A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism, which includes a support swing mechanism, a lifting rotation mechanism and a local tracking mechanism. The lifting rotation mechanism is installed above the support swing mechanism, and the support swing mechanism can drive the lifting rotation mechanism to swing back and forth by 180°. The local tracking mechanism is fixedly installed above the lifting rotation mechanism, and the rotating turntable of the lifting rotation mechanism drives the local tracking mechanism to rotate 360°. The local tracking mechanism includes a direct drive motor, a rotary table and an antenna. The direct drive motor and the rotary table cooperate to drive the antenna to swing back and forth by 180° and rotate 360°. The drive motor, the rotation motor of the rotating turntable, the direct drive motor and the motor inside the rotary table are respectively connected to the main controller in signal. The multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism of the present invention solves the problem that the transceiver antenna is restricted by space limitations and has a single use function, greatly expands the use scenarios of the transceiver antenna, and enables the transceiver antenna to obtain stronger environmental adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of antenna tracking, and particularly relates to a multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism. Background Art

[0002] The purpose of the antenna tracking mechanism is to provide a reliable working platform for the antenna system and expand the spatial range of the antenna operation. When designing the antenna mechanism, advanced configuration design and analysis methods should be adopted to reasonably arrange the spatial layout of the antenna tracking mechanism within the specified space and under the specified weight, ensuring that there are no obstacles around the communication antenna during operation. At the same time, in order to improve the motion accuracy of the mechanism, work such as balancing the antenna gravity moment, reducing the moment of inertia, and enhancing the structural rigidity should also be carried out during the design process. However, the existing antenna tracking mechanisms have the problems that the transceiver antennas are restricted by space and have a single function, which greatly limits the usage scenarios of the transceiver antennas. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose a multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism to solve the problems that the transceiver antennas are restricted by space and have a single function.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is realized as follows:

[0005] A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism includes a support swing mechanism, a lifting rotation mechanism, and a local tracking mechanism. The lifting rotation mechanism is installed above the support swing mechanism, and the drive motor of the support swing mechanism can drive the lifting rotation mechanism to swing back and forth by 180°. The local tracking mechanism is fixedly installed above the lifting rotation mechanism, and the rotating turntable of the lifting rotation mechanism drives the local tracking mechanism to rotate 360°. The local tracking mechanism includes a direct drive motor, a rotating turntable, and an antenna. The direct drive motor is fixedly installed above the rotating turntable, and the antenna is installed above the rotating turntable. The direct drive motor and the rotating turntable cooperate to drive the antenna to swing back and forth by 180° and rotate 360°. The drive motor, the rotation motor of the rotating turntable, the direct drive motor, and the motors inside the rotating turntable are respectively signal-connected to the main controller.

[0006] Further, the support swing mechanism includes a support base, a turntable bracket, and a drive motor. The support base is a symmetric structure, and the turntable bracket and the drive motor are installed in the middle. The drive motor is fixedly connected to the turntable bracket, enabling the turntable bracket to rotate along the middle of the support base. The upper part of the rotating bracket is used to install the lifting rotation mechanism.

[0007] Further, both sides of the rotating bracket are respectively rotationally connected to the support base, and the rotating bracket is located on the rotation axis of the support base. A drive motor is fixedly installed on one side of the rotating bracket, and the rotation axis of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket. The drive motor drives the turntable bracket to swing.

[0008] Furthermore, the lifting and rotating mechanism includes a rotating turntable and a symmetric bracket. The rotating turntable is fixedly installed below the turntable bracket, and the rotation axis of the rotating turntable is always perpendicular to the rotation axis of the supporting swing mechanism. The rotating turntable is fixedly connected to the middle of the symmetric bracket above and drives the symmetric bracket to perform a 360° rotary motion.

[0009] Furthermore, the symmetric bracket includes a platform and a protrusion of an integral structure. There is a platform symmetrically arranged on both sides of the protrusion. The platform is used to install the local tracking mechanism, and the protrusion is rotatably connected to the rotating turntable below.

[0010] Furthermore, the local tracking mechanism includes a mechanism support, a swing support, a direct drive motor, a rotary table, a support beam, and an antenna. The mechanism support is installed on the symmetric bracket of the lifting and rotating mechanism. Both the mechanism support and the swing support are symmetric structures. The direct drive motor is installed inside the mechanism support, and the swing support is installed outside, and the three are coaxially arranged. The direct drive motor drives the swing support to perform a forward and backward swing motion. The rotary table is fixedly installed above the swing support, and the rotary table can provide a 360° rotary motion. The support beam is fixedly installed above the rotary table, and an antenna is installed at each end of the support beam.

[0011] Furthermore, there are mechanism support lugs on both sides of the mechanism support, and swing support lugs on both sides of the swing support. The swing support lugs and the mechanism support lugs are rotatably connected. The swing support lugs are installed inside the mechanism support lugs. The direct drive motor is fixedly installed between the two mechanism support lugs, and the rotating shaft of the direct drive motor is fixedly connected to the swing support lugs.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0013] (1) For the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism of the present invention, by using the method of superimposing multi-degrees-of-freedom, different forms of motion are arranged in an orderly manner according to actual functional requirements. Through the independent motions of each degree-of-freedom in space, different motion trajectories with a large spatial coverage range are formed, meeting the requirements of different antenna communication functions such as fixed-point communication, scanning communication, tracking communication, and array communication of the antenna, solving the problem that the transceiver antenna is restricted by space and has a single use function, greatly expanding the use scenarios of the transceiver antenna, and making the transceiver antenna obtain stronger environmental adaptability.

[0014] (2) For the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism of the present invention, each degree-of-freedom of motion in space can complete the motion independently. Relying on the motion relationship between each independent motion, the position and attitude as well as the motion trajectory of the antenna are calculated. The advantage of this is that the ability coverage range of the antenna in space becomes larger, the attitude adjustment is simple and fast, and unnecessary motion interference is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments and descriptions thereof are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the support swing mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the lifting rotation mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the local tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the motion position of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the motion position of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the motion position of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 3 ;

[0023] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the motion position of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 4 ;

[0024] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the motion position of the multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention Figure 5 .

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0026] 1 - support swing mechanism; 11 - support base; 12 - turntable bracket; 13 - drive motor; 2 - lifting rotation mechanism; 21 - rotating turntable; 22 - symmetric bracket; 221 - platform; 222 - protrusion; 3 - local tracking mechanism; 31 - mechanism support; 32 - swing support; 33 - direct drive motor; 34 - rotary table; 35 - support beam; 36 - antenna. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection; it may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood through specific circumstances.

[0030] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0031] A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism, as Figures 1 to 9 shown, includes a support swing mechanism 1, a lifting rotation mechanism 2, and a local tracking mechanism 3. The lifting rotation mechanism 2 is installed above the support swing mechanism 1, and the drive motor 13 of the support swing mechanism 1 can drive the lifting rotation mechanism 2 to swing back and forth by 180°. The local tracking mechanism 3 is fixedly installed above the lifting rotation mechanism 2, and the rotating turntable 21 of the lifting rotation mechanism 2 drives the local tracking mechanism 3 to rotate 360°. A direct drive motor 33, a rotating turntable 34, and an antenna 36 are provided on the local tracking mechanism 3. The direct drive motor 33 is fixedly installed above the rotating turntable 34, and the antenna 26 is installed above the rotating turntable 34. The direct drive motor 33 and the rotating turntable 34 cooperate to drive the antenna 36 to be able to swing back and forth by 180° and rotate 360°. The drive motor 13, the rotating motor of the rotating turntable 21, the direct drive motor 33, and the motors inside the rotating turntable 34 are respectively signal-connected to the main controller. The support swing mechanism 1, the lifting rotation mechanism 2, and the local tracking mechanism 3 of the mechanism of the present invention can move independently of each other without interference. Through their respective independent movements, the antenna 36 forms different spatial postures and movement trajectories.

