JPH04291805A - Rocking compensation type antenna system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the structure of a sensor in the case of rocking compensation through the use of an array antenna having a fan beam directivity and the use of the sensor turned with respect to its azimuth shaft. CONSTITUTION:An antenna having a fan beam directivity in which antenna elements 20 are arranged longitudinally around an elevating angle shaft 24 is adopted for an array antenna 22. The array antenna 22 is supported by two axis mechanical shafts as the elevating angle shaft 24 and an azimuth shaft 34 and a uniaxial rocking detector 52 is fixed on a turning base turned synchronously with an azimuth shaft frame 26 or the azimuth shaft 34. The elevating angle shaft 24 is turned or a beam tilt around the elevating angle shaft 24 of the array antenna 22 is changed so as to compensate the rocking component around the elevating angle shaft 24 detected by the uniaxial rocking detector 52. Since the attitude is detected as to one axis only, the structure is more simplified at a low cost.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a swing-compensated antenna device equipped with an antenna having a so-called fan beam directivity, which is wide in the azimuth and narrow in the elevation direction.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art (1) Technical Background Directional antennas have been used for satellite communications in ships and the like. Historically, ship satellite communications
It was started in 1976 by the US Marisat satellite, and since 1982, it has been carried out by the international organization Inmarsat. In order to carry out such ship satellite communication, an antenna having a predetermined directivity is required.

For example, according to the Inmarsat Standard A technical standards for ship earth stations as of June 1987, the G/T of ship earth stations is specified to be -4 dBK or more, and antennas that meet this standard are used as parabolic antennas. When attempting to construct such a structure, a dimension of approximately 80 cm in diameter is required.

(2) Tracking and Rocking Compensation Rocking compensation type antenna devices are exclusively used in marine satellite communications. This swing compensation type antenna device is a device that has a swing compensation function in addition to a satellite tracking function.

[0005] In other words, in order for the antenna mounted on the moving body of the ship to continue to receive radio waves from the satellite well,
It is necessary to drive the antenna to track the satellite. Moreover, such an antenna drive and its control function can be configured to perform rocking compensation. For example, a ship sways due to ocean waves, and by compensating for this oscillation, good satellite tracking can be achieved. The rocking motion of a ship includes, for example, roll and pitch. Roll corresponds to horizontal shaking, and pitch corresponds to vertical shaking, and to compensate for both, it is necessary to mechanically or electronically drive the antenna horizontally and vertically. For this reason, various techniques for driving antennas for the purpose of vibration compensation and the like have been developed.

(3) First Conventional Example FIG. 20 shows the configuration of a swing compensation type antenna device according to a first conventional example. The conventional example shown in this figure is a device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 115757/1983. This device includes a parabolic antenna 10 having so-called pencil beam directivity, and a parabolic antenna 1.
0 rotatably supported in a predetermined direction; a second shaft 14 rotatably supporting the first shaft 12;
A third shaft 16 rotatably supports the shaft 14 in the azimuth direction.
and an attitude sensor 18 disposed and mounted on the third shaft 16. That is, in this conventional example, the rotation of the shaft 16 causes the shafts 14, 12 and the parabolic antenna 10 to rotate in the azimuth direction, and the rotation of the shaft 14 causes the shaft 12 to rotate.
The parabolic antenna is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the rotation of the shaft 12 causes the parabolic antenna 10 to be rotated in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the shaft 14.

[0007] Also, the attitude sensor 18 is connected to the shafts 14 and 12.
This is a sensor that detects swing components in each rotation direction. As described above, this conventional device is used for ship satellite communications and the like, so its attitude changes as the ship rocks. Since the attitude sensor 18 rotates as the shaft 16 rotates, it can detect a component of the ship's rocking motion excluding the component in the azimuth direction. More specifically, swing components around each of the axes 14, 12 can be detected. The result of this detection is used to control the axes 12 and 14, and tracking of the satellite by the parabolic antenna 10 is executed while compensating for the rocking of the ship.

(4) Device with two mechanical axes As described above, when a parabolic antenna or the like is used as an antenna, it is possible to provide three axes for driving the antenna and configure all of them as mechanical axes. However, such a configuration complicates the mechanical design and tends to make the device expensive. In order to solve these problems, the shaft configuration can be improved so that two mechanical shafts are sufficient.

[0009] Such a device, that is, a device with two mechanical axes, is described, for example, in “Reducing the size and weight of antenna systems for maritime satellite communication digital ship stations” (Shiokawa et al., Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers, SANE84-19, pp17-24). ), etc. The device disclosed in this document is a so-called 40 cmφ short backfire (SBF) antenna with a beam width of ±15°.

[0010] According to such a configuration, a swing compensation type antenna device can be realized with a relatively simple mechanical configuration.

However, in such a configuration, a problem arises in that singular points occur. A singular point is a point that appears, for example, in the zenith direction and causes a tracking error when the antenna is oriented in this direction under swing conditions. In order to deal with this singularity, it is necessary to use lightweight and robust materials for the antenna and the frame that supports it, to reduce the load on the motor that drives the antenna, and to use a relatively high-performance motor. There is a method of employing an AC servo motor, a high-performance AC servo control circuit corresponding to this, and driving the antenna with a high-performance servo system. Furthermore, there are ways to reduce tracking errors near singular points by improving control software.

However, such measures require special materials,
Since the use of expensive circuitry is required, the cost of the device inevitably increases. Further, even when these measures are taken, there is data showing that the tracking error near the singular point is about 10°.

(5) Apparatus with electronic axis As a means to solve these problems, it is effective to use one of the plurality of axes as an electronic axis. The electronic axis can be realized by a so-called phased array antenna.

A phased array antenna is constructed as a flat antenna by forming a plurality of antenna elements as electrodes on an antenna substrate while arranging them in a square lattice shape. For example, if a phase shifter is provided for each antenna element and the amount of phase shift of the signal related to each antenna element is controlled, the beam directivity characteristic of the antenna can be switched to a predetermined characteristic. In addition, the applicant has previously proposed the patent application No.
If a phase shifter is provided for each row of antenna elements arranged in a matrix, as in the device described in No. 339317,
An electronic axis can be realized with a relatively simple configuration.

(6) Oscillation compensation principle In this way, by using a two-axis mechanical axis and a single-axis electronic axis,
Swing compensation can be performed with a relatively simple and inexpensive configuration while reducing tracking errors at singular points. but,
There is a problem in that this swing compensation requires control of two or three axes.

Generally, the rocking motion of a ship is expressed as a coordinate transformation as shown in FIG. However, it is assumed that the coordinate system when the ship is stationary, that is, not rocking, is X(0) Y(0) Z(0). Here, X(0) represents the bow direction, and Z(0) represents the zenith direction.

Then, when pitch p, which is the pitching of the ship, occurs, the coordinate system moves to X(1) Y(1) Z(1). Of each axis after movement, the Y(1) axis is Y(0
) axis, and the X(1) and Z(1) axes are respectively the X(0) and Z(0) axes around the Y(0) axis.
It is located at a position where the shaft has been rotated by a pitch p.

Furthermore, when roll r, which is the rolling of the ship, occurs, the coordinate system changes to X(2) Y(2) Z(2). In this case, the X(2) axis is the same axis as the X(1) axis, and the Y(2) and Z(2) axes are the same as the X(1) axis. Move to a position rotated by roll r around the center.

Therefore, the rocking motion of the ship including roll r and pitch p is determined by the rocking angle u which is the composition of roll r and pitch p.
It can be expressed as

If this rocking angle u is understood as a vector representing the change in the antenna orientation due to the ship's rocking, then this vector u has a component q1 in the elevation angle (EL) direction and a component q1 perpendicular to the EL direction. (Cross elevation;
XEL) direction component q2. Each component q1 and q2 can be determined by matrix calculation based on roll r and pitch p.

[0021] Therefore, when attempting to continue tracking the satellite S by compensating for the change in the antenna direction due to the rocking of the ship, the components q1 and q2 are It would be good if there was a way to find out. For example, if the EL axis and the XEL axis are configured as a mechanical axis or an electronic axis, the control of the EL axis is
Based on the above, the XEL axis can be controlled based on the component q2.

However, such control is complicated in that it involves matrix operations. Therefore, if the calculations can be omitted or reduced, it is possible to realize a swing-compensated antenna device that has a simple device configuration, is easy to control, and is inexpensive. In order to realize such control, an antenna having so-called fan beam directivity may be used.

(7) Second Conventional Example FIG. 22 shows the actual configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a second conventional example using an array antenna having so-called fan beam directivity. FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view, and is actually drawn as a cross-section with the thickness of a thick member (such as a radome) omitted.

The swing-compensated antenna device shown in this figure has an array antenna 22 in which four antenna elements 20 are arranged in tandem. This array antenna 22
is an antenna having fan beam directivity as described below. Further, the array antenna 22 is supported by an elevation axis 24, and the supporting direction is such that the antenna elements 20 are arranged around the elevation axis 24.

The elevation axis 24 is rotatably supported by an azimuth axis frame 26. A gear 28 is attached to one end of the elevation axis 24, and an elevation axis motor 30 is attached to the azimuth axis frame 26, and the gear 28 and the elevation axis motor 30 are connected by a belt 32. Therefore, the elevation axis 24 is rotated by driving the elevation axis motor 30, and the array antenna 22 is thereby rotated around the elevation axis 24.

The azimuth axis frame 26 is constructed integrally with the azimuth axis 34. The azimuth shaft 34 is rotatably held by a support leg 36, and a gear 38 is provided at its lower end. On the other hand, the support leg 36 is equipped with an azimuth axis motor 40.
is attached, and the azimuth axis motor 40 and the gear 38 are connected by a belt 42. Therefore, when the azimuth axis motor 40 is driven, the azimuth axis 34 rotates, and the array antenna 22 rotates around the azimuth axis 34.

The support legs 36 have the function of eccentrically supporting the azimuth axis frame 26, the array antenna 22, etc. That is, it has a function of supporting the azimuth axis frame 26 and the like at a position slightly offset from the center of the bottom surface of the radome base 44. Thereby, an access hatch 48 of sufficient size can be provided on the bottom surface of the radome base 44 so that it can be opened and closed by the hinge 46. The access hatch 48 is a hatch into which a worker who maintains, inspects, etc. the array antenna 22 and its peripheral circuits inserts his or her arm, thereby ensuring maintainability of the device.

The radome base 44 is a member that constitutes the bottom surface of the so-called radome 50. The radome 50 is made of a member such as FRP that can transmit radio waves, and is a member that protects the structure of the array antenna 22 and the like from rain and the like. Usually, an array antenna 22 for ship satellite communication
Since the radio waves transmitted and received by the radome 50 are in the vicinity of 1.5 GHz, a material that can transmit radio waves in this frequency band is selected as the material for forming the radome 50.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show an array antenna 2
Two antenna patterns are shown, respectively. Among these figures, the antenna pattern shown in FIG. 23 is an antenna pattern around the virtual XEL axis, and the antenna pattern shown in FIG. 24 is an antenna pattern around the EL axis.

Here, the virtual XEL axis refers to an axis that is imaginary as an axis perpendicular to the EL axis, and does not actually exist in FIG. 22. More specifically, it is a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the antenna elements 20. Further, the EL axis corresponds to the elevation axis 24.

As can be clearly understood from these figures,
The directivity of the array antenna 22 is wide around the virtual XEL axis and has a narrow beam width around the EL axis. Such characteristics are generally called fan beam directivity. With such characteristics, the component q1 shown in FIG.
and q2, there is no need to perform swing compensation for q2. This is because the component q2 is a component around the virtual XEL axis, and the virtual XE of the array antenna 22
This is because the antenna pattern around the L axis is a wide-angle beam width pattern.

Therefore, according to the conventional example shown in FIG. 22, it is only necessary to perform calculations, control, etc. on the component q1, and it is possible to perform the vibration compensation relatively easily.

[0033]

However, even when such an array antenna having fan beam directivity is used, there is a problem in that the component q1 around the EL axis must be determined by matrix calculation. That is, there is a problem in that calculations related to control are complicated. The present invention has been made with the aim of solving these problems, and combines a member corresponding to the attitude sensor 18 in the first conventional example with an antenna having fan beam directionality, to detect vibrations around the EL axis. The purpose is to simplify calculations related to compensation of dynamic components and to simplify the configuration of a member corresponding to the attitude sensor 18.

[0034]

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve such an object, a swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 1 of the present invention is installed so as to rotate together with an azimuth axis frame, and is attached to a moving body. It is characterized by comprising a swing detecting means for detecting a swing component around the elevation axis of the swing of the antenna, which adjusts the swing component around the elevation axis to the elevation angle of the antenna, and drives the elevation axis with this as a target. do.

Furthermore, the swing compensation type antenna device according to claim 2 is provided with an auxiliary rotary table that rotates by the same angle in synchronization with the rotation of the azimuth axis, and has the same structure as the swing detecting means according to claim 1. The present invention is characterized in that the swing detecting means is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table.

Further, in the swing compensation type antenna device according to claim 3, the antenna is an array antenna in which N (N: a natural number of 2 or more) antenna elements are arranged in tandem so that the antenna elements are arranged around the elevation axis. It is characterized by

In the swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 4, the antenna is an array in which antenna elements are arranged in N rows and M columns (N, M: a natural number of 2 or more) with columns in the direction around the elevation axis. A receiver front end, which is an antenna, is provided for each column of the array antenna and outputs a signal of the combined output of the antenna elements belonging to the corresponding column, and an in-phase combining circuit that combines the signals output from each receiver front end in phase. The antenna is characterized in that the directivity of the antenna is continuously changed around an axis perpendicular to the elevation axis.

Further, the swing compensation type antenna device according to claim 5 is provided with swing detection means fixed to the azimuth axis frame and for detecting a component of the swing of the moving body around the elevation axis. It is characterized by adjusting the beam inclination of the antenna to compensate for the fluctuation component around the axis.

Furthermore, the swing compensation type antenna device according to claim 6 is provided with an auxiliary rotary table that rotates by the same angle in synchronization with the rotation of the azimuth axis, and which is similar to the swing detecting means according to claim 5. The present invention is characterized in that the swing detecting means is fixed to the auxiliary compensation rotary table.

Furthermore, in the swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 7, the antenna is an array antenna similar to the antenna according to claim 3, and furthermore, the antenna is an array antenna similar to the antenna according to claim 3, and furthermore, N or N-1 of the N antenna elements are N or N-1 phase shifters for shifting the phase of the transmitted and/or received signals for the antenna elements, and a phase shifter drive signal indicating the beam tilt about the elevation angle to be achieved A phase shifter drive circuit that controls the amount of phase shift, and is characterized in that it supplies a phase shifter drive signal to the phase shifter drive circuit in accordance with the value of a swing component around an elevation axis.

In the swing compensation type antenna device according to claim 8, the swing detection means includes an inclinometer for detecting the tilt angle in the elevation direction of the moving body, and an angular velocity for detecting the angular velocity around the elevation angle of the moving body. a detector; a synthesis filter that synthesizes the output of the inclinometer and the output of the angular velocity detector and outputs it as a swing component around the elevation axis; the synthesis filter includes a first filter that filters the output of the inclinometer; , a second filter having a complementary transfer function to the first filter to filter the output of the angular rate detector.
and an adder that adds the output of the first filter and the output of the second filter.

[0042]

[Operation] According to claim 1 of the present invention, the directivity of the antenna is so-called fan beam directivity. Therefore, as explained earlier based on FIG. 21, it is only necessary to compensate for the swing component q2 around the elevation angle of the swing of the moving object, and the virtual X having a wide-angle beam width as shown in FIG.
There is no need to perform calculations related to swing compensation around the EL axis.

In addition to this, in claim 1, the component q1 is directly detected by the swing detection means. That is, the swing detection means detects the swing component q1 around the elevation axis of the swing of the moving body. Therefore, the detection result can be directly used for drive control of the elevation axis. For example, if the elevation angle of the satellite, which is the tracking target of the antenna, when it does not move is expressed as el with respect to the horizontal plane, then the control amount θ around the elevation axis with the zenith as the reference is expressed as θ=90−el+q1 . Accordingly, in the first aspect, by detecting a swing component around the elevation axis, that is, a component of only one axis, and adding or subtracting the detection result to the elevation angle of the antenna, it is possible to compensate for the swing.

[0044] In claim 2, unlike claim 1,
The swing detection means does not rotate together with the azimuth axis frame, but is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table. Since this auxiliary rotary table rotates by the same angle in synchronization with the rotation of the azimuth axis, the detection operation of the swing detecting means is similar to that in claim 1. As a result, the same effect as in claim 1 can be obtained, and furthermore, it is possible to configure the swing detection means separately.

In claim 3, the antenna according to claim 1 or 2 is configured as an array antenna in which antenna elements are arranged in tandem. In an array antenna having such a configuration, around the elevation angle where a plurality of antenna elements are arranged in series, the characteristics of each antenna element are combined, so that an antenna pattern with a narrow beam width as a whole is obtained. Conversely, the direction perpendicular to the elevation axis, i.e. the virtual XE
Around the L axis, since the antenna elements are arranged in a row, an antenna pattern with a wide-angle beam width is obtained. That is, according to claim 3, an antenna having fan beam directivity can be realized with a simple configuration.

In claim 4, the antenna according to claim 1 or 2 is configured as an array antenna in which antenna elements are arranged in N rows and M columns. In the antenna having such a configuration, the same directivity as the antenna according to claim 3 is achieved, however, since the antennas are arranged in M rows, the beam width around the virtual XEL axis is narrower than in claim 3. In claim 4, fan beam directivity equivalent to claim 3 is realized by continuously changing such a beam around the virtual XEL axis. That is, the received signals generated for each column are in-phase combined, and a virtual XEL axis is electronically realized.

Further, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, compensation for the swing component q1 around the elevation axis is performed not by driving the elevation axis but by adjusting the beam inclination of the antenna. That is, the antenna used in claim 5 is an antenna in which the beam inclination around the elevation angle can be switched, and by switching this, swing compensation can be performed without changing the attitude of the antenna.

[0048] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, the swing detecting means according to the fifth aspect is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table. As a result, the same effect as in claim 2 can be obtained.

[0049] In claim 7, the antenna capable of beam switching around the elevation axis is realized as an array antenna having a phase shifter. That is, a phase shifter is provided for all or the remaining elements except for one of the N antenna elements constituting the array antenna, and the beam inclination is switched by controlling the amount of phase shift of this phase shifter. As a result, an antenna whose beam inclination can be switched around the elevation axis can be easily realized.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the swing detecting means includes an inclinometer, an angular velocity sensor, and a synthesis filter. Among these, the inclinometer detects the inclination angle of the moving object in the elevation direction, and the angular velocity sensor detects the angular velocity around the elevation angle of the moving object. Therefore, regarding the tilt angle of the moving body in the elevation direction, the inclinometer has a transfer function 1, and the angular velocity sensor has a transfer function s. However, here s is a Laplace operator. The output of the inclinometer and the output of the angular velocity sensor are respectively input to a first or second filter constituting a synthesis filter. Here, the second filter has a transfer function complementary to that of the first filter. That is, the transfer functions of the first and second filters are set so that the sum of the transfer functions of the inclinometer and the first filter and the transfer function of the angular velocity sensor and the second filter is 1. Therefore, by adding the output of the first filter and the output of the second filter, a fluctuation component q1 with a flat frequency characteristic is detected. As a result, the swing component q1 around the elevation axis can be detected more accurately using both the inclinometer and the angular velocity sensor.

[0051]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 18 to 24 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

(1) Actual configuration of embodiment FIG. 1 shows the actual configuration of a swing compensation type antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure is a schematic cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 22, and has a configuration in which a uniaxial swing detector 52 is added to the configuration of the second conventional example.

The uniaxial swing detector 52 is mounted on the azimuth axis frame 26 in this embodiment. Therefore,
The rotation of the azimuth shaft 34 causes it to rotate together with the azimuth shaft frame 26. Further, as will be described later, the uniaxial swing detector 52 is arranged in a direction to detect a swing component around the elevation axis 24, and the elevation axis motor 30 is controlled based on its output.

(2) Circuit configuration of first embodiment FIG. 2 shows the entire circuit configuration of a swing compensation type antenna device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This circuit can be realized by the actual configuration shown in FIG. 1, and is composed of an array antenna 22, a drive control section 54, an azimuth/elevation angle input section 56, and an antenna output processing section 58. The array antenna 22 has a configuration in which four antenna elements 20 are arranged in tandem as shown in FIG. 1, and realizes an antenna pattern as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The drive control unit 54 is a circuit that tracks the satellite by driving the array antenna 22 based on the satellite elevation angle and satellite azimuth, and also has a swing compensation function. Further, the azimuth/elevation angle input unit 56 receives the moving body azimuth (the azimuth of a moving body such as a ship on which the device is mounted) from a gyro compass, etc., and inputs the elevation angle and relative azimuth of the satellite to the drive control unit 56.
4. The antenna output processing section 58 is
This is a circuit that takes in the output of the array antenna 22, performs predetermined processing, and generates a step track angle.

The configuration and operation of each part will be explained below.

(2.1) Array Antenna FIG. 3 shows the circuit configuration of the array antenna 22 in this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the array antenna 22 has a configuration in which four antenna elements 20 are arranged in tandem.

Generally, an array antenna has an antenna substrate on which antenna elements are arranged and a feeder substrate laminated with the antenna substrate via a dielectric. The antenna element 20 in FIG. 3 is actually an array antenna 22.
It is formed as an electrode on the antenna substrate of
Wiring for each antenna element 20 is performed on the power feeding board. The array antenna 22 in this embodiment has four
In addition to the antenna elements 22, it has a combiner 60.

That is, in this embodiment, the outputs of each antenna element 20 are combined by the combiner 60 and output to the antenna output processing section 58. Therefore, in this embodiment, a single antenna pattern is obtained about the elevation axis 24, for example the antenna pattern shown in FIG.

(2.2) Drive Control Section FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the drive control section 54 in this embodiment.

The drive control section 54 includes an elevation (EL) axis 24 and an EL axis motor 30 shown in FIG. Similarly, the azimuth (AZ) axis 34 and the A
It is equipped with a Z-axis motor 40. In other words, the drive control unit 54 is a circuit that has a function of mechanically driving the array antenna 22.

The drive control section 54 is also provided with EL axis angle detection means 62 for detecting the angle of the EL axis 24. The EL axis angle detection means 62 is a member constituted by, for example, a rotary encoder. Similarly,
AZ-axis angle detection means 64 to detect the angle of the AZ-axis 34
is provided.

The detection results of the EL axis angle detection means 62 and the AZ axis angle detection means 64 are sent to the EL axis control circuit 66, respectively.
and is input to the AZ-axis control circuit 68. The EL axis control circuit 66 is provided with an EL axis control calculation means 70 . The EL axis control calculation means 70 includes the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56
This means takes in the elevation angle of the satellite to be tracked, that is, the satellite elevation angle, and calculates the EL axis control amount to control the EL axis motor 30. The calculation result of the EL axis control amount calculation means 70 is given to the EL axis control circuit 66, and the EL axis control circuit 66 controls the EL axis motor 30 based on this. The EL axis motor 30 rotates the EL axis 24 in response to this, and the angle thereof is detected by the EL axis angle detection means 62 and given to the EL axis control circuit 66 as a feedback amount. That is, a servo loop related to the EL axis is formed.

On the other hand, the AZ-axis control circuit 68 takes in the relative orientation of the satellite from the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56. The AZ-axis control circuit 68 controls the AZ-axis motor 40 based on this orientation, and the AZ-axis motor 40 rotates the AZ-axis 34 accordingly. The angle of the AZ axis 34 is determined by the AZ axis angle detection means 64.
is detected and given to the AZ-axis control circuit 68 as a feedback amount. That is, a servo loop is also formed for the AZ axis 34. Note that the reason why it is sufficient to only take in the relative orientation of the satellite and no member corresponding to the EL axis control amount calculation means 70 is required is that the array antenna 22 has the pattern shown in FIG. 23.

Furthermore, the drive control section 54 of this embodiment is
A uniaxial vibration detector 52 is provided. Uniaxial swing detector 52
is a sensor that is mounted on the azimuth axis frame 26 as described above and detects the swing component around the elevation axis 24. The output of the uniaxial swing detector 52 is given to the EL axis control amount calculation means 70, and the EL axis control amount calculation means 70 calculates the EL axis control amount using the output of the uniaxial swing detector 52 together with the above-mentioned satellite elevation angle. calculate. Here, the calculation formula for the EL axis control amount is:
As stated earlier, θ=90°−el+q1. However, θ is the EL axis control amount, el is the satellite elevation angle, and q
1 is a swing component around the elevation axis 24 which is a detection result of the uniaxial swing detector 52.

(2.3) Uniaxial Oscillation Detector FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the uniaxial vibration detector 52, and FIG. 6 shows its transfer function model.

The uniaxial vibration detector 52 in this embodiment is as follows:
It is composed of an inclinometer 72, an angular velocity detector 74, and a synthesis filter 76. The inclinometer 72 is a sensor that measures the inclination of the moving object and outputs it as a inclination signal to the synthesis filter 76. For example, a level sensor, a pendulum type inclinometer, etc. can be used.

FIG. 7 shows an example configuration of a so-called pendulum type inclinometer. As shown in this figure, the pendulum type inclinometer has two resistors R and a magnetoresistive element R.
X and RY are bridge-connected, and a magnet 80 supported in a pendulum shape by a fulcrum 78 is placed close to the magnetoresistive elements RX and RY. When the hull swings in this state, the magnet 80 swings accordingly, and the resistance values of the magnetoresistive elements RX and RY change. Therefore, the equilibrium state of the bridge is disrupted, and terminals A and B
An output potential e is generated during this period. This output potential e represents the rocking motion of the ship and corresponds to the tilt signal in FIG.

On the other hand, the angular velocity detector 74 is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of a moving body. For example, a solid state type detector can be used as the angular velocity detector 74,
The angular velocity signal output from the angular velocity detector 74 is given to a synthesis filter 76.

Here, the transfer functions of the angular velocity detector 74 of the inclinometer 72 and the synthesis filter 76 are expressed as shown in FIG. That is, if the input to the inclinometer 72 and the angular velocity detector 74 is a swing component of the moving body in a predetermined direction, the transfer function of the inclinometer 72 is 1, and the transfer function of the angular velocity detector 74 is s. . Therefore, when attempting to detect the swinging component of the moving body by using both together, the swinging component (swing detection angle) of the moving body cannot be obtained by simply adding them. Therefore, in order to cope with this, the synthesis filter 76 includes a filter A82 having a transfer function ωa /(s+ωa).
and a filter B8 having a transfer function 1/(s+ωa)
4, and an adder 86 that adds the outputs of both filters A82 and B84. However, ωa is the cutoff angular frequency.

Therefore, the total transfer function of the inclinometer 72 and filter A82 is ωa /(s+ωa), and the total transfer function of the angular velocity detector 74 and filter B84 is s/(s+ωa).
ωa). As a result, the transfer function seen from the output stage of the adder 86 is ωa /(s+ωa)+s/(s+
ωa )=1. In other words, the transfer function related to the inclinometer 72 and filter A82 and the transfer function related to the angular velocity detector 74 and filter B84 are complementary to each other.

Although the transfer function is shown in analog form in FIG. 6, it may also be realized digitally. That is, filter A82 and filter B
84 may be a digital filter. However, in this case, the outputs from the inclinometer 72 and the angular velocity detector 74 need to be input to the synthesis filter 76 as digital signals or after being converted into digital signals.

(2.4) Azimuth/Elevation Input Unit FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the azimuth/elevation input unit 56 in this embodiment.

As shown in this figure, the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56 includes satellite azimuth/elevation angle input means 88. The satellite azimuth/elevation angle input means 88 is a means for inputting information regarding the azimuth and elevation angle of the satellite from a navigation device such as a GPS. The satellite azimuth input by the satellite azimuth/elevation angle input means 88 is a so-called absolute azimuth, that is, an azimuth based on the meridian of the earth. On the other hand, since the azimuth to be supplied to the drive control section 54 is the relative azimuth of the satellite, the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56 of this embodiment performs an operation of adding the absolute azimuth to the relative azimuth.

