Tracking method and device and electronic equipment

Abstract

According to the tracking method and device and the electronic equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention, the initial angle of the antenna of the second equipment pointing to the first equipment can be obtained based on the position updating information of the first equipment and the pose information of the second equipment, and the initial angle comprises the initial azimuth angle and the initial pitch angle. And within the first preset time, the antenna is indicated to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle. And in the spiral scanning process, when the signal intensity of a beacon signal received from the first equipment is greater than a first preset threshold value, indicating the antenna to perform stepping tracking on the first equipment. Through a method of combining coarse alignment, fine alignment and stepping tracking, the success rate of tracking the first equipment by the antenna is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and in particular to a tracking method, device and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] In satellite communication systems, designing a complete antenna tracking strategy is the prerequisite for achieving real-time and reliable communication between the ground and satellites, and has always been the focus and difficulty in research work. Satellite tracking systems usually include satellite capture, manual tracking, program tracking, and part or all of automatic tracking.

[0003] At present, satellite tracking is usually achieved by using a tracking method that combines multiple technologies. The process of satellite tracking is different when using different tracking technology combinations. Generally, satellite tracking can be achieved by switching to automatic tracking after rough alignment. However, when the rough alignment result is poor and the target is out of the antenna beam range, it will be impossible to switch to the automatic tracking process. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a tracking method, device and electronic device to solve the technical problem that the system cannot enter the automatic tracking process due to the inability to accurately perform rough alignment of the antenna to the satellite or the poor rough alignment result.

[0005] The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, a tracking method is provided, the method comprising:

[0007] Based on the location update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, obtaining an initial angle at which the antenna of the second device points to the first device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle;

[0008] Instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within a first preset time;

[0009] During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device.

[0010] Optionally, the first device is a target satellite, and the second device is a carrier carrying the antenna;

[0011] The position update information is the ephemeris information of the target satellite; the position and posture information is the position information and posture information of the carrier.

[0012] Optionally, the step of obtaining an initial angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information of the carrier, and the carrier attitude information includes:

[0013] Calculate a first angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system based on the carrier position information, the target satellite position information in the ephemeris information, and the radius of the earth, wherein the first angle includes a first azimuth angle and a first elevation angle;

[0014] Coordinate transformation is performed based on the heading angle, pitch angle and roll angle in the carrier attitude information and the first angle, and a second angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system is calculated as the initial angle, wherein the second angle includes a second azimuth angle and a second pitch angle.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0016] During the spiral scanning process, when the beacon signal of the target satellite cannot be received within the first preset time or the signal strength of the received beacon signal is not greater than the first preset threshold, the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information are updated, and the step of obtaining the initial angle of the antenna to aim at the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information is returned.

[0017] Optionally, instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within the first preset time includes:

[0018] During the first preset time, the antenna is instructed to scan at a constant linear speed within the preset range along an Archimedean spiral trajectory based on the initial angle.

[0019] Optionally, the instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite includes:

[0020] Instructing the antenna to rotate in a preset angle in a pitch direction or an azimuth direction according to a preset step length;

[0021] Determining whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after rotating by the preset angle;

[0022] If yes, setting the antenna to rotate towards the original direction next time;

[0023] If not, instruct the antenna to rotate back to its original position, and set the antenna to rotate in the opposite direction next time;

[0024] Recording the signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation by the preset angle within a third preset time, and determining the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal;

[0025] Instruct the antenna to rotate to an angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength.

[0026] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0027] After the duration of the antenna rotating to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength reaches a third preset time, the process returns to the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite.

[0028] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0029] In the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite, if the beacon signal cannot be received or the received beacon signal strength is less than a second preset threshold, the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information are updated, and the step of obtaining the initial orientation of the antenna toward the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information of the carrier is returned to be executed.

[0030] In a second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a tracking device is further provided, the device comprising:

[0031] An initial angle acquisition module, used to obtain an initial angle at which the antenna of the second device points to the first device based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle;

[0032] A spiral scanning module, used for instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within a first preset time;

[0033] The step tracking module is used to instruct the antenna to perform step tracking on the first device when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold during the spiral scanning process.

