JP2746200B2 - Antenna drive - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an antenna driving apparatus for adjusting the directional direction of an antenna, and more particularly to an antenna driving apparatus capable of performing fine adjustment and a wide range adjustment of the directional direction of an antenna with a simple structure. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG . 6 , a conventional antenna driving device 100 comprises a support 101, an EL shaft 102 rotatably mounted on the support 101, and an EL shaft 1
02 and a gimbal (not shown) for connecting the antenna 200 and an electromagnetic motor 103 for rotating and driving the EL shaft 102
And a reduction gear 10 for reducing the rotation speed of the EL shaft 102
4 was provided.

[0003] Such a conventional antenna driving device 100
Then, by supplying a current in a predetermined direction to the electromagnetic motor 103 and operating the electromagnetic motor 103, the EL shaft 102
Is rotated in one or the other direction according to the direction of the current to drive the antenna 200 in the elevation direction.

When the driving of the antenna 200 is stopped, supply of current to the electromagnetic motor 103 is stopped to stop the antenna 200, and a mechanical clamping mechanism (not shown) is operated to stop the antenna 200. Had been maintained.

Further, when the elevation angle of the antenna 200 is finely adjusted, the antenna 200 is driven at a low speed in the elevation angle direction while the rotation speed of the EL shaft 102 is reduced by the reduction gear 104.

Although not shown, the antenna 200
In the azimuth direction is also performed by an antenna driving device having the same configuration as the antenna driving device 100.

[0007]

However, in the above-described conventional antenna driving device 100, the electromagnetic motor 103 is required to drive the antenna 200, and the reduction gear 104 is required to finely adjust the angle. age,
Further, since a mechanical clamper is required to maintain the stopped state of the antenna 200, there is a problem that the configuration of the device becomes complicated and the device becomes heavy. Therefore, the conventional antenna driving device 100
Is not suitable for artificial satellites in which reliability and weight reduction of the device are important issues.

In addition, since the angle is finely adjusted by the reduction gear 104, there is a problem that the adjustment accuracy is reduced due to deformation of the gear, backlash and the like.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-79604 discloses an antenna driving device which has a simplified structure and improved accuracy. The antenna is supported by a plurality of columnar driving portions formed of piezoelectric elements. Has been proposed in which the directional direction of the antenna is adjusted by appropriately expanding and contracting the antenna. However, since the piezoelectric element can only finely expand and contract on the order of several μm, this antenna driving device has a problem that the adjustable range of the directivity direction is extremely narrow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can simplify and reduce the weight of a device, and can fine-tune the directivity of an antenna with high accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna driving device capable of adjusting a directivity direction in a wide range.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna driving apparatus, comprising: an antenna rotatably mounted in an elevation direction; a rod guide curved at a predetermined curvature; A cylindrical portion that is slidably attached to the rod-shaped guide, is connected to the antenna via an arm, and is bent at the same curvature as the rod-shaped guide formed by a piezoelectric element that can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction; A drive element having first and second clamp portions formed at both ends of the cylindrical portion so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the rod-shaped guide by a piezoelectric element.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna driving device for supporting an antenna rotatably in an azimuth direction, a rod guide curved at a predetermined curvature, and slidably mounted on the rod guide. A cylindrical portion connected to the turntable via a ferrule, and curved with the same curvature as the rod-shaped guide formed by a piezoelectric element that can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction; and a piezoelectric element at both ends of the cylindrical portion. And a drive element having first and second clamp portions formed so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the rod-shaped guide.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna driving device, comprising: an antenna fixed to an EL axis rotatable in an elevation direction; a first rod-shaped guide formed in an arc around the EL axis; Along with being slidably attached to a rod-shaped guide, connected to the antenna via an arm, and
A cylindrical portion formed by a piezoelectric element that can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction and curved at the same curvature as the first rod-shaped guide; A first driving element having first and second clamp portions formed, a turntable rotatable in an azimuth direction on which the antenna and the first rod-shaped guide are mounted, and a concentrically formed turntable. A ring-shaped second rod-shaped guide, which is slidably attached to the second rod-shaped guide, is connected to the rotary table via an arm, and is formed by a piezoelectric element that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction. A cylindrical portion curved with the same curvature as the second rod-shaped guide, and
At both ends of the cylindrical portion, a second drive element having first and second clamp portions formed by piezoelectric elements so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the second rod-shaped guide is provided.

[0014]

According to the antenna driving device of the present invention having the above structure, the cylindrical portion is appropriately held while the rod-shaped guides (or the first and second rod-shaped guides) are alternately gripped by the first and second clamp portions. By expanding and contracting, the driving element (or the first and second driving elements) can be moved along the rod-shaped guide.

By transmitting the driving force of the driving element to the antenna via the arm, the elevation angle of the antenna can be adjusted. The azimuth of the antenna can be adjusted by transmitting the driving force of the driving element to the turntable via the arm.

Therefore, according to the antenna driving device of the first aspect, the elevation angle of the antenna can be adjusted, and according to the antenna driving device of the second aspect, the azimuth angle of the antenna can be adjusted. Furthermore, according to the antenna device of the third aspect, both the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the antenna can be adjusted.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the antenna driving device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, an embodiment of the antenna driving device of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a side view showing an antenna driving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the antenna driving device.

In these drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an antenna, which is fixed via a gimbal 1d to an EL shaft 1c rotatably attached to two supports 1a and 1b, and is rotatable in an elevation angle direction. .

Reference numeral 2 denotes an antenna driving device, which mainly includes a turntable 10 on which the antenna 1 is mounted and an antenna 1
The first rod-shaped guide 20 and the first drive element 30 for adjusting the elevation angle of the antenna 1 and the second rod-shaped guide 40 and the second drive element 50 for adjusting the azimuth of the antenna 1.

The turntable 10 comprises a first base 11 on which the antenna 1 is mounted, a second base 12, and a rotary support 13 for supporting the first base 11 rotatably in the azimuth direction. ing. The first rod-shaped guide (arc-shaped guide) 20 is provided below the gimbal 1d on the first base 11, and is formed in an arc centered on the EL axis 1c.

FIG. 3 shows the first driving element (and the second driving element). FIG.
FIG. 1B is a side sectional view. As shown in these drawings, the first drive element 30 is a cylindrical body that is curved with the same curvature as the first rod-shaped guide 20,
It is slidably mounted on.

Further, the first driving element 30 is provided in the cylindrical portion 3.
1 and the first and second clamp portions 32 and 33, and are connected to the gimbal 1d via the arm member 34. Tube part 31
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), two cylindrical piezoelectric elements bonded by a conductive adhesive are formed on both sides of the ring-shaped mounting portion of the arm bar 34.

Electrodes and joints 31a and 31b are adhered to both ends of the cylindrical portion 31 by a conductive adhesive, respectively. The cylindrical portion 31 is provided with these electrodes and joints 31a and 31b.
By applying a drive voltage of + or-from or erasing these drive voltages, it is possible to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show one embodiment of the first and second clamp portions. FIG. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, the first and second clamp portions 32, 3 in the present embodiment.
Numeral 3 is formed by a plurality of piezoelectric element pieces, and is bonded to the electrode / joining portions 31a and 31b by a conductive adhesive.

The first and second clamp portions 32, 33
The electrodes 32a and 33a are bonded to each other with a conductive adhesive. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the first and second clamp portions 32, 33 are connected to the electrode portion 32a and the electrode / joint portion 31a or the electrode portion 33a and the electrode / joint portion 31b from + or-. By applying or erasing these drive voltages, the first rod-shaped guide 20 can be freely expanded and contracted in the radial direction.

That is, the first and second clamp portions 32,
33 holds the first rod-shaped guide 20 when expanded by application of a driving voltage or the like, and releases the grip of the first rod-shaped guide 20 when contracted to make the cylindrical portion 31 in a free state.

