SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL, INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20130307741 | WIDE BEAM ANTENNA - A wide beam radio frequency (RF) antenna includes a waveguide and one or more electrically conductive protrusions. The waveguide has at least one electrically conductive interior wall surface, a boresight defined by a longitudinal axis, and an aperture plane, transverse to the longitudinal axis, disposed at a distal end of the waveguide. A first proximal portion of each protrusion is electrically coupled to the electrically conductive interior wall surface, a distal portion of the protrusion being outside the aperture plane. | 11-21-2013 |
20130265119 | ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE CONTROL FOR A MULTI-CAVITY MICROWAVE FILTER - A multi-cavity RF filter has at least one electrically conductive coupling probe disposed between two resonator cavities. The coupling probe is provided with an ESD protective arrangement such that the coupling probe is electrically connected to a metallic housing of the RF filter only by the ESD protective arrangement. The ESD protective arrangement is configured to provide (i) a low resistance electrical path from the coupling probe to the metallic housing and (ii) a high impedance to RF energy having wavelengths proximate to a center frequency wavelength of the RF filter. | 10-10-2013 |
20130169379 | MICROSTRIP MANIFOLD COUPLED MULTIPLEXER - A multiplexer includes a microstrip manifold, and a filter bank having at least two output filters. The multiplexer channelizes an input radio frequency (RF) band of electromagnetic energy into a set of output channels by way of the filter bank. The microstrip manifold has an input port that receives an input RF signal, and at least two output ports. The microstrip manifold distributes the input RF signal to each output port, each said output port being coupled to a respective one of the at least two output filters. The multiplexer may be an input multiplexer for a spacecraft communications payload system. | 07-04-2013 |
20130154874 | HIGH EFFICIENCY MULTI-BEAM ANTENNA - A spacecraft has a high efficiency multi-beam antenna (MBA) system that serves a coverage region on the Earth. The coverage region subtends an angle, when viewed from the spacecraft, of at least ten degrees. The antenna system provides, within the coverage region, at least sixteen spot beams. A signal provided by the MBA system to each spot beam has a carrier to interference ratio (C/I) of no less than 20 dB. The system enables use of a three color frequency reuse scheme without recourse to signal encoding. | 06-20-2013 |
20130076459 | DUAL MODE DIELECTRIC RESONATOR LOADED CAVITY FILTER - A dual mode dielectric resonator (DR) filter has a first DR, and is configured to operate at a HE12ε mode within a first frequency band while exhibiting a Q factor of no less than 5000. A first characteristic size of the first DR may be substantially similar to a size of a second DR, where the second DR is configured to operate in a conventional DR filter at a HE11δ mode within a second frequency band, the second frequency band being substantially lower than the first frequency band. | 03-28-2013 |
20130019919 | CURRENT COLLECTOR BAR AND GRID PATTERN FOR A PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR CELL - A solar panel has a number of rectilinear photovoltaic solar cells. Each solar cell has four edges, a current collector bar having at least two conductively coupled collector bar segments, and a grid of electrodes conductively coupled to the collector bar. A first collector bar segment is substantially parallel to and proximate to a first edge of the solar cell, a second collector bar segment is substantially parallel to and proximate to a second edge of the solar cell, the second edge being orthogonal with respect to the first edge. In some disclosed techniques, the solar panel has a string of solar cells disposed on a surface of the solar panel in a substantially spiral or serpentine manner and no solar cell within the string is electrically connected to another solar cell in the string by any means other than a cell interconnect. | 01-24-2013 |
20130006585 | RF FEED ELEMENT DESIGN OPTIMIZATION USING SECONDARY PATTERN - An RF feed element for an antenna system required to comply with a set of specified secondary pattern characteristics is designed by performing a quantitative optimization of the RF feed element directly with respect to the secondary pattern characteristics. The quantitative optimization may include pre-computing a plurality of partial secondary pattern complex field values. Each partial secondary pattern may be associated with an RF feed element modal beamlet. A value of at least one to-be-optimized feature is optimized by iteratively adjusting the value of the to-be-optimized feature(s) within an optimization loop that iteratively computes secondary pattern characteristics and compares them to the specified secondary pattern characteristics. The computed secondary pattern characteristics result from performing a linear superposition on the pre-computed partial secondary pattern complex field values, using complex modal coefficients of the RF feed element, determined taking into account current value(s) of the to-be-optimized feature(s). | 01-03-2013 |
20120317753 | BAND CLAMP WITH REDUNDANT LOAD PATH - Techniques for detachably joining a first component and a second component includes a band clamp, a tensioning device, a plurality of shoes, and a plurality of brackets. The band clamp is configured to cause the plurality of shoes to engage an abutting cylindrical flange of each of the first component and the second component and to provide a sufficient clamping pressure to join the first component with the second component. Each of the plurality of brackets is attached to one of the first component and the second component. The sufficient clamping pressure results from redundant, independently inspectable, sources, a primary redundant source being circumferential tension in the band clamp, caused by tightening the tensioning device, to produce a first radial restraining force on the shoes, and a secondary redundant source being a second radial restraining force, applied by way of the plurality of brackets, to the band clamp. | 12-20-2012 |
