GNSS Antenna Digital Subsystem Reduces Transmission Delay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing GNSS receiver systems face challenges in maintaining signal integrity and accuracy due to transmission delays and frequency shifts when using long RF cables to connect remotely placed antennas, which affect position determination.
Innovation Solution
The system employs high-speed digital communication conductors like Cat5 or fiber optics, using RF to Ethernet converters to transmit satellite signals as digital signals, preserving frequency and phase information, and synchronizing local oscillators to minimize frequency shifts, allowing direct digital processing by the GNSS receiver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If long RF cables are used to connect remotely placed antennas to GNSS receivers, then the antenna can be placed in optimal locations with clear sky views, but transmission delays and frequency shifts occur that degrade signal integrity and position determination accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional RF cable transmission system with a digital communication system. The RF signals are converted to digital signals using an RF-to-digital converter at the antenna end, transmitted through standard digital communication conductors (Cat5, fiber optics), and converted back to RF signals at the receiver end. This substitution eliminates the transmission delays and frequency shifts inherent in long RF cable runs while preserving signal integrity for position determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces digital signal conversion as an intermediary process between the antenna and GNSS receiver. By converting RF signals to digital signals for transmission and then back to RF signals, the system uses digital communication infrastructure as a mediator to transport satellite signals over long distances without the degradation problems of direct RF cable transmission.
2Reliability
If expensive RF cables are used to maintain signal integrity over long distances, then transmission quality is preserved, but system cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, specialized RF cables with inexpensive, readily available digital communication conductors such as Cat5 Ethernet cables or fiber optic cables. These standard digital transmission media are significantly cheaper than high-quality RF cables while the digital conversion process ensures signal integrity is maintained throughout the transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the expensive RF cable transmission mechanism with a digital communication system using standard conductors. The RF-to-digital and digital-to-RF conversion infrastructure replaces the need for costly specialized RF cabling, achieving the same signal integrity goal at much lower cost.
3Device complexity
If RF cables are used for signal transmission, then the system architecture remains simple, but transmission delays and frequency errors accumulate over long cable runs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple but problematic RF cable transmission system with a digital communication system. Although this adds conversion components, it eliminates the cumulative transmission delays and frequency errors that occur in long RF cable runs, achieving better time accuracy for GNSS position determination.
Data Source
AI summary
A GNSS receiver and antenna system transmits signals from an antenna structure to a remote GNSS receiver and includes a digital communications subsystem that utilizes a high speed digital communications conductor. The transmissions are digital signals that preserve GNSS satellite signal frequency and/or carrier and code phase information. The system may transmit digital signals corresponding to GNSS signals such as GPS, GLONAS, Galileo and Compass satellite signals. In addition, the system may transmit, over the same digital communications conductor in appropriately formatted digital signals, ranging signals from ground-based transmitters or other satellites, differential GNSS correction signals from beacons or base GPS receivers, and/or signals from transmitting or co-located sensors, such as inertial sensors, temperature sensors and so forth. The digital signals include in headers or payload relative timing and carrier and code phase information and, as appropriate, information that identifies the signals by source or type, such as information that identifies the frequencies or the antennas or antenna elements providing the respective signals.