Antenna alignment and monitoring system and method using GNSS

• US 8,184,050 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hemisphere GNSS(USA) Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hemisphere GPS LLC (Kubota Corporation)
• Inventors: Le Sage, Hendrikus A., Jakab, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US12/367,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 342/359, 455/562.1
• US Class Current: 342/359
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1242 Rigid masts specially adapted for supporting an aerial
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning

Abstract

An antenna alignment and monitoring system is provided for telecom antennas and includes a pair of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antennas mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) for installation in a telecom antenna enclosure. Multiple telecom antennas are configured in an antenna array for mounting on a transmission tower or other elevated structure. A common GNSS receiver cycles among the GNSS antenna pairs for initially aligning and subsequently monitoring the azimuth alignment of the telecom antennas relative to a reference azimuth using GNSS triangulation.

Claims

1. A system comprising the use of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antennas for aligning and monitoring a plurality of directional antennas adapted for directionally transmitting and/or receiving signals and including an enclosure, and adapted for mounting multiple said directional antennas in radially-spaced relation on a directional antenna tower, which system includes:

a plurality of directional antenna enclosures;

said directional antenna enclosures being elongated with upper and lower ends and including a generally vertical operating position;

a plurality of directional antennas;

a pair of GNSS antennas fixedly attached to each of said directional antenna enclosures;

a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCB) of a predetermined size, wherein each of said pair of GNSS antennas is mounted to a PCB in a predetermined spacing;

each of said PCB and GNSS antennas being fixedly mounted in one of said directional antenna enclosures with respect to each directional antenna'"'"'s direction of transmission/reception;

an upper array comprising six directional antenna enclosures mounted in radially-spaced, horizontally co-planar relation on said directional antenna tower and mounted generally toward the top of said directional antenna tower, said upper array comprises directional antenna enclosures oriented at approximately 60°

with respect to each other;

a lower array comprising a predetermined number of directional antenna enclosures mounted in a radially-spaced, horizontally co-planar relation on said directional antenna tower and mounted generally below said upper array, said lower array comprises three directional antenna enclosures oriented at approximately 120°

with respect to each other;

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver;

a controller connected to said GNSS receiver and adapted for processing GNSS signals for determining the GNSS antennas'"'"' GNSS-defined locations and thereby determining the directional antenna'"'"'s direction;

a switch adapted for selectively and sequentially connecting respective GNSS antenna pairs to said receiver, said receiver being adapted for cycling through said GNSS antenna pairs to determine an initial alignment and for continued subsequent monitoring of each antenna pair; and

a processor adapted for determining a horizontal directional alignment of each said directional antenna and for providing an output corresponding to each said directional antenna horizontal directional alignment.

2. A global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based device for aligning and monitoring the alignment of multiple, directional telecommunications antennas forming an array of directional telecommunications antennas mounted on a telecommunications antenna support structure, each said directional antenna including an enclosure with upper and lower ends and a generally vertical operating position, each said directional antenna further including an azimuth-adjustable mounting on said antennas support structure, which system comprises:

multiple GNSS-based alignment antenna pairs each located in a respective directional antenna enclosure and including multiple GNSS antennas;

said GNSS antennas in each said alignment antenna pair being located in a predetermined spacing and in fixed relation to a respective corresponding directional telecommunications antenna in a respective antenna enclosure;

a GNSS receiver;

a radio frequency (RF) switch connected to said alignment antenna pairs and to said GNSS receiver, said switch being adapted for sequentially and individually providing input to said GNSS receiver from said alignment antenna pairs;

a microprocessor connected to said GNSS receiver and adapted for computing a directional alignment of each said alignment antenna pair and a corresponding directional telecommunications antenna in a respective antenna enclosure;

an external interface connected to said microprocessor and adapted for interfacing said telecommunications antenna alignment pair with an entity monitoring said directional telecommunications antenna alignment.

3. The device according to claim 2, which includes:

said directional telecommunications antenna array comprising a first directional telecommunications antenna array;

a second directional telecommunications antenna array mounted on said support structure in vertically-spaced relation relative to said first rational telecommunications antenna array;

said second directional telecommunications antenna array comprising multiple, directional telecommunications antennas each including a directional antenna enclosure with upper and lower ends and a generally vertical operating position, each said directional telecommunications antenna further including an azimuth-adjustable mounting on said antennas support structure;

multiple GNSS-based alignment antenna pairs each located in a respective corresponding second directional telecommunications antenna enclosure and including multiple GNSS antennas;

said GNSS antennas in each said alignment antenna pair being located in a predetermined spacing and in fixed relation to a respective corresponding second directional telecommunications antenna in a respective directional antenna enclosure; and

said radio frequency (RF) switch being connected to said alignment antenna pairs in said second directional telecommunications antenna pair and to said GNSS receiver, said switch being adapted for sequentially and individually providing input to said GNSS receiver from said alignment antenna pairs.

4. The device according to claim 3, which includes:

multiple printed circuit boards (PCB) of a predetermined size, each mounting a pair of said GNSS antennas in a predetermined spacing.

5. The device according to claim 3, which includes:

said first telecommunications array comprising an upper array including six telecommunications antennas mounted in radially-spaced, horizontally co-planar relation on said directional antenna and mounted generally toward the top of said directional antenna, oriented at approximately 60°

with respect to each other; and

said second telecommunications array comprising a lower array including three telecommunications antennas mounted in a radially-spaced, horizontally co-planar relation on said directional antenna and mounted generally below said upper array, oriented at approximately 120°

with respect to each other.

6. The device according to claim 3, which includes:

said RF switch being adapted for selectively and sequentially connecting respective GNSS antennas to said receiver; and

said receiver being adapted for cycling through said GNSS antenna pairs to determine an initial alignment and for continued subsequent monitoring of each antenna pairs.

7. The device according to claim 3, which includes said microprocessor being adapted for determining a horizontal directional alignment of each said directional antenna and for providing an output corresponding to each said directional antenna horizontal directional alignment.