Portable antenna system with manual elevation adjustment

A portable antenna system has a dish antenna mounted to an antenna support platform and enclosed within a radome. The elevation and azimuth of the antenna can be adjustably directed over a range of angles with respect to the antenna support platform by a controller with electric motors. The antenna support platform is hinged at its periphery to a base. The hinge allows the antenna support platform and antenna to pivot upward with respect to the base between a stowed state in which the antenna support platform rests against the base, and a desired angle of elevation in a raised state. A prop extending between the base and antenna support platform holds the antenna support platform at the design elevation angle in the raised state. Optionally, this prop can allow an adjustable elevation angle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of portable antenna systems. More specifically, the present invention discloses an automatic antenna system with a manual elevation adjustment mechanism to complement the range of elevation angles provided by the antenna's automatic control system.

Statement of the Problem

Compact, portable dish antenna systems have been used for many years. For example, portable dish antennas are commonly employed for military applications, in the oil and gas industry and on recreational vehicles. One common configuration has a small dish antenna housed within a protective enclosure defined by a radome and base. The direction of the antenna is adjusted by a controller operating small electric motors that can move the antenna within the radome over a range of elevation and azimuth angles.

The range of azimuth adjustment is not a significant concern because the entire assembly can easily be manually rotated about its vertical axis to point the antenna in any desired azimuth direction. However, elevation adjustment is inherently limited by dimensional constraints of the dish within the radome. The size of the overall assembly is always a concern in designing portable antenna systems. The size of the radome should be kept as small as possible, but the dish within the radome must have certain minimum dimensions to meet its functional requirements as an antenna. As a result, the lower radome height will limit the system to more modest ranges of elevation (e.g., +/− 30° from vertical).

Solution to the Problem

The present invention addresses this issue by providing a manual elevation adjustment for the dish antenna in addition to the range of elevation adjustment provided by the controller and motors associated with the antenna. These two ranges of elevation adjustment are additive, so the overall range of elevation adjustment for the dish antenna is significantly increased. For example, the manual elevation adjustment can either be a fixed angle (e.g.) 45° or adjustable of a range of elevation angles (e.g., 0-45°).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a portable antenna system having a dish antenna mounted to an antenna support platform and enclosed within a radome. The elevation and azimuth of the antenna can be adjustably directed over a range of angles with respect to the antenna support platform by a controller with electric motors. The antenna support platform is hinged at its periphery to a base. This hinge allows the antenna support platform and antenna to pivot upward with respect to the base between a stowed state in which the antenna support platform rests against the base, and a desired angle of elevation in a raised state. A prop extending between the base and antenna support platform holds the antenna support platform at the design elevation angle in the raised state. Optionally, this prop can allow an adjustable elevation angle.

These and other advantages, features, and objects of the present invention will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning toFIG. 1, a top axonometric view is provided of a portable antenna system embodying the present invention. Corresponding right side and rear views are illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. The assembly includes an antenna10(e.g., a dish antenna) within a radome15. The antenna10and radome15are supported on an antenna support platform30, which in turn, is supported by a base20.

The elevation and azimuth of the antenna10can be adjustably directed over a range of angles with respect to the antenna support platform30by a controller with electric motors12. In particular, at least one of these motors12serves as an elevation control motor allowing the elevation of the antenna10to be adjustably directed by the controller over a range of elevation angles with respect to the plane of the antenna support platform30.

The antenna support platform30and radome15form an enclosure around the antenna10and its controller and motors12to protect these components from damage and the environment. The radome15can be generally dome-shaped and extends upward from the periphery of the antenna support platform30to enclose the antenna10.

The antenna support platform30can be circular disk that provides a platform for mounting the antenna10and its controller and motors12. However, the embodiment of the antenna support platform30shown in the accompanying drawings includes a central recessed portion32that protrudes slightly outward (or downward) to yield more room within the radome15to house the antenna10, controller and motors12. In particular, this recess32can be used to mount the base of the antenna10, and to receive a portion of the body of the antenna10in the stowed state.

In the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, the base20has a generally annular shape that can be filled with ballast for stability. A hinge24connects the peripheral edges of the base20and antenna support platform30so that the antenna support platform30can pivot upward to a desired angle of elevation with respect to the base20in the raised state as shown inFIG. 2. The antenna support platform30rests against the base20in the stowed state as shown inFIG. 4. The void in the center of the annular base20receives the protruding underside of the recessed portion32of the antenna support platform30when it is pivoted flat against the base20in its stowed state as shown inFIG. 4.

FIGS. 1-4show an embodiment of the present invention in which a prop40holds the antenna support platform30at a fixed elevation angle with respect to the base20when deployed. In this embodiment, the upper end of the prop40is removably secured by a clasp34on the underside of the antenna support platform30to maintain this fixed angle in the deployed state. When not deployed, the prop40can be released from the clasp and pivoted downward about the hinge42at the prop's lower end, so the prop40can be stored between the base20and antenna support platform30. In this stowed state, the radome15, antenna support platform30and base20form a compact unit, as shown inFIG. 4, that is easy to lift and transport.

Alternatively, the prop40could be hinged at its upper end to the underside of the antenna support platform30. The lower end of the prop40removably engages a recess in the base20when deployed. The prop40can pivot about its upper end while the lower end is manually lifted up and out of the recess in the base20. Once released from the base20, the prop40folds upward against the underside of the antenna support platform30, and can be stored between the base20and antenna support platform30in the stowed state.

FIGS. 5-8show an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the upper end of the prop40is hinged to a slider mechanism44that allows an adjustable range of raised positions with a range of elevation angles between the base20and antenna support platform30. In this embodiment, the prop40is curved to fit into the void in the center of the base20when stowed. The slider44at the upper end of the prop40slides along a pair of tracks36on the underside of the antenna support platform30as illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8to adjust the elevation angle of the antenna support platform30. For example, the slider44can be held in place by a friction fit between the tracks36until tabs on the slider44are pinched together to release the slider44and allow it to slide along the tracks36. Alternatively, the slider44could be adjustably held in place in the tracks36by a series of protrusions, teeth or detents spaced along the tracks36. The tracks36can also be equipped with a series of visual indicia38(i.e., a scale) indicating the elevation angle of the antenna support platform30as the slider44is moved along the tracks36.

The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodiments could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims.