Inflatable antenna structure of cable net type reflecting surface

Abstract

The invention discloses an inflatable antenna structure with a cable net type reflecting surface. The inflatable antenna structure comprises an inflatable ball body, a cable net reflecting surface structure, a fixed waistband and a circumferential inhaul cable adjusting device, the inflatable ball body is of a supporting structure, internal pressure is provided in an inflation mode, the geometric shape of the ball body is kept, a cable net reflecting surface structure is arranged in the inflatable ball body and used for reflecting electromagnetic waves, and a circumferential inhaul cable adjusting device is arranged in the circumferential direction of the cable net reflecting surface structure and used for adjusting the cable net reflecting surface structure. The circumferential inhaul cable adjusting device is used for adjusting the shape of a reflecting surface on the cable net reflecting surface structure, and the edge or the boundary of the inflatable ball body is fixedly connected through a fixing waistband. The cable net type reflecting surface structure is introduced into the spherical antenna, so that the adjustability of the reflecting surface of the inflatable antenna is remarkably improved, the surface shape precision of the reflecting surface can be controlled and adjusted, the reflection gain and the signal quality are further improved, the difficulty of the processing and manufacturing process of the reflecting surface is reduced, and meanwhile, the processing and manufacturing cost is also reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of inflatable antennas, and in particular relates to an inflatable antenna structure with a cable net type reflective surface. Background Art

[0002] With the development of modern communication technology, antenna technology plays an increasingly important role in satellite communication, meteorological observation, radio astronomical observation, ground and marine communication, etc. Traditional antenna structures have certain advantages in meeting high-gain and low-loss signal transmission requirements, but their heavy weight and large volume lead to low efficiency in transportation and deployment in complex usage environments.

[0003] As a new type of antenna structure, inflatable antennas are gradually gaining attention and application in the above-mentioned fields due to their advantages such as light weight, easy transportation and deployment. Inflatable antennas usually adopt a spherical structure, and the shape and stability of the antenna are maintained by internal gas filling. However, the existing inflatable antennas still have some shortcomings in signal reception and transmission performance. For example, the spherical land-based inflatable antenna invented and designed with publication number CN102110867A is mainly reflected in the difficulty in ensuring surface accuracy, low gain, large signal loss and limited adjustability. In addition, in order to ensure the surface accuracy, the process of processing and manufacturing the reflective surface is complicated and costly, and the subsequent accuracy test also increases the manufacturing cost in disguise. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net type reflective surface. By introducing a cable-net type reflective surface structure inside the spherical antenna, the adjustability of the inflatable antenna reflective surface is significantly improved, so that the surface accuracy of the reflective surface can be controlled and adjusted, thereby improving the reflection gain and signal quality, reducing the difficulty of the reflective surface processing and manufacturing process, and also reducing the processing and manufacturing cost.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] An inflatable antenna structure with a cable net type reflector surface, comprising an inflatable sphere, a cable net reflector surface structure, a fixed belt and a circumferential cable adjustment device;

[0007] The inflatable sphere is a supporting structure, which provides internal pressure by inflation to maintain the geometric shape of the sphere. The cable net reflective surface structure is arranged inside the inflatable sphere to reflect electromagnetic waves. The circumferential cable adjustment device is located in the circumference of the cable net reflective surface structure to adjust the shape of the reflective surface on the cable net reflective surface structure. The edge or boundary of the inflatable sphere is fixedly connected by a fixed belt.

[0008] The edges or boundaries are the divisions of the inflated sphere.

[0009] The inflatable sphere comprises an upper hemisphere, a middle hemisphere and a bottom hemisphere, wherein the middle hemisphere and the bottom hemisphere constitute a lower hemisphere; the dividing position of the middle hemisphere and the bottom hemisphere is a certain height vertically downward from the equatorial plane of the lower hemisphere.

[0010] The fixing belt includes a front cable net fixing belt and a rear cable net fixing belt. The front cable net fixing belt is located at the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable ball and is used to connect the upper hemisphere and the middle hemisphere to form an overall inflatable ball structure; the rear cable net fixing belt is located at a designed position in the lower hemisphere and is used to connect the middle hemisphere and the bottom hemisphere to form an overall lower hemisphere structure.

[0011] The circumferential cable adjustment device is located on the outside of the fixed belt, that is, the outside of the inflatable ball. At the same time, the same number of circumferential cable adjustment devices are evenly distributed on the front cable net fixed belt and the rear cable net fixed belt, which are used to connect the cable net reflective surface structure inside the inflatable ball, and correspond one to one in the vertical direction.

[0012] The cable net reflective surface structure comprises a front cable net, vertical cables, an intermediate reflective surface and a rear cable net;

[0013] The front cable net is located at the top of the cable net reflective surface structure, the rear cable net is located at the bottom of the cable net reflective surface structure, and the middle reflective surface is closely attached to the bottom of the front cable net;

[0014] The front cable net and the rear cable net use cables to form triangular grids, which are then spliced ​​into the entire cable net surface. The two ends of the vertical cables connect the three vertices of the triangular grids in the front cable net and the rear cable net.

[0015] The reflecting surface is a flexible material of a metal wire mesh, which is tied to the bottom of the front cable net by cables; the vertical cables are made of the same material as the front and rear cable nets, and their function is to connect the corresponding triangular mesh vertices inside the front and rear cable nets. The reflecting surface relies on the flexible reflective material of the metal wire mesh and the shape of the front cable net to realize the reflective function of the reflecting surface.

[0016] The front cable net fixing belt and the rear cable net fixing belt are made of flexible materials and are shaped like circular rings with the same width and different diameters. The surface of the circular rings is distributed with metal circular ring holes with the same number as the circumferential cables of the front cable net and the rear cable net, which are used for the circumferential cables to pass through the protruding spherical surface and be wrapped around the ratchet shaft inside the circumferential cable adjustment device arranged on the outside and be connected.

[0017] The circumferential cable adjustment device is cylindrical in shape, with the bottom welded and fixed to the fixed belt. Inside it is a ratchet rotating wire-retracting device. The circumferential cable extends out through the metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt and is connected to the ratchet shaft. The circumferential cable is tightened and relaxed by the rotation of the ratchet, thereby achieving the function of adjusting the length.

[0018] The front cable net is located at the position where its aperture plane coincides with the equatorial plane of the inflatable ball, and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device placed on the front cable net fixing belt; the aperture plane of the rear cable net is located at the designed position in the lower hemisphere of the inflatable ball, and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device placed on the rear cable net fixing belt.

[0019] The inflatable ball, the front cable net fixing belt, and the rear cable net fixing belt are all made of wave-transparent flexible materials to reduce signal loss. The front cable net fixing belt and the rear cable net fixing belt are made of materials with high elastic modulus and low stretchability to ensure the stability of the ball during inflation and the radial deformation in the cable net reflecting surface structure, thereby achieving surface shape accuracy; the reflecting surface in the cable net reflecting surface structure is made of metal wire mesh material to achieve the signal reflection effect of the antenna.

[0020] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0021] The present invention first builds and measures the cable net reflective surface externally, compares the actual position at the measuring point with the designed ideal parabola position according to the result of measuring the surface shape accuracy, and then makes a preliminary adjustment to the cable net reflective surface, and then puts it into the sphere, and dynamically adjusts the peripheral cables of the front cable net and the rear cable net through the circumferential cable adjustment device, and the adjustment is based on tightening or loosening them according to the measured values ​​according to the measurement results; by adjusting the length of the circumferential cables of the front cable net and the rear cable net, and coordinating with adjusting the length of the internal vertical cables, the shape of the reflective surface is made closer to the parabola, and the accuracy of the reflective surface is improved. In addition, the operator can readjust the cable net reflective surface structure, effectively ensure and correct the accuracy of the reflective surface, and improve the adjustability of the reflective surface shape.

[0022] The cable net reflector structure is used instead of flexible film materials, which reduces the weight of the structure, greatly reduces the difficulty of processing and material costs, and reduces the number of electrical performance tests, thus reducing the processing and manufacturing costs in disguise. The sphere and belt are made of wave-transparent, flexible, and high elastic modulus materials to ensure the stability of the sphere during inflation and the radial deformation of the cable net reflector structure; the wire mesh reflector ensures good reflective performance and foldability.

[0023] In summary, the present invention realizes an efficient, flexible, portable and easy-to-operate inflatable antenna structure, which has broad application prospects and significant practical value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the internal structure and connection relationship of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Description of reference numerals:

[0027] 1-inflatable ball, 2-cable net reflective surface structure, 3-fixed belt, 4-circumferential cable adjustment device, 11-upper hemisphere, 12-middle hemisphere, 13-bottom hemisphere, 21-front cable net, 22-reflective surface, 23-vertical cable, 24-rear cable net, 31-front cable net fixed belt, 32-rear cable net fixed belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, an inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector surface comprises an inflatable ball 1, a cable net reflector surface structure 2, a fixed belt 3, and a circumferential cable adjustment device 4;

[0030] The inflatable sphere 1 acts as a supporting structure, which provides internal pressure by means of inflation, maintains the geometric shape of the sphere, bears certain external loads, and serves as a bearing platform for other components.

