Antenna system and method for mitigating multi-path effect
An antenna system and method utilize a splitter electrically connectable to a single antenna for splitting an RF signal into two signals. A variable phase shifter shifts the phase of one of the signals. A combiner combines the phase shifted and non-phase shifted signals to produce a conditioned signal. A quality examiner circuit changes the amount of phase shift provided by the variable phase shifter to produce a plurality of different conditioned signals. The quality examiner circuit then determines a quality of each conditioned signal and changes the phase shift again to provide the highest quality conditioned signal to a receiver.
1. A method of conditioning an RF signal received by a single antenna to mitigate a multi-path effect on the RF signal prior to providing a conditioned signal to a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
splitting the RF signal received by the single antenna into a first non-phase shifted signal and a second non-phase shifted signal;
shifting the phase of the second non-phase shifted signal to produce a first phase shifted signal;
combining the first non-phase shifted signal and phase shifted signal to produce a first conditioned signal;
determining and recording a quality of the first conditioned signal;
shifting the phase of the second non-phase shifted signal to produce a second phase shifted signal different from the first phase shifted signal;
combining the first non-phase shifted signal and the second phase shifted signal to produce a second conditioned signal;
determining and recording a quality of the second conditioned signal;
comparing the quality of the first conditioned signal and the second conditioned signal to determine which of the conditioned signals has a highest quality; and
providing the conditioned signal determined to have the highest quality to the receiver.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of shifting the phase of the second non-phase shifted signal to produce a third phase shifted signal different from the first and second phase shifted signals.
3. A method as set forth in claim 2 further comprising the step of combining the first non-phase shifted signal and the third phase shifted signal to produce a third conditioned signal.
4. A method as set forth in claim 3 further comprising the step of determining and recording a quality of the third conditioned signal.
5. A method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said step of comparing the quality is further defined as comparing the quality of the first, second, and third non-phase shifted signals to determine which of the conditioned signals has a highest quality.
6. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of providing the conditioned signal is further defined as providing the conditioned signal determined to have the highest quality to the receiver.
7. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said step of providing the conditioned signal is further defined as shifting the phase of the second non-phase shifted signal to the phase shift associated with the conditioned signal having the highest quality.
8. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of providing the conditioned signal is further defined as shifting the phase of the second non-phase shifted signal to the phase shift associated with the conditioned signal having the highest quality.