JPH0444403A - Satellite broadcast tracking antenna system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always receive a picture stably during the running of a mobile body by supporting an azimuth control ring to a housing mounted to the mobile body so as to be turnable around a vertical axial line, and decelerating the azimuth control ring with the motor of an azimuth motor mechanism through a reduction means. CONSTITUTION:When a 3-axis gyro 80 detects a yawing variance of an automobile 2, an azimuth motor 17 is started by the driver circuit of an azimuth motor mechanism 14 at the number of revolutions calculated by the CPU of a controller based on the detection signal. A rocking member 39 and a planar antenna 40 integrated with the azimuth control ring are driven at a range of 360 deg. and the azimuth angle of the plane antenna 40 is directed in the direction of a broadcast satellite. On the other band, a rolling or pitching variance of the automobile 2 is detected by the 3-axis gyro 80, then the CPU of the controller starts an elevation motor 23 through the driver circuit of an elevation motor mechanism 15.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides satellite broadcasting (hereinafter simply referred to as rBS), which is carried on a mobile object such as an automobile.
The present invention relates to a BS tracking antenna device that receives 11te), and more specifically relates to a mechanism for controlling the azimuth and elevation of an antenna element according to the position and direction of a moving object. be.

[Prior art] As a conventional BS tracking antenna device of this type,
Techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-159409 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-261005 are known.

In the BS tracking antenna device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 1-159409, an antenna element is swingably supported on a pedestal by two orthogonal horizontal axes. The elevation angle of the antenna element is controlled by a motor that swings together with the antenna element via a worm reduction mechanism.

In addition, in the BS tracking antenna device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-261005, a support member is rotatably supported on a pedestal by a vertical axis, and a pair of antenna elements are mounted on the support member in two parallel directions. Each is supported swingably by the horizontal axis of the book. The support member is rotated by an azimuth motor installed on the pedestal to control the azimuth angle of each antenna element. Further, each antenna element is synchronously swung by an elevation motor installed on the support member via a connecting rod, and the elevation angle of each antenna element is controlled.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the BS tracking antenna device of Utility Model Application Publication No. 1-159409 merely controls the elevation angle of the antenna element, and is not configured to be able to control the azimuth angle. , it was necessary to use an omnidirectional antenna element, and in order to ensure high gain, the antenna element had to be made larger. Furthermore, since the motor and the worm reduction mechanism swing together with the antenna element, the mass of the entire swinging portion increases, making it difficult to increase the tracking speed of the antenna element.

On the other hand, the BS tracking antenna device disclosed in JP-A-1-261005 can control not only the elevation angle but also the azimuth angle of the antenna element. As a result, the inertia of the entire rotating portion increases, which hinders high-speed tracking. In addition, as the support member rotates, the power and control cables connected to the elevation motor are twisted, which not only reduces their durability, but also allows the antenna element to rotate 360 degrees to provide directivity in all directions. Depending on the direction of the mobile object, reception could become impossible.

Therefore, the main problems of the present invention are rolling of a moving body,
To provide a BS tracking antenna device capable of quickly responding to fluctuations such as pitching, yawing, etc., causing an antenna element to track a broadcasting satellite at high speed, and thereby receiving stable images at all times while a moving object is running. It is in.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, in the BS tracking antenna device of the present invention, a housing attached to a moving body includes:
An azimuth control ring is rotatably supported around a vertical axis, and an azimuth motor mechanism including a motor and a deceleration means is installed, and the azimuth control ring is rotated at a deceleration rate by the motor of the azimuth motor mechanism via the deceleration means. Ru. A swinging member is supported on the azimuth control ring so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis, and an antenna element is fixed to the swinging member. Further, an elevation control ring is rotatably supported in the housing around the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring, and an elevation motor mechanism including a motor and a deceleration means is installed, and the elevation control ring is rotatably supported on the housing. The motor of the elevation motor mechanism decelerates and rotates through the deceleration means. An elevator is supported on the elevation control ring so as to be movable up and down, and the elevator is raised and lowered by a cam means as the elevation control ring rotates, and is rotatable integrally with the azimuth control ring via a connecting means. Concatenated. The swinging member to which the antenna element is fixed is movably connected to the elevator by a connecting means.

Preferably, on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring,
A rotary joint is provided to rotatably support the signal cable of the antenna element.

Preferably, the cam means includes a plurality of cam grooves spirally formed on the peripheral wall of the elevation control ring, and a cam follower that engages with each cam groove and moves up and down together with the elevator, The cam groove has a non-linear expanded shape such that the swing angle of the swing member is displaced in proportion to the rotation angle of the elevation control ring.

[Operation] In the BS tracking antenna device of the present invention, when the motor of the azimuth motor mechanism is started, the azimuth control ring is rotated around the vertical axis via the deceleration means, and the antenna element is rotated together with the azimuth control ring. and its azimuth is controlled. When the motor of the elevator motor mechanism is started, the elevation control ring is rotated through the deceleration means, the elevator is raised and lowered by the cam means, and the swinging member is rocked in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the elevator through the connecting means. to control the elevation angle of the antenna element. Furthermore, when the motors of the azimuth motor mechanism and the elevation motor mechanism are started at the same time, the elevator is rotated together with the azimuth control ring via the coupling means, and the elevator is raised and lowered as the elevation control ring rotates. As a result, the azimuth and elevation angles of the antenna element are simultaneously controlled.

Since the antenna element points toward the broadcasting satellite in all azimuth angles, there is no need to use an omnidirectional antenna element, and the outer diameter of the antenna element can be reduced to reduce weight.

Moreover, since the azimuth motor mechanism and the elevation motor mechanism are each installed in the housing, the mass of the movable part that rotates and swings together with the antenna element is reduced, and the inertia is reduced. Therefore, the antenna element can quickly respond to fluctuations such as rolling, pitching, yawing, etc. of the moving object and can track the broadcasting satellite at high speed, thereby receiving stable images at all times while the moving object is running. Moreover, since the elevation control ring is rotated around the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring, the elevation control ring and the azimuth control ring are arranged double inside and outside, making the azimuth and elevation control mechanism compact. It can be configured as follows.

Further, according to the BS tracking antenna device of the present invention, since the rotary joint is provided on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring, twisting of the signal cable due to rotation of the azimuth control ring can be prevented, and its durability can be improved. In addition, it is also possible to make the antenna element oriented in all directions of 360 degrees, thereby eliminating the problem of unreceivable reception.

Furthermore, in the BS tracking antenna device of the present invention, since the cam means is composed of a cam groove having a non-linear developed shape and a cam follower that engages with the cam groove, the swing angle of the swing member is controlled by the elevation control ring. The antenna element can be accurately displaced in proportion to the rotation angle, simplifying the motor control software, speeding up calculation speed, and increasing the tracking speed of the antenna element.

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a vehicle-mounted BS tracking antenna device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a BS tracking antenna device showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 viewed from the left side,
Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of peripheral members of the elevation control ring shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the elevation control ring shown in Fig. 4. A developed view showing the shape of the cam groove of the control ring, Figure 6 is B of this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the S tracking antenna device mounted on the bed of a car.

As shown in FIG. 6, the BS tracking antenna device 1 of this embodiment is installed in the entrance 3 of an automobile 2.

At the entrance 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedestal 4 of the BS tracking antenna device 1 is fixed at a plurality of locations on the inside and outside with bolts 5 and nuts 6. A cup-shaped nose 7 is fixed on the pedestal 4 by bolts 8 and cap nuts 9 at four locations via rubber bushes 10 and collars 11. The housing 7 is covered by a hemispherical radome 12, and like the housing 7, the lower periphery of the radome 12 is tightened at six points with bolts 8 and cap nuts 9 via rubber bushes 10 and collars 11. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the housing 7, an azimuth motor mechanism 14 and an elevation motor mechanism 15, each having the same structure, are installed in different directions by 90 degrees.

In the azimuth motor mechanism 14 shown in FIG. 1, the motor bracket 16 fixed inside the housing 7 includes:
An azimuth motor 17 is installed, which is a motor whose position can be easily controlled, such as a DC servo motor, an AC servo motor, or a stepping motor. A worm 19 is rotatably supported inside the reducer box 18 connected to the motor bracket 16 via a bearing (not shown), and a large pulley 20 on the worm shaft and a small pulley 21 on the output shaft of the azimuth motor 17 are supported. A toothed belt 22 is wound around the azimuth motor 17 and the rotation of the azimuth motor 17 is transmitted to the worm 19 at a reduced speed. Similar to this azimuth motor mechanism 14,
Also in the elevation motor mechanism 15, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotation of the elevation motor 23 is transmitted to the worm 25 via the toothed belt 24 at a reduced speed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a bearing 27 is mounted on the upper part of the housing 7, and its outer ring is fixed to the housing 7 by a stop plate 28. An azimuth control ring 29 is housed inside the housing 7, and a turntable 30 is placed on the upper surface of the housing 7. The azimuth control ring 29 and the turntable 30 are supported so as to be integrally rotatable around the vertical axis of the housing 7 by being coupled by a tightening screw 31 with the inner ring of the bearing 27 interposed therebetween. A worm wheel 32 is attached to the lower end of the azimuth control ring 29.
2 and the worm 19, the azimuth control ring 29 is rotated at a speed of, for example, 1/150 of the rotation speed of the azimuth control ring 29 as the azimuth motor 17 rotates. Therefore, in this embodiment, the worm wheel 32, the worm 19, etc. constitute a deceleration means for the azimuth motor mechanism 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the worm wheel 32
A sensor operating plate 33 is fixed to the lower surface of the reducer box 18, and a sensor 34 is attached to the reducer box 18. and,
The sensor 34 is configured to detect the tip of the sensor actuating plate 33 and output an origin position signal of the azimuth control ring 17 to a control device (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of support pieces 36 protruding from the top surface of the turntable 30 have bearings 3
7 and a swinging member 39 with a triangular side surface via the support shaft 38.
is swingably supported, and a flat antenna 4 is mounted on its inclined surface.
0 is fixed.

The planar antenna 40 is attached with a converter 41 that converts the frequency of the radio wave signal received by the planar antenna 40. A signal cable 42 connected to the converter 41 is inserted into the azimuth control ring 29 via a cable holding portion 43 of the turntable 30, exits from the housing 7 through a terminal 44, and is connected to a tuner (not shown). At the bottom of the azimuth control ring 29, a rotary joint 45 rotatably supports the signal cable 42, and a rotary joint 45 is attached to the mounting member 4.
6 so as to be positioned on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring 29.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, /%Using 7
A bearing 48 having a larger diameter than the bearing 27 is mounted on the upper part of the bearing 27, and its outer ring is fixed to the housing 7 via a stop plate 49. Inside the housing 7, an elevation control ring 50 is connected to an azimuth control ring 29.
The elevation control ring 50 is fitted onto the housing 7 around the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring 29 by having its upper end fixed to the inner ring of the bearing 48 via the stop plate 51. It is rotatably supported. On the peripheral wall of the elevation control ring 50,
Three cam grooves 53 having a non-linear developed shape (see FIG. 5) are spirally formed. The three cam grooves 53
The spiral shape converts the rotation angle change of the elevation control ring 50 into an angle change of the swing member 39 when converting the rotation angle change of the elevation control ring 50 into an angle change of the swing member 39.
This corrects the change in proportion to the change in angle.

A worm wheel 52 is attached to the lower end of the elevation control ring 50, and the engagement of the worm wheel 52 and the worm 25 causes the elevation control ring 5 to
0 as the elevation motor 23 rotates, for example,
It is rotated at a speed of 1/150 of that speed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the worm wheel 52, the worm 25, etc. constitute a deceleration means for the elevation motor mechanism 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a slider 55 is housed inside the elevation control ring 50 so as to be movable up and down, and an elevator ring 56 is fixed inside the slider 55 with screws 57. An elevator 58 is rotatably installed inside the elevator ring 56. The outer ring of a bearing 59 is held between the slider 55 and the elevator ring 56, and the inner ring thereof is held between the elevator 58 and the stop plate 60.

Three shafts 61 are provided radially protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the elevator ring 56, and cam followers 62 that engage with each cam groove 53 of the elevation control ring 50 are provided at the tips of the shafts 61.
is rotatably supported. An abbreviated locking body 65 is fixed to a boss 63 vertically disposed on the housing 7, and a longitudinal groove 64 carved on the inner surface of the locking body 65 is provided with the three shafts 61.
Of these, a roller 66 supported by the long sleeve 61a is fitted to be slidable up and down, so that the elevator ring 56 is raised and lowered with the rotation of the elevation control ring 50 while its rotation is restricted. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cam groove 53 of the elevation control ring 50, the cam follower 62 of the elevator ring 56, and the roller 66
, a locking body 65, etc., constitute a cam means, and the cam means allows the elevator 58 to be connected to the elevation control ring 5.
It is raised and lowered with the rotation of 0.

A shaft 68 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the elevator 58 supports a connecting roller 70 that engages with a locking groove 69 formed in the peripheral wall of the azimuth control ring 29 so as to be able to slide up and down. This connecting roller 70 constitutes the connecting means of this embodiment,
The elevator 58 is connected to the azimuth control ring 29 so as to be integrally rotatable therewith. Further, a connecting rod 72 is rotatably supported at the lower end of a pin 71 implanted in the inner circumferential surface of the elevator 58, and the upper end of the connecting rod 72 is approximately an extension of the axis of the azimuth control ring 29. It is rotatably coupled to one end of the swinging member 39 located on the line via a pin 73. The connecting rod 72 constitutes the connecting means of this embodiment, and connects the swinging member 39 to the elevator 58 so that the elevation angle of the planar antenna 40 is displaced as the elevator 58 moves up and down.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a switch actuation plate 75 is fixed to the lower outer circumferential surface of the elevation control ring 50, and a boss 76 is provided in the housing 7 to face the switch actuation plate 75.
A lower limit switch 78 and an upper limit switch 9 are mounted via a mounting plate 77. These switches 78 and 79 are connected to the switch actuating plate 75.
It is configured to detect the protrusions at both ends of the elevator 58 and output a lower limit position signal and an upper limit position signal of the elevator 58 to the control device. In addition, in FIGS. 2 and 3, 80 is a three-axis gyro installed inside the housing 7, which detects the amount of variation in each direction of rolling, pitching, and yawing of the automobile 2. The control device is configured to output a signal to a control device.

Next, the operation of the BS tracking antenna device of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

The amount of variation in the yawing direction of car 2 is measured using a 3-axis gyro 80.
When detected, the CPU (as shown) of the control device starts the azimuth motor 17 via the driver circuit (as shown) of the azimuth motor mechanism 14 at the rotation speed calculated based on the detection signal. When the azimuth motor 17 is rotated,
The azimuth control ring 29 is rotated at a reduced speed around the vertical axis via the small pulley 21, toothed belt 22, large pulley 20, worm 19, and worm wheel 32. Then, the swinging member 39 and the planar antenna 40 are rotated in a range of 360 degrees together with the azimuth control ring 29, and the azimuth angle of the planar antenna 40 is controlled so that it points toward the broadcasting satellite.

On the other hand, when the amount of variation in the rolling or pitching direction of the automobile 2 is detected by the 3-axis gyro 80, the CPU of the control device controls the elevation motor 23 via the driver circuit (shown in the diagram) of the elevation motor mechanism 15.
is started. When the elevation motor 23 is rotated, similarly to the case of the azimuth motor mechanism 14, the elevation control ring 50 and the azimuth control ring 29 are connected to each other via the toothed belt 24, the worm 25, the worm wheel 52, etc. It is decelerated and rotated around a vertical axis.

As the elevation control ring 50 rotates, the elevator ring 56 moves up and down through the engagement between the cam groove 53 and the cam follower 62 while the rotation is restricted by the engagement between the roller 66 and the vertical groove 64. The elevator 58 is also raised and lowered at the same time. Then, the swinging member 39 swings in conjunction with the elevation of the elevator 58 via the connecting rod 72, and the elevation angle of the planar antenna 40 is controlled.

In addition, the 3-axis gyroscope 80 controls the yawing direction of the automobile 2;
When the amount of variation in the rolling or pitching direction is both detected, the azimuth motor 17 and the elevation motor 23 are activated at the same time. In this case, since the elevator 58 is connected to the azimuth control ring 29 via the connection roller 70, the elevator 58 is rotated relative to the elevator ring 56 as the azimuth control ring 29 rotates, and the elevator 58 is rotated relative to the elevator ring 56 as the azimuth control ring 29 rotates. ring 5
0 is raised and lowered together with the elevator ring 56. Therefore, the swinging member 39 is rotated around the vertical axis while swinging around the horizontal axis, thereby
The azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the planar antenna 40 are controlled simultaneously.

In this way, according to the BS tracking antenna device 1 of the present embodiment, the planar antenna 40 points toward the broadcasting satellite in all azimuth angles, so unlike the past, there is no need to use an omnidirectional antenna element. Weight reduction can be achieved by using the planar antenna 40 with a small outer diameter. Furthermore, since the azimuth motor mechanism 14 and the elevation motor mechanism 15 are each installed in the housing 7, the mass of the movable parts that rotate and swing together with the planar antenna 40 is reduced, and the inertia is reduced. Therefore, the planar antenna 40 can quickly respond to fluctuations such as rolling, pitching, and yawing of the automobile 2 and can track the broadcasting satellite at high speed, thereby receiving stable images at all times even when the automobile 2 is driving on the road. . Moreover, since the elevation control ring 50 is rotated around the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring 29, the elevation control ring 50 and the azimuth control ring 29 are arranged double inside and outside to control the direction of the planar antenna 40. The entire mechanism for controlling the angle and elevation angle can be configured compactly.

Further, according to the BS tracking antenna device 1 of this embodiment, since the mouth-tally joint 45 is provided on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring 29, the azimuth control ring 29
It is possible to prevent the signal cable 42 from twisting due to the rotation of the antenna and improve its durability.
It is also possible to eliminate unreceivable reception by pointing at the broadcasting satellite in all directions at 0 degrees.

Furthermore, in the BS tracking antenna device 1 of this embodiment,
Since the cam groove 53 of the elevation control ring 50 has a non-linear developed shape, the swing angle of the swing member 39 can be accurately displaced in proportion to the rotation angle of the elevation control ring 50. The software for controlling the motion motor 23 can be simplified, the calculation speed of the CPU can be increased, and the tracking speed of the planar antenna 40 can be further increased.

In addition, although the planar antenna 40 is used as an antenna element in the said Example, this invention is not limited to this, For example, it can also be implemented using a parabolic antenna etc. Furthermore, in the above embodiment,
Although the present invention is embodied in an automobile-mounted BS tracking antenna device, the application of the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to implement the present invention by applying it to a BS tracking antenna device.

[Effect of the invention] As detailed above, the BS of the invention stated in claim 1
The tracking antenna device includes a housing attached to a moving object, an azimuth motor mechanism installed in the housing, an azimuth control ring that is decelerated and rotated by the azimuth motor mechanism, a swinging member swingably supported on the azimuth control ring, An antenna element fixed to the swinging member, an elevation motor mechanism installed in the housing, an elevation control ring that is decelerated and rotated around the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring by the elevation motor mechanism, and an elevation control ring. The elevator is comprised of an elevator supported by the elevator, a cam means for raising and lowering the elevator, a connecting means for connecting the elevator to the azimuth control ring, and a connecting means for connecting the swinging member to the elevator.
By reducing the mass of the movable parts that rotate and swing together with the antenna element, the antenna element can respond to fluctuations in the moving object and track the broadcasting satellite at high speed. Not only can a stable image be received, but also the elevation control ring and the azimuth control ring can be arranged dually inside and outside, so that the azimuth angle and elevation angle control mechanism can be configured compactly.

According to the BS tracking antenna device of the invention described in claim 2, since the rotary joint for rotatably supporting the signal cable of the antenna element is provided on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring, the rotation of the azimuth control ring is prevented. This has the effect of preventing the signal cable from twisting and improving its durability, and also making it possible to direct the antenna element in all directions of 360 degrees, thereby eliminating the problem of unreceivable reception.

According to the BS tracking antenna device of the invention described in claim 3, since the cam means is composed of a cam groove having a non-linear developed shape and a cam follower that engages with the cam groove, the swing angle of the swing member can be adjusted. It is possible to accurately displace the elevator in proportion to the distance traveled by the elevator, simplifying the motor control software and speeding up calculation speed, which has the effect of increasing the tracking speed of the antenna element.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a BS tracking antenna device showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 viewed from the left side,
Fig. 3 is a bottom view of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of peripheral members of the elevation control ring shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the elevation control ring shown in Fig. 4. A developed view showing the shape of the cam groove of the control ring, Figure 6 is B of this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the S tracking antenna device mounted on the bed of a car. In the figure, 1: Bs tracking antenna device 2: Car 7: Housing 14: Azimuth motor mechanism 15: Elevation motor mechanism 17: Azimuth motor 23: Elevation motor 19.25: Worm 32.52: Worm wheel 29: Azimuth control Ring 39: Swing member 40: Planar antenna 42: Signal cable 45: Rotary joint 50: Elevation control ring 53: Cam groove 58: Elevator 62: Cam follower 65: Locking body 66: Roller 70: Connection roller 72: Connection It's a rod. In the drawings, the same reference numerals and the same symbols indicate the same or equivalent parts. Patent applicant: 1 person other than Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A housing attached to a moving body, an azimuth motor mechanism including a motor and a deceleration means installed in the housing, and the motor of the azimuth motor mechanism decelerates and rotates around a vertical axis via the deceleration means. an azimuth control ring; a swinging member supported on the azimuth control ring so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis; an antenna element fixed to the swinging member; a motor and a deceleration means installed in the housing. an elevation motor mechanism comprising: an elevation control ring that is decelerated and rotated about the same vertical axis as the azimuth control ring via a deceleration means by the motor of the elevation motor mechanism; an elevator supported by the elevator; cam means for raising and lowering the elevator as the elevator control ring rotates; connecting means for connecting the elevator to the azimuth control ring so as to be integrally rotatable; and connecting the swinging member to the elevator. 1. A satellite broadcast tracking antenna device comprising: a connecting means operatively connected to the satellite broadcasting tracking antenna device. (2) The satellite broadcast tracking antenna device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotary joint provided on the rotation axis of the azimuth control ring and rotatably supporting the signal cable of the antenna element. (3) The cam means is composed of a plurality of cam grooves spirally formed on the peripheral wall of the elevation control ring, and a cam follower that engages with each cam groove and moves up and down integrally with the elevator, and the cam The satellite broadcast tracking antenna according to claim 1, wherein the groove has a non-linear developed shape so that the swing angle of the swing member is displaced in proportion to the vertical distance of the elevation control ring. Device.