Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g. – Directive – Including antenna orientation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-30
2001-06-19
Tarcza, Thomas H. (Department: 3642)
Communications: directive radio wave systems and devices (e.g.,
Directive
Including antenna orientation
C342S074000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249247
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a beam antenna direction measuring method and a device for detecting the direction(azimuthal and elevation angles) of an antenna by detecting a geomagnetic field. Further, the invention relates to a beam antenna direction controller capable of turning the antenna in a predetermined direction and a controlling method thereof.
Conventionally known antenna direction(azimuthal and elevation angles) measuring methods and controllers make use of mechanical systems, wherein, for example, by utilizing the fact that resistance values are changed by a variable resistor(volume), etc., attached to the rotational part of the antenna in accordance with its rotational angle, the beam direction of the antenna is determined from the changes of the resistance values.
In a device of this type, generally the beam direction of the antenna must be predetermined by a magnetic compass, etc., and the directions of an indoor antenna controller and a rooftop antenna must be adjusted. This makes it necessary to align a bearing stylus indicating the direction of the indoor antenna controller with the direction of the rooftop antenna, and then to fix the rooftop antenna on the rotor of the antenna by bolts.
In the conventional antenna controller described above, as it is necessary to at least align the direction of the rooftop antenna beam with the bearing stylus direction of the indoor antenna controller, the following problems occur. The beam direction of the rooftop antenna must be set in the same direction as the bearing stylus of the indoor antenna controller. Thus, it is necessary to determine the beam direction of the antenna by use of a magnetic compass, etc.
In such a device, as the rotation of the antenna and that of the controller bearing stylus must be accurately aligned during manufacturing, assembling adjustment work is made complicated in the manufacturing process. Also, when the direction of the rooftop antenna beam is shifted due to strong winds, etc., it is necessary to align the direction of the rooftop antenna with the bearing stylus of the indoor antenna controller.
Further, in the conventional system, as the fact that the resistance values are changed by the variable resistor(volume), etc., attached to the rotational part of the antenna in accordance with its rotational angle, there is a problem of durability of the device, which is reduced due to frictions of the contact part, i.e., the mechanical part.
Further, because of the structural reasons described above, it is impossible for the antenna controller to rotate in the same direction several times, and thus most of the currently sold devices are allowed only one direction rotation. When wishing to rotate the antenna direction to the right only by 10° from the current direction by means of such an antenna controller, if the current antenna is rotated in a right direction up to the limit, it must be reversely rotated to the left by 350°.
Further, in the conventional product, in the case where the beam antenna is attached to moving bodies such as a motor vehicle, a ship and the like, when the traveling direction of the moving body is changed, the direction of the beam antenna attached thereto is also changed, it is necessary to know which direction the moving body is facing in order to know the real direction of the antenna beam, and thus a very expensive device is needed and further, its data processing is very complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made against such a background and its object is to provide an antenna beam direction measuring method and a direction measuring device, wherein it is possible to detect the direction of an antenna beam based on output data from one magnetic detecting means and to improve measuring accuracy while their handling and adjustments are easy. According to the present invention, as it is possible to directly estimate the antenna direction from geomagnetic data, a simple and cheap system is provided without being influenced by changes in the direction of a moving body.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide an antenna direction controller and a controlling method, wherein the antenna is controlled to be easily turned in a predetermined direction even when the antenna is fixed on a ground station and thus immovable or when it is mounted on a moving body.
In order to achieve the objects described above, in the antenna direction measuring method according to the present invention, a magnetic detecting means for detecting at least one of the horizontal and vertical components of the geomagnetic field is attached to the antenna, the antenna is rotated beforehand, and thus maximum and minimum data obtained by the magnetic detecting means are stored. Then, one or two bearing candidates corresponding to output data from one magnetic detecting means are specified by operation using the maximum and minimum data and when the number of the bearing candidates is two, whether the rotational direction of the antenna is to the right or to the left is identified, whether the displacement of the output data is increasing or decreasing compared with previous data is identified and based on these identification results, either one of them is specified. The antenna direction measuring device suited for embodying the method described above is provided with a magnetic-detecting means for detecting at least one of the horizontal and vertical components of the geomagnetic field attached to the antenna, a means for storing the maximum and minimum values of the outputs of the magnetic detecting means when the antenna is rotated beforehand, a means for calculating the candidate of the antenna beam direction from output data from the magnetic detecting means and the maximum and minimum values, a means for storing previous output data from the magnetic detecting means, an increase/decrease identifying means for comparing the previous output data and the newest output data from the magnetic detecting means and identifying whether the displacement of the newest output data is increasing or decreasing compared with the previous data based on the rotational direction of the antenna and an identifying means for determining the real direction based on the identification result of the increase/decrease identifying means and the newest output data.
It is preferable that a plurality of the magnetic detecting means are provided at different angles, a means is provided for selecting the magnetic detecting means having the large amount of the output data change accompanying the rotation of the antenna and the antenna beam direction is measured based on the output data from this magnetic detecting means.
When the device according to the present invention is provided with sufficient storage capacity, it is possible to reduce operations every data is fetched by storing the values of the respective magnetic detecting means, calculated angles, increase/decrease situations and rotational direction data in addition to the maximum and minimum values as table form data. Further, the beam antenna direction controller according to the present invention is constructed by an antenna, a magnetic sensor attached to the antenna, a motor for rotating the antenna, a circuit for converting the output of the magnetic sensor into an electric signal corresponding to the direction of the antenna and outputting it, an operation processor for determining the current direction of the antenna upon receiving the output of the circuit of the magnetic sensor and outputting a control signal for setting the antenna in a predetermined direction, a control means for receiving a motor control signal output to the motor by the operation processor and a power supply for driving the motor via the control means.
Furthermore, in the antenna direction control method according to the present invention, the current antenna direction is measured by using the antenna direction measuring method or the antenna direction measuring device described above, a difference betwe
Araki Takashi
Inugai Kazuyuki
Adams & Wilks
Phan Dao L.
Software Design Limited
Tarcza Thomas H.
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