Lens type foldable and expandable thin film antenna and dimension design method therefor

Abstract

The invention discloses a lens type foldable and expandable thin film antenna. The lens type foldable and expandable thin film antenna comprises a thin film lens, a microwave feed source and an expandable mechanism, wherein the thin film lens comprises at least one layer of flexible circuit; the flexible circuit consists of copper-clad flexible substrates of multiple metal resonance units which are manufactured through a photoetching process; the microwave feed source adopts a microwave antenna form, has the gain of less than 10dB and is positioned in a theoretical focal point of the thin film lens; and the expandable mechanism is connected with the thin film lens and used for realizing folding and expanding of the thin film lens. The lens type foldable and expandable thin film antenna has the characteristic of realizing a focusing lens effect by adopting the foldable and expandable thin film lens with the focusing function; and by combination with the microwave feed source structure, the feed source positioned in the theoretical focal point can pass through the thin film lens and then can radiate high-gain antenna wave beams.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to a lens-type foldable and unfoldable film antenna and a size design method thereof. Background technique [0002] Space-borne antennas require a long operating distance, a large monitoring range, and high gain. Therefore, large-aperture antennas must be used. The caliber of such antennas often reaches tens of square meters or even hundreds of square meters. Large space-borne antennas account for a large proportion of satellite launch costs. The reason is not only the need to increase thrust, but also the volume of the launch vehicle fairing. [0003] With the development of space science and technology, the conventional antenna structure can no longer meet the requirements of large-diameter antennas. When the size of the antenna exceeds the range that the fairing of the space vehicle can accommodate, the antenna is required to be folded and stored in the fairing during the launc...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0016] The reflector of the parabolic film antenna is a curved surface structure, which requires high forming accuracy after being deployed on the rail, and there is a certain problem of feed source occlusion

[0017] At the same time, the traditional dielectric lens relies on the phase accumulation effect of the dielectric material. The phase of the outgoing wave depends on the line integral of the refractive index for the propagation path. It needs a bulk material to realize and cannot be made into a thin film

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