On the other hand, a second rod-shaped guide (ring-shaped guide)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a ring-shaped member 40 is formed concentrically with the rotary support 13.
It is fixed on the top. In addition, the second driving element 50
It is a cylindrical body curved with the same curvature as the second rod-shaped guide 40, and is slidably attached to the second rod-shaped guide 40.

This second drive element 50 is provided in FIG.
(A), (b), the first drive element 30
The same as described above, the cylindrical portion 51, the electrode / joining portions 51a, 51b, the first and second clamp portions 52, 53, and the electrode portions 52a, 5
3b, and the rotation support 1
Connected to 3.

Next, the operation of adjusting the directivity of the antenna 1 by the antenna driving device 2 will be described. For example, when adjusting the elevation angle of the antenna 1, first, the first clamp unit 32
Is expanded so that the first rod-shaped guide 20 is gripped, and the second clamp portion 33 is contracted to set the end of the cylindrical portion 31 on the second clamp portion 33 side to a free state. In this state, when a drive voltage for extending the tubular portion 31 is applied, the tubular portion 31 extends toward the second clamp portion 33 (the direction A). This also gives
The second clamp portion 33 is also moved in the direction A of the first rod guide 20. Next, by applying a drive voltage or the like, the second clamp 3
3, the first rod-shaped guide 20 is gripped, and the first clamp portion 32 is contracted to set the end of the cylindrical portion 31 on the first clamp portion 32 side in a free state. In this state, when a drive voltage for shortening the tube portion 31 is applied or the like, the tube portion 31 is shortened toward the second clamp portion 33. This also causes the first clamp 32 to move in the direction A of the first rod-shaped guide 20. Thereafter, the above operations (1) to (5) are repeated to move the first drive element 30 in the direction A of the first rod-shaped guide 20.

The driving force of the first driving element 30 in the direction A is transmitted to the antenna 1 via the arm bar 34 and the gimbal 1d, and the elevation angle of the antenna 1 is finely adjusted in the direction A. When the elevation angle of the antenna 1 reaches a predetermined angle, both the first and second clamp portions 32 and 33 are expanded to grip the first rod-shaped guide 20, and the elevation angle of the antenna 1 is maintained at a predetermined angle. I do. When the elevation angle of the antenna 1 is maintained in this manner, the first or second clamp unit 3
Either one of 2 and 33 may be expanded and held.

On the other hand, when the azimuth of the antenna 1 is adjusted (for example, when the antenna 1 is adjusted in the B direction), the cylindrical portion 31 forming the second drive element 50 and the first and second clamp portions 3 are also provided.
2 and 33 are repeatedly operated in the same manner as above.

According to the antenna driving apparatus of the present embodiment, the directivity of the antenna 1 can be reduced by a simple structure such as the first and second rod-shaped guides 20 and 40 and the first and second driving elements 30 and 50. Since the adjustment can be performed, the device can be simplified and reduced in weight, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

Further, by expanding and contracting the first and second driving elements 30 and 50, which are piezoelectric elements, the directional direction of the antenna 1 can be finely adjusted with high accuracy such as several μm. Further, since the first and second driving elements 30, 50 move along the first and second rod-shaped guides 20, 40 to adjust the directional direction of the antenna 1, the first and second rod-shaped elements are moved. Within the range of the guides 20 and 40, the directional direction of the antenna 1 can be adjusted over a wide range.

The antenna driving device according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the first and second clamp portions 32 and 33 are formed by a plurality of piezoelectric element pieces, and each of the first and second clamp portions 32 and 33 is an
a and 31b were bonded, but FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. The first and second clamp portions 32 and 33 are respectively provided on the cut surface of the ring-shaped piezoelectric element, which is partially cut, with the electrode portions 32a and 32a.
33a is bonded, and only a part of the ring is bonded to the electrode / joining portions 31a, 31b.

The first and second clamp portions 32, 33 having such a configuration are arranged in the state shown in FIG.
When a drive voltage is applied to the “a” and the electrode / joint portion 31a or the “electrode portion 33a and the electrode / joint portion 31b”, FIG.
As shown in (b), the free end of the ring-shaped piezoelectric element contracts inward and grips a rod-shaped guide (not shown). By such a change, the configuration of the device can be simplified, and the reliability of the device can be further improved.