[0034] Optionally, the first device is a target satellite, and the second device is a carrier carrying the antenna;

[0035] The position update information is the ephemeris information of the target satellite; the position and posture information is the position information and posture information of the carrier.

[0036] Optionally, the initial angle acquisition module is specifically used to:

[0037] Calculate a first angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system based on the carrier position information, the target satellite position information in the ephemeris information, and the radius of the earth, wherein the first angle includes a first azimuth angle and a first elevation angle;

[0038] Coordinate transformation is performed based on the heading angle, pitch angle and roll angle in the carrier attitude information and the first angle, and a second angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system is calculated as the initial angle, wherein the second angle includes a second azimuth angle and a second pitch angle.

[0039] Optionally, the device further comprises:

[0040] The first trigger module is used to update the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information to trigger the initial angle acquisition module during the spiral scanning process when the beacon signal of the target satellite cannot be received within the first preset time or the signal strength of the received beacon signal is not greater than the first preset threshold.

[0041] Optionally, the spiral scanning module is specifically used for:

[0042] During the first preset time, the antenna is instructed to scan at a constant linear speed within the preset range along an Archimedean spiral trajectory based on the initial angle.

[0043] Optionally, the step tracking module is specifically used to:

[0044] Instructing the antenna to rotate in a preset angle in a pitch direction or an azimuth direction according to a preset step length;

[0045] Determining whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after rotating by the preset angle;

[0046] If yes, setting the antenna to rotate towards the original direction next time;

[0047] If not, instruct the antenna to rotate back to its original position, and set the antenna to rotate in the opposite direction next time;

[0048] Recording the signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation by the preset angle within a second preset time, and determining the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal;

[0049] Instruct the antenna to rotate to an angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength.

[0050] Optionally, the device further comprises:

[0051] The second trigger module is used to trigger the step tracking module after the duration of the antenna rotating to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength reaches a third preset time.

[0052] Optionally, the device further comprises:

[0053] The third trigger module is used to update the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information to trigger the initial angle acquisition module if the beacon signal cannot be received or the received beacon signal strength is less than a second threshold during the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite.

[0054] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electronic device, comprising a processor, a communication interface, a memory and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface and the memory communicate with each other via the communication bus;

[0055] Memory, used to store computer programs;

[0056] The processor is used to implement any of the above-mentioned tracking methods when executing the program stored in the memory.

[0057] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, any of the above-mentioned tracking methods is implemented.

[0058] Beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention:

[0059] A tracking method, device and electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention can obtain the initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, wherein the initial angle includes the initial azimuth and the initial elevation. Within a first preset time, the antenna is instructed to perform a spiral scan within a preset range based on the initial angle. During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device.

[0060] The solution of the present application can solve the problem in the prior art that the antenna cannot switch to automatic tracking of the first device due to the inability to accurately perform coarse alignment of the antenna to the first device or the poor coarse alignment result. In the present application, the initial angle of the antenna pointing to the first device is calculated, and after coarse alignment, a spiral scan is performed within a preset range based on the initial angle, that is, the antenna is finely aligned to the first device. During the fine alignment process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking of the first device. By combining coarse alignment, fine alignment and step tracking, the success rate of the antenna tracking the first device is improved.

[0061] Of course, it is not necessary to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time to implement any product or method of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0063] Figure 1 A flowchart of a tracking method provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Figure 2 A flowchart of a satellite tracking method for an antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 3 A program tracking principle diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of spiral scanning tracking provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] Figure 5 A step tracking principle diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 6 A flowchart of another antenna satellite tracking method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tracking device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on this application belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0072] Because a single tracking method may not always accurately align the antenna with the satellite, resulting in the inability to receive satellite signals. Therefore, a combination of multiple tracking technologies is currently used to achieve antenna tracking of satellites. The process of satellite tracking is different when using different tracking technology combinations. Generally, the method of switching to automatic tracking after rough alignment is used to achieve antenna satellite tracking. However, in some cases, when it is impossible to accurately obtain satellite position information, carrier position information or carrier attitude information, the rough alignment result obtained by program tracking is poor, resulting in the inability to receive beacon signals or the signal strength of the received beacon signals is too weak. The system may find it difficult to switch to the automatic tracking process and the antenna cannot track the satellite.

