EP0668625A1

EP0668625A1 - Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite

Info

Publication number: EP0668625A1
Application number: EP94830081A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Raul Fabbri
Original assignee: Teleco SRL
Current assignee: Teleco SRL
Priority date: 1994-02-22
Filing date: 1994-02-22
Publication date: 1995-08-23

Abstract

The antenna (1) foresees a receiver (3) that on line (4) transmits to an alignment device (5) the signal coming from the satellite. With the antenna (1) in horizontal position, corresponding to the stand-by position, the lighting of the button on the driving unit (6) starts the signal search. On the receiver (3) the wanted television or radio chanel is selected through a remot control or on keyboard. The antenna (1) puts on an initial inclination of about 25 ° and it begins a rotation of 360°. If no signal coming from the wanted satellite is picked up, the alignment device (5) ends the rotation and it increases the inclination of 1,5 °. So in continuation till to align the antenna to the satellite and so having a perfect interception of the signal.

Description

The invention refers to a satellite reception system of television and radio signals in which a movable in automatic antenna is foreseen. Said motion on joint with variable angle foresees on the standing flat plate to be driven by means of an intelligent scanning system which points the antenna in alignment with the selected satellite. Said antenna system is particularly suitable to be assembled on the roof of motor or not vehicles like campers, caravans, etc., because its movable part, formed by the antenna and by its mast in stand-by position, comes to be in no-interference condition with the probable obstacles on the way and of no-friction with the air. At present to receive the satellite programs equipments are used formed by a mast part, to be placed on the vehicle roof, which supports on a joint a reception part to be moved to reach the wanted satellite alignment. Said current equipments present two big drawbacks: in the antenna pointing procedure the user is obliged to weary and long searches to point the same according to the perfect angle and, because of the presence of the mast part which permanently rises on the vehicle roof, before moving the user is obliged to take down the reception equipment so to avoid its impact against the obstacles on the way. To point the antenna with the perfect reception angle with the wanted satellite actually the user, in a wide range of pointing angles, must point the same in preliminary orientation rotating the antenna horizontally in both ways and then in raising. Then the user must search the exact alignment selecting infinitesimal angle variations horizontally in both ways and in raising, procedure requesting a particular attention since the position individuation asks to do a lot of smallest movings. This because said alignmet must be reached with a body in the space far away thousand of kilometres for the earth. On the other way the necessity of taking down the reception equipment from the vehicle roof each time before moving, it needs to proceed with subsequent setting up and taking down phases that the user must do from vehicle outside sometimes in the rain or other. The invented antenna allows the solution of the above said problems making use of an automatic scanning system to perfectly align the antenna with the satellite. This system is controlled by the user pressing a pushbutton from the vehicle inside. The satellite signal is picked up by the antenna 1 and on line 2 comes to a receiver 3 that on line 4 transmits to an alignment device 5 the intensity of the available signal. Till said signal intensity does not reach the optimum value, the alignment device 5 turns the antenna 1 on a route coming out from subsequent horizontal rotates of 360 on parallel planes, each of which followed up to a slanting raising of 1,5 °. For displaying or listening the picked up signal the receiver 3 is connected on lines with a video 7 and with a radio 8. With the antenna 1 in horizontal position, corresponding to the stand-by position, to the no-interference with the obstacles and to the no-friction with the air, the lighting of the button on the driving unit 6 starts the signal search. On the receiver 3 the wanted television or radio chanel is selected through a remot control or on keyboard. The antenna 1 puts on an initial inclination of about 25 and it begins a rotation of 3600. If no signal coming from the wanted satellite is picked up, the alignment device 5 ends the rotation and it increases the inclination of 1,5 °. A successive horizontal rotation of 360 _°is driven and so in continuation till to align the antenna to the satellite. So having a perfect interception of the signal. A motor group 9 for the alignment device 5 is used. Said motor group 9 drives a tangent screw device formed by the screw 10 which moves a gear wheel 11 on shaft 12. The antenna 1 through its mast 13 is fastened on the shaft 12 by means of a joint 14 between limit controls to permit two different antenna movements: rotating on the shaft 12 and of inclination on vertical plane made it possible by a second motor group 15. The device alignment 5, through a microprocessor 16, checks on line 4 if to the output of the circuit 17 a sync signal coming from the receiver 3 is presented. Till said signal is not taken it goes on with the feeding of the two motor group 9 and 15. Said feeding stops when said signal is received with an intensity equal to that defined with memorized parameters. When the two movements stop the optimization phase of the antenna position begins. The motor group 9 starts and it sets to alternate horizontal rotation in both ways the antenna 1 on angles of about 3 _°stopping the same in the best reception point of the sync signal. The same procedure is then actuated in vertical by a motor group 15. In the system the satellite co-ordinates are stored into the memory of the microprocessor 16. In this way can be identified the alignment position of the antenna for the reception of a wanted chanel. So starting from the stand-by position it is possible to immediately select the perfect reception position without making the search. If the antenna 1 is not laid flat to the vehicle roof before moving, the microprocessor 16 as soon as the ignition key is turned starts the motor groups 9 and 15 which automatically bring the antenna in stand-by position. For this stand-by position, characterized to a position of no-interference with the probable obstacles on the way and of no-friction with the air, by means of a motor group 9 the antenna reach at first to the initial point of route and the by means of the motor group 15 it is lowered. An antenna according to the invention is illustrated in schematic view in the drawings of sheets 1, 2 and 3. In sheet 1 fig. 1 is block diagram to illustrate the operation of the search system. In sheet 2 fig. 2 is side view of the reception device with the antenna 1 in stand-by position. Fig. 3 is side view of the device with the antenna 1 in vertical position and with hatching views of the antenna in stand-by position and in other two subsequent intermediate positions in elevation to show the search sistem laterally. Fig. 4 is frontal view of the same reception device with the antenna 1 in vertical. In sheet 3 fig. 5 is view of the mechanical system for horizontal rotation of the antenna 1. Fig. 6 is view of the mechanical system for the inclination of the antenna 1.

