A loadable antenna based on composite materials and multilayer structures

Abstract

The application provides a loadable antenna based on a composite material and a multilayer structure, and the antenna unit structure comprises a panel, a sandwich layer, an antenna radiation layer, an antenna feed layer and a metal grid frame; the antenna radiation layer comprises a dielectric substrate and a prepreg, the surface of the prepreg is pressed with a metal patch, and the prepreg has an annular patch therebetween, the annular patch forms an annular structure around the metal patch; the antenna feed layer comprises a metal ground plate, the metal ground plate is etched on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate, and the metal ground plate is connected through conductive glue and an antenna base; the coaxial connector is embedded in the antenna base and the metal grid frame, the antenna radiation layer and the antenna base are located inside the metal grid frame, and the antenna radiation layer and the antenna base are fixedly connected with the metal grid frame through fixing screws. The antenna provided by the application has the performance of wide bandwidth and angle scanning, has the characteristics of low profile, has the advantages of easy conformation with the surface of a carrier and easy integration with active devices, and has a certain load capacity, thereby improving the value of practical engineering application.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of phased array radar antenna, and particularly relates to a loadable antenna based on composite material and multi-layer structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the increasingly complex combat environment, the survivability and combat effectiveness of our weapon platforms are challenged, which puts forward the requirements of high stealth, all-around detection and perception, high mobility and the like for the new generation of weapon platforms.

[0003] At present, most of the aircraft surfaces are occupied by antennas, and most of the antennas protrude from the aircraft surface, which obviously increases the aerodynamic resistance of the aircraft and seriously reduces the mobility of the aircraft. Each antenna is a strong scatterer, which will seriously affect the stealth performance of the fighter. In addition, most of the antenna installation requires a support structure, which not only increases the weight of the aircraft, but also occupies the limited space in the aircraft body, thereby increasing the repair and maintenance cost. Therefore, the loadable antenna based on composite material and multi-layer structure is researched, the super-thin super-wideband conformal antenna technology is developed, the functional reuse and area sharing of multiple antennas of different frequency bands are realized, the number of antennas is greatly reduced, the load structure and the protrusion of the aircraft surface are reduced, and thus the mobility and stealth performance of the fighter can be greatly improved. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a loadable antenna based on composite material and multi-layer structure, which solves the technical problem of poor integration of sensors and platform in the prior art.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides the following technical scheme: a loadable antenna based on composite material and multi-layer structure, characterized in that the antenna unit structure of the loadable antenna comprises: a panel; a sandwich layer located between the panel and an antenna radiation layer; the antenna radiation layer comprises a dielectric substrate and a prepreg, a plurality of prepregs are located in the middle and the top of the multi-layer dielectric substrate respectively, the surface of the prepreg has a metal patch, the plurality of metal patches are formed by pressing the prepreg and the dielectric substrate, the prepreg has an annular patch, and the annular patch forms an annular structure around the metal patch; the antenna feed layer comprises a metal ground plate, the metal ground plate is etched on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate, and the metal ground plate is connected through conductive glue and an antenna base; a metal grid frame, a coaxial connector is embedded in the antenna base and the metal grid frame, the antenna radiation layer and the antenna base are located in the metal grid frame, and the antenna radiation layer and the antenna base are fixedly connected with the metal grid frame through fixing screws.

[0006] Further, the metal patch includes: a first metal patch on the upper surface of the first prepreg, of two first metal patches in the same layer, one connected to the needle core of the coaxial connector through the metalized via, and the other connected to the metal floor through the metalized via; a second metal patch on the lower surface of the second prepreg, the overlapping part of the second metal patch and the first metal patch being sintered by copper paste; a third metal patch on the upper surface of the third prepreg, connected to the second metal patch through the metalized via; a fourth metal patch on the lower surface of the fourth prepreg, the overlapping part of the fourth metal patch and the third metal patch being sintered by copper paste; a fifth metal patch on the upper surface of the fifth prepreg, connected to the fourth metal patch through the metalized via; and a sixth metal patch on the lower surface of the sixth prepreg, the overlapping part of the sixth metal patch and the fifth metal patch being sintered by copper paste.

[0007] Further, the upper surface of the seventh prepreg also has a parasitic metal patch, which is formed by pressing the prepreg.

[0008] Further, of the metal patches, two metal patches on the same prepreg are symmetrically distributed about the center of the antenna unit structure with a certain spacing in the horizontal plane.

[0009] Further, the metal patches and the parasitic metal patch are sequentially arranged along the center of the antenna unit structure and gradually approach the edge of the antenna unit structure.

[0010] Further, two ring-shaped patches are respectively located between the fourth prepreg and the third prepreg and between the second prepreg and the first prepreg, forming a ring-shaped structure around the metal patch on the corresponding prepreg.

[0011] Further, the metal grid frame is stacked by rectangular metal and metal surrounding frame, the metal surrounding frame is a half "I" shaped metal column, and the long side of the "I" shape is arranged along the two edges of the antenna magnetic surface.

[0012] Further, the metal patch, the metalized via, and the copper paste form a gradually changing slot antenna structure, and the dielectric substrate, the prepreg, and the interlayer form a wide-angle matching layer of the antenna unit structure.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the at least one technical scheme adopted by the embodiment of the present application can achieve the beneficial effects at least including: the present application provides a loadable antenna based on a composite material and a multi-layer structure, which comprises a panel, a sandwich layer, an antenna radiation layer, an antenna feed layer, and a metal grid frame. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort on the basis of these drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a loadable antenna based on a composite material and a multi-layer structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 is a side view of a loadable antenna based on a composite material and a multi-layer structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an antenna unit structure of a loadable antenna based on a composite material and a multi-layer structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a metal grid frame according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 is an active standing wave curve of an array unit of an active phased array composed of an antenna unit structure according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Fig. 1: 1, panel; 2, interlayer; 3, dielectric substrate; 4, prepreg; 4a, seventh prepreg; 4b, sixth prepreg; 4c, fifth prepreg; 4d, fourth prepreg; 4e, third prepreg; 4f, second prepreg; 4g, first prepreg; 5, conductive glue; 6, antenna pedestal; 7, coaxial connector; 8, fixing screw; 9, metal lattice frame; 10, metal ground plate; 11, copper paste block; 12, metallized via; 13, metal patch; 13f, first metal patch; 13e, second metal patch; 13d, third metal patch; 13c, fourth metal patch; 13b, fifth metal patch; 13a, sixth metal patch; 14, parasitic metal patch; 15, ring patch; 16, antenna radiation layer; 17, antenna feed layer; 18, antenna unit structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The above embodiments of the present application are described with reference to specific examples. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the above description. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of the embodiments of the present application. The present application can also be implemented or applied by other different specific embodiments, and the details in the specification can be modified or changed based on different views and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of the present application.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the embodiment of the present application provides a loadable antenna based on composite material and multi-layer structure, which is a two-dimensional curved surface conformal antenna array, including a panel 1, an interlayer 2, an antenna radiation layer 16, and an antenna feed layer 17. An antenna array surface part is periodically arranged by an antenna unit structure 18, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the antenna unit structure 18 of the loadable antenna comprises: a panel 1; a sandwich layer 2 between the panel 1 and an antenna radiation layer 16; the antenna radiation layer 16 comprises a dielectric substrate 3 and prepregs 4, a plurality of prepregs 4 are respectively located in the middle and top of the multilayer dielectric substrate 3, the surface of the prepregs 4 has metal patches 13, a plurality of metal patches 13 are formed by pressing the prepregs 4 and the dielectric substrate 3, and the prepregs 4 have annular patches 15 therebetween, the annular patches 15 form an annular structure around the metal patches 13; an antenna feed layer 17 comprises a metal ground plate 10 etched on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 3d, and is connected by adhesive 5 and an antenna base 6; a metal grid frame 9, a coaxial connector 7 is embedded in the antenna base 6 and the metal grid frame 9, the antenna radiation layer 16 and the antenna base 6 are located inside the metal grid frame 9, and are fixedly connected with the metal grid frame 9 by a fixing screw 8.

[0024] Specifically, the panel 1 is made of fiber composite material with high strength, high modulus and wide frequency wave transmission; the sandwich layer 2 between the panel 1 and the antenna radiation layer 16 is made of foam material. The panel 1 has high wave transmission and high load bearing characteristics, and the specific thickness is designed according to the load size; the sandwich layer 2 is used to provide stiffness support and has wave transmission characteristics, and also plays a role in adjusting the electrical parameters of the structure.

[0025] Further, the metal patch 13 comprises: a first metal patch 13f on the upper surface of the first prepreg 4g, of which two first metal patches 13f in the same layer, one is connected with the needle core of the coaxial connector 7 through the metallized via 12, and the other is connected with the metal ground plate 10 through the metallized via 12; a second metal patch 13e on the lower surface of the second prepreg 4f, the overlapping part of the second metal patch 13e and the first metal patch 13f is sintered by the copper paste block 11; a third metal patch 13d on the upper surface of the third prepreg 4e, connected with the second metal patch 13e through the metallized via 12; a fourth metal patch 13c on the lower surface of the fourth prepreg 4d, the overlapping part of the fourth metal patch 13c and the third metal patch 13d is sintered by the copper paste block 11; a fifth metal patch 13b on the upper surface of the fifth prepreg 4c, connected with the fourth metal patch 13c through the metallized via 12; a sixth metal patch 13a on the lower surface of the sixth prepreg 4b, the overlapping part of the sixth metal patch 13a and the fifth metal patch 13b is sintered by the copper paste block 11.

[0026] Further, the upper surface of the seventh prepreg 4a also has a parasitic metal patch 14, which is formed by pressing the seventh prepreg 4a.

[0027] Optionally, the shape of each metal patch of the metal patch 13 can be square or rectangular.

[0028] Preferably, two metal patches 13 on the same prepreg 4 have a certain spacing in the horizontal plane and are symmetrically distributed about the center of the antenna unit structure.

[0029] Preferably, the metal patches 13 and the parasitic metal patches 14 are arranged in sequence along the center of the antenna unit structure and gradually approach the edge of the antenna unit structure.

[0030] Further, two ring-shaped patches 15 are respectively located between the fourth prepreg 4d and the third prepreg 4e and between the second prepreg 4f and the first prepreg 4g, and form a ring-shaped structure around the metal patches 13 on the corresponding prepreg 4.

[0031] Optionally, the shape of the ring-shaped patch 15 includes an elliptical ring, a rectangular ring, a rhombic ring, and other deformed shapes.

[0032] Further, the metal grid frame 9 is stacked by rectangular metal and metal surrounding frames, the metal surrounding frame is a half "I" shaped metal column, and the long side of the "I" shape is arranged along the two edges of the antenna H surface.

[0033] Further, the metal patches 13, the metalized via 12 and the copper paste block 11 form a gradually changing slot antenna structure, and the dielectric substrate 3a, the seventh prepreg 4a and the interlayer 2 form a wide-angle matching layer of the antenna unit structure.

[0034] Embodiment one

[0035] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the phased array antenna is composed of an antenna unit structure 18, and the entire radiation layer and the feed layer have a profile height of only about 0.39λ H (0.39 times the wavelength corresponding to the highest frequency), which has the characteristic of low profile. The active standing wave of the array unit is shown in Figure 5 . It can be seen that the antenna can realize ±60° scanning in the E plane (electric field plane) and the H plane (magnetic field plane) within the operating frequency band of 0.2f0~1.8f0 (0.2 times the center frequency~0.8 times the center frequency) (VSWR<2.5, the active standing wave is lower than 2.5), which shows that the antenna in the application has the radiation characteristic of super wide band.

[0036] Simulation analysis of the spanwise, chordwise and shear stress cloud of the antenna shows that in the bearing area of the antenna structure, the stress level is not less than 70MPa. Under the premise of meeting the bearing capacity of 70MPa, the minimum safety margin M.S. of the overall stability of the antenna is calculated to be 1.44-1=0.44, which shows that the structure will not have overall buckling under the above load. Therefore, the antenna realized in the application has high bearing capacity.

[0037] To sum up, compared with the prior art, the antenna based on the composite material and the multi-layer structure provided in the embodiments of the present application can achieve at least the following technical effects:

[0038] 1. The present application effectively expands the bandwidth of the microstrip antenna, moves the scanning blind spot out of the working bandwidth, and significantly improves the scanning angle domain of the microstrip phased array antenna on the basis of 40% working bandwidth. The E-plane (electric field plane) scanning angle can reach ±60°, and the H-plane (magnetic field plane) scanning angle reaches ±45°. Meanwhile, the present application retains the advantages of the microstrip antenna, such as low profile, small volume, light weight, easy conformation with the surface of the carrier, easy integration with active devices, and the like.

[0039] 2. The structure, design and processing difficulty coefficient of the present application are low, and the present application is easy to implement and has strong engineering practical significance.

[0040] 3. The present application can be used to realize wide bandwidth and angle scanning of the microstrip antenna, and can be used on various radars and electronic warfare, communication equipment on various shipborne, airborne, roadbed platforms.

[0041] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or replacements easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical range disclosed in the present application should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multilayer structure, characterized in that, The antenna element structure (18) capable of carrying an antenna includes: Panel (1); The interlayer (2) is located between the panel (1) and the antenna radiating layer (16); The antenna radiating layer (16) includes a dielectric substrate (3) and a prepreg (4). Multiple prepregs (4) are located in the middle and top of the multilayer dielectric substrate (3). The surface of the prepreg (4) has metal patches (13). Multiple metal patches (13) are formed by pressing the prepreg (4) and the dielectric substrate (3). There are annular patches (15) between the prepregs (4). The annular patches (15) form an annular structure around the metal patches (13). The antenna feed layer (17) includes a metal ground plane (10), which is etched on the lower surface of the dielectric substrate (3d) and bonded to the antenna base (6) by conductive adhesive (5). The metal grid frame (9) and the coaxial connector (7) are embedded in the antenna base (6) and the metal grid frame (9). The antenna radiating layer (16) and the antenna base (6) are located inside the metal grid frame (9) and are fixedly connected to the metal grid frame (9) by fixing screws (8). The metal patch (13) includes a first metal patch (13f) located on the upper surface of the first prepreg (4g). Of the two first metal patches (13f) located in the same layer, one is connected to the pin core of the coaxial connector (7) through a metallized via (12), and the other is connected to the metal ground plate (10) through a metallized via (12); a second metal patch (13e) located on the lower surface of the second prepreg (4f), and the overlapping portion of the second metal patch (13e) and the first metal patch (13f) is sintered by a copper paste block (11); a third metal patch (13d) located on the upper surface of the third prepreg (4e), and is connected by a metallized via (12). Metallized via (12) is connected to the second metal patch (13e); the fourth metal patch (13c) is located on the lower surface of the fourth prepreg (4d), and the overlapping part of the fourth metal patch (13c) and the third metal patch (13d) is sintered by copper paste block (11); the fifth metal patch (13b) is located on the upper surface of the fifth prepreg (4c) and is connected to the fourth metal patch (13c) through metallized via (12); the sixth metal patch (13a) is located on the lower surface of the sixth prepreg (4b), and the overlapping part of the sixth metal patch (13a) and the fifth metal patch (13b) is sintered by copper paste block (11); The upper surface of the seventh prepreg (4a) also has a parasitic metal patch (14), which is formed by pressing the seventh prepreg (4a).

2. The load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multi-layer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the metal patch (13), the two metal patches (13) located on the same half of the cured sheet (4) have a certain distance on the horizontal plane and are symmetrically distributed about the center of the antenna unit structure.

3. The load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multi-layer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Metal patches (13) and parasitic metal patches (14) are arranged sequentially along the center of the antenna unit structure and gradually move closer to the edge of the antenna unit structure.

4. The load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multi-layer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two annular patches (15) are located between the fourth prepreg (4d) and the third prepreg (4e) and between the second prepreg (4f) and the first prepreg (4g), respectively, forming an annular structure around the metal patch (13) on the corresponding prepreg (4).

5. A load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multilayer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal grid frame (9) is made of rectangular metal and metal frame stacked together. The metal frame is half of an "I" shaped metal column. The long side of the "I" shape is arranged along the two edges of the antenna H surface.

6. A load-bearing antenna based on composite materials and a multilayer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Metal patch (13), metallized via (12) and copper paste block (11) form a gradient slot antenna structure, and dielectric substrate (3a), seventh prepreg (4a) and interlayer (2) form the wide-angle matching layer of the antenna unit structure.

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