RU2302695C2 - Multifunction space communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: wide-range high-altitude communication systems incorporating satellite groups launched into different-altitude orbits and at least one ground-based control station.

SUBSTANCE: proposed system that has satellite group launched into geostationary orbit, satellite group injected into low-altitude orbit, and at least one ground-based control station is provided in addition with satellite group launched into medium-altitude orbit, at least one satellite disposed on geostationary orbit being connected through communication line with ground-based control station; satellites injected into geostationary orbit are interconnected via high-speed communication lines and are designed for relaying control signals from ground-based control station to satellites disposed on medium- and low-altitude orbits whereto they can be connected by means of communication line, and also for relaying information signals received from satellites disposed on medium- and high-altitude orbits to ground-based control station; each of satellites disposed on low-altitude orbit can communicate with at least one of satellites disposed on medium-altitude orbit and each of satellites disposed on this orbit, with one of satellites disposed on geostationary orbit.

EFFECT: provision for communications and monitoring at minimal quantity of space vehicles.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to high-altitude communication systems with a wide spectrum of action, including a grouping of satellites launched into differently high orbits, and at least one ground control station.

A multifunctional telecommunication space system is known, including a communication subsystem and a monitoring subsystem.

The communications subsystem is built on the basis of satellite repeaters and provides telephone communications, video conferencing, image transmission, inter-machine communication, Internet access on a global scale with speeds from 1.2 kbit / s to 2948 kbit / s. The operation of the satellite constellations is carried out using ground-based relays included in control stations located at the calculated points of the earth's surface at the intersection of the radio visibility zones of neighboring spacecraft.

The space segment of the system includes three groups of spacecraft for the system of high and low speed communications and monitoring. The first two constellations include 24 satellites in orbits with an altitude of 10,360 km, and the monitoring constellation includes 8-12 spacecraft at an altitude of 600 km.

The Earth segment of the system consists of 12-14 coordinating stations combined with the control stations of the monitoring subsystem and playing the role of regional stations, as well as a fleet of mobile and stationary subscriber stations.

Service signals (call, request, answer, etc.) are transmitted through the nearest spacecraft via feeder lines to the coordinating station, which, having information about all the subscribers of the system and their coordinates, as well as data on the free channels of all spacecraft, makes route routes signals from one subscriber to another.

The space monitoring system includes spacecraft for optical and radar surveillance.

To conduct monitoring of the object, information about the need for monitoring is transmitted to the coordinating station, in the area of which the required spacecraft is located, and after receiving monitoring information, it is reset to the nearest control station and then to the user (see patent No. 2169433, cl. Н04В 7/185 , 1999).

As a result of the analysis of the implementation of the known system, it should be noted that for its functioning a significant number of spacecraft is required (at least 56), which makes it difficult to control these satellites.

The complexity of the system is also due to the significant number of ground control stations. At the same time, communication in the system is carried out through several spacecraft and ground stations, which increases the transit time of communication and / or monitoring signals and degrades their quality.

There is a method of building a satellite communication system between subscribers, for the implementation of which two groups of spacecraft are used, one of which is placed in a low circular orbit, and the other in a geostationary orbit. In general, the space constellation of satellites includes 36 satellites located in six orbital planes of six satellites. Satellites are equipped with radio-technical complexes-repeaters. The given orbit of each satellite is supported by its periodic correction.

There are subscriber stations and control stations on the ground. During the operation of the system, the subscriber’s signals, for example, during telephone communications, are relayed through a satellite located in the subscriber’s access area and located in low orbit to the ground control station located in the satellite’s visibility range, and from the control station to the satellite located in the geostationary orbit, and from this satellite to the dispatch station of the receiving subscriber, from which signals through the satellite in low orbit are relayed to the station of the receiving signal of the subscriber (see patent No. 2107990, class Н04В 7/185, 1998) - the closest analogue.

As a result of the analysis of the known system, it should be noted that for its effective functioning it is necessary to have a significant number of satellites, which significantly increases the cost of the system and complicates the management of this system. In addition, the communication principle implemented in this system is very complex.

So, from a subscriber, communication signals are sent to a satellite in low orbit, from where to a ground control station, then to a satellite in geostationary orbit, from where to a control station of a receiving subscriber and through a satellite in low orbit, to a station receiving a subscriber signal .

Taking into account the dynamics of the system, namely, the constant relative change in the position of satellites of low and geostationary orbits, dispatch and subscriber stations, it is necessary to change the position of the transmitting and receiving devices (antennas) of satellites and ground stations, which is very difficult, and in addition, such communication to reduce the quality of transmitted signals.

It should also be noted that the implementation of this system for monitoring the movement of objects, monitoring the functioning of stationary objects, environmental monitoring in specified regions, monitoring the meteorological situation, which are carried out from satellites in low orbits, and the transmission of this information to consumers through control stations leads to the need creating a network of control stations, which increases the already very high cost of the system and further complicates its management. An attempt to improve the operational parameters of the system by introducing into its composition a constellation of satellites placed in a mid-altitude orbit (see RF patent No. 2118056, class Н04В 7/185, 1998), further complicated the system and worsened the quality of the transmitted signals.

The present invention is to develop a system that allows for a minimum number of spacecraft to transmit and receive signals from (to) anywhere in the world in almost real time with high quality and reliability in a wide range of areas of activity.

The task is ensured by the fact that in a multifunctional space communication system that includes a constellation of satellites placed in a geostationary orbit, a constellation of satellites placed in a low altitude orbit and at least one ground control point, the new system is equipped with a constellation of satellites placed in a medium altitude orbit moreover, at least one satellite located in a geostationary orbit is connected via a communication line to a ground control point, and the satellites data in geostationary orbit, are connected to each other by high-speed communication lines and are designed to relay control and master signals from a ground control point to satellites located in medium and low altitude orbits, with which they can be connected via communication lines and relay information signals received from satellites of medium and low altitude orbits to a ground control point, while each of the satellites located in a low altitude orbit has the ability to communicate as min MUM with one of the satellites in medium-altitude orbit, and each of the satellites in a given orbit, - with one of the satellites geostationary orbit.

When conducting patent research, no solutions were found that are identical to the claimed invention, and therefore, the claimed invention meets the condition of patentability "novelty".

The essence of the claimed invention does not follow explicitly from the prior art, and therefore, the claimed invention meets the condition of patentability "inventive step".

The information set forth in the application materials is sufficient for the practical implementation of the invention by specialists.

All devices, blocks, modules, communication lines, software used in the claimed system are known, their implementation is not subject to patent protection and therefore they are not disclosed in the materials of this application.

The essence of the claimed invention is illustrated by the drawing, which shows a diagram of a multifunctional space communication system.

A multifunctional space communication system consists of space and ground segments.

The space segment includes a grouping of spacecraft (satellites) launched into predetermined orbits.

One constellation of satellites 1 (the first group) has been put into geostationary orbit (about 36,000 km). The geostationary orbit is indicated by the letter (a).

Another constellation of satellites 2 (the second group) was launched into a mid-altitude orbit (10,000-19,000 km). The mid-altitude orbit is indicated by the letter (b).

Another constellation of satellites 3 (the third group) is placed in a low altitude orbit (500-800 km). The low altitude orbit is indicated by the letter (c).

The number of satellites of each constellation (in each orbit) can be different and depends on the tasks the system is aimed at.

So, given the architecture of the system, three satellites placed in orbit (a), six satellites placed in orbit (b), four or six satellites placed in orbit (c) are sufficient to ensure global coverage of the earth's surface.

Satellites 1 located in orbit (a) are interconnected by high-speed communication lines 4.

Each satellite 1 has the ability to communicate with satellites 2 and satellites 3 located in its area. Communication lines are indicated by the positions 5 and 6, respectively. Satellites 3 have the ability to communicate with satellites 2 located in their area. The communication line is indicated by 7. The control lines are transmitted over the communication lines. and information signals.

The ground segment of the system consists of at least one integrated automated control system (IASU) 8. It is most preferable to implement a system with two IASUs (one main and one backup).

IASU 8 (ground control point) has the ability to communicate with customer service points 9 and communication lines 10, 11, 12 with satellites of the orbit groupings (a), (b), (c).

Each satellite constellation performs its functions.

So, satellites placed in orbit (a) are designed to relay and control the operation of satellites located in orbits (b) and (c).

Satellites put into orbit (b) are intended for communication and surveillance monitoring.

Satellites put into orbit (c) are designed for detailed monitoring.

Periodic correction of the orbits of satellites 1, 2, 3 is carried out with IASU 8 via communication lines 10, 11, 12.

A multifunctional space communication system operates as follows.

For communication (personal communication, broadcasting, real-time broadband data transmission and relaying, various multimedia services, including in remote, sparsely populated, polar regions, etc.) IASU 8 receives signals from the transmitting subscriber and transmits them to satellite 1 geostationary orbit over the communication line 10. The satellite 1 equipment processes these signals, establishes the location of the receiving subscriber and relays the communication signals to the satellite of orbit 2, the most accessible for inimayuschego party, signals from the satellite 2 are retransmitted to the receiving subscriber information signal receiving apparatus directly or via the satellite 1.

