Portable directional antenna, measurement arrangement and measurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10651956-B2
Application number	US-201615064594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable directional antenna which is equipped with a camera which is integrated into the housing of the directional antenna. In addition to the conventional documentation of the position-finding information, this integrated, installed camera makes it possible, by means of the directional antenna function, to also optically document the surroundings of the interference source with a variable level of detail, for example by way long-range or short-range capture. By way of the optical additional information thus obtained, the present invention provides a simple, but nonetheless very effective, enhanced documentation option for interference sources and the surroundings thereof. Thus, during the search for radio-frequency interferences, no separate camera for capturing image information has to be brought along, and this increases the comfort for a user. The present invention further relates to a portable measurement arrangement and to a method for measuring an electromagnetic signal emitted by a source.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable directional antenna, which is designed to detect position-finding data of an interference source emitting an electromagnetic interference signal, comprising an installed camera which is configured to capture image information from the surroundings of the directional antenna, in particular from the surroundings of the interference source, and comprising a control device configured to control the camera and the portable directional antenna, wherein the control device is configured to adjust the size of the opening angle of the portable directional antenna to become smaller or bigger,
wherein the control device is coupled to the camera and is designed so as to trigger the camera in a manner dependent on a predetermined condition,
wherein the control device is designed to trigger the camera automatically in a manner dependent on the predetermined condition, the predetermined condition denoting at least one threshold for the detected electromagnetic signal, and
wherein the threshold for the detected electromagnetic signal is a threshold for the scattering of the detected electromagnetic interference signal.

2. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein the camera is in the form of a digital camera which comprises a memory so as to store image information captured by the digital camera or position-finding data associated with the image information or both of them.

3. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein a GPS sensor is provided which is designed to detect GPS position data associated with the position-finding data or image information or both of them.

4. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein a device for time detection is provided which is designed to detect time information associated with the position-finding data or image information or both of them.

5. The antenna of claim 1 wherein the predetermined condition can be set in a user-specific manner by way of an input device.

6. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein a distance measurement device is provided, which is arranged and designed so as to determine a distance between the directional antenna and the interference source.

7. The antenna of claim 6 , wherein the distance measurement device is a directional microphone.

8. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein the directional antenna is designed to receive electromagnetic interference signals in a frequency range between 9 kHz and 7.5 GHz or in a frequency range between 9 kHz and 20 MHz or in a frequency range between 20 MHz and 200 MHz or in a frequency range between 200 MHz and 500 MHz or in a frequency range between 500 MHz and 7.5 GHz.

9. A measurement arrangement comprising:
a portable directional antenna, which is designed to detect position-finding data of an interference source emitting an electromagnetic interference signal, comprising an installed camera which is configured to capture image information from the surroundings of the directional antenna, in particular from the surroundings of the interference source,
a control device configured to control the camera and the portable directional antenna, wherein the control device is configured to adjust the size of the opening angel of the directional antenna to become smaller or bigger, and
a measurement device designed as a spectrum analyser which is coupled to the directional antenna and which is designed to analyse an electromagnetic interference signal received by the directional antenna,
wherein the control device is coupled to the camera and is designed so as to trigger the camera in a manner dependent on a predetermined condition,
wherein the control device is designed to trigger the camera automatically in a manner dependent on the predetermined condition, the predetermined condition denoting at least one threshold for the detected electromagnetic signal, and
wherein the threshold for the detected electromagnetic signal is a threshold for the scattering of the detected electromagnetic interference signal.

10. The arrangement of claim 9 , wherein an input device is provided, via which user-specific inputs on the position or the nature of the interference source emitting the detected electromagnetic interference signal or both of them can be inputted.

11. The arrangement of claim 10 , wherein the control device is designed to assign the user-specific inputs to the captured image information or detected position-finding data and to store the information thus linked together as associated information in a memory.

12. The arrangement of claim 9 , wherein a display device is provided which is designed to display at least one of: captured image information, detected position finding data, GPS data, time information, user-specific inputs or data analysed by the spectrum analyser.

13. A method for locating a radio-frequency interference source, comprising:
adjusting the size of an opening angle of a directional antenna to become smaller or bigger,
determining the position of an interference source by detecting and analysing an electromagnetic interference signal emitted by the interference source via the directional antenna and by providing position-finding data based on a direction of incidence of the detected electromagnetic interference signal;
determining the presence of a predetermined condition, the predetermined condition denoting at least one threshold for the detected electromagnetic signal, wherein the threshold of the detected electromagnetic signal is a threshold for the scatting of the detected electromagnetic interference signal;
dependent on the determined presence of the predetermined condition, automatically capturing image information from the surroundings of the interference source or from the location at which the electromagnetic interference signal was detected; and
storing the determined position and the associated image information.

14. The method of claim 13 , the method comprising at least one of:
detecting a distance between the interference source of the electromagnetic signal and a location at which the electromagnetic interference signal was detected;
characterising the detected and analysed electromagnetic interference signal;
adapting a focus or a zoom of the capture as a function of the detected distance;
displaying the captured image information together with further information relating to the interference source;
detecting GPS position data of the location at which the position of the interference source was determined;
determining time data of the moment at which the position of the interference source was determined;
comparing a predetermined parameter of the electromagnetic interference signal with a predetermined threshold;
merging information about the detected direction of incidence of the electromagnetic interference signal into the image information.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Hisch Martin

Classifications

• G01S3/04

  Details · CPC title

• G01R29/0878

  Sensors; antennas; probes; detectors (wave guide measuring sections G01R1/24) · CPC title

• H04N1/2125

  Display of information relating to the still picture recording · CPC title

• G01S11/16

  using difference in transit time between electrical and acoustic signals · CPC title

• H04B17/27 Primary

  for locating or positioning the transmitter · CPC title