In the above embodiment, the first rod-shaped guide 2
0 is disposed directly below the antenna 1, but this is not particularly limited, and the first rod-shaped guide 20 is disposed on either the left or right of the antenna 1, and the EL axis 1c is extended on either the left or right. The extended end of the EL shaft 1c and the first drive element 30 may be connected by an arm bar 34.

According to such a change, the adjustment range of the elevation angle of the antenna 1 can be further expanded (up to 360 °) without causing the antenna 1 and the first rod-shaped guide 20 to interfere with each other.

Further, in the above embodiment, both the elevation angle and the azimuth angle of the antenna 1 are adjusted by the present antenna driving device. However, only one of the angle adjustments may be adjusted by the present antenna driving device. Good.

[0039]

As described above, according to the antenna driving device of the present invention, the device can be simplified and lightened, and the directional direction of the antenna can be finely adjusted with high accuracy. The direction of the antenna can be adjusted over a wide range within the range of the rod-shaped guide. Therefore, when the present antenna driving device is implemented in an artificial satellite where reliability and weight reduction of the device are important factors,
It will have a tremendous effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an antenna driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the antenna driving device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a driving element of the antenna driving device.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show one aspect of the first and second clamp portions of the driving element, wherein FIG. 4A is a perspective view and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. .

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front views showing a modification of the first and second clamp portions. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a conventional antenna driving device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 antenna 1a, 1b support 1c EL axis 1d gimbal 2 antenna drive 10 turntable 11 first base 12 second base 13 rotary support 20 first rod-shaped guide (arc-shaped guide) 30 first drive element 31 cylinder Part 31a, 31b Electrode / joint part 32 First clamp part 32a, 33a Electrode part 33 Second clamp part 34 Arm 40 Second rod-shaped guide (ring-shaped guide) 50 Second drive element 51 Tube part 51a, 51b Electrode / joint Part 52 First clamp part 52a, 53b Electrode part 53 Second clamp part 54 Arm

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An antenna rotatably mounted in an elevation direction, a rod-shaped guide curved at a predetermined curvature, and slidably mounted on the rod-shaped guide.
A cylindrical portion that is connected to the antenna via a metal arm, and that is curved at the same curvature as the rod-shaped guide formed by a piezoelectric element that can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction, and that both ends of the cylindrical portion include a piezoelectric element. A driving element having first and second clamps formed so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the rod-shaped guide. 2. A turntable for rotatably supporting an antenna in an azimuthal direction, a rod-shaped guide curved at a predetermined curvature, and slidably mounted on the rod-shaped guide.
A cylindrical portion that is connected to the turntable via an arm bar, and that is curved at the same curvature as the rod-shaped guide formed by a piezoelectric element that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, and at both ends of the cylindrical portion,
A drive element having first and second clamps formed by a piezoelectric element so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the rod-shaped guide. 3. An antenna fixed to an EL axis rotatable in an elevation direction, a first rod-shaped guide formed in an arc around the EL axis, and slidably attached to the first rod-shaped guide. And a cylindrical portion that is connected to the antenna via a metal arm, and that is curved at the same curvature as the first rod-shaped guide formed by a piezoelectric element that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction, and at both ends of the cylindrical portion. A first driving element having first and second clamps formed by a piezoelectric element so as to be able to expand and contract in the radial direction of the first rod-shaped guide; and a azimuth direction for mounting the antenna and the first rod-shaped guide. A rotatable rotary table, a ring-shaped second rod-shaped guide formed concentrically with the rotary table, and slidably mounted on the second rod-shaped guide, and connected to the rotary table via an arm. , A cylindrical portion formed by a piezoelectric element that can be extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction and curved with the same curvature as the second rod-shaped guide; and, at both ends of the cylindrical portion, radial expansion and contraction of the second rod-shaped guide by the piezoelectric element. An antenna driving device comprising: a second driving element having first and second clamp portions formed freely.