Antenna assembly decoupling positioners and associated methods
First Claim
1. An antenna assembly for operation on a moving platform comprising:
- a base to be mounted on the moving platform;
an azimuthal positioner extending upwardly from said base;
a canted cross-level positioner extending from said azimuthal positioner at a cross-level cant angle canted from perpendicular, said canted cross-level positioner being rotatable about a cross level axis to define a roll angle resulting in coupling between said canted cross-level positioner and said azimuthal positioner;
an elevational positioner connected to said canted cross-level positioner resulting in coupling between said elevational positioner and said azimuthal positioner because of said roll angle;
an antenna connected to said elevational positioner; and
a controller for operating said azimuthal, canted cross-level, and elevational positioners to aim said antenna along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling at least one of said azimuthal and canted cross-level positioners, and said azimuthal and elevational positioners.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An antenna assembly for operation on a moving platform includes a base to be mounted on the moving platform, an azimuthal positioner extending upwardly from the base, and a canted cross-level positioner extending from the azimuthal positioner at a cross-level cant angle canted from perpendicular. The canted cross-level positioner may be rotatable about a cross-level axis to define a roll angle resulting in coupling between the azimuthal and canted cross-level positioners. The antenna assembly may also include an elevational positioner connected to the canted cross-level positioner resulting in coupling between the elevational and the azimuthal positioners because of the roll angle. An antenna may be connected to the elevational positioner. A controller operates the azimuthal, canted cross-level, and elevational positioners to aim the antenna along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling at least one of the azimuthal and canted cross-level positioners, and the azimuthal and elevational positioners.
243 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An antenna assembly for operation on a moving platform comprising:
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a base to be mounted on the moving platform;
an azimuthal positioner extending upwardly from said base;
a canted cross-level positioner extending from said azimuthal positioner at a cross-level cant angle canted from perpendicular, said canted cross-level positioner being rotatable about a cross level axis to define a roll angle resulting in coupling between said canted cross-level positioner and said azimuthal positioner;
an elevational positioner connected to said canted cross-level positioner resulting in coupling between said elevational positioner and said azimuthal positioner because of said roll angle;
an antenna connected to said elevational positioner; and
a controller for operating said azimuthal, canted cross-level, and elevational positioners to aim said antenna along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling at least one of said azimuthal and canted cross-level positioners, and said azimuthal and elevational positioners. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An antenna assembly for operation on a moving platform comprising:
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a base to be mounted on the moving platform;
an azimuthal positioner extending upwardly from said base, said azimuthal positioner comprising an azimuthal motor and an azimuthal tachometer associated therewith;
a canted cross-level positioner extending from said azimuthal positioner at a cross-level cant angle canted from perpendicular, said canted cross-level positioner being rotatable about a cross-level axis to define a roll angle resulting in coupling between said canted cross-level positioner and said azimuthal positioner, said canted cross-level positioner comprising a cross-level motor and a cross-level tachometer associated therewith;
an elevational positioner connected to said canted cross-level positioner resulting in coupling between said elevational positioner and said azimuthal positioner because of said roll angle, said elevational positioner comprising an azimuthal gyroscope, a canted cross-level gyroscope, an elevational gyroscope, an elevational motor and an elevational tachometer associated therewith;
an antenna connected to said elevational positioner; and
a controller for operating said azimuthal, canted cross-level, and elevational positioners to aim said antenna along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling at least one of said azimuthal and canted cross-level positioners, and said azimuthal and elevational positioners based upon at least some of said gyroscopes and tachometers. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An antenna positioning assembly for operation on a moving platform comprising:
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a plurality of positioners comprising at least first and second positioners non-orthogonally connected together thereby coupling said first and second positioners to one another; and
a controller for operating said positioners to aim an antenna along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling the at least first and second positioners. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for operating an antenna assembly comprising a plurality of positioners, the plurality of positioners comprising at least first and second positioners non-orthogonally connected together thereby coupling the first and second positioners to one another, the method comprising:
controlling the positioners to aim an antenna connected thereto along a desired line-of-sight and while decoupling the at least first and second positioners. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
Specification