Abstract: A dielectric resonator is provided having a cavity, a dielectric half disk resonator structure structure, and a support for the half disk resonator structure. The support isolates the dielectric half disk resonator structure from walls of the cavity. A straight edge wall of the dielectric half disk resonator structure couples to a dielectric/air interface within the cavity and forms an approximate magnetic wall. The approximate magnetic wall images the electric field perpendicular to the straight edge wall and supports a single-mode electric field within the half disk resonator structure. Multiple half disk resonator structures may be oriented within the cavity to support other, orthogonal electric fields. Multiple cavities may be coupled to each other through irises formed on the cavity walls.

Abstract: An externally temperature-compensated microwave resonator comprises a microwave resonator and an external temperature compensator. The microwave resonator is a multi-cavity waveguide. The cavities are configured side-by-side and coupled through irises. The external temperature compensator is oriented and configured to effect a change in volume of the cavities when the resonator and compensator undergo a temperature gradient. The compensator deflects a wall portion of the resonator to accordingly counteract a change in volume of the cavity caused by a temperature gradient.

Abstract: A multi-beam DBS satellite system capable of providing spectrally efficient regional programming is disclosed. The inventive system includes at least one DBS satellite having a repeater connected between multiple uplink antennas and multiple downlink antennas. The repeater has a switching processor and a formatting processor. The switching processor includes circuitry for filtering individual channels of information from the uplink frequency division multiplexed (FDM) beams received at the uplink antennas, and also includes circuitry for switching the channels of information to form a set of switched channels. These switched channels are then combined and routed to the formatting processor. The formatting processor converts the switched FDM information into a combined digital TDM signal that preferably corresponds to the DVB standard.

Abstract: A microwave filter has a set of irises to couple cavities within the filter. A trifurcated iris comprises a central iris and a pair of peripheral irises. The peripheral irises are configured and oriented to couple a primary mode having a magnetic field in the axial direction of a filter cavity. The central iris is configured and oriented to couple a secondary mode having a magnetic field in the azimuthal direction of the filter cavity. The configuration of the trifurcated iris is further oriented to minimize the influence of higher order signals such as the TE21X mode. The peripheral iris are oriented at null points of the primary TE21X mode and the central iris is also located at a null point. An input and an output iris are configured to receive electromagnetic energy in the axial direction of the filter. The input and output irises are oriented to minimize signals in the TE21X secondary mode and any TM modes.

Abstract: An analog processor for use with digital satellites is disclosed. The analog processor is connected between the receiving circuitry of the satellite and a pool of digital on-board processors, and segments the bandwidth of uplink RF beams into sub-bands that can be processed more readily with standard, low-risk, low-power digital processors. Using the present invention, the risk of employing a particular digital processor technology can be managed and optimized. The present invention also provides for the dynamic allocation and reallocation of the available on-board digital processing bandwidth based on the anticipated traffic pattern and changes in the traffic pattern. In addition, the present invention facilitates the use of standard and non-standard redundancy schemes at minimal hardware expense.

Abstract: A system and method of calibrating an S parameter measurement instrument (such as a vector network analyzer) in which the number of calibrations required to fully characterize the error model of an n-port system is n/2 calibrations for an even number of ports and (n+1)/2 calibrations for an odd number of ports. Each test port in the system is involved in at least one full calibration, thus n/2 test paths are fully calibrated. For each measured test path, the error terms of the applicable error model are calculated. These error terms are then decoupled from the associated test path into error parameters that are localized to the individual test ports of the test path. Having localized the error parameters, the error model for each test port can then be treated independently from the other test ports. The error terms for the test paths that are not calibrated are then constructed using the localized error parameters for the individual test ports.

Abstract: A free-space optical lasercom system is disclosed which includes an optical subsystem for receiving an Rx signal and sending a Tx signal, wherein said optical subsystem establishes a focal plane. A first optical fiber with an end coupled to the optical subsystem for directing the Rx signal to an RX detector. A second optical fiber is also included with an end coupled to the optical subsystem for directing the Tx signal from a Tx laser source. A linear X-Y shifting apparatus is used for positioning the respective ends of the first and second optical fibers in the focal plane of the optical subsystem so as to maintain a desired coupling efficiency.

Abstract: A multi-beam DBS satellite system capable of providing spectrally efficient regional programming is disclosed. The inventive system includes at least one DBS satellite having a repeater connected between multiple uplink antennas and multiple downlink antennas. The repeater has a switching processor and a formatting processor. The switching processor includes circuitry for filtering individual channels of information from the uplink frequency division multiplexed (FDM) beams received at the uplink antennas, and also includes circuitry for switching the channels of information to form a set of switched channels. These switched channels are then combined and routed to the formatting processor. The formatting processor converts the switched FDM information into a combined digital TDM signal that preferably corresponds to the DVB standard.

Abstract: A filter apparatus includes an enclosure defining a plurality of cavities. A pair of resonators are located in a corresponding pair of the cavities. The filter apparatus further includes an elongated coupling structure operatively interposed between the pair of resonators. The elongated coupling structure is spaced from each of those resonators uniformly along its length.

Abstract: A system and method for managing inter-satellite connectivity in the overlapped regions of a satellite constellation having a plurality of overlapping orbital planes. The overlapped regions are created by the intersection of orbital planes having satellites traveling in one direction with orbital planes having satellites traveling in a similar or in the opposite direction. One orbital plane is designated as the master plane and within the overlapped region, the satellites in the master plane are dynamically switched to non-overlapped satellites in the intersecting planes across a seam created by the intersection of the master plane with the intersecting planes.

