Abstract: An earth station transmitter device is arranged for generating a signal to be transmitted to an earth station receiver device of a satellite communication system. The earth station transmitter device includes: shaping encapsulation for shaping and encapsulating downlink data traffic based on a modulation and coding decodable by an earth station receiver device. The shaping encapsulation is arranged to output downlink baseband frames, and further encapsulation is arranged to receive the downlink baseband frames and to generate uplink baseband frames by segmenting the downlink baseband frames based on a modulation and coding decodable by a satellite receiver device, encoding and modulation means for converting the uplink baseband frames into an uplink transmission signal using the modulation and coding decodable by the satellite receiver device.

Abstract: A method for adjusting transmit power of a terminal transmitter on a return link between the terminal transmitter and a receiver. The method includes: a) determining on a version of at least one data burst signal comprised in the receive signal, and a first metric is indicative of the amount of non-linear distortion with which the version of the at least one data burst signal is impaired; b) determining on at least a part of the receive signal a second metric indicative of at least one impairment other than the amount of non-linear distortion; c) determining an updated transmit power value for a next data burst signal to be sent from the first terminal transmitter, thereby taking into account the first and second metric.

Abstract: A satellite communication system is arranged for consecutively illuminating a plurality of contours on earth. The satellite communication system includes a modulator adjusting its transmission of data and dummy data to detected switching time instants, without causing too long delays or buffer overflows, or without impacting a return link synchronization. Traffic can be seamlessly switched to a redundant transmitter which is aligned with the beam hopping satellite to efficiently and reliably achieve synchronization.

Abstract: An earth station transmitter device is arranged for generating a set of data to be transmitted to an earth station receiver device of a satellite communication system. The earth station transmitter device comprises: encoding and modulation means for mapping a plurality of baseband frames; physical layer framing means arranged for inserting in front of each frame of encoded and modulated symbols; converter means for converting a super-frame preamble; super-frame generator means arranged to prepend a first subset of capacity units corresponding to the super-frame preamble to a second subset of capacity units of the plurality corresponding to the plurality of physical layer frames.

Abstract: An earth station transmitter device is arranged for generating a signal to be transmitted to an earth station receiver device of a satellite communication system. The earth station transmitter device includes: shaping encapsulation for shaping and encapsulating downlink data traffic based on a modulation and coding decodable by an earth station receiver device. The shaping encapsulation is arranged to output downlink baseband frames, and further encapsulation is arranged to receive the downlink baseband frames and to generate uplink baseband frames by segmenting the downlink baseband frames based on a modulation and coding decodable by a satellite receiver device, encoding and modulation means for converting the uplink baseband frames into an uplink transmission signal using the modulation and coding decodable by the satellite receiver device.

Abstract: A satellite communication system is arranged for consecutively illuminating a plurality of contours on earth. The satellite communication system includes a modulator adjusting its transmission of data and dummy data to detected switching time instants, without causing too long delays or buffer overflows, or without impacting a return link synchronization. Traffic can be seamlessly switched to a redundant transmitter which is aligned with the beam hopping satellite to efficiently and reliably achieve synchronization.

Abstract: An earth station transmitter device is arranged for generating a set of data to be transmitted to an earth station receiver device of a satellite communication system. The earth station transmitter device comprises: encoding and modulation means for mapping a plurality of baseband frames; physical layer framing means arranged for inserting in front of each frame of encoded and modulated symbols; converter means for converting a super-frame preamble; super-frame generator means arranged to prepend a first subset of capacity units corresponding to the super-frame preamble to a second subset of capacity units of the plurality corresponding to the plurality of physical layer frames.

Abstract: A controller device for a satellite communication system has one or more beam hoppers during a hopping period which each illuminate a plurality of contours according to a hopping plan indicating an order in which the plurality of contours is illuminated. The controller device comprises a dynamic hopping plan calculation module for calculating the hopping plan and is arranged for conveying the calculated hopping plan to a transmitter of the satellite communication system. The dynamic hopping plan calculation module is arranged to calculate the hopping plan by subdividing, per beam hopper, the hopping period in at least two scheduling frames, the at least two scheduling frames forming the calculated hopping plan. Each scheduling frame comprises hopping slots each indicating a contour to be illuminated.

Abstract: A controller device for a satellite communication system has one or more beam hoppers during a hopping period which each illuminate a plurality of contours according to a hopping plan indicating an order in which the plurality of contours is illuminated. The controller device comprises a dynamic hopping plan calculation module for calculating the hopping plan and is arranged for conveying the calculated hopping plan to a transmitter of the satellite communication system. The dynamic hopping plan calculation module is arranged to calculate the hopping plan by subdividing, per beam hopper, the hopping period in at least two scheduling frames, the at least two scheduling frames forming the calculated hopping plan. Each scheduling frame comprises hopping slots each indicating a contour to be illuminated.

Abstract: A device for predistortion and pulse shaping filtering in a communication system includes input scaling means arranged for scaling an applied transmit symbol with an adaptable input gain scaling factor, and a pulse shaping filter and a predistortion unit arranged for applying on the input gain scaled transmit symbol in either order a filtering operation and a non-linear predistortion operation to obtain a predistorted signal. The non-linear predistortion operation is represented by a set of parameter values selectable among a plurality of given sets of parameter values. The predistortion unit is arranged for selecting the set of parameter values exploiting a given performance measure. The device includes output scaling means arranged for scaling the predistorted signal with an output gain scaling factor to obtain a transmit signal. The adaptable input gain scaling factor and the output gain scaling factor are precalculated values corresponding to the selected set of parameter values.

Abstract: A device for predistortion and pulse shaping filtering in a communication system includes input scaling means arranged for scaling an applied transmit symbol with an adaptable input gain scaling factor, and a pulse shaping filter and a predistortion unit arranged for applying on the input gain scaled transmit symbol in either order a filtering operation and a non-linear predistortion operation to obtain a predistorted signal. The non-linear predistortion operation is represented by a set of parameter values selectable among a plurality of given sets of parameter values. The predistortion unit is arranged for selecting the set of parameter values exploiting a given performance measure. The device includes output scaling means arranged for scaling the predistorted signal with an output gain scaling factor to obtain a transmit signal. The adaptable input gain scaling factor and the output gain scaling factor are precalculated values corresponding to the selected set of parameter values.

Abstract: A wireless multiple access communication system (5) comprises a forward link (31) to a terminal (40) and a return link (32) from a terminal (40). The return link (32) uses a medium which is shared between terminals (40) on the basis of time and frequency. A terminal (40) transmits a return link signal (32) from the terminal comprising a sequence of transmission slots (51, 52, 53). each transmission slot being defined as a time slot and, carrier frequency, wherein carrier frequency and symbol, rate can change between transmission slots. The return link signal (32) is transmitted continuously across the sequence of transmission slots (51, 52, 53).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for management of traffic comprising a statistical shaper having a plurality of inputs each for receiving a data stream and a plurality of outputs forming a variable rate bit streams; a multiplexer which combines the bit streams to form an output stream; a modulation stage which is operable to use one or more of a plurality of different modulation schemes to modulate the bit streams onto an output bearer; and, a controller which is operable to control the amount of data arriving at the modulation stage. The controller performs rate control of the data arriving at the modulation stage so that the rate of data output in the output stream from the modulator stage is within a predetermined limit for the transmission channel. For example if the modulation rate for any one bitstream changes, this would alter the rate of data transmission after the modulation stage except that excess data is stored in buffers.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for management of traffic comprising a statistical shaper having a plurality of inputs each for receiving a data stream and a plurality of outputs forming a variable rate bit streams; a multiplexer which combines the bit streams to form an output stream; a modulation stage which is operable to use one or more of a plurality of different modulation schemes to modulate the bit streams onto an output bearer; and, a controller which is operable to control the amount of data arriving at the modulation stage. The controller performs rate control of the data arriving at the modulation stage so that the rate of data output in the output stream from the modulator stage is within a predetermined limit for the transmission channel. For example if the modulation rate for any one bitstream changes, this would alter the rate of data transmission after the modulation stage except that excess data is stored in buffers.

Abstract: A demodulator circuit for demodulating a suppressed carrier phase modulated data input signal includes a carrier recovery circuit providing orthogonal reference carrier signals, first and second demodulation circuits for demodulating the signal with the orthogonal reference carrier signals, at least one data estimation circuit for deriving a first data estimation circuit from the demodulated signal, a second demodulated signal being delayed to obtain a signal which in combination with the first data estimation signal controls the carrier recovery circuit. The circuit further includes an automatic gain control which in response to the first data estimation and to a delayed first demodulated signal provides an AGC output signal.