Patent ID: 8145123

Claim:
A satellite communication system for communications between a satellite and a plurality of earth stations, wherein the satellite comprises: a beam forming apparatus for forming a plurality of beams in respective directions of cells into which a coverage area as a communication target area is divided; and a plurality of antenna devices connected to the beam forming apparatus, and wherein the beam forming apparatus is configured to: define a perimeter of the coverage area, and define a coordinate grid of a second coordinate system so as to divide the coverage area into a plurality of small areas; calculate coordinates of borders between basic cells in a first coordinate system, the basic cells being shaped into regular hexagons arranged to be in contact with one another along their sides and at their vertices or into circles circumscribing the regular hexagons; define a plurality of new cells by converting, through coordinate transformation, the coordinates of the borders between the basic cells in the first coordinate system into coordinates of borders in the second coordinate system; and set amplitudes and phases to the plurality of antenna devices that are suitable to form the plurality of beams in respective directions of the plurality of new cells.