In order to execute such operations, the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56 takes in a moving body azimuth input from a device such as a gyro compass. This moving body azimuth input is information indicating a change in the azimuth of a moving body such as a ship on which the device is mounted, and the current moving body azimuth can be obtained by sequentially cumulatively adding this information using the meridian as a reference. To perform such addition, a mobile object orientation register 9 is used to store the current mobile object orientation.
0, and an adder 92 which is disposed before the mobile body orientation register 90 and sequentially adds the output of the mobile body orientation register 90 to the mobile body orientation input.

The mobile object orientation stored in the mobile object orientation register 90 is subtracted from the satellite absolute orientation input by the satellite orientation elevation angle input means 88. An adder 94 is provided downstream of the moving object orientation register 90 to perform this subtraction process. A satellite elevation register 96 is provided to temporarily store the satellite elevation angle inputted by the satellite azimuth/elevation angle input means 88, and a satellite azimuth register 98 is provided to temporarily store the relative azimuth of the satellite determined by the adder 94. There is.

The satellite elevation angle and relative orientation of the satellite stored in the satellite elevation angle register 96 and the satellite azimuth register 98, respectively, are supplied to the drive control section 54, and tracking of the satellite by the array antenna 22 is executed accordingly.

Note that so-called step track control is executed for the satellite elevation angle register 96 and the mobile object azimuth register 92. Step track control is performed using a step track angle from an antenna output processing section 58, which will be described later.

(2.5) Antenna output processing section In FIG.
The configuration of an antenna output processing section 58 for executing step track control in the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56 is shown. The antenna output processing unit 58
This circuit constitutes a part of the wireless device according to No. 2. That is, the swing-compensated antenna device according to this embodiment is used for transmitting and receiving radio waves related to satellite communication or receiving radio waves related to satellite broadcasting in a ship such as a moving body. For this reason, the swing-compensated antenna device is connected to or integrated with circuits related to reception and, if necessary, transmission. The circuit shown in FIG. 9 shows only a part of a transmitting/receiving device related to satellite communication or a receiving device related to satellite broadcasting, particularly the configuration related to the detection of an azimuth error.

The antenna output processing section 58 shown in FIG. 9 is composed of a receiver 100, a received level signal generating means 102, and a step track control circuit 104. Receiver 100 is a device that receives the output from array antenna 22. The receiver 100 includes, for example, a configuration such as an LNA, and at least a part of the configuration is arranged on the back surface of the antenna substrate of the array antenna 22. usually,
Since the antenna output is a minute level signal, it is necessary to amplify it to a predetermined level in order to extract it. To this end, a receiver front end including at least an LNA is placed in close proximity to the array antenna 22. Note that this embodiment is applicable to both so-called RF transmission and IF transmission.

The reception level signal generating means 102 is a means for generating a reception level signal according to the output of the receiver 100. The output of the receiver 100 is an output representing a so-called carrier-to-noise power ratio C/N0. The receiver 100 converts the antenna output to a lower frequency and supplies it as a so-called IF signal to the received signal level signal generation means 102,
The reception level signal generating means 102 takes in this IF signal and estimates the carrier-to-noise power ratio C/N0 from the level of the carrier included in the IF signal. The reception level signal generating means 102 generates a reception level signal having a value that monotonically increases with respect to the estimated C/N0. The generated reception level signal is input to the step track control circuit 104.

The step track control circuit 104 generates a step track angle related to the elevation angle and the azimuth based on the reception level signal generated by the reception level signal generation means 102. That is, the step track control circuit 10
The step track angle outputted from 4 is supplied to the aforementioned satellite elevation angle register 96 and mobile object azimuth register 90, respectively. The step track angle is these registers 9
6 and 90 to fine-tune its contents.

In other words, the step track angle is used to finely adjust the contents of the satellite elevation angle register 96 and the mobile object azimuth register 90 in accordance with the value of the received level signal. Therefore, the magnitude of the step track angle is a predetermined minute angle, and its sign is set to such a sign that the value of the received level signal becomes larger. The specific configuration of this step track control circuit 104 has basically been disclosed in patent applications filed by the applicant, such as Japanese Patent Application No. 2-175014 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2-240413, so it will not be discussed here. I will omit it here.

(2.6) Operation of First Embodiment Next, the overall operation of the swing compensation type antenna device according to this embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, first, the satellite azimuth and elevation angle means 88 captures the elevation angle and absolute azimuth of the satellite. The captured satellite elevation angle is captured in the satellite elevation angle register 96, and further supplied to the EL axis control amount calculation means 70 of the drive control section 54 while being subjected to step track control as necessary. On the other hand, the absolute orientation of the satellite is supplied to an adder 94 disposed after the mobile orientation register 90. The adder 94 is supplied with a value obtained by integrating the moving body azimuth input from a gyro compass or the like, that is, the moving body azimuth, and subtracts the moving body azimuth from the satellite's absolute azimuth to obtain the satellite's relative azimuth. This orientation is stored in the satellite orientation register 98 and further supplied to the AZ-axis control circuit 68 of the drive control section 54. In addition, the moving body direction register 90
Step tracks are also applied as necessary.

Further, in the drive control unit 54, the EL axis motor 30 and the AZ axis motor 40 are controlled according to the satellite elevation angle and relative azimuth supplied from the azimuth/elevation angle input unit 56, and the EL axis 24 and the AZ axis 34 are controlled. is rotated. That is, the mechanical axis related to the array antenna 22 is driven. Due to this drive, the attitude of the array antenna 22 becomes such that it can capture the satellite that is the tracking target. Note that a step track angle is generated in the step track control circuit 104 of the antenna output processing section 58 based on the output of the array antenna 22, and is provided to the azimuth/elevation input section 56.

[0085] If the vessel on which the equipment is mounted shakes while performing such tracking control, in this embodiment,
The uniaxial vibration detector 52 detects a component of the vibration around the EL axis 24 . This detection result is obtained by a synthesis filter that realizes complementary transfer functions as described above, and a certain degree of accuracy is guaranteed. The output of the uniaxial swing detector 52 is given to the EL axis control amount calculation means 70, and by subtraction related to the satellite elevation angle, the EL
The axis control amount will be calculated. In other words, simply by subtracting the output of the uniaxial vibration detector 52, the EL 24 is rotated to compensate for the vibration component.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to compensate for the oscillation of the moving body using an extremely simple calculation algorithm compared to the conventional one. This is because so-called fan beam directivity is realized by the array antenna 22, and a uniaxial swing detector 52 is mounted on the azimuth axis frame 26 to detect swing means around the EL axis 24. It depends. Further, since the swing detection means in this embodiment is configured as a uniaxial swing detector 52, that is, to detect only the swing component around the EL axis 24, for example, the posture sensor 18 shown in FIG. Thus, it is not necessary to detect driving components in two or more directions, and the above-mentioned effects can be achieved by an inexpensive swing detection means that can be realized at about 1/2 the cost. Furthermore, by appropriately setting the number of antenna elements 20 to, for example, 4 to 5, the influence of sea surface reflection can be reduced.

