Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
  • H01Q25/00—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns
  • H01Q25/002—Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns providing at least two patterns of different beamwidth; Variable beamwidth antennas

Definitions

• Satellite data communication systems require the use of antennas that are correctly oriented relative to the satellite.
• the pointing of the antenna must be realized with a precision of the order of the degree, even a few tenths of a degree, which can not be achieved manually without using means of pointing aid.
• the pointing direction of the antenna is adjusted at each step by actuating verniers adjusting in rotation about two axes respectively in elevation and in azimuth.
• the maximum level of reception of the signal emitted by the satellite is determined by viewing a light signal or by hearing a sound signal, the light signal - or sound depending on the reception level.
• the invention also relates to an assisted pointing emission and reception antenna for implementing the method according to one of the preceding claims, the antenna comprising a plurality of radiating elements distributed over a surface of a radiating panel. , characterized in that it further comprises at the reception: first activation means for activating only first radiating elements situated in a first central part of the radiating panel,
• At least second activation means for at least second radiating elements located in a second part of the radiating panel surrounding the first central part, and at least a first means for combining the signals received by the radiating elements activated by the first and the second activation means, manual adjustment means for pre-pointing the antenna and for fine-tuning the pointing in azimuth and in a direction corresponding to a maximum level of reception of a transmitted signal by the satellite.
• the first and second activation means are microwave switches.
• the adjustment means are step verniers.
• the antenna further comprises, on reception, third activation means for activating third radiating elements situated in a third peripheral part of the radiating panel surrounding the second part and at least one second means for combining the signals received by the radiating elements activated by the first, the second and the third activation means.
• the invention also relates to a mobile terminal comprising an assisted pointing antenna.
• FIG. 3a a diagram of an enlargement of the central part and of an intermediate part of the antenna activated simultaneously, according to the invention
• FIGS. 3b and 3c two radiation patterns in two planes orthogonal to each other, corresponding to the central part and to the intermediate part of the antenna activated simultaneously, according to the invention
• FIGS. 4a and 4b two radiation patterns in two planes orthogonal to one another, corresponding to the activation of all the radiating elements of the antenna, according to the invention
• FIG. 5 an example of architecture of an antenna, according to the invention.
• the second step makes it possible to refine the pointing direction and thus reduce the margin of error.
• the score is refined by activating a greater number of radiating elements from the center to the periphery of the radiating panel of the antenna, so as to obtain a finer spot and therefore more directional.
• the alignment procedure of the antenna with respect to the satellite is continued by using verniers of adjustment of the rotating antenna around of the two X and Y axes and energy level indicators of the signals received by a receiver of the antenna, so as to position the antenna in the direction of the maximum energy of the radiation pattern of the central part of the antenna.
• the energy level indicators can be, for example, light signals emitted by light-emitting diodes or sound signals emitted by a buzzer.
• the adjustment verniers preferably comprise a stepwise rotation drive device.
• the alignment procedure of the antenna with respect to the satellite is continued by using the verniers of adjustment of the antenna in rotation around the two axes X and Y and the level indicators of the signals received by a receiver of the antenna, so as to position the antenna in the direction of the maximum of the radiation pattern of the activated zone of the antenna comprising the central part and the intermediate part.
• the alignment procedure of the antenna with respect to the satellite is continued using the same method of adjustment as in the previous steps, by means of the adjustment verniers and received signal levels so as to position the antenna in the direction of the maximum of the radiation pattern of the complete radiating panel.
• the final accuracy of the alignment of the antenna normal toward the satellite is about 1 ° in the XZ plane, and 0.8 ° in the YZ plane, as shown in Figures 4a and 4b.
• the precision obtained is of the order of 1 °.
• the antenna is considered correctly pointed towards the satellite with a final pointing accuracy of plus or minus 0.5 ° according to the two axes in elevation and in azimuth.
• This pointing assistance strategy is very simple since each step uses only information delivered by a signal receiver and is performed manually by the user, iteratively and with increasing accuracy depending on the size of the antenna, only by actuating verniers of rotational adjustments around the two axes site and azimuth of the antenna in accordance with indications of level of the received signal.
• the number of steps used depends on the desired pointing accuracy and the operating frequency used. Typically, two or three steps are sufficient.
• the different parts of the radiating panel and the base bricks may have different shapes from those chosen in the embodiment described, but they must be made to form sets of radiating elements that can be activated successively from the center to the periphery of the radiating panel of the antenna.
• FIG. 5 represents an example of antenna architecture implementing the pointing aid method.
• This architecture has no search calculator of the optimum pointing direction.
• the activation of the different parts of the antenna to go from a step of the pointing assist method to the next step is controlled only by means of microwave switches whose position change is activated manually by the user, which limits the complexity and cost of realization of the antenna.
• signal combiners make it possible to combine the signals received by at least two different parts of the antenna.
• the second signal combiner 36 has two inputs respectively connected to the outer peripheral part 3 of the antenna and to the output of the first signal combiner 35 when the third switch 33 is in the second position and an output connected to the receiver 30 by the intermediate of a fourth switch 34 and the second switch 32.
• a reception mode operation during the initial phase of acquiring the signal of a satellite and pointing the antenna towards the satellite, the successive activation of each of the three subassemblies 1, 2, 3 of radiating elements of the antenna is performed by the user only by successively changing the position of one or more microwave switches 31, 32, 33, 34 connected to the signal receiver 30.
• the terminal has the authorization of only when the antenna is correctly pointed.
• the modulation and demodulation interface 37 which is intended to shape a signal! to be transmitted, is connected to an amplifier 38, then to a signal divider 39 which divides the signal to be transmitted into three components respectively applied at the input of each of the three parts 1, 2, 3 of the antenna via the diplexers respective 21, 22, 23.

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• Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)

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Publications (1)

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ID=41812447

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Citations (5)

• 2009
  • 2009-06-26 FR FR0903134A patent/FR2947388B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2010
  • 2010-06-21 ES ES10725750.3T patent/ES2527217T3/es active Active
  • 2010-06-21 EP EP10725750.3A patent/EP2446507B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2010-06-21 WO PCT/EP2010/058700 patent/WO2010149605A1/fr active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

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