Antenna system for terrestrial broadcasting

• US 6,950,077 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bae, Bum-youl
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HOANGANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/075,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20050225494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 201 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q00.9/16, 343/822, 343/821, 343/820, 343/823, 343/793, 343/795
• US Class Current: 343/822
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H

Abstract

Provided is an antenna system for terrestrial broadcasting. The antenna system has a dipole antenna probe receiving a broadcast signal, a signal amplifier amplifying the received broadcast signal, an antenna matching unit matching impedances between the antenna probe and the signal amplifier, an output matching unit matching impedances between an output signal of the signal amplifier and an input terminal of a broadcast receiver to which the output signal is fed, and a bias extractor converting power received from the broadcast receiver into power needed for driving the signal amplifier and supplying the converted power to the signal amplifier.

Claims

1. An antenna system for terrestrial broadcasting comprising:

a dipole antenna probe for receiving a broadcast signal;

a signal amplifier for amplifying the received broadcast signal;

an antenna matching unit for matching impedances between the antenna probe and the signal amplifier;

an output matching unit for matching impedances between an output signal of the signal amplifier and an input terminal of a broadcast receiver to which the output signal is fed; and

a bias extractor for converting power received from the broadcast receiver into power required for driving the signal amplifier and supplying the converted power to the signal amplifier.

2. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast signal comprises data in a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video (dNTSC) broadcast signal transmitted over a Very High Frequency-High (VHF-H) band.

3. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the dipole antenna probe comprises a probe with a variable length.

4. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the signal amplifier comprises a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) for reducing noise contained in the received broadcast signal and amplifying the received broadcast signal.

5. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna matching unit comprises a coil structure connected in series with a negative-probe of the antenna probe.

6. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the antenna matching unit comprises a balun circuit.

7. The antenna system of claim 6, wherein the balun circuit comprises a ferrite core.

8. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the output matching unit comprises a capacitor element.

9. The antenna system of claim 1, wherein the bias extractor comprises a plurality of passive circuit elements.

10. The antenna system of claim 1, further comprising a circuit protector for maintaining the power supplied from the broadcast receiver substantially constant and preventing electrostatic discharge.

11. The antenna system of claim 10, wherein the circuit protector comprises an arrestor.

12. A method of maximizing signal propagation in an antenna system comprising the steps of:

providing a loading coil to an antenna probe;

matching impedances between the antenna probe and a signal amplifier;

matching impedances between an output signal of the signal amplifier and an input terminal of a broadcast receiver to which the output signal is fed;

converting power received from the broadcast receiver into power required for driving the signal amplifier; and

supplying the converted power to the signal amplifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a broadcast signal provided to the antenna probe is a National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) video (dNTSC) broadcast signal transmitted over a Very High Frequency-High (VHF-H) band.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the antenna probe has a variable length.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of operating a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) in the signal amplifier to reduce noise contained in the received broadcast signal and amplify the received broadcast signal.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the providing step comprises the step of connecting a coil structure in series with a negative-probe of the antenna probe.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of matching impedances between the antenna probe and a signal amplifier is performed via a balun circuit.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of converting power is performed via a bias extractor comprising a plurality of passive circuit elements.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of operating a circuit protector to maintain the power supplied from the broadcast receiver substantially constant and to prevent electrostatic discharge.