Patents Assigned to Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
  • Patent number: 11677538
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes an integrated circuit (IC) chip configured to receive a timing signal and a reference clock signal and generate a first reference time signal based on the timing signal and the reference clock signal. The IC chip includes a clock phase lock loop (PLL) configured to generate and provide a second reference clock signal at a higher frequency than the reference clock signal; the IC chip is further configured to generate a second reference time signal based on the first reference time signal and the second reference clock signal. The second reference time signal specifies a count of a number of cycles of the second reference clock signal starting from a particular cycle of the second reference clock signal. The second reference time signal has a finer count resolution than the first reference time signal for a same time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Andras Tantos, David Francois Jacquet, Mario Toma
  • Patent number: 11671162
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a cross-polarization interference compensation module is included in a receiver of a wireless communication system. The module includes first and second input lines configured to receive respective first and second down-converted digital polarized signals based on receipt of a wireless transmission. The module further includes first and second output lines electrically coupled to at least one modem. The module further includes a first complex finite impulse response (FIR) filter configured to receive the second down-converted digital polarized signal and generate a correction factor that cancels cross-polarization components in the first down-converted digital polarized signal. The module further includes a first filter coefficient engine in communication with the first complex FIR filter and configured to adapt the first complex FIR filter over time based on the first and second down-converted digital polarized signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Martin S. McCormick
  • Patent number: 11671123
    Abstract: A wireless communications system includes a pre-distortion actuator configured to receive a carrier-modulated signal and convert the carrier-modulated signal into an output signal. The system includes one or more antennas configured to receive the output signal and transmit the output signal, one or more power amplifiers electrically coupled between the pre-distortion actuator and the one or more antennas and a receiver configured to receive the output signal over-the-air and generate feedback based on the output signal. The pre-distortion actuator is configured to generate the output signal by applying a correction to the carrier-modulated signal that cancels out nonlinearities associated with the one or more antennas and/or the one or more power amplifiers. The pre-distortion actuator is configured based on the feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Martin S. McCormick, Feipeng Wang
  • Patent number: 11665043
    Abstract: A wireless communications system includes a pre-distortion actuator configured to receive a carrier-modulated signal and convert the carrier-modulated signal into an output signal. The system includes one or more antennas configured to receive the output signal and transmit the output signal, one or more power amplifiers electrically coupled between the pre-distortion actuator and the one or more antennas and a receiver configured to receive the output signal over-the-air and generate feedback based on the output signal. The pre-distortion actuator is configured to generate the output signal by applying a correction to the carrier-modulated signal that cancels out nonlinearities associated with the one or more antennas and/or the one or more power amplifiers. The pre-distortion actuator is configured based on the feedback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Martin S. McCormick, Feipeng Wang
  • Patent number: 11658384
    Abstract: An antenna apparatus having a housing enclosing antenna components and a leg extending from the housing includes a base securable to a surface and configured to receive a bottom portion of the leg. A locking assembly defined at the bottom portion of the leg is moveable between a first position, wherein the leg is removable from the base, and a second position, wherein the leg is lockingly secured within the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Ryan Kennett, Anthony Sims
  • Patent number: 11652286
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna assembly includes a plurality of layers defining an antenna assembly including a plurality of PCB layers and a plurality of non-PCB layers, the antenna assembly having a top surface and a bottom surface, and adhesive coupling between the PCB layers and the non-PCB layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technology Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Samuel Belden
  • Patent number: 11652525
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for hybrid beamforming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Eric Pepin, Kim W. Schulze, Amir Agah, Dean A. De Carli, Philippe Riondet
  • Patent number: 11611392
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a satellite communication system includes a satellite constellation including a plurality of satellites in non-geosynchronous orbit (non-GEO), wherein at least some of the plurality of satellites travel in a first orbital path at a first inclination, and an end point terminal having an earth-based geographic location, the end point terminal having an antenna system defining a field of regard for communicating with the satellite constellation, wherein the field of regard is a limited field of regard, wherein the field of regard is tilted from a non-tilted position to a tilted position, and wherein the tilt angle of the tilted position is a function of the latitude of the geographic location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Duncan E. Adams, David Milroy, Jonathan François Cornelis Herman, Jessica D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 11606134
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a plurality of first conductive traces oriented in a first direction in a first layer and plurality of second conductive traces oriented in a second direction in a second layer coupled by vias to define first hierarchical networks. A plurality of third conductive traces oriented in the first direction in a third layer and a plurality of fourth conductive traces oriented in the second direction in a fourth layer are coupled by vias to define second hierarchical networks. Open ends of the first or second traces at a last stage of the first hierarchical networks comprise first ends and open ends of the third or fourth traces at a last stage of the second hierarchical networks comprise second ends. A first end and a corresponding second end are non-collinear to each other and perpendicular to a major plane of the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Nil Apaydin, Chiara Pelletti, Souren Shamsinejad, Alireza Mahanfar
