WO2014108701A1

WO2014108701A1 - Satellite dish with improved installation

Info

Publication number: WO2014108701A1
Application number: PCT/GB2014/050082
Authority: WO
Inventors: David CAMBRAY; Matt SAVILL; Bernard Humphrey
Original assignee: St. Barts Media Ltd.
Priority date: 2013-01-14
Filing date: 2014-01-13
Publication date: 2014-07-17
Also published as: EP2943994A1; GB201300655D0

Abstract

A satellite dish has a reference level provided thereon or on a mounting bracket which is calibrated to the angle of inclination of the LNB such that an inclination reading measured on the reference level provides a measure of the angle of inclination of the LNB. The dish further has audio input means by means of which, in use, the audio output of a satellite receiver may be connected to the dish. Audio output such as a speaker is also provided by means of which the dish installer can locally listen to the audio signal connected to the audio input means. The satellite dish is set up by a level measuring means on the reference level provided on the satellite dish, adjusting the angle of inclination of the satellite dish until the desired angle is measured on the level measuring means, locking the satellite dish to prevent further adjustment of the inclination, and then rotating the dish to adjust the azimuth until the desired azimuth is achieved. The output of the speaker is then checked to ensure a good signal is being received.

Description

Satellite Dish With Improved Installation

The present invention relates to satellite dishes and more particularly to satellite dishes with improvements to facilitate set up to the dish.

Satellite dishes are utilised in both permanent installations such as at houses, as well as in temporary installations such as for receiving satellite television, internet and the like at mobile locations such as caravans and motor homes. Whatever the type of installation, when setting up a satellite dish it is necessary to adjust both its bearing/rotation (azimuth) and inclination (angle between the satellite and the local horizontal local plane) in order that the LNB what is carried on the satellite dish point directly at the satellite from which it is desired to receive a signal. Due to the distances involved between the dish and the satellite, both adjustments have to be set very accurately in order to achieve an acceptable signal.

Satellite dishes have an offset angle of elevation which varies according to the dish manufacturer and type of dish, so for an offset dish with an offset of 26 degrees to receive a signal at 40 degrees it would need to be set at 14 degrees from the vertical. Most dishes are provided with a back bracket showing pre-marked elevation degrees which take into account the offset angle of the dish. However, these can only be treated as a guide as they rely on the pole or surface to which the dish is mounted being truly vertical or horizontal which is seldom the case. Manufacturing tolerances also impact on the effectiveness of these markings.

Relatively cheap sat-finders are available which can be connected directly to the dish and provide a visual and/or audible indication when a signal is being received by the LNB. However, the type of sat-finders which are priced for the home user cannot distinguish between satellites. More and more satellites are being placed in geo -stationary orbit, which are all very close together (between 75 degrees east and 30 degrees west there are currently 33 satellites all at the same inclination). As a result, if either the azimuth or inclination is out by just 1 degree, the dish may be pointing at a wrong satellite so that the installer will believe that they are pointing at the correct satellite when they, in fact, are not. More advanced sat-finders are available which are able to decode a satellite identification code and therefore tell the installer not only that they are pointing at a satellite but also which satellite. However, these are much more expensive and are typically only used by professional installers.

Whilst it may, then, be viable to commission a professional to set up a satellite dish being installed in a permanent location such as on a house, this is not viable for a temporary installation such as a touring caravan or motorhome/RV that requires frequent setting up and/or re-adjustment every time the user moves location, which in some instances is daily.

The set up of the inclination is made even more difficult by the fact that the LNB, which is usually mounted on an am which extends from the satellite dish, is not mounted parallel to the arm so that there is no easy way for the installer to measure the inclination angle using a level meter.

As a result, the amateur installation process normally involves the installer looking at where other dishes are pointing and using that as a starting point. The azimuth and inclination are then changed with small adjustments whilst an assistant looks at the television and advises when the desired signal is being received.

According to the present invention there is provided a satellite dish having a reference level provided thereon which is calibrated to the angle of inclination of the LNB such that an inclination reading measured on the reference level provides a measure of the angle of inclination of the LNB.

A satellite dish in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the presence of reference level or surface which is precisely calibrated in relation to the offset as a datum on which an elevation tool can be used to accurately measure the inclination of the LNB enables the installer to accurately and quickly set the inclination of the satellite dish using data which is easily available such as from the internet regarding the appropriate inclination for installations in different areas. It is, then, only necessary for the installer to vary the azimuth of the dish in order to lock onto the correct signal. But restricting to just one adjustment, the installation process is made much easier. Furthermore, the installer may the use a simple compass or the like to set the azimuth and thereby further facilitate the installation.