(3) Second Embodiment FIG. 10 shows the configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The circuit shown in this figure differs from, for example, the circuit configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that the drive control section 54 outputs a phase shifter control signal to the array antenna 22. This phase shifter control signal is a signal that controls the amount of phase shift in the array antenna 22.

FIG. 11 shows the configuration of the array antenna 22 in this embodiment. The array antenna 22 shown in this figure has a configuration in which three antenna elements 20 are arranged in tandem, and phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3 are provided for the antenna elements 20 at the upper and lower ends. It is.

That is, in this embodiment, the antenna pattern of the array antenna 22 can be switched around the EL axis 24 by controlling the amount of phase shift of the phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3. To enable such beam switching, a phase shifter drive circuit 108 is provided to drive phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3.

The phase shifter drive circuit 108 controls the phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3 in accordance with a phase shifter control signal supplied from the drive control section 54, as will be described later. Specifically, digital signals are supplied according to the number of bits of phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3. Phase shifter 106-1
The outputs of 106-3 and 106-3 are combined with the output of the central antenna element 20 in the combiner 60 and sent to the antenna output processing section 5.
At this time, when the phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3 are controlled by the phase shifter drive circuit 108, the EL of the array antenna 22 is output as shown in FIG.
The antenna pattern around axis 24 is switched. Note that in this embodiment, phase shifters 106-1 and 106
It is assumed that the number of bits related to -3 is 2 bits, and three types of antenna patterns can be switched. Since such switching is performed around the EL axis 24, it can be called an auxiliary EL axis. That is, the actual EL axis 24 is a mechanical one that is rotationally driven by the EL axis motor 30, and the beam switching by controlling the phase shifters 106-1 and 106-3 assists this. Can be done. In this embodiment, the oscillation compensation is executed exclusively by this auxiliary EL axis.

FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the drive control section 54 that supplies a phase shifter control signal to the phase shifter drive circuit 108 of the array antenna 22.

The drive control unit 54 according to this embodiment differs from the drive control unit 54 in the first embodiment described above in that the output of the uniaxial swing detector 52 is not given to the EL axis control circuit 66, but is transferred to the EL axis control circuit 66. It is given to phaser control amount calculation means 110. The phase shifter control amount calculation means 110 includes a uniaxial swing detector 52
, a phase shifter control signal is generated and supplied to the phase shifter drive circuit 108 in order to compensate for the component around the EL axis 24 of the oscillation of the moving body. That is, in this example,
The AZ axis 34 and the EL axis 24 only drive the array antenna 24 for tracking, and the fluctuation compensation is performed exclusively by the phase shifter control signal that is the output of the phase shifter control amount calculation means 110. .

Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the same effects as in the first embodiment described above can be obtained. In addition, since compensation for the oscillation of the moving body can be realized only by phase shift control, the servo loops related to the control of the AZ axis 34 and the EL axis 24 can be made relatively slow. this is,
Changes in the satellite elevation angle and changes in the satellite's relative orientation will affect the ship's orientation (
This is caused by changes in the direction of the moving object, movement, etc., and is slower than rocking. Thereby, the structure of the drive control section 54 can be made inexpensive, and the response to rocking can be kept relatively high.

(4) Third Embodiment FIG. 14 shows the structure of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, particularly the structure of an auxiliary rotary table.

The actual configuration and overall circuit configuration of this embodiment are, for example, the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG.
It may be any of the configurations of the second embodiment shown in . This embodiment is characterized in that the uniaxial swing detector 52 is not placed on the azimuth axis frame 26 but on an auxiliary rotary table.

The auxiliary turntable shown in FIG.
12 and a rotating table 114. The motor 112 is
This is a motor that rotates the rotary table 114 at the same angle in synchronization with the azimuth axis 34. The uniaxial swing detector 52 is connected to the rotary table 11
4 is fixed on top.

In this way, it is not necessary to arrange the uniaxial vibration detector 52 inside the radome 50. For example, it becomes possible to arrange it separately within the cabin. In this way,
The uniaxial vibration detector 52 can be installed under milder environmental conditions (temperature, vibration conditions, etc.), and the radome 50 can be downsized.

(5) Fourth Embodiment FIG. 15 shows the structure of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, particularly the structure of its azimuth/elevation angle input section 56. The actual configuration of this embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG.
6 or, as shown in FIG. 14, may be placed on a rotating body 114. Furthermore, it does not matter whether the swing compensation is performed on the EL axis 24 or on the auxiliary EL axis. The feature of this embodiment is that the azimuth/elevation angle input section 56 employs a configuration related to so-called relative azimuth.

That is, as shown in FIG. 15, this embodiment uses the search control means 1 instead of the satellite azimuth and elevation input means 88.
It has 16. The search control means 116 turns on the power,
A so-called search operation is executed in response to a search command or the like. The configuration of this search control means 116 is an application of, for example, the configuration of the azimuth search control circuit shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 2-240413, which was previously proposed by the applicant. In this embodiment, the output of the search control means 116 is input to the satellite elevation angle register 96 and satellite azimuth register 98, and search control is executed for both the satellite elevation angle and the relative azimuth of the satellite. Since the search control is executed for the relative orientation of the satellite, there is no need to subtract the mobile object orientation from the satellite absolute orientation to find the satellite relative orientation as in the first embodiment. Body orientation register 90 and adder 94 are abolished, and adder 92
is provided to sequentially add and update the contents of the mobile object orientation register 98. Step track control is performed for satellite elevation register 96 and satellite azimuth register 98.

FIG. 16 shows the configuration of the antenna output processing section 58, which is provided with a function of generating a carrier detection signal (CD) for executing search control in the azimuth/elevation angle input section shown in FIG. . That is, the antenna output processing section 58 of this embodiment is provided with a demodulator 118 that takes in the IF signal output from the receiver 100, detects a carrier, and outputs a CD. Demodulator 118
CD outputted from is a signal indicating whether or not a desired signal is being received at a certain level or higher, and search control means 116 executes search control in accordance with this. In addition,
The carrier detection operation in the demodulator 118 is also one of the basic operations in a general demodulator, and is realized by, for example, a PLL method.

[0101] Therefore, in this embodiment as well, the above-mentioned first
The same effects as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

(6) Fifth Embodiment In the above description, the array antenna 22 had a configuration in which three to four antenna elements 20 were arranged around the EL axis 24. However, the present invention is not limited to such an arrangement. For example, the antenna elements 20 may be arranged in two rows instead of one row. However, in this case, the beam width around the virtual XEL axis is narrower than in the case of a single line, so that swinging tends to affect the beam to some extent. However, on the other hand, the array antenna 22 has a lower height compared to the case where the number of antenna elements 20 is the same and the combined gain is therefore the same. Therefore, it can be said that this configuration is effective for ships in which the magnitude of the rocking component to be compensated is small, such as ships for inland waterways and large ships.

FIG. 17 schematically shows the actual configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The array antenna 22 in the device shown in this figure is
This configuration has antenna elements 20 arranged in four rows and two columns.