[0073] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application provides a tracking method, such as Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 A flowchart of a tracking method provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0074] Step S101, based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, obtain the initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle.

[0075] Step S102, instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on an initial angle within a first preset time.

[0076] Step S103: during the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, instruct the antenna to perform step tracking on the first device.

[0077] By adopting the tracking method provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device can be obtained based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, wherein the initial angle includes the initial azimuth angle and the initial pitch angle. Within the first preset time, the antenna is instructed to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle. During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than the preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device. In this scheme, a method combining program tracking, spiral scanning tracking and step tracking is adopted to solve the problem that the antenna cannot be automatically tracked to the first device due to the poor rough alignment result of the antenna to the first device in the prior art. According to the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, the initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device is calculated for rough alignment, and then based on the initial angle obtained by the rough alignment, spiral scanning is performed within the preset range to achieve fine alignment of the antenna to the first device. Then, during the fine alignment process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device, thereby improving the success rate of the antenna tracking the first device.

[0078] In this application, the first device can be understood as a device that needs to be tracked. For example, the first device can be a mobile device such as a satellite or a vehicle. When the first device is a satellite, the corresponding location update information can be ephemeris information. When the first device is a vehicle, the corresponding location update information can be the running track, speed, etc. of the vehicle. The second device can be understood as a carrier that carries an antenna, and the corresponding posture information can be the location information and posture information of the carrier.

[0079] The following will be combined Figure 1-Figure 6 , taking the first device as the target satellite and the second device as the carrier carrying the antenna as an example, the technical solution provided in this application is described in detail, but it does not serve as a limitation.

[0080] The above steps S101-S103 are described below:

[0081] In step S101, when the first device is a target satellite and the second device is a carrier carrying an antenna, the initial angle at which the antenna is roughly aligned with the target satellite can be calculated based on ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information of the carrier, and then the processor in the carrier carrying the antenna drives the servo mechanism to adjust the pointing direction of the antenna to reduce the deviation angle between the antenna and the target satellite, that is, the antenna is roughly aligned with the target satellite using program tracking.

[0082] Specifically, the carrier position information and carrier attitude information of the carrier can be collected by a GPS (Global Positioning System) device or an inertial navigation device. The carrier is a device that carries an antenna, and a processor in the carrier is used to instruct the adjustment of the antenna. The carrier can be any mobile device such as a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, or a device fixed on the ground.

[0083] In this embodiment, the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial pitch angle. The azimuth angle refers to the horizontal angle from the north direction line of a certain point to the target direction line in a clockwise direction. The pitch angle refers to the angle between the X-axis of the carrier coordinate system and the horizontal plane. When the X-axis of the carrier coordinate system is above the XOY plane of the inertial coordinate system, the pitch angle is positive, otherwise it is negative.

[0084] In step S102, based on the rough alignment result of the antenna to the target satellite, the target satellite can be further precisely aligned by a spiral scanning tracking method. Within a first preset time, the antenna is instructed to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on an initial angle.

[0085] The preset range refers to the angle range near the initial angle, and the specific angle range can be set according to the requirements. For example, if a larger angle range is set, the probability of failing to receive a signal strength that meets the requirements during the spiral scan can be reduced, but the corresponding spiral scan may take longer; if a smaller angle range is set, the time required for the spiral scan can be reduced, but the probability of failing to receive a signal strength that meets the requirements during the spiral scan increases accordingly.

[0086] In one embodiment of the present invention, the angle range of the spiral scan can be obtained by offsetting the angle of a preset ratio based on the initial angle. As an example, if the initial azimuth angle in the initial angle is A and the initial pitch angle is B, the preset range can be the angle coverage range where the azimuth angle takes a value between [A(1-a%), A(1+a%)] and the pitch angle takes a value between [B(1-b%), B(1+b%)]. Wherein, a and b are proportional parameters set according to actual needs.

[0087] In step S103, during the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the target satellite is greater than the first preset threshold, it means that the signal strength of the beacon signal received by the antenna at this angle is sufficient to support the antenna's automatic tracking of the satellite, and thus the antenna can be instructed to perform step tracking of the target satellite.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present invention, the specific value of the first preset threshold is not limited. It is easy to understand that those skilled in the art can set the above threshold according to actual work experience. For example, those skilled in the art can conclude from actual work experience that when the signal strength of the beacon signal received by the antenna from the satellite is not less than M dBm, step tracking is switched to, and a good tracking effect can be maintained during step tracking, then the above threshold can be set to M dBm.

[0089] In order to further illustrate the tracking steps, the present application also takes the first device as the target satellite and the second device as the carrier carrying the antenna as an example, and provides an antenna tracking flow chart, such as Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 An antenna satellite tracking flow chart provided in an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0090] Step S201, system initialization.

[0091] The ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information pre-stored in the carrier are retrieved.

[0092] Step S202: coarse alignment.

[0093] Coarse alignment is performed through program tracking. Based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and carrier attitude information collected by the GPS device and the inertial navigation device, calculations are performed to obtain the initial azimuth and initial pitch angles of the antenna roughly aligned with the target satellite. The processor in the carrier drives the servo mechanism to adjust the antenna's direction to the target satellite. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 A program trace schematic. Figure 3 The angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system can be calculated through the ephemeris information and the carrier position information of the carrier. Then, the angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system can be obtained by performing coordinate conversion through the angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system and the carrier attitude information. Among them, the initial angle includes the initial azimuth angle and the initial pitch angle, and the carrier is the device that supports the antenna. In this embodiment, the initial angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite is determined by coarse alignment, which serves as the basis for subsequent fine alignment.

[0094] Specifically, the first angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system can be calculated based on the carrier position information, the target satellite position information in the ephemeris information, and the radius of the earth, wherein the first angle includes a first azimuth and a first pitch angle. Then, based on the heading angle, pitch angle, and roll angle in the carrier attitude information and the first angle, coordinate conversion is performed to calculate the second angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system as the initial angle, wherein the second angle includes a second azimuth and a second pitch angle. The heading angle refers to the angle between the carrier's direction of travel and due north, and it is agreed that due north is used as the reference and clockwise is positive. The pitch angle refers to the angle between the longitudinal axis of the carrier and the local horizontal plane, and it is agreed that upward is positive. The roll angle refers to the angle at which the carrier is tilted relative to the local horizontal plane, and it is agreed that the carrier is tilted to the right as positive.

[0095] Step S203: fine alignment.

[0096] Specifically, precise alignment is performed through spiral scanning tracking. Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 A spiral scanning tracking principle diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Within a first preset time, the indicator antenna scans at a constant linear speed within a preset range according to the Archimedean spiral trajectory based on an initial angle, and the indicator antenna is precisely aligned with the target satellite.

[0097] During the spiral scanning process, a threshold judgment is performed on the signal strength of the received beacon signal within the first preset time. It is judged whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal of the target satellite is greater than the first preset threshold. If so, the process proceeds to step S204. If not, it means that the beacon signal of the target satellite cannot be received or the signal strength of the received beacon signal of the target satellite is not greater than the first preset threshold, and it is determined that the alignment between the antenna and the target satellite has failed. At this time, because the beacon signal cannot be received or the signal strength of the received beacon signal is relatively weak, the subsequent automatic tracking steps will be affected. Therefore, it is necessary to execute step S205, update the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information, and re-perform the aforementioned rough alignment steps.

[0098] In this embodiment, after the rough alignment, spiral scanning is introduced for fine alignment to further reduce the deviation angle when the antenna points to the target satellite. The spiral scanning can reduce the scanning range and scanning time length of the subsequent step tracking.

