JP2019121967A - Tracking antenna, missile, and tracking antenna device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tracking antenna system capable of stably transmitting a large capacity of data between a missile and a ground station in a configuration in which the ground station transmits and receives a radio signal to/from the missile while tracking the radio signal.SOLUTION: In a missile 200, the missile autonomously selects n antennas from m mounted antennas on the basis of on-board information, such as position, speed, attitude, and predicted orbit and position information of a ground station 100, and transmits/receives, transmits, or receives data. If a position relation between the missile and the ground station changes due to flight after the lapse of a fixed time even though the missile 200 performs transmission from two antennas 220.2 and 220.3 in Fig., the missile autonomously selects a plurality of antennas that can stably transmit a large capacity of data, that is, antennas for transmitting a radio signal from the on-board information. Further, the ground station causes the antennas to track the direction of the missile so that a large capacity of data can stably be transmitted on the basis of position information from the missile.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a projectile, a tracking antenna device for tracking a projectile, and a tracking system.

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are agricultural crop control, agricultural land monitoring, agricultural and forestry fields such as vegetation observation, inspection of bridges and tunnels, patrol and inspection fields such as structural inspections, disaster survey, measurement and survey of topography measurement, etc.・ Used in various fields such as survey fields, transport fields, and wireless relays.

  The so-called observational images of monitoring, patrolling, inspection, and measurement, which account for the majority of these uses, are mainly used to transmit only still images or continuously photographed still images to the ground, and for moving pictures, multicopter It is stored in the memory of the installed device. Also, many of the unmanned aerial vehicles used are multicopters, and most of the flight by human maneuvers. Therefore, the visual transmission distance is also assumed for the video transmission system.

  Along with the expansion of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, real-time transmission of moving images for quick video use is required, and at the same time the widening of the observation area and the flight distance to the observation location are required to be increased. It is expected that the flight of an autonomously flying drone will be dominated by the provision of services including flight outside the sight from flight within the sight.

  The observation of the multicopter in visual flight is that the flight speed is 50 km / h or less, and the usable time of the battery is also limited to several minutes. Therefore, in the case of observing a large area, observation of the flight within the eye is repeated while moving the observation start place, and the time required is increased, and finally the cost is increased. For this reason, it is necessary to observe a fixed wing by a drone capable of flying for a longer time.

  In order to observe a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle in a large area, long-distance data communication is required. Further, the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle has a main wing and a tail wing and has a complicated structure, and the change in attitude at the time of turning, rising, lowering, etc. changes significantly. For this reason, the change in the communication environment becomes large, and in particular, as the transmission distance to the ground station becomes longer, it becomes more difficult to stably transmit large-capacity data.

In order to cope with such a problem, JP-A-2017-183875 has been proposed as a method to cope with such problems by arranging a plurality of ground stations and shortening the transmission distance between the aircraft and the ground stations. However, it may be difficult to deploy multiple ground stations. Farm monitoring makes it difficult to deploy multiple ground stations due to labor and cost issues. In addition, in emergency deployment monitoring, it is necessary to arrange the observation system in a short time, and arranging multiple ground stations is difficult due to time constraints. Furthermore, data transfer and control among multiple ground stations are required, and the scale of the system is increased.

JP, 2017-183875, A JP, 2016-170030, A

Kamiha et al., Study on high accuracy and high response tracking antenna control technology that enables simultaneous observation by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, IEICE Technical Report, 114 (449), 7-11, 2015-02-18

 With the expansion of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, it is required to widen the observation wide-area range of the flight vehicle, which requires long-distance data transmission. At the same time, it is also required to increase the capacity of data.

  Further, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, in order to realize long-distance communication, a plurality of ground stations are disposed, and by combining the communication partners so that the distance between the projectile and the ground stations becomes short. The aim is to stably transmit large amounts of data. However, installing multiple ground stations presents the problem of increased installation costs.

  Furthermore, in the tracking antenna system described in Patent Document 2, a plurality of slot antennas having directivity are mounted on the projectile, and one antenna with the highest gain is selected, switched and used. However, it is difficult to stably transmit a large volume of data when data strength with a single antenna in an unmanned aerial vehicle becomes weak when the signal strength weakens over long distances, or when the strength largely changes due to attitude change, etc. Become.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its object is to provide an apparatus on the aircraft side and the ground station side in a configuration in which signals from the aircraft are received while being tracked by the ground station. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tracking antenna system capable of stably transmitting a large volume of data, a flying object and a tracking antenna device.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tracking antenna system comprising a flying object, wherein the flying object comprises navigation means for grasping its position and attitude, and information on the grasped position and attitude to a ground station. A wireless communication means for transmitting, a plurality of on-board antennas capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals, a means for generating and transmitting a plurality of wireless signals, a means for deciphering reception or both, and a plurality of on-board antennas And a ground station for wireless communication with the aircraft, the ground station generating a plurality of radio signals from the aircraft. Directional control that drives communication directivity in the flight direction of the projectile based on the means for transmitting and / or the means for receiving and decoding, the position and velocity of the projectile, and the position of the ground station It includes a stage, between the ground station projectile, and can transmit a large amount of data stably.

  Preferably, the ground station comprises one or more antennas, and includes means for acquiring measurement information including position, velocity and attitude from the projectile, and flying a plurality of antennas according to the position obtained from the projectile. By directing it in the body direction, it is possible to stably transmit a large volume of data.

  Preferably, the flight vehicle is a trajectory prediction means for estimating its position, velocity, attitude, position of the flight object after a predetermined time, velocity, attitude, and a plurality of the mounted antennas according to the position of the ground station. By autonomously selecting and transmitting a plurality of antennas that enable stable communication, large-capacity data can be stably transmitted.

  Preferably, the antenna mounted on the projectile is a directional or omnidirectional antenna mounted on each part of the fuselage of the projectile, the wing, the vertical tail, the horizontal tail and the projectile structure.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flying object capable of wirelessly communicating with a ground station provided with a tracking antenna capable of controlling directivity, comprising: navigation means for grasping its own position and attitude; Wireless communication means for transmitting the information on the position and attitude to the ground station, a plurality of mounted antennas capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals, a means for generating and transmitting a plurality of wireless signals, or means for decoding reception And a unit for selecting a plurality of mounted antennas satisfying a predetermined condition from among the plurality of mounted antennas, the antenna selecting unit selects one of the plurality of antennas based on the position and attitude of the projectile. And autonomously select a plurality of antennas capable of stably transmitting a large volume of data.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tracking antenna device for performing tracking for wireless communication with a flying object, comprising: navigation means for grasping its own position and attitude; Radio communication means for transmitting attitude information to the ground station, plural mounted antennas capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals, and means for generating and transmitting plural radio signals and / or means for receiving and decoding And directivity for driving communication directivity in the direction of the projectile based on position information from the projectile and means for selecting a plurality of onboard antennas satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of onboard antennas Control means and includes one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas.

  According to the tracking antenna system, the flying object and the tracking antenna device of the present invention, it is possible to transmit a large volume of data and maintain a stable wireless communication link according to changes in the attitude and position of the flying object. is there.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the radio | wireless communications system containing the tracking antenna apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the mounting condition of the apparatus of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 of this Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the equipment configuration in the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 of this Embodiment. It is an example of a transmission and reception pattern which cut out three-dimensional transmission and reception pattern data of two antennas which unmanned aerial vehicle 200 of this embodiment holds on a horizontal surface. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for describing a configuration of ground station 100.

  Hereinafter, a wireless communication system including a tracking antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described according to the drawings. In the following embodiments, components and processing steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and the description thereof will not be repeated if not required.

  In the following, although not particularly limited, for example, the flying object will be described as an unmanned air vehicle (UAV). However, for example, an unmanned helicopter or a drone may be used.

  As described below, the wireless communication system according to the present embodiment is a wireless communication system including an unmanned aircraft flying in a certain airspace and a tracking antenna on the ground, and the tracking antenna for tracking the unmanned aircraft from the ground is Have. An unmanned aerial vehicle carries multiple antennas and a hybrid inertial navigation system. Then, the unmanned air vehicle transmits the measured position, velocity, and attitude information of the aircraft to the ground, and using this information, the control unit on the ground station side stably uses a large amount of ground tracking antenna to be used. The antenna is moved to track the aircraft so that it can transmit to the

In addition, on the aircraft side, based on the information on position, velocity, attitude, and predicted orbit and the position information of the ground station, the three-dimensional direction from the mounted antenna to the ground station is calculated, and the transmission and reception pattern of the mounted antenna acquired in advance From data, select multiple mounted antennas that can transmit large volumes of data stably.
Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing a configuration of a wireless communication system including a tracking antenna device of the present embodiment.

  In the event of a large-scale disaster or accident, it is necessary to capture and acquire information of the area in a wide, real-time manner as simultaneously as possible. In this case, it is necessary to receive an image taken by the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 on the ground, and for this reason, a wireless communication link capable of stably transmitting a large volume of data to the unmanned aerial vehicle using a tracking antenna is secured. .

  In FIG. 1, the ground station 100 has a tracking antenna device and can point the antenna in the direction of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The ground stations 100 respectively correspond to the corresponding directional antennas 120.1 to 120. M (M: natural number. Hereinafter, when collectively referred to as “directive antenna 120.1 to 120. M. In FIG. 1, M = 4 in FIG. 1) wirelessly communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The directional range of the directional antennas 120.1 to 120.4 is shown in FIG. 1 as beam directions 130.1 to 130.4. In addition, the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 has a plurality of on-board antennas 220-220. N (N: called “mounted antenna 220 to 220. N”; N = 2 in FIG. 1).

  The ground station 100 calculates the direction of the tracking antenna 120 capable of stably transmitting a large volume of data, based on the position and attitude information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 transmitted from the unmanned aerial vehicle 200.

In the ground station 100, the tracking antenna 120 controls and drives the drive unit to control the direction of the tracking antenna 120 according to the control signal in the tracking direction. The directivity may be driven by, for example, a gimbal mechanism having two or more axes, or directivity may be controlled electronically as an array antenna.
(Configuration of the UAV 200)

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the installation status of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 is equipped with a transmitting / receiving device 210 and a plurality of antennas. Although the installation position of the antenna is mounted on the fuselage, the wing, and the tail in the figure, it may be disposed at any position on the fuselage. Also, the antenna may be directional or nondirectional. For example, a whip antenna may be considered as a nondirectional antenna, and a Yagi antenna, a dipole array, a slot antenna etc. may be considered as a directional antenna. In FIG. 2, four whip antennas 220.1 to 220.4 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “antenna 220” when collectively referred to) are provided. The number of mounted antennas is two or more, and may be more than four.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram for explaining the configuration of the mounting apparatus of the projectile.

  The unmanned aerial vehicle 200 communicates with the antennas 220.1 to 220.4 having the configuration as shown in FIG. 3, an antenna selection unit 221 for selecting an antenna to be used for transmission and reception from a plurality of antennas, and the selected antenna. Wireless unit 222 for carrying out, onboard computer 223 for controlling flight control / data communication of unmanned aerial vehicle 200, imaging device 224 for photographing an image (still image, moving image) from the sky, position data And a data storage unit 225 for storing antenna patterns, and a hybrid navigation device 226 including a GPS and a gyro for measuring the position and attitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The telemetry wireless communication device 227 transmits information with small amount of data, for example, the position, velocity, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and attitude angular velocity information. The telemetry wireless device is an additional configuration, and it may be configured not to use such data when the wireless device 222 transmits such data.

  The antenna selection unit 221 uses, for example, a relay for high frequency or a semiconductor switch to switch an antenna to be transmitted or received according to an instruction from the on-board computer 223 in order to prevent generation of loss due to switching. Here, the wireless unit 222 has two channels of radio signal input / output, four channels of antennas, and serves as a matrix-like changeover switch capable of selecting any two antennas from four antennas.

  Information on the position, velocity, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) and attitude angular velocity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 measured by the hybrid navigation device 226 is transmitted from the selected antenna to the ground station as measurement information. For example, it is transmitted at fixed time intervals. Similarly, image data captured by the imaging device 224 is also transmitted from the selected antenna to the ground station. The measurement information may be transmitted using a telemetry radio device mounted and installed in the aircraft and the ground station.

  The position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the tracking antenna 120 of the ground station 100 is stored in the on-board computer 223 or the data storage unit 225 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200. The position is stored by directly inputting data into these devices before flight, or by transmitting from the ground at any time during flight using a telemetry wireless device or the like.

  It is assumed that the selection of the antenna is performed autonomously by the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a plurality of antennas judged to be appropriate antennas among the plurality of on-board antennas are used. Here, the "suitable antenna" is obtained, for example, as follows. First, the azimuth and inclination angle from the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 to the tracking antenna 120 of the ground station are calculated, and the positions of future flight paths and the tracking antenna estimated from the position, attitude, and velocity of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 in flight are calculated. Next, the gain and gain fluctuation of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 at the azimuth and inclination are estimated from the antenna measurement pattern recorded in the data storage unit. An antenna with four gains and variations estimated, a large gain and a small variation is made an appropriate antenna.

  FIG. 4 is an example of transmission and reception patterns in which three-dimensional transmission and reception pattern data of two antennas held by the unmanned aerial vehicle 200 of the present embodiment is cut out in a horizontal plane.

  FIG. 4A shows a two-dimensional measurement pattern in which the transmission / reception pattern 240.2 is horizontally cut out of the three-dimensional transmission / reception pattern data of the antenna 220.2 mounted on the wireless aircraft 200. In the figure, the direction of the ground station viewed from the antenna 220.2 is an arrow 245.2.

  FIG. 4B is a two-dimensional measurement pattern obtained by horizontally cutting out the three-dimensional transmission and reception pattern data of the transmission and reception pattern 240.4 and the antenna 220.4 mounted on the wireless aircraft 200. In the figure, the direction of the ground station viewed from the antenna 220.4 is an arrow 245.4.

  FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show the state of radio waves at the same time. In order to simplify the explanation, the case of selecting one of two antennas will be described as an example. At this time, in FIG. 4A, the antenna gain of the antenna 220.2 in the direction 245.2 of the ground station is lowered due to the influence of the structure of the airframe and the like. On the other hand, in FIG. 4B, the antenna gain of the antenna 220.4 in the direction 245.4 of the ground station is not affected by the airframe, and a large and stable gain can be obtained. Also, it can be determined that this state continues for a certain period of time. At this time, the on-board computer 223 determines that the antenna 220.4 is an appropriate antenna, and selects this antenna as an antenna for transmission and reception.

  The transmission and reception patterns are three-dimensional data measured in advance in an anechoic chamber using an antenna pattern measuring apparatus. From the viewpoint of the drone, it is composed of amplitude and phase information for each horizontal angle and vertical angle. Generally, the antenna measurement pattern should show the pattern of a single antenna element. In this case, the influence of surrounding components is not taken into consideration. The transmission / reception pattern in the present embodiment indicates an antenna measurement pattern including the influence of the shape of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The transmission / reception pattern can also be acquired by highly accurate computer simulation by combining the shape of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the shape of the antenna element.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram for explaining the configuration of ground station 100. Referring to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the ground station 100 comprises a tracking antenna 120 including a plurality of antennas, an antenna driver 111 for changing the directivity direction of the antenna, and a radio unit for decoding a plurality of radio signals and outputting data. 112, a photographed data acquisition unit for displaying and recording an image (still image, moving image) from decoded data, a control unit 114 for outputting a signal for controlling an antenna pointing direction from 200 positions of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and And an aircraft position information management unit 115 that manages measurement information. The telemetry wireless communication device 116 is a wireless device that transmits and receives information with a small amount of data, for example, the position, velocity, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle) of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, and attitude angular velocity information.

  The tracking antenna 120 is composed of a plurality of antennas and includes antennas 120.1 to 120.4. One radio signal is output from each antenna. The wireless unit 112 inputs a plurality of wireless signals.

  In the present embodiment, the antenna drive unit 111 is configured of a two-axis gimbal, and changes the horizontal angle and the vertical angle of the tracking antenna 120 according to a control signal from the control unit 114. Here, a mechanical drive type drive unit is presented as an example, but an electronic scan antenna that electronically controls directivity may be used as an array antenna.

  The control unit 114 acquires the estimated position of the unmanned aircraft 200 from the aircraft position information management unit 115. Next, the horizontal angle and vertical angle to which the tracking antenna 120 should be directed are calculated from the estimated position and the tracking antenna position (latitude, longitude, altitude) held in advance, and this is included in the control signal to the antenna driver 111. Send.

  The aircraft position information management unit 115 acquires measurement information of the unmanned aerial vehicle 200, for example, information of position, speed, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle), attitude angular velocity, from the wireless unit 112 or telemetry wireless device 116. . Further, these data are calculated to estimate the future flight trajectory of the unmanned aerial vehicle, for example, position, velocity, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle).

  The wireless unit 112 receives a plurality of wireless signals from the tracking antenna 120. The wireless unit 112 uses a plurality of antennas in both the transmitter and the receiver in wireless communication, and uses a technology for improving capacity and quality, for example, MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) technology.

  The wireless unit 112 performs signal processing on the wireless signal and extracts information (data) from the wireless signal. The information (data) is composed of shooting data and incidental information (for example, measurement information). The incidental information is not included in the configuration using the telemetry wireless device. The wireless unit 112 includes components such as a band pass filter, an amplifier, an AD converter, a DSP (Digital Singal Processor), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The wireless unit 112 transfers the imaging data to the imaging data acquisition unit 113, and when incidental information is included, transmits the same to the aircraft position information management unit 115.

  The telemetry wireless device 116 receives measurement information of the aircraft 200, for example, information on position, velocity, attitude angle (yaw angle, roll angle, pitch angle), attitude angular velocity, and outputs this to the aircraft position information management unit .

  As described above, according to the tracking antenna system, the flying object and the tracking antenna device of the present embodiment, wireless communication by the unmanned aerial vehicle and the ground tracking antenna flying for monitoring a disaster occurrence area in disaster / accident occurrence etc. The UAV side autonomously selects a plurality of appropriate antennas and transmits a wireless signal. Also, on the ground side, the unmanned aerial vehicle can be reliably tracked by the tracking antenna composed of a plurality of antennas and the wireless signal can be received. This enables stable transmission of a large amount of data.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration of a configuration for specifically implementing the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated not by the description of the embodiment but by the scope of claims, and includes modifications within the scope of wording and meaning of the scope of claims. Is intended.

100 ground stations,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Transmitter / receiver unit 111 Transmitter / receiver unit / antenna drive unit 112 Transmitter / receiver unit / radio unit 113 Shooting data acquisition unit 114 Control unit 115 Aircraft information acquisition unit 120 Ground tracking antenna 120.1 to 120.4 Antenna of ground tracking antenna unit 130.1 130.4 Transmission and reception pattern by antenna of ground tracking antenna unit

200 aircraft (unmanned aerial vehicle),
210 flying object mounted transceiver 220.1-220.4 flying object mounted antenna,
221 Antenna Selector 222 Radio Unit (Transceiver)
223 On-Board Computer 224 Imaging Device 225 Data Storage Unit 226 Hybrid Inertial Navigation Device 227 Telemetry Device 230.1 to 230.2 Transmission / reception pattern 240.2 by antenna of flying object Ground direction from antenna 220.2 240.4 Antenna 220 Ground station direction 24. 4 From the antenna 220.2 horizontal measurement and reception pattern 245.4 from the antenna 220.2 horizontal measurement and reception pattern

Claims (6)

A tracking antenna system,
Equipped with flying vehicles,
The flight vehicle is
Navigation means to grasp its position and attitude;
Wireless communication means for transmitting to the ground station the information of the position and attitude that has been grasped;
Multiple on-board antennas that can transmit and receive wireless signals,
Means for generating and transmitting a plurality of radio signals, means for receiving and decoding, or both.
A unit for selecting a plurality of mounted antennas satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of mounted antennas;
A ground station for performing wireless communication with the above-mentioned aircraft;
The above ground station
Means for generating and transmitting a plurality of radio signals from the above-mentioned projectiles, means for receiving and decoding, or both.
Including directivity control means for driving communication directivity in the flight direction of the projectile based on the position and velocity of the projectile and the position of the ground station;
A tracking antenna system capable of stably transmitting a large volume of data between the ground station and the projectile.   The ground station includes one or more antennas, and includes means for acquiring measurement information including position, velocity, and attitude from the projectile, and a plurality of antennas are selected according to the position obtained from the projectile. The tracking antenna system according to claim 1, wherein a large amount of data can be stably transmitted by directing to the direction of the projectile.   According to the trajectory predicting means for estimating the position, velocity, and attitude of the projectile after a predetermined time, the projectile is selected from a plurality of mounted antennas according to the position estimation means for estimating the position, velocity, and attitude of the projectile after a predetermined time; The tracking antenna system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a large amount of data can be stably transmitted by autonomously selecting and transmitting a plurality of antennas that enable stable communication.   The antenna mounted on the projectile is a directional or non-directional antenna mounted on each part of the fuselage, main wing, vertical tail, horizontal tail and projectile structure of the projectile. The tracking antenna system according to any one of the above. A flying object capable of wirelessly communicating with a ground station equipped with a tracking antenna whose directivity can be controlled,
Navigation means to grasp its position and attitude;
Wireless communication means for transmitting to the ground station the information of the position and attitude that has been grasped;
Multiple on-board antennas that can transmit and receive wireless signals,
Means for generating and transmitting a plurality of radio signals, means for receiving and decoding, or both.
Means for selecting a plurality of mounted antennas satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of mounted antennas;
The antenna selection means autonomously selects a plurality of antennas which can stably transmit large-capacity data among a plurality of the antennas based on the position and attitude of the projectile. A tracking antenna device for performing tracking for wireless communication with a flying object, comprising:
Navigation means to grasp its position and attitude;
Wireless communication means for transmitting to the ground station the information of the position and attitude that has been grasped;
Multiple on-board antennas that can transmit and receive wireless signals,
Means for generating and transmitting a plurality of radio signals, means for receiving and decoding, or both.
Based on position information from a projectile, comprising: means for selecting a plurality of mounted antennas satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of mounted antennas described above;
A tracking antenna device comprising directivity control means for driving communication directivity in the direction of a projectile, comprising one or more directivity or non-directional antennas.

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