12results about "Inflatable antennas" patented technology

The invention discloses a high-gain inflatable antenna system easy to disassemble and assemble. The high-gain inflatable antenna system comprises a reflecting surface, an inflatable sphere antenna housing and a feed source, the reflecting surface is arranged at the central position of the inner equator of the inflatable spherical antenna housing, is radially arranged and is matched with the feed source to form a high-performance reflecting surface antenna system; the feed source is arranged on the surface of the inflatable spherical antenna housing, is vertical to the plane direction formed by the reflecting surface, and is arranged along the axial direction; the feed source comprises an orthogonal mode coupler, a feed source supporting leg and a feed source connecting seat, and the orthogonal mode coupler adopts a split structure and is an open type cavity capable of being directly subjected to numerical control machining; the feed source connecting seat is arranged on the spherical surface of the inflatable spherical antenna housing, and a quick-release screw is preassembled in the connecting seat; a U-shaped opening sliding groove is formed in one end of the feed source supporting leg, and the feed source supporting leg is directly clamped into the shaft portion of the quick release screw through the U-shaped opening sliding groove and screwed tightly. The adaptability and the installation precision of the system are remarkably improved.

The example non-limiting technology herein provides a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) solution on board a micro-satellite that provides global revisit within 1 month; a cost below US$ 10 million; and satellite mass lower than 100 kg. One solution uses an inflatable Cassegrain type antenna with a phased beam steering array in the 1.2 GHz band.

An AMC antenna device includes a ground plane and a layer of flexible antenna elements over the ground plane. The ground plane includes a conductive base surface, a plurality of flexible conductors, and a frequency selective surface (FSS) layer over the base surface, where the FSS layer includes a plurality of conductive patches separated from one another. Each of the flexible conductors electrically connects one of the conductive patches to the base surface. A latching mechanism is disposed between the base layer and the FSS layer. An inflatable bladder system between the base layer and the FSS layer is configured to receive a gas input and inflate to generate a force sufficient to cause the latching mechanism to transition from an unlocked state to a locked state in which the conductive base surface is fixedly separated from the FSS layer by a predetermined distance during deployment of the antenna device.

Systems and methods described herein include collapsible and deployable antenna structures. The antenna structures may include any combination of shape memory composites, inflatable envelopes, and / or degradable materials.

Disclosed methods and apparatuses embody techniques for advantageous packing and deployment of an inflatable net for use as a randomized sparse array offering gain and beam-count equivalent with a conventional phased-array of the same number of antenna elements and near-equivalent spatial discrimination (beam definition) as compared with a conventional phased array of the same effective diameter. Operation of the deployed net as a randomized sparse array greatly relaxes the mechanical tolerances associated with deployment, such that array performance does not depend on achieving precise or predetermined spatial relationships among or between elements in the array. Additionally, the voids inherent in the net structure offer greatly reduced overall mass and volume, making practical the stowage and launch of inflatable nets that deploy into very large arrays.

The invention discloses a stable supporting structure for an azimuth rotation pre-tightening floating seat of an inflatable antenna servo system. The stable supporting structure comprises a fixed base, a supporting block, a circular guide rail inner ring, a circular guide rail outer ring and a plurality of groups of pre-tightening floating seats, the fixed base is arranged on the ground and is used for supporting other parts; the supporting block is installed on the fixed base and used for bearing and positioning the circular guide rail inner ring and the circular guide rail outer ring. The circular guide rail inner ring and the circular guide rail outer ring are coaxially arranged, and an annular rolling channel is formed between the circular guide rail inner ring and the circular guide rail outer ring. And a plurality of groups of pre-tightening floating seats are mounted on the annular rolling channel. The variable self-adjustment of the distance between the floating mounting table and the roller is realized, and the anti-inclination capability and the rotation stability under the eccentric load condition are improved, so that the stability and the tracking precision of the inflatable antenna servo system are improved.

Systems and methods described herein include collapsible and deployable antenna structures including shape memory composite components. An example antenna structure includes a base structure comprising a shape memory component; a conductive component; and a support structure creating an inflatable sleeve. The support structure may be configured to support the conductive material and the base structure. The support structure and base structure may work together to deploy the deployable antenna from the collapsed configuration to the deployed configuration. An exemplary method of deploying an antenna structure may include storing the antenna structure in a stored configuration; inflating an inflatable sleeve with an inflation gas to transition the antenna structure from the stored configuration to a deployed configuration defining an antenna shape; and retaining the deployed configuration defining the antenna shape with the shape memory component.

An inflatable antenna structure composed of flexible, electrically conductive material is disclosed. When inflated, for example, with air or lighter-than-air gas, the structure assumes antenna geometries suitable for a wide range of RF transmission and reception requirements. Also, when inflated, the structure can be lofted and deployed hundreds or more feet into the sky, enabling extended communication capabilities. The structure includes at least one inflation-deflation port and at least one electrical-connectivity port. One or more embodiments include offering significant advantages over conventional antenna structures with respect to weight, size, portability, performance, and manufacturability.

This invention discloses a highly stable detachable inflatable antenna base support structure, comprising a fixed base, a movable box, a support rod, and a lateral thrust structure. The fixed base is placed on the ground, and the movable box is mounted on top of the fixed base. The support rod is horizontally mounted on the movable box, and the lateral thrust structure is fixed to the support rod. The lateral thrust structure is used to laterally support the antenna body. By introducing multiple lateral thrust structures, this invention significantly enhances the support structure's resistance to lateral forces and its stability; it performs particularly well in strong winds or vibration environments, reducing the risk of swaying.