Redundant mobile antenna system and method for operating the same

• US 20080111741A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Su, Lee, Sean S.
• Application Number:
  US11/595,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20080111741A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/383
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/32 Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/12 wherein another information is substituted for the portion of broadcast information

Abstract

A communication system 10 includes a satellite 18 that broadcasts communication signals to a first antenna 28A and a second antenna 28B. The antenna forms a first signal and a second signal and is provided to a combiner 102. The combiner 102 is coupled to the antennas 28A and 28B and combines the first portion of the first signal and a second portion of the second signal to form an output signal 152. The output signal is received by the receiving unit 28A-28n and utilized by the receiving unit to display or otherwise use the output signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart antennas;

a combiner coupled to the spaced apart antennas, said combiner combining a portion of the first signal and a portion of the second signal to from an output signal; and

a receiving unit receiving the output signal.

2. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a plurality of satellite tracking antennas.

3. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of satellite tracking antennas receive a satellite signal.

4. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the satellite signal comprise a packet identifier.

5. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced apart antennas have a respective tuner and a respective demodulator.

6. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein each demodulator generating a plurality of packets.

7. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 wherein said combiner combining the plurality of packets to form the output signal.

8. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 further comprising controlling a display in response to the output signal.

9. A vehicle as recited in claim 1 further comprising a quality monitor for an RF waveform.

10. A communication system for a vehicle comprising:

a first satellite tracking antenna receiving a satellite signal forming a first signal;

a second satellite tracking antenna spaced apart from the second antenna forming a second signal from the satellite signal;

a combiner coupled to the spaced apart antennas, said combiner combining a first portion of the first signal and a second portion of the second signal to from an output signal; and

a receiving unit receiving the output signal.

11. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the first antenna comprises a first tuner and a first demodulator associated therewith, the second antenna comprises a second tuner and a second demodulator associated therewith.

12. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein first demodulator generates a first plurality of packets, and the second tuner generates a second plurality of packets.

13. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein said combiner combining the first plurality of packets and the second plurality of packets to form the output signal.

14. A communication system as recited in claim 10 further comprising a vehicle having the first antenna and the second antenna, the combiner and the receiving unit coupled thereto.

15. A communication system as recited in claim 14 wherein the vehicle comprises a bus.

16. A communication system as recited in claim 14 wherein the vehicle comprises a train.

17. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the satellite signal comprise a packet identifier.

18. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein the plurality of spaced apart antennas have a respective tuner and a respective demodulator.

19. A communication system as recited in claim 10 wherein each demodulator generating a plurality of packets.

20. A communication system as recited in claim 10 further comprising a quality monitor an RF waveform.

21. A method comprising:

receiving a satellite signal at a first antenna;

receiving the satellite signal at the second antenna spaced apart from the first antenna;

combining a portion of the first signal and a portion of the second signal to from an output signal; and

communicating the output signal to a receiving unit.

22. A method as recited in claim 21 further comprising controlling a display associated with the receiving unit in response to the output signal.

23. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein the satellite signal has a packet identifier.

24. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein the step of combining is performed in response to the packet identifier.

25. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of packets of an input signal from a plurality of spaced apart antennas;

determining valid packets from the plurality of packets; and

combining the valid packets from the plurality of antennas to from an output signal corresponding to the input signal.