A positioning antenna system and positioning method based on cooperative communication

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of antenna positioning, and particularly relates to a positioning antenna system and a positioning method based on cooperative communication, including an antenna group, a laser rangefinder, an ACC radar camera, and a control machine. The antenna group includes a horizontal antenna group and a vertical antenna group that are perpendicular to each other. Both the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group include N antenna bodies, where N≥3. Each antenna body includes an automatically retractable and tiltable antenna, an antenna base, and an up-down, left-right telescopic drive module, a tilt drive module, a received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module, a positioning module, and an antenna fixing component disposed within the antenna base. The distance between two adjacent antenna bodies in each antenna group can be adjusted. The antenna group, the laser rangefinder, and the ACC radar camera are respectively communicatively connected to the control machine. The present invention not only has a communication function but also has a positioning function, and can flexibly adjust the antenna height and tilt angle, and is applicable to multiple application scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of antenna positioning, and in particular relates to a positioning antenna system and a positioning method based on cooperative communication. Background Art

[0002] As a component used to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves in radio equipment, an antenna is a converter that transforms guided waves propagating on a transmission line into electromagnetic waves propagating in an unbounded medium, or vice versa. Engineering systems such as radio communications, broadcasting, television, radar, navigation, positioning, electronic countermeasures, remote sensing, and radio astronomy, all of which use electromagnetic waves to transmit information, rely on antennas to work. With the rapid development of network technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things, and the Internet, a scene of the Internet of Everything has emerged. Electronic products ranging from airplanes and ships to drones, watches, and sensors are interconnected through wireless networks. Antennas, as transmitting and receiving devices commonly used in communications and signal transmission, are widely used in wireless communication systems.

[0003] With the rapid development of communication technology and positioning technology, drones, unmanned vehicles, mobile phones, vehicles, etc. can now use antennas to locate themselves based on GPS or Beidou satellites, or assist in positioning through information communication. At present, most communication antennas have single functions and poor flexibility. For example, the current vehicle-mounted communication antennas only have communication functions. When it is necessary to locate unknown signal sources, drones, etc., it is almost impossible to achieve except for radar. In addition, in complex road conditions such as width and height restrictions, tunnels, jungles, etc., antenna adjustment is even more inconvenient, which not only delays time, but also damages the antenna if misjudged. With the update of positioning algorithms, software development and the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, multi-functional antennas are becoming more and more a development trend. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a positioning antenna system and a positioning method based on cooperative communication, which has both communication and positioning functions, and can flexibly adjust the antenna height and inclination, and is suitable for multiple application scenarios.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication, which includes an antenna group, a laser rangefinder, an ACC radar camera, and a control machine. The antenna group includes a horizontal antenna group and a vertical antenna group that are perpendicular to each other. Both the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group include N antenna bodies, where N≥3. Each antenna body includes an automatically retractable and tiltable antenna, an antenna base, and an up-down, left-right telescopic drive module, a tilt drive module, a received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module, a positioning module, and an antenna fixing component disposed within the antenna base. The distance between adjacent antenna bodies in each antenna group is adjustable. The antenna group, the laser rangefinder, and the ACC radar camera are respectively communicatively connected to the control machine.

[0007] Further, the antenna body at the intersection of the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group serves as a reference antenna body, and the reference antenna body is fixed on the vehicle or the ground; adjacent antenna bases in each antenna group are connected by telescopic rods.

[0008] Further, the antenna is a PCB antenna, a horn antenna, a helical antenna, or a dipole antenna; the polarization mode of the antenna is circular polarization, linear polarization, or elliptical polarization.

[0009] Further, the up-down, left-right telescopic drive module is used to control the up-and-down telescoping of the antenna and the left-and-right telescoping of the telescopic rod; the tilt drive module is used to control the left-and-right tilting of the antenna within a range of ±90 degrees.

[0010] Further, the received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module is used to calculate the frequency and wavelength of the received signal; the positioning module of the horizontal antenna group is used to calculate the azimuth angle of the signal, and the positioning module of the vertical antenna group is used to calculate the elevation angle of the signal.

[0011] Further, universal wheels with a locking function are provided at the lower ends of the antenna bodies other than the reference antenna body in the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group.

[0012] Further, a dial is provided on the ACC radar camera for reading the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal, or the ACC radar camera directly transmits the measured azimuth angle and elevation angle to the control machine.

[0013] Further, antenna up-down, left-right telescopic control buttons, an antenna tilt control button, and an antenna body switch button are provided on the front of the antenna base. The antenna up-down, left-right telescopic control buttons are connected to the up-down, left-right telescopic drive module, the antenna tilt control button is connected to the tilt drive module, and the antenna body switch button is used to control the opening and closing of the antenna.

[0014] The present invention also provides a positioning method for a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication, including:

[0015] For visual target positioning, first, the receiving signal frequency and wavelength calculation module calculates the frequency and wavelength of the received signal. The antenna spacing is automatically adjusted according to the signal wavelength, frequency, and positioning algorithm. Then, the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group that are perpendicular to each other are used to calculate the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal respectively, or the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal are measured using an ACC radar camera. Combining with the laser rangefinder to measure the distance from the target to the antenna and the target height, and then the visual target is positioned;

[0016] For non-visual target positioning, the azimuth angle of the signal is calculated through the cooperation of the horizontal antenna groups of the positioning antenna systems located at two places. The non-visual target is positioned according to the two obtained azimuth angles and the distance between the two positioning antenna systems.

[0017] Furthermore, in the case of multiple signal sources, the antenna spacing is changed to increase the antenna degrees of freedom to position multiple signal sources.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0019] To solve the problems of single function and insufficient flexibility of current communication antennas, the present invention proposes a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication. When it is necessary to position a certain visual target, the receiving signal frequency and wavelength calculation module is used to calculate the frequency and wavelength of the received signal. The antenna spacing is automatically adjusted according to the signal wavelength, frequency, and positioning algorithm to meet various requirements such as multiple wavelengths, multiple positioning algorithms, and large broadband communication frequencies. Then, the positioning module of the antenna group perpendicular to each other or the ACC radar camera is used to measure the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal. Combining with the laser rangefinder to measure the distance from the target to the antenna and the target height, the visual target is positioned; for non-visual targets, cooperative positioning is performed through multiple positioning antenna systems based on cooperative communication. The control machine controls each antenna to perform up and down telescopic and left and right tilting movements within the range of ±90 degrees, enabling the vehicle carrying the antenna to smoothly pass through complex roads such as width-limited, height-limited, tunnels, and jungles, enhancing the flexibility of the antenna. The positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication of the present invention is convenient for adjusting the antenna and can also position the target. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is the panel display interface diagram of the control machine in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is the schematic diagram of the state of the antenna after adjustment when the vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention encounters a height limit;

[0024] Figure 4 is the schematic diagram of the state of retracting the antenna when the vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention encounters a height limit.

[0025] The meanings represented by the serial numbers in the figure are as follows:

[0026] 1. Laser rangefinder, 2. ACC radar camera, 3. Control machine, 4. Antenna, 5. Antenna base, 6. Telescopic rod, 7. Universal wheel, 8. Antenna up-down-left-right telescopic control button, 9. Antenna tilt control button, 10. Antenna main body switch button, 11. Safety helmet. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0028] As Figure 1 shown, the positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication in this embodiment includes four parts: an antenna group, a laser rangefinder 1, an ACC radar camera 2, and a control machine 3. The antenna group includes a horizontal antenna group and a vertical antenna group that are perpendicular to each other. Both the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group include N antenna bodies, N≥3. In this example, both the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group include 3 antenna bodies. Each antenna body includes an automatically telescopic and tiltable antenna 4, an antenna base 5, and an up-down-left-right telescopic drive module, a tilt drive module, a received signal frequency wavelength calculation module, a positioning module, and an antenna fixing component provided in the antenna base 5. The antenna group, the laser rangefinder 1, and the ACC radar camera 2 are respectively connected to the control machine 3 in a wired or wireless manner. Optionally, the control machine 3 can be an electronic device such as a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet.

[0029] To address the problem that different positioning algorithms have different requirements for antenna spacing, the spacing between adjacent two antenna bodies in each antenna group can be adjusted to adapt to various requirements such as multiple positioning algorithms, multiple wavelengths, and large broadband communication frequencies. At the same time, by changing the antenna spacing, the antenna freedom is increased, and the positioning of multiple signal sources is achieved.

[0030] The antenna body at the intersection of the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group serves as the reference antenna body. The reference antenna body is fixed to the vehicle with bolts through the holes on the bracket, or directly fixed to the ground with a ground nail. The adjacent antenna bases 5 in each antenna group are connected by telescopic rods 6, and the distance between the antennas can be adjusted by the telescopic rods 6. The center points of the reference antenna body, the laser rangefinder 1, and the ACC radar camera 2 are on a straight line.

[0031] Preferably, the antenna uses a PCB antenna, a horn antenna, a helical antenna, or a dipole antenna; the polarization mode of the antenna is circular polarization, linear polarization, or elliptical polarization.

