Systems and methods for efficient reception and combining of similar signals received on two or more antennas

• US 9,720,094 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Malaga, Alfonso
• Primary Examiner(s): Barker, Matthew M
• Application Number:
  US15/180,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/50 wherein the phase angle of the direction-dependent envelope signal is compared with a non-direction-dependent reference signal, e.g. VOR
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/043 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0817 with multiple receivers and antenna path selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0825 with main and with auxiliary or diversity antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme

Abstract

A radio signal processing system includes a first antenna; a second antenna; a first receiver communicatively coupled to the first antenna; a second receiver communicatively coupled to the second antenna; a first processing unit communicatively coupled to the first receiver and configured to receive a first signal from at least one of the first antenna and the second antenna when the system is operating in a first mode; a second processing unit communicatively coupled to the second receiver and configured to receive a second signal from the second antenna when the system is operating in a first mode; and wherein the first processing unit is further configured to receive a third signal from both the first antenna and the second antenna when the system is operating in a second mode.

Claims

1. A radio signal processing system comprising:

a first antenna;

a second antenna;

a switch switchably coupling the first antenna and the second antenna to a wideband multi-channel receiver;

a processing unit communicatively coupled to the wideband multi-channel receiver;

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive both a first signal and a second signal from the first antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver when the system is operating in a first mode and the switch is in a first position, wherein the first signal is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode localizer signal, wherein the second signal is a VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) signal;

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive both the first signal and the second signal from the second antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver when the system is operating in the first mode and the switch is in a second position;

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive both a third signal and the second signal from the first antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver when the system is operating in a second mode and the switch is in the first position, wherein the third signal is a VHF Data Broadcast (VDB) signal; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive both the third signal and the second signal from the second antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver when the system is operating in the second mode and the switch is in the second position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna is positioned at a nose of an aircraft;

and

wherein the second antenna is positioned at a vertical tail fin of the aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mode is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode and the second mode is a GNSS landing system (GLS) mode.

4. A method for receiving radio signals comprising:

receiving an operation mode selection;

when a first operation mode is selected and a switch coupled between a first antenna and a wideband multi-channel receiver is in a first position, receiving both a first signal and a second signal from the first antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver, wherein the first signal is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode localizer signal, wherein the second signal is a VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) signal;

when a first operation mode is selected and the switch coupled between the first antenna and the wideband multi-channel receiver is in a second position, receiving both the first signal and the second signal from the second antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver;

when a second operation mode is selected and the switch coupled between a second antenna and the wideband multi-channel receiver is in the first position, receiving both the third signal and the second signal from the first antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver, wherein the third signal is a VHF Data Broadcast (VDB) signal; and

when a second operation mode is selected and the switch coupled between the second antenna and the wideband multi-channel receiver is in the second position, receiving both the third signal and the second signal from the second antenna through the wideband multi-channel receiver.

5. The method (700) of claim 4, wherein the first antenna (104) is positioned at a nose of an aircraft (100);

and

wherein the second antenna (106) is positioned at a vertical tail fin of an aircraft (100).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first operation mode is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode and the second operation mode is a GNSS landing system (GLS) mode.

7. A radio signal processing system comprising:

a first means for receiving wireless signals;

a second means for receiving wireless signals;

a means for selecting between the first means for receiving wireless signals and the second means for receiving wireless signals;

a wideband multi-channel means for receiving signals from the means for selecting;

a means for processing the signals received from the wideband multi-channel means for receiving the signals;

wherein the means for processing is configured to receive both a first signal and a second signal from the first means for receiving wireless signals through the wideband multi-channel means for receiving signals when the system is operating in a first mode and the means for selecting is selecting the first means for receiving wireless signals, wherein the first signal is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode localizer signal, wherein the second signal is a VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) signal;

wherein the means for processing is configured to receive both the first signal and the second signal from the second means for receiving wireless signals through the wideband multi-channel means for receiving signals when the system is operating in the first mode and the means for selecting is selecting the second means for receiving first signals wirelessly;

wherein the means for processing is configured to receive both a third signal and the second signal from the first means for receiving wireless signals through the wideband multi-channel means for receiving signals when the system is operating in a second mode and the means for selecting is selecting the first means for receiving wireless signals, wherein the third signal is a VHF Data Broadcast (VDB) signal; and

wherein the means for processing is configured to receive both the third signal and the second signal from the second means for receiving wireless signals through the wideband multi-channel means for receiving signals when the system is operating in the second mode and the means for selecting is selecting the second means for receiving wireless signals.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first means for receiving wireless signals is positioned at a nose of an aircraft;

and

wherein the second means for receiving wireless signals is positioned at a vertical tail fin of the aircraft.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first mode is an instrument landing system (ILS) mode and the second mode is a GNSS landing system (GLS) mode.