Radio frequency device for a vehicle and associated methods
AssigneeHarris Global Communications, Inc.
InventorsJAMES BUDUSON, JOSEPH D. MAJKOWSKI, PETER BURKE, JAMES J. HOOD
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A radio frequency (RF) device for a vehicle may include an antenna, an RF receiver and a controller. The antenna may include a housing, a rotatable base carried by the housing, an actuator to selectively rotate the base, a pair of spaced apart antenna elements carried by the rotatable base, and a phase sifter coupled to the pair of antenna elements to define an antenna pattern having a pair of opposing nulls. The RF receiver is coupled to the antenna, and the controller may drive the actuator to steer the antenna pattern based upon the RF receiver.
Claims27
A radio frequency (RF) device for a vehicle, the RF device comprising:
- an antenna comprising
- a housing,
- a rotatable base carried by the housing,
- an actuator configured to selectively rotate the base,
- a pair of spaced apart antenna elements carried by the rotatable base, and
- a phase sifter coupled to the pair of antenna elements to define an antenna pattern having a pair of opposing nulls;
- an RF receiver coupled to the antenna;
- and
- a controller configured to drive the actuator to steer the antenna pattern based upon the RF receiver.
A radio frequency (RF) device for a vehicle, the RF device comprising:
- an antenna comprising
- a housing,
- a rotatable base carried by the housing,
- an actuator configured to selectively rotate the base,
- a pair of spaced apart dipole antenna elements extending upwardly from the base, and
- a phase sifter coupled to the pair of antenna elements to define an antenna pattern having a pair of opposing nulls;
- an RF receiver coupled to the antenna;
- a controller coupled to the RF receiver and configured to drive the actuator to rotate the antenna pattern while determining received signal strengths of received RF signals, and to stop rotation of the antenna pattern at a desired received signal strength.
A method for operating a radio frequency (RF) device for a vehicle, the RF device comprising an antenna comprising a housing, a rotatable base carried by the housing, an actuator to selectively rotate the base, a pair of spaced apart antenna elements carried by the rotatable base, and a phase shifter coupled to the pair of antenna elements to define an antenna pattern having a pair of opposing nulls, the method comprising:
- operating an RF receiver coupled to the antenna;
- and
- operating a controller to drive the actuator to steer the antenna pattern based upon RF signals received by the RF receiver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.