Satellite Tracking System

Abstract

To provide a satellite tracking system capable of flexibly switching a satellite to be a tracking object.SOLUTION: A satellite tracking system includes drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism for driving an antenna, and operation means for generating tracking data of a plurality of satellites on the basis of orbit information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means. The drive control means controls the drive mechanism on the basis of the tracking data, and the operation means generates tracking data related to an interrupting satellite undergoing an interruption instruction and transmits the tracking data to the drive control means when an interruption instruction to specify interruption of a satellite to be tracked is issued.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a satellite tracking system that performs communication while pointing a ground station antenna at an artificial satellite (hereinafter referred to as a satellite) to track the satellite. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional satellite tracking system, priorities are set for multiple satellites, and the satellites are tracked according to a tracking schedule based on the priorities. According to Patent Document 1, an invention is proposed in which a satellite traveling the closest distance to a monitoring target to be imaged is selected based on imaging reservation data, and an imaging instruction is given to the selected satellite. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-136661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional satellite tracking system, only the tracking schedule according to the priority is executed, and the tracking target cannot be flexibly changed. Also, in the patent document 1, only the satellite traveling the closest distance to the imaging reservation data is selected, and the tracking target cannot be flexibly changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In view of the above, the satellite tracking system according to the present invention comprises: A drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation means for causing the drive control means to execute tracking of the satellites by the antenna in accordance with the priorities of the plurality of satellites to be tracked; Equipped with The operation means includes: The antennaAn interrupt instruction that specifies the interrupt satellite that will perform the tracking interrupt An interrupt setting screen is displayed on a display unit, which allows a user to input the interrupt instruction via the interrupt setting screen. When this is done, the priority of the interrupting satellite is changed to the highest. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a satellite tracking system capable of flexibly switching between satellites to be tracked. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a satellite tracking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a satellite tracking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of satellite priorities and a communication schedule in the satellite tracking system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is an example of tracking schedule information according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is an example of tracking data according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a satellite tracking operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of tracking switching in the satellite tracking system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is another operational sequence diagram of satellite tracking according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the operation unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a drive control unit 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an interrupt setting screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an interrupt setting screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] First embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a satellite tracking system according to this embodiment. The satellite tracking system according to this embodiment is composed of an operation unit 10, a drive control unit 20, a drive mechanism unit 30, a satellite 40, an external device 50, and an antenna 60. The operation unit 10 is an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), and is connected to the external device 50 via a network. The drive control unit 20 is an information processing device such as a PC, and is connected to the operation unit 10 and the drive mechanism unit 30. The drive mechanism unit 30 controls the antenna 60 to track the satellite 40. Note that the satellite 40 and the antenna 60 are not essential for the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment. This is because the satellite tracking system can provide satellite tracking as long as it is in a state where it can obtain predicted orbit information of the satellite 40, and it is possible to operate the satellite tracking system with the antenna 60 and the satellite 40 configured as other systems as targets.

[0009] The above-mentioned configuration and operation are merely an example, and for example, all of the functions of the operation unit 10 or the drive control unit 20 may be performed by a single unit, or some of the functions may be performed by the other of the operation unit 10 and the drive control unit 20. Also, for the sake of simplicity, one each of the operation unit 10, drive control unit 20, drive mechanism unit 30, satellite 40, and antenna 60 is shown, but in reality there may be more than one of them.

[0010] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of functions realized by a CPU 111 (described later) constituting the operation unit 10 and the drive control unit 20, that is, a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment. The operation unit 10 is composed of a tracking state determination unit 11, a tracking switch instruction unit 12, a memory 13, and a tracking data generation unit 14.

[0011] The tracking state determination unit 11 determines the tracking state (tracking / standby) for a satellite, and transfers the determined tracking state to the tracking switch instruction unit 12. The tracking switch instruction unit 12 requests the tracking state from the tracking state determination unit 11, requests tracking schedule information from the memory 13 to acquire the tracking schedule information, commands the tracking data generation unit 14 to generate tracking data, commands the drive control unit 20 to stop tracking and return to origin, and also acquires information indicating the completion of origin movement.

[0012] The memory 13 stores tracking schedule information indicating a schedule for tracking satellites, predicted orbit information indicating a predicted orbit of the satellite, and a flag indicating a tracking state (for example, 0: waiting / 1: tracking).

[0013] The tracking data generation unit 14 calculates a tracking schedule (for example, calculates a predetermined period every day), calculates tracking data for the next satellite to be tracked, acquires predicted orbit information from the memory 13, generates tracking schedule information, and transfers it to the memory 13, and also calculates tracking data each time and transfers it to the drive control unit 20. Note that the tracking data generation unit 14 is not limited to calculating the next data to be tracked, and may calculate all scheduled tracking data collectively.

[0014] The drive control unit 20 is composed of a drive instruction unit 21 and a memory 22. The tracking data transferred from the tracking data generation unit 14 is stored in the memory 22. The drive instruction unit 21 requests the memory 22 for a tracking start time and a tracking angle, acquires the tracking start time and the tracking angle, and issues a command for a tracking target value to the drive mechanism unit 30. In this embodiment, the memory 22 stores only the tracking data of the satellite to be tracked next. Note that the memory 22 may store a tracking schedule or all scheduled tracking data.

[0015] The drive mechanism unit 30 is composed of a motor driver 31, a motor 32, and a tracking measurement device 33. The motor driver 31 transfers tracking completion information to the drive control unit 20 and issues a drive voltage command to the motor 32. The direction of the antenna 60 is adjusted by rotating the motor 32. The tracking measurement device 33 measures the tracking angles (antenna azimuth angle, antenna elevation angle) of the antenna 60 and transfers them to the motor driver 31, and the drive mechanism unit 30 feedback controls the tracking angle of the antenna 60. <Hardware configuration> 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer applicable to the operation unit 10 and the drive control unit 20. A CPU 111 controls the entire computer using computer programs and data stored in a ROM 112 and a RAM 113, which are examples of the memory 13 and the memory 22, respectively. When this computer is applied to the operation unit 10, the CPU 111 executes each process described below as being performed by the operation unit 10. When this computer is applied to the drive control unit 20, the CPU 111 executes each process described below as being performed by the drive control unit 20.

[0016] The ROM 112 stores setting data for the computer, a boot program, etc. The RAM 113 has an area for temporarily storing computer programs and data loaded from the HDD (hard disk drive) 114, data received from the outside via the interface 117, etc. Furthermore, the RAM 113 has a work area used when the CPU 111 executes various processes. That is, the RAM 113 can provide various areas as appropriate.

[0017] The HDD 114, which is another example of the memory 13 or memory 22, stores an OS (operating system) and computer programs and data for causing the CPU 111 to execute various processes performed by a device to which this computer is applied. When this computer is applied to the operation unit 10, the computer programs include computer programs for causing the CPU 111 to execute each process to be described later as being performed by the operation unit 10.

[0018] Furthermore, when this computer is applied to the drive control unit 20, the computer program includes a computer program for causing the CPU 111 to execute each process described below as being performed by the drive control unit 20. The computer programs and data stored in the HDD 114 are appropriately loaded into the RAM 113 under the control of the CPU 111, and become targets for processing by the CPU 111.

[0019] Input device 115 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and an operator of this computer can input various instructions to CPU 111 by operating this input device 115. Display device 116 is composed of a liquid crystal screen, an organic EL display, etc., and can display the results of processing by CPU 111 as images, characters, etc.

[0020] The interface 117 is configured with various interfaces. For example, when this computer is applied to the operation unit 10, the interface 117 includes a network interface for connecting this computer to an external device 50 via a network.

[0021] Furthermore, when this computer is applied to the drive control unit 20, the interface 117 is configured by a network interface, a USB interface, or the like for connecting this computer to the operation unit 10 via a network. The bus 118 is a bus that connects the above-mentioned units.

[0022] In this embodiment, for simplicity, both the operation unit 10 and the drive control unit 20 are described as computers having the configuration shown in Fig. 11, but the configuration of the computer is not limited to this. Also, computers having different configurations may be used for the operation unit 10 and the drive control unit 20. <Switching the satellite to be tracked> The process of switching the satellite to be tracked when tracking multiple satellites (satellites A to C) will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 8. In the following description, the priority of tracking the satellites is described as satellite A > satellite B > satellite C. The operations unit 10 and drive control unit 20 will be described in detail later.

[0023] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the priority of satellites and a communication schedule in a satellite tracking system. In addition, Δta1 is the time it takes for the operation unit 10 to transfer tracking data to the drive control unit 20, Δta2 is the time it takes for the antenna 60 to move from the origin (zenith) to the tracking start point, Δtb1 is the time it takes to send a command to the satellite 40 via the antenna 60, Δtb2 is the time it takes to receive data from the satellite 40, and Δtc is the time it takes for the antenna 60 to return to the origin position. Here, the time it takes for the antenna 60 to move from the origin to the tracking start point may vary depending on the position of the tracking start point, but Δta2 may be a fixed value that is the maximum value of those times with a margin, or a value calculated from predicted orbit information or tracking data may be used. In addition, Δta1 may include the time it takes for the operation unit 10 to generate tracking data.

[0024] Also, as in the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment, there are cases where only command transmission to the satellite is performed from antenna 60 and data is received by another antenna, and Δtb2 is not essential. Note that in the following explanation, Δta1+Δta2 may be explained as the tracking preparation time Δta, and Δtb1+Δtb2 as the data communication time Δtb.

[0025] A normal satellite tracking operation according to the priority and communication schedule in Fig. 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a sequence diagram of a satellite tracking operation in the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment.

[0026] In S601, the operation unit 10 transmits a tracking data generation instruction from the tracking switching instruction unit 12 to the tracking data generation unit 14, and generates tracking data (FIG. 5) of the satellite A, which is the tracking target, from the tracking schedule information (FIG. 4) stored in the memory 13. FIG. 4 is an example of the tracking schedule information. The tracking schedule information stores information indicating the tracking schedule of each satellite, such as the tracking start time, the tracking completion time, and the maximum elevation angle. FIG. 5 is an example of the tracking data. Data for tracking the target satellite, such as the tracking start time and tracking completion time for the target satellite (for example, satellite A), the antenna azimuth angle (the left and right angle of the antenna with respect to a specific reference direction) for each time, and the antenna elevation angle (the up and down angle of the antenna with respect to the horizontal direction) are stored. Note that the origin for the antenna azimuth angle and the antenna elevation angle indicates the position of the antenna, but in the present invention, the position indicating the zenith is referred to as the origin as described above, and the following description will be given.

[0027] In S602, the operation unit 10 transfers the tracking data of satellite A generated in S601 to the drive control unit 20. In this embodiment, the tracking data generation unit 14 transmits and receives data to and from the drive control unit 20. At that time, the operation unit 10 changes the flag stored in the memory 13 to "tracking in progress" (for example, 1). Note that the timing for changing the flag to "tracking in progress" (for example, 1) is not limited to this, and may be when the tracking data is generated, when a time arrives that is a predetermined time before the tracking start time (for example, 1 minute), when the tracking start time arrives, or the like. In S603, the drive control unit 20 transmits a motor control command based on the tracking data received in S602 to the drive mechanism unit 30.

[0028] When tracking of satellite A is completed (after Δta+Δtb), in S604, the drive mechanism unit 30 transmits a tracking completion signal to the drive control unit 20. In S605, the drive control unit 20 transmits a tracking completion notification to the operation unit 10.

[0029] In S606, the drive control unit 20 transmits an origin movement command to the drive mechanism unit 30. When the origin movement is completed (Δtc has elapsed), in S607, the drive mechanism unit 30 transmits an origin movement completion signal to the drive control unit 20. In S608, the drive control unit 20 transmits an origin movement completion notification to the operation unit 10. At that time, the operation unit 10 changes the flag stored in the memory to standby (for example, 0). Note that the timing for changing the flag to standby (for example, 0) is not limited to this, and may be when a tracking completion notification is received, when a tracking completion notification is received, when a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed since the tracking completion notification was received, or the like.

[0030] 3, if the tracking ranges (Δta+Δtb+Δtc elapsed) of satellites A and B overlap, it is not possible to track satellite B. Therefore, in S609, the operation unit 10 generates tracking data for satellite C, which is the current tracking target, as the next tracking target based on the tracking schedule information stored in memory 13, and tracks satellite C.

[0031] Here, switching of a satellite to be tracked in a case where the tracking target is changed from satellite A to satellite B during tracking of satellite A will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is an example of a conceptual diagram illustrating tracking switching in the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment.

[0032] At 10:00, tracking of satellite A begins ( <1> The direction at 10:00) and satellite B, which is within the tracking range of satellite A, is specified by the user at 10:08 ( <2> Orientation at time 10:08), and taking into account the movement time of antenna 60, change the orientation of antenna 60 to the position where satellite B will arrive at time 10:09 ( <3> (Orientation at time 10:09) Therefore, even if the tracking target is changed from satellite A (tracking target (i)) to satellite B (tracking target (ii)) while tracking satellite A, it is still possible to track satellite B.

[0033] Next, the operation of switching the satellite to be tracked when the tracking target is changed from satellite A to satellite B during tracking of satellite A will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram of the satellite tracking operation in the satellite tracking system according to this embodiment.

[0034] In S801, the operations unit 10 generates tracking data (Figure 5) for the satellite A to be tracked from the tracking schedule information (Figure 4) stored in the memory 13 a predetermined time before the tracking start time (the time it takes to move the antenna 60 from the generation of the tracking data).

[0035] In S802, the operation unit 10 transfers the tracking data of satellite A generated in S801 to the drive control unit 20. At that time, the operation unit 10 changes the flag stored in memory to "tracking in progress" (for example, 1). Note that the timing for changing the flag to "tracking in progress" (for example, 1) is not limited to this, and may be when the tracking data is generated, when a time arrives that is a predetermined time before the tracking start time (for example, 1 minute), when the tracking start time arrives, etc. In S803, the drive control unit 20 transmits a motor control command based on the tracking data received in S802 to the drive mechanism unit 30.

[0036] In S804, the operation unit 10 selects tracking of satellite B by the user. Here, an interrupt setting selected by the user to issue an interrupt instruction specifying an interrupt will be described. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an interrupt setting screen displayed on the display device 116. As shown in FIG. 12, when the user selects the check box for the interrupt of satellite B and selects the execute button, the interrupt of satellite B is set. Also, when the user selects the cancel button, the interrupt setting can be cancelled. Note that, as shown in FIG. 13, the setting screen can be configured to display a map image on a display unit (not shown) and execute / cancel the interrupt setting by selecting a satellite displayed on the map image. In this case, it is preferable to display the predicted orbit of each satellite on the map image. Also, the interrupt setting can be executed / cancel by selecting a satellite displayed on a GUI, not limited to the map image.

[0037] It is also possible to set the period for which the interrupt setting is applied. For example, if the interruption of satellite B is set to one week, the priority and communication schedule shown in Figure 3 are temporarily changed, and the priority of satellite B can be made higher than the priority of satellite A for only one week. In this case, the priority of satellite B returns to the original after one week. Therefore, by applying the interruption setting, the priority of the satellite to be tracked can be temporarily changed.

[0038] In S805, tracking data for satellite B is generated from the tracking schedule information stored in memory 13. At this time, as described above, the time required to move antenna 60 to a position where tracking of satellite B begins is taken into consideration, and only tracking data after a predetermined time has elapsed is generated.

[0039] In S806, the operations unit 10 transfers the tracking data of satellite B generated in S805 to the drive control unit 20. In S807, the drive control unit 20 transmits a motor control command based on the tracking data to the drive mechanism unit 30. Note that, in S804, if another satellite (satellite A) was being tracked, it is preferable that the operations unit 10 outputs a tracking stop instruction and an origin return command to the drive control unit 20.

[0040] When tracking of satellite B is completed (after Δta+Δtb), in S808, the drive mechanism unit 30 transmits a tracking completion signal to the drive control unit 20. In S809, the drive control unit 20 transmits a tracking completion notification to the operation unit 10.

[0041] In S810, the drive control unit 20 transmits an origin movement command (origin movement instruction) to the drive mechanism unit 30. When the origin movement is completed (Δtc has elapsed), the drive mechanism unit 30 transmits an origin movement completion signal to the drive control unit 20 in S811.

