US 12,191,941 B2
Determination of electronic beam steering angles
Martin S. McCormick, Studio City, CA (US)
Assigned to Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA (US)
Filed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 12, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/537,420.
Application 18/537,420 is a division of application No. 17/333,818, filed on May 28, 2021, granted, now 11,881,914.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/032,844, filed on Jun. 1, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/032,859, filed on Jun. 1, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0154652 A1, May 9, 2024
Int. Cl. H04B 7/0426 (2017.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04B 17/318 (2015.01); H04W 16/28 (2009.01)
CPC H04B 7/043 (2013.01) [H04B 7/0617 (2013.01); H04B 7/18513 (2013.01); H04B 17/318 (2015.01); H04W 16/28 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An end terminal in a communication system, the end terminal comprising:
an antenna assembly configured to transmit and receive beams in time-varying directions; and
a beam steering controller electrically coupled to the antenna assembly, wherein:
the beam steering controller is configured to determine a first beam pointing vector associated with the antenna assembly by searching for a satellite from a plurality of satellites included in the communication system;
the antenna assembly maintains a communication link with the satellite of the plurality of satellites by determining a plurality of beam pointing vectors that converge to a signal quality value;
the beam steering controller is configured to obtain, from the satellite, satellite ephemeris information of the satellite and one or more of remaining satellites of the plurality of satellites;
the beam steering controller is configured to determine an estimated orientation of the antenna assembly based on the satellite ephemeris information and the plurality of beam pointing vectors; and
the beam steering controller is configured to determine a second beam pointing vector based on the estimated orientation, the satellite ephemeris information, and an approximate position information of the end terminal from a positioning system.