A foldable satellite antenna structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of satellite antennas, and discloses a foldable satellite antenna structure, wherein a piston seat is disposed in a storage cylinder and is movable along the axial direction of the storage cylinder. A driving device is connected to the piston seat and drives the piston seat to move along the axial direction of the storage cylinder. A feed horn is disposed on top of the piston seat, a secondary reflector platform is slidably mounted on the feed horn, the secondary reflector is located above the feed horn, and is connected to the secondary reflector platform via a connecting bracket. The top end of a spring is connected to the bottom of the secondary reflector platform, and the bottom end of the spring is connected to the top of the piston seat. A plurality of foldable ribs are provided, the foldable ribs including a root rib and a top rib. The first end of the root rib is hinged to the side of the piston seat via a first hinge, and the second end of the root rib is hinged to the first end of the top rib via a second hinge. The first hinge and the second hinge are respectively provided with elastic components. The present invention has the characteristics of a small folded size, a large unfolded size, and a lightweight structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of satellite antennas, and in particular to a foldable satellite antenna structure. Background Art

[0002] As the mysteries of outer space deepen, traditional satellites are no longer able to satisfy people's thirst for outer space information. The need for ultra-large, high-precision satellites and space stations is growing more urgent. Satellite-borne antennas, as signal receivers, have numerous practical applications in wireless communications, deep space exploration, satellite remote sensing, and radio astronomy, and are crucial to the proper operation of satellites. As the demands of space missions grow, so too do the requirements for aerospace antennas. The pursuit of high-gain communication efficiency is driving the increasing aperture size of satellite antennas.

[0003] Currently, the more mature satellite-borne deployable antennas, such as foldable flat-panel arrays, inflatable antennas, frame-type antennas, and peripheral truss deployable reflector antennas, struggle to simultaneously meet the requirements of high storage ratio and high precision. Therefore, a foldable antenna structure with a small collapsed size, large unfolded size, and lightweight structure is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a foldable satellite antenna structure, which has the characteristics of small folded size, large unfolded size, and light structure, and can be driven and unfolded completely without interference through a simple driving method.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a foldable satellite antenna structure, including a storage cylinder, a piston seat, a driving device, a feed horn, a secondary reflector platform, a secondary reflector, a spring and a folding rib, wherein the piston seat is arranged in the storage cylinder and can move along the axial direction of the storage cylinder, the driving device is connected to the piston seat, and the driving device drives the piston seat to move along the axial direction of the storage cylinder, the feed horn is arranged on the top of the piston seat, the secondary reflector platform can be slidably mounted on the feed horn, and the secondary reflector is located in the storage cylinder. The feed horn is above the secondary reflector, and the secondary reflector is connected to the secondary reflector platform through a connecting bracket, the top of the spring is connected to the bottom of the secondary reflector platform, and the bottom end of the spring is connected to the top of the piston seat. A plurality of foldable ribs are provided, and the plurality of foldable ribs are evenly distributed along the outer circumference of the piston seat. The foldable ribs include a root rib and a top rib. The first end of the root rib is hinged to the side of the piston seat through a first hinge, and the second end of the root rib is hinged to the first end of the top rib through the second hinge. The first hinge and the second hinge are respectively provided with elastic components;

[0006] When the antenna structure is in an expanded state, the foldable rib is located above the storage tube, the foldable rib is fully expanded, and the outer side of the root rib and the outer side of the top rib are connected to form a continuous parabolic surface;

[0007] When the antenna structure is in a folded state, the folding ribs, the piston seat and the secondary reflector platform are all located in the storage tube, the folding ribs are completely folded, the outer side of the root rib is against the inner side of the storage tube, the spring is in a compressed state, and the second end of the top rib is against the top of the secondary reflector platform.

[0008] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a positioning groove is provided on the secondary reflector platform, and the positioning groove is arranged around the axis of the feed horn. When the folding rib is in a fully folded state, the second end of the top rib is located in the positioning groove.

[0009] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a first guiding slope is provided at the second end of the top rib, and the first guiding slope gradually inclines toward the outside of the top rib along the direction from the second end to the first end of the top rib.

[0010] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a second guiding slope is provided on an inner wall of the positioning groove on one side close to the feed horn, and the second guiding slope is gradually inclined from top to bottom toward the outer side of the secondary reflector platform.

[0011] As a preferred solution of the present invention, a plurality of guide posts distributed around the axis of the storage cylinder are provided inside the storage cylinder, and the piston seat is provided with a guide sleeve that is slidably matched with the guide posts.

[0012] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the outer side of the feed horn is provided with a plurality of guide ridges distributed around the axis of the feed horn, and the secondary reflector platform is provided with guide grooves that slide with the guide ridges.

[0013] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the bottom of the piston seat is provided with a base that slides with the storage cylinder, and the top of the storage cylinder is provided with a flange that extends toward the inside of the storage cylinder.

[0014] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the secondary reflector platform is provided with a connecting boss that can be slidably mounted on the feed horn, and the top of the feed horn is provided with a limiting boss, and the outer diameter of the limiting boss is larger than the inner diameter of the connecting boss.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the driving device includes a driving motor, a screw and a lifting block, the screw is arranged along the axis of the storage cylinder, the output end of the driving motor is connected to the screw, the lifting block is arranged on the screw, and the lifting block is fixedly connected to the piston seat.

[0016] As a preferred solution of the present invention, the elastic component is a torsion spring.

[0017] The embodiment of the present invention provides a foldable satellite antenna structure. Compared with the prior art, its beneficial effects are as follows: when the antenna structure is in a folded state, the folding ribs, the piston seat and the secondary reflector platform are all located in the storage tube, which effectively reduces the overall volume of the antenna structure and facilitates transportation. At this time, the folding ribs are completely folded, the outer side of the root rib is against the inner side of the storage tube, the spring is in a compressed state, and the second end of the top rib is against the top of the secondary reflector platform, so that the folding ribs remain in a completely folded state; when the antenna structure switches from the folded state to the unfolded state, it is only necessary to drive the piston seat along the folding ribs to move the folding ribs to the folding ribs. When the storage cylinder rises axially, the piston seat will drive the root rib to rise and gradually separate from the storage cylinder. During this process, the root rib gradually rotates and unfolds toward its outside under the elastic force of the elastic component of the first hinge. At the same time, the top rib gradually rotates and unfolds toward its outside under the elastic force of the elastic component of the second hinge, so that the supporting force of the top rib on the secondary reflector platform gradually decreases, causing the secondary reflector to gradually rise and unfold under the elastic force of the spring, driving the secondary reflector to slide and rise, and finally making the folding ribs fully unfolded. The folding ribs, secondary reflector platform and secondary reflector are all located above the storage cylinder, and the unfolding operation is simple. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of the antenna structure of the present invention in a folded state;

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 (the spring is not shown in the figure);

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A local enlarged view of point A;

[0021] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of the antenna structure of the present invention in an unfolded state;

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 sectional view of

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 The structural diagram after omitting the storage cylinder and spring;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a partial structural diagram of the connection between the foldable rib and the piston base of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of the secondary reflector platform of the present invention;

[0026] In the figure, 1. storage cylinder; 11. guide column; 12. flange; 2. piston seat; 21. guide sleeve; 22. base; 3. driving device; 31. driving motor; 32. screw; 33. lifting block; 4. feed horn; 41. guide rib; 42. limiting boss; 5. secondary reflector platform; 51. positioning groove; 511. second guide slope; 52. connecting boss; 53. guide groove; 6. secondary reflector; 61. connecting frame 61; 7. spring; 8. folding rib; 81. root rib; 811. first hinge; 82. top rib; 821. second hinge; 822. first guide slope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" used in the present invention to indicate the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] like Figure 1-8 shows a foldable satellite antenna structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprising a storage cylinder 1, a piston seat 2, a driving device 3, a feed horn 4, a sub-reflector platform 5, a sub-reflector 6, a spring 7 and folding ribs 8. The piston seat 2 is arranged in the storage cylinder 1, and the piston seat 2 can move along the axial direction of the storage cylinder 1. The driving device 3 is connected to the piston seat 2, and the driving device 3 drives the piston seat 2 to move along the axial direction of the storage cylinder 1. The feed horn 4 is arranged on the top of the piston seat 2, and the feed horn 4 is cylindrical. The sub-reflector platform 5 can be slidably mounted on the feed horn 4, the sub-reflector 6 is located above the feed horn 4, and the sub-reflector 6 is connected to the sub-reflector platform 5 through a connecting bracket. The top end of the spring 7 is connected to the bottom of the sub-reflector platform 5, and the bottom end of the spring 7 is connected to the top of the piston seat 2. A plurality of folding ribs 8 are provided, and the plurality of folding ribs 8 are evenly distributed along the periphery of the piston seat 2. The folding rib 8 includes a root rib 81 and a top rib 82. When the folding rib is fully unfolded, the end of the root rib 81 close to the piston seat 2 is the first end of the root rib 81, and the other end of the root rib 81 is the second end of the root rib 81. The end of the top rib 82 close to the piston seat 2 is the first end of the top rib 82, and the other end of the top rib 82 is the second end of the top rib 82. The first end of the root rib 81 is hinged to the side of the piston seat 2 through the first hinge 811, and the second end of the root rib 81 is hinged to the first end of the top rib 82 through the second hinge 821. The first hinge 811 and the second hinge 821 are respectively provided with elastic components (not shown in the figure), such as torsion springs 7 and coil springs. The arrangement of the elastic components ensures that when the root rib 81 and the top rib 82 are not subjected to external force, the folding rib will remain in a fully unfolded state, and when the root rib 81 or the top rib 82 is rotated and folded by external force, the elastic components will generate elastic force;

