Adaptive protective film for aircraft antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to an adaptive protective film (10) for an aircraft antenna (T). The protective film (10) is formed by closely arranging a plurality of mutually identical basic units (100), each basic unit (100) is at least composed of a first projection group (1) and a second projection group (2), the first projection group (1) is concentrically arranged relative to the center of the basic unit (100), and the second projection group (2) is concentrically and outwards arranged relative to the center of the first projection group (1). First protrusions (11) constituting the first protrusion group (1) have a first height (H1), second protrusions (21-26) constituting the second protrusion group (2) have a second height (H2), and the first height (H1) is larger than the second height (H2). The protective film not only can prevent the paint layer on the surface of the very high frequency antenna from being damaged by wind erosion, but also can prevent ice and snow from staying on the protective film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adaptive protective film for aircraft antennas, and more particularly to an adaptive anti-ice and snow retention protective film for aircraft VHF antennas.

[0002] On the other hand, the present invention also relates to an aircraft antenna with the above-mentioned adaptive protective film attached thereto and an aircraft equipped with the above-mentioned aircraft antenna. Background Art

[0003] Aircraft usually use VHF antennas as communication equipment to support voice and data communications within the line of sight between aircraft or between aircraft and ground stations. Generally speaking, VHF antennas are made into knife-shaped antennas, and their installation positions on the aircraft fuselage are relatively limited. They are usually installed on the centerline of the aircraft, that is, on the belly or back of the aircraft.

[0004] The outer surface structure of the VHF antenna is mainly composed of a cast aluminum base and an externally buckled antenna fin cover, wherein the antenna fin cover is externally buckled on the cast aluminum base. In addition, the outer surface of the antenna fin cover needs to be coated with a protective paint to increase the tolerance of the outer surface.

[0005] This is because after a period of operation, the VHF antennas equipped on the aircraft in service are easily affected by external wind, sand, rain, snow, etc. due to their large size. As a result, the windward side of the blade-shaped antenna will be damaged by wind erosion of the surface paint layer. Even if a certain degree of protection measures have been implemented on the outer surface of the antenna fin cover, this problem cannot be solved.

[0006] A widely used solution is to stick a protective film on the windward side of the antenna to prevent paint damage. The advantage of this solution is that it can effectively reduce paint damage on the antenna surface, but the disadvantage is that it has a single function. For example, rain, snow, ice debris, etc. will still adhere to the antenna surface, and when they reach a certain level, they will cause adverse effects such as local ice and snow accumulation.

[0007] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-124730A filed by Davis Antenna Co., Ltd. on October 19, 1998 discloses a VHF / UHF film antenna, which includes: an antenna radiating element of a metal foil having a plurality of holes; a protective film provided on one side of the metal foil; and an adhesive film for attachment provided on the side of the protective film opposite to the metal foil. In another preferred technical solution, the antenna includes an antenna radiating element of a metal foil having a plurality of holes and a metal foil on one side of the protective film provided on both sides of the metal foil.

[0008] As mentioned before, although this film antenna can reduce the paint damage on the antenna surface, the main problem it hopes to solve is to control the total area of ​​the holes and the area of ​​a single hole by adding an antenna radiating element composed of a metal foil with multiple holes to the antenna to meet the bandwidth of the antenna radiating element and the field of view ensured through each hole, thereby suppressing the degradation of its electrical performance while neither narrowing nor reducing its visual range and reducing the unnatural feeling of its appearance. This technical solution cannot solve the problem of local ice and snow accumulation on the antenna.

[0009] To this end, from the perspective of aircraft navigation safety, the industry is currently in urgent need of designing an adaptive protective film for aircraft antennas, which can not only prevent wind erosion damage to the paint layer on the surface of the VHF antenna, but also prevent ice and snow from staying thereon. Summary of the invention

[0010] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an adaptive protective film for aircraft antennas, which can not only prevent the paint layer on the surface of the VHF antenna from being damaged by wind erosion, but also prevent ice and snow from staying thereon.

[0011] Other objects of the present invention include providing an aircraft antenna with the above-mentioned adaptive protective film attached thereto and providing an aircraft equipped with the above-mentioned aircraft antenna.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adaptive protective membrane for an aircraft antenna, the protective membrane being composed of a plurality of closely arranged identical basic units, each of the basic units being composed of at least a first protrusion group and a second protrusion group, the first protrusion group being arranged concentrically relative to the center of the basic unit, the second protrusion group being arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the first protrusion group, the first protrusion constituting the first protrusion group having a first height, the second protrusion constituting the second protrusion group having a second height, wherein the first height is greater than the second height.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the term "concentric arrangement" means that the centers of the two arrangements coincide with each other, and the term "concentric outward arrangement" means that the former is arranged outside the latter relative to the latter.

[0014] In addition, the term "close" does not mean that the shapes of these basic units must be complementary to each other and thus arranged without any gaps between them. In fact, their shapes can also be designed to be not completely complementary to each other, as long as the gaps formed do not adversely affect the characteristics of the protective film.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the basic unit may further include a third protrusion group, which is arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the second protrusion group, and the third protrusions constituting the third protrusion group have a third height, and the second height is greater than the third height.

[0016] By designing the height of the three layers of protrusions to be H1>H2>H3, the basic unit of the protective film forms a surface that is high in the middle and low around. This surface adopts the lotus leaf bionics principle to form a multi-layer micro-nano structure of unequal heights that is "macro-flat and micro-rough".

[0017] When ice and snow come into contact with the protective film, the gap between the two will be filled with air because its shape cannot perfectly fit the protective film, just like adding a layer of air cushion to the ice and snow. When the aircraft flies at high speed, the ice and snow attached to the protective film will naturally fall off under the action of inertia, thereby preventing the paint layer on the antenna surface from being damaged by wind erosion and preventing ice and snow from staying on it.

[0018] In another preferred embodiment, the first protrusions constituting the first protrusion group, the second protrusions constituting the second protrusion group, and the third protrusions constituting the third protrusion group may all have a hexagonal shape.

[0019] By designing each protrusion into a honeycomb shape, each protrusion can be arranged as closely as possible to each other. Of course, the protrusions can also be designed into other shapes, such as round, diamond, etc., as long as the gaps between them do not have a substantial adverse effect on the characteristics of the protective film.

[0020] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first protrusion group consists of one first protrusion, the second protrusion group consists of six second protrusions, and the third protrusion group consists of twelve third protrusions.

[0021] Of course, the above embodiment is only applicable to the example in which each protrusion has a hexagonal shape. When the protrusion is designed to have other shapes, the number of protrusions in each protrusion group will change accordingly.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment, the first protrusions constituting the first protrusion group, the second protrusions constituting the second protrusion group, and the third protrusions constituting the third protrusion group can all have a size in the micron level, wherein the diameters of the first protrusions, the second protrusions, and the third protrusions are smaller than a specified diameter.

[0023] The so-called "specified diameter" needs to take into account the differences in the diameters of water droplets at high altitudes and refer to Appendix C of CCAR25 to limit the diameter of the protrusion.

[0024] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first protrusions constituting the first protrusion group have a first height not higher than 100 μm, the second protrusions constituting the second protrusion group have a second height not higher than 50 μm, and the third protrusions constituting the third protrusion group have a third height not higher than 30 μm.

[0025] When the top surface of each protrusion is a plane, the height of the protrusion is measured based on the plane where the top surface is located; when the top surface of each protrusion is an arc-shaped surface, the height of the protrusion is measured based on the highest point of the top surface.

[0026] Preferably, the protective film can be made of rubber such as polyurethane. Using the above materials can make the protective film resistant to tearing, wear and corrosion.

[0027] Preferably, a sealant layer may also be applied to the contact surface between the protective film and the aircraft antenna, and the sealant layer is more preferably made of acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive.

[0028] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an aircraft antenna having an adaptive protective membrane as described in the first aspect applied thereto, wherein the aircraft antenna is a very high frequency antenna.

[0029] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an aircraft equipped with the aircraft antenna according to the second aspect.

[0030] The adaptive protective film for aircraft antenna according to the present invention can obtain the following advantages:

[0031] By designing the height of each protrusion group to be H1>H2>H3, the basic unit of the protective film forms a surface that is high in the middle and low around. This surface adopts the lotus leaf bionic principle to form a multi-layer micro-nano structure with unequal heights that is "macro-flat and micro-rough". When ice and snow come into contact with the protective film, since their shape cannot perfectly fit the protective film, the gap between the two will be filled with air, just like adding a layer of air cushion to the ice and snow. When the aircraft flies at high speed, the ice and snow attached to the protective film will naturally fall off under the action of inertia, thereby preventing the paint layer on the antenna surface from being damaged by wind erosion while preventing ice and snow from staying on it. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to further illustrate the technical effect of the adaptive protective film for aircraft antenna according to the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, wherein:

[0033] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a VHF antenna for an aircraft;

[0034] Figure 2 is to be attached to Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the dimensions of the protective film of the VHF antenna shown;

[0035] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A top plan view of a portion of the protective membrane shown, showing the various basic units that make up the protective membrane;

[0036] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A side view of the partial protective film shown;

[0037] Figure 5 Shows the Figure 2 The protective film is shown applied to the film area behind the VHF antenna.

