US2310079A - Directional radio beacon - Google Patents

Directional radio beacon Download PDF

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Publication number
US2310079A
US2310079A US369580A US36958040A US2310079A US 2310079 A US2310079 A US 2310079A US 369580 A US369580 A US 369580A US 36958040 A US36958040 A US 36958040A US 2310079 A US2310079 A US 2310079A
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United States
Prior art keywords
plates
capacity
transmitter
phase
wing
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Expired - Lifetime
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US369580A
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English (en)
Inventor
Hermansson Adolf Harald
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AGA Baltic Radio AB
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AGA Baltic Radio AB
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Publication date
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S1/00—Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith
    • G01S1/02—Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith using radio waves

Definitions

  • My invention relates to directional radio beacons.
  • Directional radio beacons are known in which the direction of transmission is reversed in a predetermined sequence, usually either in time with the code letters e and t or a and n or sometimes in time with other code letters.
  • a listener on one side of a certain plane through the radio beacon will only hear the letter e (or a) whereas a listener on the other side of this plane will only hear the letter t (or 11).
  • the listener passes from one side of the plane to the other he will pass a certain position, viz. the said plane, where both signals are heard with equal intensity.
  • the signals were formed by shifting the phase characteristic of the directional beacon, the signals will complete each other so that a continuous tone is heard indicating that the listener is in the desired plane.
  • radio beacons are usually called E-T- beacons.
  • the directional sharpness is as a rule very good with such radio beacons and for this reason they are growing to be used more and more for indicating courses on land, on sea or in the air.
  • the E-T-beacons offer a relatively high directional sharpness they have also certain disadvantages. Especially prominent is the dimculty of building phase shifting apparatus with sufiicient precision. Phase shifters used hitherto have as a rule been rather complicated and it was necessary to make them of rather high precision in order to obtain the high directional sharpness. These circumstances have substantially retarded the commercial use of E-T-beacons.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a directional radio beacon embodying the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a polar diagram illustrating the operation of the radio beacon of Fig. 1;
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the phase shifting means embodying the present invention.
  • FIGs. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of directional systems embodying the present invention.
  • Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the phase shifting mechanism.
  • Fig. 8 is a detail view of the phase shifting condenser plates embodying the present invention.
  • Fig. 1 of the annexed drawings The transmitter is indicated II. This is connected through a phase shifter 2 to a loop antenna l3, and through a transformer hi to a non-directional antenna 15.
  • the phase shifter contains a set of fixed condenser plates which are actuated by a code-mechanism [6 in time with the code latters e and t.
  • Fig. 2 The operation of the arrangement is shown in Fig. 2.
  • the characteristic of the non-directional antenna is indicated by the curve 11, and the characteristic of the directional antenna by the curve I8. Both of the characteristics combine to form a directional characteristic [9. It is assumed that the part of the characteristic l8 drawn in full lines is in phase with the characteristic I1, whereas the part of the characteristic l8 drawn in dot and dash lines is in counter-phase. The shifting of the phase of the current in the loop antenna 13 also shifts the phase of the characteristic [8, and causes the system to have the characteristic 20.
  • phase shifting takes place in time with the code letters e and t, which complete each other, a listener located in the direction 2
  • intensity of the field propagated from the antenna I will change, for instance in such a direction that it increases from the value l'l, Fig. 2, to the value 21.
  • the phase shifter is provided with a compensation circuit 39, so arranged in relation to the directional antenna i3 that each change of load in the antenna circuit caused by the phase shifter, is substantially compensated by a change of load'in a corresponding direction in the load circuit 30, so that the load of the circuit 26 remains substantially constant in magnitude and phase regardless of the changes of load caused by the phase shifter.
  • Fig. 1 schematically the arrangement is shown in Fig. 1 in the form of two condensers 3
  • and 32 are further connected to a load circuit, containing for example an induction coil 35, a condenser 33 and a resistor 31, which are so adjusted in relation to each other that, together with the condensers 3i and 32, they correspond in phase and magnitude to the directional antenna I3 and to the capacities formed by the movable plates 33 and 34.
  • a load circuit containing for example an induction coil 35, a condenser 33 and a resistor 31, which are so adjusted in relation to each other that, together with the condensers 3i and 32, they correspond in phase and magnitude to the directional antenna I3 and to the capacities formed by the movable plates 33 and 34.
  • Fig. 3 the course in the phase shifter is graphically shown, assuming that the different condenser plates are so made that the capacity variation with respect to the angle of the phase shifter takes the form of a sine curve.
  • the curve 33 represents the capacity between the rotor plate 33 and one of the stator plates, for instance the stator plate 39 in Fig. 1, whereas the curve 40 represents the change of capacity between the rotor plate 33 and the other stator plate ill in the phase shifter.
  • the curve 42 represents the difference between the curves 38 and 40.
  • the curve 42 passes through zero value midway of the gap of the phase shifter represented between the positions 33 and 44.
  • a momentary compensation of the load is also produced by means of the circuit 30 as the capacities of the condensers 3
  • the difference between the curves 45 and 43 is represented by the curve 41.
  • a phase shifter of the same kind as shown in Fig. 1 is arranged, the drawing, however, showing schematically the balanced relationship of the phase shifter between the antenna I3 and the load 30. 1
  • K means an arbitrary constant.
  • the condition according to this formula may of course be fulfilled for any arbitrary function f1(0), as one has only to solve the equation,
  • the members (11, b1, as and b3, are arbitrary constants which are dependent upon the mechanical structure of the phase shifter, and if the part of the phase shifter coupled to the antenna, and the part coupled tothe tion 54 to the position 54 in Fig. 3.
