US3906505A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for determining the direction of arrival of a signal
Assignee: Arris Technology Inc
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Filing: 1973-10-09
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Granted: 1975-09-16
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Expires: 1993-10-09
Abstract
Abstract The method and apparatus for determining the direction of arrival of a signal utilizes a pair of omnidirectional antenna elements, the outputs of which are phase combined such that the elements are effective to form a pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns. Separate logarithmic data signals are generated which are a function of the magnitude of the signal as received by each of the reception pairs. The logarithmic data signals are then normalized to eliminate any signal time variation therein and to form a resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of the received signal.
Inventors
- 👤 Stephen E Lipsky
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:59
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S3/00; G01S3/02; G01S3/04; G01S3/06; G01S1/00; G01S1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
Apparatus for determining the direction of arrival of a signal comprising a pair of omnidirectional antenna elements, means for phase combining the output signals from said elements such that said elements are effective to form a pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns, means for generating separate data Signals representative of the magnitude of the signal received by each of the cardioid patterns respectively and means for detection and signal normalization, said detection and signal normalization means being frequency independent throughout the instantaneous radio frequency band over which the cardioid pattern is capable of being formed, thus providing a resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of said received signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
Apparatus for determining the direction of arrival of a signal comprising a pair of omnidirectional antenna elements, means for phase combining the output signals from said elements such that said elements are effective to form a pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns, means for generating separate data Signals representative of the magnitude of the signal received by each of the cardioid patterns respectively and means for detection and signal normalization, said detection and signal normalization means being frequency independent throughout the instantaneous radio frequency band over which the cardioid pattern is capable of being formed, thus providing a resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of said received signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for the detection and signal normalization comprises means for amplifying said detected signals to form separate data signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
the apparatus of claim 2 wherein said amplifying means comprises a video logarithmic amplifier.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said detection means comprises a radio frequency detector.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said phase combining means comprises a quadrature hybrid.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said reception patterns is 180* out of phase with the other.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said phase combining means sums an in-phase component of the output of one of said elements with a 90* phase-shifted component of the output of the other of said elements.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for sensing the polarity of said normalized detection signal to determine whether the data signal associated with one of said patterns is greater than the data signal associated with the other of said patterns.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for forming a second pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns, said second pattern pair being oriented at a 90* angle from the first pattern pair and means for processing the signals received by said second pattern pair to form a second resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of a received signal.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for determining the direction of arrival of a signal comprising the steps of forming a pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns, detecting over a broad range within the frequency band over which the cardioid patterns are capable of being formed the output of each of said patterns caused by a signal received thereby, separately logarithmically amplifying the signals representative of the amplitude of the detected output of each of said patterns, respectively, subtracting one of said logarithmic signals from the other of said logarithmic signals such that any signal time variation therein is eliminated, and forming a resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of said received signal.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for determining the direction of arrival of a signal comprising the steps of forming a pair of simultaneous cardioid reception patterns, detecting over a broad range within the frequency band over which the cardioid patterns are capable of being formed the output of each of said patterns caused by a signal received thereby, separately logarithmically amplifying the signals representative of the amplitude of the detected output of each of said patterns, respectively, subtracting one of said logarithmic signals from the other of said logarithmic signals such that any signal time variation therein is eliminated, and forming a resultant signal indicative only of the direction of arrival of said received signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said patterns are formed by combining the in-phase component of the output of one element of an omnidirectional antenna element pair with the 90* out-of-phase component of the output of the other element in said pair.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of sensing whether or not one of said logarithmic signals is greater than the other.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-15 | 1979-03-17 | 1979-09-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-15 | 1983-03-17 | 1983-09-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-15 | 1987-03-17 | 1987-09-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |