Antenna diversity system for relatively broadband broadcast reception in vehicles

• US 8,422,976 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delphi Delco Electronics Europe GmbH (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Delco Electronics Europe GmbH (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Lindenmeier, Heinz, Hopf, Jochen, Reiter, Leopold, Lindenmeier, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): HU, RUI MENG
• Application Number:
  US12/170,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 455132-148, 455272-294, 455296-312, 4552261-2264
• US Class Current: 455/297
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/24 varying the orientation by switching energy from one active radiating element to another, e.g. for beam switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1027 assessing signal quality or detecting noise/interference for the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1081 Reduction of multipath noise by equalising H04B7/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/04 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint

Abstract

There is disclosed an antenna diversity system for relatively broadband broadcast reception in vehicles such as motor vehicles. The device can include a diversity processor having numerous components including a microprocessor for controlling a signal selection switch. In alternative embodiments the processor can be incorporated into a receiver or into a multi-antenna system. One advantage of these designs is that it is able to exist with one reception tuner and being able to select one signal from a plurality of antenna signals A1, A2, . . . AN, with great probability, whose signal components lie above the level necessary for interference-free reception, over the entire channel bandwidth B.

Claims

1. An antenna diversity system for receiving broadcast reception of OFDM—

modulated signals in vehicles, said system comprising;

a receiver having an input and an output;

a multi-antenna system having a plurality of antennas and an output comprising an OFDM—

modulated reception signal for each of said plurality of antennas;

a signal selection switch having an input for receiving at least two reception signals from said plurality of antennas, said signal selection switch for selection of a different reception signal, in terms of diversity, and wherein said signal selection switch has an output in a form of a selected reception signal which is passed to said receiver; and

a diversity processor, which assesses a signal quality of the selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal arriving at said receiver, and which is configured to activate said signal selection switch to pass a different OFDM—

modulated reception signal, in terms of diversity, to said receiver, if interference occurs, by switching over, wherein said diversity processor is configured to receive said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal that is present in said receiver, having the greater frequency bandwidth B of the OFDM—

modulated reception signal than the expected bandwidth of the transmission channel;

wherein said diversity processor is configured to determine a signal quality of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal, by dividing its frequency bandwidth B into frequency intervals (Δ

f), within which the frequency components of said selected reception signal are essentially constant, in each instance, when multipath-propagation is present,

wherein said diversity processor is configured so that frequency intervals Δ

f are formed by means of a plurality of subcarriers, and wherein a set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f are detected by means of the level values of the subcarriers,

wherein said processor comprises;

an evaluation circuit wherein said set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal are separately compared with a signal level threshold that is required for interference-free reception, in said evaluation circuit that is a frequency-interval-specific level evaluation of these subcarriers, and the interference rate of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal is determined by means of evaluation of these measurements over all the frequency intervals (Δ

f),

wherein if interference is detected, said processor passes a different reception signal, in terms of diversity, in a form of a different selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal having a lowest interference rate, to said receiver.

2. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, wherein said selected signal, passed to said diversity processor, comprises a reception signal converted into an intermediate frequency channel.

3. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, wherein additional reception signals are formed from said multi-antenna system by forming linear combinations of the reception signals of said plurality of antennas, wherein said additional reception signals are passed to said signal selection switch (2) to increase a signal variety.

4. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, further comprising an interference rate determination circuit, wherein a set of output signals of said evaluation circuit are passed, as binary signals, to an interference rate determination of said selected reception signal, in which an interference rate (13) of said selected reception signal is determined by means of evaluation of said binary signals.

5. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, wherein said diversity processor is programmed to determine said interference rate which occurs in combination with an updating of said selected reception signal, and wherein said diversity processor is advantageously switched through, repeatedly, in steps that follow one another at short time intervals, and that the time intervals are short enough so that the driving distance traveled within such an interval does not exceed the length λ

/10.

6. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1 further comprising a clock generator, wherein said clock generator generates a cycle signal which is output to said diversity processor wherein said diversity processor uses said cycle signal to determine an interference rate.

7. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, further comprising an interference rate memory with address signal generation wherein said memory stores an interference rate, in each instance, and wherein said diversity processor compares a current interference rate, in each instance, with a set of stored interference rates and wherein said memory has an output comprising an address signal, which is sent to said signal selection switch such that said signal selection switch switches through available reception signals, to select a signal that has a smallest interference rate.

8. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, wherein said diversity processor is configured to determine an interference rate in combination with an updating of said selected reception signal that is advantageously switched through, repeatedly, in steps that follow one another at short time intervals, and wherein said time intervals are short enough so that a driving distance traveled within such an interval preferably amounts to the length that does not exceed a length of λ

/10.

9. The antenna diversity system according to claim 1, wherein said diversity processor is configured so that frequency intervals (Δ

f) are formed by means of a plurality of sub-carriers, and wherein a set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals (Δ

f) are detected by means of the level values of these sub-carriers.

10. The antenna diversity system according to claim 9, wherein said diversity processor derives a cycle signal from a symbol cycle of the OFDM signal and does not occur during the symbol period but rather at its beginning or end.

11. The antenna diversity system according to claim 10, wherein said diversity processor creates said cycle signal during a guard interval.

12. The antenna diversity system for broadcast reception of DVBT—

modulated signals according to claim 1, wherein said diversity processor creates frequency intervals (Δ

f) which are formed by means of a plurality of pilot carriers (P), and the frequency-interval-specific level values of the frequency intervals (Δ

f) are detected by means of the level values of the pilot carriers (P).

13. The antenna diversity system for broadcast reception of DVBT-modulated signals according to claim 1, wherein said frequency-interval-selective level detection component (5) is given in such a manner that said frequency intervals (Δ

f) are formed by means of selected pilot carriers (P), positioned appropriately in the frequency distance of the frequency intervals (Δ

f), and the frequency-interval-specific level values (11) of the frequency intervals (Δ

f) which are detected by means of the level value of the pilot carrier (P) are assigned to a frequency interval (Δ

f).

14. The antenna diversity system according to claim 13, wherein said diversity processor selects a frequency bandwidth of a frequency interval to be not more than 1.5 MHz, in each instance.

15. The antenna diversity system according to claim 14, wherein said diversity processor further comprises an interference rate memory wherein said diversity processor detects separately a reception power of said selected antenna signal (17) within the entire frequency bandwidth of the reception channel B in each instance, to support rapid updating of the ranking list formed by means of said interference rate memory, and wherein antenna signals currently having too low a reception power are only available for selection with a lower rank, by means of placement into the ranking list at a lower rank.

16. The antenna diversity system according to claim 15, wherein said receiver is supplemented with a pilot amplitude detection component, a microcontroller, and an IF broadband bandpass with a level detector, to produce an expanded receiver, and a level of the IF signal at the output of said IF broadband bandpass with said level detector is detected in the form of the HFchannel-specific level value, which, together with the frequency-interval-specific level values, is passed to said microcontroller for updating the ranking list, and for configuring the coded address signal for the antenna signal A1 . . . AN to be selected, and the coded address signal is transmitted, by way of said highfrequency line,

wherein the device further comprises an address signal generator situated in said multi-antenna system, and coupled to said high frequency line to receive said coded address signal,

wherein said address signal controls said signal selection switch.

17. The antenna diversity system according to claim 15, further comprising an expanded receiver, having a plurality of selection devices, wherein said expanded receiver has an oscillator signal and whose cycle signal are passed, by way of said selection devices, and by way of said high-frequency line, to said multi-antenna system,

wherein the device further comprises a microcontroller, in which said address signal for selecting said antenna signal is generated by said microcontroller, by means of turning on said signal selection switch;

wherein the device further comprises a signal pre-selection switch wherein said microcontroller turns on said signal selection switch so that said signal pre-selection switch is also controlled by said microcontroller, wherein said antenna signals A1 . . . AN are passed on an input side to said microcontroller (21),

wherein the device further comprises an IF narrowband bandpass and a frequency converter (34b), wherein said selected antenna signals are alternately passed to said IF narrowband band-pass having a bandwidth of a frequency interval Δ

f, by way of a frequency converter which, for frequency conversion, is turned on with a frequency interval selection signal (35) for step-by-step detection of the reception channel B, controlled by said microcontroller, offset relative to the oscillator signal, in terms of frequency, in steps of a multiple of the frequency interval Δ

f-so that a its output, a frequency-interval specific level value of the antenna signal in question is present in said microcontroller, in each instance, and the current address signal and the ranking list are formed from this.

18. The antenna diversity system according to claim 16, wherein the device further comprises, an IF broadband band-pass filter for receiving the frequency bandwidth of the HF channel, to which the input signal of the IF narrowband band-pass filter is also passed, and whose output signal, in the case of frequency equality between the frequency interval selection signal and the oscillator signal, supplies the HF-channel-specific level value to the microcontroller, in which, on the basis of this level value, the preliminary decision concerning the possible selection of an antenna signal is made, before the individual frequency-interval-specific level values have been detected.

19. The antenna diversity system according to claim 18, wherein the system is simplified in that the frequency of the oscillator signal is passed to said microcontroller in said expanded receiver, as a digitally coded oscillator frequency signal, by way of said high-frequency line, and wherein the device further comprises a digitally controllable voltage-controlled oscillator, which is controlled by said microcontroller, wherein said corresponding frequency interval selection signal is generated by said digitally controllable voltage-controlled oscillator, in each instance, which is controlled by said microcontroller.

20. An antenna diversity system for receiving broadcast reception of OFDM—

modulated signals comprising;

a) a multi-antenna system comprising a plurality of antennas and an output comprising an OFDM—

modulated reception signal for each of said plurality of antennas, said multi-antenna system comprising;

i) at least one high frequency line;

ii) at least one signal selection switch having its input coupled to said multi antenna system, and its output coupled to said high frequency line;

iii) an address signal generator coupled to said high frequency line to receive a coded address signal, wherein said address signal controls said signal selection switch;

b) a receiver comprising;

i) a pilot amplitude detector;

ii) a microcontroller; and

iii) an IF broadband band-pass with a level detector, to produce an expanded receiver, wherein a level of an IF signal at an output of said IF broadband band-pass with level detector is detected in a form of an HF-channel-specific level value, which, together with a set of frequency-interval-specific level values, is passed to said microcontroller for updating a ranking list, and for configuring said coded address signal for said antenna signal to be selected, and wherein said coded address signal is transmitted, by way of said high-frequency line;

a diversity processor, which assesses a signal quality of the selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal arriving at said receiver, and which is configured to activate said signal selection switch to pass a different OFDM—

modulated reception signal, in terms of diversity, to said receiver, if interference occurs, by switching over, wherein said diversity processor is configured to receive said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal that is present in said receiver, having the greater frequency bandwidth B of the OFDM—

modulated reception signal than the expected bandwidth of the transmission channel;

wherein said diversity processor is configured to determine a signal quality of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal, by dividing its frequency bandwidth B into frequency intervals (Δ

f), within which the frequency components of said selected reception signal are essentially constant, in each instance, when multipath-propagation is present, wherein said diversity processor is configured so that frequency intervals Δ

f are formed by means of a plurality of subcarriers, and wherein a set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f are detected by means of the level values of the subcarriers, an evaluation circuit wherein said set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal are separately compared with a signal level threshold that is required for interference-free reception, in said evaluation circuit that is a frequency-interval-specific level evaluation of these subcarriers, and the interference rate of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal is determined by means of evaluation of these measurements over all the frequency intervals (Δ

f);

wherein if interference is detected, said address signal generator switches said signal selection switch to pass a different selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal, in terms of diversity, in a form of a selected reception signal having a lowest interference rate, to said receiver.