[0038] Reference numerals

[0039] 1 The first protrusion group

[0040] 2 Second protrusion group

[0041] 3 The third protrusion group

[0042] 10 Protective film

[0043] 11. First protrusion

[0044] 21-26 The second protrusion

[0045] 31-42 The third protrusion

[0046] 100 basic units

[0047] A1 top base

[0048] A2 bottom edge

[0049] H1 First Height

[0050] H2 Second Height

[0051] H3 Third Height

[0052] T Antenna DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The working principle and technical effect of the adaptive protective film 10 for an aircraft antenna T according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] It should be clear that the embodiments described in this specification only cover some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments recorded in the specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0055] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0056] For example, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order or a primary and secondary relationship.

[0057] Figure 1 An aircraft antenna T for an aircraft is shown. Generally speaking, the aircraft antenna T is a very high frequency antenna. The very high frequency antenna shown in the figure has a common knife-shaped shape and is installed on the belly or back of the aircraft to support voice and data communications within the line of sight between aircrafts or between aircrafts and ground stations.

[0058] Figure 2 Shows the Figure 1 The protective film 10 of the VHF antenna shown in the figure has no particular regulations on the shape of the protective film 10, and can usually be freely cut according to the shape of the aircraft antenna T. Figure 2 In the embodiment, the protective film 10 is cut into a shape that can be attached to Figure 1 The antenna T has a knife-shaped shape. Relative to the aircraft fuselage, its proximal end (i.e., Figure 2 The size of the antenna T is designed based on the lower bottom side A2, and its distal end (i.e., Figure 2 The upper side) dimension is designed based on the upper base A1 of the antenna T.

[0059] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A top plan view of a portion of the protective membrane 10 is shown, the portion being composed of a complete basic unit 100 constituting the protective membrane 10, Figure 4 It constitutes Figure 3 A side view of a base unit 100 of a protective membrane 10 is shown.

[0060] like Figure 3 As shown, the protective film 10 for the aircraft antenna T is composed of a plurality of identical basic units 100 arranged closely. Figure 3 and 4 Only one basic unit 100 is shown. The basic unit 100 is composed of a first protrusion group 1, a second protrusion group 2 and a third protrusion group 3. The first protrusion group 1 is arranged concentrically relative to the center of the basic unit 100, the second protrusion group 2 is arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the first protrusion group 1 and is located outside the first protrusion group 1, and the third protrusion group 3 is arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the second protrusion group 2 and is located outside the second protrusion group 2.

[0061] That is, the first protrusion group 1, the second protrusion group 2 and the third protrusion group 3 are arranged concentrically relative to the center of the basic unit 100, starting from the center of the basic unit 100, they are the first protrusion group 1, the second protrusion group 2 and the third protrusion group 3. Of course, the number of protrusion groups can also be increased, for example, the fourth protrusion group, the fifth protrusion group and so on are continuously arranged outside the third protrusion group 3. Such variations should also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] like Figure 3 As shown, the first protrusions constituting the first protrusion group 1, the second protrusions constituting the second protrusion group 2, and the third protrusions constituting the third protrusion group 3 all have a regular hexagonal shape. Thus, the first protrusion group 1 is composed of only one first protrusion 11, the second protrusion group 2 is composed of six second protrusions 21-26, and the third protrusion group is composed of twelve third protrusions 31-42.

[0063] In addition, by designing each protrusion into a honeycomb shape, the protrusions can be arranged as closely as possible to each other. Of course, the protrusions can also be designed into other shapes, such as round, diamond, etc., as long as the gaps between them do not have a substantial adverse effect on the characteristics of the protective film.

[0064] Of course, the above embodiment is only applicable to the example in which each protrusion has a hexagonal shape. When the protrusion is designed to have other shapes, the number of protrusions in each protrusion group will change accordingly.

[0065] like Figure 4 As shown, the first protrusion constituting the first protrusion group 1 has a first height H1, the second protrusion constituting the second protrusion group 2 has a second height H2, and the third protrusion constituting the third protrusion group 3 has a third height H3. By designing the heights of each protrusion group to be H1>H2>H3, the basic unit 100 of the protective film 10 is formed into a surface with a high middle and low surroundings, which adopts the lotus leaf bionic principle and forms a multi-layer micro-nano structure with unequal heights that is "macro-flat and micro-rough".

