Phased array antenna and its lightweight support structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a phased array antenna and a lightweight support structure thereof, wherein the lightweight support structure comprises: a support body, comprising an inner support surface, an outer support surface, and a lattice support body interlayer disposed between the inner support surface and the outer support surface; an integrated circuit installation cavity disposed on the top surface of the support body; a connector installation cavity disposed through the top and bottom surfaces of the support body and connected to the integrated circuit installation cavity; a liquid cooling channel disposed inside the support body and parallel to the integrated circuit installation cavity; and a fluid interface disposed on the outer surface of the support body and connected to the liquid cooling channel. The present invention can simultaneously take into account multiple aspects of the antenna structure, such as quality, load-bearing capacity, and dynamic characteristics, thereby achieving a highly reliable and lightweight structure for the phased array antenna.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a phased array antenna and a lightweight supporting structure thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of 5G communications and satellite internet communications, millimeter-wave active phased array antennas are experiencing unprecedented growth. Tile-type phased array antennas utilize a highly integrated chip arranged parallel to the antenna face. They offer low profiles, light weight, and easy conformal integration into payload platforms. They are widely applicable in applications such as satellite communication terminals and 5G antennas.

[0003] Lightweighting spacecraft has become a key trend in the future development of aerospace technology. Spacecraft weight is closely related to launch costs. As satellite payloads, lightweight active phased array antennas can improve the satellite's payload ratio and are a key focus of satellite lightweighting. Lightweighting phased array antennas is not only a direct requirement for reducing antenna weight but also an inherent requirement for improving antenna integration. In the future, lightweighting of phased array antennas will objectively contribute significantly to the high-density integration and performance improvements of antenna systems.

[0004] Currently, most common lightweight antenna structures adopt honeycomb or tile structures, which have problems such as low structural strength and poor reliability, and cannot take into account the quality, load-bearing and dynamic characteristics of the antenna structure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a phased array antenna and a lightweight support structure thereof, which can simultaneously take into account multiple aspects of the antenna structure such as quality, load-bearing and dynamic characteristics, and achieve a highly reliable and lightweight structure of the phased array antenna.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna, comprising:

[0007] The supporting body comprises an inner supporting surface, an outer supporting surface and a lattice supporting body interlayer provided between the inner supporting surface and the outer supporting surface;

[0008] An integrated circuit installation cavity is provided on the top surface of the supporting body;

[0009] A connector installation cavity is provided through the top and bottom surfaces of the support body and is communicated with the integrated circuit installation cavity;

[0010] A liquid cooling channel is provided inside the support body and parallel to the integrated circuit installation cavity;

[0011] The fluid interface is arranged on the outer surface of the supporting body and is communicated with the liquid cooling channel.

[0012] According to a technical solution of the present invention, the integrated circuit installation cavity is provided with an integrated circuit board installation platform, a chip installation groove and a device installation groove, and the depth of the device installation groove is greater than the maximum height of the device on the integrated circuit board.

[0013] According to a technical solution of the present invention, a heat conducting surface is provided in the chip mounting groove and the device mounting groove, and the liquid flow channel is provided below the heat conducting surface.

[0014] According to a technical solution of the present invention, a thermally conductive pad is provided on the thermally conductive surface.

[0015] According to a technical solution of the present invention, the lattice support body interlayer is a lattice cell structure, adopts metal lattice structure lightweight technology, adopts a multi-objective optimization structural optimization design approach, takes the load-bearing, dynamic characteristics and lightweight of the support body as design goals, uses the lattice structure cell size as a design variable, and uses the cell rod diameter and inclination angle value range as constraints to obtain a mathematical model for multi-objective optimization design, and is manufactured using laser melting manufacturing technology based on the characteristics of layered slicing data;

[0016] The load-bearing performance of the support body is evaluated using structural flexibility:

[0017] C=U T KU

[0018] Where C is the flexibility, U is the structural displacement vector, K is the overall stiffness matrix, and T represents;

[0019] The dynamic characteristics of the support body are characterized by the first-order natural frequency f1 of the lattice cell structure;

[0020] The lightweight of the support body is characterized by relative density, that is, the ratio of the volume of the cell rod to the volume of the cube occupied by the cell. The relative density expression of the lattice unit cell is expressed as:

[0021]

[0022] Among them, V s is the volume of the cell rod in the cell; V c is the volume of the cube occupied by the cell, x1 is the diameter of the cell rod, x2 is the angle between the cell rod and the vertical direction, and h is the height of the cube occupied by the cell;

[0023] The established multi-objective optimization design mathematical model is expressed as:

[0024]

[0025] maxf1

[0026] st2mm≤x1≤5mm

[0027] 40°≤x2≤70°

[0028] Among them, st represents the constraint condition.

[0029] According to one aspect of the present invention, a phased array antenna is provided, comprising: the lightweight support structure as described above, further comprising:

[0030] a radome, arranged on the top of the supporting body;

[0031] An integrated circuit board is fixedly arranged in the integrated circuit installation cavity;

[0032] The antenna array is arranged on the top of the integrated circuit board and is electrically connected to the integrated circuit board;

[0033] The radio frequency chip and the power device are fixed on the bottom of the integrated circuit board and are electrically connected to the integrated circuit;

[0034] The connector is arranged in the connector installation cavity and is electrically connected to the integrated circuit board.

[0035] According to a technical solution of the present invention, the antenna cover is made of a transparent material with a honeycomb sandwich structure.

[0036] According to a technical solution of the present invention, the antenna array and the radio frequency chip are connected to the integrated circuit board through BGA solder balls.

[0037] According to a technical solution of the present invention, the antenna array surface includes at least one microstrip antenna unit, and the antenna array surface is manufactured using a standard modular borderless design and process method.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0039] The phased array antenna and its lightweight support structure of the present invention adopt metal lattice structure lightweight technology for the supporting body of the lightweight support structure, adopt a multi-objective optimization structural optimization design approach, take weight, size, stiffness, material, etc. as optimization targets, establish a corresponding mathematical model, construct a functional gradient material, and use laser melting advanced manufacturing technology based on the characteristics of layered slicing data to break through the antenna lightweight and ultra-strong multi-objective optimization design method and the overall large-size, local high-precision molding manufacturing technology, which can simultaneously take into account the quality, load-bearing and dynamic characteristics of the antenna structure and other aspects of performance, and achieve highly reliable structural lightweight phased array antennas.

[0040] An integrated circuit installation cavity, a connector installation cavity, a liquid cooling channel and a fluid interface are provided on the support body. The liquid cooling channel is arranged inside the support body and parallel to the integrated circuit installation cavity. The integrated circuit, chips and devices in the integrated circuit installation cavity can be liquid-cooled, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the antenna. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from these drawings without inventive effort.

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram schematically illustrates the top structure of a lightweight heat dissipation structure of a phased array antenna provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 Schematically showing the structure of a lattice support interlayer provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 The figure schematically shows the structure of a phased array antenna provided according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] The corresponding relationship between component names and reference numerals is as follows:

[0046] 1. Support body; 2. Integrated circuit board mounting platform; 3. Connector mounting cavity; 4. Liquid cooling channel; 5. Fluid interface; 6. Chip mounting slot; 7. Device mounting slot; 8. Thermal conductive surface; 9. Antenna cover; 10. Integrated circuit board; 11. Antenna array surface; 12. RF chip; 13. Power device; 14. Connector; 15. Lattice support body interlayer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The description of the embodiments in this specification should be combined with the corresponding drawings, which should be considered a complete part of this specification. In the drawings, the shapes and thicknesses of the embodiments may be exaggerated and indicated for simplicity or convenience. Furthermore, the various structural components in the drawings will be described separately. It is worth noting that components not shown in the drawings or not described in words are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0048] The description of the embodiments herein and any references to directions and orientations are for ease of description only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. The following description of the preferred embodiments may involve combinations of features, which may exist independently or in combination. The present invention is not specifically limited to the preferred embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.

[0049] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the present invention provides a lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna, which is applied to the phased array antenna, including:

[0050] The support body 1 includes an inner support surface, an outer support surface, and a lattice support body interlayer 15 disposed between the inner and outer support surfaces. The support body 1 can adopt a rectangular cavity structure and is processed using laser melting advanced manufacturing technology based on the characteristics of layered slicing data;

[0051] The integrated circuit installation cavity is provided on the top surface of the supporting body 1 and is used to install the integrated circuit board 10;

[0052] The connector installation cavity 3 is set through the top and bottom surfaces of the support body 1 and communicates with the integrated circuit installation cavity, and is used to install the connector 14 for vertically interconnecting the integrated circuit board 10 to the outside;

[0053] The liquid cooling channel 4 is arranged inside the support body 1 and is arranged parallel to the integrated circuit installation cavity to achieve heat transfer and heat dissipation capabilities for the heat generated by the RF chip 12 and the power device 13 in the integrated circuit installation cavity;

[0054] The fluid interface 5 is provided on the outer surface of the support body 1 and is in communication with the liquid cooling channel 4 to achieve fluid exchange in the support body 1 .

