GNSS antenna with selectable gain pattern, method of receiving GNSS signals and antenna manufacturing method
First Claim
1. A GNSS antenna, which includes:
- a base including a conductor ground plane;
a radiating element;
an adjustable support connected to said base and to said element and supporting said element in adjustable relation over said ground plane;
said element support adjustably reconfiguring said antenna by repositioning at least a portion of said active element relative to said ground plane; and
a variable gain pattern corresponding to said variable active element configuration relative to said ground plane;
said element support having a lower end mounted on said ground plane and an upper end mounting said element;
said element support being vertically adjustable and adapted for raising and lowering said element relative to said ground plane;
said active element comprising a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly including a central hub mounted on the central support upper end and multiple arms extending radially outwardly from said central hub;
a support height adjuster comprising a servo drive motor mounted on said base; and
said height adjuster adjusting the height of said support among said antenna configurations.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An antenna is provided for GNSS and other applications and includes an adjustable-height vertical support PCB mounted on a ground plane and mounting a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly. The gain pattern of the antenna can be varied by constructing the vertical support PCB with different heights or adjusting the height and gain pattern in the field. Vehicles with significant pitch and roll can be provided with low-horizon tracking capability by providing a high-profile antenna configuration. Alternatively, low-profile configurations provide steeper gain pattern rolloff at the horizon for maximal multipath rejection and high accuracy. The droop angles of the radiating arm elements are also adjustable for varying the gain pattern and beamwidth. A matching and phasing network is connected to the radiating arm elements and provides a relatively constant input impedance for the various antenna configurations. Alternative aspects of the invention have different configurations of the radiating arm elements and ground planes.
34 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A GNSS antenna, which includes:
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a base including a conductor ground plane; a radiating element; an adjustable support connected to said base and to said element and supporting said element in adjustable relation over said ground plane; said element support adjustably reconfiguring said antenna by repositioning at least a portion of said active element relative to said ground plane; and a variable gain pattern corresponding to said variable active element configuration relative to said ground plane; said element support having a lower end mounted on said ground plane and an upper end mounting said element; said element support being vertically adjustable and adapted for raising and lowering said element relative to said ground plane; said active element comprising a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly including a central hub mounted on the central support upper end and multiple arms extending radially outwardly from said central hub; a support height adjuster comprising a servo drive motor mounted on said base; and said height adjuster adjusting the height of said support among said antenna configurations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A GNSS antenna, which includes:
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a base including a conductor ground plane; an active element comprising a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly including a central hub mounted on the central support upper end and multiple arms extending radially outwardly from said central hub; said arms being flexible and drooping downwardly towards said ground plane; said downward droop of said radiating arms being adjustable for adjusting a beamwidth of said antenna; an adjustable element support comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) with a lower end mounted on said ground plane and an upper end connected to said central hub and supporting said element assembly in adjustable relation over said ground plane, said element support being vertically adjustable and adapted for raising and lowering said element relative to said ground plane; a variable gain pattern corresponding to said variable active element configuration relative to said ground plane; a phasing and matching network mounted on said support PCB and connected to said active element; a balun connected to said phasing and matching network; said base including a base PCB mounting said ground plane; a low noise amplifier (LNA) mounted on said base PCB; a first bandpass filter connected to said balun; said LNA connected to said first bandpass filter; a second bandpass filter connected to said LNA and to a line out; a bias network providing feedback from said line out to said LNA; said support PCB being manufactured to provide either a low-profile antenna by mounting said support on said base at a first location or a high-profile antenna by mounting said support on said base at a second location; said low-profile antenna providing relatively narrow beamwidth; said high-profile antenna providing relatively wide beamwidth; said high-profile antenna providing superior below-horizon signal acquisition; said antenna low profile configuration corresponding to less multipath susceptibility; said antenna operating across the super bands of GNSS frequencies comprising 1525-1613 MHz (L1) and 1165-1253 MHz (L2); said element support having a lower end mounted on said ground, plane and an upper end mounting said element; said element including a first opposed pair of said arms each connected to said support upper end by an inductive conductor trace extending from the respective atm to said phasing and matching network; said phasing and matching network having a pair of capacitors; said element including a second opposed pair of said arms each connected to said support upper end and to a respective capacitor; each said arm having an inner end connected to said hub and an outer end; each said arm diverging outwardly; and each said arm outer end having either a notched or a squared configuration.
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13. A method of receiving and amplifying GNSS signals, which comprises the steps of:
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providing a base including a conductor ground plane; providing an active element; adjustably supporting said active element on said base; reconfiguring said antenna by repositioning at least a portion of said active element relative to said ground plane; varying a gain pattern of said antenna corresponding to said variable active element configuration relative to said ground plane; providing a support with a lower end connected to said base and an upper end connected to said active element; extending and retracting said support; vertically raising and lowering said active element with said support providing a support with a lower end connected to said base and an upper end connected to said active element; providing said active element with a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly configuration including a central hub mounted on the support upper end and multiple arms extending radially outwardly from said central hub; constructing said arms from a flexible material and drooping said arms downwardly towards said ground plane; and adjusting a beamwidth of said antenna by adjusting the downward droop of said radiating arms. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A method of manufacturing a GNSS antenna with a selectable gain pattern, which method comprises the steps of:
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providing a base including a conductor ground plane; providing an active element, said active element comprising a crossed-dipole radiating arm element assembly including a central hub mounted on the central support upper end and multiple arms extending radially outwardly from said central hub; adjustably supporting said active element on said base; reconfiguring said antenna by repositioning at least a portion of said active element relative to said ground plane; varying a gain pattern of said antenna corresponding to said variable active element configuration relative to said ground plane; providing a support with a lower end connected to said base and an upper end connected to said active element; providing a support height adjuster comprising a servo drive motor mounted on said base; and said height adjuster adjusting the height of said support among said antenna configurations. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification