JPS61236202A - Satellite broadcast receiver for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain excellent reception of a satellite broadcast even during movement by transmitting a drive signal so as to direct an antenna in the direction of a satellite at all times in response to a vehicle position detected by an attitude control means and changing the attitude of the antenna via a drive means. CONSTITUTION:The antenna system 1 consists of an antenna 11, an azimuth angle sensor 14, an elevating angle sensor 15, an azimuth angle drive motor 12 and an elevating angle drive motor 13. An attitude controller 2 inputs detection signals 3a, 4a of an azimuth meter 3 and a range finder 4, drive signals 2a, 2b are sent to the motors 12, 13 based on the signals 3a, 4a to change the attitude of the antenna 11. The attitude of the antenna 11 is detected to the sensors 14, 15 connected thereto and fed back to the controller 2. A reception signal of the antenna 11 is sent to a car radio set and a car television set 7 via a tuner 5. Thus, a satellite broadcast is received in an excellent way even in a moving vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a receiving device installed in a moving vehicle to receive satellite broadcast radio waves.

[4. Prior Art] In recent years, broadcast radio waves have been transmitted to ground receiving stations over a wide range via communication satellites launched into geostationary orbits.

If such radio waves can be received by a moving vehicle, it will be possible to enjoy various radio and television broadcasts even when driving in mountainous areas where radio waves from existing terrestrial broadcasting stations cannot reach.
Or you can get navigation information.

The present invention has been made in view of such a demand, and an object of the present invention is to provide a satellite broadcast receiving device for a vehicle that can satisfactorily receive satellite broadcasts in a moving vehicle.

[Means for Solving the Problems] As shown in FIG. 1, the satellite broadcast receiving apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving antenna, a vehicle position detecting means, an attitude controlling means, and a driving means. The attitude control means emits a drive signal to always orient the antenna toward the satellite in accordance with the detected vehicle position, and the drive means changes the attitude of the antenna in accordance with the drive signal input thereto.

[Effects] According to the receiving device having such a configuration, the attitude of the receiving antenna is controlled according to the moving position of the vehicle so that the receiving antenna always points toward the satellite, so that satellite broadcasting can be received well even in a moving vehicle. can.

[Embodiment 1] In Fig. 2, an antenna device 1 is provided on the roof of the vehicle, and an antenna attitude control device 2, a compass 3 for detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a travel distance of the vehicle are installed on the instrument panel inside the vehicle. A distance meter 4, a tuner 5, and a car radio 6 are provided to detect the distance. Additionally, a car television 7 is installed in the rear compartment.

The antenna device 1 includes an antenna 1 as shown in FIG.
1, a drive motor 12.13 that changes the azimuth angle and the angle of attack of the antenna 11, respectively, and a sensor 14.15 that detects the azimuth angle and the angle of attack of the antenna 11, respectively. In the figure, solid arrows indicate mechanical connections between devices, and dashed arrows indicate electrical connections. Detection signals 3a and 4a from the direction meter 3 and distance meter 4 are input to the attitude control device 2, and the control device 2 sends drive signals 2a and 2b to each motor 12.13 based on these signals 3a and 4a. emits,
The attitude of the antenna 11 is changed.

The attitude of the antenna 11 is determined by the azimuth sensor 14 connected to it.
and the attitude control device 2 detected by the angle of attack sensor 15.
will be given feedback. The signal i received by the antenna 11 is input to the car radio 6 and car television 7 through the tuner 5.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the antenna device 1. The device 1 has a plate-shaped antenna 11 supported by a pillar 103 erected on a circular base plate 101, and the whole is covered with an arch-shaped cover 1.
It is covered with 02. The antenna 11 is circular as shown in FIG. In other words, the antenna board is a resin disc having a high dielectric constant such as Teflon, and a thin copper layer is formed on the entire surface (the surface shown in the figure) of the resin board, and the copper layer is etched at a predetermined length and at a predetermined interval. Remove it by etc. (
111 in the figure). On the back side of the antenna board, there are lead parts 1 made of steel so as to connect between the adjacent etched parts 111.
12 (Fig. 6) With this structure, the antenna 11 becomes an aggregate of many dipole antennas,
It is small in size and has excellent characteristics. Note that the antenna 11
The directivity of the beam can be adjusted by changing the arrangement of the etched portions 111, and the beam angle can be adjusted by changing the spacing between the etched portions 111 (L in FIG. 6).

The antenna 11 is placed on a table 165 (FIG. 4). The table is pivoted to the tip of the support column 103,
It can be tilted as shown by the chain line in the figure.

The support column 103 is a support stand 16 provided at the center of the base 101.
It is rotatably supported around an axis by 8,
A circular support plate 161, an eccentric circular cam plate 162, and a gear 163 are fixed to the outer periphery of the column 103 in contact with each other.

An azimuth drive motor 12 is provided on the base plate 101, and its output shaft 121 is connected to the gear 163 via a gear and a belt 164 fixed to the motor.

By rotating the motor 12 in the forward and reverse directions, the antenna 11 is rotated around its center and its azimuth is changed. Changes in the azimuth angle are detected by the azimuth sensor 14, such as a linear potentiometer, which has a probe 141 in contact with the cam plate 162 that rotates together with the antenna 11.

An angle of attack drive motor 13 is provided on the support plate 161, and a gear provided on its output shaft 131 is connected to the table 16.
It is engaged with an arcuate rack 166 protruding from the lower surface of 5. By rotating the motor 13 in the forward and reverse directions, the antenna 11 is tilted and its angle of attack is changed. Changes in the angle of attack are detected by the angle of attack sensor 15, such as a rotary potentiometer, which is rotated in contact with the rack 166. The angle of attack sensor 15 is supported by a support arm 167 erected on the support plate 161.

The received signal 11a of the antenna 11 is sent to the tuner 5 (FIG. 3) via a converter 169 provided on the support plate 161.

FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the attitude control device 2. As shown in FIG. The device 2 is
It has a microcomputer 21, a memory 22, an input interface 23, and an output interface 24. The input interface 23 is connected to the compass 3, the distance meter 4, the azimuth sensor 14, and the angle of attack sensor 15, and the output interface 24 is connected to each drive motor 12.
13 are connected. In the memory 22, in advance,
Antenna 11 according to each longitude and latitude of the vehicle movement range
The optimal azimuth and angle of attack that should be taken are stored.

The operation of the computer 21 will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the vehicle starts traveling, the latitude and longitude of the starting point of the vehicle are inputted using the fence switch (step 201). After that, the direction meter 3 and distance meter 4 (third
The vehicle orientation θ and travel distance g are input from the figure (steps 202 to 204).

From the above direction θ and distance p, the amount of change in latitude ρCOSθ
and the amount of change M sin θ in longitude are calculated, and these amounts of change are added to the latitude and longitude of the travel start point to obtain the longitude and latitude of the moving point (step 205).

The azimuth angle and angle of attack stored in the memory 22 in advance are read with respect to the moving point, and the antenna 11
The rotation of the azimuth drive motor 12 and the angle of attack drive motor 13 is controlled to match the postures of the two (step 20).
6-209).

In this way, the antenna 11 provided on the vehicle is always positioned facing the communication satellite and can receive broadcast waves well.

In this embodiment, more accurate antenna control is possible by correcting the travel distance 1 using the vehicle's altimeter or by correcting the antenna angle of attack according to the vehicle inclination detected by the vehicle's inclination needle.

In other words, instead of driving via the belt 164 of this embodiment, the motor 12 may be directly connected and driven. If a pulse motor is used as the motor 12,13, an azimuth angle sensor and an angle of attack sensor for feedback are not required.

[Embodiment 2] The spacing of the etched portions 111 (Fig. 6) is set so that the angle of the antenna 11 matches the angle of attack for radio wave reception, and the etched portions 11 are set such that the directivity is slightly weakened.
1 arrangement, the antenna 11 becomes slightly larger, but angle-of-attack control can be made unnecessary. FIGS. 9 and 10 show an example in which such an antenna 11 is provided inside a rear spoiler from the viewpoint of improving the appearance and aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle.

In FIG. 9, the cover 102 of the antenna device 1 is formed into a sand boiler with a wedge cross section, and its front and rear ends (in the left-right direction in the figure) are fixed to the trunk lid B. As shown in FIG. 10, the cover 102 has a circular center portion in the width direction, and the antenna 11 is installed inside the cover 102. The antenna 11 is mounted on a support stand 16 provided on the base plate 101.
It is placed on a table 165 that is rotatably supported by a motor vehicle B, and is rotated by an azimuth drive motor 12 that is connected to the table 165 via a belt 164. A signal received by the antenna 11 is transmitted to the tuner 5 (FIG. 3) through a converter 169 provided on the underside of the table and a slip ring 170 provided at the center of the support base 168.

Such a structure also has the same effect as the above embodiment,
Moreover, it not only looks good but also has favorable aerodynamic characteristics. In addition,
According to experiments by the inventors, the antenna 11 as in this embodiment
Even if the central part is made circular to accommodate the spoiler or a Yasu boiler is used, it is possible to obtain aerodynamic characteristics almost equivalent to that of a normal spoiler.

[Embodiment 3] This embodiment eliminates the need for the memory 22 in the first embodiment, which stores anti- and +11 azimuth angles in advance according to the moving position of the vehicle.

The configuration of the antenna azimuth control device in this case is shown in FIG. 11, and the processing procedure of the computer is shown in FIG. 12.

In FIG. 12, the azimuth drive motor 12 is rotated to change the azimuth of the antenna 11 (step 301);
When the output signal of the tuner 5 reaches a predetermined level, the antenna 11 is stopped, and the vehicle direction θO at this time is stored (steps 302 and 303). Thereafter, the vehicle direction θ is inputted every time a certain period of time has elapsed (step 305), and the vehicle direction fluctuation Δθ=θ−θO is calculated (step 306).
The antenna 11 is rotated to compensate for this and its azimuth is corrected (step 307).

This structure also allows the antenna to always be directed toward the satellite.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 8 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a vehicle equipped with the device of the present invention, and FIG. The figure shows the overall configuration of the device.
, FIG. 4 is an overall sectional view of the antenna device, FIG. 5 is a front view of the antenna, FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of section A in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the attitude control device, and FIG. 8 is a computer 9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is an overall sectional view of the antenna device, FIG. 10 is a plan view thereof, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are A third embodiment of the present invention is shown, and FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the attitude control device, and FIG.
The figure is a computer processing flowchart. 1... Antenna device 11... Antenna 12... Azimuth angle drive motor (drive means) 13
...Angle of attack drive motor (drive means) 2...
... Attitude control device 21 ... Microcomputer 22 ...
・Memory (storage means) 3... Direction meter (position detection means) 4...
Distance meter (position detection means) Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 11WI Fig. 12

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) An antenna installed on a vehicle to receive satellite broadcast radio waves, a position detection means for detecting the vehicle position, and an attitude control means for emitting a drive signal to always direct the antenna toward the satellite according to the detected vehicle position. and a driving means for changing the attitude of an antenna according to the driving signal. (2) The satellite broadcast receiving device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the position detecting means includes a direction detector for detecting the direction of the vehicle. (3) The above-mentioned position detecting means has a direction detector that detects the direction of the vehicle and a distance meter that measures the distance traveled, and a patent that detects the longitude and latitude of the vehicle position from the output signals of the above-mentioned detector and the distance meter. A satellite broadcast receiving apparatus according to claim 1. (4) The satellite broadcast receiving device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the attitude control means emits a drive signal to change the attitude of the antenna in a direction that offsets the amount of azimuth variation of the vehicle. (5) The attitude control means has a storage means that stores in advance the optimum antenna attitude according to the latitude and latitude, and sends a drive signal to make the antenna attitude match the optimum antenna attitude at each latitude and latitude of the vehicle movement position. A satellite broadcast receiving device for a vehicle according to claim 3. (6) The satellite broadcast receiving device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes a motor that changes the azimuth angle of the antenna, and a motor that changes the angle of attack of the antenna.