[0055] In the present invention, a support body serves as the primary support, with a circuit mounting cavity located at the top for mounting integrated circuits, chips, and devices. A connector mounting cavity is located in the middle of the support body for mounting connectors. Liquid cooling channels are located within the support body to enhance the heat transfer and dissipation capabilities of the RF chips and power devices, and fluid interfaces are provided on the sides of the support body. This arrangement allows for the installation and support of the basic functional components of a phased array antenna. Furthermore, by connecting a cooling medium through the liquid cooling channels and fluid interfaces, the integrated circuits, chips, and devices can be cooled and dissipated.

[0056] Preferably, an integrated circuit board mounting platform 2, a chip mounting slot 6 and a device mounting slot 7 are provided in the integrated circuit mounting cavity. A heat-conducting surface 8 is provided in the chip mounting slot 6 and the device mounting slot 7, and a liquid flow channel is provided below the heat-conducting surface 8. A heat-conducting adhesive pad is provided on the heat-conducting surface 8. The heat-conducting adhesive pad can be in contact with the radio frequency chip 12 and the power device 13 of the integrated circuit board 10, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency while having a shock-absorbing function, thereby protecting the chip and the device. The depth of the device mounting slot 7 is greater than the maximum height of the device on the integrated circuit board 10, so as to avoid interference between the supporting body 1 and the device on the integrated circuit board 10. In this embodiment, there are multiple integrated circuit board mounting platforms 2, connector mounting cavities 3 and heat-conducting surfaces 8.

[0057] The lightweight support structure of the phased array antenna adopts the lightweight technology of metal lattice structure. The lattice structure is a lightweight structure with a more significant lightweight effect. The lattice structure is a truss-like structure with a regular shape and a periodic arrangement. It has the characteristics of light weight, high specific strength, and high specific stiffness. It is currently recognized internationally as a lightweight, high-strength and multifunctional structure. Depending on the material, the lattice structure is divided into a metal lattice structure and a non-metallic lattice structure. The metal lattice structure is the mainstream of the additive manufacturing lattice structure, mainly titanium alloy, aluminum alloy and high-temperature alloy. The molded structure can be used for bearing and cooling, and can play a good role in supporting and dissipating the phased array antenna structure.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, the lattice support interlayer 15 is a lattice cell structure. In this embodiment, each cell structure includes two cones symmetrically arranged up and down, each cone is connected by evenly distributed cell rods, and the end points of the two cones are connected.

[0059] The lightweight support structure of the phased array antenna adopts a multi-objective optimization structural optimization design approach. The load-bearing, dynamic characteristics and lightweight of the support body 1 are taken as design objectives. The cell size of the lattice structure is used as the design variable, and the cell rod diameter and inclination angle range are used as constraints. A mathematical model for multi-objective optimization design is obtained.

[0060] The load-bearing performance of the supporting body 1 is evaluated using structural flexibility.

[0061] C=U T KU

[0062] Among them, C is the flexibility, U is the structural displacement vector, and K is the overall stiffness matrix.

[0063] The dynamic characteristics of the supporting body 1 generally focus on the modes and vibration shapes of the structure, so the first-order natural frequency f1 of the lattice structure is used for characterization.

[0064] The lightweight of the support body 1 is characterized by relative density, that is, the ratio of the volume of the cell rod to the volume of the cube occupied by the cell. The relative density expression of the lattice unit cell is:

[0065]

[0066] Among them, V s is the volume of the cell rod in the cell; V c is the volume of the cube occupied by the cell, x1 is the diameter of the cell rod, x2 is the angle between the cell rod and the vertical direction, and h is the height of the cube occupied by the cell;

[0067] The established multi-objective optimization design mathematical model is expressed as:

[0068]

[0069] maxf1

[0070] st2mm≤x1≤5mm

[0071] 40°≤x2≤70°

[0072] Among them, st represents the constraint condition.

[0073] Combined with the established mathematical model, functional gradient materials are constructed to take into account the quality, load-bearing, dynamic characteristics and other performance of the antenna structure. Based on the advanced laser melting manufacturing technology with the characteristics of layered slicing data, breakthroughs are made in the lightweight and ultra-strong multi-objective optimization design method of the antenna and the overall large-size, local high-precision molding and manufacturing technology. It can simultaneously take into account the quality, load-bearing and dynamic characteristics of the antenna support structure and other performance, and achieve highly reliable structural lightweight phased array antennas.

