JPH11289208A - Antenna elevating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate stress applied to a waveguide and to prevent damage of the waveguide from occurring by providing a rotation mechanism which rotates an antenna together with the waveguide, and a rotary joint installed at the center of an antenna rotation axis. SOLUTION: This device is provided with a waveguide 2 that is a transmission path from a transmitter or a receiver to an antenna 1, a rotation mechanism 4 which rotates the antenna 1 and the waveguide 2 and a rotary joint 6 installed at the center of an antenna rotation axis. The rotation axis of the joint 6 is made to coincide with the rotation axis O of the mechanism 4 and the joint 4 is fixed to a pole 3 with a fixture 7. Although the waveguide 2 transmits radio waves through a rectangular cross section shape, the rotary joint can rotate because it uses a coaxial line at a rotation center part and performs transmission. Such an antenna elevating device operates in the same way as the conventional manner.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an antenna elevating device mounted on an aircraft such as a helicopter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of an antenna elevating device. 1 shows a system in which information such as images acquired by an aircraft such as a helicopter is transmitted from an antenna A to a ground station E by radio waves M and can be confirmed on the ground. Conversely, information from the ground may be transmitted to an aircraft H such as a helicopter. To prevent the radio wave from being interrupted by the effect of the aircraft, the antenna is lowered below the aircraft to transmit or receive, and when landing, it is raised upward.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a conventional antenna elevating device. An antenna 1 for transmitting or receiving a radio wave, a waveguide 2 as a transmission path from a transmitter or a receiver TR to the antenna 1, a pipe 3 containing the waveguide 2,
It comprises a rotating mechanism 4 for rotating the antenna 1, the waveguide 2 and the pipe 3, and a fixture 5 for holding the rotating mechanism 4 and attaching it to the body.

[0004] At the time of landing, the antenna 1 is raised to a position where it does not come into contact with the ground in a form drawn by a solid line in FIG. After takeoff, when transmitting or receiving radio waves, the antenna 1 rotates around the axis O of the rotating mechanism 4 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
Descend.

[0005]

The above-described antenna elevating device has the following problems. When rotating by the rotation mechanism 4, bending stress is applied to the waveguide 2. Usually, the waveguide 2 is flexible, but there is a problem that the waveguide is damaged by fatigue due to repeated lifting and lowering operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and has as its object to realize an antenna elevating device which avoids damage to a waveguide.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna elevating device, comprising: a waveguide which is a transmission path from a transmitter or a receiver to an antenna; a rotating mechanism for rotating the antenna and the waveguide; The provision of the rotary joint provided at the center of the rotation axis of the antenna eliminates the stress applied to the waveguide and prevents the waveguide from being damaged due to fatigue.

[0008] The antenna lifting device of the second invention uses a rotary actuator, a speed reducer using a motor / gear, or a link mechanism using a telescopic actuator as a rotating mechanism.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, reference numerals 1 to 5 are the same as those of the above-mentioned conventional apparatus. Reference numeral 6 denotes a rotary joint. The rotation axis of the rotary joint 6 matches the rotation axis O of the rotation mechanism 4 and is fixed to the pole 3 by a fixture 7.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the rotary joint 6. 14 is a rotary joint rotating part, 1
5 is a coaxial line, 16 is a bearing, 17 is a rotary joint fixing part which is a part fixed to the antenna side, and 18 is a coaxial line holding part which fixes the coaxial line. The waveguide transmits radio waves with a rectangular cross-sectional shape, but the rotary joint has a structure in which transmission is performed using a coaxial line at the center of rotation, thereby enabling rotation.

The antenna lifting device according to the present invention is configured as described above, and operates in the same manner as the conventional device. A portion shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 shows a state where the antenna is lowered.

Embodiment 2 FIG. In FIG. 1, the rotation mechanism 4 is realized by a rotary actuator.

The antenna elevating device according to the present invention is configured as described above, and operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 3 is a view showing a third embodiment, in which a portion of the rotation mechanism 4 in FIG. 1 is realized by a speed reducer including a motor and a gear. In FIG. 3, 8 is a motor, 9
And 10 indicate gears.

The antenna elevating device according to the present invention is configured as described above, and the gear 9 attached to the motor 8 in FIG. 3 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 8, and the rotation of the gear 9 is controlled by the gear attached to the pipe 3. 10, the antenna 1 can be rotated, and thus operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 4 is a view showing a fourth embodiment, in which a portion of the rotation mechanism 4 in FIG. 1 is realized by a link mechanism. In FIG. 4, 11 is a telescopic actuator, 1
Reference numerals 2 and 13 denote arms, and 11, 12, and 13 constitute a link mechanism.

The antenna elevating device according to the present invention is constructed as described above. The telescopic actuator 11 moves the movable part in the direction of arrow a1 to move the antenna 1 in the direction of arrow a2, and moves the movable part in the direction of arrow b1. By moving the antenna 1 in the direction, the antenna 1 can be moved in the direction of the arrow b2.

[0018]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the present invention, by providing the rotary joint having the same rotation axis on the antenna rotation axis in the middle of the waveguide path, the stress applied to the waveguide is reduced, thereby preventing damage due to fatigue. There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of an antenna elevating device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a rotary joint.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a third embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation outline of the antenna elevating device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional antenna elevating device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna, 2 waveguides, 3 pipes, 4 rotation mechanisms, 5 attachments, 6 rotary joints, 7 attachments, 8 motors, 9 gears, 10 gears, 11 telescopic actuators, 12 arms, 13 arms, 14 rotary joints Rotating part, 15 coaxial line, 16 bearing, 17 rotary joint fixing part, 18 coaxial line holding part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] An antenna elevating device mounted on an aircraft such as a helicopter and raising and lowering an antenna by rotation, an antenna for transmitting or receiving radio waves, and a waveguide as a transmission path from a transmitter or a receiver to the antenna. And a rotating mechanism for rotating the antenna and the waveguide, and a rotary joint disposed at a rotating portion of the waveguide. 2. A rotary actuator as a rotating mechanism,
2. The antenna lifting / lowering device according to claim 1, wherein a reduction mechanism using a motor / gear or a link mechanism using a telescopic actuator is used.