JPH11163611A - Supporting stand for antenna device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a posture control stand for antenna device which initially and easily makes the parallelism of 1st and 2nd bases, also copes with installation other than horizontal installation and maintains a set reference posture. SOLUTION: A mount base 11 of the antenna device is supported with one point at prescribed height in a freely rockable way. Screw bodies 25x and 25y engage engaging parts 30x and 30y that project from the edge of the mount base along X and Y axes which orthogonally cross at the one point. The reference posture of the base 11 is maintained by processing a signal from a posture detecting means, driving the bodies 25x and 25y with stepping motors 28x and 28y and making the heights of the other two points that support the base 11 up and down. A pair of switches 34x and 34y detect and correct deviation from parallel positions of the base 11 and a base 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support base for an antenna device, and more particularly, to a support mechanism for controlling a directivity signal so that the antenna device always maintains a facing position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a device for keeping a support base of a satellite broadcast receiving antenna device horizontal is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 4-266203. In the invention disclosed herein, since the transmission and reception target of the antenna device is a broadcast satellite,
The support base is assumed to be installed horizontally, and the sole purpose is to control horizontal maintenance, and is not considered to correspond to other postures. Therefore, for example, in a control unit using a cam mechanism, the tiltable angle is limited to an extremely narrow range defined by the shape of the cam. Further, the applicant applied a screw mechanism to the control means in the prior invention, but the controllable angle range does not exceed ± 8 °.

[0003]

However, since the information transmission means using the directional signal does not require wiring,
Moving objects on the ground, at sea, or in the air, places where it is difficult to lay wires,
It is effective in places where the wiring changes frequently or where the wiring impairs the appearance.It can be used not only in a horizontal installation posture but also in a non-horizontal posture, and it can be used for artificial or natural environments such as vibration, shock or wind pressure. A support base of the antenna device capable of correcting a change in position is required, and a large attitude control range is required depending on installation conditions.

An object of the present invention is to provide a support base for an antenna device which can cope with installation other than horizontal in a wide range and can stably maintain a set reference posture.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent an electronic circuit mechanism used for a control means for correcting a deviation of the support base from a reference posture from being affected by an electric disturbance.

It is still another object of the present invention to easily obtain the parallelism between the first base and the second base in the initial stage in order to ensure the maximum allowable range of the apparatus.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a support for an antenna device according to the present invention is provided for broadcasting and
A first base for directly supporting an antenna device for receiving or transmitting a signal such as a communication, and a posture attached to the first base for detecting a tilt with respect to X-axis and Y-axis directions orthogonal to the base surface. Detecting means; and first and second control means for controlling inclinations in the two directions of the X-axis and the Y-axis based on an output signal from the attitude detecting means.

[0007] The control means is mounted on a second base, and a universal bearing for swingably supporting the first base in all directions with respect to the second base. First and second switches respectively disposed on the X-axis and the Y-axis passing through the installation center of the bearing, wherein the first base and the second base are parallel to each other at a position where the first base and the second base are parallel to each other. The second switch is switched from on to off or from off to on, and when the first base and the second base are not parallel, the first and second switches are turned on or off. It was turned off. Further, the electronic circuit included in the first and second control means is installed on a second base.

Further, when power is supplied to the first and second control means, the first and second control means operate in a predetermined direction by detecting whether the first and second switches are on or off. Then, the first base and the second base may be returned to the parallel state.

[0009]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a support base of an antenna device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a support base 10 of an antenna device according to the present invention, and is partially cut away for easy understanding. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a mounting base of the antenna device 12 as a first base, and 13 denotes a base as a second base.

A pedestal 15 having a concave surface 16 is rotatably supported on the base 13 by slidingly contacting a spherical seat 14 protruding from the lower surface of the mounting table 11. A coupling screw 17 extending perpendicularly from the base 13 passes through the spherical seat 14 and the pedestal 15, and adjusts a screw connection with a spherical washer 18 screwed to an upper end portion, and is fixed to a lower end portion 19 by a leaf spring 20. Is applied to adjust the pressure contact force between the pedestal 15 and the spherical seat 14. The mounting table 11 and the base 13 are swingably coupled by the universal bearing 21 constituted by the spherical seat 14 and the pedestal 15 as described above. Pin 22 erected on pedestal 15
Prevents the table 11 from pivoting around the coupling screw 17.

On the surface of the base 13, the axis 2 of the coupling screw 17
First and second screw bodies 25 having helical lead grooves 24x and 24y formed on the outer periphery near the edge of the mounting table 11 along the X-axis and the Y-axis orthogonal to 3 respectively.
x and 25y are rotatably supported on first and second fixed shafts 26x and 26y, respectively, which are erected from the base 13 toward the installation table 11.

Followed gears 27x, 27y are respectively mounted on the screw bodies 25x, 25y and are rotated integrally. The first and second driven gears 27x and 27y
The drive gears 29x and 29y that are mounted on the respective drive shafts of the second stepping motors 28x and 28y mesh with each other. The first and second engaging portions 30x and 30y protruding from the edge of the mounting table 11 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are engaged with the lead grooves 24x and 24y.

[0013] With this configuration, the mounting table 11 is mounted on the universal bearing 2.
1 and the engaging portions 30x and 30y.
One point is the universal bearing 21 having no variation in the supporting height, and the other two points can be displaced in height by the lead grooves 24x and 24y. Therefore, the mounting table 11 can be moved in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or both directions. The posture control can be performed by appropriately tilting.

The engagement portions 30x, 30y and the lead grooves 24x,
The lower surface of the engaging portions 30x, 30y is pressed against the upper surfaces of the lead grooves 24x, 24y in order to avoid that the dimensional play in the engagement with 24y intervenes as a control error. Downward), a magnet 31 and a compression spring 32 are disposed on an axis crossing the middle between the X axis and the Y axis to apply a preload.

That is, the magnet 31 and the compression spring 32 are separately fixed on the bases 13 on both sides of the universal bearing 21. Since the mounting table 11 and the base 13 are made of a magnetic material, The compression spring 32 urges the elastic force in the same direction as the magnet 31 with the universal bearing 21 as a fulcrum.

The magnetic force of the magnet 31 and the compression spring 3
2 by appropriately selecting the elastic force of
Within the swing range of 1 (positions P1 and P2), the preload by the combined force of the magnetic force and the elastic force is approximately constant irrespective of the distance between the mounting table 11 and the base 13, that is, the inclination of the mounting table 11 with respect to the base 13. Can be kept.

As described above, the attitude control means of the mounting table 11
The lead grooves 24x, 24y for moving the engaging portions 30x, 30y along the screw bodies 25x, 25y are rotationally driven by the stepping motors 28x, 28y via the driven gears 27x, 27y and the driving gears 29x, 29y. An electronic circuit 35 for processing the output signal from the attitude detecting means 33 and driving the stepping motors 28x and 28y includes a base 13
Provided above. The electronic circuit 35 is shielded from disturbance caused by electromagnetic waves by being shielded by the mounting base 11 and the base 13 made of a magnetic material, and can prevent malfunction.

However, in the above mechanism, the swing range (positions P1 and P2) that can be controlled by the mounting table 11 is
As can be seen from FIG. 2, it is very slight and does not exceed ± 8 ° at maximum. Therefore, in order to be able to cope with a further inclination exceeding this range, the entire support base 10 of the antenna device is installed on a pan head (not shown) of an appropriate size that can be controlled for a larger inclination angle range. Then, the coarse adjustment is performed by the camera platform, and the attitude detecting means 33 mounted on the antenna device 12 adjusts only the fine movement caused by environmental disturbance such as vibration or impact.

Therefore, the control range in which the mounting table 11 can be finely adjusted is defined as a positive / negative inclination range based on when the mounting table 11 and the base 13 are parallel to each other. A switch mechanism for detecting a position at which the mounting table 11 is parallel to the mounting table 11 is provided. Thus, the base 13 can be moved so as to be parallel to the installation table 11 controlled by the antenna attitude detecting means 33, so that the range in which attitude control is possible can be further expanded. The attitude control of the camera platform can be performed either manually or automatically.

[0034] 34x and 34y shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG.
Are first and second switch pairs respectively arranged on the X-axis and the Y-axis passing through the installation center of the universal bearing 21. In the first and second switch pairs 34x and 34y, the switch circuit that is energized at a position where the installation base 11 serving as the first base and the base 13 serving as the second base are parallel to each other is turned on or off. It is set to be switched from off to on depending on the presence or absence of a mechanical contact.

First and second switch pairs 34x and 34y
The mechanism and function are the same, and various configurations are possible for the on / off switch mechanism applicable to the support base of the antenna device according to the present invention. For example, a remote switch mechanism using a combination of a magnet and a reed switch, a photo switch mechanism using a change in light flux, and a switch mechanism using capacitance or electromagnetic induction can be applied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first on / off switch pair 34x is disposed on both sides of the universal bearing 21.
This is an application example in which the electrical contacts 50 that function mechanically the same way are turned on and off. One of the first contacts 51 is fixed to the base 13, and the opposing second contact 52 is installed on the lower surface side of the installation base 11 and a spring 53 is provided. Is supported through. The first contact 51 and the second contact 52 are formed such that the surface of the
The positions of the mutual relations are mechanically set so as to make contact (or separate from contact) at the moment when they become parallel to the surface, and the electric contacts 50 constitute a part of an electric circuit (not shown).

When the mounting table 11 is tilted and the second contact 52 is displaced upward in the drawing and separated from the first contact 51, the electric circuit is turned off. When the mounting table is tilted to the opposite side, the second contact 52 keeps contact with the first contact 51, and the electric circuit continues to be on. Since the elastic force of the spring 53 is sufficiently weak, the increase in the inclination of the mounting table 11 is absorbed by the deformation of the spring 53 and does not interfere with the movement of the mounting table 11.

Therefore, when the installation base 11 is tilted, the first switch pair 34x disposed on the left and right turns on the left and right contacts,
Since signals with different off states are output, by detecting which switch is on (or off), it is possible to know in which direction the installation base 11 has deviated from the reference posture. The operation of the second switch pair 34y is the same as that of the first switch pair 34x in both the mechanism and the function, and thus the description is omitted.

The operation of the support of the antenna device according to the present invention will be described below. After the base 13 is installed on a camera platform (not shown), first, the attitude of the antenna device 12 is set to face the partner device to be opposed for communication. At this time, the camera platform is coarsely adjusted based on signals from the first and second switch pairs 34x and 34y so that the installation table 11 and the base 13 are parallel to each other. Attitude detection means 33 at this time
Is stored in a memory of a control unit (not shown) as a reference position of the installation table 11.

After that, the control means compares the output from the attitude detecting means 33 with the reference position of the mounting table 11 stored in the memory, and if a deviation is detected, the first and second stepping means correct the deviation. By driving the motors 28x and 28y, respectively, the screw bodies 25x and 25y are rotated via the driving gears 29x and 29y and the driven gears 27x and 27y, and the mounting table 11 is tilted up and down along the screw bodies 25x and 25y. Control is performed so that the mounting table 11 always keeps the reference posture. The inclination of the mounting table 11 changes in a range from a position P1 to a position P2 in the X-axis direction, for example, as shown in FIG. The range of this change is the same for the inclination in the Y-axis direction.

