A cable net type reflector surface inflatable antenna structure

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of cable-net type reflecting surface inflatable antenna structures, including inflatable sphere, cable-net reflecting surface structure, fixed waistband and circumferential cable adjustment device;The inflatable sphere is support structure, provides internal pressure by the way of inflation, keeps the geometric shape of sphere, there is cable-net reflecting surface structure inside the inflatable sphere, and the cable-net reflecting surface structure is used to reflect electromagnetic wave, circumferential cable adjustment device is arranged on the circumferential direction of cable-net reflecting surface structure, and circumferential cable adjustment device is used to adjust the shape of reflecting surface on cable-net reflecting surface structure, and the edge or boundary of inflatable sphere is fixedly connected by fixed waistband.The application introduces cable-net type reflecting surface structure in the inside of spherical antenna, significantly improves the adjustability of inflatable antenna reflecting surface, so that the surface shape precision of reflecting surface can be controlled and adjusted, and then the reflection gain and signal quality are improved, the difficulty of reflecting surface processing and manufacturing process is reduced, and the manufacturing cost is also reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of inflatable antennas, and particularly relates to a cable net type reflector surface inflatable antenna structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of modern communication technology, antenna technology plays an increasingly important role in the fields of satellite communication, weather observation, radio astronomical observation, ground and marine communication, etc. The traditional antenna structure has certain advantages in meeting high gain and low loss signal transmission, but in the face of complex use environment, its large weight and large size result in low transportation and deployment efficiency.

[0003] As a new type of antenna structure, the inflatable antenna gradually attracts attention and application in the above fields due to its advantages of light weight, convenient transportation and deployment, etc. The inflatable antenna usually adopts a spherical structure and maintains the shape and stability of the antenna through internal gas filling. However, the existing inflatable antenna still has some deficiencies in signal receiving and transmitting performance, for example, the spherical ground-based inflatable antenna designed in the application with publication number CN102110867A mainly reflects that the surface shape accuracy is difficult to guarantee, the gain is not high, the signal loss is large, and the adjustable capacity is limited, etc. In addition, in order to guarantee the surface shape accuracy, the process of manufacturing the reflector surface is complex and the cost is high, and the later precision test also increases the manufacturing cost. SUMMARY

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a cable net type reflector surface inflatable antenna structure, which introduces a cable net type reflector surface structure inside the spherical antenna, significantly improves the adjustability of the inflatable antenna reflector surface, so that the surface shape accuracy of the reflector surface can be controlled and adjusted, thereby improving the reflector gain and signal quality, reducing the difficulty of the manufacturing process of the reflector surface, and also reducing the manufacturing cost.

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

[0006] A cable net type reflector surface inflatable antenna structure, comprising an inflatable sphere, a cable net reflector surface structure, a fixed waistband and a circumferential cable adjustment device.

[0007] The inflatable sphere is a support structure, which provides internal pressure by inflation to maintain the geometric shape of the sphere, the cable net reflector surface structure is arranged inside the inflatable sphere for reflecting electromagnetic waves, and the circumferential cable adjustment device is located in the circumferential direction of the cable net reflector surface structure for adjusting the shape of the reflector surface on the cable net reflector surface structure, and the edge or boundary of the inflatable sphere is fixedly connected through the fixed waistband.

[0008] The edge or boundary is the division of the inflatable sphere.

[0009] The inflatable body includes an upper hemisphere, a middle hemisphere, and a bottom hemisphere, wherein the middle hemisphere and the bottom hemisphere constitute the lower hemisphere; the middle hemisphere and the bottom hemisphere are separated at 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 on the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable body and is used to connect the upper hemisphere and the middle hemisphere to form an integral inflatable body 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 integral lower hemisphere structure.

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

[0012] The cable net reflective surface structure includes a front cable net, vertical cables, a middle 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 close to the bottom of the front cable net;

[0014] The front and rear cable nets are formed by using cables to create triangular grids, which are then pieced together to form the entire cable net surface. The two ends of the vertical cables connect the three vertices of the triangular grids in the front and rear cable nets.

[0015] The reflective surface is a flexible material of 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 grid vertices inside the front and rear cable nets. The reflective surface achieves its reflective function by relying on the flexible reflective material of the metal wire mesh and the shape of the front cable net.

[0016] The front and rear cable net fixing belts are made of flexible material and are circular rings of the same width but different diameters. The surface of the circular rings has metal circular holes, which are the same number as the circumferential cables of the front and rear cable nets. These holes are used for the circumferential cables to pass through the protruding spherical surface and connect with the ratchet shaft inside the circumferential cable adjustment device set on the outside.

[0017] The circumferential cable adjustment device is cylindrical in shape and welded to the bottom of the fixed belt. Inside is a ratchet rotation cable winding and unwinding device. The circumferential cable extends through a metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt and connects to the ratchet shaft. The ratchet rotation is used to tighten and loosen the circumferential cable, thereby adjusting the length.

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

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

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0021] This invention involves first constructing and measuring the cable net reflective surface externally. Based on the accuracy of the measured surface shape (i.e., comparing the actual position of the measurement point with the designed ideal parabolic surface position), the cable net reflective surface is initially adjusted. Then, it is placed inside a sphere. A circumferential cable adjustment device dynamically adjusts the peripheral cables of the front and rear cable nets, tightening or loosening them according to the measured values. By adjusting the length of the circumferential cables of the front and rear cable nets, and in conjunction with adjusting the length of the internal vertical cables, the shape of the reflective surface becomes closer to a parabola, improving its accuracy. Furthermore, operators can readjust the cable net reflective surface structure, effectively ensuring and correcting the reflective surface accuracy, and improving the adjustability of the reflective surface shape.

[0022] By using a cable mesh reflective surface structure instead of flexible film material, the structure weight is reduced, significantly decreasing processing difficulty and material costs, and reducing the number of electrical performance tests, thereby indirectly lowering manufacturing costs. The sphere and belt are made of wave-transparent flexible material with high elastic modulus, ensuring the stability of the sphere during inflation and the radial deformation of the cable mesh reflective surface structure; the metal wire mesh reflective surface ensures good reflective performance and also has foldability.

[0023] In summary, this invention realizes an efficient, flexible, portable and easy-to-operate inflatable antenna structure, which has broad application prospects and significant practical value. Attached Figure Description

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

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure and connection relationships of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1-Inflatable body, 2-Cable net reflective surface structure, 3-Fixing 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 fixing belt, 32-Rear cable net fixing belt. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, an inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector is provided. The structure includes an inflatable body 1, a cable-net reflector structure 2, a fixing belt 3, and a circumferential cable adjustment device 4.

[0030] The inflatable sphere 1 acts as a support structure, providing internal pressure through inflation to maintain the sphere's geometry, withstand certain external loads, and serve as a platform for supporting other components.

[0031] The cable-net reflector structure 2 is the core component of this inflatable antenna. It forms the reflector 22 into a parabolic shape through the cable-net structure, which has a reflective function.

[0032] The fixing belt 3 is used to limit the deformation of the edge or boundary of the inflatable sphere 1. It acts like an outer support frame to ensure that the outer surface of the sphere does not deform excessively 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 reflective surface by adjusting the tension of the circumferential cable, thereby affecting the reflection characteristics of the antenna.

[0034] Specifically, please see Figure 1 In this embodiment, the inflatable ball body 1 provides an overall support structure for the inflatable antenna. It consists of three main parts: an upper hemisphere 11, a middle hemisphere 12, and a bottom hemisphere 13. The middle hemisphere 12 and the bottom hemisphere 13 are two parts divided from the lower hemisphere. The specific division point is a certain height vertically downward from the equatorial plane of the lower hemisphere. This height is determined by theoretical design calculations. The upper part is the middle hemisphere 12, and the lower part is the bottom hemisphere 13. The upper hemisphere 11 is the upper part obtained by the intersection of the sphere with the lower hemisphere at the equatorial plane after the feed assembly and the focal point are determined.

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

[0036] First, a feed assembly is installed on the top of the inflatable body 1, i.e., the top of the upper hemisphere 11. During the design process, in order to ensure that the position of the feed assembly coincides with the focal point of the reflective surface, the height needs to be adjusted. Different frequency bands have different sizes of feed assemblies and adjustment distances. Therefore, there is interference between the feed assembly and the inflatable body 1 at its top. Thus, the inflatable body 1 is generally not a complete sphere, i.e., the upper and lower hemispheres are not the same diameter. Therefore, the shape of the upper hemisphere 11 in the inflatable body 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 sphere, the sphere is subjected to both internal inflation pressure and tension from the cable net reflective surface structure 2. To ensure the stability of the sphere structure and the uniform distribution of stress deformation, the inflatable sphere 1 is divided into three parts. A fixing belt 3 made of high elastic modulus and low ductility material is added as a connecting component at the connection part, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of the inflatable sphere 1.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front cable net fixing belt 31 and the rear cable net fixing belt 32 of the fixing belt 3 are respectively located on the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable body 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 body 1 structure.