[0099] Step S204: automatic tracking.

[0100] Currently commonly used automatic tracking technologies include lobe switching method, sequential lobe method, cone scanning method, step tracking method, single pulse tracking method, etc. In this embodiment, the step tracking method is used to achieve automatic tracking.

[0101] During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the target satellite is greater than the first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the target satellite. The antenna is instructed to rotate a preset angle in the pitch direction or azimuth direction according to a preset step length, and it is determined whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after the preset angle is rotated. If so, the antenna is set to rotate in the original direction next time; if not, the antenna is instructed to rotate back to the original position, and the antenna is set to rotate in the opposite direction next time.

[0102] The direction of the antenna's next rotation is determined by judging whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after the preset angle is rotated. If the signal strength increases, the antenna continues to rotate in the original direction. If the signal strength does not increase, the antenna returns to the original position and rotates in the opposite direction next time. Through the above method, the antenna position is adjusted to instruct the antenna to rotate in the direction where the signal strength of the beacon signal is stronger.

[0103] Specifically, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a step tracking principle provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The processor in the carrier records the signal strength of the beacon signal received for the first time as beacon signal strength A, and instructs the antenna to rotate to the preset angle in the direction A first. The signal strength of the beacon signal received for the second time (i.e., the beacon signal received after the rotation) is recorded as beacon signal strength B. Compare the beacon signal strength A with the beacon signal strength B. If the beacon signal strength A is greater than the beacon signal strength B, the antenna is controlled to rotate forward, i.e., continue to rotate in the direction A. If the beacon signal strength A is less than the beacon signal strength B, the antenna is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, i.e., move in the opposite direction of direction A. During the step tracking process, within the second preset time, the aforementioned steps are repeated multiple times, and the antenna searches and adjusts according to the preset angle each time, and the search and adjustment process is repeated alternately in the pitch direction and the azimuth direction.

[0104] The signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation of the preset angle within the second preset time is recorded, the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal is determined, and the antenna is instructed to rotate to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength. After the antenna rotates to the angle, the antenna star tracking system enters a balanced state. During the step tracking process, the target may be lost due to the movement of the carrier or the target satellite, that is, the deviation angle of the antenna when pointing to the target satellite is too large and the beacon signal cannot be received. At this time, it is necessary to re-enter the coarse alignment and realign the target satellite.

[0105] Because the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal can be determined by recording the signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation of the preset angle within the second preset time, the antenna can be instructed to rotate to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength. At this angle, the signal strength of the beacon signal from the target satellite received by the antenna is the strongest.

[0106] Because the carrier or target satellite may be moving continuously, after the duration of the antenna rotating to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength reaches the third preset time, it is necessary to return to the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite and re-determine the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal so that the antenna can re-track the satellite based on this angle.

[0107] Step S205, updating the ephemeris information, carrier position information, and carrier attitude information.

[0108] When the fine alignment fails in step S203, or the beacon signal is not received during the automatic tracking process in step S204 or the received beacon signal strength is less than the second preset threshold, it means that the antenna cannot receive the beacon signal sent by the target satellite or the received beacon signal strength is too weak, so it can be considered that the target satellite is lost. It is necessary to update the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information, return to step S202, and obtain the initial orientation of the antenna to the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information, and perform coarse alignment again.

[0109] In order to further illustrate the antenna star tracking method, the present application provides another flow chart of antenna star tracking, such as Figure 6 As shown, including:

[0110] Step S301, system initialization.

[0111] Specifically, the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information pre-stored by the carrier carrying the antenna are retrieved, and the number of scanning circles n of the spiral scanning and the time T of each scanning are set. L , scanning pitch d and the preset threshold of the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) signal for entering automatic tracking. Set the scanning time length and time interval of step tracking and the preset angles of the antenna rotation in azimuth and elevation directions.

[0112] Step S302, calculating the azimuth and elevation angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system.

[0113] Specifically, the calculation program tracks the azimuth angle A0 and the elevation angle E0 of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system.