[0066] When ice and snow come into contact with the protective film, the gap between the two will be filled with air because its shape cannot perfectly fit the protective film, just like adding a layer of air cushion to the ice and snow. When the aircraft flies at high speed, the ice and snow attached to the protective film will naturally fall off under the action of inertia, thereby preventing the paint layer on the antenna surface from being damaged by wind erosion and preventing ice and snow from staying on it.

[0067] It should be noted that the first protrusions 11 constituting the first protrusion group 1, the second protrusions 21-26 constituting the second protrusion group 2, and the third protrusions 31-42 constituting the third protrusion group 3 all have a size of micrometer level. The diameter of these protrusions should be smaller than the prescribed diameter, which needs to be determined by considering the difference in the diameter of high-altitude water droplets and referring to Appendix C of CCAR Part 25.

[0068] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the first protrusion 11 constituting the first protrusion group 1 has a first height H1 not higher than 100 μm, the second protrusions 21-26 constituting the second protrusion group 2 have a second height H2 not higher than 50 μm, and the third protrusions 31-42 constituting the third protrusion group 3 have a third height H3 not higher than 30 μm.

[0069] It should also be noted that when the top surface of each protrusion is a plane, the height of the protrusion is measured based on the plane on which the top surface is located; and when the top surface of each protrusion is an arc-shaped surface, the height of the protrusion is measured based on the highest point of the top surface.

[0070] Figure 5 Shows the Figure 2 The protective film 10 is shown attached to the film-applying area behind the antenna T.

[0071] The protective film 10 is made of rubber such as polyurethane. The use of the above material can make the protective film 10 resistant to tearing, abrasion and corrosion.

[0072] A sealant layer (not shown in the figure) is also applied on the contact surface of the protective film 10 and the antenna T. The sealant layer is usually made of acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive to facilitate its adhesion to the antenna T.

[0073] Although the working principle and technical effects of the adaptive protective film for aircraft antenna according to the present invention are described above in combination with the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that the above examples are only for illustration and cannot be used as limitations of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention can be modified and varied within the spirit of the claims, and these modifications and variations will fall within the scope required by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive protective film (10) for an aircraft antenna (T), the protective film (10) being composed of a plurality of identical basic units (100) arranged closely together, each of the basic units (100) being composed of at least a first protrusion group (1) and a second protrusion group (2), the first protrusion group (1) being arranged concentrically relative to the center of the basic unit (100), the second protrusion group (2) being arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the first protrusion group (1), the first protrusion (11) constituting the first protrusion group (1) having a first height (H1), the second protrusion (21-26) constituting the second protrusion group (2) having a second height (H2), wherein: The first height (H1) is greater than the second height (H2).

2. The adaptive protective film (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basic unit (100) further comprises a third protrusion group (3), wherein the third protrusion group (3) is arranged concentrically outward relative to the center of the second protrusion group (2), and the third protrusions (31-42) constituting the third protrusion group (3) have a third height (H3), and the second height (H2) is greater than the third height (H3).

3. The adaptive protective film (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first protrusions (11) constituting the first protrusion group (1), the second protrusions (21-26) constituting the second protrusion group (2), and the third protrusions (31-42) constituting the third protrusion group (3) all have a hexagonal shape.

4. The adaptive protective film (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first protrusion group (1) consists of one first protrusion (11), the second protrusion group (2) consists of six second protrusions (21-26), and the third protrusion group (2) consists of twelve third protrusions (31-42).

5. The adaptive protective film (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first protrusions (11) constituting the first protrusion group (1), the second protrusions (21-26) constituting the second protrusion group (2), and the third protrusions (31-42) constituting the third protrusion group (3) all have a size in the micrometer level, wherein the diameters of the first protrusions (11), the second protrusions (21-26), and the third protrusions (31-42) are smaller than a specified diameter.

6. The adaptive protective film (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first protrusions (11) constituting the first protrusion group (1) have a first height (H1) not higher than 100 μm, the second protrusions (21-26) constituting the second protrusion group (2) have a second height (H2) not higher than 50 μm, and the third protrusions (31-42) constituting the third protrusion group (3) have a third height (H3) not higher than 30 μm.

7. The adaptive protective membrane (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The protective film (10) is made of rubber.

8. The adaptive protective membrane (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A sealing adhesive layer is also applied on the contact surface between the protective film (10) and the aircraft antenna (T), and the sealing adhesive layer is made of acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive.

9. An aircraft antenna (T) having applied thereto an adaptive protective membrane (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The aircraft antenna (T) is a very high frequency antenna.

10. An aircraft equipped with an aircraft antenna (T) according to claim 9.

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