Abstract: A waveguide filter is provided having a plurality of asymmetrical corrugated resonators. The filter may also include an input section and an output section including a low-pass filter unit and a transformer unit. The low-pass filter unit includes a plurality of symmetrically corrugated slots, and the transformer unit includes at least one stepped transformer section for matching the filter to an external waveguide line. Each of the asymmetrically corrugated resonators may include a pair of opposed slots of different depth, a long slot and a short slot. The resonators provide at least one reflection zero and two transmission zeros to the frequency response of the filter, thus providing high-pass, band-pass and low-pass filter properties in a single filter structure.

Abstract: A surface treatment and method for applying the surface treatment to electrical components are provided that include a coating of yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG), which is applied to the inner surface of the component by sputtering.

Abstract: A novel circuit packaging structure including a combination of printed lumped elements within a multi-layer stripline architecture is provided and methods of making the same. The lumped elements are provided by printing the individual passive elements, including interdigital capacitors and spiral inductors, onto the supporting substrate and then embedding these elements into the multi-layer stripline structure. The stripline structure consists of a signal layer sandwiched between at least two ground layers separated by two dielectric substrates of equal thickness. This ground-signal-ground approach confines the electromagnetic fields within the multi-layer structure, thereby minimizing radiation from coupling to nearby components. This approach offers a unique combination of stripline technology and printed lumped elements resulting in miniaturized radio frequency and microwave circuits at operating at frequencies well below 1 GHz, up to several GHz.

Abstract: A corrugated waveguide filter has a plurality of coupled resonator cavities arranged in a horizontal or vertical manner. The filter may include an input transformer section and an output transformer section for matching the filter to external waveguide lines. Each resonator includes at least two extracted slots (or cavities) that are grouped in close proximity to each other, and which may be symmetrically or asymmetrically implemented in the waveguide. The resonators each contribute one reflection zero and two transmission zeros to the frequency response of the filter, the reflection zero being located within the pass-band of the filter, and the two transmission zeros located either at the high-side or low-side of the pass-band depending upon whether the resonator is a low-pass type or a high-pass type. The dimensions of each resonator, including the depth of the slots and the distance between the slots, determines the position of the reflection zero and whether the resonator is low-pass or high-pass.

Abstract: A multi-beam DBS satellite system capable of providing spectrally efficient regional programming includes at least one DBS satellite having a repeater connected between multiple uplink antennas and multiple downlink antennas. The repeater has a switching processor and a formatting processor. The switching processor includes circuitry for filtering individual channels of information from the uplink frequency division multiplexed (FDM) beams received at the uplink antennas, and also includes circuitry for switching the channels of information to form a set of switched channels. These switched channels are then combined and routed to the formatting processor. The formatting processor converts the switched FDM information into a combined digital TDM signal that preferably corresponds to the DVB standard.

Abstract: An analog processor for use with digital satellites. The analog processor is connected between the receiving circuitry of the satellite and a pool of digital on-board processors, and segments the bandwidth of uplink RF beams into sub-bands that can be processed more readily with standard, low-risk, low-power digital processors. Using the present invention, the risk of employing a particular digital processor technology can be managed and optimized. The present invention also provides for the dynamic allocation and reallocation of the available on-board digital processing bandwidth based on the anticipated traffic pattern and changes in the traffic pattern. In addition, the present invention facilitates the use of standard and non-standard redundancy schemes at minimal hardware expense.

Abstract: A novel circuit packaging structure including a combination of printed lumped elements within a multi-layer stripline architecture is provided and methods of making the same. The lumped elements are provided by printing the individual passive elements, including interdigital capacitors and spiral inductors, onto the supporting substrate and then embedding these elements into the multi-layer stripline structure. The stripline structure consists of a signal layer sandwiched between at least two ground layers separated by two dielectric substrates of equal thickness. This ground-signal-ground approach confines the electromagnetic fields within the multi-layer structure, thereby minimizing radiation from coupling to nearby components. This approach offers a unique combination of stripline technology and printed lumped elements resulting in miniaturized radio frequency and microwave circuits at operating at frequencies well below 1 GHz, up to several GHz.

Abstract: An improved multi-beam bent-pipe communications satellite system and method includes a subchannel switching processor for extracting and switching subchannels of information to and from a plurality of uplink and downlink beams and an intersatellite link for routing certain of the extracted subchannels to another satellite in the system. The subchannel switching processor preferably employs a partial subchannelization processor that combines a coaxial switching network for switching some of the uplink channels at the channel level with an analog or digital transparent subchannel switching network connected to a portion of the uplink channels for extracting and switching at the subchannel level. The switched subchannels are combined to form channels, and then routed to either the downlink beams (where they are combined with other switched channels), or to the intersatellite link for transmission to another satellite.

Abstract: A repeater for a multibeam communications satellite combines the features of coaxial channel interbeam switching and subchannelization of some of the channels. In one embodiment described, the input radio-frequency signals from the input beams are fed through the input multiplexers to form channels. Some, but not all, channels are subsequently subchannelized for interbeam switching. In another embodiment of the invention, a portion of the incoming radio frequency signals bypasses the input demultiplexer and is filtered for noise-limiting reasons, converted down to an intermediate frequency and then subchannelized using SAW filters. The specification also teaches that digital techniques can be used to obtain the same results.