Patent US4785302A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4785302A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Automatic polarization control system for TVRO receivers
Assignee: CAPETRONIC (BSR) Ltd C/O CIC EXPORT Ltd A CORP OF BERMUDA
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Filing: 1985-10-30
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Granted: 1988-11-15
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Expires: 2005-10-30
Abstract
Abstract In a TVRO earth station having an antenna for receiving incoming satellite signals and polarizing means associated with the antenna for adjusting the relative alignment of the antenna orientation and the polarization of the incoming signals, an automatic polarization control system comprising means for producing an electrical control signal for controlling the polarizing means to adjust the relative alignment, means for detecting the noise level in the satellite signals received by the antenna, and means responsive to the detected noise level for adjusting the control signal, and thereby adjusting the polarizing means, to minimize the detected noise level.
Inventors
- 👤 John Y. Ma
- 👤 David H. McCracken
- 👤 Steven Weiss
- 👤 Albert C. Houston, III
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 20:09
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q1/00; H01Q1/12; H01Q1/125; H01Q1/1257; H01Q21/00; H01Q21/24; H01Q21/245
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
In a TVRO earth station having an antenna for receiving incoming satellite signals and polarizing means associated with the antenna for adjusting the relative alignment of the antenna orientation and the polarization of the incoming signals, an automatic polarization control system comprising means for producing an electrical control signal for controlling said polarizing means to adjust said relative alignment, means for detecting the noise level apart from the signal level in the satellite signals received by the antenna, and means responsive to the detected noise level for adjusting said control signal, and thereby adjusting said polarizing means, to minimize the detected noise level.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
103 words
In a TVRO earth station having an antenna for receiving incoming satellite signals and polarizing means associated with the antenna for adjusting the relative alignment of the antenna orientation and the polarization of the incoming signals, an automatic polarization control system comprising means for producing an electrical control signal for controlling said polarizing means to adjust said relative alignment, means for detecting the noise level apart from the signal level in the satellite signals received by the antenna, and means responsive to the detected noise level for adjusting said control signal, and thereby adjusting said polarizing means, to minimize the detected noise level.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 wherein said polarizing means comprises a ferrite polarizer which adjusts the polarization of the incoming satellite signals relative to the antenna orientation to selectively determine which polarization of the incoming signals is actually received by the antenna.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 wherein said antenna includes a feed horn containing a probe, and said polarizing means comprises means for rotating said probe to selectively determine which polarization of the incoming signals is actually received by the antenna.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 which includes a tuner for selecting the signals received from a particular satellite transponder, and a demodulator for demodulating the selected signals, and wherein said noise-detecting means receives the video output from the demodulator for detecting the noise level in the signals received from the selected transponder.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 which includes means for determining the minimum detected noise level for a selected channel and storing a value representing the level of said control signal corresponding to the minimum detected noise level.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 5 which includes means responsive to each channel selection for adjusting said control signal to a level corresponding to said stored value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 which includes means for adjusting said control signal through a predetermined range of values, and thereby adjusting said polarizing means through a predetermined range of settings.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
130 words
In a TVRO earth station having an antenna for receiving incoming satellite signals and polarizing means associated with the antenna for adjusting the relative alignment of the antenna orientation and the polarization of the incoming signals, an automatic polarization control system comprising means for producing an electrical control signal for controlling said polarizing means to adjust said relative alignment, means for detecting the noise level apart from the signal level in the satellite signals received by the antenna, means for adjusting said control signal through a predetermined range of values, and thereby adjusting said polarizing means through a predetermined range of settings, and means for determining the minimum noise level detected during the adjustments of said control signal and storing the control signal value corresponding to said minimum noise level.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
130 words
In a TVRO earth station having an antenna for receiving incoming satellite signals and polarizing means associated with the antenna for adjusting the relative alignment of the antenna orientation and the polarization of the incoming signals, an automatic polarization control system comprising means for producing an electrical control signal for controlling said polarizing means to adjust said relative alignment, means for detecting the noise level apart from the signal level in the satellite signals received by the antenna, means for adjusting said control signal through a predetermined range of values, and thereby adjusting said polarizing means through a predetermined range of settings, and means for determining the minimum noise level detected during the adjustments of said control signal and storing the control signal value corresponding to said minimum noise level.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 8 wherein said polarizing means comprises a ferrite-core polarizer which adjusts the polarization of the incoming satellite signals relative to the antenna orientation to selectively determine which polarization of the incoming signals is actually received by the antenna.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 8 wherein said antenna includes a feed horn containing a probe, and said polarizing means comprises means for rotating said probe to selectively determine which polarization of the incoming signals is actually received by the antenna.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 8 which includes a tuner for selecting the signals received from a particular satellite transponder, and a demodulator for demodulating the selected signals, and wherein said noise-detecting means receives the video output from the demodulator for detecting the noise level in the signals received from the selected transponder.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 8 which includes means for determining the minimum detected noise level for a selected channel and storing a value representing the level of said control signal corresponding to the minimum detected noise level.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 12 which includes means responsive to each channel selection for adjusting said control signal to a level corresponding to said stored value.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
51 words
The TVRO earth station of claim 1 which includes a demodulator for receiving the incoming satellite signals and producing a video baseband signal which is supplied to said noise-level-detecting means, and said noise-level-detecting means detects the noise level at a frequency above that of the video information in said baseband signal.
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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) | 1991-11-15 | 1992-05-16 | 1992-11-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-11-15 | 1996-05-16 | 1996-11-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-11-15 | 2000-05-16 | 2000-11-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |