JPH0233203A - Beam scanning antenna system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the correction or change of the beam direction by setting the beam angle based on the correlation among a drive speed of a rotating shaft, a weight fitted to other end of an array antenna and a restoring force generator fitted between the array antenna and the rotary shaft. CONSTITUTION:Conical scanning is applied to an array antenna 1 conically at an angle of thetab with respect to a direction of a rotary shaft 2 by the drive of the rotary shaft 2 and when the drive speed is being increased, a force is exerted in a direction to increase the angle theta by a centrifugal force 5f of a weight 5 connecting to other end 1b of the array antenna 1. Since a restoring force generator 6 comprising a coil spring is connected between the weight 5 and the rotary shaft 2 and a force 6f retracting the weight in the direction of the rotary shaft 2 at that time, the angle theta is controlled to be constant and the direction of the beam is made stable. The direction thetab of the antenna beam is controlled optionally by adjusting the generating restoring force of the restoring force generator 6 in advance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a beam scanning antenna device suitable for being mounted on an artificial satellite or the like.

(Prior Art) A beam scanning antenna device that scans space by emitting a radar beam or the like includes an antenna device that scans mechanically,
There are antenna devices that scan electronically.

Beam scanning antenna devices mounted on artificial satellites and the like often perform beam scanning by mechanically rotating a parabolic antenna. In this case, the rotation axis angle can be set arbitrarily depending on the purpose, but by setting the angle between the rotation axis and the beam direction to be an acute angle, a so-called conical scan can be performed.

On the other hand, electron beam scanning antenna devices have the advantage of being able to instantaneously switch the beam direction by controlling the phase of individual antenna elements, and the field of use for terrestrial antenna devices is expanding.

However, the electron beam scanning antenna device has a complicated structure, has a relatively large power supply loss, and is also heavy. Since weight reduction is an important issue in artificial satellites, there are currently relatively few examples of their being mounted on artificial satellites.

For the reasons described above, as a beam scanning antenna device mounted on an artificial satellite, a system in which an antenna equipped with a parabolic reflector scans the area is currently frequently used. A mechanical beam scanning antenna system using a parabolic antenna has the advantage of a simple configuration and low power loss, but on the other hand, it has the disadvantage that the rotation of the antenna for beam scanning affects the attitude control of the satellite itself. there were.

Additionally, there was also a flaw that made it difficult to correct or change the beam direction when launched into -degree space.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When a conventional axial beam scanning antenna device is mounted on an artificial satellite or the like and operated, its own moment of inertia affects the attitude control of other components including the main body. However, there was also the disadvantage that it was difficult to correct or change the beam direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a beam scanning antenna device that can be configured to be relatively lightweight, has a small moment of inertia due to beam scanning, and can easily correct or change the beam direction.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) A beam scanning antenna device according to the present invention includes a rotating shaft serving as a beam scanning drive source, and one end of which is supported on the rotating shaft in a plane direction including the axis of the rotating shaft. The present invention is characterized by comprising an array antenna rotatably attached to the antenna, a weight attached to the other end of the array antenna, and a restoring force generator connected between the weight and the rotation axis. do.

(Function) In the beam scanning antenna device according to the present invention, one end of the array antenna is rotatably supported on the rotation axis.
The conical scan beam angle of the array antenna is controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the rotation axis. In addition, the beam angle is set based on the correlation between the rotational speed of the rotational axis, the weight attached to the other end of the array antenna, and the restoring force generator installed between the array antenna and the rotational axis. , the beam direction can be easily corrected or changed.

In addition, the device of this invention can significantly reduce the weight by configuring the antenna as an integrated array antenna made of several thin plates or thin films, and can reduce the moment of inertia due to beam scanning. Because of its simple configuration, it can be used particularly in outer space to obtain excellent effects.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the beam scanning antenna device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the inventive device.

First, one end 1a of the array antenna 1 formed into a flat plate shape.
is pivotally supported at one end of a rotating shaft 2, and this rotating shaft 2 is rotationally driven by a motor 4 housed within the satellite main body 3.

The array antenna 1 is formed into an isosceles triangular shape, and the one end 1a forming the apex thereof is pivotally supported on the rotation axis 2, and the array antenna 1 is rotatable within a plane including the rotation axis 2. It is pivoted on.

Further, the array antenna 1 itself is formed of a laminated structure of several thin plates, as shown in a partially exploded view of its structure in FIG. That is, first, the array antenna 1 is based on a ground conductor plate 11 formed by depositing a metal such as gold on one surface of a plate-shaped dielectric 11a. On top of the vapor deposited layer of the ground conductor plate 11, a second dielectric plate 13 having a pattern of strip feed lines 13a formed on both surfaces by vapor deposition or the like is laminated via the first dielectric plate 12. Next, a radiation element plate 15 is laminated on the second dielectric plate 13 with a third dielectric plate 14 interposed therebetween. The radiating element plate 15 is formed by forming a wide metal film 15t in a lattice shape on a dielectric substrate 15a by vapor deposition or the like as shown in the figure, and then forming a radiating element 15c within the frame of this lattice-shaped metal film by vapor deposition. The radiating element 15c is attached to the rotating shaft 2 so that the surface on which the radiating element 15c is formed becomes the antenna aperture surface. Although the flat array antenna 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a triangular shape, it goes without saying that it may have a rectangular or polygonal shape.

Now, a rod-shaped weight 5 is attached to the other end 1b of the array antenna 1.
is attached along the edge of the array antenna 1, and a restoring force generator 6 made of a coil spring is connected between the central portion 5a of the weight 5 and the rotating shaft 2.

Although this embodiment has the above configuration, the principle of beam scanning by the array antenna 1 will be further explained with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the principle of beam scanning.
The situation as seen from the side of the antenna device is shown.

That is, since the array antenna 1 is supported at an angle θ with respect to the rotation axis 2, the beam is oriented with respect to the rotation axis 2 by supplying a signal from a signal source (not shown) to the strip feed line 13a of the satellite main body 30. It is radiated in the direction forming Ob. In this case, the relationship is θ+θb=90 degrees, and the beam is radiated perpendicularly to the surface of the array antenna 1.

Therefore, as the rotation axis 2 rotates, the array antenna 1 performs a conical scan at an angle Ob with respect to the rotation axis 2 direction, but as the rotation speed increases, the other end 1b of the array antenna 1 Due to the centrifugal force 5f of the connected m 5, a force acts in the direction in which the angle θ opens. However, a restoring force generator 6 made of a coil spring is connected between this sharpening weight 5 and the rotating shaft 2, and a force 6f that pulls it in the direction of the rotating shaft 2 moves, so it acts to keep the angle θ constant. However, the beam direction is stabilized. In other words, the force relationship between the centrifugal force 5f due to the weight 5 and the restoring force 6f due to the restoring force generator 6 is balanced under certain conditions, and under a constant rotational speed of the rotating shaft 2, the beam direction is always constant. can be done.

In other words, by changing the rotational speed of the array antenna 1, the centrifugal force 5f of the width 5 changes, so by adjusting the restoring force generated by the restoring force generator 6 in advance, the antenna beam direction θb can be adjusted arbitrarily to 1iIJ. can be controlled.

In the above embodiment, a coil spring is used as the restoring force generator 6, but an electromagnet is used instead of the coil spring, and the restoring force 6 is generated by controlling the current flowing through the electromagnet.
By controlling f, the beam direction θb can be changed even under a constant rotational speed of the rotating shaft 2.

Further, although the antenna 5 is constructed of a rod-shaped body, the shape thereof is not limited to this, and the weight of the antenna 5 can be significantly reduced by one order compared to the weight of a conventional gluteal scanning antenna.

Furthermore, although the array antenna 1 has a laminated structure of thin plates, it can also have a laminated structure of film-like thin films or the like.

As described above, by configuring the antenna as an array antenna made up of laminated bodies, the device of this invention can be extremely compact and lightweight, and has little effect on the attitude control of the main body and other communication devices. The beam direction can also be easily corrected simply by controlling the rotational speed of the rotating shaft, making it suitable for use in space, such as in artificial satellites.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the beam scanning antenna device according to the present invention can be configured with a lightweight array antenna, and the beam radiation direction can be easily controlled with a simple configuration of a weight and a restoring force generator. Especially when used in outer space, significant advantages can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a beam scanning antenna device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an array antenna of the device shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operating principle of the device shown in the figure. 1...Array antenna 2...Rotation axis 5...Weight 6...Restoring force generator Representative Patent attorney N.O.D.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A rotating shaft that serves as a beam scanning drive source, an array antenna whose one end is supported on the rotating shaft so as to be rotatable in a plane including the axis of the rotating shaft, and a weight attached to the other end of the array antenna. and a restoring force generator connected between the weight and the rotating shaft.