In a further development of the invention, the satellite dish is supplied with direction indicating means which includes an arrow or the like which indicates the correct azimuth of the dish relative to north, thereby further facilitating the set up of the dish. Since the correct azimuth will vary depending on the required satellite as well as the longitude of the set up location, a range of direction indicating means, which could take the form of installation mats, may be provided. A compass may also be integrated into the dish, although this will need to be located or include suitable screening to prevent the dish itself affecting the natural magnetic field from the earth to which the compass is exposed.

In one embodiment, the reference level is formed directly on the satellite dish, such as on the arm which carries the LNB, but may also be provided elsewhere, such as in the form of a bracket which as separately fitted to the dish. The reference level may be oriented to be parallel to the operation direction of the LNB so that a measurement taken on the reference level provides a direct measure of the inclination of the LNB, or may be at a known angle thereto, such as at 90 degrees so as to enable an installer to easily set the correct inclination of the LNB using his knowledge of the angle of the reference level to the LNB operating direction.

The present invention further provides a bracket having a reference level formed thereon and attachment means for attaching the bracket to a satellite dish such that, in use, the reference level is calibrated to the angle of inclination of the LNB on the satellite dish.

The present invention still further provides a method of setting up a satellite dish comprising the steps of mounting a level measuring means on a reference level provided on the satellite dish, adjusting the angle of inclination of the satellite dish until the desired angle is measured on the level measuring means, locking the satellite dish to prevent further adjustment of the inclination, and then rotating the dish to adjust the azimuth until the desired azimuth is achieved.

The method may optionally include the additional step of attaching the bracket to the satellite dish. As discussed above, final confirmation of correct alignment of the dish is usual achieved by checking on the reception of an acceptable signal on a television set in the installation location. Since the dish may be installed some meters away from, and externally of the television location, this process normally either involves turning the sound of the television up very load so that the audio can be heard at the dish location or involving a second person in the final stages of the installation who will verbally communicate the signal status, again normally at a load level. In either event, the noise level associated with the step is normally intrusive to others around the installation location, such as other campers.

In order to overcome this problem, in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a satellite dish having audio input means by means of which, in use, the audio output of a satellite receiver may be connected to the dish, and audio output means by means of which the dish installer can locally listen to the audio signal connected to the audio input means.

A satellite dish in accordance with the further aspect of the invention has the advantage that it enables the installer to check the reception of the satellite receiver at the dish installation point using relatively low level audio noise, thereby avoiding noise pollution and disturbance to others.

The method according to the invention may then preferably include the additional step of listen to audio output means provided on the satellite dish to check for a signal being received on a TV to which the satellite dish is connected, and effecting fine adjustment of at least one of the azimuth and inclination of the dish to obtain a signal on the TV in the event that no signal is present after the initial setup.

The audio input means may be a headphone jack, phono sockets, wireless receiving means or the like.

The audio output means may be a headphone jack to which headphones may be attached, a speak or any other audio output means including but not restricted to wireless audio transmitting means such as Bluetooth. In a further aspect of the present invention, the first and second aspects of the invention are combined so that the azimuth and inclination set up facilitating systems are supplemented by the audio processing components.

In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described an embodiment thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable satellite dish on a mobile tripod;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the rear view of the dish of Figure 1 showing a calibrated reference level for accurately measuring the true inclination of the LNB; and

Figure 3 shows various views of a bracket which is attachable to a satellite dish to provide a calibrated reference level thereon.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a portable satellite dish 1 in an assembled configuration mounted on a tripod 2. The illustrated dish 1 is of the flat dish type in which the LNB in located internally of the dish case, but it will be understood that the invention is equally applicable to other satellite dish types and designs such as conventional fixed dishes having the LNB mounted on the end of an arm which extends from the dish. A conventional connector (not shown) is provided on the dish for connecting a standard cable which transmits the LNB output to a satellite receiver.

A calibration bracket 3 is mounted on the back lb of the dish 1 as shown in Figure 3. The bracket 3 has a mounting surface 3a by means of which it is fastened to the dish 1 and a calibration surface 3b which extends at an angle to the mounting surface 3a. The angle between the mounting surface 3a and the calibration surface 3b is accurately set so that its angle of inclination to the horizontal plane is the same as the elevation of the LNB. The user may therefore accurately set the inclination of the LNB by use of a level meter such as on digital angle gauge 7 attached either temporarily or permanently to the calibration surface 3b. The required inclination for each satellite at any particular location is freely available such as on the internet, and a user may therefore easily look up the required inclination angle for his or her particular location and then set the dish to the required angle on the tripod. Once the dish is at the correct inclination, it can then be locked to prevent further movement in the up and down plane. In the preferred embodiment the tripod will include a spirit level so that it can be set up on any surface perfectly level thereby avoiding any change in the inclination of the dish as it is rotated to adjust the azimuth. However, the user may simply re-check the inclination once the azimuth has been set.