[0042] In S812, the drive control unit 20 transmits an origin movement completion notification to the operation unit 10. At that time, the operation unit 10 changes the flag stored in the memory to standby (for example, 0). Note that the timing for changing the flag to standby (for example, 0) is not limited to this, and may be when a tracking completion notification is received, when a tracking completion notification is received, when a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed since the tracking completion notification was received, etc. At that point, it is the time before tracking of satellite C begins, so in S813, the operation unit 10 generates tracking data for satellite C from the tracking schedule information stored in the memory 13. <Operation flow chart of operation unit 10> 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flowchart of the operation unit 10. In S901, the tracking data generation unit 14 acquires predicted orbit information of satellites (for example, satellites A to C) stored in the memory 13. It is assumed that the predicted orbit information of the satellites is received in advance from the external device 50 via the network and stored in the memory 13.

[0043] In S902, the tracking data generation unit 14 generates tracking schedule information (for example, FIG. 4) of satellites A to C from the acquired predicted orbit information. Note that the tracking schedule information may generate a tracking schedule for a satellite to be tracked for a predetermined period (for example, one week) from the acquired predicted orbit information, or may generate all tracking schedules that can be generated from the acquired predicted orbit information. Note that the tracking start time and tracking end time of the tracking schedule information can be set arbitrarily by the user.

[0044] In S903, the tracking data generating unit 14 generates tracking data for the next satellite to be tracked (for example, satellite A) in accordance with the tracking schedule information. The tracking data generating unit 14 may generate all tracking data from the tracking schedule information, or may generate tracking data for a predetermined period (for example, one day). The tracking data generated in S903 is tracking data starting from the minimum elevation angle set in the antenna. The timing for generating tracking data is a predetermined time before the next tracking start time, and the unit may wait until that time, or may generate the tracking schedule information after the time has been generated.

[0045] In S904, the tracking data generation unit 14 transfers the generated tracking data of the satellite to the drive control unit 20. At that time, the tracking switch instruction unit 12 changes the flag stored in the memory to "tracking" (for example, 1).

[0046] In S905, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the interruption of a satellite (e.g., satellite B) has been selected. If the interruption has not been selected (NO in S905), in S913, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the tracking of the current tracking target satellite (e.g., satellite A) has ended based on the tracking schedule information.

[0047] If it is determined that the tracking has not ended (NO in S913), the process returns to S905. If it is determined that the tracking has ended (YES in S913), in S914, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 changes the flag stored in the memory to standby (for example, 0), and determines whether or not the tracking of all the satellites to be tracked has ended based on the tracking schedule information. If it is determined that the tracking has not ended (NO in S913), the process returns to S903, and the tracking data generation unit 14 generates tracking data of a satellite (for example, satellite C) according to the tracking schedule. For convenience of explanation, it is determined in S905 whether or not an interrupt has been selected, but this determination also functions effectively while waiting until a predetermined time before the tracking start time in S903.

[0048] If it is determined that a satellite interrupt has been selected (YES in S905), in S906 the tracking status determination unit 11 determines whether or not a satellite is currently being tracked. The determination as to whether or not a satellite is currently being tracked is made based on a flag stored in the memory 13. For example, if the flag is 0, it is determined that the satellite is on standby (the origin position state before the tracking data is transferred to the drive control unit 20), and if the flag is 1, it is determined that the satellite is currently being tracked (the state after the tracking data has been transferred to the drive control unit 20).

[0049] If it is determined that tracking is not in progress (NO in S906), the process proceeds to S909 and subsequent steps. If it is determined that tracking is in progress (YES in S906), in S907, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 transmits a command to stop tracking satellite A and a command to return to origin to the drive control unit 20. Note that if a tracking completion notification has been received or if a command to return to origin has already been transmitted, the process of S907 may be omitted.

[0050] In S908, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 receives the origin movement completion notification from the drive control unit 20. At that time, the tracking switching instruction unit 12 changes the flag stored in the memory to standby (for example, 0).

[0051] In S909, the tracking switch instruction unit 20 obtains the current time from a clock built into the operation unit 10, and compares the tracking schedule of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) generated in S902 with the current time. In S910, the tracking switch instruction unit 20 determines whether or not the current time is within the tracking range of the cut-in satellite (satellite B).

[0052] The determination of whether or not the satellite is within the tracking range is made if the current time is more than Δta before the tracking start time of the selected interrupt satellite (satellite B), or if the current time is later than the time that is Δta before the tracking completion time of the selected interrupt satellite (satellite B), then the satellite is determined to be outside the tracking range (not within the tracking range).

[0053] If the current time is later than the time Δta before the tracking start time of the selected interrupt satellite (satellite B) and the current time is earlier than the time Δta before the tracking completion time of the selected interrupt satellite (satellite B), it is determined that it is within the tracking range.

[0054] For example, if the current time is 9:05:21, the tracking start time of the interrupting satellite (satellite B) is 9:00:00, the tracking completion time is 9:08:22, and Δta is 0:01:00, then the time Δta before the tracking start time is 8:59:00, and the time Δta before the tracking completion time is 9:07:22, and it is determined that they are within the tracking range. Note that Δta is the sum of Δta1 (tracking data transfer time) and Δta2 (time to move the antenna to the tracking start point), and is the time required for the antenna 60 at the defined origin position to transition to tracking operation for the next arriving satellite.

[0055] In the above description, the determination of whether or not the satellite is within the tracking range is based on Δta, but the determination may be based on Δta+Δtb1. For example, if the current time is 9:05:21, the tracking start time of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) is 9:00:00, the tracking completion time is 9:08:22, Δta is 0:01:00, and the command communication time Δtb1 is 0:02:00, then the time (Δta+Δtb1) before the tracking start time is 8:57:00, and the time (Δta+Δtb1) before the tracking completion time is 9:05:22, and it is determined that the satellite is within the tracking range.

[0056] Also, the determination may be made based on Δta+Δtb (Δtb1+Δtb2).For example, if the current time is 8:58:21, the tracking start time of the interrupt satellite (satellite B) is 9:00:00, the tracking completion time is 9:08:22, Δta is 0:01:00, the command communication time Δtb1 is 0:02:00, and the data reception time Δtb2 is 0:06:22, then the time (Δta+Δtb) before the tracking start time is 8:50:38, and the time (Δta+Δtb) before the tracking completion time is 8:59:22, and it is determined that the satellite is within the tracking range.

[0057] If it is determined that the satellite is within the tracking range of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) (YES in S910), in S911 the tracking data generation unit 14 generates tracking data of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) after Δtd (time required for tracking transition from the origin position: Δtd=Δta+tracking data generation time+margin time) has elapsed (after a predetermined time has elapsed) from the tracking schedule information stored in the memory 13. For example, if the current time is 9:05:21 and the time when Δtd has elapsed is 9:06:51, tracking data after the time 9:06:51 is generated.

[0058] If it is determined that the satellite is outside the tracking range of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) (NO in S910), in S912, the tracking data generation unit 14 generates tracking data for the cut-in satellite (satellite B) from the tracking schedule information stored in the memory 13 a predetermined time before the tracking start time (for example, the time it takes to move the antenna 60 from the generation of the tracking data: Δta).

[0059] Then, returning to S904, the tracking data generation unit 14 transfers the tracking data of the interrupt satellite (satellite B) generated in S911 or S912 to the drive control unit 20. At that time, the tracking switch instruction unit 12 changes the flag stored in the memory to "tracking" (for example, 1).

[0060] Note that, in the determination of whether or not it is within the tracking range in S910, if the current time is earlier than the tracking start time of the selected cut-in satellite (satellite B) by Δta or more, tracking data for the cut-in satellite (satellite B) may be generated (S912), the priority of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) may be changed to the highest, the priority and communication schedule (FIG. 3) may be changed, and the process may proceed to S903. By changing the priority and schedule, if the time between the current time and the tracking start time of the cut-in satellite (satellite B) is long, other satellites may be targeted for tracking, allowing for more flexible satellite tracking. <Operation flow chart of drive control unit 20> 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flowchart of the drive control unit 20. In S1001, the drive instruction unit 21 determines whether or not tracking data has been received from the operation unit 10. When it is determined that tracking data has been received (YES in S1001), the drive instruction unit 21 stores the received tracking data in the memory 22.

[0061] In S1002, the drive instruction unit 21 acquires the current time from a clock built into the drive control unit 20, and compares the acquired current time with the tracking start time of the tracking data stored in the memory 22. In S1003, the drive instruction unit 21 determines whether the tracking start time has been reached.

[0062] If it is determined that the tracking start time has been reached (YES in S1003), in S1004, the drive instruction unit 21 acquires the tracking angle of the tracking data stored in the memory 22, and transmits a tracking target value command calculated from the tracking angle to the drive mechanism unit 30.

[0063] If it is determined that the tracking data has not been received (NO in S1001), then in S1005, the drive instruction unit 21 determines whether or not a tracking completion signal has been received from the drive mechanism unit 30. If it is determined that the tracking completion signal has been received (YES in S1005), then in S1006, the drive instruction unit 21 transfers a tracking completion notification to the operation unit 10. If it is not determined that the tracking completion signal has been received (NO in S1005), then the process returns to S1001.

[0064] In S1007, the drive instruction unit 21 transmits an origin movement command to the drive mechanism unit 30. In S1008, the drive instruction unit 21 determines whether or not an origin movement completion signal has been received from the drive mechanism unit 30. When an origin movement completion signal has been received (YES in S1008), the drive instruction unit 21 transfers an origin movement completion notification to the operation unit 10.

[0065] 9, the determination of whether or not the target object is within the tracking range may be based on the tracking completion time or a predetermined period of time after the tracking completion time (e.g., 0:01:00). For example, if the current time is 9:09:21 and the tracking completion time is 9:08:22, the target object is determined to be within the tracking range. In this case, in S1003 of FIG. 10, the drive instruction unit 21 determines that the tracking start time has been reached and transmits a tracking target value command to the drive mechanism unit 30.

[0066] As described above, according to the present invention, even when a tracking schedule according to priority is being executed, it is possible to track a satellite selected as an interrupt operation, making it possible to flexibly track a satellite. Furthermore, by selecting an interrupt for satellite tracking regardless of the default tracking schedule, it becomes possible to flexibly switch the satellite to be tracked regardless of whether the tracking system is currently tracking a satellite or not, and regardless of the position of the selected satellite. (Appendix 1) A drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation means for generating tracking data for a plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means; Equipped with The drive control means controls the drive mechanism based on the tracking data, a satellite tracking system characterized in that the operation means transmits first tracking data generated in accordance with a tracking schedule set based on the orbit information to the drive control means, and then, when an interrupt instruction is given to select a satellite to interrupt the tracking, generates second tracking data for the selected satellite and transmits the second tracking data to the drive control means. (Appendix 2) A drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation means for generating tracking data for the plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means; Equipped with The drive control means controls the drive mechanism based on the tracking data, the operation means, when an interrupt instruction is given to select a satellite to be interrupted in tracking, generates tracking data for the satellite selected in the interrupt instruction from a time after a time required for tracking transition has elapsed from the time the interrupt instruction was given, and transmits the generated tracking data to the drive control means, and has a determination means, when the interrupt instruction is given, determines based on the orbit information whether the satellite for which the interrupt instruction was given is within a tracking range of the antenna; when the determination means determines that the satellite for which the interrupt instruction has been issued is within the tracking range, generating tracking data for the satellite for which the interrupt instruction has been issued after a predetermined time has elapsed since the time when the interrupt instruction was issued as second tracking data and transmitting the second tracking data to the drive control means; a satellite tracking system characterized in that, when the determination means determines that the satellite for which the interrupt instruction was given is not within the tracking range, the determination means generates tracking data for the position of the satellite from the start of the next tracking to the end of tracking as the second tracking data and transmits the second tracking data to the drive control means. (Appendix 3) The satellite tracking system described in claim 1, characterized in that the operation means generates tracking data for the next satellite to be tracked a predetermined time before the tracking start time in accordance with a tracking schedule set based on the priorities of the multiple satellites. (Appendix 4) The satellite tracking system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation means, if tracking another satellite at the time the interrupt instruction is given, transmits an instruction to stop tracking the other satellite to the drive control means. (Appendix 5) 5. The satellite tracking system according to claim 4, wherein the operation means transmits an origin movement instruction to the drive control means together with the tracking stop instruction. (Appendix 6) A drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation means for generating tracking data for a plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked, and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means; Equipped with The drive control means controls the drive mechanism based on the tracking data, The operation means includes: displaying an interrupt setting screen on the display unit for inputting an interrupt instruction for specifying an interrupt for a satellite to be tracked; A satellite tracking system characterized in that, when a satellite to be instructed to interrupt is selected from the satellites displayed on a map image on the interrupt setting screen, tracking data for the selected satellite is generated and transmitted to the drive control means. (Appendix 7) A satellite tracking method, comprising: a drive control step in which a drive control means controls a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation step in which an operation means generates tracking data for a plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked and transmits the tracking data to the drive control means; Equipped with In the drive control step, the drive mechanism is controlled based on the tracking data. The operating step includes: a first tracking data transmission step of transmitting first tracking data generated according to a tracking schedule set based on the orbit information to the drive control means; A satellite tracking method characterized by having a second tracking data transmission step, which is performed after the first tracking data transmission step, and which, when an interrupt instruction is given to select a satellite to perform a tracking interrupt, generates second tracking data for the selected satellite and transmits it to the drive control means. (Appendix 8) A program for causing a computer to function as an operation means for generating tracking data for a plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked, the operation means, when an interrupt instruction is given to select a satellite to perform a tracking interrupt, generates tracking data for the satellite selected in the interrupt instruction from a time after a time required for tracking transition has elapsed from the time the interrupt instruction was given, which is transmitted to a drive control means that drives an antenna for tracking the satellite based on the tracking data, and when the interrupt instruction is given, determines based on the orbit information whether the satellite specified in the interrupt instruction is within a tracking range of the antenna; when it is determined that the satellite for which the interrupt instruction has been issued is within the tracking range, generating tracking data for the satellite for which the interrupt instruction has been issued from a time after a predetermined time has elapsed since the time when the interrupt instruction was issued as second tracking data and transmitting the second tracking data to the drive control means; a program for generating tracking data for the position of the satellite from the start of the next tracking to the end of the tracking as the second tracking data when it is determined that the satellite for which the interrupt instruction was given is not within the tracking range, and transmitting the second tracking data to the drive control means. (Appendix 9) A program for causing a computer to function as a drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism for driving an antenna, and an operation means for generating tracking data for a plurality of satellites based on orbital information of the plurality of satellites to be tracked and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means, The operation means includes: displaying an interrupt setting screen on the display unit for inputting an interrupt instruction for specifying an interrupt for a satellite to be tracked; a program for generating tracking data for the selected satellite and transmitting the tracking data to the drive control means when a satellite to be interrupted is selected from the satellites displayed on a map image on the interrupt setting screen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 10...operation unit 11...tracking state determination unit 12...tracking switch instruction unit 13...memory 14...tracking data generation unit 20...drive control unit 21...drive instruction unit 22...memory 30...drive mechanism unit 31...motor driver 32...motor 33...tracking measurement device 40...satellite 50...external device 60...antenna

Claims

1. A drive control means for controlling a drive mechanism that drives the antenna; an operation means for causing the drive control means to execute tracking of the satellites by the antenna in accordance with the priorities of the plurality of satellites to be tracked; Equipped with The satellite tracking system is characterized in that the operation means displays an interrupt setting screen on a display unit, which allows a user to input an interrupt instruction specifying an interrupt satellite that will interrupt tracking by the antenna, and when the interrupt instruction is given via the interrupt setting screen, changes the priority of the interrupt satellite to the highest.

2. 2. The satellite tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said operation means causes said drive control means to execute tracking of another satellite until tracking of said interrupt satellite begins.

3. 3. The satellite tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the operation means temporarily changes the priority of the interrupt satellite.

4. 4. The satellite tracking system according to claim 3, wherein the operation means is capable of setting a period during which the priority is temporarily changed.

5. 2. The satellite tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the operation means is capable of inputting an instruction to cancel the interruption by the interrupt satellite from the interruption setting screen.

6. 6. The satellite tracking system according to claim 5, wherein said operation means displays a predicted orbit of each satellite on said interrupt setting screen.

7. A satellite tracking system as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the interrupt instruction is given, if a satellite other than the interrupting satellite is being tracked, the tracking is interrupted and the antenna is returned to its origin by a drive control means.

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