[0032] The multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism of this scheme adopts the method of multi-degree-of-freedom superposition to arrange different forms of movement in order according to actual functional requirements, and forms different movement trajectories with large spatial coverage through independent movement of each degree of freedom in space, meeting the needs of different antenna communication functions such as antenna fixed-point communication, scanning communication, tracking communication, and array communication, solving the problem that the transceiver antenna is restricted by space limitations and has a single function, greatly expanding the use scenarios of the transceiver antenna, and making the transceiver antenna more environmentally applicable. Based on the result of the spatial degree of freedom superposition, this scheme adopts a symmetrical design from bottom to top for the entire mechanism. The advantage of this design is that the center of mass of each part of the antenna is always at the center of symmetry, which can reduce the output capacity of the drive device, improve the movement accuracy of the entire motion mechanism, and make the positioning and tracking of the antenna in space more accurate and reliable.

[0033] The support swing mechanism 1 includes a support seat 11, a turntable bracket 12 and a drive motor 13. The support seat 11 is a symmetrical structure, and the turntable bracket 12 and the drive motor 13 are movably installed in the middle, and the drive motor 13 is fixedly connected to the turntable bracket 12, so that the turntable bracket 12 can rotate along the middle of the support seat 11, and the upper part of the rotating bracket 12 is used to install the lifting and rotating mechanism 2. The support swing mechanism 1 mainly plays two roles, one role is to provide support for the entire mechanism, and the other role is to provide ±90 degree forward and backward swinging motion.

[0034] Preferably, both sides of the rotating bracket 12 are rotatably connected to the support base 11 respectively, and the rotating bracket 12 is located on the rotation axis of the support base 11, and the support base 11 provides support for the entire multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism; one side of the rotating bracket 12 is fixed to the drive motor 13, and the rotating shaft of the drive motor 13 is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket 12, and the drive motor 13 drives the turntable bracket 12 to swing, which can provide ±90 degree forward and backward swinging motion.

[0035] The lifting and rotating mechanism 2 includes a rotating turntable 21 and a symmetrical bracket 22. The rotating turntable 21 is fixedly installed to the turntable bracket 12 at the bottom, and the rotating axis of the rotating turntable 21 is always vertical to the rotating axis of the supporting swing mechanism 1. The rotating turntable 21 is fixedly connected to the middle part of the symmetrical bracket 22 at the top, and drives the symmetrical bracket 22 to rotate 360°.

[0036] The symmetric bracket 22 includes a platform 221 and a protrusion 222 of an integral structure. A platform 221 is symmetrically provided on both sides of the protrusion 222. The platform 221 is used to install the local tracking mechanism 3. The lower part of the protrusion 221 is rotatably connected to the rotating turntable 21. The left and right sides of the symmetric bracket 22 adopt a balance-type sinking structure, which reduces the installation height of the local tracking mechanism 3, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the entire inventive mechanism and making the movement of the mechanism more stable and accurate. There are two sets of local tracking mechanisms 3, which are respectively symmetrically installed on both sides of the symmetric bracket 202, supporting the lifting and rotating mechanism 2 and the supporting swing mechanism 1, and providing the local tracking mechanism 3 with a swing movement of ±90 degrees forward and backward and a 360° rotary movement.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, the rotating turntable 21 includes a working surface, a housing, a rotating motor, a fixed bracket, and a rotating bearing disposed inside. The lower part of the fixed bracket is fixedly connected to the turntable bracket 12. The rotating motor is installed above the fixed bracket. The rotating shaft of the rotating motor is fixedly connected to the rotating bearing. The working surface is installed above the rotating bearing, and the working surface is located above the housing. The upper surface of the working surface is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the protrusion 222, so that the rotating motor can drive the symmetric bracket 22 to rotate 360°. The rotating turntable 21 can also be other existing devices with the above functions.

[0038] The lifting and rotating mechanism 2 adopts a sunken design on the basis of symmetric design. The advantage of adopting this design is to reduce the volume range of the mechanism space, so that the entire mechanism occupies less space in the initial state, enabling the mechanism to be used in different spatial environment conditions. Moreover, on the lifting and rotating mechanism, two sets of local tracking mechanisms are installed at symmetric positions on the left and right. On the one hand, it can ensure the symmetry of the mechanism design. On the other hand, the additional tracking mechanisms can accommodate more antennas, allowing these antennas to form different array forms in space to meet the communication requirements of different antennas.

[0039] The local tracking mechanism 3 includes a mechanism support 31, a swing support 32, a direct drive motor 33, a turntable 34, a support beam 35, and an antenna 36. The mechanism support 31 is installed on the symmetric bracket 22. The mechanism support 31 and the swing support 32 are coaxially designed. Both the mechanism support 31 and the swing support 32 are symmetric structures. There are mechanism support lugs on both sides of the mechanism support 31, and swing support lugs on both sides of the swing support 32. The swing support lugs and the mechanism support lugs are rotatably connected. The swing support lugs are installed inside the mechanism support lugs. A direct drive motor 33 is fixedly installed between the two mechanism support lugs. The rotating shaft of the direct drive motor 33 is fixedly connected to the swing support lug. The mechanism support 31 serves as a fixed support, and the swing support 32 serves as a rotating support. At the same time, the direct drive motor 33 drives the swing support 32 to perform forward and backward swing movements. A turntable 34 is fixedly installed above the swing support 32. The turntable 34 can provide a 360° rotation movement. A support beam 35 is fixedly installed above the turntable 34. An antenna 36 is installed at each end of the support beam 35.

[0040] Preferably, the structure of the turntable 34 is the same as that of the rotating turntable 21.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the number of support beams 35 is 2, which are symmetrically installed on the turntable 34, and an antenna 36 is installed on the outer side of each support beam 35.

[0042] This multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism mainly consists of three parts: a support swing mechanism, a lifting rotation mechanism, and a local tracking mechanism. These three mechanisms can provide the following movements: the support swing mechanism provides a one-dimensional swinging movement, the lifting rotation mechanism provides a one-dimensional rotational movement, and the local tracking mechanism provides two-dimensional swinging and rotational movements. The support swing mechanism provides stable support and swinging movement for the entire movement mechanism. The rotating turntable of the lifting rotation mechanism is installed on the turntable bracket of the support swing mechanism, and the rotating shaft of the lifting rotation mechanism and the rotating shaft of the support swing mechanism always remain perpendicular. The entire structure form of the bracket on the lifting rotation mechanism is a balance-type sinking structure form. A local tracking mechanism is installed on each of the left and right sides of the bracket. This local tracking mechanism adopts a series mechanism design. The lower-layer mechanism is a swinging mechanism. A turntable is installed on the swinging mechanism, and two symmetric support beams are installed on the turntable. The top of the support beam is installed with a transceiver antenna. Through the independent movements of the above support swing mechanism, lifting rotation mechanism, and local tracking mechanism, the antenna forms different movement trajectories and spatial positioning postures in space, so as to complete tasks with different requirements.

[0043] The working principle of a multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism is as follows:

[0044] As Figures 5 to 9 shown, some typical spatial postures of the mechanism of the present invention are listed, in order to schematically show the movement position in Figure Five (Figure 9 ) The operating principle of the mechanism of the present invention is described in detail. The controller controls the operation of the drive motor 13, the rotation motor of the rotating turntable 21, the direct drive motor 33, and the motor inside the rotary table 34 according to the information input by the staff until the state shown in the movement position diagram 5 is reached. The support swing mechanism 1 swings forward by 45 degrees, the lifting rotation mechanism 2 rotates clockwise by 45 degrees, and each of the left and right mechanisms of the local tracking mechanism 3 rotates forward by 30 degrees, and each performs a rotational movement of 45 degrees clockwise and 30 degrees counterclockwise. Through the superposition of the above movements, the position shown in the movement position diagram 5 is formed.

