JP2015081817A - Radar antenna and method of raising temperature of radar antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

The temperature of a wireless device is increased to an operable temperature without providing a heater.
In a radar antenna 1 in which a radiator 2 is rotatably mounted on a pedestal 3, and a motor 32 and a radio device 33 for rotating the radiator 2 are disposed in the pedestal 3. The temperature sensor 34 for measuring the temperature in the pedestal 3 and the motor at a short cycle such that the radiator 2 starts rotating when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 34 is lower than a predetermined temperature when starting up. A motor control unit 35 that heats the motor 32 by repeating normal rotation and reverse rotation of 32.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a radar antenna mounted on a ship and the like, and a radio temperature raising method for a radar antenna for raising the temperature of the radar antenna radio to an operable temperature.

  A radar antenna mounted on a ship or the like has a cylindrical radiator extending in the horizontal direction. The radiator is mounted on a casing-shaped pedestal, and the radiator is arranged by a motor disposed in the pedestal. It is designed to rotate around the center. In addition, a radio device (transceiver) that is an electronic circuit is disposed in the pedestal, and the radio device transmits radio waves from the radiator and receives radio waves via the radiator. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

  Further, in a cold region, the ambient temperature may be lower than the temperature at which the wireless device can operate, and the wireless device may not operate. For this reason, a heater is provided in the pedestal of the radar antenna that is assumed to be used in such a low temperature environment / extremely cold region, and the temperature is raised to a temperature at which the radio can be operated by the heater.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-081856

  As described above, since the radar antenna for the extremely cold region needs to have a heater in the pedestal, not only the cost is increased, but also the size of the pedestal is increased.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a radar antenna and a method for raising a radio temperature of a radar antenna that can raise the temperature of the radio to an operable temperature without providing a heater.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor and a radio set for rotating a radiator on a casing-like pedestal, and rotating the radiator in the pedestal. In the radar antenna, the temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in the pedestal, and the radiator when the temperature measured by the temperature measuring means when starting is less than a predetermined temperature Motor control means for generating heat by repeating the normal rotation and reverse rotation of the motor at a short cycle such that the motor starts to rotate.

  According to this invention, when the temperature in the pedestal is measured by the temperature measuring means and the start-up is started, if the temperature in the pedestal is less than a predetermined temperature (a temperature lower than the temperature at which the radio can operate), the motor The forward and reverse rotations of the motor are repeated at a short cycle such that the radiator starts to rotate by the control means, and the motor generates heat. And the temperature in a pedestal rises with the heat_generation | fever of a motor, and it heats up to the temperature which a radio | wireless machine can operate | move.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a radiator is rotatably mounted on a casing-like pedestal, and a motor and a radio for rotating the radiator are disposed in the pedestal. A method of raising a temperature of a radar antenna by measuring a temperature in the pedestal, and when starting to start, when the temperature in the pedestal is lower than a predetermined temperature, the radiator starts short enough to start rotating. By repeating normal rotation and reverse rotation of the motor at a period of time, the motor is heated to raise the temperature of the radio device.

  According to the present invention, when the temperature in the pedestal is measured and the start-up is started, the radiator rotates when the temperature in the pedestal is lower than a predetermined temperature (a temperature lower than the temperature at which the radio can operate). The motor is heated by repeating normal rotation and reverse rotation of the motor in a short period of time to start. And the temperature in a pedestal rises with the heat_generation | fever of a motor, and it heats up to the temperature which a radio | wireless machine can operate | move.

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, since the radio can be heated up to an operable temperature by the heat generated by the motor, it is not necessary to separately provide a heater in the pedestal. For this reason, the cost can be reduced and the radar antenna (pedestal) can be simplified and downsized.

1 is a perspective view showing a radar antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration block diagram in a pedestal of the radar antenna of FIG. 1. It is a schematic block diagram in the pedestal of the radar antenna of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of starting of the radar antenna of FIG.

  The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a radar antenna 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A radiator 2 is rotatably mounted on a casing-like (case-like) pedestal 3. The radar antenna 1 is a radar antenna mounted on a ship or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the radar antenna 1 mainly includes a rotary joint 31, a motor 32, a radio device 33, and a temperature sensor (temperature measuring means) in the pedestal 3. 34 and a motor control unit (motor control means) 35 are provided. Here, since the radar antenna 1 has the same configuration and function as the conventional radar antenna except for the temperature sensor 34 and the motor control unit 35, a detailed description of the same points as the conventional one is omitted. The outline is as follows.