Further, FIGS. 18 and 19 show a circuit configuration of a fifth embodiment of the present invention having such a physical configuration. In particular, FIG. 18 shows a circuit configuration of the array antenna 22, and FIG. 19 shows an example configuration of an in-phase combining circuit.

This embodiment has almost the same circuit configuration as the first embodiment, but the array antenna 22 shown in FIG.
7, the configuration of output processing of the array antenna 22 is different. Specifically, as a result of the two-column configuration, the virtual
Even if the beam width around the EL axis becomes narrow, regardless of this, the fan beam directivity equivalently equivalent to that in the case of a single row arrangement can be realized.

As shown in FIG. 18, the array antenna 22 of this embodiment has a combiner 60 for each column of antenna elements 20, and the output of each combiner 60 (antenna outputs A and B) It has two receiver front ends 120 that take in, perform processing such as amplification, and output. The receiver front end 120 includes an LNA and the like, is placed near the antenna 22, and separates and shares some functions of the receiver 100. Further, the array antenna 22 includes a frequency converter 122 that takes in the output of each receiver front end 120 and converts it to a predetermined intermediate frequency (IF), and performs in-phase synthesis of IF signals A and B output from the frequency converter 122. and an in-phase combining circuit 124 that supplies the signal to the receiver 100.

That is, in this embodiment, after the received output of each column is converted into an IF signal, the IF signals A and B related to each column are adjusted to be in phase and combined. Therefore, the gain is improved during reception. For example, when eight antenna elements 20 are arranged in two rows, the combined gain increases due to the increase in the number of 20 antenna elements, compared to when six antenna elements 20 are arranged in one row. Furthermore, the number of antenna elements 20 arranged around the elevation angle is reduced from six to four, resulting in a lower profile and smaller device. When the number of antenna elements per column is the same (20), the reception gain increases by up to 3 dB in the two-column arrangement compared to the one-column arrangement.

In order to realize such an effect, the in-phase synthesis circuit 124 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 19, for example. The in-phase synthesis circuit 124 shown in this figure includes mixers 126 provided corresponding to IF signals A and B, respectively.
and 128, and a synthesizer 130 that combines the outputs of the mixers 126 and 128 and outputs the result as an IF signal. A local oscillator 132 that supplies a signal of a predetermined frequency and a predetermined phase is connected to the mixer 128. Also, a phase comparator 134 that compares the output phase of the mixer 126 and the phase of the IF signal B and outputs a signal representing the phase difference, and a loop filter 136 that extracts a signal representing the phase difference from the output of the phase comparator 134. The oscillation phase is controlled according to the output signal value (voltage) of the loop filter 136, and the local oscillator 132
A voltage-controlled local oscillator (VCO) that oscillates at the same frequency as
138. Mixer 126 and VCO 138
constitutes a phase shifter 140 for IF signal A.

That is, IF signals A and B are combined with the oscillation output of local oscillator 132 or VCO 138 in mixer 126 or 128, respectively, and are combined and output in combiner 130. Here, the oscillation output of the local oscillator 132 and the oscillation output of the VCO 138 have the same frequency, but the former is fixed in phase, whereas the latter is variable. The output phase of VCO 138 is determined by mixer 126.
The output phase of the mixer 128 is adjusted according to the result of the phase comparison so that the output phase of the mixer 128 is the same as the output phase of the mixer 128.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to electronically track the satellite around the virtual XEL axis by in-phase synthesis during reception, and even though the beam width around the virtual XEL axis is narrow, it is possible to track the satellite electronically around the virtual XEL axis. The same fan beam directivity as in the case of element arrangement can be equivalently realized. The tracking range is determined by the beam width of the antenna element 20 alone, the C/N0, the performance of the in-phase combining circuit 124, etc. Note that since it is necessary to perform phase comparison, such an effect can be expected only during reception.

(7) Others In the above explanation, the AZ axis 34 and the radome 5
0 and is configured separately. However, the same effect can be obtained even if the components are integrated. As a device in which the AZ axis 34 and the radome 50 are integrated, there is a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-040297, which was previously proposed by the applicant of the present application. In other words, the azimuth axis structure of the previously proposed device can be applied to the device of the present invention. In this case, the radome 50 can be made smaller.

[0112]

[Effect of the invention] As explained above, claim 1 of the present invention
According to , an antenna with fan beam directivity is rotatably supported by two mechanical axes, and a swing detection means for detecting a swing component around the elevation axis is fixed to the azimuth axis frame. The swing compensation can be performed using a simple control algorithm, the structure of the swing detection means can be made simpler, and an inexpensive and small swing compensation type antenna device can be realized.

Further, according to the second aspect, since the swing detecting means is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table, the swing detecting means can be arranged separately, and a device that is more resistant to rain and the like can be realized. According to claim 3, fan beam directivity can be achieved with a simple and compact configuration using an array antenna.

Furthermore, according to claim 4, the fan beam directivity can be easily and compactly realized by the array antenna. In addition, since the antenna elements are arranged in M rows, the antenna can have a lower profile. Although the beam width around the virtual XEL axis becomes narrow due to the M-row arrangement, a fan beam directivity substantially equivalent to that in claim 3 can be obtained by in-phase synthesis.

According to claim 5, the swing detection means is fixed to the azimuth axis frame, and the swing component around the elevation axis detected by the swing detection means is compensated by switching the beam of the elevation angle of the antenna. , the same effects as in claim 1 can be obtained, the movement of the mechanical shaft can be made slower, and the simplification and cost reduction of the device configuration can be realized more markedly.

According to claim 6, since the swing detecting means is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table, the effects of claim 2 can be obtained in addition to the effects obtained in claim 5. According to claim 7, an antenna that has fan beam directivity and can switch the beam inclination around the elevation angle can be realized by an array antenna, so that the device configuration can be made small and inexpensive.

According to claim 7, since the swing component is detected using both the inclinometer and the angular velocity detector while realizing complementary transfer functions, more accurate swing can be achieved with a simple configuration. Detection can be performed, and the device configuration can be made more compact and inexpensive.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the actual configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall circuit configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drive control section in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a uniaxial vibration detector in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a transfer function model of the uniaxial swing detector shown in FIG. 5;

7 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an inclinometer in the uniaxial rocking detector shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an azimuth/elevation angle input section in the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an antenna output processing section in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the overall circuit configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna in a second embodiment.

12 is a diagram showing an antenna pattern around the auxiliary EL axis obtained by the array antenna shown in FIG. 11. FIG.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drive control section in a second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the configuration of an auxiliary rotating body in a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an azimuth/elevation angle input section in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an antenna output processing section in a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the actual configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the configuration of an array antenna in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an in-phase synthesis circuit in a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a first conventional example.

FIG. 21 is a coordinate relationship diagram showing a vibration compensation principle in a vibration compensation type antenna device having an EL axis and an XEL axis.

FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the actual configuration of a swing-compensated antenna device according to a second conventional example.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an antenna pattern around a virtual XEL axis in an array antenna having fan beam directivity.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an antenna pattern around the EL axis in an array antenna having fan beam directivity.

[Explanation of symbols]

20 Antenna element 22 Array antenna 24 Elevation axis (EL axis) 26 Azimuth axis frame 30 Elevation axis motor (EL axis motor) 34 Azimuth axis (AZ axis) 40 Azimuth axis motor (AZ axis motor) 52 Uniaxial swing detector 54 Drive Control unit 56 Azimuth/elevation angle input unit 58 Antenna output processing unit 70 EL axis control amount calculation means 72 Inclinometer 74 Angle detector 76 Synthesis filter 82 Filter A 84 Filter B 86 Adder 106-1, 106-2 Phase shifter 108 Phase shifter drive circuit 110 Phase shifter control amount calculation means 112 Motor 114 Turntable 120 Receiver front end 124 In-phase synthesis circuit 130 Synthesizer 132 Local oscillator 134 Phase comparator 138 Voltage controlled local oscillator (VCO) S Satellite r Roll p Pitch u Swing angle

Claims (8)

[Claims] Claim 1: An antenna having fan beam directivity with a beam width that is wide around the azimuth and narrow around the elevation angle, an elevation axis that supports the antenna rotatably in the elevation direction, and an elevation axis that is rotatable. an azimuth axis frame that holds the azimuth axis frame; an azimuth axis that rotatably supports the azimuth axis frame; an elevation axis drive means that rotates the antenna around the elevation axis; an azimuth axis driving means for rotating the antenna; a rocking detection means for detecting the rocking of a moving body such as a ship on which the antenna is mounted; and a radio wave transmitted and/or received from the satellite to be tracked that is captured by the antenna. A swing-compensated antenna device comprising: a control means for controlling the azimuth-axis drive means and the elevation-axis drive means to compensate for the detected swing; and a control means for controlling the elevation-axis drive means to compensate for the detected swing. The detection means is installed to rotate with the azimuth axis, and detects a swing component around the elevation axis of the swing of the moving object, and the control means converts the swing component around the elevation axis into the elevation angle of the antenna. A swing compensation type antenna device characterized by performing swing compensation control by adjusting and subtracting. Claim 2: An antenna having fan beam directivity with a beam width that is wide around the azimuth and narrow around the elevation angle, an elevation axis that supports the antenna rotatably in the elevation direction, and an elevation axis that is rotatable. an azimuth axis frame that holds the azimuth axis frame; an azimuth axis that rotatably supports the azimuth axis frame; an elevation axis drive means that rotates the antenna around the elevation axis; an azimuth axis drive means for rotating the antenna; a rocking detection means for detecting the rocking of a moving object such as a ship on which the antenna is mounted; A swing-compensated antenna device comprising: a control means for controlling the azimuth-axis drive means and the elevation-axis drive means so that the azimuth-axis drive means and the elevation-axis drive means control the elevation-axis drive means to compensate for the detected swing; an auxiliary rotary table that rotates by the same angle in synchronization with the rotation of the movable body, and a swing detection means is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table and detects a swing component around the elevation axis of the swing of the moving body. A swing compensation type antenna device, wherein the control means performs swing compensation control by adjusting a swing component around an elevation axis to an elevation angle of the antenna. 3. The swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna has N (N: a natural number of 2 or more) antenna elements arranged in tandem so that the antenna elements are arranged around the elevation axis. A swing-compensated antenna device characterized by being an array antenna. 4. The swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna has antenna elements arranged in N rows and M columns (N, M: natural numbers of 2 or more) with columns in the direction around the elevation axis. A receiver front end that outputs the combined output of the antenna elements belonging to the corresponding row, which is provided for each column of the array antenna, and a receiver front end that performs in-phase synthesis of the signals output from each receiver front end. 1. A swing-compensated antenna device comprising: an in-phase synthesis circuit that continuously changes the directivity of the antenna around an axis perpendicular to an elevation axis. Claim 5: An antenna with fan beam directivity that has a beam width wide around the azimuth and narrow around the elevation angle, and whose beam inclination around the elevation angle can be switched, and an elevation angle that supports the antenna rotatably in the elevation direction. an azimuth axis frame that rotatably holds the azimuth axis; an azimuth axis that rotatably supports the azimuth axis frame; an elevation axis drive means that rotates the antenna around the elevation axis; An azimuth axis driving means that rotates the antenna around the azimuth axis, a swing detection means that detects the swing of a moving object such as a ship on which the antenna is mounted, and a transmission and and/or a control means for controlling the azimuth axis drive means and the elevation axis drive means so that radio waves related to reception are captured by the antenna, and for switching the beam inclination of the antenna to compensate for the detected swing. In the motion-compensated antenna device, the swing detection means is installed to rotate together with the azimuth axis, and detects a swing component around the elevation axis of the swing of the moving body, and the control means detects a swing component around the elevation axis in the swing of the moving body. 1. A swing compensation type antenna device, characterized in that the beam inclination around the elevation angle of the antenna is adjusted so as to compensate for the swing component of the antenna. Claim 6: An antenna having fan beam directivity with a beam width that is wide around the azimuth and narrow around the elevation angle, and whose beam inclination around the elevation angle can be switched, and an elevation angle that supports the antenna rotatably in the elevation angle direction. an azimuth axis frame that rotatably holds the azimuth axis; an azimuth axis that rotatably supports the azimuth axis frame; an elevation axis drive means that rotates the antenna around the elevation axis; An azimuth axis driving means that rotates the antenna around the azimuth axis, a swing detection means that detects the swing of a moving object such as a ship on which the antenna is mounted, and a transmission and and/or a control means for controlling the azimuth axis drive means and the elevation axis drive means so that radio waves related to reception are captured by the antenna, and for switching the beam inclination of the antenna to compensate for the detected swing. The motion-compensated antenna device is provided with an auxiliary rotary table that rotates by the same angle in synchronization with the rotation of the azimuth axis, and the vibration detection means is fixed to the auxiliary rotary table and detects the rotation of the moving body. A swing compensation type antenna device, characterized in that a swing component around the elevation axis is detected, and a control means adjusts a beam inclination around the elevation angle of the antenna so as to compensate for the swing component around the elevation axis. 7. The swing-compensated antenna device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the antenna comprises N (N: a natural number of 2 or more) antenna elements arranged in tandem around an elevation axis; N for shifting the phase of the transmitted and/or received signals related to N or N-1 antenna elements among the antenna elements of
or N-1 phase shifters, and a phase shifter drive circuit that controls the amount of phase shift of the phase shifter in accordance with a phase shifter drive signal indicating a beam inclination around an elevation angle to be realized, A swing-compensated antenna device, wherein the control means supplies a phase shifter drive signal to a phase shifter drive circuit according to a value of a swing component around an elevation axis. 8. A swing-compensated antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the swing detection means includes an inclinometer that detects an inclination angle in an elevation direction of a moving body and an angular velocity around the elevation angle of the moving body. and a synthesis filter that synthesizes the output of the inclinometer and the output of the angular velocity detector and outputs it as a swing component around the elevation axis, and the synthesis filter filters the output of the inclinometer. a second filter having a transfer function complementary to that of the first filter so as to filter the output of the angular velocity detector, and an adder for adding the output of the first filter and the output of the second filter. A swing-compensated antenna device comprising: