GPS/radio antenna combination
AssigneeTrimble Navigation Limited
InventorsMark E. Nichols, Eric B. Rodal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A GPS/radio antenna for receiving a GPS satellite signal and a DGPS radio signal. The GPS/radio antenna includes a GPS antenna using a microstrip antenna element for receiving the GPS signal having GPS location determination information, a radio antenna for receiving a DGPS radio signal in the FM broadcast frequency range having DGPS corrections, an enclosure, and a cable. The GPS/radio antenna may be included in a GPS/DGPS receiver system also including a receiver unit with an FM DGPS receiver for demodulating the DGPS radio signal and providing DGPS corrections, and a differential-ready GPS receiver for providing a differentially-corrected GPS location.
Claims13
An antenna combination comprising:
- microstrip means for receiving a GPS satellite signal including GPS location determination information and issuing a conducted GPS signal representative of said GPS satellite signal;
- radio antenna means for receiving an airwave radio signal having a frequency band within a frequency range of 80 to 1900 MHz from a radio signal broadcaster and issuing a conducted radio signal representative of said airwave radio signal;
- a diplexer, coupled to the microstrip means and the radiowave antenna means, for combining said conducted GPS signal and said conducted radio signal and issuing a combined signal;
- and
- an output cable, coupled to the diplexer, for providing said combined signal as an output.
A method for receiving a GPS satellite signal and an airwave radio signal comprising steps of:
- receiving a GPS satellite signal with a microstrip antenna;
- issuing a conducted GPS signal representative of said GPS satellite signal from said microstrip antenna to a diplexer;
- receiving an airwave radio signal having a frequency band within a frequency range of 80 to 1900 MHz with a radio antenna;
- issuing a conducted radio signal representative of said airwave radio signal to said diplexer;
- combining said conducted GPS signal and said conducted radio signal into a combined signal in said diplexer;
- and
- issuing said combined signal through an output cable.
An antenna combination, comprising:
- a microstrip antenna, including a vertical center axis, for receiving a first airwave signal and issuing a first conducted signal representative of said first airwave signal;
- a radio antenna, including a rod extending upward from said microstrip antenna approximately on said center axis, for receiving a second airwave signal and issuing a second conducted signal representative of said second airwave signal;
- and
- a diplexer coupled to the microstrip antenna and the radio antenna for combining said first conducted signal with said second conducted signal and issuing a combined signal representative of said first and said second conducted signals.
An antenna combination, comprising:
- a microstrip antenna, including a radiating layer having a vertical center axis, for receiving a first airwave signal and issuing a first conducted signal representative of said first airwave signal;
- a radio antenna, including a wire loop having a loop center axis approximately concentric with said vertical center axis and a circumference of less than one quarter a circumference of said radiating layer, disposed above said microstrip antenna for receiving a second airwave signal and issuing a second conducted signal representative of said second airwave signal;
- and
- a diplexer coupled to the microstrip antenna and the radio antenna for receiving said first conducted signal and said second conducted signal and issuing a combined signal representative of said first and said second conducted signals.
An antenna combination comprising:
- a microstrip antenna, including a radiating layer having a vertical center axis, for receiving a first airwave signal and issuing a first conducted signal representative of said first airwave signal;
- a radio antenna, including a wire loop having a loop center axis approximately concentric with said vertical center axis, disposed below said microstrip antenna, for receiving a second airwave signal and issuing a second conducted signal representative of said second airwave signal;
- and
- a diplexer coupled to the microstrip antenna and the radio antenna for receiving said first conducted signal and said second conducted signal and issuing a combined signal representative of said first and said second conducted signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.