[0032] On the front of the antenna base 5, there are antenna up-down-left-right telescopic control buttons 8, antenna tilt control buttons 9, and an antenna body switch button 10. The antenna up-down-left-right telescopic control buttons 8 are connected to the up-down-left-right telescopic drive module, the antenna tilt control buttons 9 are connected to the tilt drive module, and the antenna body switch button 10 is used to control the opening and closing of the antenna. When the antenna is turned on, it automatically unfolds, and when the antenna is turned off, it automatically contracts to the preset state. There is a groove on the upper surface of the antenna base 5 for storing the antenna. In the case of the antenna being retracted, moisture-proof, dust-proof, and anti-aging protection of the antenna can be achieved through the sealing of the safety helmet 11. When the antenna is not used for a long time, it can be removed for maintenance and then stored in the antenna box.

[0033] The up-down-left-right telescopic drive module is used to control the up-down telescoping of the antenna and the left-right telescoping of the telescopic rod 6. The up-down-left-right telescopic drive module can be controlled either by the antenna up-down-left-right telescopic control buttons 8 or by the control machine 3; the tilt drive module is used to control the left-right tilt of the antenna within ±90 degrees, and the tilt drive module can be controlled either by the antenna tilt control buttons 9 or by the control machine 3.

[0034] The received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module is used to calculate the frequency and wavelength of the received signal; the positioning module of the horizontal antenna group is used to calculate the azimuth angle of the signal, and the positioning module of the horizontal antenna group can use the DOA algorithm. The positioning module of the vertical antenna group is used to calculate the elevation angle of the signal.

[0035] At the lower end of the antenna bodies other than the reference antenna body in the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group, there are universal wheels 7 with a locking function. These antenna bodies can slide left and right under the control of the telescopic rod 6. When the antenna spacing is reached, the telescopic rod 6 stops moving and the universal wheels 7 are locked.

[0036] A dial is provided on the ACC radar camera 2 for reading the azimuth and elevation angles of the signal, or the ACC radar camera 2 directly transmits the measured azimuth and elevation angles to the control unit 3. The azimuth and elevation angles can be read either through the dial or through the panel of the control unit 3.

[0037] A vehicle carrying a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication is driving on a road. When passing through complex road conditions such as height limits, tunnels, and jungles, to avoid affecting antenna communication, the height and tilt of the antenna are adjusted to the optimal state (as Figure 3 shown), and at the same time, the height and tilt data of the antenna are displayed on the panel of the control unit 3 (as Figure 2 shown). Of course, for situations with relatively low height limits, the antenna can also be directly retracted (as Figure 4 shown) and then restored after passing the obstacle.

[0038] This embodiment also provides a positioning method for a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication, including the following two situations:

[0039] As Figure 1 shown, for visual target positioning, the target in this example is a drone. First, the signal frequency wavelength calculation module calculates the frequency and wavelength of the drone's transmitted signal through Fourier transform technology, automatically adjusts the antenna spacing according to the signal wavelength, frequency, and positioning algorithm, and then uses the mutually perpendicular horizontal antenna group and vertical antenna group to calculate the azimuth and elevation angles of the drone's transmitted signal respectively. Combining with the laser rangefinder 1 to measure the distance from the drone to the antenna and the height of the drone, and then positioning the drone. In the case of multiple signal sources, by changing the antenna spacing to increase the antenna freedom degree, positioning of multiple point signal sources can be achieved.

[0040] The acquisition method of the azimuth and elevation angles of the drone's transmitted signal can also be: using the ACC radar camera 2 that can rotate 360 degrees to aim at the target, and the control unit 3 reads the azimuth and elevation angles of the signal measured by the ACC radar camera 2. In the case of multiple targets, the ACC radar camera 2 rotates freely to search for targets and locates them one by one.

[0041] For non-visual target positioning, the horizontal antenna groups of the positioning antenna systems located at two places cooperate to calculate the azimuth angle of the signal, and the non-visual target is positioned based on the two obtained azimuth angles and the distance between the two positioning antenna systems.

[0042] To address the problem of insufficient antenna freedom degree in the case of multiple signal sources, it is designed to increase the antenna freedom degree by changing the antenna spacing. Suppose the signal source is far enough from the receiving antenna and the arriving wave is a parallel wave. One group of antennas for measuring the azimuth angle of the signal source has N (N≥3) antennas, and the signal source S with a period of T i(t), i = 1, 2, …, M, where M is the number of information sources and M > N. Then the received signal of the i-th antenna is:

[0043]

[0044] If the time required for the antenna spacing to change is τ, then the received signal of the i-th antenna after changing p times is:

[0045]

[0046] If τ = LT, L = 1, 2, …, then after the antenna spacing changes P times, the received signal of the i-th antenna is:

[0047]

[0048] After the antenna spacing changes P times, the N antennas are equivalent to an N×P antenna matrix. The spacing between any two adjacent antennas in each group of antennas of this antenna matrix can be adjusted as needed, and the spacing of each group of antennas is q = cτ, where c is the speed of light.

