US3747113A

US3747113A - Antenna support and stowage system

Info

Publication number: US3747113A
Application number: US00258156A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vellis S De
Original assignee: Raytheon Co
Current assignee: Raytheon Co
Priority date: 1972-05-31
Filing date: 1972-05-31
Publication date: 1973-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-17

Abstract

An antenna support and stowage device comprising a shelter, a pair of rails along which an antenna and its support can enter and exit the shelter, one of the rails being on the floor and the other being on the ceiling of the shelter, a yoke for supporting the antenna, the yoke being adapted to ride along these rails and to pivot about an entrance to the shelter, the yoke being provided with a second pivot whereby it connects to the antenna. Brackets are mounted on each side of the shelter entrance for pinning the frame to the brackets and rigidly supporting the antenna even in the presence of wind gusts. Motor driven pivots are provided for pivoting the antenna about the frame and the frame about the shelter.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,747,113 De Vellis July 17, 1973 ANTENNA SUPPORT AND STOWAGE Primary Examiner-Eli Lieberman SYSTEM Attorney-Milton D. Bartlett et a]. [75) lnventor: Salvatore V. De Vellls, Bedford,

Mass. [5 7] ABSTRACT alylhmn P b Lexington- An antenna support and stowage device comprising a ass.

shelter, a pair of rails along which an antenna and its 22 F] d: M 31 1972 support can enter and exit the shelter, one of the rails I i e being on the floor and the other being on the ceiling of l l PP 253,156 the shelter, a yoke for supporting the antenna, the yoke being adapted to ride along these rails and to pivot 52 us. Cl 343/766 343/872 343/881 an entrance to the shehmthe yoke being P 511 Int. Cl. u'ol 3/00 with a smhd P whereby "connects to the [58] Field of Search 343/763, 765, 766, ahtehha- Brackets are mounted on each side of the 343/872 881 882 shelter entrance for pinning the frame to the brackets and rigidly supporting the antenna even in the presence [56] References Cited of wind gusts. Motor driven pivots are provided for piv- UNITED STATES PATENTS oting the antenna about the frame and the frame about the shelter.' 3,646,564 2/1972 Drislane 343/766 15 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEU JUL 1 1 ma SHEEIIOFS ANTENNA SUPPORT AND STOWAGE SYSTEM The invention herein described was made in the course of or under a contract or subcontract thereunder, (or grant) with the Department of Defense.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for the positioning and stowage of an antenna, and more particularly to a stowage system providing for a readily portable antenna as well as providing a rigid base upon which the antenna can be readily mounted.

Numerous forms of antenna positioning mechanisms have been built in the past. Each of these is particularly adapted to a specific situation such as the mounting of an antenna on a moving vehicle, to a fixed pedestal, or to a wall. For antenna stowage, such mechanisms may be combined with an ancillary stowage device, or the mechanism may simply provide for a stowage position of the antenna to facilitate transportation by a vehicle to which the antenna support mechanism is affixed.