[0030] When the antenna structure is in the unfolded state, the folding rib 8 is located above the storage tube 1, and the folding rib 8 is fully unfolded, and the outer side of the root rib 81 and the outer side of the top rib 82 are connected to form a continuous parabolic surface;

[0031] When the antenna structure is in a folded state, the folding ribs 8, the piston seat 2 and the secondary reflector platform 5 are all located in the storage tube 1, the folding ribs 8 are completely folded, the outer side of the root rib 81 is against the inner side of the storage tube 1, the spring 7 is in a compressed state, and the second end of the top rib 82 is against the top of the secondary reflector platform 5.

[0032] The secondary reflector 6 device also includes a secondary reflector 6 and a connecting bracket. The secondary reflector 6 is located above the feed horn 4. The top end of the connecting bracket is connected to the secondary reflector 6, and the bottom end of the connecting bracket is connected to the secondary reflector platform 5.

[0033] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows: when the antenna structure is in the folded state, the folding ribs 8, the piston seat 2 and the secondary reflector platform 5 are all located in the storage tube 1. Generally, at this time, the secondary reflector 6 is also located in the storage tube 1, which effectively reduces the overall volume of the antenna structure and facilitates transportation. At this time, the folding ribs 8 are completely folded, and the elastic components of the first hinge 811 and the second hinge 821 generate elastic force. The outer side of the root rib 81 is against the inner side of the storage tube 1, and the spring 7 is in a compressed state. The spring 7 generates elastic force, and the second end of the top rib 82 is against the top of the secondary reflector platform 5. When the antenna structure switches from the folded state to the unfolded state, the driving device 3 drives the piston seat 2 to rise along the axial direction of the storage tube 1, and the piston seat 2 drives the root rib 81 to rise and gradually separate from the storage tube 1. During this process, the root rib 81 gradually rotates and unfolds toward its outside under the elastic force of the elastic component of the first hinge 811. At the same time, the top rib 82 gradually rotates and unfolds toward its outside under the elastic force of the elastic component of the second hinge 821, so that the supporting force of the top rib 82 on the secondary reflector platform 5 gradually decreases, leading to The secondary reflector 6 gradually rises and unfolds under the elastic force of the spring 7, driving the secondary reflector 6 to slide and rise, and finally the root rib 81 is completely separated from the storage tube 1, the root rib 81 is completely unfolded, and the top rib 82 is separated from the secondary reflector platform, the top rib 82 is completely unfolded, and the secondary reflector platform 5 rises to the set position (generally the position when the spring 7 is restored to no longer compressed). At this time, the folding ribs 8, the secondary reflector platform 5 and the secondary reflector 6 are all located above the storage tube 1, the folding ribs 8 are completely unfolded, and the folding antenna structure is in the unfolded state; thereafter, if the antenna structure needs to be moved from the unfolded state to the unfolded state, When the state is switched to the folded state, the secondary reflector platform 5 is first pressed down to compress the spring 7, and at the same time, the top rib 82 and the root rib 81 are rotated inward and folded, so that the second end of the top rib 82 is abutted against the top of the secondary reflector platform 5. Then the driving device 3 drives the piston platform to gradually descend. During this process, the inner side of the storage tube 1 is abutted against the outer side of the root rib 81, so that the root rib 81 and the top rib 82 are gradually rotated inward and folded. Finally, the folded ribs are completely arranged in the storage tube 1, and the secondary reflector platform 5 is also arranged in the storage tube 1. At this time, the antenna structure remains in a folded state.

