Air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communication and heat dissipation method of air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna

Abstract

The invention discloses an air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communication and a heat dissipation method of the air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna comprises an antenna body, the antenna body is divided into an upper-layer T / R array plane, a middle-layer heat dissipation air channel and a lower-layer control module, the front end of the heat dissipation air channel is divided into an upper-layer convection channel and a lower-layer fan channel by an air channel partition plate, a fan is arranged in the fan channel, an air inlet communicated with the convection channel is formed in the front end of the antenna body, and an air outlet communicated with the fan channel is formed in the lower end of the antenna body. The rear end of the antenna body is provided with an air outlet communicated with the heat dissipation air channel, the side face of the antenna body is provided with a fan exhaust outlet communicated with the fan channel, and a wind shield which is opened in a one-way mode from back to front is arranged between the heat dissipation air channel and the fan channel. According to the heat dissipation method, the air-cooled heat dissipation phased-array antenna is adopted and is installed on an aircraft. The antenna has the beneficial effects that the design of the double-layer air channel heat dissipation system and the automatic air door is innovatively adopted, and the antenna can stably and reliably run in an all-weather long-term mode under the two working states of air and ground.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of satellite communication antenna heat dissipation technology, and specifically relates to an air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications and a heat dissipation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, satellite communication antennas have evolved from traditional mechanical scanning antennas to low-profile one-dimensional phased scanning antennas to the current two-dimensional active phased array antennas, and their technical performance has been greatly improved. Phased array antennas use solid-state electronic components to achieve beam scanning, and have the advantages of fast scanning speed, low profile, and light weight. However, since there are thousands of T / R components arranged on the antenna array, they are densely and compactly arranged, with small heat dissipation space, and the ultra-thin flat structure makes the heat flux density of the antenna large, resulting in heat dissipation difficulties. If this heat cannot be taken away from the antenna array in time, it will cause the antenna temperature to rise, causing the performance of the T / R components to decline or even fail, thereby affecting the electrical performance of the antenna and causing the antenna performance to deteriorate. Therefore, the thermal design of the active phased array antenna is directly related to the electrical performance indicators of the antenna. The thermal design of the existing active phased array antenna can adopt forced air cooling, forced liquid cooling, or high-efficiency heat pipe technology according to the size of the heat flux density of the antenna array and the use environment of the antenna to ensure the normal operation of the heat-generating components.

[0003] The airborne environment in the civil aviation field is relatively harsh. In addition to requiring the antenna to have excellent electrical performance indicators when powered on all day, the antenna is also required to have extremely high safety, reliability and manufacturing compliance requirements. These requirements have posed great challenges to the research and development of cooling technology for civil aviation airborne phased array antennas. According to the functional requirements of civil aviation drones, a certain type of satellite communication phased array antenna needs to be installed on the outer surface of the aircraft body. Since the antenna has a large working power and its installation position is located on the outer surface of the aircraft skin, the aircraft cannot provide an environmental control system or heat sink. Therefore, the satellite communication airborne phased array antenna in this field can only adopt an air-cooled heat dissipation design.

[0004] Conventional air-cooling methods for aircraft antennas generally include direct introduction of external high-speed airflow for heat dissipation and fan heat dissipation. The direct introduction of external high-speed airflow for heat dissipation is to set an air inlet at the front end of the antenna and an air outlet at the rear end of the cover. When the aircraft is flying at high altitude, external high-speed cold air is introduced from the air inlet at the front end of the antenna. The cold air passes through the internal air duct of the antenna body and is then discharged from the air outlet at the rear end of the antenna to take away the heat inside the antenna. This heat dissipation method requires the setting of an air duct inside the antenna body, and the high-speed airflow directly blows through the antenna. It has high requirements for the protection of the antenna. When the aircraft is parked on the ground waiting to fly, there is no high-speed airflow entering the antenna cover, so the antenna cannot dissipate heat and cannot meet the requirements of ground work. The fan heat dissipation method is to open ventilation holes on the side wall of the antenna, and transfer the heat conducted to the surface of the antenna body to the air outside the antenna body through the forced natural convection generated by the fan. This method requires the fan to work in the harsh environment of the ground environment and high-altitude flight, and has high requirements for the environmental adaptability and reliability of the fan. At the same time, due to the thin air during high-altitude flight, the fan's heat dissipation capacity drops sharply, and the high-speed airflow will bring additional impact to the fan, causing damage to the fan, and ultimately leading to heat dissipation failure. Therefore, the thermal control requirements of high-power, high-heat flux density airborne satellite communication phased array antennas pose a more severe challenge to the heat dissipation efficiency of the fan.