Once the inclination has been set, the user is then able to adjust the azimuth but simply rotating the dish 1 on the tripod 2 until it is pointing in the required direction. Again, the appropriate azimuth for any satellite is freely available such as on the internet and the user need simply look up the required bearing for their particular location and the satellite they will to receive from. With that information, the user can use a compass to set the correct direction of the satellite dish and then lock the rotational coupling between the dish 1 and the tripod 2 to prevent further movement.

In order to complete the installation, the dish is attached to a receiver and then a check carried out to ensure that a signal is being received on the display monitor or TV. In practice, however, the display system is usually located remotely from the satellite dish and it is not, therefore, possible for a single installer to check the signal from the dish location.

Another feature of the present invention is that the satellite dish 1 includes an audio input connector (not shown), of the phono or jack type, as well as an audio output connector such as a headphone socket and/or a speaker, any audio signal connected to the input connector being wired to the output connector. In this way, and installer is able to listen to the audio input signal at the dish 1 location. A cable may therefore be connected between an audio output connector on the receiver or television and the connector on the dish, enabling the installer to hear the TV output at the dish location without having to turn the TV volume up very loud or the like. This enables the installer to check, at the dish location, if a signal is being received on the television, and if it is not, to effect fine adjustment of the dish inclination and/or azimuth at the same time as listening to the signal, thereby making this final set-up set much quicker. Although the invention has been illustrated in conjunction with a flat type satellite dish having an internal LNB, it will be understood that it is equally applicable with any design of dish, such as a curved dish with an arm extending therefrom on which the LNB is mounted. In that case the reference level may be formed on a bracket attached to the dish or may be formed on the arm of the LNB.

Figure 3 shows various views of a bracket according to an alternative embodiment of the invention which may be attached to the satellite dish. It will be understood that the illustrations are just examples of the types of bracket which may be used to implement the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A satellite dish (1) having a reference level (3) provided thereon which is calibrated to the angle of inclination of the LNB such that an inclination reading measured on the reference level (3) provides a measure of the angle of incJination of the LNB.

2. A satellite dish according to claim 1, wherein the satellite dish (1) is supplied with direction indicating means which includes an arrow or the like which indicates the correct azimuth of the dish (1) relative to north, thereby further facilitating the set up of the dish.

3. A satellite dish according to claim 1, wherein a compass is integrated into the dish,

4. A satellite dish according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the reference level (3) is formed directly on the satellite dish (1), such as on the arm which carries the LNB,

5. A satellite dish according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reference level (3) is provided on a bracket which as separately fitted to the dish.

6. A satellite dish according to any of claims 1 to 3 or claim 5, wherein the reference level (3) is oriented to be parallel to the operation direction of the LNB so that a measurement taken on the reference level provides a direct measure of the inclination of the LNB

7. A satellite dish according to any of the preceding claims, further including audio input means by means of which, in use, the audio output of a satellite receiver may be connected to the dish, and audio output means by means of which the dish installer can locally listen to the audio signal connected to the audio input means.

8. A bracket for a satellite dish (3) having a reference level formed thereon and attachment means for attaching the bracket to a satellite dish such that, in use, the reference level is calibrated to the angle of inclination of the LNB on the satellite dish.

9. A method of setting up a satellite dish comprising the steps of mounting a level measuring means on a reference level (3) provided on the satellite dish (1), adjusting the angle of inclination of the satellite dish until the desired angle is measured on the level measuring means, locking the satellite dish to prevent further adjustment of the inclination, and then rotating the dish to adjust the azimuth until the desired azimuth is achieved.

10. A method according to claim 9, including the further step of attaching the bracket to the satellite dish.

1 1. A method according to claim 9 or claim 10, include the further step of listen to audio output means provided on the satellite dish to check for a signal being received on a TV to which the satellite dish is connected, and effecting fine adjustment of at least one of the azimuth and inclination of the dish to obtain a signal on the TV in the event that no signal is present after the initial setup.

12. A satellite dish having audio input means by means of which, use, the audio output of a satellite receiver may be connected to the dish, and audio output means by means of which the dish installer can locally listen to the audio signal connected to the audio input means.

13. A satellite dish according to claim 7 or claim 12 wherein the audio input means comprises one of a headphone jack, phono sockets, wireless means.

14. A satellite dish according to claim 7, claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the audio output means comprises one of a headphone jack to which headphones may be attached, a speaker or other audio output means including but not restricted to wireless audio transmitting means such as Bluetooth.