Patent ID: 8634414

Claim:
A telecommunications satellite payload processing system comprising: one or more identical independent generic integrated processor modules each defining a respective independent path for a signal, wherein a number of integrated processor modules is selected in accordance with antenna and bandwidth characteristics of a specified mission uplink and downlink in relation to characteristics of a respective integrated processor module and wherein each integrated processor module comprises: a plurality of input ports adapted to receive signals corresponding to an uplink, each input port having a predetermined bandwidth; a plurality of output ports adapted to output signals corresponding to a downlink, each output port having a predetermined bandwidth; a digital processing stage arranged in a respective signal path between the plurality of input ports and the plurality of output ports; an A/D converter associated with each input port and arranged to convert an uplink signal of a predetermined bandwidth to digital sample form; a D/A converter associated with each of the output ports and arranged to convert a processed digital signal of a predetermined bandwidth to an analogue downlink signal; a plurality of frequency demultiplexers, each connected to one or more of the plurality of A/D converters and arranged to separate a sampled bandwidth of one or more of the sampled uplink signals into a plurality of channels; a channel level processing stage associated with each of the channels and arranged to route processed channels to any of the plurality of output ports; and a plurality of frequency multiplexers, each connected to the channel level processing stage and to one or more of the plurality of D/A converters and arranged to combine a plurality of routed channels.