Thermal vacuum test system and method for satellite-borne communication equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of thermal control of spaceflight electronic components, in particular to a thermal vacuum test system and method for spaceborne communication equipment. The system comprises a vacuum tank, a support, a liquid cooling device and a communication testing device, the support is arranged in the vacuum tank, the liquid cooling device and the communication testing device are arranged outside the vacuum tank, a liquid cooling plate is arranged on the upper portion of the support, the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate is used for installing satellite-borne communication equipment to be tested, and the communication testing device is arranged on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate. A heat pipe of the satellite-borne communication equipment is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate, an inlet and an outlet of the liquid cooling plate are connected with the liquid cooling device through corrugated pipes, and the satellite-borne communication equipment is connected with the communication testing device through a cable. According to the technical scheme, the requirement of the existing satellite-borne high-power-consumption communication equipment on a ground thermal vacuum test can be met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of thermal control technology of aerospace electronic components, and in particular to a thermal vacuum test system and method for satellite-borne communication equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of low-orbit communication technology, digital equipment on satellites is composed of large-scale and ultra-large-scale integrated circuits, which makes the heat consumption of the entire equipment increasingly larger. However, in pursuit of miniaturization of volume and weight, the thermal control design of the equipment becomes more difficult.

[0003] The satellite will be in a vacuum, low temperature and irradiation environment in orbit, and will also be affected by direct sunlight, earth reflection and infrared radiation. The entire device is in a state of alternating hot and cold. At the same time, in order to reduce the construction cost of the constellation, more and more low-cost devices with general radiation resistance are used. In order to meet the long-term use in orbit, the screening of components and the thermal environment test of the equipment have become extremely important.

[0004] In order to meet the heat dissipation requirements of chips, high-power satellite communication equipment usually has heat pipes inside the equipment to quickly conduct heat away. When conducting thermal vacuum tests on the ground, since the equipment installation surface is normally at the bottom, the heat pipes cannot be used normally on the ground due to the influence of gravity during the thermal vacuum test.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a thermal vacuum test system and method for satellite-borne communication equipment to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a thermal vacuum test system and method for satellite-borne communication equipment, which can meet the demand for thermal vacuum testing of existing satellite-borne high-power communication equipment on the ground.

[0007] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a thermal vacuum test system for satellite-borne communication equipment, comprising a vacuum tank, a bracket, a liquid cooling device and a communication test device, wherein the bracket is arranged inside the vacuum tank, and the liquid cooling device and the communication test device are arranged outside the vacuum tank. A liquid cooling plate is arranged on the upper portion of the bracket, and the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate is used to install the satellite-borne communication equipment to be tested, the heat pipe of the satellite-borne communication equipment is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate, the inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling plate are connected to the liquid cooling device via a bellows, and the satellite-borne communication equipment is connected to the communication test device via a cable.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a thermal vacuum test method for satellite-borne communication equipment, which is applied to the system described in the above embodiment, including:

[0009] Mounting the satellite-borne communication equipment to be tested on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate;

[0010] Using the liquid cooling device to control the temperature of the satellite-borne communication equipment;

[0011] The communication test device is used to perform a communication test on the satellite-borne communication equipment.

[0012] The embodiment of the present invention provides a thermal vacuum test system and method for satellite-borne communication equipment, which can meet the normal working requirements of the internal heat pipe of the equipment during ground testing by installing the satellite-borne communication equipment to be tested upside down on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate. That is, the above technical solution can solve the demand for thermal vacuum testing of existing satellite-borne high-power communication equipment on the ground. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a thermal vacuum test system for satellite-borne communication equipment provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the bracket in the thermal vacuum test system shown.

[0016] Reference numerals:

[0017] 1- vacuum tank; 2- bracket; 3- liquid cooling device; 4- communication test device; 5- liquid cooling plate; 6- satellite communication equipment; 7- heat pipe; 8- bellows; 9- cable; 10- liquid nitrogen tank; 11- vacuum unit; 12- flange; 13- temperature measuring device; 14- temperature control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a thermal vacuum test system for satellite-borne communication equipment, including a vacuum tank 1, a bracket 2, a liquid cooling device 3 and a communication test device 4, the bracket 2 is arranged inside the vacuum tank 1, the liquid cooling device 3 and the communication test device 4 are arranged outside the vacuum tank 1, a liquid cooling plate 5 is arranged on the upper part of the bracket 2, the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate 5 is used to install the satellite-borne communication equipment 6 to be tested, the heat pipe 7 of the satellite-borne communication equipment 6 (for example, it can be installed on the top of the satellite-borne communication equipment 6, of course, it can also be installed around the satellite-borne communication equipment 6) is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate 5, the inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling plate 5 are connected to the liquid cooling device 3 through a bellows 8, and the satellite-borne communication equipment 6 is connected to the communication test device 4 through a cable 9.

[0020] In this embodiment, by inverting the satellite communication device 6 to be tested on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate 5, the normal working requirements of the heat pipe inside the device during the ground test can be met. That is, the above technical solution can solve the needs of existing satellite-borne high-power communication equipment on the ground thermal vacuum test.

[0021] That is to say, the satellite communication device 6 contains an aluminum-ammonia channel heat pipe, and the heat pipe 7 cannot be used normally due to the influence of gravity. For example, the evaporation section of the channel heat pipe is connected to the top surface of the satellite communication device 6, and the condensation section is flush with the installation surface of the satellite communication device 6 and is installed on the liquid cooling plate 5. Therefore, the entire satellite communication device 6 is installed upside down on the liquid cooling plate 5, ensuring that the heat pipe 7 can work normally without being affected by gravity.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum tank 1 is connected to a liquid nitrogen tank 10 and a vacuum unit 11, so that the working environment required for the thermal vacuum test can be constructed, that is, a suitable vacuum degree and background temperature are provided for the satellite communication equipment 6 during the test.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the bracket 2 is constructed of aluminum profiles.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid cooling plate 5 is mounted on a slider with a threaded hole in the upper cross beam of the bracket 2, and the liquid cooling plate 5 and the slider can be tightened using M4 screws.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, flow channels for circulating the heat exchange medium are evenly arranged inside the liquid cooling plate 5 .

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid cooling plate 5 is provided with a plunger head interface for connecting with the bellows 8 .

[0027] At the same time, in the current thermal vacuum test, the satellite communication equipment is placed on the supporting platform inside the vacuum tank, which cannot meet the heat dissipation requirements for long-term power-on testing. In addition, the communication equipment generally also has a fiber optic interface, which requires targeted design to meet the requirements of the optical fiber passing through the tank.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, flanges 12 are provided at the positions where the bellows 8 and the cable 9 pass through the vacuum tank 1, and all flanges 12 meet the electrical performance and sealing requirements.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, a temperature measuring device 13 and a temperature controlling device 14 are provided outside the vacuum tank 1 , the temperature measuring device 13 is used to measure the real-time temperature of the satellite communication equipment 6 , and the temperature controlling device 14 is used to assist in controlling the real-time temperature of the satellite communication equipment 6 .

[0030] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device 3 includes a liquid reservoir, a pump valve, a refrigerator, etc., and controls the temperature on the liquid cooling plate 5 to meet the test requirements by adjusting the temperature and flow rate of the liquid outlet.

[0031] In this embodiment, a liquid cooling plate 5, a liquid cooling device 3, a temperature measuring device 13 and a temperature control device 14 are used to control the flow and temperature of the working fluid to meet the test temperature requirements of the equipment installation surface; at the same time, the bare optical fiber is passed through the stainless steel flange through sealing technology to meet the optical fiber penetration requirement, so that the equipment has the ability of high-speed communication during thermal vacuum testing.

[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication test device 4 includes a DC voltage regulator, a test computer, a spectrum analyzer, a signal source, etc., to meet the environmental test performance test requirements of the satellite-borne communication equipment 6.

[0033] In summary, the above technical scheme fully considers the heat pipe operation of the equipment, the heat dissipation of the high-power vacuum environment of the equipment and the electrical performance test requirements of the equipment to solve the problems of ground thermal vacuum test and electrical test of satellite-borne high-power communication equipment. The liquid cooling plate 5 has a plunger head with a bellows 8, which is connected to the flange 12 of the tank wall through the bellows 8, and then passes through the vacuum tank 1, and then is connected to the liquid cooling device 3 outside the tank through a pipeline to form a complete fluid circuit heat transfer. The liquid cooling device 3 provides a stable heat sink for the satellite-borne communication equipment 6 by controlling the flow and temperature of the loop liquid. The cable 9 includes low-frequency cables, high-frequency cables and optical fibers. All cables are transferred to the outside of the tank through the tank wall flange, and then connected to the communication test device 4. The vacuum optical fiber flange is designed according to the input conditions such as the optical fiber core diameter, the optical band, the connector model at both ends, and the flange specifications. The bare optical fiber is passed through the stainless steel flange through the sealing technology to meet the optical communication requirements of specific optical modules.

[0034] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a thermal vacuum test method for satellite-borne communication equipment, which is applied to the system mentioned in any of the above embodiments, including:

[0035] Installing the satellite communication device 6 to be tested on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate 5;

[0036] Using the liquid cooling device 3 to control the temperature of the satellite-borne communication equipment 6;

[0037] The communication test device 4 is used to perform a communication test on the satellite-borne communication equipment 6 .

[0038] It can be understood that the method embodiment and system embodiment provided by the present invention are based on the same inventive concept, and both have the same beneficial effects, and the beneficial effects of the method embodiment will not be elaborated herein.

[0039] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "comprise a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical factors in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0040] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal vacuum test system for satellite-borne communication equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a vacuum tank (1), a bracket (2), a liquid cooling device (3) and a communication test device (4), wherein the bracket (2) is arranged inside the vacuum tank (1), the liquid cooling device (3) and the communication test device (4) are arranged outside the vacuum tank (1), a liquid cooling plate (5) is arranged on the upper part of the bracket (2), the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate (5) is used for installing a satellite communication device (6) to be tested, a heat pipe (7) of the satellite communication device (6) is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate (5), the inlet and outlet of the liquid cooling plate (5) are connected to the liquid cooling device (3) through a corrugated pipe (8), and the satellite communication device (6) is connected to the communication test device (4) through a cable (9).

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The vacuum tank (1) is connected to a liquid nitrogen tank (10) and a vacuum unit (11).

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The bracket (2) is constructed using aluminum profiles.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The liquid cooling plate (5) is mounted on a sliding block with a threaded hole in the upper crossbeam of the bracket (2).

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that Flow channels for circulating heat exchange medium are evenly arranged inside the liquid cooling plate (5).

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The liquid cooling plate (5) is provided with a plunger head for connecting to the bellows (8).

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that Flanges (12) are provided at the positions where the bellows (8) and the cable (9) pass through the vacuum tank (1).

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that A temperature measuring device (13) and a temperature controlling device (14) are provided outside the vacuum tank (1), wherein the temperature measuring device (13) is used to measure the real-time temperature of the satellite-borne communication equipment (6), and the temperature controlling device (14) is used to control the real-time temperature of the satellite-borne communication equipment (6).

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The communication test device (4) comprises a DC voltage stabilization source, a test computer, a spectrum analyzer and a signal source.

10. A thermal vacuum test method for satellite-borne communication equipment, characterized in that: A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: Mounting the satellite-borne communication device (6) to be tested on the lower surface of the liquid cooling plate (5); Using the liquid cooling device (3) to control the temperature of the satellite-borne communication equipment (6); The communication test device (4) is used to perform a communication test on the satellite-borne communication equipment (6).

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