US 12,137,354 B1
Determination of spatial orientation
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 May 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/333,809.
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.
Int. Cl. H04W 16/28 (2009.01); G01S 3/56 (2006.01); H04B 7/06 (2006.01); H04W 84/06 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 16/28 (2013.01) [G01S 3/56 (2013.01); H04B 7/0617 (2013.01); H04B 7/0634 (2013.01); H04W 84/06 (2013.01)] 25 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 beam pointing vector 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 increasing signal quality measurements, the satellite associated with the beam pointing vector;
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; and
the beam steering controller is configured to determine an orientation of the antenna assembly based on one or more of the satellite ephemeris information and the plurality of beam pointing vectors, wherein the orientation of the antenna assembly is an orientation in three-dimensional space of a radiating side of a phased array antenna included in the end terminal, wherein the radiating side of the phased array antenna comprises a radiating side plane of the phased array antenna.