Antenna system

• US 6,310,582 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2000
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uetake, Tatsuya, Kobayashi, Akito, Satou, Ken, Taira, Midori, Okamura, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alemu, Ephrem
• Application Number:
  US09/493,658
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 343/765, 343/766, 343/878, 343/880, 343/882, 343/757, 343/890, 343/891, 343/758, 343/869, 343/839, 342/359
• US Class Current: 343/765
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation

Abstract

When communication is performed simultaneously with two moving bodies such as a satellite, an antenna construction in which a plurality of antennas do not become an obstacle to each other'"'"'s communication and the direction (the azimuth angle and the elevation angle) adjusting mechanism thereof can be realized with a simple construction. The two antennas have another movable portion (a rotation mechanism with respect to the axis) independently, while sharing the direction adjusting mechanism for the azimuth angle and the elevation angle. The rotation axis of the rotation mechanism of each antenna faces the same direction on the same plane, and each rotation mechanism is separately arranged in an area defined by a plane obtained by extending the axis of the azimuth angle adjusting mechanism toward the axial direction of the elevation angle adjusting mechanism. The azimuth angle and the elevation angle of respective antennas can be separately adjusted by the rotation mechanism with respect to the axis, hence the antennas can be directed to the communication targets existing in the two different directions simultaneously from the reception point.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising:

a first rotation mechanism supporting a first antenna rotatably in a first rotation direction centering around a first axis;

a second rotation mechanism supporting a second antenna rotatably in the first rotation direction centering around a second axis running along or in parallel to said first axis;

an elevation angle adjusting mechanism for rotatably supporting said first and second rotation mechanisms commonly in a second rotation direction, centering around a third axis different from said first axis and said second axis; and

an azimuth angle adjusting mechanism for rotatably supporting said elevation angle adjusting mechanism in a third rotation direction, centering around a fourth axis different from said first axis and said third axis;

wherein said first rotation mechanism is provided in a first area partitioned by a plane containing said third axis and running in parallel to said fourth axis, and said second rotation mechanism is provided in a second area opposite to said first area.

2. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second axes are provided symmetrically to a plane containing said fourth axis and running in parallel to said third axis.

3. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said third and fourth axes intersect each other, and said first and second axes are provided point-symmetrically with respect to an intersection of said third axis and said fourth axis.

4. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said third and fourth axes are orthogonal to each other, and said first and second axes are orthogonal to a plane determined by said third and fourth axes.

5. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first and second axes penetrate the center of gravity of the respective antenna.

6. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna is constituted of a planar antenna, and said first axis penetrate said planar antenna bilaterally symmetrically.

7. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein a third rotation mechanism is provided for supporting rotatably one or more antennae in said first rotation direction centering on said first axis.

8. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna comprises a spherical radio lens and a primary radiator for transmitting and receiving the radio wave,

wherein said primary radiator rotates with the rotation of the first rotation mechanism along the peripheral direction around the periphery of the radio lens, to thereby realize the rotation of the antenna.

9. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein a third antenna is provided which shares the first rotation mechanism with said first antenna, and points to a direction different from that of the first antenna.

10. The antenna system according to claim 9, wherein said first antenna and said third antenna are a planar antenna, respectively, and said first antenna and said third antenna are integrated back to back, and the both f aces are used as the antenna.

11. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna is a polyhedral antenna in a form of a square column, whose sides of N (natural number of N≧

3) are planar antennas.

12. The antenna system according to claim 10, wherein the properties of said first antenna and the properties of said third antenna are different.

13. The antenna system according to claim 11, wherein the N planar antennas comprise more than two kinds of planar antennas having different properties.

14. The antenna system according to claim 1, wherein said first antenna is for communication, and said second antenna is a pilot antenna.

15. The antenna system according to claim 7, wherein among three antennas, two of them are antennas for communicating with a satellite and the remaining one is a pilot antenna.

16. The antenna system according to claim 7, wherein among three antennas, two of them are pilot antennas and the remaining one is an antenna for communicating with a satellite.

17. The antenna system according to claim 16, wherein the method of rotating said two pilot antennas is changed for each antenna.