A problem arises wherein a portable antenna is to be mounted with sufficient rigidity to permit its use in a highly precise radar system for guiding aircraft in their approach as to an airport runway. In addition to'the usual requirements of a relatively lightweight antenna support and shelter to permit transportation to a remote site, the antenna positioning mechanism should shelter. Automatically latching brackets are provided at the termini of the 180 sector and are positioned at the corners of the shelter to contact both the upper and the lower beams of the yoke to provide sufficient dypermit an orientation of the antenna in a variety of directions to accommodate the various runways at an airport, this capability of antenna orientation to be accomplished without sacrificing the rigidity associated with stationary antenna supports. It is also noted that the requisite antenna support structure must be dynamically stable even in the presence of strong winds and gusts blowing in any direction to ensure that the antenna remains stable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned problems are overcome and other features are provided by an antenna support and stowage system in accordance with the invention which comprises a shelter and a radar antenna coupled to the shelter by means ofa positioningmechanism, the she]- ter and the antenna being configured such'that when the antenna support is stowed within the shelter, sufficient space remains for radar consoles and allied radar equipment. The shelter contains, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a pair of rails, one of which is mounted upon the ceiling and one of which is mounted upon the floor of the shelter, to permit the antenna and its positioning mechanism to be readily rolled into and out of the shelter. The shelter is furthermore adapted to permit the affixing of a pair of detachable pivots which are affixed to the shelter adjacent the termini of the upper and the lower rails for support of the positioning mechanism. The antenna positioning mechanism comprises a frame assembly, generally referred to as a yoke, having an upper and a lower rigid hollow beam which are rigidly interconnected by an interstitial member to provide a rigid and lightweight structure. The positioning mechanism further comprises a pair of motor driven pivot assemblies, one at each end of the yoke for respectively pivoting the yoke about the shelter and for pivoting the antenna about the yoke. A total azimuthal scanning sector inexeess of 270, free of blockage by the shelter, is provided by pivoting the yoke over a sector of 180 about an end of the namic stability for withstanding wind gusts. In the preferred embodiment of the invention pinning mechanisms enclosed within the upper and lower beams automatically couple the yoke to the latching brackets. Roller assemblies are provided on the support mechanism for rolling the support mechanism and the antenna along the rails to stow the antenna. An auxiliary rail is detachably affixed externally to the shelter to facilitate movement of the support mechanism, the auxiliary rail being connected by a pivot to a bracket adjacent a terminus of the lower rail. There is also disclosed a foldable form of antenna wherein the overall dimensions of the antenna can be reduced to facilitate stowage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned aspects and other advantages of the invention are explained in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a radar system utilizing the antenna support and stowage system of the invention for positioning an antenna in the guiding of aircraft at an airport;

FIG. 2 shows a rear entrance to a shelter with the antennaand its positioning mechanism being rolled into the shelter in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the radar system showing the assembly of a reflector of the antenna in an embodiment of the invention wherein the reflector is larger than a shelter used for stowage;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a yoke assembly of the positioning mechanism showing a pivot assembly and latching brackets whereby the yoke assembly is connected to the shelter; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the invention showing the extent of mechanical azimuthal coverage provided by the positioning mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is seena system 20 providing for both the support and stowage, i'n

accordance with the invention, of an antenna22 being used for communicating with aircraft 24 landing on and alighting from a runway 26. FIG. 2'shows the antenna 22 in a folded configuration undergoing the stowaging procedure, while FIG. 3 shows a disassembly of the antenna 22, to be described hereinafter with respect to an alternative embodiment of the invention. The antenna 22 is shown, by way of example, as being a phased array antenna having a reflector 28, a lens 30 and a horn 32 which transmits radiant energy through the lens 30 towards the reflector 28 from which it reflects as a beam 34 to the aircraft 24. The antenna 22 is supported by means of a yoke 36 which is pivotally connected to a shelter 38 by upper pivot 40 and a lower pivot 42, and is also pivotally connected to the antenna 22 by means of an upper pivot 44 and a lower pivot 46. The yoke 36 comprises an upper member 48, a lower member 50 and an interstitial member 52, each of which are hollow beams. The yoke 36 permits the antenna 22 to be swung around, as will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 5, so that the antenna 22 can face aircraft approaching from any one of several directions and on any one of a plurality of intersecting runways.

The shelter 38 serves as the base of support for the antenna 22 and is provided with leveling jacks 54 to insure a stable level base even when the shelter 38 is mounted on uneven ground adjacent a runway 26. The shelter is preferably positioned at the intersection of a plurality of runways to permit pointing the antenna 22 along any one of the runways depending on the flight path of the aircraft 24. The lower pivot 42, the interstitial member 52, the upper member 48 and the upper pivot 44 sustain the weight of the antenna 22 while the upper pivot 40, the lower member 50 and the lower pivot 46 serve only to balance horizontal forces resulting from the cantilevered mounting of the antenna 22. Four brackets 55-58 are provided at an end of the shelter 38 for supporting the yoke 36 at a point between the

upper pivots

40 and 44 as well as securing the yoke at a point between the

lower pivots

42 and 46, thereby providing in combination with the upper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42 a four-point locking system which locks the yoke 36 to the shelter 38 and imparts sufficient dynamic stability to the antenna 22 to maintain it stable even in the presence of high wind gusts. Rings 59 are affixed to the corners of the shelter 38 for ligting the shelter 38 and to aid in transporting the shelter 38 by helicopter; the rings 59 also serve as tie down points for securely anchoring the shelter 38 to ground anchors 60 via guy calbles'61.