The range of the inclination from the position P1 to the position P2 is set geometrically, and proper operation is guaranteed within this range. Therefore, in order to prevent the movement from deviating from this range, a signal means by an on / off switch based on a position where the installation table 11 and the base 13 become parallel is provided. For example, switch pair 34x, 3
The on / off signal generated by 4y is displayed by an indicator light or the like, and the pan head is adjusted so that all the lights are turned on (or turned off). This operation is performed manually or automatically by motor control. Thereby, the mounting table 11 with respect to the base 13 is
Can be controlled within a range that can be set by the lead grooves 24x and 24y.

The engagement portions 30x, 30y and the lead grooves 24x,
The contact state with the 24y is determined by the magnet 3 properly set.
Due to the preload effect by the combined force of the magnetic force of No. 1 and the elastic force of the compression spring 32, within the range of the tilt positions P1 to P2
An almost constant pressure contact state is always maintained. In this way, based on the proper installation posture of the base 13 set by the coarse adjustment, while correcting the relative position fluctuation with respect to the transmission destination or the reception destination, a normal facing position is always obtained and tracked. I can go.

In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the first and second switch pairs 34 on the X-axis and the Y-axis are used.
x and 34y do not necessarily have to be a pair. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, one switch SWX,
SWY is arranged, and when the first base 11 and the second base 13 are mechanically parallel to each other, the inclination is detected by turning the switch from on to off or from off to on. Is also good.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when power is supplied while the first base is inclined, the X-axis motor 29X rotates right (R), and the Y-axis motor 28Y rotates left (R). L) It is possible to rotate and try to be parallel.

[0031]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the antenna device support of the present invention, the installation base as the first base and the base as the second base are parallel. Since an on / off switch for detecting the position is provided to extend the control range by the coarse adjustment, it is easy to install the antenna device, and it is possible to perform posture control over a wider range from a horizontal posture. In addition, the fine adjustment by the first and second stepping motors performed according to the detection output of the attitude detecting means can select an optimum part in the control range of the lead groove, so that quickness and accuracy can be improved.

As described above, by making a rough adjustment for a large displacement, a correction corresponding to a fine movement due to vibration, impact, or the like can be performed with higher accuracy. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider a solid foundation for installation. It is suitable as a support for an antenna device of the Global Positioning System (GPS),
In addition, when the present invention is applied to a support for an antenna device for communication between office computers, equipment for an indoor communication cable distribution network is not required, and the degree of freedom in office layout can be improved. Further, the electronic circuit is shielded by the installation base and the base made of a magnetic material and is protected from disturbance by electromagnetic waves, so that stable operation can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a support base of an antenna device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a modification of the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram of the above-mentioned modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Support stand 11 Installation stand 12 Antenna device 13 Base 21 Universal bearing 24x, 24y Lead groove 27x, 27y Follower gear 28x, 28y Stepping motor 29x, 29y Drive gear 30x, 30y Engagement part 31 Magnet 32 Compression spring 33 Attitude detection means 34x , 34y switch pair

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first base for directly supporting an antenna device for receiving or transmitting a signal for broadcasting or communication, and an X-axis and a Y-axis attached to the first base and orthogonal to the base surface. Attitude detecting means for detecting the inclination with respect to the direction, first and second control means for controlling the inclination with respect to the two directions of the X-axis and the Y-axis based on an output signal from the attitude detecting means, respectively. A mounted second base, a universal bearing that supports the first base so as to swing in all directions with respect to the second base, and the X-axis passing through the installation center of the universal bearing. And first and second switches respectively disposed on the Y axis and the first and second switches are turned on from off at a position where the first base and the second base are parallel to each other. Alternatively, switching from off to on and the first Wherein the first and second switches are turned on or off when the base and the second base are not parallel to each other. 2. A support base for an antenna device according to claim 1, wherein an electronic circuit included in said first and second control means is installed on a second base. 3. When power is supplied to the first and second control means, the first and second control means operate in a predetermined direction by detecting whether the first and second switches are on or off. The support base for the antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first base and the second base are returned to a parallel state.