[0039] In addition, a circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is placed on the fixed waist belt 3, which is used to connect the internal cable net reflective surface structure 2 of the inflatable body 1.

[0040] The circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is located on the outside of the fixed waist belt 3, that is, on the outside of the inflatable body 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 they correspond one-to-one in the vertical direction.

[0041] The purpose of the one-to-one correspondence in the vertical direction is that the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24 are formed by using cables to create a triangular grid, which is then spliced ​​together to form the entire cable net surface. Furthermore, the front and rear ends of the vertical cable 23 connect the three vertices of the triangular grid in the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24. Therefore, the circumferential cable adjustment devices 4 on the front cable net fixing belt 31 and the rear cable net fixing belt 32 need to be vertically aligned one-to-one to ensure that the vertices of the internal triangular grid are vertically aligned one-to-one, which facilitates the connection of the vertical cable 23 in the process and improves the mechanical performance of the overall cable net structure.

[0042] The number of circumferential cable adjustment devices 4 needs to be determined based on the required signal frequency band and surface accuracy. This will determine the size and number of triangular meshes inside the front cable net 21 and rear cable net 24, and thus determine the required number of circumferential cable adjustment devices 4.

[0043] The circumferential cable adjustment device 4 is cylindrical in shape and welded to the bottom of the fixed belt 3. Inside it is a ratchet rotation cable winding and unwinding device. The circumferential cable extends through the metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt 3 and is connected to the ratchet shaft. The ratchet rotation realizes the tightening and loosening of the circumferential cable, thereby achieving the function of adjusting the length.

[0044] The cable net reflective surface structure 2 is located inside the inflatable body 1, and it consists 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 diameter plane coincides with the equatorial plane of the inflatable body 1, and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 placed on the front cable net fixing belt 31;

[0045] Because the design requirements for antenna size generally have certain requirements for the diameter of the reflector, the reflector is placed at the place with the largest diameter of the inflatable body, i.e., the equatorial plane, while ensuring the requirements of the reflector diameter and the overall size.

[0046] The reflective surface 22 is placed directly below the front cable net 21, ensuring that the front cable net 21 and the reflective 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 reflective effect, while the reflective surface 22 has a reflective effect. Therefore, they are combined together to form the same curved surface, thus achieving a parabolic shape and a reflective effect.

[0047] The rear cable net 24 has its aperture plane located at a designed position within the lower hemisphere of the inflatable body 1, and is connected to the circumferential tension cable adjustment device 4 placed on the rear cable net fixing belt 32; the vertical cable 23 is located between the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24, used to connect the front cable net 21 and the rear cable net 24, and is tightened under force, thereby adjusting the shape of the reflective surface 22. The purpose of adjusting the shape is to adjust the shape of the reflective surface 22 to be as close as possible to the designed parabolic shape, improve the surface shape accuracy, and thus improve the signal transmission gain;

[0048] Reflection principle: The reflector 22 is made of metal wire mesh material, which can reflect electromagnetic waves. By utilizing the physical properties of the parabolic surface and the feed component, the signal can be received and transmitted.

[0049] The inflatable sphere 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 extensibility to ensure the stability of the sphere during inflation and the radial deformation in the cable net reflective surface structure 2, thereby achieving surface shape accuracy. The reflective surface 22 in the cable net reflective 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 this invention is described as follows:

[0051] First, the cable net reflector structure 2 is processed, fabricated, and assembled. Then, the surface accuracy of the reflector 22 is tested using measuring tools, and the vertical cable 23 is adjusted according to the test results to ensure that the surface accuracy of the reflector 22 meets the design requirements. Next, the cable net reflector structure 2 is placed into the inflatable body 1 and connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 on the fixed belt 3. The inflation pressure provides stiffness support for the circumferential cable adjustment device 4. Then, the electrical performance of the inflatable antenna is tested. Based on the test results, the cable net reflector structure 2 and the circumferential cable adjustment device 4 are adjusted again to meet the requirements.

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

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

[0054] When gas is filled into the inflatable sphere 1, the internal pressure is evenly distributed. Adjusting the inflation pressure pushes the sphere to expand into a predetermined shape, thus providing circumferential support and force for the cable-net reflector structure 2, and supporting components such as the fixing belt 3, the circumferential tension cable adjustment device 4, and the feed source. The front cable net 21 and rear cable net 24 in the cable-net reflector structure 2 are connected to the circumferential tension cable adjustment device 4 on the fixing belt 3. During the inflation of the inflatable sphere 1, the fixing belt 3 and the circumferential tension cable adjustment device 4 move with the sphere to the sphere's forming position, providing circumferential tension to the front cable net 21 and rear cable net 24. Under the vertical tension of the vertical cable 23 on the front cable net 21 and rear cable net 24, the reflector surface 22 is shaped into the designed parabolic shape, realizing the signal reception and transmission functions. In summary, this invention, through ingenious structural design and manufacturing methods, achieves a highly efficient, stable, and adjustable inflatable antenna structure. This manufacturing process and structural design improve the surface accuracy and adjustability of the reflective surface, and saves the cost of processing flexible reflective surfaces. In addition, it greatly reduces the number of electrical performance tests, saving manufacturing costs and has broad application prospects and significant practical value.

Claims

1. An inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector, characterized in that, It includes an inflatable body (1), a cable net reflective surface structure (2), a fixing belt (3), and a circumferential cable adjustment device (4); The inflatable body (1) is a support structure that provides internal pressure by inflating to maintain the geometric shape of the sphere. The cable net reflective surface structure (2) is arranged inside the inflatable body (1) to reflect electromagnetic waves. The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is located in the circumference of the cable net reflective surface structure (2) to adjust the shape of the reflective surface on the cable net reflective surface structure (2). The edge or boundary of the inflatable body (1) is fixedly connected by a fixing belt (3). The fixing belt (3) includes a front cable net fixing belt (31) and a rear cable net fixing belt (32). The front cable net fixing belt (31) is located on the outer surface of the equator of the inflatable body (1) and is used to connect the upper hemisphere (11) and the middle hemisphere (12) to form an integral inflatable body (1) structure. The rear cable net fixing belt (32) is located at a designed position in the lower hemisphere, which is used to connect the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) to form an integral lower hemisphere structure; The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is located on the outside of the fixed waist belt (3), that is, on the outside of the inflatable body (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) to connect the cable net reflective surface structure (2) inside the inflatable body (1) and correspond one-to-one in the vertical direction. The front cable net fixing belt (31) and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are made of flexible material and are circular rings with the same width but different diameters. The surface of the circular rings is distributed with metal circular holes that are the same number as the circumferential cables of the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24). These holes are used for the circumferential cables to pass through the extended spherical surface and to connect with the ratchet shaft inside the circumferential cable adjustment device (4) set on the outside. The circumferential cable adjustment device (4) is a cylinder, with its bottom welded to the fixed belt (3). Inside is a ratchet rotation cable feeding device. The circumferential cable extends through the metal ring hole on the surface of the fixed belt (3) and connects to the ratchet shaft.

2. The inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inflatable body (1) includes an upper hemisphere (11), a middle hemisphere (12) and a bottom hemisphere (13), wherein the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) constitute the lower hemisphere; the middle hemisphere (12) and the bottom hemisphere (13) are separated at a certain height vertically downward from the equatorial plane of the lower hemisphere.

3. The inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cable net reflective surface structure (2) includes a front cable net (21), vertical cables (23), a middle 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 close to the bottom of the front cable net (21); The front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24) are formed by using cables to create a triangular grid, which is then spliced ​​together to form the entire cable net surface. The two ends of the vertical cable (23) are connected to the vertices of the triangular grids in the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24).

4. The inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The reflective surface (22) is a flexible material of metal wire mesh, which is tied to the front cable net (21) by a cable. The vertical cable (23) is made of the same material as the front cable net (21) and the rear cable net (24). The reflective surface (22) is made of flexible reflective material of metal wire mesh and is matched with the shape of the front cable net (21) to realize the reflective function of the reflective surface (22).

5. The inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The front cable net (21) is located where its aperture plane coincides with the equatorial plane of the inflatable body (1) and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device (4) placed on the front cable net fixing belt (31); the rear cable net (24) has its aperture plane located at the designed position in the lower hemisphere of the inflatable body (1) and is connected to the circumferential cable adjustment device (4) placed on the rear cable net fixing belt (32).

6. The inflatable antenna structure with a cable-net reflector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inflatable body (1), the front cable net fixing belt (31), and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are all made of wave-transparent flexible material. The front cable net fixing belt (31) and the rear cable net fixing belt (32) are made of a material with high elastic modulus and low extensibility. The reflective surface (22) of the cable net reflective surface structure (2) is made of metal wire mesh material, which is used to realize the signal reflection of the antenna.

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