Antenna system for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12027756-B2
Application number	US-202217743055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2022
Priority date	Apr 29, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A communication system and method for vehicles, particularly trains, are described with the vehicle having antenna sets. Each antenna set includes a plurality of antennas mounted onto a convex-shaped vehicle roof in which an axis of one antenna set is approximately perpendicular to an axis of another antenna set and in which the antenna sets are mounted below roof level of the convex-shaped vehicle roof A switching device is operable to switch between a first antenna configuration and a second antenna configuration based on a difference in measured signal power received at the antenna sets. The first antenna configuration is associated with a first stationary communication system of the plurality of stationary communication systems and a second antenna configuration is associated with a second stationary communication system of the plurality of stationary communication systems.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first antenna device comprising a first plurality of antennas;
a second antenna device comprising a second plurality of antennas; and
a switch, wherein:
the switch is operable to couple the first antenna device to the second antenna device, via a physical connection, for a first kind of wireless communication system,
the switch is operable to decouple the first antenna device from the second antenna device, thereby removing the physical connection, for a second kind of wireless communication system, and
a determination between the first kind of wireless communication system and the second kind of wireless communication system is based on a first signal power received at the first antenna device and a second signal power received at the second antenna device.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first antenna device is mounted to a vehicle.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the vehicle is one of a train, a bus, and a car.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first antenna device and the second antenna device are configured to establish a 2×2 communication link with a stationary transceiver system.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first kind of wireless communication system is configured to form a single effective antenna by communicatively coupling antennas from the first antenna device and the second antenna device.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein two or more antennas of the first antenna device and the second antenna device are separated by a half wavelength of a communication frequency.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the switch is operable to switch between the first antenna device and the second antenna device.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein an axis of the first antenna device is perpendicular to an axis of the second antenna device.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second kind of wireless communication system is configured to form a plurality of effective antennas.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein signals received from the first kind of wireless communication system via the first antenna device are coherently combined.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein signals received via the first antenna device and the second antenna device are uncorrelated.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the switch is part of a repeater.

13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is a vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the vehicle is one of a train, a bus, and a car.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first kind of wireless communication system is operable to provide cross-polarized communication.

16. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the second kind of wireless communication system comprises two or more leaky feeders.

Assignees

• Swisscom Ag

Inventors

• Jamaly Nima

Classifications

• H01Q13/203

  Leaky coaxial lines · CPC title

• H01Q1/50

  Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors · CPC title

• H04B5/28

  using the near field of leaky cables, e.g. of leaky coaxial cables · CPC title

• H01Q21/24

  Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction {(circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/3225 Primary

  Cooperation with the rails or the road · CPC title