ANTENNA ARRAY FOR A HI/LO ANTENNA BEAM PATTERN AND METHOD OF UTILIZATION
First Claim
1. A Hi/Lo antenna system, comprising:
- an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements configured to provide a first beam pattern of a high elevation angle and a second beam pattern of a low elevation angle; and
a receiver unit configured to receive a first satellite signal from the antenna array, said receiver unit including a control module disposed to facilitate adjustment of the antenna array so as to optimize reception of the first satellite signal.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Antenna arrays configured to produce directional antenna beam patterns are described. An antenna array produces a Hi antenna beam pattern and a Lo antenna beam pattern. Based on received satellite information, a mechanically scanning directional antenna system operates to adjust the azimuth direction of the antenna between the two beam patterns to maintain optimum satellite signal reception at different geographical locations and different elevation angles. In one embodiment an antenna mechanically adjusts direction based on geographical location information such as latitude and longitude received by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. In another embodiment, an antenna mechanically adjusts its direction based on received satellite quality metrics such as signal to noise ratio, bit error rate, and/or received power, and uses these signal quality metrics to track the satellite.
81 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A Hi/Lo antenna system, comprising:
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an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements configured to provide a first beam pattern of a high elevation angle and a second beam pattern of a low elevation angle; and a receiver unit configured to receive a first satellite signal from the antenna array, said receiver unit including a control module disposed to facilitate adjustment of the antenna array so as to optimize reception of the first satellite signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A Hi/Lo antenna system, comprising:
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an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements configured to provide a first beam pattern of a high elevation angle and a second beam pattern of a low elevation angle; and a receiver unit configured to receive a first satellite signal from the antenna array, said receiver unit including; a processor module; a location receiver module disposed to provide location data related to the location of the receiver unit to the processor module; a satellite receiver module disposed to receive the first satellite signal from the antenna array and provide a first satellite output signal to the processor module; and a control module disposed to receive a signal from the processor module to facilitate adjustment of the antenna array so as to optimize reception of the first satellite signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of facilitating satellite signal reception using a Hi/Lo antenna array comprising:
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selecting one of a Hi beam pattern and a Lo beam pattern of the antenna array; and providing, to a control module coupled to the antenna array, a control signal to facilitate adjustment of the antenna array to optimize reception of a signal provided by the satellite. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification