Antenna system and RF signal interference abatement method

• US 7,151,508 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2004
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Sievenpiper, Daniel F., Schaffner, James H., Lynch, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Chuc
• Application Number:
  US10/826,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20040263421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 343/100, 343/854, 343/911, 343/100.6, 343/911.L, 343/911.R, 343/374, 343/363, 343/909, 343/878, 343753-754, 343/853, 455/562, 455/277, 342/372
• US Class Current: 343/911.00L
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/115 Airborne or satellite based pseudolites or repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/215 issues related to spoofing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/06 using refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens radome H01Q1/42
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0031 Parallel-plate fed arrays; Lens-fed arrays multibeam arrays H01Q25/008
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/45 using two or more feeds in association with a common reflecting, diffracting or refracting device
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0428 radiating a circular polarised wave
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/22 for communication related to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/32 including a particular configuration of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/228 Elimination in the received signal of jamming or of data corrupted by jamming interference suppression in receivers H04B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/255 based on redundancy of transmitted data, transmission path or transmitting source
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS

Abstract

Disclosed is an antenna system including a Luneberg Lens having a spherically shaped outer surface and a spherically shaped focal surface spaced from its outer surface with a plurality of patch antenna elements disposed along the focal surface of the Luneberg Lens; and a power combiner for combining signals received by said plurality of patch antenna elements. The disclosed antenna system may be used a part of a robust GPS system having a plurality of GPS satellites each transmitting a GPS signal; a plurality of airborne GPS platforms, each GPS platform including a GPS transmitter for transmitting its own GPS signal, the GPS signals being transmitted from the plurality of airborne GPS platforms being differentiated from the GPS signals transmitted by visible GPS satellites; and at least one terrestrially located GPS receiver for receiving the GPS signals transmitted by visible ones of the GPS satellites and by visible ones of said airborne GPS platforms.

Claims

1. An antenna system comprising:

(a) a Luneberg Lens having a spherically shaped outer surface and a spherically shaped focal surface spaced from its outer surface;

(b) a plurality of patch antenna elements disposed along the focal surface of the Luneberg Lens; and

(c) a power combiner for combining signals received by said plurality of patch antenna elements;

wherein each patch antenna element of said plurality of patch antenna elements has at least one feed point for receiving signals, the signals at said feed point being selectively routed to said power combiner based upon certain predetermined signal criteria.

2. The antenna system of claim 1 wherein each patch antenna element of said plurality of patch antenna elements has at least another feed point for receiving circularly polarized signals, the signals received at said another feed point being selectively routed to said power combiner based upon certain predetermined signal criteria.

3. The antenna system of claim 2 wherein the signals routed from the feed points of each patch antenna element are routed via a first switch and one of a plurality of filters having different band pass characteristics.

4. The antenna system of claim 3 wherein the signals routed from the feed points of each patch antenna element are routed via a second switch, the second switch routing the signals to either a matched load or said power combiner.

5. The antenna system of claim 4 wherein the second switch is controlled in based upon said certain predetermined signal criteria.

6. The antenna system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined signal criteria is a signal level of the signal entering the entering the second switch and wherein the second switch is switched to couple the signals entering the second switch to said matched load when the signal level exceeds a predetermined level.

7. The antenna system of claim 6 wherein the signals from the feed points associated with a single patch antenna element are routed via a coupler before being passed to said second switch.

8. The antenna system of claim 2 wherein the signals routed from the feed points are routed via a switch for routing the signals to either a matched load or said power combiner.

9. The antenna system of claim 8 wherein the switch is controlled in based upon said certain predetermined signal criteria.

10. The antenna system of claim 9 wherein the predetermined signal criteria is a signal level of the signal entering the entering the second switch and wherein the second switch is switched to couple the signals entering the second switch to said matched load when the signal level exceeds a predetermined level.