The working principle of Iridium antenna is revealed: the cornerstone of global seamless communication

In today's globalization, the demand for fast and stable communication is becoming more and more urgent. As an important part of the Iridium communication system, Iridium antenna provides support for achieving global seamless communication with its unique working principle.

◆Satellite constellation architecture

The Iridium system consists of 66 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites distributed on 6 polar orbit planes, with 11 satellites in each plane. This precision design ensures coverage of every corner of the earth and shortens the signal transmission distance and delay through low earth orbit.

Each satellite is equipped with multiple antennas, including intersatellite link antennas for inter-satellite communication and feed link antennas for communication with ground terminals. Through these antennas, a huge space communication network is formed to achieve efficient transmission of information between different satellites.

◆Signal transmission and reception mechanism

1. Uplink

The user terminal encodes and modulates voice or data into radio frequency signals and transmits them into the air through the Iridium antenna. Since the satellite moves at high speed and at a long distance, this requires the Iridium antenna to have precise directivity and tracking capabilities. Phased array technology or mechanical tracking technology is usually used to ensure that the signal can effectively reach the target satellite.

2. Downlink

After receiving the information from the user, the satellite demodulates and processes it, and then broadcasts the data to the ground terminal in the coverage area through the feeder link. During the downlink process, the Iridium star antenna must have strong anti-interference ability to ensure that the received information is clear and accurate.

◆Application of multiple access technology

To support multiple users to communicate simultaneously, the Iridium star system uses time division multiple access (TDMA) and code division multiple access (CDMA) technologies. In TDMA, different users are assigned specific time intervals for communication; while CDMA distinguishes the information of different users through unique coding, which improves spectrum utilization and enhances anti-interference ability.

◆Collaborative communication: the importance of asynchronous links

Unique to other satellite communication systems is the asynchronous link, which enables satellites to be directly interconnected without relying on ground stations. This flexibility is particularly suitable for areas with damaged infrastructure. When a satellite receives information from a terminal and the target location is within the coverage of another satellite, the information can be directly forwarded through an asynchronous link, greatly improving efficiency and reliability.

Overall, from design to practical application, all links work closely together to build a global seamless communications network. With the advancement of technology, Iridium star antennas are expected to further enhance the convenient and efficient experience in the future and contribute to the development of the global communications field.

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ZHENGZHOU LEHENG ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD

Tel:86-371-60911368

Email:info@global-antenna.com

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