Claims

1. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite foreseen a receiver (3) that on line (4) transmits to an alignment device (5) the signal coming from a satellite, characterized in that:

- with the antenna (1) in horizontal position, corresponding to the stand-by position, the lighting of the button on the driving unit (6) starts the signal search; on the receiver (3) the wanted television or radio chanel is selected through a remot control or on keyboard, the antenna (1) puts on an initial inclination of about 25° and it begins a rotation or 3600, if no signal coming from the wanted satellite is picked up, the alignment device (5) ends the rotation and it increases the inclination of 1,5 °; a successive horizontal rotation of 360 _°is driven and so in continuation till to align the antenna to the satellite, so having a perfect interception of the signal;

- the device alignment (5), through a microprocessor (16), checks on line (4) if to the output of the circuit (17) a sync signal coming from the receiver (3) is presented, till said signal is not taken it goes on with the feeding of the two motor groups (9 and 15); said feeding stops when said signal is received with an intensity equal to that defined with memorized parameters, when the two movements stop the optimization phase of the antenna position begins: the first motor group (9) starts and it sets to alternate horizontal rotation in both ways the antenna (1) on angles of about 3 stopping the same in the best reception point of the sync signal, the same procedure is then actuated in vertical by the second motor group (15).

2. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite, as per claim 1), in that the motor group (9) used for the alignment device (5) drives a tangent screw device formed by a screw (10) which moves a gear wheel (11) on shaft 12.

3. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite, as per claim 1), in that the antenna (1) through its mast (13) is fastened on the shaft (12) by means of a joint (14) between limit controls to permit two different antenna movements: rotating on the shaft (12) and of inclination on vertical plane made it possible by the second motor group (15).

4. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicle to a satellite, as per claim 1), in that the satellite co-ordinates are stored into the memory of the microprocessor (16), in this way can be identified the alignment position of the antenna for the reception of the wanted chanel and starting from the stand-by position it is possible to immediately select the perfect reception position without making the search.

5. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite, as per claim 1), in that if the antenna (1) is not laid flat to the vehicle roof before moving, the microprocessor (16) as soon as the ignition key is turned starts the motor groups (9 and 15) which automatically bring the antenna in stand-by position.

6. Antenna with automatic alignment system for vehicles to a satellite, as per claim 5), in that for said stand-by position by means of the first motor group (9) the antenna reachs the initial point of route and then by means of the second motor group (15) it is lowered.