[0114]

[0115]

[0116] Among them, (β1, Φ1, ε) are the longitude, latitude and altitude coordinates of the carrier, (β2, Φ2, h) are the longitude, latitude and altitude coordinates of the satellite, and r is the radius of the earth.

[0117] Step S303, coordinate conversion.

[0118] By performing coordinate conversion on the azimuth angle A0 and elevation angle E0 of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system, the azimuth angle A and elevation angle E of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system are calculated. The specific calculation steps are as follows:

[0119]

[0120] E=sin -1 Z b

[0121] Among them, the rectangular coordinates of the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system are

[0122]

[0123] Among them, the rectangular coordinates of the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system are as follows:

[0124]

[0125] Rotation Matrix The heading angle H, pitch angle P and roll angle R in the carrier attitude information are calculated according to the following formula.

[0126]

[0127] The calculated azimuth angle A and elevation angle E are used as the initial azimuth angle and initial elevation angle.

[0128] Step S304, determining whether the scanning time has been exceeded.

[0129] If so, it means that the AGC signal cannot be received within the scanning time, or the signal strength of the received AGC signal does not exceed the preset threshold. Therefore, step S314 is executed to update the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information, and return to step S302 to recalculate the azimuth and pitch angles of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system.

[0130] Step S305, the antenna rotates in a spiral scanning manner.

[0131] If not, that is, within the scanning time, the antenna is instructed to scan at a constant linear speed within a preset range along the Archimedean spiral trajectory based on the initial azimuth angle and the initial elevation angle (A, E).

[0132] Step S306, determining whether it exceeds a preset threshold.

[0133] At each scanning step, it is determined whether the received satellite beacon AGC signal strength exceeds the preset threshold. If so, it means that the AGC signal strength exceeds the preset threshold, and the antenna enters the automatic tracking stage for the target satellite and executes step S307. If not, it returns to step S304 to continue spiral scanning.

[0134] Step S307, the antenna rotates in a step-by-step scanning manner.

[0135] Instructs the antenna to rotate in elevation or azimuth by a preset angle according to a preset step size.

[0136] Step S308: whether to receive a beacon signal.

[0137] If yes, it means that the beacon signal, i.e., the AGC signal, can be received, and step S309 is executed. If no, it means that the beacon signal cannot be received, and therefore step S314 needs to be executed to update the ephemeris information, the carrier position information, and the carrier attitude information, and then the step of calculating the azimuth and elevation angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system is re-executed.

[0138] Step S309: antenna pointing control.

[0139] Specifically, the direction of the antenna to the target satellite can be controlled by judging whether the signal strength value of the AGC signal is increasing or decreasing. If the signal strength of the AGC signal increases, the antenna is set to rotate in the original direction next time. Otherwise, the antenna is instructed to rotate back to the original position, and the antenna is set to rotate in the opposite direction next time.

[0140] Step S310, determining whether the preset step scanning time is exceeded.

[0141] For example, the preset step scanning time is 100s, and it is determined whether it exceeds 100s. If so, it means that the preset step scanning time has been exceeded, so it can be transferred to step S312 to determine the angle at which the signal strength of the AGC signal is the strongest. If not, it is transferred to step S311 to continue to perform the step tracking step.

[0142] Step S311, the pitch direction and the azimuth direction are alternated.

[0143] Within the step tracking scanning time range, steps S307 to S309 are repeatedly and alternately executed in the pitch direction and the azimuth direction, and the signal strength of the AGC signal after each rotation is recorded.

[0144] If the AGC signal cannot be received during the execution of steps S307 to S311, the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information are updated, and the antenna is roughly aligned with the target satellite again.

[0145] Step S312, determining the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the AGC signal.

[0146] According to the step tracking scanning results, the signal strength of the AGC signal after each rotation is compared to determine the angle corresponding to the maximum value of the AGC signal strength.

[0147] Step S313, stable state.