  • Patent number: 11600915
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna apparatus includes a housing assembly including a radome portion and a lower enclosure portion, wherein the radome portion and lower enclosure portion are couplable to form an inner compartment for housing antenna components of the antenna assembly, an antenna stack assembly disposed within the inner compartment, wherein the antenna stack assembly generates heat when in operation, and a heat transfer system within the inner compartment configured to facilitate the flow of heat toward the radome portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Duncan E. Adams, Andrea Papi, Scott Kaufman, Ersin Yetisir, Anthony Sims
  • Patent number: 11563270
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory media are provided for cross-coupling modeling and compensation. An example method can include determining one or more cross-coupling coefficients representing electrical cross-coupling within a component of a phased array antenna, wherein the component of the phased array antenna includes one or more signal paths between one or more beamformers of the phased array antenna and a set of antenna elements of the phased array antenna; based on the one or more cross-coupling coefficients, modifying one or more beamforming weights calculated for one or more signals routed via the one or more signal paths, wherein the modified one or more beamforming weights compensate for the electrical cross-coupling effect within the component of the phased array antenna; and applying, by the one or more beamformers, the modified one or more beamforming weights to the one or more signals routed via the one or more signal paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Eric Pepin, Kim W. Schulze, Ersin Yetisir, Javier Rodriguez De Luis
  • Patent number: 11546179
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a source device including a first current limiter and a second current limiter in parallel with each other and a first transformer and a second transformer; a load device includes a third transformer and a fourth transformer in parallel with each other; and an Ethernet cable is electrically coupled between the source device and the load device, the Ethernet cable including first twisted pair lines and second twisted pair lines. A direct current (DC) voltage is provided to the first current limiter and the second current limiter, the first transformer is electrically coupled to an output of the first current limiter, and the second transformer is electrically coupled to an output of the second current limiter. The DC voltage is transmitted to the third transformer and the fourth transformer in parallel with each other via the first twisted pair lines and the second twisted pair lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Joshua S. Salazar, Anno Van den Akker, Robert Ruark, Yong Ren, Bhaskar S. Vadathavoor, Krisztian Bakos
  • Patent number: 11540301
    Abstract: A method of operating an uplink scheduler as part of a medium access control scheduler on a satellite includes selecting, from a plurality of user terminals, a first number of zero-bandwidth request user terminals from the plurality of user terminals, selecting, from the plurality of user terminals, a second number of non-zero-bandwidth request user terminals from the plurality of user terminals, binning the second number of non-zero-bandwidth request user terminals into a plurality of bins based on a respective bandwidth requirement for each non-zero-bandwidth request user terminal and based on a minimum user terminal grant and allocating, according to a grant allocation algorithm, a respective grant of radio resources in an uplink frame to each user terminal of the plurality of user terminals into a respective bin of the plurality of bins in an order associated with increasing bandwidth needs. A downlink scheduler is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
    Inventors: Jayasuryan V. Iyer, Khasim Shaheed Shaik Mahammad, Yashodhan Dandekar, Ramakrishna Akella, Chen Chen, Phillip E. Barber, Peter J. Worters
  • Patent number: 11527850
    Abstract: A connector backshell assembly includes a module hood sealable against a connection port having a first connector, a harness hood configured to house a second connector mateable with the first connector, a backshell configured to provide strain relief to a wire harness extending from the second connector and securable on the harness hood after the second connector is housed within the harness hood, and a latch assembly having a latch handle moveable from a first position into a second position to move the harness hood into sealing engagement with the module hood.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Jeremy C. Wright, Kristina T. T. Kellogg
  • Patent number: 11509048
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna assembly includes a patch antenna array including an upper patch antenna layer, a lower patch antenna layer, and a spacer therebetween, wherein the spacer includes a plurality of apertures defined by cell walls, wherein the each aperture aligns with an upper patch antenna element and a lower patent antenna element from the patch antenna array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Duncan E. Adams, Ersin Yetisir
  • Patent number: 11489252
    Abstract: An antenna calibration system for a phased array antenna in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure generally includes: a beamformer lattice including at least first and second beamformers, each corresponding to a subset of antenna cells, and each including a calibration section for comparing a reference signal to a non-reference signal; and a calibration antenna within the subset of antenna cells corresponding with the first beamformer, wherein the calibration antenna is configured to deliver a first reference signal (mTx) from the first beamformer to be received by a first operating antenna for comparison with a first non-reference signal (Rx) in the first beamformer or in the second beamfomer, and/or wherein the calibration antenna is configured to deliver a second non-reference signal (Tx) from a second operating antenna for comparison with a second reference signal (mRx) in the first beamformer or in the second beamformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventor: Ersin Yetisir
  • Patent number: D971192
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Duncan Edwin Adams, Anthony Sims, J Gabriel Rustia
  • Patent number: D971900
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Anthony Sims, J Gabriel Rustia
  • Patent number: D976242
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: David Milroy, Duncan Edwin Adams, Keith Richard Miller, Anthony Sims, J Gabriel Rustia
  • Patent number: D986228
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Jackson Shaffner, Anthony Sims, Ryan Kennett, Michael J. Conte, Victor Q. Dang, Duncan Edwin Adams