Metal solar cell antenna and antenna array

Abstract

The present invention discloses a metal solar cell antenna and an antenna array, comprising an antenna vibrator, a solar cell sheet and an antenna base arranged in sequence from top to bottom; the antenna vibrator is connected to the antenna base through a matching column, a grounding metal column and the antenna vibrator, and the antenna vibrator is perpendicular to the antenna base, the solar cell sheet is provided with a via hole, the antenna vibrator, the grounding metal column and the matching column are arranged in the via hole and do not contact the solar cell sheet; the present invention adopts a hollow "seedling" shaped vibrator antenna, the antenna occupies a small volume, has a low cross-section, has the advantages of less light shielding and high light transmittance, and adopts a hollow "seedling" shaped antenna vibrator, assisted by a two-step step transformation of a matching column and a feeding column, which effectively expands the antenna working bandwidth, and the matching column and the feeding column also play a role in supporting the "seedling" shaped vibrator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antenna equipment, and in particular to a metal solar cell antenna and an antenna array. Background Art

[0002] Driven by the energy crisis, solar energy has been increasingly valued as a clean energy source, and products related to solar cells have continued to emerge. The integration of solar cells and antennas, and the use of solar cell electricity for antenna systems, have provided new ideas for the power supply of traditional antenna systems. Especially in the field of aerospace, solar cells are the main energy source for space payloads. Considering that both antenna arrays and solar panels have large calibers, integrating the two together will help improve the performance of space payloads. The metal solar cell antenna proposed in this invention has good environmental adaptability and is expected to be applied to space payload systems.

[0003] The main bottleneck of integrating solar cells and antennas lies in the shielding of solar cell lighting by the antenna structure and the impact of solar cells on antenna performance.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned defects, the inventors of the present invention finally obtained the present invention after a long period of research and practice. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical defects, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a metal solar cell antenna, including an antenna vibrator, a solar cell panel and an antenna base arranged in sequence from top to bottom; the antenna vibrator is connected to the antenna base through a matching column, a grounding metal column and the antenna base, and the antenna vibrator is perpendicular to the antenna base, the solar cell panel is provided with a via, and the antenna vibrator, the grounding metal column and the matching column are arranged in the via and do not contact the solar cell panel.

[0006] Preferably, an insulating layer is provided between the solar cell sheet and the antenna base for isolation.

[0007] Preferably, the antenna element includes a first dipole portion and a second dipole portion which are symmetrically arranged, the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion are not connected, the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion bend and extend in a direction away from the antenna base, and the spacing between the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion gradually increases in a direction away from the antenna base.

[0008] Preferably, hollow grooves are provided in both the first vibrator part and the second vibrator part.

[0009] Preferably, a grounding metal column is arranged at the end of the first vibrator part close to the antenna base, and a feeding metal column is arranged at the end of the second vibrator part close to the antenna base. The grounding metal column is fixedly connected to the antenna base, and the feeding metal column is interconnected with a metal probe of a RF coaxial connector.

[0010] Preferably, the grounding metal column and the feeding metal column are both arranged perpendicular to the antenna base, and the grounding metal column and the feeding metal column are both rectangular parallelepipeds.

[0011] Preferably, a setting groove communicating with the hollow groove is arranged in the grounding metal column, and the feeding metal column is arranged as a sheet structure with a step-wise thickness variation.

[0012] Preferably, the lower end of the matching metal column is connected to the antenna base, the matching metal column is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the upper end of the matching metal column is connected to the first oscillator part or the second oscillator part.

[0013] Preferably, an antenna array comprises a plurality of the metal solar cell antennas, each of the metal solar cell antennas being arranged in a rectangular grid.

[0014] Preferably, on adjacent metal solar cell antennas arranged in the same straight line, the upper end of the first oscillator part on the metal solar cell antenna is connected to the upper end of the second oscillator part on the adjacent metal solar cell antenna.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. The hollow "seedling"-shaped vibrator antenna is adopted, and the antenna occupies a small volume and has a low cross-section, and has the advantages of less light shielding and high light transmittance. In addition, the hollow "seedling"-shaped antenna vibrator is adopted, assisted by a two-step step transformation of a matching column and a feeding column, which effectively expands the antenna working bandwidth. The matching column and the feeding column also play a role in supporting the "seedling"-shaped vibrator; 2. The antenna array composed of antenna units has a wide-band and large-angle phase scanning capability under a suitable unit spacing arrangement; 3. The metal solar cell antenna adopts an all-metal structure, has good structural strength and radiation resistance, is suitable for harsh space environments, and has a high engineering application value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a structural stereogram of the metal solar cell antenna;

[0017] Figure 2 A top view of the structure of the metal solar cell antenna;

[0018] Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the metal solar cell antenna;

[0019] Figure 4is a dimension parameter diagram of the metal solar cell antenna;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a comparison diagram of S11 between the metal antenna with solar cell and without solar cell;

[0021] Figure 6 A comparison diagram of the directional diagrams of the metal antenna with and without solar cells on the E plane;

[0022] Figure 7 A comparison diagram of the directional diagrams of the metal antenna with and without solar cells on the H plane;

[0023] Figure 8 is a structural side view of the antenna array;

[0024] Fig. 9 FIG. 4 is a top view of the structure of the antenna array.

[0025] The numbers in the figure represent:

[0026] 1-antenna vibrator; 2-matching column; 3-RF coaxial connector metal probe; 4-solar cell; 5-insulating layer; 6-antenna base; 7-RF coaxial connector feeding through hole; 8-via; 9-feeding metal column; 10-grounding metal column; 11-upper electrode; 12-lower electrode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The above and other technical features and advantages of the present invention are described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Embodiment 1

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, Figure 1 A structural stereoscopic view of the metal solar cell antenna; Figure 2 A top view of the structure of the metal solar cell antenna; Figure 3 It is a structural cross-sectional view of the metal solar cell antenna.

[0030] The metal solar cell antenna of the present invention comprises an antenna vibrator 1, a solar cell panel 4 and an antenna base 6 which are arranged in sequence from top to bottom; the antenna vibrator 1 is connected to the antenna base 6 through a matching column 2, and the antenna vibrator 1 is vertically arranged on the antenna base 6, the solar cell panel 4 is provided with a via 8, the antenna vibrator 1 and the matching column 2 are arranged in the via 8 and are not in contact with the solar cell panel 4, and the matching column 2 provides support for the antenna vibrator 1.

[0031] An insulating layer 5 is provided between the solar cell sheet 4 and the antenna base 6 for isolation.

[0032] The antenna element 1 , the matching column 2 and the antenna base 6 are made of pure metal, usually aluminum or aluminum alloy in engineering.

[0033] The antenna vibrator 1 is hollowed out internally and arranged symmetrically to reduce the impact on the lighting of the solar cell.

[0034] The antenna element 1 includes a first dipole portion and a second dipole portion that are symmetrically arranged, the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion are not connected, the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion are bent and extended in a direction away from the antenna base 6, and the spacing between the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion gradually increases in a direction away from the antenna base 6, thereby forming a closed leaf-shaped hollow "seedling" structure surrounded by metal.

[0035] Preferably, hollow grooves are provided in the first vibrator part and the second vibrator part, a grounding metal column 10 is provided at the end of the first vibrator part close to the antenna base 6, and a feeding metal column 9 is provided at the end of the second vibrator part close to the antenna base 6, the grounding metal column 10 is fixedly connected to the antenna base 6, the feeding metal column 9 and the RF coaxial connector metal probe 3 are interconnected, the grounding metal column 10 and the feeding metal column 9 are both arranged perpendicular to the antenna base 6, the grounding metal column 10 and the feeding metal column 9 are both rectangular, the grounding metal column 10 is wide and adopts a hollow structure.

[0036] The antenna base 6 is provided with a radio frequency coaxial connector feeding through hole 7 , and the radio frequency coaxial connector metal probe 3 is arranged in the radio frequency coaxial connector feeding through hole 7 .

[0037] The grounding metal column 10 is provided with a setting groove connected to the hollow groove, and the feeding metal column 9 is provided with a sheet structure with a step-wise thickness change, which is conducive to connecting the metal probe of the RF coaxial connector. Generally, the thickness of the feeding metal column 9 decreases in a step-wise manner as it approaches the antenna base 6.

[0038] The hollow "seedling"-shaped antenna vibrator 1 is mainly used to reduce the area of ​​the vibrator pattern, reduce the blocking of solar cell lighting, and also help to reduce weight.

[0039] The lower end of the matching metal column 2 is connected to the antenna base 6. The matching metal column 2 is a rectangular parallelepiped structure. The upper end of the matching metal column 2 is adjacent to the hollow "seedling"-shaped vibrator, which plays a role in supporting the antenna vibrator.

[0040] The solar cell sheet 4 and the insulating film 5 are provided with a nearly rectangular via 8 at the position of the feeding metal column 9, the grounding metal column 10 and the matching column 2 to ensure that the upper electrode 11 and the lower electrode 12 of the solar cell sheet 4 are not directly interconnected with the feeding metal column 9, the grounding metal column 10 and the matching column 2.

[0041] Figure 4 The main size parameters of the metal solar cell antenna described in this implementation case are given in millimeters. Figure 4 The thickness of the metal solar cell antenna vibrator is 1mm.

[0042] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, Figure 5 is a comparison diagram of S11 between the metal antenna with a solar cell (SAT) and without a solar cell (AT); Figure 6 A comparison diagram of the directional diagrams of the metal antenna with and without solar cells on the E plane; Figure 7 The figure is a comparison of the directional patterns of the metal antenna with and without solar cells on the H plane. From the data shown in the above figure, the presence or absence of solar cells has little effect on the S11, VSWR and directional pattern indicators of the metal antenna, indicating that the antenna performance of the solar cell antenna with this layout design is little affected by the solar cell.

[0043] Embodiment 2

[0044] By periodically arranging the metal solar cell antenna, a phased array antenna with two-dimensional phase scanning capability can be obtained. The antenna array is composed of a rectangular grid arrangement of 6×6 units with a unit spacing of 25.2mm in length and 25mm in width, with a total of 36 units, such as Figure 8 , Fig. 9 shown. Figure 8 is a side view of the antenna array, Fig. 9 The top view of the antenna array. The solar cell sheet and its insulating film can be set according to the size of the antenna array. If the antenna array surface is larger than the size of the solar cell sheet and the insulating film, multiple solar cell sheets and insulating films can be spliced. The solar cell sheet and the insulating film need to have a through hole in an approximately rectangular shape to ensure that the antenna feed column, the ground column, and the matching column pass through without contact.

[0045] On the adjacent metal solar cell antennas arranged in the same straight line, the upper end of the first vibrator part on the metal solar cell antenna is connected to the upper end of the second vibrator part on the adjacent metal solar cell antenna, thereby strengthening the position fixing effect of the second vibrator part and the first vibrator part.

[0046] The present invention takes into account the performance of the antenna and the solar cell. The hollow "seedling"-shaped vibrator shape is adopted, so that the antenna has a wider working bandwidth and better light transmittance. The vertical erection structure is adopted, so that the antenna has good forward radiation performance.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is only illustrative and not restrictive of the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that many changes, modifications, and even equivalences may be made to the present invention within the spirit and scope defined by the claims of the present invention, but all of them will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metal solar cell antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises an antenna vibrator, a solar cell sheet and an antenna base arranged in sequence from top to bottom; the antenna vibrator is connected to the antenna base through a matching column, a grounding metal column and the antenna vibrator is perpendicular to the antenna base, the solar cell sheet is provided with a via hole, the antenna vibrator, the grounding metal column and the matching column are arranged in the via hole and do not contact the solar cell sheet; The antenna element comprises a first dipole portion and a second dipole portion which are symmetrically arranged, wherein the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion are not connected, the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion are bent and extended in a direction away from the antenna base, and a distance between the first dipole portion and the second dipole portion gradually increases in a direction away from the antenna base; The first vibrator part and the second vibrator part are both provided with hollow grooves; The grounding metal column is arranged at the end of the first vibrator part close to the antenna base, and the feeding metal column is arranged at the end of the second vibrator part close to the antenna base, the grounding metal column is fixedly connected to the antenna base, and the feeding metal column is interconnected with the metal probe of the RF coaxial connector; The grounding metal column and the feeding metal column are both arranged perpendicular to the antenna base, and the grounding metal column and the feeding metal column are both rectangular parallelepipeds; The grounding metal column is provided with a setting groove which is connected with the hollow groove, and the feeding metal column is provided with a step structure with a step-wise thickness change.

2. The metal solar cell antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: An insulating layer is provided between the solar cell sheet and the antenna base for isolation.

3. The metal solar cell antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the matching column is connected to the antenna base, the matching column is a rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the upper end of the matching column is connected to the first oscillator part or the second oscillator part.

4. An antenna array, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of metal solar cell antennas as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the metal solar cell antennas is arranged in a rectangular grid.

5. The antenna array according to claim 4, characterized in that: On the adjacent metal solar cell antennas arranged in the same straight line, the upper end of the first oscillator part on the metal solar cell antenna is connected to the upper end of the second oscillator part on the adjacent metal solar cell antenna.

Images