  In other words, the radiator 2 has a horizontally long (eg, egg-shaped horizontally) cross-section and is disposed in a long radome 21 that extends in the horizontal direction. An antenna component member including is disposed. And the center part of the radome 21 is connected to the upper end part of the rotary joint 31 in the pedestal 3, as shown in FIG.

  The rotary joint 31 is a hollow cylindrical shaft that extends vertically and is disposed in the pedestal 3 so as to be rotatable about an axis. A first gear 41 is disposed at the center of the rotary joint 31. The motor 32 is an electric motor for rotating the radiator 2, and can rotate forward and backward. A second gear 42 that meshes with the first gear 41 is disposed on a rotation shaft (output shaft) 321. Yes. Then, when the motor 32 is activated and the rotating shaft 321 and the second gear 42 rotate, the first gear 41 and the rotary joint 31 rotate, and in conjunction with this rotation, the radiator 2 is centered on the central portion thereof. It rotates in a horizontal plane.

  The wireless device 33 is a transmitter / receiver for transmitting / receiving radio waves / signals to / from the outside. That is, the radio device 33 is disposed so as to contact the lower end portion of the rotary joint 31, one end portion of a conductor (not shown) disposed in the rotary joint 31 is connected to the radiator 2, and the other end portion is It is connected to the radio device 33. A signal is transmitted between the radiator 2 and the radio device 33 through the conductor, and radio waves are transmitted from the radiator 2 by the radio device 33 or received by the radio device 33 through the radiator 2. It has come to be.

  Further, the electronic circuit of the radio device 33 can operate at a predetermined temperature or higher. Specifically, in this embodiment, the operation can be performed at −25 ° C. (predetermined temperature) or more, and the operation cannot be performed at less than −25 ° C. Here, the pedestal 3 is made of an aluminum alloy, and the motor 32 and the radio device 33 are disposed close to each other. Further, in the pedestal 3, the rotary joint 31, the motor 32, the radio device 33, the temperature sensor 34, and the The motor control unit 35 and the like are arranged without a gap. In other words, the space in the pedestal 3 is formed as small as possible. As a result, when the motor 32 generates heat as will be described later, the heat is transmitted to the radio device 33 favorably, and the radio device 33 is heated well and quickly.

  In contrast to such a conventional configuration, a temperature sensor 34 and a motor control unit 35 are provided. The temperature sensor 34 is a temperature measuring device that constantly measures the temperature in the pedestal 3. The temperature sensor 34 is disposed near the radio device 33 in the pedestal 3 so that the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 34 can be regarded as the temperature of the radio device 33.

  The motor control unit 35 is a motor driver for controlling the rotation of the motor 32, and performs the following control. First, when the radiator 2 is rotated from a state where the radiator 2 has stopped rotating, that is, when the radar antenna 1 is started to start, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 34 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, Immediately after the start switch is turned on, the motor 32 is controlled so that the radiator 2 rotates and rotates normally at a predetermined rotational speed (normal radar rotational speed). Here, the predetermined temperature is the lowest temperature at which the electronic circuit of the radio device 33 can operate, and in this embodiment, is −25 ° C. as described above. That is, if the temperature in the pedestal 3 (the temperature of the radio device 33) is −25 ° C. or higher, the electronic circuit of the radio device 33 can operate, and thus the radiator 2 is immediately rotated at a predetermined rotation speed. .

  On the other hand, when starting the radar antenna 1, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 34 is lower than a predetermined temperature, that is, when the temperature in the pedestal 3 (the temperature of the radio device 33) is lower than −25 ° C. From the time when the start switch is turned on until the temperature in the pedestal 3 becomes −25 ° C. or higher, the motor 32 is heated by repeating forward and reverse rotations of the motor 32 in a short cycle. Here, the short time is a short time such that the radiator 2 starts to rotate. In this embodiment, the short time is a time immediately before the radiator 2 starts to rotate, and is set to 100 milliseconds, for example. Then, a large torque is required to rotate the radiator 2 which is a long body, and the starting torque is set as a braking torque by continuously repeating forward and reverse rotations of the motor 32 in such a short cycle. The motor 32 is caused to generate heat by being absorbed and converted into heat.

  Here, it is only necessary that the starting torque is absorbed as the braking torque and the motor 32 generates heat, and the motor 32 may be rotated forward and backward in a short cycle such that the radiator 2 rotates slightly. Further, since the motor 32 generates heat by repeating forward and reverse rotations of the motor 32 in a short time and the radiator 2 is not rotated, a large load is not applied to the motor 32.