[0045] These different spatial movement combinations can enable the antenna to form array forms with different requirements in space for use, or enable the installed antenna to be used alone, meeting the communication, tracking, and positioning requirements of different antennas in different environments. This solution uses the method of superposition of multiple degrees of freedom for principle design, and through kinematic analysis, iterates the spatial movement trajectory of the antenna, determines the coverage range of the antenna's operation, and at the same time designs the mechanism configuration according to the azimuth and sequence of the superposition of degrees of freedom. The antenna tracking mechanism designed by the present invention has the advantages of multiple degrees of freedom, large working range, compact structure, and high positioning accuracy.

[0046] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism, characterized in that: It includes a support swing mechanism, a lifting rotation mechanism, and a local tracking mechanism. The lifting rotation mechanism is installed above the support swing mechanism, and the drive motor of the support swing mechanism can drive the lifting rotation mechanism to swing back and forth by 180°. The local tracking mechanism is fixedly installed above the lifting rotation mechanism, and the rotating turntable of the lifting rotation mechanism drives the local tracking mechanism to rotate 360°. The local tracking mechanism includes a direct drive motor, a rotating turntable, and an antenna. The direct drive motor has the rotating turntable fixed above it, and the antenna is installed above the rotating turntable. The direct drive motor and the rotating turntable cooperate to drive the antenna to swing back and forth by 180° and rotate 360°. The drive motor, the rotation motor of the rotating turntable, the direct drive motor, and the motors inside the rotating turntable are respectively connected to the main controller by signals. The lifting rotation mechanism includes a rotating turntable and a symmetric bracket. The rotating turntable is fixedly installed below to the turntable bracket, and the rotation axis of the rotating turntable and the rotation axis of the support swing mechanism are always perpendicular. The rotating turntable is fixedly connected to the middle of the symmetric bracket above and drives the symmetric bracket to rotate 360°. The symmetric bracket includes a platform and a protrusion of an integral structure. There is a platform symmetrically arranged on both sides of the protrusion. The platform is used to install the local tracking mechanism, and the protrusion is rotatably connected to the rotating turntable below.

2. The multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The support swing mechanism includes a support seat, a turntable bracket, and a drive motor. The support seat is of a symmetric structure, with the turntable bracket and the drive motor installed in the middle. The drive motor is fixedly connected to the turntable bracket, so that the turntable bracket can rotate along the middle of the support seat. The turntable bracket above is used to install the lifting rotation mechanism.

3. The multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both sides of the turntable bracket are respectively rotatably connected to the support seat, and the turntable bracket is located on the rotation axis of the support seat. A drive motor is fixedly installed on one side of the turntable bracket, and the rotation shaft of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the turntable bracket. The drive motor drives the turntable bracket to swing.

4. A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The local tracking mechanism includes a mechanism support, a swing support, a direct drive motor, a rotating turntable, a support beam, and an antenna. The mechanism support is installed on the symmetric bracket of the lifting rotation mechanism. Both the mechanism support and the swing support are of symmetric structures. The direct drive motor is installed inside the mechanism support, and the swing support is installed outside, and the three are coaxially arranged. The direct drive motor drives the swing support to swing back and forth. The rotating turntable is fixedly installed above the swing support and can provide a 360° rotation motion. The support beam is fixedly installed above the rotating turntable, and an antenna is installed at each end of the support beam.

5. A multi-degree-of-freedom antenna tracking mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are mechanism support lugs on both sides of the mechanism support, and swing support lugs on both sides of the swing support. The swing support lugs and the mechanism support lugs are rotatably connected. The swing support lugs are installed inside the mechanism support lugs. The direct drive motor is fixedly installed between the two mechanism support lugs, and the rotation shaft of the direct drive motor is fixedly connected to the swing support lugs.

Images