A liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray and its working method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray and its working method. The liquid cooling test unit of the present invention includes: an upper cold plate, a main frame, a lower cover plate, a circuit board assembly, N pairs of liquid cooling interfaces, N pairs of hairpin connectors, N pairs of flow sensors, N pairs of temperature sensors, 2N pairs of positioning devices, and a set of data output wires. By connecting the liquid cooling test unit between the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray, not only the structural design of the original device does not need to be changed, but also the plug-and-test function is realized, the convenience of the test work is improved, the test cost is reduced, which is beneficial to promoting the engineering application of the airborne skin antenna technology and the development of the actual product production line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical fields of airborne electronic equipment, intelligent skin antenna, and mechanical structure design, etc., and particularly relates to a liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray and its working method. Background Art

[0002] The skin antenna technology is an airborne antenna technology vigorously developed abroad in recent years, also known as the load-bearing conformal antenna technology. The skin antenna subarray device has the characteristics of small physical volume, high integration, and modularization. Conventional liquid cooling performance testing means will hardly meet the actual antenna subarray testing requirements. At the same time, conventional testing methods either have low testing accuracy, or need to destroy the sealing of the subarray microchannel to insert sensing probes, or non-destructive testing will affect the working environment of the antenna system. Therefore, it is very necessary to carry out research on testing equipment and testing methods for the liquid cooling performance of the skin antenna subarray device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray and its working method. By connecting an external test module, the test module is connected between the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray, the liquid cooling flow channel is extended, and the coolant flow rate and temperature parameters are tested. Not only does it not need to change the structural design of the original device, but also it realizes the plug-and-play test function, greatly improving the convenience of the test work, reducing the test cost, and being beneficial to promoting the engineering application of the airborne skin antenna technology and the development of the actual product production line.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray includes: an upper cold plate, a main frame, a lower cover plate, a circuit board assembly, N pairs of liquid cooling interfaces, N pairs of hairpin connectors, N pairs of flow sensors, N pairs of temperature sensors, 2N pairs of positioning devices, and a set of data output wires.

[0006] According to the above main features, the upper cold plate is connected to the main frame by welding. The upper cold plate has a planar microchannel structure, and the main frame has a vertical microchannel structure at the installation position of the liquid cooling interface. The microchannel structure is closed and formed by welding. The flow sensors and temperature sensors are both installed on the main frame and are used to test the flow rate and temperature parameters of the fluid in the microchannel.

[0007] The circuit board assembly is installed inside the main frame, temporarily stores the data values measured by the flow sensors and temperature sensors, and transmits them to an external test data acquisition device through the data output wires. At the same time, as an intermediate transmission device, the circuit board assembly transmits the original signals between the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray, maintains the original signals, and reads the original signals.

[0008] The lower cover plate is installed at the lower part of the main frame.

[0009] The liquid cooling interface is installed inside the main frame, and the interface part protrudes from the main frame.

[0010] The pin header connector is connected to the circuit board assembly, externally connected to the test unit at the same time, electrically connected to the antenna subarray at the upper part, and connected to the antenna skeleton at the lower part.

[0011] The positioning device plays a role of guiding, positioning and fastening when installed between the test unit and the skeleton, or between the test unit and the subarray.

[0012] One end of the data output wire is connected to the test unit, and the other end is connected to a computer or other test data acquisition devices.

[0013] The positioning device is a spiral positioning pin device.

[0014] The airborne skin antenna subarray device includes an N×N specification subarray skeleton and N antenna subarrays. N pairs of liquid cooling interfaces are installed on the subarray skeleton. After the subarray skeleton is supplied with coolant from the outside, the coolant is respectively supplied to the N antenna subarrays and then recovered, and finally the coolant is returned to the outside, thus forming a liquid cooling circulation loop. The lower part of the liquid cooling test unit has a liquid cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna subarray, and the upper part of the liquid cooling test unit has a liquid cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna skeleton. The two are combined on the liquid cooling test unit with a 90° phase difference. Therefore, it can be used as an access unit of the original complete antenna subarray system, intervening in the antenna subarray system with little influence on the functions and performance of the original system. At the same time, the liquid cooling test unit also has a coolant flow channel structure inside, which is used to supply the coolant supplied by the antenna skeleton to the antenna subarray.

[0015] The coolant flow channels inside the liquid cooling test unit include an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel. A flow sensor and a temperature sensor are respectively installed on them, which are used to test the flow rate and temperature parameters of the coolant at the inlet and outlet of the antenna subarray. After being simply processed by the circuit board assembly, the data is transmitted to the external test data acquisition device through the data output wire for data analysis and processing.

[0016] By means of an external test module, the present invention accesses a test module between the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray, extends the liquid cooling flow channel and tests the coolant flow rate and temperature parameters. It not only does not need to change the structural design of the original device, but also realizes the plug-and-play test function, greatly improving the convenience of the test work, reducing the test cost, and being beneficial to promoting the engineering application of the airborne skin antenna technology and the development of the actual product production line.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the liquid cooling test unit of a skin antenna sub - array of the present invention and its working method have the characteristics of small volume, simple structure, reliable testing, and easy processing and manufacturing. At the same time, the access - type testing method not only does not damage the integrity of the original system's cooling flow path, but also basically does not affect the fluid parameters. The testing method is novel and reliable, which is conducive to testing and verifying the actual liquid cooling performance of the skin antenna sub - array device, promoting the further development and practical application of airborne skin antenna technology, and has an economic value that cannot be ignored. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the usage scenario of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic functional diagram of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the testing method of the present invention;

[0023] Among them, 1 - skin antenna sub - array, 2 - 2×2 - specification sub - array framework, 3 - liquid cooling test unit, 4 - upper cold plate, 5 - main frame body, 6 - data output wire, 7 - flow sensor, 8 - temperature sensor, 9 - circuit board assembly, 10 - lower liquid cooling interface, 11 - lower hair button connector, 12 - lower cover plate, 13 - lower thread positioning pin device, 14 - upper thread positioning pin device, 15 - upper hair button connector, 16 - upper liquid cooling interface, 17 - 2×2 - specification sub - array framework (simplified diagram), 18 - liquid cooling test unit (simplified diagram), 19 - measured skin antenna sub - array (simplified diagram), 20 - free skin antenna sub - array (simplified diagram), 21 - Group A liquid cooling docking relationship, 22 - Group B liquid cooling docking relationship. Detailed Embodiments

[0024] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following gives detailed embodiments to further describe the present invention in detail.

[0025] The airborne skin antenna sub - array device described in the present invention includes an N×N - sized sub - array framework and N antenna sub - arrays. Here, N is a natural number not less than 2. In the present invention, the number of liquid - cooling test units depends on specific circumstances. N can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. Hereinafter, the case of the minimum implementation unit N = 2 will be used for illustration.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 As shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of the usage scenario of the present invention. The usage scenario for implementing the present invention includes a 2×2 - sized sub - array framework and four antenna sub - arrays. Four pairs of liquid - cooling interfaces are installed on the sub - array framework. After the sub - array framework is supplied with coolant from the outside, the coolant is respectively supplied to the four antenna sub - arrays and then recovered, and finally the coolant is returned to the outside, thus forming a liquid - cooling circulation loop. The lower part of the liquid - cooling test unit has a liquid - cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna sub - array, and the upper part of the liquid - cooling test unit has a liquid - cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna framework. The two are combined on the liquid - cooling test unit with a 90° phase difference. Therefore, it can be used as an access unit for the original complete antenna sub - array system, intervening in the antenna sub - array system with little impact on the functions and performance of the original system. At the same time, the liquid - cooling test unit also has a coolant flow - channel structure inside, which is used to supply the coolant supplied by the antenna framework to the antenna sub - array.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention. A liquid - cooling test unit for a skin antenna sub - array implementing the present invention includes an upper cold plate, a main frame, a lower cover plate, a circuit - board assembly, two pairs of liquid - cooling interfaces, two pairs of hairpin connectors, two pairs of flow sensors, two pairs of temperature sensors, four pairs of threaded positioning pin devices, and a set of data - output wires. The upper cold plate is connected to the main frame by welding. The upper cold plate has a planar micro - flow - channel structure, and the main frame has a vertical micro - flow - channel structure at the installation position of the liquid - cooling interface. The micro - flow - channel structure is closed and formed by welding. The two pairs of flow sensors and the two pairs of temperature sensors are both installed on the main frame and are used to measure the flow rate and temperature parameters of the fluid in the micro - flow - channel.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, it is a schematic functional diagram of the present invention. A liquid - cooling test unit for a skin antenna sub - array implementing the present invention and its working method. The internal coolant flow - channel includes an inlet flow - channel and an outlet flow - channel. Flow sensors and temperature sensors are respectively installed on them, which are used to measure the flow rate and temperature parameters of the coolant at the inlet and outlet of the antenna sub - array. After being simply processed by the circuit - board assembly, the data is transmitted to an external test - data acquisition device through the data - output wires for data analysis and processing.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 4The figure shows the principle diagram of the test method of the present invention. A liquid-cooled test unit of a skin antenna subarray and its working method are implemented in the present invention. The lower part of the liquid-cooled test unit needs to have a liquid-cooled mechanical interface similar to the antenna subarray, which is used to dock with the subarray skeleton; the upper part of the liquid-cooled test unit needs to have a liquid-cooled mechanical interface similar to the subarray skeleton, which is used to dock with the antenna subarray. The two are combined on the liquid-cooled test unit with a 90° phase difference, so they can be used as access units of the original complete antenna subarray system, intervening in the antenna subarray system with little impact on the original system function and performance.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the liquid-cooled test unit of a skin antenna subarray and its working method implemented in the present invention have the characteristics of small size, simple structure, reliable test, easy processing and manufacturing, and no impact on the functional performance of the original device. It is beneficial to test and verify the actual liquid cooling performance of the skin antenna subarray device, promote the further development and practical application of airborne skin antenna technology, and has considerable economic value.