  Next, when the motor 32 generates heat in this way, the temperature in the pedestal 3 and the temperature of the wireless device 33 rise, and the temperature in the pedestal 3 (the temperature of the wireless device 33) reaches −25 ° C. or more. The motor 32 is controlled so that the radiator 2 rotates and rotates forward at a predetermined rotational speed. As described above, when the temperature in the pedestal 3 is lower than −25 ° C., the electronic circuit of the wireless device 33 cannot operate, so the motor 32 generates heat and the temperature in the pedestal 3 (the temperature of the wireless device 33) is set. After raising the temperature to −25 ° C. or higher, the radiator 2 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. Here, when the temperature in the pedestal 3 is less than −25 ° C., the electronic circuit of the radio device 33 is inoperable and the radiator 2 does not need to be rotated. Therefore, the motor 32 is used for the purpose of generating heat as described above. Even so, there is no problem in the operation of the radar antenna 1.

  Next, the operation of the radar antenna 1 having such a configuration and the method for raising the temperature of the radio of the radar antenna 1 will be described.

  When the radiator 2 has stopped rotating and the radar antenna 1 starts to be started, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature in the pedestal 3 (the temperature of the radio device 33) is measured by the temperature sensor 34 (step S1). If the temperature in the pedestal 3 is −25 ° C. or higher, as described above, the radiator 2 is immediately rotated and rotated at a predetermined rotational speed by the motor 32, and the radio device 33 is operated (step S4). . On the other hand, when the temperature in the pedestal 3 is less than −25 ° C., the motor control is such that the motor 32 is normally rotated for a short time (step S2), and immediately thereafter, the motor 32 is reversely rotated for a short time (step S3). Is repeatedly performed, the motor 32 generates heat.

  Then, due to the heat generated by the motor 32, the temperature in the pedestal 3 and the temperature of the radio device 33 are increased, and such forward rotation, reverse rotation, and heat generation of the motor 32 are continued until the temperature in the pedestal 3 reaches −25 ° C. or higher. Will continue. Thereafter, when the temperature in the pedestal 3 reaches −25 ° C. or higher, the radiator 32 is rotated and forwardly rotated at a predetermined rotational speed by the motor 32, and the radio device 33 is operated (step S4).

  As described above, according to the radar antenna 1 and the method of heating the radar antenna 1, the temperature of the radio 33 is raised to an operable temperature by the heat generated by the motor 32 necessary for rotating the radiator 2. can do. That is, since the temperature of the radio device 33 is raised using the existing motor 32, it is not necessary to separately provide a heater in the pedestal 3. For this reason, the cost can be reduced, and the radar antenna 1 (pedestal 3) can be simplified and downsized. In addition, since the motor 32 is not heated by rotating the motor 32 at a high speed, the motor 32 is heated by repeating the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the motor 32 in a short cycle. In addition, the motor 32 is not damaged or deteriorated due to seizure or the like. Further, the radar antenna 1 can be configured easily and at low cost simply by providing the conventional ready-made radar antenna with the temperature sensor 34 and the motor control unit 35.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention, Included in the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the temperature sensor 34 and the motor control unit 35 are separated from each other. However, the temperature sensor 34 and the motor control unit 35 may be integrated, or provided with a CPU (motor control means). The measured temperature may be transmitted to the CPU, and the motor driver may be controlled by the CPU. Further, the temperature of the wireless device 33 is indirectly measured by measuring the temperature in the pedestal 3 with the temperature sensor 34, but the temperature of the wireless device 33 may be directly measured.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Radar antenna 2 Radiator 3 Pedestal 31 Rotary joint 32 Motor 33 Radio | wireless machine 34 Temperature sensor (temperature measurement means)
35 Motor control unit (motor control means)
41 First gear 42 Second gear

Claims (2)

In a radar antenna in which a radiator is rotatably mounted on a housing-like pedestal, and a motor and a radio for rotating the radiator are disposed in the pedestal.
Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in the pedestal;
When starting, when the temperature measured by the temperature measuring means is less than a predetermined temperature, the forward rotation and reverse rotation of the motor are repeated in a short cycle such that the radiator starts to rotate. Motor control means for generating heat from the motor;
A radar antenna comprising: A method for raising the temperature of a radar antenna, in which a radiator is rotatably mounted on a housing-like pedestal, and a motor and a radio for rotating the radiator are disposed in the pedestal. There,
Measuring the temperature in the pedestal,
When starting up, when the temperature in the pedestal is lower than a predetermined temperature, the motor is heated by repeating forward and reverse rotation of the motor in a short period of time such that the radiator starts to rotate. To raise the temperature of the radio,
A radar antenna temperature rising method for a radar antenna.

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