[0031] The cable net reflective surface structure 2 is a core component of the inflatable antenna. The reflective surface 22 is formed into a parabolic shape through the cable net structure and has a reflective function.

[0032] The fixed belt 3 is used to limit the deformation of the edge or boundary of the inflatable ball 1. It acts like a peripheral support frame to ensure that the outer surface of the ball will not be excessively deformed when subjected to external force or internal pressure.

[0033] The main function of the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is to affect the shape of the reflection surface by adjusting the tension of the circumferential cable, thereby affecting the reflection characteristics of the antenna.

[0034] Specifically, see Figure 1 In this embodiment, the inflatable ball 1 provides an overall supporting structure for the inflatable antenna, which is composed of three major parts, namely the upper hemisphere 11, the middle hemisphere 12 and the bottom hemisphere 13, wherein the middle hemisphere 12 and the bottom hemisphere 13 are two parts divided from the lower hemisphere, and the specific division position is a certain height vertically downward from the equatorial plane of the lower hemisphere, and the height is determined by theoretical design calculations, the upper half is the middle hemisphere 12, and the lower half is the bottom hemisphere 13; the upper hemisphere 11 is the upper half obtained by the intersection of a sphere of a diameter determined after the feed assembly coincides with the focus and the lower hemisphere at the equatorial plane.

[0035] The function and purpose of dividing the overall structure of the inflatable ball 1 into three parts are as follows:

[0036] First, a feed assembly is installed on the top of the inflatable sphere 1, that is, the top of the upper hemisphere 11. During the design, in order to ensure that the position of the feed assembly can coincide with the focus of the reflecting surface, height adjustment is required. Different frequency bands have feed assemblies of different sizes and adjustment distances. Therefore, there is interference between the feed assembly and the inflatable sphere 1 at its top. Therefore, the inflatable sphere 1 is generally not a complete sphere, that is, the upper and lower hemispheres do not have the same diameter. Therefore, the shape of the upper hemisphere 11 in the inflatable sphere 1 needs to be designed according to actual requirements.

[0037] Secondly, since the cable net reflective surface structure 2 needs to be connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 on the spherical surface, the spherical surface is subjected to both the internal inflation pressure and the tension brought by the cable net reflective surface structure 2. In order to ensure the stability of the spherical structure and the uniform distribution of force and deformation, the inflatable ball 1 is divided into three parts, and a fixed belt 3 made of high elastic modulus and low ductility material is added to the connecting part as a connecting component, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of the inflatable ball 1.

[0038] Furthermore, the front cable net fixing belt 31 and the rear cable net fixing belt 32 of the fixing belt 3 of the present embodiment are respectively located at the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable ball and at the designed position in the lower hemisphere, and are used to connect the upper hemisphere 11, the middle hemisphere 12 and the bottom hemisphere 13 to form the overall inflatable ball 1 structure.

[0039] In addition, a circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is placed on the fixed waist belt 3 for connecting the cable net reflective surface structure 2 inside the inflatable ball 1 .

[0040] The circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is located on the outside of the fixed waist belt 3, that is, the outside of the inflatable ball 1. The same number of circumferential cable adjustment devices 4 are evenly distributed on the front cable net fixed waist belt 31 and the rear cable net fixed waist belt 32, and correspond one to one in the vertical direction.

[0041] The purpose of one-to-one correspondence in the vertical direction is that the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24 are formed into a triangular grid using cables, and then spliced ​​into the entire cable net surface, and the front and rear ends of the vertical cables 23 are connected to the three vertices of the triangular grids in the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24. Therefore, the circumferential cable adjustment devices 4 on the front cable net fixed belt 31 and the rear cable net fixed belt 32 need to correspond one-to-one in the vertical direction, thereby ensuring that the vertices of the internal triangular grids correspond one-to-one in the vertical direction, facilitating the technical connection of the vertical cables 23 and improving the mechanical properties of the overall cable net structure.