[0049] The phase difference between two adjacent antennas is:

[0050]

[0051] where P is the number of times the antenna spacing changes, d p,(j+1,j) is the spacing between the j-th antenna and the (j + 1)-th antenna after the P-th change, θ i , i = 1, 2, …, M is the incident direction of the information source i, and λ is the incident wavelength.

[0052] Theoretically, as the number p of times the antenna spacing changes increases, positioning of any number of information sources can be achieved. This not only reduces the number of antenna hardware and costs, but also greatly increases the degrees of freedom of the antenna. It should be noted that the difference between any two antenna spacing changes cannot be an integer multiple of the wavelength, that is, d p+1,(j+1,j) - d q,(j+1,j) ≠ nλ, otherwise this antenna spacing change does not increase the degrees of freedom of the antenna. The function of the antenna group for measuring the elevation angle of the signal source is similar and will not be repeated here.

[0053] It should be noted that in this article, the term "including", "containing" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are all included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication, characterized in that It includes an antenna group, a laser rangefinder, an ACC radar camera and a control machine. The antenna group includes a horizontal antenna group and a vertical antenna group that are perpendicular to each other. Both the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group contain N antenna bodies, where N≥3. Each antenna body includes an automatically telescopic and tiltable antenna, an antenna base, and an up-down, left-right telescopic drive module, a tilt drive module, a received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module, a positioning module, and an antenna fixing component arranged inside the antenna base. The distance between two adjacent antenna bodies in each antenna group can be adjusted. The antenna group, the laser rangefinder, and the ACC radar camera are respectively communicatively connected to the control machine; The antenna body at the intersection of the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group serves as a reference antenna body, and the reference antenna body is fixed on the vehicle or the ground; the adjacent antenna bases in each antenna group are connected by telescopic rods; The received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module is used to calculate the frequency and wavelength of the received signal; the positioning module of the horizontal antenna group is used to calculate the azimuth angle of the signal, and the positioning module of the vertical antenna group is used to calculate the elevation angle of the signal; a scale is provided on the ACC radar camera to read the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal, or the ACC radar camera directly transmits the measured azimuth angle and elevation angle to the control machine.

2. The positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication according to claim 1, wherein The antenna is a PCB antenna, a horn antenna, a helical antenna or a dipole antenna; the polarization mode of the antenna is circular polarization, linear polarization or elliptical polarization.

3. The positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, The up-down, left-right telescopic drive module is used to control the up-down telescoping of the antenna and the left-right telescoping of the telescopic rod; the tilt drive module is used to control the left-right tilt of the antenna within the range of ±90 degrees.

4. The positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication according to claim 1, wherein Universal wheels with a locking function are provided at the lower ends of the antenna bodies other than the reference antenna body in the horizontal antenna group and the vertical antenna group.

5. The positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication according to claim 1, characterized in that, Antenna up-down, left-right telescopic control buttons, an antenna tilt control button and an antenna body switch button are provided on the front of the antenna base. The antenna up-down, left-right telescopic control buttons are connected to the up-down, left-right telescopic drive module, the antenna tilt control button is connected to the tilt drive module, and the antenna body switch button is used to control the opening and closing of the antenna.

6. A positioning method for a positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method includes: When positioning a visible target, first calculate the frequency and wavelength of the received signal through the received signal frequency and wavelength calculation module, automatically adjust the antenna spacing according to the signal wavelength, frequency and positioning algorithm, and then use the mutually perpendicular horizontal antenna group and vertical antenna group to calculate the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal respectively, or use the ACC radar camera to measure the azimuth angle and elevation angle of the signal, and combine the distance from the target to the antenna and the target height measured by the laser rangefinder to further position the visible target; When positioning an invisible target, the azimuth angle of the signal is calculated through the cooperation of the horizontal antenna groups of the positioning antenna systems located at two places, and the invisible target is positioned according to the two obtained azimuth angles and the distance between the two positioning antenna systems.

7. The positioning method of the positioning antenna system based on cooperative communication according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the case of multiple signal sources, the antenna freedom is increased by changing the antenna spacing to position the multiple signal sources.

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