JPH08125430A - Travelling object antenna controller for satellite communication - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To allow the controller to acquire a satellite in a short time by mounting a GPS to the controller. CONSTITUTION: A GPS 21 and an azimuth measurement means 25 are mounted on a travelling object 11, the GPS 21 measures a current position of the travelling object 11 and the azimuth measurement means 25 measures an absolute azimuth respectively, an arithmetic means 26 calculates an elevating angle and an azimuth angle when the travelling object 11 views a satellite 15 based on the measured values and position information of the satellite 15 and a setting means 27 controls a drive means 12 so that the elevating angle and the azimuth angle of the directivity of an antenna 13 are equal to the calculated elevating angle and azimuth angle respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Industrial field of application] Transmission / reception of radio waves to / from satellites such as communication satellites and broadcasting satellites using an antenna provided on a mobile body.
The present invention relates to an antenna control device for directing an antenna pointing direction toward a satellite so that reception can be performed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 shows a conventional mobile antenna control apparatus for satellite communication. The antenna driving means 12 is mounted on a moving body 11 such as an automobile, and the antenna 13 is mounted on the antenna driving means 12, and the antenna 13 can control the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the pointing direction. The control is performed by the control means 14 controlling the antenna driving means 12. Direct the direction of the antenna 13 to the satellite 15,
In that state, radio waves are transmitted or received between the satellite and the antenna 13. In order to direct the pointing direction of the antenna 13 to the satellite 15, conventionally, the control means 14 is manually operated,
The pointing direction of the antenna 13 is rotated over the entire elevation angle range and the entire azimuth angle range to scan the entire space to search for a location where the radio wave received from the satellite 15 is maximum.

[0003]

Conventionally, the satellite 1 is used.
Since the pointing direction of the antenna 13 is scanned over the entire space in order to capture the radio waves from the antenna 5, there is a problem that it takes a long time to capture the satellite.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the invention, a satellite-based positioning device (GPS: Global Positioning System) is mounted on a moving body, the current position of the moving body is measured by the GPS, and the current measurement position is measured. The elevation angle when the satellite is viewed from the moving body from the position and the position of the satellite is calculated by the calculation means, the antenna drive means is controlled by the elevation angle setting means, and the elevation angle in the pointing direction of the antenna is added to the calculated elevation angle. Is set. With this elevation angle set, the azimuth angle of the antenna pointing direction is controlled to capture the satellite.

According to the invention of claim 2, a satellite-based positioning device (GPS) is mounted on the mobile body, the current position of the mobile body is measured by the GPS, and the absolute azimuth of the mobile body is measured by the azimuth measuring means. , The elevation angle and azimuth angle when the satellite is viewed from the moving body are calculated by the calculation means from the measured current position, the measured azimuth, and the position of the satellite, and the antenna driving means is controlled by the setting means. The elevation angle and the azimuth angle in the pointing direction of the antenna are set to the calculated elevation angle and azimuth angle, respectively.

[0006]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention of claim 1 and FIG.
The same symbols are attached to the portions corresponding to. In the present invention, the GPS 21 is mounted on the moving body 11, and the current position (latitude Λ ₀ , longitude λ ₀ ) of the moving body 11 is measured using a satellite. The measured current position (Λ ₀ , λ ₀ ) is supplied to the elevation angle calculating means 22, and the elevation angle calculating means 22 receives the position (latitude Λ _i , longitude λ _i , altitude H _i ) of the satellite 15 to communicate or receive. Is previously set and input, and the elevation angle φ when the satellite 15 is viewed from the moving body 11 is calculated from the current position Λ ₀ λ ₀ and the satellite position Λ _i λ _i H _i .

The calculated elevation angle φ is the elevation angle setting means 23.
Is given to the antenna drive means 12
Is controlled so that the elevation angle of the pointing direction of the antenna 13 becomes φ. That is, the elevation angle φ _{a in} the pointing direction of the antenna 13
Is input to the setting means 26, and the antenna is controlled so that φ _a becomes φ. With the elevation angle φ held, the control means 14 is operated to change the azimuth angle of the directional direction of the antenna 13 so that the reception level of the radio wave from the satellite 15 is maximized to capture the satellite 15. finish. To more accurately direct the antenna pointing direction to the satellite, the set elevation angle may be changed within a narrow range so that the reception level becomes maximum.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention of claim 2 and the same reference numerals are attached to the portions corresponding to those of FIG. In this embodiment, the mobile body 11 is equipped with the GPS 21 and the azimuth measuring means 25. The azimuth measuring means 25 is, for example, a gyro compass, and the absolute azimuth θ of the mobile body 11 is measured. The measured azimuth angle θ and the current position Λ ₀ λ ₀ from GPS are supplied to the calculating means 26. Computing means 2
The position (latitude Λ _i , longitude λ _i , altitude H _i ) of the satellite 15 to be captured is set and input in advance in 6, and the elevation angle φ and the azimuth angle when the satellite 15 is viewed from the moving body 11 using these. θ is calculated.

The calculated elevation angle φ and azimuth angle θ are supplied to the setting means 27, and the setting means 27 controls the antenna driving means 12 to make the elevation angle φ _{a in} the pointing direction of the antenna 11.
Is set to φ, and the azimuth angle θ _a is set to θ. In this state, the antenna 13 has captured the satellite 15. Also in this case, in order to more accurately direct the antenna pointing direction to the satellite, the antenna pointing direction may be changed within a narrow range for each of the set elevation angle φ and azimuth angle θ so as to maximize the reception level.

[0010]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, by mounting the GPS, the elevation angle of the antenna pointing direction with respect to the satellite is automatically set in a short time, and the satellite search is performed only in the pointing direction. It suffices to do so, and the satellite acquisition time is significantly shortened compared to the conventional case. According to the invention of claim 2, the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the antenna pointing direction with respect to the satellite are automatically set by mounting the GPS and the azimuth measuring means, and the satellite is automatically captured in an extremely short time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external appearance of the invention of claim 1, and B is a block diagram showing an example of its functional configuration.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the external appearance of the invention of claim 2, and B is a block diagram showing an example of its functional configuration.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an appearance of a conventional mobile communication antenna control device for satellite communication.

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An antenna control device provided in a mobile body, which controls an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of an antenna directional direction by an antenna driving means to transmit / receive radio waves to and from the satellite in the direction of the satellite. In the satellite-based positioning device (G
PS: Global Positioning System), a means for calculating an elevation angle when the satellite is viewed from the current position based on the measured current position and the position of the satellite, and the antenna driving means are controlled to perform the above calculation. And an elevation angle setting means for setting the elevation angle in the pointing direction of the antenna, and maintaining the set elevation angle to control the azimuth angle in the pointing direction of the antenna to direct the pointing direction to the satellite. A mobile antenna control device for satellite communication that can be pointed. 2. An antenna provided on a mobile body for controlling an azimuth angle and an elevation angle of an antenna directional direction by an antenna driving means so as to direct the radio wave to and from the satellite toward the direction of the satellite. In the control device, a satellite-based positioning device (G
PS: Global Positioning System), azimuth measuring means for measuring the absolute azimuth of the moving body, the measured current position, the measured absolute azimuth, and the position of the satellite. From the current position to the satellite. A means for calculating an elevation angle and an azimuth angle when seeing, and a setting means for controlling the antenna driving means to set the elevation angle and the azimuth angle in the pointing direction of the antenna to the calculated elevation angle and the azimuth angle, respectively. A mobile antenna control device for satellite communication, comprising: