DIRECTION FINDER SYSTEM

• US 3,725,938 A
• Filed: 10/05/1970
• Issued: 04/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Richard B. Formeister, Stanley H. Black
• Inventors: Formeister, Richard B., Black, Stanley H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Application Number:
  US05/077,927
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 343/113DE,120,701,833,836
• US Class Current: 342/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/446 the radiating element being at the centre of one or more rings of auxiliary elements

Abstract

A high frequency radio direction finder receiver system of the over-lapping lobe switching type utilizes an array of lineal antenna elements formed of crossed multiple-element receiver antenna systems sharing one directly coupled receiver antenna element in common. Lobe switching is afforded through bias voltage control of a characteristic of the elements by semiconductor switching circuits.

Claims

1. A direction finding radio receiver system comprising:

conductive ground plane means, lineal receiver antenna means insulatingly supported substantially at right angles with respect to said ground plane means, first and second lineal radiation pattern-shaping means in substantially coplanar, spaced relation with and on opposite sides of said lineal receiver antenna means, said first lineal radiation pattern-shaping means comprising first radio wave reflector means, said second lineal radiation pattern-shaping means comprising first radio wave deflector means, first and second diode means respectively coupled from said first reflector means and said first deflector means to said ground plane means, control means synchronously cyclically forward and reverse biasing said first and second diode means to conduction and to non-conduction, and first and second circuit means for resonating the capacitances of said first reflector means and of said first deflector means and of the said respective first and second diode means when said first and second diode means are reverse-biased for rendering said first reflector means and said first deflector means ineffective.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 comprising:

third and fourth lineal radiation pattern-shaping means in substantially coplanar spaced relation with and on opposite sides of said lineal receiver antenna means, said third lineal radiation pattern-shaping Means comprising second radio wave reflector means, said fourth lineal radiation pattern-shaping means comprising second radio wave deflector means, and third and fourth diode means respectively coupled from said first reflector means and from said first deflector means to said ground plane means and poled in reverse to the polarity of said first and second diode means, said third and fourth diode means being cyclically alternately forward-biased and reverse-biased by said control means.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 2 additionally comprising second and third circuit means for resonating the capacitances of said second reflector means and of said second deflector means and of said respective third and fourth diode means when said third and fourth diode means are reverse-biased for rendering said second reflector means and said second deflector means ineffective.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein:

said first and second pattern-shaping means and said lineal receiver antenna means lie substantially in a first plane, said third and fourth pattern-shaping means and said lineal receiver antenna means lie substantially in a second plane, and said first and second planes are substantially mutually perpendicular.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 3 comprising:

radio receiver means connected to said lineal receiver antenna means, demodulator means responsive to said radio receiver means, said demodulator being further supplied with an output of said control means as a phase reference signal, and right-left indicator means responsive to said demodulator means.

6. Radiation pattern modifying means for use with a radio direction finding system comprising lineal receiver antenna means insulatingly supported with respect to conductive ground plane means and coupled to supply carrier signals to receiver means, and said radiation pattern modification means comprising:

first lineal radiation pattern-shaping means spaced from said lineal receiver antenna means insulatingly supported adjacent one of its ends with respect to said ground plane means, first diode means connected to said end and to said ground plane means, control means cyclically alternately forward-biasing said diode means to conduction and reverse-biasing said diode means to non-conduction, and circuit means for resonating the effective capacitance to ground of said first diode means and of said first lineal pattern-shaping means during non-conduction of said first diode means for rendering said first lineal pattern shaping means ineffective.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein said first lineal radiation pattern-shaping means is so spaced relative to said lineal antenna means as to serve as a radiation reflector means only when said first diode means is forward-biased.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein said first lineal radiation pattern-shaping means is so spaced relative to said lineal antenna means as to serve as a radiation director means only when said first diode means is forward biased.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 6 comprising second lineal radiation pattern-shaping means spaced from said lineal antenna means opposite said first lineal radiation pattern-shaping means, insulatedly supported adjacent one of its ends with respect to said ground plane means.

10. Apparatus as described in claim 9 comprising:

second diode means connected to said end of said second lineal radiation pattern-shaping means, said second diode means being cyclically forward-biased and reverse-biased by said control means, circuit means for resonating the effective capacitance to ground of said second diode means and of said second pattern-shaping means during non-conduction of said second diode means, said first and second lineal pattern-shaping means, said first and second diode means, said control means, and said first and second resonating circuit means being so constructed and arranged as tO cause said first and said second lineal pattern-shaping means cyclically and synchronously to be effective and to be substantially ineffective.