[0042] The number of circumferential cable adjustment devices 4 to be set needs to determine the size and number of triangular grids inside the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24 according to the required signal frequency band and surface accuracy, and then determine the required number of circumferential cable adjustment devices 4.

[0043] The circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is cylindrical in shape, and its bottom is welded and fixed to the fixed belt 3. Inside it is a ratchet rotating wire-retracting device. The circumferential cable extends out through the metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt 3 and is connected to the ratchet shaft. The circumferential cable is tightened and relaxed by the rotation of the ratchet wheel, thereby achieving the function of adjusting the length.

[0044] The cable net reflective surface structure 2 is located inside the inflatable sphere 1, and is composed of a front cable net 21, a reflective surface 22, vertical cables 23, and a rear cable net 24. The front cable net 21 is located where its aperture plane coincides with the equatorial plane of the inflatable sphere 1, and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 placed on the front cable net fixed belt 31;

[0045] Because according to the design requirements of the antenna size, there are generally requirements for the diameter of the reflecting surface. Therefore, while ensuring the requirements of the reflecting surface diameter and the overall size, the reflecting surface is placed where the diameter of the inflated sphere is the largest, that is, the equatorial plane.

[0046] The reflecting surface 22 is placed closely below the front cable net 21, which ensures that the front cable net 21 and the reflecting surface 22 are the same curved surface; the front cable net 21 is a structure that actually forms a parabolic shape, but it does not have a reflecting effect, while the reflecting surface 22 has a reflecting effect, so they cooperate with each other to form the same curved surface, realizing a parabolic shape and a reflecting effect.

[0047] The aperture plane of the rear cable net 24 is located at the designed position in the lower hemisphere of the inflatable sphere 1, and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 placed on the rear cable net fixed belt 32; the vertical cable 23 is located between the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24, and is used to connect the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24, and is tightened by force, so as to adjust the shape of the reflecting surface 22. The purpose of adjusting the shape is to adjust the shape of the reflecting surface 22 to be as close to the designed parabolic shape as possible, improve the surface shape accuracy, and thus improve the signal transmission gain;

[0048] Reflection principle: The reflective surface 22 is made of metal mesh material, which can reflect electromagnetic waves, and utilizes the physical properties of the parabola and the feed component to achieve signal reception and transmission.

[0049] The inflatable ball 1, the front cable net fixing belt 31, and the rear cable net fixing belt 32 are all made of wave-transparent flexible materials to reduce signal loss. The front cable net fixing belt 31 and the rear cable net fixing belt 32 are made of materials with high elastic modulus and low stretchability to ensure the stability of the ball during inflation and the radial deformation in the cable net reflecting surface structure 2, thereby achieving surface shape accuracy; the reflecting surface 22 in the cable net reflecting surface structure 2 is made of metal wire mesh material to achieve the signal reflection effect of the antenna.

[0050] The specific processing and manufacturing process of the present invention is described as follows:

[0051] First, the cable net reflective surface structure 2 is processed, manufactured and constructed, and then the surface accuracy of the reflective surface 22 is tested using a measuring tool, and the vertical cables 23 are adjusted according to the test results, so that the surface accuracy of the reflective surface 22 meets the surface accuracy requirements required by the design. Then, the cable net reflective surface structure 2 is placed in the inflatable ball 1 and connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 on the fixed belt 3. The inflation pressure is used to expand the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 to provide rigidity support, and then the electrical performance test of the inflatable antenna is carried out. According to the test results, the cable net reflective surface structure 2 and the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 are adjusted to meet the requirements.

[0052] This manufacturing process and structure improves the surface accuracy and adjustability of the reflective surface, saves the cost of processing the flexible reflective surface, and greatly reduces the number of electrical performance tests, saving manufacturing costs.

[0053] Working principle of an inflatable antenna structure with a cable net reflector:

[0054] When the inflatable sphere 1 is filled with gas, the pressure inside the sphere will be evenly distributed, and the size of the inflation pressure will be adjusted to push the sphere to expand to a predetermined shape, thereby providing circumferential support and circumferential force for the cable net reflector structure 2, and carrying the fixed belt 3, the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 and the feed source and other component devices. The front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24 in the cable net reflector structure 2 are connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 on the fixed belt 3. During the inflation of the inflatable sphere 1, the fixed belt 3 and the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 move with the sphere to the sphere forming position, and provide circumferential tension for the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24. Under the vertical tension of the vertical cable 23 on the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24, the reflector 22 is formed into the designed parabolic shape to realize the signal receiving and transmitting functions. In summary, the present invention realizes an efficient, stable and adjustable inflatable antenna structure through ingenious structural design and processing and manufacturing methods. This production process and structural design improves the surface accuracy and adjustability of the reflective surface and saves the cost of using a flexible reflective surface for processing. In addition, it greatly reduces the number of electrical performance tests and saves manufacturing costs. It has broad application prospects and significant practical value.