In this embodiment of the invention, the antenna 22 is provided with a swiveled boom 62 for supporting the lens 30 and the horn 32 in spaced apart relation to the reflector 28, and swiveled about a pivot 63 during stoward of the antenna 22 within the shelter 38. The swiveling of the boom 62 about the pivot 63 closes the distance between the lens 30 and the reflector 28, thereby decreasing the overall dimensions of the antenna 22 to permit its entry into the shelter 38. The swiveling of the boom 60 about pivot 63 as well as the pivoting of the antenna about the

pivots

44 and 46 provides for an ar ticulated structure comprising the boom 62, the reflector 28 and the yoke 36, which is thus seen to have the capability of being folded up to permit stowarge of the complete antenna 22 as well as the yoke 36 within the shelter 38 without disconnecting the antenna 22 from the yoke 36.

In'those situations where the reflector 28 is very.

much larger than the lens 30, and it is desired to retain a relatively small sizefor the shelter 38, the reflector 28 is dismantled prior to stowage as will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3. To facilitate explanation of the invention, each of the figures show the embodiment of the invention wherein the reflector 28 is larger than the shelter38, it being understood that by increasing the height ofthe shelter 38, the complete antenna 22 including the reflector 28 can be stowed within the shelter 38 without disconnecting the reflector 28.

The shelter 38 is provided with an upper rail 64, a lower rail 65 and an auxiliary rail 66, and the yoke 36 and antenna 22 are provided with four rollers 67-70 which mate with the rails 64-66. The

lower rollers

68 and 69 are grooved to ride upon the edge of the lower rail 65 and the edge of the auxiliary rail 66, the groove retaining the rollers 68 and- 69 upon the

rails

65 and 66. The

upper rollers

67 and 70 rotate about vertical axes and roll along a side of the interior surface of the upper rail 64 to maintain the yoke 36 in a vertical position.

During the stowaging of the antenna 22, the auxiliary rail 66 is brought out from the shelter 38 and pinned at one end to the shelter 38 at the end of the rail 65 while the other end of the rail 66 is leveled by a jack 72. The antenna 22 is then swung out so that the axis of the yoke 36 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of a shelter 38, and then the auxiliary rail 66 is raised slightly by the jack 72 to bring the auxiliary rail 66 into engagement with the

rollers

68 and 69. Then the upper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42 are disconnected from the shelter 38, and the yoke 36 with the upper and

lower pivots

40 and 42 attached thereto, as well as the antenna 22 being attached thereto, is rolled into the shelter 38 with the rollers 67 and engaging the upper rail 64. Thereafter the auxiliary rail 66 with its jack 72 are stowed within the shelter 38, the jacks 54 are disconnected from the shelter 38 and are stowed therein, and a door 73 (seen partially cut away in FIG. 1) is affixed at the end of the shelter 38. A flange assembly 74 is provided at the end of the shelter for mounting (as by bolting) the door 73 interiorly of the

pivots

40 and 42, as seen in FIG. 1, during operation of the radar system 20, and at the exterior wall of the shelter 38 during stowage.

The shape of the antenna 22 in its folded configuration has been designed to permit its clearing consoles 75 contained within the shelter 38, these consoles remaining in the shelter 38 during operation of the antenna 22 for use in guiding the aircraft '24 to a landing. It is also interesting to note, with reference to FIG. 2, that the spacing between the upper member 48 and the lower member 50 is sufficient to accommodate a portion of the antenna 22 in the articulated position thereby aiding in reducing the overall size of the antenna 22 when folded into the yoke 36.

The pivoting of the yoke 36 relative to the shelter 38 is accomplished by a drive mechanism, to be described with reference to FIG. 4, within the upper pivot 40, and the pivoting of the antenna 22 relative to the yoke 36 is accomplished by a similar drive mechanism in the upper pivot 44. The swiveling of the boom 62 about the pivot 63, is accomplished by means ofa manually operated screw drive 76 connecting between the boom 62 and a supporting structure for the reflector 28.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is seen a detailed isometric view of the yoke 36 showing the upper pivot 40, the upper member 48with an access cover 78 removed to expose adrive mechanism 80 which accomplishes the pivoting of the yoke 36 relative to the shelter 38. The construction of the upper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42 are similar so that it is necessary only to describe the details of the upper pivot 40. There is provided a mounting bracket 82 whereby the upper pivot 40 is affixed by means of bolts 84 to the ceiling of the shelter 38, these bolts being removed when the antenna 22 is stowed. The drive mechanism 80 utilizes a closed loop servo positioning system which comprises a motor 86 driving through a gear train 88, and furthermore comprises a potentiometer mechanically connected to the gear train 88 for providing electrical signals indicating the orientation of the yoke 36, these. signals being transmitted via cabling (not shown) through the interstitial member 52 and thence to the consoles 75,

seen in FIG. 1. The potentiometer 90 is of a multiple turn construction to provide angle accuracies on the order of one-tenth of a degree to permit both local and remote control of the antenna azimuthal angle. The drive mechanism of the upper pivot 44 for pivoting the antenna 22 of FIG. 1 about the yoke 36 comprises a drive mechanism similar to the drive mechanism 80 and, accordingly, need not be separately described.

Also seen in FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the bracket 55 and a latching unit 92 which automatically engages the bracket 55. The latching unit 92 is carried within the upper member 48 for engaging the bracket 57 (seen in FIG. 1) in the same manner as the engaging of the bracket 55. A latching unit 94, identical to latching unit 92, is carried in the lower member 50 for engaging the brackets 56 and 58 (seen in FIG. 1). The latching unit 94 comprises a pin 98 and an actuator 100 for advancing and retracting the pin 98 along its axis. There is also provided a switch 102 in the lower pivot 42 which is responsive to the position of the yoke 36 for deenergizing the drive mechanism 80 and energizing the actuator 100 with electric current as the yoke 36 approaches the

brackets

55 and 56, and also when the, yoke 36 swings to the

brackets

57 and 58. For example, pins 103 may be utilized to actuate the switch 102. Rollers 104 are positioned at the outer edge of the

upper brackets

55 and 57 so that the upper member 48 rides up onto the rollers 104 for more precise bracing by and positioning within the

brackets

55 and 57. The

lower brackets

56 and 58 are similar tobracket 55 except that no roller 104 is provided for them. In the upper wall of the lower member 50 there is a round hole 106 through which the pin 98 passes for engagement with a recess 107 in the lower face of each or the

brackets

56 and 58. Another round hole is providedin the lower wall of the upper member 48 for passage of the pin of the latching unit 92. g

In operation, therefore, as the yoke 36 approaches the brackets 55 and 56 (or the brackets 57 and 58) the switch 102 deenergizes the drive mechanism 80 of the upper pivot 40 thereby easing the yoke 36 into position relative to the

brackets

55 and 56, and energizes the actuators 100 to drive their respective pins 98 into locking engagement with the recesses 107 of the brackets 55-58 to rigidly connect the yoke 36 to the shelter 36.

With respect to the overall operation of the antenna 22 and the consoles 75 for, guiding aircraft 24, electrical signals between the antenna 22 and the consoles 75 are provided by cabling 108, seen inFIG. l, which passes through the hollow interiorof the lower member 50, and also via cabling l09 whichconnects with the lens 30 and the horn32 via a hollow space within the boom 60. The cabling 1 08 exits from the yoke 36 from an opening in the interstitialm ember 52 whereupon it connects with the consoles 75. Sufficient slack is provided in the cabling 108 at the

pivots

42, 46 and 63 to permit pivoting of the yoke 36, the antenna 22 and the boom 62. Additional slack may be provided in the cabling I08 to permit-the stowing of the yoke 36 without tion has been disclosed in a copending patent application entitled Phased Array Antenna", Ser. No.

