Method for verifying dynamically a multiple beam antenna placed on a vehicle

• US 20050151685A1
• Filed: 04/11/2003
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Totalforsvarets Forskningsinstitut (FOI)
• Original Assignee: Totalforsvarets Forskningsinstitut (FOI)
• Inventors: Eneroth, Anders
• Granted Patent: US 6,992,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/368
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4008 of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4017 of HF systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for dynamically verifying a multiple beam antenna placed on a craft (F) comprising a device for determining the position and course of the craft and a transmitter that via the antenna can emit pulsed signals. The method comprises the features that at least two transponders (A, B, C, D) are placed in different directions round a measuring area, that each transponder receives a pulsed signal of at least one frequency, different for the different transponders, from the antenna, that the transponders (A, B, C, D) are adapted to send, after receiving said pulsed signal, a corresponding pulsed signal to the measuring station in such a manner that it can be determined at the measuring station (M) from which transponder each received signal comes. At the measuring station, it is evaluated how well the antenna has managed to direct the radiated energy in the desired directions.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically verifying a multiple beam antenna which is placed on a craft (F) comprising a device for determining the position and course of the craft and a transmitter device which via the antenna can emit pulsed signals, characterised in that more than one transponder (A, B, C, D) are placed in different directions round a measuring area within which the craft (F) is intended to move, that each transponder is adapted to receive a pulsed signal of at least one frequency, different for the different transponders, via a receiving antenna (9) which is capable of receiving incoming signals from the entire measuring area, that a common measuring station (M) is placed in connection with the measuring area, that the transponders (A, B, C, D) are adapted to send, after receiving said pulsed signal, a corresponding pulsed signal to the measuring station in such a manner that it can be determined at the measuring station (M) from which transponder each received signal comes, that the craft (F) is made to move within the measuring area, that the position and course of the craft are determined before a measuring sequence, that a measuring sequence is emitted from the craft via the antenna that is to be verified, said measuring sequence comprising a reference signal from the craft to the measuring station, a first pulsed signal to the first transponder, a second pulsed signal to the second transponder etc, that the measuring station detects the reference signal and the subsequent pulsed signals from the transponders, that the measuring procedure is repeated while the craft is moving within the measuring area, and that the measuring station calculates to what degree the antenna manages to direct signals in different-directions round the craft for different frequencies.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the different transponders emit signals to the measuring station within different, mutually neighbouring, narrow-band frequency ranges.