[0034] Exemplarily, a positioning groove 51 is provided on the secondary reflector platform 5, and the positioning groove 51 is arranged around the axis of the feed horn 4. When the folding rib 8 is in a fully folded state, the second end of the top rib 82 is located in the positioning groove 51, which plays a positioning role so that the antenna structure can switch from the unfolded state to the folded state.

[0035] Exemplarily, the second end of the top rib 82 is provided with a first guide bevel 822, and the first guide bevel 822 gradually tilts toward the outside of the top rib 82 (i.e., the side away from the feed horn 4) along the direction from the second end of the top rib 82 to the first end. When the antenna structure switches from the folded state to the unfolded state, the second end of the top rib 82 is separated from the secondary reflector platform 5. There is a possibility that the second end of the top rib 82 will touch the inner wall of the side of the positioning groove 51 close to the feed horn 4. The setting of the first guide bevel 822 plays a guiding role, guiding the second end of the top rib 82 to move out of the positioning groove 51, reducing the occurrence of the phenomenon of the top rib 82 touching and getting stuck with the side wall of the positioning groove 51, and ensuring the normal unfolding of the folding rib 8.

[0036] Exemplarily, a second guide slope 511 is provided on the inner wall of the positioning groove 51 close to the feed horn 4. In this embodiment, the side of the positioning groove 51 close to the feed horn 4 is higher than the other side. The second guide slope 511 gradually tilts from top to bottom toward the outside of the secondary reflector platform 5 (that is, the side away from the feed horn 4). When the antenna structure switches from the unfolded state to the folded state, in the process of abutting the second end of the top rib 82 against the secondary reflector platform, there is a possibility that the second end of the top rib 82 will touch the inner wall of the positioning groove 51 close to the feed horn 4. The setting of the second guide slope 511 plays a guiding role, guiding the second end of the top rib 82 to move into the positioning groove 51, thereby reducing the occurrence of the phenomenon of the top rib 82 being stuck between the side wall of the positioning groove 51.

[0037] Exemplarily, the interior of the storage cylinder 1 is provided with a plurality of guide columns 11 distributed around the axis of the storage cylinder 1, and the piston seat 2 is provided with a guide sleeve 21 that slides with the guide column 11. The cooperation between the guide sleeve 21 and the guide column 11 ensures that the piston seat 2 can move axially along the storage cylinder 1.

[0038] Exemplarily, the outer side of the feed horn 4 is provided with a plurality of guide ridges 41 distributed around the axis of the feed horn 4, and the sub-reflector platform 5 is provided with a guide groove 53 that slides with the guide ridges 41. The cooperation between the guide ridges 41 and the guide grooves 53 ensures that the sub-reflector platform 5 can slide along the axial direction of the feed horn 4, while preventing the sub-reflector platform 5 from rotating.

[0039] Exemplarily, the bottom of the piston seat 2 is provided with a base 22 that slides with the storage cylinder 1, and the diameter of the base 22 is larger than the diameter of the piston seat 2. The top of the storage cylinder 1 is provided with a flange 12 extending toward the inner side of the storage cylinder 1, that is, the flange 12 extends to the top of the base 22 (but the flange 12 does not extend to the top of the piston seat 2, that is, the inner diameter of the flange 12 is smaller than the diameter of the base 22, but larger than the diameter of the piston seat 2). The setting of the flange 12 limits the piston seat 2. Specifically, when the antenna structure is converted from a folded state to an unfolded state, the piston seat 2 rises along the axial direction of the storage cylinder 1 under the drive of the drive device 3, and finally the top of the base 22 touches the bottom of the flange 12. The flange 12 limits the base 22 and the piston seat 2 from continuing to rise, thereby playing a role of limiting and positioning.