[0031] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling test unit for a skin antenna subarray, characterized in that: The liquid cooling test unit includes an upper cold plate, a main frame, a lower cover plate, a circuit board assembly, N pairs of liquid cooling interfaces, N pairs of hairpin connectors, N pairs of flow sensors, N pairs of temperature sensors, 2N pairs of positioning devices, and a set of data output wires; The upper cold plate is connected to the main frame by welding. The upper cold plate has a planar microchannel structure, and the main frame has a vertical microchannel structure at the installation position of the liquid cooling interface. The microchannel structure is closed and formed by welding. The flow sensors and temperature sensors are both installed on the main frame to measure the flow rate and temperature parameters of the fluid in the microchannel; The circuit board assembly is installed inside the main frame, temporarily stores the data values measured by the flow sensors and temperature sensors, and transmits them to an external test data acquisition device through the data output wires. At the same time, as an intermediate transmission device, the circuit board assembly transmits the original signals of the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray, maintains the original signals, and reads the original signals; The lower cover plate is installed at the lower part of the main frame; The liquid cooling interfaces are installed inside the main frame, and the interface parts protrude from the main frame; The hairpin connectors are connected to the circuit board assembly and are also connected to the outside of the test unit. They are electrically connected to the antenna subarray at the top and to the antenna skeleton at the bottom; The positioning devices play a role in guiding, positioning, and fastening when installing between the test unit and the skeleton, or between the test unit and the subarray; One end of the data output wires is connected to the test unit, and the other end is connected to a computer or other test data acquisition devices.

2. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The airborne skin antenna subarray device includes an N×N specification subarray skeleton and N antenna subarrays. N pairs of liquid cooling interfaces are installed on the subarray skeleton. After the subarray skeleton is supplied with coolant from the outside, the coolant is supplied to the N antenna subarrays respectively and then recovered, and finally the coolant is returned to the outside, thus forming a liquid cooling circulation loop.

3. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower part of the liquid cooling test unit has a liquid cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna subarray, and the upper part of the liquid cooling test unit has a liquid cooling mechanical interface similar to that of the antenna skeleton. The two are combined on the liquid cooling test unit with a 90° phase difference. Therefore, it can be used as an access unit for the original complete antenna subarray system and intervene in the antenna subarray system. At the same time, the liquid cooling test unit also has a coolant flow channel structure inside to supply the coolant supplied by the antenna skeleton to the antenna subarray.

4. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The coolant flow channels inside the liquid cooling test unit include an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel. Flow sensors and temperature sensors are installed respectively to measure the flow rate and temperature parameters of the coolant at the inlet and outlet of the antenna subarray. After being simply processed by the circuit board assembly, the data is transmitted to an external test data acquisition device through the data output wires for data analysis and processing.

5. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning device is a spiral positioning pin device.

6. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The N = 2.

7. The liquid cooling test unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The N = 3.

8. A working method of the liquid cooling test unit for the skin antenna subarray according to claim 1, characterized in that: A liquid cooling test unit is connected between the antenna skeleton and the antenna subarray to extend the liquid cooling flow channel, measure the coolant flow rate and temperature parameters, and transmit the data to an external test data acquisition device.

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