20120303185 | SPACECRAFT MOMENTUM MANAGEMENT USING SOLAR ARRAY - Stored momentum on a spacecraft is managed by determining a target profile of stored momentum as a function of time for the spacecraft; measuring a difference between a momentum value actually stored on the spacecraft and a desired momentum value, where the desired momentum value substantially conforms to the target profile at a particular time; reducing the difference by producing a torque on the spacecraft, where the torque results from selectively controlling at least one solar array position offset angle, the offset angle being an offset of at least one solar array of the spacecraft from a nominal sun pointing direction. | 11-29-2012 |
20120242304 | Source Driver Current Fold-Back Protection - A load current is limited to a safe level with a current protection logic circuit within a first selected interval after detection of a fault condition. The current protection logic circuit returns the load current to a normal level within a second selected interval after correction of the fault condition, wherein said safe level is less than one half of the normal level. The current protection logic circuit is a feature of a high side driver comprising at least two source drivers, each source driver being configured to switch an electrical load to a common power supply, and comprising a respective current protection logic circuit. | 09-27-2012 |
20120228436 | SPACECRAFT PAYLOAD POSITIONING WITH RESPECT TO A VIRTUAL PIVOT POINT - A spacecraft payload element is rotated by a mechanism about virtual pivot point (VPP) substantially distant from the mechanism. The mechanism couples the payload element to a spacecraft main body structure, and has a four-bar linkage configured to rotate the payload element about a virtual pivot point (VPP). The VPP may be proximate to the focus or center of gravity (cg) of the payload element. Rotation of the payload element about the VPP may be controlled by linear or rotary actuators which drive the four-bar linkage. The four-bar linkage may be configured to provide a mechanical advantage to the actuator. | 09-13-2012 |
20120205492 | Satellite Having Multiple Aspect Ratios - A high capacity satellite having multiple aspect ratios is configured to have at least two modules. Each module includes a first panel and a third panel facing, in an on-orbit configuration, respectively, toward north and south and having a width in an east-west direction (EW width); and a second and a fourth panel oriented, in the on-orbit configuration, respectively, east and west and having a width in the north-south direction (NS width). Each module has a respective aspect ratio of EW width to NS width, a first module is configured with a first aspect ratio, a second module is configured with a second aspect ratio; and the second aspect ratio is substantially larger than the first aspect ratio. At least one antenna reflector is disposed, during launch, proximate to at least one of the first and third panel of the second module. | 08-16-2012 |
20120119034 | Deorbiting a Spacecraft from a Highly Inclined Elliptical Orbit - Deorbiting of an earth-orbiting satellite is accomplished by executing an orbit transfer maneuver, the orbit transfer maneuver resulting in transference of the satellite from an operational orbit to a disposal orbit, where the disposal orbit is substantially circular and has a nominal radius of approximately, 31,000 kilometers. The operational orbit may be substantially geosynchronous and have at least one of (i) an inclination of greater than 10 degrees and (ii) a nominal eccentricity greater than 0.1. Alternatively, the operational orbit may be a medium earth orbit. | 05-17-2012 |
20120097797 | SPACECRAFT MOMENTUM MANAGEMENT - Three-axis spacecraft momentum management is performed for a spacecraft traveling along a trajectory, by an actuator including at least one thruster disposed on a single positioning mechanism. As the spacecraft travels along the trajectory, a desired line of thrust undergoes a substantial rotation in inertial space. When the spacecraft is located at a first location on the trajectory, the single positioning mechanism orients the thruster so as to produce a first torque to manage stored momentum in at least one of a first and a second of the three inertial spacecraft axes. When the spacecraft is located at a second location on the trajectory, the single positioning mechanism orients the thruster so as to produce a second torque to manage stored momentum in at least a third of the three inertial spacecraft axes. | 04-26-2012 |
20120094593 | Broadband Satellite with Dual Frequency Conversion and Bandwidth Aggregation - A broadband satellite having a payload subsystem configured to provide dual frequency conversion and bandwidth aggregation is communicatively coupled (i) to at least one gateway by a feeder link operating at a first frequency band; and (ii) to a plurality of user terminals by user links operating at a second frequency band. The payload subsystem has a first and a second frequency converter a satellite feeder link antenna feed, and a satellite user link antenna feed. The first frequency converter down converts, to a third frequency band, as an aggregated block, signals received at the satellite feeder link antenna feed from the gateway via the feeder link. The third frequency band is substantially lower than both the first and second frequency band. The down converted signals are routed to the second frequency converter for up converting to the second frequency band for transmission over the user link to the user terminals. | 04-19-2012 |
20120068019 | High Capacity Broadband Satellite - A high capacity broadband service is provided from an Earth orbiting satellite having a payload that includes multiple large antennas, the satellite having an inverted configuration when deployed on orbit. The satellite has an aft surface proximate to a launch vehicle structural interface, a forward surface opposite to said aft surface, and a structure disposed therebetween. In a launch configuration, two or more deployable antennas are disposed, undeployed, on or proximate to and forward of the forward surface; on-orbit, the payload is operable when the satellite is disposed with the aft surface substantially Earth facing while the forward surface is substantially facing in an anti-Earth direction. Each deployable antenna is disposed, so as to be Earth facing, when deployed, in a position substantially forward and outboard of the forward surface. | 03-22-2012 |
20110007686 | MULTI-BEAM SATELLITE NETWORK TO MAXIMIZE BANDWIDTH UTILIZATION - A communications network ( | 01-13-2011 |
20100302971 | GROUND-BASED BEAMFORMING FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS - Methods, systems and apparatus for ground-based beamforming of a satellite communications payload ( | 12-02-2010 |