  • FIG. 8 A phase shifter embodying the arrangement of Fig. 7, is shown in Fig. 8, the movable part 51 corresponding to the stator plates 63, 64, 55 and 65, Whereas the movable part 58 corresponds to the stator plates El, 68, 69 and m.
  • the fixed plates 5-9 and 66 correspond to the rotor wings "H, l2, l3 and It
  • in Fig. '7 corresponds to the plates and 76 in Fig. 8
  • the two half plates 62 in Fig. 7 correspond to the two half plates 11 and i8 and also 19 and Eli, respectively, in Fig. 8.
  • Both of the rotors are applied on the same shaft. They function in the following manner:
  • the stator plates 63, 64, 65 and 55, Fig. 8, have a span of exactly one-eighth of a revolution.
  • the rotor plates ll-l2 and it- 4M are made of double the width, but are divided into two wings each of which have the same form. Due to the position of these wings the capacity of the wing 12 to the stator plate 66 will decrease with exactly the same speed as the capacity of the wing ll to the stator plate 65 increases during the movement from the posi- The total capacity between the wings H and E2 on one side, and the stator plate 56 on the other side, will thus remain constant until the position 54, shown in Fig.
  • the rotor plates 15-89 are of a corresponding shape. Due to the phase displacement between the capacity changes of the phase shifter and the compensating capacity changes in the condensers 3
  • the wing H is in capacity relation to the stator plate 66 when the wing I2 is in the middle of the gap between the stator plates 66 and 63.
  • the wing 79 is in the gap between the stator plate 7!] and El while the left half of the wing it is in capacity relation to the stator plate 70.
  • the wing 88 is in capacity relation to the stator plate 69 and, due to the symmetry, the capacities between the rotor and each of the stator plates Bl69 and 63-43 are equal, so that the capacity difference becomes zero.
  • the real phase shifting takes place. Simultaneously the wing 80 is turned from capacity relation to the plate 69, whereas the wing 76 is turned fully into capacity relation to the stator plate 10, so that after rotating through an angle of 22.5 the capacity between the rotor and the stator plates 68 and 1E] obtains maximum value. whereas the capacity between the rotor and th stator plates 61 and 69 becomes zero. The capacity difference has thus reached its maximum value.
  • the wings 18 and 19 will be brought into capacity relation to the stator plates 69 and 6?, whereas the half wing 76 leaves its capacity relation to the stator plates Iii.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted Waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said phase-shifting means and said coupling means being so related that the impedance of said load circuit and said coupling means corresponds at all times in magnitude and phase to the impedance of said phase shifting means and the antenna connected thereto, whereby a constant load is maintained on said transmitter during the periods of phase shifting.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, a phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, variable coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said phase shifting means being formed to have a cosine phase-shifting characteristic and said coupling means being formed to have a sine characteristic, whereby a substantially constant load is maintained on said transmitter during the period of phase shifting.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, a phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, variable coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said phase shifting means and said coupling means each comprising condensers having stator and rotor plates shaped to provide characteristics suited to maintain a substantially constant load on said transmitter during the period of phase shifting.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, a phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, variable coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said phase shifting means and said coupling means each comprising condensers having stator and rotor plates extending over substantially electrical degrees, one of said plates being formed by two symmetrically arranged wing shaped parts shaped to provide characteristics suited to maintain a substantially constant load on said transmitter during the period of phase shifting.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, a phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted Waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, variable coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said phase shifting means and said coupling means each comprising condensers having stator and rotor plates extending over substantially 90 electrical degrees, one of said plates being formed by two symmetrically arranged wing shaped parts, each of said wing parts being shaped according to a square root function so as to provide characteristics suited to maintain a substantially constant load on said transmitter during the period of phase shifting.
  • a directional radio beacon comprising a transmitter, a non-directional antenna and a directional antenna fed thereby, a phase shifting means connected between said transmitter and one of said antennas to periodically reverse the phase relationship of the emitted waves for reversing the direction of transmission, an artificial load circuit, variable coupling means actuated in synchronism with said phase shifting means to couple said load circuit to said transmitter, said coupling means comprising a condenser having stator and rotor plates, said stator plates extending over substantially 90 electrical degrees, said rotor plate extending over substantially electrical degrees and being divided into three wing shaped parts, the outer wing parts having an extension of about 45 electrical degrees each and the center wing parts having an extension of about 90 electrical degrees, all of said wing parts being shaped according to a square root function.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
US369580A 1940-01-04 1940-12-11 Directional radio beacon Expired - Lifetime US2310079A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE548900X 1940-01-04

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US2310079A true US2310079A (en) 1943-02-02

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US369580A Expired - Lifetime US2310079A (en) 1940-01-04 1940-12-11 Directional radio beacon

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US (1) US2310079A (en(2012))
GB (1) GB548900A (en(2012))
NL (1) NL65829C (en(2012))

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2505017A (en) * 1945-10-16 1950-04-25 Herbert M Wagner Beacon system
US2582894A (en) * 1945-07-26 1952-01-15 Williams Frederic Calland Wireless beacon system
US2904784A (en) * 1953-08-10 1959-09-15 Gasaccumulator Svenska Ab Radio beacon of complementary code type

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2582894A (en) * 1945-07-26 1952-01-15 Williams Frederic Calland Wireless beacon system
US2505017A (en) * 1945-10-16 1950-04-25 Herbert M Wagner Beacon system
US2904784A (en) * 1953-08-10 1959-09-15 Gasaccumulator Svenska Ab Radio beacon of complementary code type

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL65829C (en(2012))
GB548900A (en) 1942-10-28

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