfer the WiFi packets  130  of  FIG. 1 . An additional band pass filter (BPF)/mixer  418  can condition messages that are processed by a cellular module  420 . The additional BPF/mixer  418  and the cellular module  420  are both hardware modules that work together to transfer the cellular communication packets  126  of  FIG. 1 . The cellular module  420  can support several communication standards including 3G, 4G, long term evolution (LTE), and 5G. It is understood that other communication standards can be implemented. 
     Both the WiFi module  416  and the cellular module  420  can be coupled to a multi-band transceiver  426  that can boost the power of the WiFi packets  130  and the cellular communication packets  126  for communication with external devices including the cellular applications  106  and the WiFi applications  108 . The multi-band transceiver  426  can be a hardware module capable of transmitting and receiving messages at different frequencies and having different content. The multi-band transceiver  426  can provide sufficient power to broadcast the content from the WiFi module  416  and the cellular module  420 . The multi-band transceiver  426  can produce wireless Internet signals  130  such as WiFi packets  130  having a frequency of 2.4 GHz. 
     A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module  422  can be coupled to the internal frequency  411  to pass location, routing, and services information to a position information transceiver  424  for broadcast to the global positioning system application (GPS)  110  of  FIG. 1 . The GNSS module  422  can be a hardware structure that can communicate with the satellite  104  to provide routing services for global positioning systems including GPS, European Galileo, Beidou of China, or Glonass of Russia. The position information transceiver  424  can be a hardware structure used to broadcast and receive position information, routing, and services that can be exchanged with the global positioning system application (GPS)  110 . The GNSS module  422  can support four position information reception and 400 channels. 
     It is understood that the transportable base station  102  can include the power module  116  of  FIG. 1  in order to provide the energy required to power the hardware circuits for communicating between the satellite  104  and the cellular applications  106 , the WiFi applications  108 , and the global positioning system application (GPS)  110 . It is further understood that additional interface modules can be installed in order to support specific communication structures not listed above. 
     It has been discovered that the transportable base station  102  can provide a number of communication services without the use of the local infrastructure  105  that may be damaged or without the power required to operate normally. The transportable base station  102  provides a communication base for exchanging information between the satellite  104 , the cellular applications  106 , the WiFi applications  108 , and the global positioning system application (GPS)  110 , that can support a few people, such as first responders, aid workers, emergency medical technicians, or a small town with hundreds of people. The transportable base station  102  can act as a temporary base for all emergency communication to provide a WiFi zone of at least 1 km. The transportable base station  102  can also provide a communication structure for a residence that is off-the-grid and has no wired power available. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , therein is shown a flow chart of a method  500  of operation of a multi-mode communication system  100  in an embodiment of the present invention. The method  500  includes: coupling a flat panel antenna to a satellite including receiving a down-link satellite packet in a block  502 ; decoding the down-link satellite packet including storing the satellite data in a block  504 ; encoding the satellite data to form cellular communication packets, WiFi packets, location and services packets, or a combination thereof in a block  506 ; transmitting the cellular communication packets, the WiFi packets, and the location and services packets, when the local infrastructure is disabled in a block  508 ; storing the cellular communication packets, WiFi packets, location and services packets in the satellite data in a block  510 ; encoding an up-link satellite packet from the satellite data in a block  512 ; and transmitting the up-link satellite packet through the flat panel antenna to the satellite in a block  514 . 
     The resulting method, process, apparatus, device, product, and/or system is straightforward, cost-effective, uncomplicated, highly versatile, accurate, sensitive, and effective, and can be implemented by adapting known components for ready, efficient, and economical manufacturing, application, and utilization. Another important aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is that it valuably supports and services the historical trend of reducing costs, simplifying systems, and increasing performance. 
     These and other valuable aspects of an embodiment of the present invention consequently further the state of the technology to at least the next level. 
     While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the aforegoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the included claims. All matters set forth herein or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting sense.