Claims

1. An inflatable antenna structure with a cable net reflector, characterized in that: It comprises an inflatable ball (1), a cable net reflective surface structure (2), a fixed waist belt (3) and a circumferential cable adjustment device (4); The inflatable sphere (1) is a supporting structure, which provides internal pressure by means of inflation to maintain the geometric shape of the sphere. The cable net reflective surface structure (2) is arranged inside the inflatable sphere (1) and is used to reflect electromagnetic waves. The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is located around the cable net reflective surface structure (2) and is used to adjust the shape of the reflective surface on the cable net reflective surface structure (2). The edge or border of the inflatable sphere (1) is fixedly connected by a fixed belt (3).

2. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inflatable ball (1) comprises an upper hemisphere (11), a middle hemisphere (12) and a bottom hemisphere (13), wherein the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) constitute a lower hemisphere; the dividing position of the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) is a certain height vertically downward from the equatorial plane of the lower hemisphere.

3. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The fixing belt (3) comprises a front cable net fixing belt (31) and a rear cable net fixing belt (32); the front cable net fixing belt (31) is located at the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable ball (1) and is used to connect the upper hemisphere (11) and the middle hemisphere (12) to form an integral inflatable ball (1) structure; The rear cable net fixing belt (32) is located at a designed position in the lower hemisphere, and is used to connect the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) to form an integral lower hemisphere structure.

4. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is located on the outside of the fixed belt (3), that is, on the outside of the inflatable ball (1). The same number of circumferential cable adjustment devices (4) are evenly distributed on the front cable net fixed belt (31) and the rear cable net fixed belt (32) for connecting the cable net reflective surface structure (2) inside the inflatable ball (1), and correspond one to one in the vertical direction.

5. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cable net reflective surface structure (2) comprises a front cable net (21), vertical cables (23), an intermediate reflective surface (22) and a rear cable net (24); The front cable net (21) is located at the top of the cable net reflective surface structure (2), the rear cable net (24) is located at the bottom, and the middle reflective surface (22) is closely attached to the bottom of the front cable net (21); The front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24) are formed into triangular meshes by using cables, and then spliced ​​into the entire cable net surface. The two ends of the vertical cables (23) are connected to the vertices of the triangular meshes in the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24).

6. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The reflecting surface (22) is a flexible material of a metal wire mesh and is tied to the bottom of the front cable net (21) by means of a rope; the vertical rope (23) is made of the same material as the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24); the reflecting surface (22) achieves its reflecting function by means of the flexible reflective material of the metal wire mesh in combination with the shape of the front cable net (21).

7. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front cable net fixing belt (31) and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are made of flexible material and are in the shape of circular rings with the same width and different diameters. The circular rings are provided with metal circular ring holes with the same number as the circumferential cables of the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24) so ​​as to allow the circumferential cables to pass through the protruding spherical surface and be wound around the ratchet shaft inside the circumferential cable adjusting device (4) arranged outside to connect.

8. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 7, characterized in that: The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is a cylinder, the bottom of which is welded and fixed to the fixed belt (3), and the inside of which is a ratchet rotating wire-retracting device. The circumferential cable extends through the metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt (3) and is connected to the ratchet rotating shaft.

9. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The front cable net (21) is located at a position where its aperture plane coincides with the equatorial plane of the inflatable sphere (1), and is connected to a circumferential cable adjustment device (4) placed on a front cable net fixed belt (31); the rear cable net (24) has an aperture plane located at a designed position in the lower hemisphere of the inflatable sphere (1), and is connected to a circumferential cable adjustment device (4) placed on a rear cable net fixed belt (32).

10. The inflatable antenna structure of a cable net type reflector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inflatable ball (1), the front cable net fixing belt (31), and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are all made of wave-transmissive flexible materials, wherein the front cable net fixing belt (31) and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are made of materials with high elastic modulus and low stretchability; the reflective surface (22) in the cable net reflective surface structure (2) is made of a metal wire mesh material, which is used to achieve signal reflection of the antenna.

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