186,128, by V. L. Heeren, J. Howell and C. D. Reis. With such aircrafttracking systems, the space within the shelter 38 is sufficient to accommodate an adequate number of operators and consoles for guiding aircraft in their approach to runways during landing operations and also during take off. Antenna 1]] is deatachably connected to the shelter 38 and electrically coupled to the consoles for communication of radar data via a microwave link to other radar sites such as a search radar. In addition, the antenna 1 1] permits the communicating of antenna position data from a remote site to the consoles 75 for remote position control of the antenna 22.

Referring again to FIG. 3, there is seen a view of the system 20 in which the reflector 28 is being connected to a back support structure 112 of the antenna 22 with the aid of a winch 11 4 temporarily mounted on the back structure 112. The procedure shown in FIG. 3 is applied whenever a reflector larger than the shelter 38 is utilized, the procedure being applied either for assembling the antenna 22 or for disassembly prior to stowage. The reflector 28 is provided in two sections which are joined along a seam 116 by means of a set of bolts 118 affixed at the back side of the reflector 28. To accomplish assembly of the antenna 22, the reflector 28 is first temporarily affixed to the back structure 112 by the insertion of pins 120 which permit pivoting of the lower edge of the reflector 28 about the lower edge of the back structure 112. The reflector 28 is then hoisted by the winch .114 and bolted in place via bolts (not shown) affixed between'the back side of the reflector 28 and the back structure 112. The pins I20 and the winch 114 may then be removed until such time as it is desired to disassemble the antenna 22. As can be seen in the figure, the back structure 112 is capable of supporting a reflector 28 which is much larger than the back structure 112 since the physical connection between the reflector 28 and the back structure 112 need be provided only in the section of the reflector 28 adjacent one corner of the reflector 28. Rigidity of the reflector 28 is provided by an internal honeycomb structure. To accomplish disassembly of the antenna 22, this procedure is reversed. Stowage of the large reflector 28 is accomplished by separately stowing each half of the reflector 28. If the shelter 38 is of sufficiently large size,

a sub-floor may be provided beneath theshelter 38 for stowing the two sections of the reflector 28 beneath the stowed yoke 36. Otherwise, thetwo sections of thereflector 28 would be separatelystowed'elsewhere.

Other parts of the system 20 may also be stowed in the shelter 38. Thus, the antenna 111 as well as the auxiliary rail 66 and the

jacks

72 and 54 may all be stowe'd within the shelter 38 or, alternatively, in the event that the shelter 38 is restricted to be of a small size, these items would be stored elsewhere. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary rail 66 comprises two shorter section rails which are joined together by a sheer plate 122, seen in FIG. 3, when the auxiliary rail 66 is to be utilized in stowing or unstowing the antenna 22. During stowage one section of the auxiliary rail 66 is placed across the floor of the shelter 38 to further brace the yoke 36 and the antenna 22.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is seen a diagrammatic representation of the system 20 in plan view depicting two extreme positions and one central position of the antenna 22. The mechanical sector scan is limited by a point of contact of the reflector 28 with the shelter 38 at one extreme position, and by a point of contact between the boom 62 and the shelter 38 at the second extreme position, this providing a mechanical sector scan of approximately 280 for the preferred embodiment of the invention. Additional sector scanning is provided electronically by the phased array characteristic of the antenna 22. In the central position of the yoke 36, there is provided approximately 180 of pivoting of the antenna 22 about the yoke 36. The total sector scan can be increased by increasing the length of the yoke 36 so that it extends further beyond the corners of the shelter. However, the configuration of FIG. providing 280 is adequate for the typical airport installation where the shelter 38 is sited near the intersection of two or more runways.