[0074] like Figure 3 As shown, the present invention provides a phased array antenna, which adopts a stacked structure as a whole, including:

[0075] The radome 9 is arranged on the top of the supporting body 1. The radome is made of a transparent material with a honeycomb sandwich structure, which has good wave transmission, high strength, and resistance to high and low temperature impact, effectively protecting the antenna array from damage;

[0076] The integrated circuit board 10 is fixedly mounted on the integrated circuit board mounting platform 2 of the supporting body 1;

[0077] The antenna array 11 is connected to the top of the integrated circuit board 10 through BGA solder balls. It adopts the form of a microstrip antenna unit and a standard modular borderless design and process. It includes at least one microstrip antenna unit. Multiple microstrip antenna units can be spliced according to actual application requirements.

[0078] The radio frequency chip 12 is connected to the bottom of the integrated circuit board 10 through BGA solder balls and is set in the chip mounting groove 6;

[0079] The power device 13 is soldered to the bottom of the integrated circuit board 10 and is arranged in the device mounting groove 7;

[0080] The connector 14 is soldered to the bottom of the integrated circuit board 10. In this embodiment, the connector 14 includes four low-frequency connectors and one external electrical connector.

[0081] It should be noted that the above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, it is clear that those skilled in the art, once they understand the basic inventive concept of the present invention, can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention. Such improvements and modifications should also be considered as within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiment and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna, characterized in that: include: A supporting body (1) comprising an inner supporting surface, an outer supporting surface, and a lattice supporting body interlayer (15) arranged between the inner supporting surface and the outer supporting surface; An integrated circuit installation cavity is provided on the top surface of the supporting body (1); A connector installation cavity (3) is provided through the top and bottom surfaces of the support body (1) and is in communication with the integrated circuit installation cavity; A liquid cooling channel (4) is arranged inside the supporting body (1) and is arranged parallel to the integrated circuit installation cavity; A fluid interface (5) is provided on the outer surface of the support body (1) and is in communication with the liquid cooling channel (4); The lattice support body interlayer (15) is a lattice cell structure, adopts the metal lattice structure lightweight technology, adopts the multi-objective optimization structural optimization design idea, takes the load-bearing, dynamic characteristics and lightweight of the support body (1) as the design goals, takes the lattice structure cell size as the design variable, takes the cell rod diameter and the inclination angle value range as the constraint condition, obtains the mathematical model of the multi-objective optimization design, and is manufactured based on the laser melting manufacturing technology of the layered slice data characteristics; The load-bearing performance of the support body (1) is evaluated using structural flexibility: C=U T ST Among them, C is the flexibility, U is the structural displacement vector, and K is the overall stiffness matrix; The dynamic characteristics of the support body (1) are characterized by the first-order natural frequency f1 of the lattice cell structure; The lightweight of the supporting body (1) is characterized by relative density, that is, the ratio of the volume of the cell rod to the volume of the cube occupied by the cell. The relative density expression of the lattice unit cell is expressed as: Among them, V s is the volume of the cell rod in the cell; V c is the volume of the cube occupied by the cell, x1 is the diameter of the cell rod, x2 is the angle between the cell rod and the vertical direction, and h is the height of the cube occupied by the cell; The established multi-objective optimization design mathematical model is expressed as: maxf1 st2mm≤x1≤5mm 40°≤x2≤70° Among them, st represents the constraint condition.

2. The lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: An integrated circuit board mounting platform (2), a chip mounting groove (6) and a device mounting groove (7) are provided in the integrated circuit mounting cavity. The depth of the device mounting groove (7) is greater than the maximum height of the device on the integrated circuit board (10).

3. The lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna according to claim 2, wherein: A heat-conducting surface (8) is provided in the chip mounting groove (6) and the device mounting groove (7), and the liquid cooling channel (4) is provided below the heat-conducting surface (8).

4. The lightweight support structure for a phased array antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: A heat-conducting rubber pad is provided on the heat-conducting surface (8).

5. A phased array antenna, characterized in that: The lightweight support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprises: A radome (9) is arranged on the top of the supporting body (1); An integrated circuit board (10) is fixedly arranged in the integrated circuit installation cavity; An antenna array surface (11) is arranged on top of the integrated circuit board (10) and is electrically connected to the integrated circuit board (10); A radio frequency chip (12) and a power device (13) are fixed to the bottom of the integrated circuit board (10) and are electrically connected to the integrated circuit; A connector (14) is arranged in the connector installation cavity (3) and is electrically connected to the integrated circuit board (10).

6. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that: The antenna cover (9) is made of a transparent material with a honeycomb sandwich structure.

7. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that: The antenna array surface (11) and the radio frequency chip (12) are connected to the integrated circuit board (10) via BGA solder balls.

8. The phased array antenna according to claim 5, wherein: The antenna array surface (11) comprises at least one microstrip antenna unit, and the antenna array surface (11) is manufactured using a standard modular borderless design and process method.

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