If the desired satellite 2 at the time of communication is outside the coverage area of satellite 1, then through communication line 4 the signals are transmitted to the satellite of the geostationary orbit in the reach zone of which satellite 2 is located, through which communication with the receiving subscriber should be made.

To conduct overview monitoring (monitoring the surface of the earth and the natural environment, hydrometeorology, monitoring emergency situations associated with natural and technological disasters and eliminating their consequences, etc.) of a given region (it can be very significant in area), control signals that specify a specific type of monitoring, the coordinates of the investigated area from IASU 8 are transmitted to satellite 1 of the orbit (a), which determines one or more satellites 2 orbits (b) to perform this task and through communication channels 5 gives them the task of conducting research. If a given satellite or satellites is currently outside the satellite 1 coverage area, then it transfers the task to another satellite in orbit (a) in the reach zone of which there are currently the satellites necessary for solving the task, via communication line 4. (Orbits satellites 1 (a) are in constant communication mode with each other via communication lines 4 and constantly exchange information on these lines containing the coordinates of the orbiting satellites (b) and (c) currently in their area of operation. Therefore, the choice the necessary satellite occurs immediately upon receipt of control signals to satellite 1).

Information about the state of the studied area is received at the receiving devices of the satellite (s) 2 and transmitted via communication channel 5 to satellite 1 of the orbit (a), from where it is relayed to the earth control point from which it is transmitted to consumers.

For detailed monitoring (control of moving and stationary objects on the ground (water), in the airspace, the state of glaciers, avalanches, flood development, etc.) of a given area (it is very small in area), control signals that specify a specific type of monitoring and the coordinates of the investigated area, from the ground control point are transmitted to satellite 1 of the orbit (a), which, as described above, determines one or more satellites 3 of orbit (c), to which control signals are transmitted via communication channels 6 and conducting detailed monitoring. Information on the results of the study (detailed monitoring) is transmitted via communication channels 6 to the satellite 2 of the orbit (b) defined by the task, from which it is transmitted to satellite 1 of the orbit (a) and then, as already described above, through the ground control point for consumers.

It is easy to notice that the architecture of the space constellation is based both on the separation of the orbits into which the constellations of the satellites (geostationary, mid-altitude and low-altitude) are derived, and on the rigid separation of the functions performed by the satellites of each orbit. Moreover, it is very important that the satellite constellations, with the exception of those located in the geostationary orbit, do not have interconnections (horizontal communications), which greatly simplifies satellite control and the operation of the system as a whole.

The use of satellites placed in a geostationary orbit to control satellites of lower orbits, as well as to relay information received from these satellites to a ground control point, greatly simplifies the organization of communication, improves its quality and allows the communication and transmission of other information in almost real time . Transceivers (antennas) of the ground control point and satellites located in the geostationary orbit are in a constant position relative to each other, which makes it possible to abandon the antenna position control system when changing the relative position of the objects on which these antennas are installed. Controlling the operation of satellites in medium and low altitude orbits through satellites in geostationary orbits and transmitting information from these satellites to the earth control point via satellites in the geostationary orbit also improves the quality and speed of communication.

Separating the functions performed by satellites in orbits allows you to install a minimum of equipment on each satellite (satellites 1 - control and relay, satellites 2 - communications and surveillance monitoring, satellites 3 - detailed monitoring), which significantly reduces their mass, and this is very important at launch satellites and maintaining their given orbits in outer space.

In addition, each satellite constellation performs only its inherent tasks (surveillance monitoring, detailed monitoring), being at the optimal distance from the objects under study, and this significantly improves the quality of the system.

The architecture of the system allows you to solve a wide range of problems with high quality information with a minimum number of satellites.

The control of satellites in medium and low altitude orbits is carried out by satellites in geostationary orbit, which in turn are controlled from a ground control point, which eliminates the possibility of unauthorized access to system satellites.

Claims (1)

A multifunctional space communications system, including a constellation of satellites placed in a geostationary orbit, a constellation of satellites placed in a low altitude orbit and at least one ground control point, characterized in that the system is equipped with a constellation of satellites placed in a medium altitude orbit, with at least one satellite located in geostationary orbit, through a communication line connected to a ground control point, satellites launched in geostationary orbit are connected to each other other high-speed communication lines and are designed to relay control signals from a ground control point to satellites located in medium and low altitude orbits, with which they can connect via communication lines, and relay information signals received from satellites of medium and low altitude orbits to ground control center, while each of the satellites located in low altitude orbit has the ability to communicate with at least one of the satellites located in medium altitude orbit, and each of the satellites located in this orbit - with one of the satellites of the geostationary orbit.