Communication system and method

• US 6,323,813 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Neat, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANNUCCI, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US09/373,209
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 343/705, 343/706, 343/711, 343/713, 343/702, 343/718, 343/844
• US Class Current: 343/705
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas

Abstract

An antenna system and method of improving radio frequency isolation in such a system positioned on a hull of a vessel includes a first antenna that transmits a signal having a wavelength. The antenna system also includes a second antenna which is positioned away from the first antenna on the hull by half a perimeter of the hull offset by approximately an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of the signal transmitted by the first antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising transmitting electronic components, a first transmitting antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are rotationally positioned asymmetrically and away from each other on a body by 180°

around the body offset by an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of a signal transmitted by the first antenna.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the odd multiple of one quarter wavelength is equal to one quarter wavelength.

3. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the body is a fuselage.

4. The antenna system of claim 3, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are mounted on the exterior of an aircraft fuselage.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein energy produced by the first antenna is out of phase with energy produced by the second antenna.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the energy transmitted along the body by the first antenna and received along the body by the second antenna cancel each other out.

7. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein relative positioning of the first antenna and the second antenna provides an additional 10 to 30 dB antenna isolation over conventional antenna systems.

8. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second and antenna are VHF data link antennas or VHF data link transceivers.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is a VHF data link antenna or a VHF data link transceiver.

10. The antenna system of claim 9, wherein the second antenna is a VHF voice antenna.

11. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the second antenna is a VHF voice antenna.

12. An antenna system comprising transmitting electronic components, a first transmitting antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are rotationally positioned asymmetrically and away from each other on a body by half of a perimeter of the body offset by an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of a signal transmitted by the first antenna.

13. An antenna system comprising transmitting electronic components, a first transmitting antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are rotationally positioned asymmetrically and away from each other on a body by half of a perimeter of the body offset by a distance between an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of a signal transmitted by the first antenna minus on twelfth wavelength and the odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of the signal transmitted by the first antenna plus one twelfth wavelength.

14. A method of improving radio frequency isolation between a plurality of antennas mounted on a fuselage, the method comprising:

positioning of a first transmitting antenna of the plurality of antennas at a first position on the fuselage;

positioning of a second antenna of a plurality of antennas at a second position on the fuselage; and

transmitting a signal using the first transmitting antenna,

wherein the first and second positions are rotationally asymmetric and offset from each other along the fuselage by 180°

offset by an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of the signal transmitted by the first antenna.

15. A method of improving radio frequency isolation between a plurality of antennas mounted on a body, the method comprising:

positioning of a first transmitting antenna of a plurality of antennas at a first position on the body;

positioning of a second antenna of the plurality of antennas at a second position on the body; and

transmitting a signal using the first transmitting antenna,

wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are rotationally positioned asymmetrically and away from each other on a body by half of a perimeter of the body offset by an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of the signal transmitted by the first antenna.

16. A method of improving radio frequency isolation between a plurality of antennas mounted on a body, the method comprising:

positioning of a first transmitting antenna of the plurality of antennas at a first position on the body;

positioning of a second antenna of a plurality of antennas at a second position on the body; and

transmitting a signal using the first transmitting antenna,

wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are rotationally positioned asymmetrically and away from each other on the body by 180°

offset by a distance between an odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of a signal transmitted by the first antenna minus one twelfth wavelength and the odd multiple of one quarter wavelength of a signal transmitted by the first antenna plus one twelfth wavelength.