[0148] After the antenna is pointed to the angle corresponding to the maximum AGC signal strength, the antenna star tracking system enters a stable state. After maintaining the equilibrium state for a certain period of time, steps S307 to S312 are repeated. Because the carrier or target satellite is moving, it is necessary to perform the step tracking step again to find the angle corresponding to the maximum AGC signal strength of the antenna.

[0149] Step S314, updating the ephemeris information, carrier position information and carrier attitude information.

[0150] In an embodiment of the present invention, the azimuth angle A0 and the pitch angle E0 of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system are calculated by retrieving the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information pre-stored by the carrier carrying the antenna. Then, the coordinates are converted to obtain the azimuth angle A and the pitch angle E of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system. The antenna is instructed to scan at a constant linear speed according to the Archimedean spiral trajectory within a preset range based on the azimuth angle A and the pitch angle E, and to enter step tracking when the signal strength of the AGC signal exceeds the preset threshold. The angle at which the signal strength of the AGC signal pointing to the target satellite is the strongest is determined by the step tracking method, and then the antenna is instructed to turn to the angle, and the antenna star tracking system enters a stable state. After entering the stable state for a certain period of time, steps S307-S312 are repeated to re-determine the angle at which the signal strength of the AGC signal pointing to the target satellite is the strongest, so as to maintain the antenna's step tracking of the target satellite, thereby improving the success rate of the antenna tracking the target satellite.

[0151] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application accordingly provides a tracking device, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a tracking device provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0152] An initial angle acquisition module 701 is used to obtain an initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle;

[0153] The spiral scanning module 702 is used to instruct the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on an initial angle within a first preset time;

[0154] The step tracking module 703 is used to instruct the antenna to perform step tracking on the first device when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold during the spiral scanning process.

[0155] In this embodiment, the initial angle acquisition module 701 can be used to obtain the initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device for rough alignment. Then, the spiral scanning module 702 instructs the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within a first preset time to achieve precise alignment of the antenna to the target satellite. During the spiral scanning process, the step tracking module 703 instructs the antenna to perform step tracking on the first device when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than the first preset threshold, thereby improving the success rate of the antenna tracking the first device.

[0156] In a possible embodiment, the first device is a target satellite, and the second device is a carrier carrying the antenna;

[0157] The position update information is the ephemeris information of the target satellite; the position information is the position information and position information of the carrier.

[0158] In a possible embodiment, the initial angle acquisition module 701 is specifically used to:

[0159] Calculate a first angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system based on the carrier position information, the target satellite position information in the ephemeris information, and the radius of the earth, wherein the first angle includes a first azimuth angle and a first elevation angle;

[0160] Coordinate transformation is performed based on the heading angle, pitch angle and roll angle in the carrier attitude information and the first angle, and a second angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system is calculated as the initial angle, wherein the second angle includes a second azimuth angle and a second pitch angle.

[0161] In a possible embodiment, the device further includes:

[0162] The first trigger module is used to update the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information to trigger the initial angle acquisition module during the spiral scanning process when the beacon signal of the target satellite cannot be received within the first preset time or the signal strength of the received beacon signal is not greater than the first preset threshold.

[0163] In a possible embodiment, the spiral scanning module 702 is specifically configured to:

[0164] During the first preset time, the antenna is instructed to scan at a constant linear speed within the preset range along an Archimedean spiral trajectory based on the initial angle.

[0165] In a possible embodiment, the step tracking module 703 is specifically configured to:

[0166] Instructing the antenna to rotate in a preset angle in a pitch direction or an azimuth direction according to a preset step length;

[0167] Determining whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after rotating by the preset angle;

[0168] If yes, setting the antenna to rotate towards the original direction next time;

[0169] If not, instruct the antenna to rotate back to its original position, and set the antenna to rotate in the opposite direction next time;

[0170] Recording the signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation by the preset angle within a second preset time, and determining the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal;

[0171] Instruct the antenna to rotate to an angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength.

[0172] In a possible embodiment, the device further includes:

[0173] The second trigger module is used to trigger the step tracking module after the duration of the antenna rotating to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength reaches a third preset time.

[0174] In a possible embodiment, the device further includes:

[0175] The third trigger module is used to update the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information to trigger the initial angle acquisition module if the beacon signal cannot be received or the received beacon signal strength is less than a second threshold during the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite.

[0176] The embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, such as Figure 8 As shown, it includes a processor 801, a communication interface 802, a memory 803 and a communication bus 804, wherein the processor 801, the communication interface 802, and the memory 803 communicate with each other through the communication bus 804.

[0177] Memory 803, used for storing computer programs;

[0178] The processor 801 is used to execute the program stored in the memory 803, and implements the following steps:

[0179] Based on the location update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, an initial angle of the antenna of the second device pointing to the first device is obtained, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle;

[0180] Instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on an initial angle within a first preset time;

[0181] During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device.

[0182] The communication bus mentioned in the above electronic device can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0183] The communication interface is used for communication between the above electronic device and other devices.

[0184] The memory may include a random access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located away from the aforementioned processor.

[0185] The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0186] In another embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above methods are implemented.

[0187] In another embodiment of the present invention, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the tracking methods in the above embodiments.

[0188] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present invention is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk Solid State Disk (SSD)), etc.

[0189] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0190] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a related manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the device, electronic device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product embodiments, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiments.

[0191] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tracking method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Based on the location update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, obtaining an initial angle at which the antenna of the second device points to the first device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle; Instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within a first preset time; During the spiral scanning process, when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold, the antenna is instructed to perform step tracking on the first device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first device is a target satellite, and the second device is a carrier carrying the antenna; The position update information is the ephemeris information of the target satellite; the position and posture information is the position information and posture information of the carrier.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of obtaining an initial angle at which the antenna of the second device points to the first device based on the location update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device includes: Calculate a first angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the geographic coordinate system based on the carrier position information, the target satellite position information in the ephemeris information, and the radius of the earth, wherein the first angle includes a first azimuth angle and a first elevation angle; Coordinate transformation is performed based on the heading angle, pitch angle and roll angle in the carrier attitude information and the first angle, and a second angle of the antenna pointing to the target satellite in the carrier coordinate system is calculated as the initial angle, wherein the second angle includes a second azimuth angle and a second pitch angle.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: During the spiral scanning process, when the beacon signal of the target satellite cannot be received within the first preset time or the signal strength of the received beacon signal is not greater than the first preset threshold, the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information are updated, and the step of obtaining the initial angle of the antenna to aim at the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information is returned.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite comprises: Instructing the antenna to rotate in a preset angle in a pitch direction or an azimuth direction according to a preset step length; Determining whether the signal strength of the received beacon signal increases after rotating by the preset angle; If so, setting the antenna to rotate toward the original direction next time; If not, instruct the antenna to rotate back to its original position, and set the antenna to rotate in the opposite direction next time; Recording the signal strength of the beacon signal after each rotation by the preset angle within a second preset time, and determining the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength of the beacon signal; Instruct the antenna to rotate to an angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: After the duration of the antenna rotating to the angle corresponding to the maximum signal strength reaches a third preset time, the process returns to the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: In the step of instructing the antenna to perform step tracking on the target satellite, if the beacon signal cannot be received or the received beacon signal strength is less than a second preset threshold, the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information are updated, and the step of obtaining the initial orientation of the antenna toward the target satellite based on the ephemeris information, the carrier position information and the carrier attitude information of the carrier is returned to be executed.

8. A tracking device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An initial angle acquisition module, used to obtain an initial angle at which the antenna of the second device points to the first device based on the position update information of the first device and the posture information of the second device, wherein the initial angle includes an initial azimuth angle and an initial elevation angle; A spiral scanning module, used for instructing the antenna to perform spiral scanning within a preset range based on the initial angle within a first preset time; The step tracking module is used to instruct the antenna to perform step tracking on the first device when the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the first device is greater than a first preset threshold during the spiral scanning process.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus; Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor, for implementing the method steps described in any one of claims 1 to 7 when executing a program stored in a memory.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps described in any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

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