Patent ID: 8150313

Claim:
A device for transmitting and/or receiving signals representative of data for a communication satellite having a fixed frequency bandwidth and comprising transmission and/or reception means specifically for sending and/or receiving signals in multiple beams that can be associated with cells, characterized in that it comprises control means arranged to define a chosen number of cells of chosen dimensions and positions, and to configure said transmission and/or reception means so as to define beams each associated with at least one of said defined cells, with a chosen carrier frequency and a chosen frequency bandwidth based on the requirements of each of said cells and taking into account the frequency bandwidth available on said satellite, wherein said transmission and/or reception means are arranged in the form of an active-type antenna comprising: S radiating elements dedicated to receiving and/or transmitting different carrier signals, with S greater than one, S first processing means each comprising an input/output specifically to be supplied with signals received by one of said radiating elements and/or for delivering signals from at most N different carriers, and N outputs/inputs specifically for respectively delivering N signals of N different carriers, with N greater than 1, and/or for receiving signals from N different carriers, SxN second processing means each comprising an input/output specifically to be supplied with signals from one of the N carriers by one of said outputs/inputs of one of said first processing means and/or for delivering signals resulting from a summing of the N carriers received on M outputs/inputs, and M outputs/inputs specifically for delivering each of the identical signals resulting from the duplication of the signals of one of the N carriers received on said input/output and/or for receiving each of the signals from one of the N carriers, with M greater than 1, and N groups (Gj) of M third processing means each dedicated to one of the N carriers, each third processing means comprising, on the one hand, S inputs/outputs, respectively coupled to the corresponding outputs/inputs of said second processing means so that a kth output/input of a second processing means is coupled to an ith input/output of a third corresponding processing means, and so as each to be supplied by the signals duplicated by the corresponding output/input of the second corresponding processing means and/or to deliver each of the signals from the carrier of its group, obtained from received signals associated with one beam out of N×M, and on the other hand, an output/input specifically for delivering signals from the carrier of the group, associated with one beam out of N×M, and/or for receiving said signals presenting the carrier of the group to which it belongs, associated with said beam out of N×M.