[0040] Exemplarily, the sub-reflector platform 5 is provided with a connecting boss 52 which can be slidably mounted on the feed horn 4, and a limiting boss 42 is provided on the top of the feed horn 4. The outer diameter of the limiting boss 42 is larger than the inner diameter of the connecting boss 52, that is, the side of the limiting boss 42 extends to the top of the connecting boss 52. The setting of the limiting boss 42 plays a limiting role on the sub-reflector platform 5. Specifically, when the antenna structure is converted from a folded state to an unfolded state, the sub-reflector platform 5 rises under the elastic force of the spring 7, and finally the top of the connecting boss 52 touches the bottom of the limiting boss 42. The limiting boss 42 limits the sub-reflector platform 5 from continuing to rise, thereby playing a role of limiting and positioning.

[0041] Exemplarily, the driving device 3 includes a driving motor 31, a screw 32 and a lifting block 33. The screw 32 is arranged along the axis of the storage tube 1. When the antenna structure is in a folded state, the top end of the screw 32 extends into the feed horn 4. The output end of the driving motor 31 is connected to the screw 32. The lifting block 33 is arranged on the screw 32, and the lifting block 33 is fixedly connected to the piston seat 2. The lifting block 33 is threadedly connected to the screw 32. The driving motor 31 drives the screw 32 to rotate, and the screw 32 is relatively fixed to the driving motor 31, so that the lifting block 33 and the piston seat 2 are lifted and moved together along the axial direction of the screw 32, thereby realizing that the driving device 3 drives the piston seat 2 to move along the axial direction of the storage tube 1.

[0042] Exemplarily, the elastic component is a torsion spring 7 , that is, the first hinge 811 and the second hinge 821 are both torsion spring hinges.

[0043] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention. These improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A foldable satellite antenna structure, characterized by: The cam is connected to the piston rod and the piston rod is connected with the piston rod to move along the axial direction of the cam. The cam is connected with the piston rod to move along the axial direction of the cam. The feed horn is arranged on the top of the piston rod, the secondary reflector platform is slidably mounted on the feed horn, the secondary reflector is located above the feed horn, and the secondary reflector is connected to the secondary reflector platform through a connecting bracket. The top end of the spring is connected to the bottom of the secondary reflector platform, and the bottom end of the spring is connected to the top of the piston rod. A plurality of foldable ribs are provided, and the plurality of foldable ribs are evenly distributed along the circumference of the piston rod. The foldable ribs include a root rib and a top rib. The first end of the root rib is hinged to the side of the piston rod through a first hinge, and the second end of the root rib is hinged to the first end of the top rib through a second hinge. The first hinge and the second hinge are respectively provided with elastic components. When the antenna structure is in an expanded state, the foldable rib is located above the storage tube, the foldable rib is fully expanded, and the outer side of the root rib and the outer side of the top rib are connected to form a continuous parabolic surface; When the antenna structure is in a folded state, the folding ribs, the piston seat, and the secondary reflector platform are all located in the storage tube, the folding ribs are completely folded, the outer side of the root rib abuts against the inner side of the storage tube, the spring is in a compressed state, and the second end of the top rib abuts against the top of the secondary reflector platform; A positioning groove is provided on the secondary reflector platform, and the positioning groove is arranged around the axis of the feed horn. When the folding rib is in a fully folded state, the second end of the top rib is located in the positioning groove, and the second end of the top rib is provided with a first guide slope, which gradually inclines toward the outside of the top rib along the direction from the second end of the top rib to the first end. A second guide slope is provided on the inner wall of the positioning groove on the side close to the feed horn, and the second guide slope gradually inclines toward the outside of the secondary reflector platform from top to bottom.

2. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interior of the storage cylinder is provided with a plurality of guide posts distributed around the axis of the storage cylinder, and the piston seat is provided with a guide sleeve that is slidably matched with the guide posts.

3. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer side of the feed horn is provided with a plurality of guide ridges distributed around the axis of the feed horn, and the secondary reflector platform is provided with guide grooves that are slidably matched with the guide ridges.

4. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom of the piston seat is provided with a base that is slidably matched with the storage cylinder, and the top of the storage cylinder is provided with a flange that extends toward the inner side of the storage cylinder.

5. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The secondary reflector platform is provided with a connecting boss which is slidably mounted on the feed horn. The top of the feed horn is provided with a limiting boss, and the outer diameter of the limiting boss is larger than the inner diameter of the connecting boss.

6. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device includes a driving motor, a screw and a lifting block. The screw is arranged along the axis of the storage cylinder. The output end of the driving motor is connected to the screw. The lifting block is arranged on the screw and fixedly connected to the piston seat.

7. The foldable satellite antenna structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic component is a torsion spring.

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