Satellite navigation using side by side antennas

• US 9,778,368 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Inventors: Krantz, Eric Charles, Loomis, Peter Van Wyck, Wallace, Gregory Craig, Talbot, Nicholas Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): McGue, Frank J
• Application Number:
  US14/479,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,122 Days
• Field of Search: 34235772
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/32 Multimode operation in a single same satellite system, e.g. GPS L1/L2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/28 Conical, cylindrical, cage, strip, gauze, or like elements having an extended radiating surface; Elements comprising two conical surfaces having collinear axes and adjacent apices and fed by two-conductor transmission lines waveguide horns or mouths H01Q13/00; slot antennas H01Q13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A multiband antenna apparatus for high-precision GNSS positioning is proposed. The multiband antenna apparatus comprises a first antenna configured for reception of GNSS signals in a first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum, a second multiband antenna configured for reception of GNSS signals in a second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum, and an antenna phase reference point configured to represent an integrated electric phase data. The antenna phase reference point is related to a physical reference point of the antenna apparatus.

Claims

1. A multiband antenna apparatus for high-precision GNSS positioning comprising:

a first multiband antenna element coupled to the multiband antenna apparatus, the first multiband antenna element configured for reception of GNSS signals in a first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

said first multiband antenna element having a first phase center configured to represent a first phase data collected by said first multiband antenna element in said first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

a second multiband antenna element coupled to the multiband antenna apparatus, the second multiband antenna element configured for reception of GNSS signals in a second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

said second multiband antenna element having a second phase center configured to represent a second phase data collected by said second multiband antenna element in said second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

wherein said first multiband antenna element is laterally spaced from said second multiband antenna element on the multiband antenna apparatus by a separation distance, the separation distance being within a range of between one half wavelength of the GNSS signals in the first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum and one half wavelength of the GNSS signals in the second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum; and

an antenna phase reference point;

wherein said antenna phase reference point is configured to represent an integrated phase data by integrating said first phase data collected by said first multiband antenna element in said first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum and by integrating said second phase data collected by said second multiband antenna element in said second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

wherein said antenna phase reference point is related to a physical reference point of said multiband antenna apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum is selected from the group consisting of:

an EL1 frequency band;

an EL2 frequency band; and

a GNSS satellite frequency band.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second multi band of electromagnetic spectrum is selected from the group consisting of:

an EL1 frequency band;

an EL2 frequency band; and

a GNSS satellite frequency band.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband antenna element is selected from the group consisting of:

a patch antenna; and

a helical antenna; and

a cross dipole antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first multiband patch antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a rectangular metal patch antenna;

a square metal patch antenna;

a circle metal patch antenna; and

a triangle metal patch antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first multiband patch antenna further comprises:

a patch antenna located above a ground plane with a dielectric material therebetween.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first multiband patch antenna further comprises:

a patch antenna having a size of a resonance wavelength corresponding to a half of a dielectrically compensated wavelength at a center frequency of said first multiband.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first multiband patch antenna element further comprises:

a patch antenna being excited through a feeding method selected from the group consisting of;

a micro strip feeding method;

a probe feeding method; and

an aperture coupled feeding method.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second multi band antenna element is selected from the group consisting of:

a patch antenna;

a cross dipole antenna; and

a helical antenna.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said second multi band patch antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a rectangular metal patch antenna;

a square metal patch antenna;

a circle metal patch antenna; and

a triangle metal patch antenna.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said second multiband patch antenna further comprises:

a patch antenna located above a ground plane with a dielectric material therebetween.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said second multiband patch antenna further comprises:

a patch antenna having a size of a resonance wavelength corresponding to a half of a dielectrically compensated wavelength at a center frequency of said first multiband.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said second multi band patch antenna element further comprises:

a patch antenna being excited through a feeding method selected from the group consisting of;

a micro strip feeding method;

a probe feeding method; and

an aperture coupled feeding method.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband antenna element further comprises:

a right-hand circular polarized first multiband antenna.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said first right-hand circular polarized multiband antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a single probe fed rectangular patch antenna;

a two probe fed square patch antenna; and

a four probe fed square patch antenna.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second multiband antenna element further comprises:

a right-hand circular polarized first multiband antenna.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said second right-hand circular polarized multiband antenna is selected from the group consisting of:

a single probe fed rectangular patch antenna;

a two probe fed square patch antenna; and

a four probe fed square patch antenna.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband antenna element is positioned forward on a car body;

wherein said second multiband antenna element is positioned backward on said car body;

wherein a position of said first multiband antenna element relative to a position of said second multiband antenna element in ECEF frame is determined with a high accuracy.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multi band antenna element is positioned on a left part of a car body;

wherein said second multiband antenna element is positioned on a right side of said car body; and

wherein a position location of said first multiband antenna element relative to a position location of said second multiband antenna element in ECEF frame is determined with a high accuracy.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband antenna element is positioned on a first wing of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle;

wherein said second multiband antenna element is positioned on a second wing of said Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first multiband antenna element and said second multi band antenna element are mounted on a bar, and wherein said bar is attached to a mobile communication device by a clip-on mounting system;

said mobile communication device is selected from the group consisting of;

a smart phone;

a cell phone; and

a tablet.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said bar is rotated with respect to said mobile communication device to achieve an optimum GNSS signals reception.

23. A method of high-precision GNSS positioning by using an antenna apparatus comprising:

(A) receiving GNSS signals in a first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum by using a first multiband antenna element coupled to the multiband antenna apparatus;

said first multiband antenna element having a first phase center configured to represent a first phase data collected by said first multiband antenna element in said first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum;

(B) receiving GNSS signals in a second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum by using a second multiband antenna element coupled to the multiband antenna apparatus;

said second multiband antenna element having a second phase center configured to represent a second phase data collected by said second multiband antenna element in said second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the first multiband antenna element is laterally spaced from the second multiband antenna element on the multiband antenna apparatus by a separation distance, the separation distance being within a range of between one half wavelength of the GNSS signals in the first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum and one half wavelength of the GNSS signals in the second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum; and

(C) integrating said first phase data collected by said first multiband antenna element in said first multiband of electromagnetic spectrum and integrating said second phase data collected by said second multiband antenna element in said second multiband of electromagnetic spectrum by using an antenna phase reference point configured to represent an integrated phase data;

wherein said antenna phase reference point is related to a physical reference point of said antenna apparatus.