It is understood that the above described embodiment of the invention is illustrative only in that modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is desired that this invention is not to be limited to the embodiment disclosed herein but is to be limited only as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna support and stowage system comprising:

a shelter;

a positioning means adapted to be attached to said shelter at a plurality of points of attachment;

a first motor driven pivoting means affixed to one end of said positioning means;

a second motor driven pivoting means affixed to a second end of said positioning means;

said positioning means being connected at said first end thereof by at least one of said points of attachment to said shelter, ,said positioning means being connected at said second end thereof to an antenna, said first motor driven pivot pivoting said positioning means about said shelter into locking engagement with at least one of said points of attachment, and said second motor driven pivot pivoting said antenna about said positioning means independently of said first pivoting; and

means including guide rails for guiding said positioning means and said antenna into said shelter for stowage therein.

2. The support and stowage system of claim 1 wherein said positioning means can be fixedly attached to said shelter in a plurality of positions.

3. The support and stowage system according to claim 2 wherein, for any one of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means to said shelter, there is provided on said shelter at a plurality of said points of attachment a plurality of means for automatically pinning said positioning means to said shelter to provide improved dynamic stability to said positioning means.

4. The support and stowage system according to claim 3 wherein said second motor driven pivot provides for an articulation of said antenna relative to said positioning means for reducing the overall size of the combination of said positioning means and said antenna to permit said stowage of said positioning means and said antenna within said shelter.

5. The support and stowage system according to claim 4 wherein said positioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly interconnected and spaced apart by an interstitial member, said spacing between said horizontal members being sufficient to ac commodate at least a portion of said antenna during said stowage of said positioning means and said antenna.

6. The support and stowage system according to claim 5 wherein said positioning means positions said antenna at a sufficient distance from said shelter so that the combination of the rotations of said antenna about said second end of said positioning means in each of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means provides for a total sector scan of said antenna in excess of 270 about said shelter.

7. The support and stowage system according to claim 6 wherein said guidance means includes an upper rail affixed to a ceiling of said shelter and a lower rail affixed to a floor of said shelter, said positioning means comprising rollers adapted for engagement with said rails whereby said positioning means is rolled into said shelter to accomplish said stowage.

8. The support and stowage system according to claim 7 wherein said first motor driven pivot is adapted to be disconnected from said shelter, said first motor driven pivot remaining affixed to the said positioning means as said positioning means is rolled into said shelter thereby providing for a stowage of said first motor driven pivot.

9. In combination:

a base about which an antenna can be positioned;

means for positioning said antenna relative to said base, said positioning means being pivotally connected to said antenna to permit an articulation of said antenna with said positioning means;

a four-point mounting system for fixedly connecting said positioning means in any one of a plurality of positions to said base, two of said mounting points comprising means for pivoting said positioning means about said base, and two of said mounting points comprising means for locking said positioning means to said base;

means for driving said positioning means about said pivoting means of said four-point mounting system from a pair of said locking means in one position of said four-point mounting system to a pair of said locking means in another position of said fourpoint mounting system, said locking means alternately providing for a locking and an unlocking of said positioning means to permit a changing of the position of said positioning means; and

means for guiding said positioning means with said antenna articulated therewith from, an unlocked position of said positioning means to a stowage region within said base.

10. The combination according to claim 9 wherein said pivoting of said positioning means relative to said antenna is motor driven to provide a sector scanning of said antenna relative to said positioning means independently of the position of said positioning means.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said positioning means provides for a sufficient distance between said antenna and said base such that the total sector scan of said antenna relative to said positioning means at one position of said positioning means plus the total sector scan of said antenna at another position of said positioning means provides for a composite sector scan of said antenna relative to said base which is greater than 270 about said base.

12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein said positioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly coupled together and spaced apart by an interstitial member, the spacing between said horizontal members being sufficient to enclose at least a portion of said antenna during said stowing of said antenna.

13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein each of said members of said positioning means is hollow and provides a passageway therein for electrical cable connecting said antenna with said base, said combination further comprising angle sensing means within at least one of said members and connecting with one of said pivoting means for providing information relative to the angle of orientation of said positioning means relative to said base.

14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein said guiding means comprises rails affixed to a top and a bottom portion of said stowage region, said positioning means includes roller means affixed thereto and adapted for engagement with said rails for enabling said positioning means to be rolled into said stowage region.