21. An antenna diversity system for receiving broadcast reception of OFDM—

modulated signals comprising;

a) a multi-antenna system comprising a plurality of antennas and an output comprising an OFDM—

modulated reception signal for each of said plurality of antennas, said multi-antenna system comprising;

i) at least one high frequency line;

ii) at least one signal selection switch having an input coupled to an output of said plurality of antennas, and its output coupled to said high frequency line;

iii) at least one signal pre-selection switch having an input coupled to an output of said plurality of antennas;

iv) a microcontroller, which is configured to control said at least one signal pre-selection switch and which generates and sends an address signal to said signal selection switch for selecting an antenna signal;

v) an IF narrowband band-pass;

vi) a frequency converter, in communication with said at least one signal pre-selection switch, wherein said antenna signals which are passed from said at least one signal pre-selection switch are alternately passed to said IF narrowband band-pass, based upon signals having a bandwidth of a frequency interval Δ

f, by way of said frequency converter which, for frequency conversion, is turned on with a frequency interval selection signal for step-by-step detection of a reception channel B, controlled by said microcontroller, offset relative to an oscillator signal, in terms of frequency, in steps of a multiple of the frequency interval Δ

f-so that said IF narrowband band-pass outputs a frequency-interval-specific level value of the antenna signal in question to said microcontroller, in each instance, such that said microcontroller generates said current address signal and a ranking list from said frequency-interval-specific level value; and

b) a receiver comprising;

i) a plurality of selection devices, wherein said receiver has an oscillator signal and a cycle signal which is passed, by way of said selection devices, and by way of said high-frequency line, to said multi-antenna system;

a diversity processor, which assesses a signal quality of the selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal arriving at said receiver, and which is configured to activate said signal selection switch to pass a different OFDM—

modulated reception signal, in terms of diversity, to said receiver, if interference occurs, by switching over, wherein said diversity processor is configured to receive said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal that is present in said receiver, having the greater frequency bandwidth B of the OFDM—

modulated reception signal than the expected bandwidth of the transmission channel;

wherein said diversity processor is configured to determine a signal quality of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal, by dividing its frequency bandwidth B into frequency intervals (Δ

f), within which the frequency components of said selected reception signal are essentially constant, in each instance, when multipath-propagation is present, wherein said diversity processor is configured so that frequency intervals Δ

f are formed by means of a plurality of subcarriers, and wherein a set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f are detected by means of the level values of the subcarriers, an evaluation circuit wherein said set of frequency-interval-specific level values of said frequency intervals Δ

f of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal are separately compared with a signal level threshold that is required for interference-free reception, in said evaluation circuit that is a frequency-interval-specific-level evaluation of these subcarriers, and the interference rate of said selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal is determined by means of evaluation of these measurements over all the frequency intervals (Δ

f);

wherein if interference is detected, said microcontroller switches said signal selection switch to pass a different reception signal, in terms of diversity, in a form of a selected OFDM—

modulated reception signal reception signal having a lowest interference rate, to said receiver.

22. The antenna diversity system according to claim 21, further comprising:

a) an IF broadband band-pass, disposed in said multi-antenna system, said IF broadband band-pass for receiving a frequency bandwidth of an HF channel, to which the input signal of the IF narrowband band-pass is also passed, and whose output signal, in the case of frequency equality between the frequency interval selection signal and the oscillator signal, supplies the HF-channel-specific level value to the microcontroller, in which, on the basis of this level value, the preliminary decision concerning the possible selection of an antenna signal is made, before the individual frequency-interval-specific level values have been detected.

23. The antenna diversity system according to claim 22, wherein said multi-antenna system further comprises:

at least one digitally controllable voltage-controlled oscillator which is controlled by said microcontroller, and said expanded receiver, sends a digitally coded oscillator frequency signal, by way of said high-frequency line to said microcontroller, and wherein said corresponding frequency interval selection signal is generated by said digitally controllable voltage-controlled oscillator, in each instance.