15. A system for supporting and positioning an antenna relative to a shelter, the system also providing for the folding of the antenna to facilitate its stowage in the shelter, the system including means for guiding the antenna as well as the supporting mechanism into the shelter, the system being characterized by the comprising of:

a movable frame assembly adapted to be connected at one end thereof to said shelter and at a second end thereof to be pivotably connected to said antenna, saidframe assembly comprising means to permit its being fixedly connected at a point between said first and said second end .to said shelter,

said frame assembly further comprising pivoting means for connection with said shelter to provide a pivoting of said frame assembly from one point of fixed connection with said shelter to a second point of fixed connection with said shelter;

means including rails and rollers for stowing said frame assembly and said antenna within said shelter, said rails being positioned in said shelter in spaced apart relation, and said rollers being mounted on said frame assembly and adapted for engagement with said rails; and

means for pivoting said antenna about an end of said frame assembly independently of the position of said frame assembly.

Claims

1. An antenna support and stowage system comprising: a shelter; a positioning means adapted to be attached to said shelter at a plurality of points of attachment; a first motor driven pivoting means affixed to one end of said positioning means; a second motor driven pivoting means affixed to a second end of said positioning means; said positioning means being connected at said first end thereof by at least one of said points of attachment to said shelter, said positioning means being connected at said second end thereof to an antenna, said first motor driven pivot pivoting said positioning means about said shelter into locking engagement with at least one of said points of attachment, and said second motor driven pivot pivoting said antenna about said positioning means independently of said first pivoting; and means including guide rails for guiding said positioning means and said antenna into said shelter for stowage therein.

5. The support and stowage system according to claim 4 wherein said positioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly interconnected and spaced apart by an interstitial member, said spacing between said horizontal members being sufficient to accommodate at least a portion of said antenna during said stowage of said positioning means and said antenna.

6. The support and stowage system according to claim 5 wherein said positioning means positions said antenna at a sufficient distance from said shelter so that the combination of the rotations of said antenna about said second end of said positioning means in each of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means provides for a total sector scan of said antenna in excess of 270* about said shelter.

9. In combination: a base about which an antenna can be positioned; means for positioning said antenna relative to said base, said positioning means being pivotally connected to said antenna to permit an articulation of said antenna with said positioning means; a four-point mounting system for fixedly connecting said positioning means in any one of a plurality of positions to said base, two of said mounting points comprising means for pivoting said positioning means about said base, and two of said mounting points comprising means for locking said positioning means to said base; means for driving said positioning means about said pivoting means of said four-point mounting system from a pair of said locking means in one position of said four-point mounting system to a pair of said locking means in another position of said four-point mounting system, said locking means alternately providing for a locking and an unlocking of said positioning means to permit a changing of the position of said positioning means; and means for guiding said positioning means with said antenna articulated therewith from an unlocked position of said positioning means to a stowage region within said base.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said positioning means provides for a sufficient distance between said antenna and said base such that the total sector scan of said antenna relative to said positioning means at one position of said positioning means plus the total sector scan of said antenna at another position of said positioning means provides for a composite sector scan of said antenna relative to said base which is greater than 270* about said base.

15. A system for supporting and positioning an antenna relative to a shelter, the system also providing for the folding of the antenna to facilitate its stowage in the shelter, the system including means for guiding the antenna as well as the supporting mechanism into the shelter, the system being characterized by the comprising of: a movable frame assembly adapted to be connected at one end thereof to said shelter and at a second end thereof to be pivotably connected to said antenna, said frame assembly comprising means to permit its being fixedly connected at a point between said first and said second end to said shelter, said frame assembly further comprising pivoting means for connection with said shelter to provide a pivoting of said frame assembly from one point of fixed connection with said shelter to a second point of fixed connection with said shelter; means including rails and rollers for stowing said frame assembly and said antenna within said shelter, said rails being positioned in said shelter in spaced apart relation, and said rollers being mounted on said frame assembly and adapted for engagement with said rails; and means for pivoting said antenna about an end of said frame assembly independently of the position of said frame assembly.