[0005] At present, there are few patents related to the heat dissipation technology of phased array antennas for civil aviation satellite communications: for example, CN110401001A proposes a wind-cooled heat dissipation airborne antenna that can take into account both ground and flight working modes and has high thermal conductivity, which solves the problems that the existing conventional antenna heat dissipation methods cannot take into account the ground work in the air, long-term reliability and protection. Although the air inlet and exhaust outlet of the fan cabin are designed as directional grid windows to prevent high-speed flight airflow from directly impacting the fan, which has a certain effect of protecting the fan, there is still a high-speed airflow backflow in the through fan cabin, which drives the fan blades to rotate passively, reducing the life of the fan and eventually damaging it; for example, CN113782940A proposes a wind-cooled heat dissipation airborne antenna method that is resistant to harsh environments, has high heat dissipation efficiency, can improve heat dissipation performance, and has good environmental adaptability. The patent abandons the fan heat dissipation method with large loss of heat dissipation efficiency at high altitudes, and only solves the problem of ice formation at the air inlet in the flight environment of high cold and high humidity, causing the air inlet channel to be blocked, ensuring the smoothness of the heat dissipation channel, and does not solve the need for antenna heat dissipation when working on the ground. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the shortcomings of existing heat dissipation technology in the application of satellite communication phased array antennas in the civil aviation airborne field, and the inability to simultaneously take into account the long-term stable and reliable operation and protection in the air and on the ground in all weather conditions, this application proposes a wind-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications and a heat dissipation method thereof, and carries out targeted antenna air-cooling heat dissipation duct design to improve the heat dissipation efficiency and the reliability of the heat dissipation system.

[0007] The purpose of this application is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A wind-cooled heat-dissipating phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications comprises an antenna body, wherein the antenna body is divided into an upper T / R array surface, a middle heat dissipation duct and a lower control module, a duct partition divides the front end of the heat dissipation duct into an upper convection channel and a lower fan channel, a fan is arranged in the fan channel, an air inlet connected to the convection channel is arranged at the front end of the antenna body, an air outlet connected to the heat dissipation duct is arranged at the rear end of the antenna body, a fan exhaust port connected to the fan channel is arranged on the side of the antenna body, and a wind shield plate which opens one-way from back to front is arranged between the heat dissipation duct and the fan channel.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes an antenna cover, which is connected to and covers the array surface installation opening at the upper end of the antenna body, a sealing strip is provided between the antenna cover and the antenna body, and a connecting skirt is provided around the lower end of the antenna body.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the wind shield is hinged on the air duct partition, and the lower end of the wind shield is opposite to a blocking block that blocks the wind shield from flipping from front to back.

[0011] Furthermore, both side surfaces of the antenna body are provided with fan exhaust ports.

[0012] Furthermore, a fan cabin is provided at a side end of the fan passage, and the fan is arranged in the fan cabin.

[0013] Furthermore, the fan exhaust port is a fish gill-shaped grille window that opens obliquely backward, the air inlet is an array of cat-ear holes that are evenly or discretely arranged on the windward slope of the front end of the antenna body, and the air outlet is a large-sized grille window arranged in parallel.

[0014] Furthermore, the heat dissipation duct is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped heat dissipation teeth arranged along the flight direction.

[0015] Furthermore, an upper cold plate and a lower cold plate are provided in the antenna body, an antenna array surface installation area is provided on the upper cold plate, a heat dissipation duct is provided between the upper cold plate and the lower cold plate, and a control module installation area is provided on the lower cold plate.

[0016] A heat dissipation method for an air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications, which uses the above-mentioned air-cooled phased array antenna and is installed on an aircraft;

[0017] When the aircraft is parked on the ground, the fan is started to force air cooling to dissipate heat from the antenna. Cold air enters from the air inlet at the front end of the antenna and the air outlet at the rear end of the antenna, respectively, and converges after passing through the convection channel and the heat dissipation duct respectively. It is discharged from the fan exhaust port on the side of the antenna through the open wind shield along the fan channel, taking away the heat inside the antenna. When the aircraft is flying in the air, the fan is turned off to dissipate heat from the antenna through natural convection cold air. Cold air is introduced from the air inlet at the front end of the antenna, flows through the convection channel and the heat dissipation duct in turn, and is discharged from the air outlet, taking away the heat inside the antenna.

[0018] Furthermore, when the aircraft is parked on the ground, the fan starts to form a negative pressure in the fan channel, and the negative pressure pushes the lower end of the wind deflector to flip from back to front to open the air door; when the aircraft is flying in the air, the lower end of the wind deflector remains in a closed state under the action of gravity and flight inertia, and the blocking block prevents the lower end of the wind deflector from flipping from front to back to open the air door.

[0019] Beneficial effects of this application:

[0020] 1. This air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications and its heat dissipation method innovatively adopts a double-layer air duct heat dissipation system and an automatic damper design, taking into account the long-term stable and reliable operation of the antenna in both air and ground working conditions around the clock.

[0021] 2. The overall structure of the antenna adopts a sandwich laminated design. The T / R array and control module with larger heat generation are directly attached to the upper and lower cold plates of the antenna body's heat dissipation duct. After the heat is efficiently transferred to the heat dissipation teeth of the cold plate, it can be quickly taken away by the cold air, which has good thermal conductivity.

[0022] 3. Cold air only passes through the heat dissipation ducts, and all electronic components of the antenna are in a sealed space, not exposed to the outside air, not directly facing the harsh natural environment outside. It has good sealing, waterproof and anti-corrosion capabilities, which improves the reliability of the antenna.

[0023] 4. The clever layout of the upper and lower cooling ducts, the purely mechanical windshield and the gill-shaped grille window air outlet design ensure that when the fan is not working in a harsh high-altitude environment, the windshield remains closed under the action of gravity, and the external high-speed flying cold air is introduced from the air inlet at the front end of the antenna, flows through the convection channel on the upper layer of the fan channel, and then directly passes through the cooling duct and is discharged from the air outlet without being damaged by the high-speed airflow, thereby improving the reliability of the fan and extending the life of the fan.

[0024] The aforementioned main scheme of the present application and its further options can be freely combined to form multiple schemes, all of which are schemes that can be adopted and claimed for protection in the present application; and in the present application, (non-conflicting options) can also be freely combined with each other and with other options. After understanding the scheme of the present application, those skilled in the art can understand that there are many combinations based on the prior art and common knowledge, all of which are technical schemes to be protected by the present application, and they are not exhaustively listed here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the axial structure of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the top view structure of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the cold wind flow field in the aerial working state of this application.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the normally closed state of the windshield in the air of this application.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cold wind flow field heading in the ground working state of this application.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the cold air flow field in the ground working state of this application.

[0031] In the figure: antenna cover-1, antenna body-2, T / R array-3, fan-4, control module-5, air duct partition-6, wind shield-7, fan exhaust port-201, air inlet-202, air outlet-203, heat dissipation duct-204, convection duct-205, fan duct-206, fan cabin-207, upper cold plate-208, lower cold plate-209. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following non-limiting examples are provided to illustrate the present application.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] refer to Figure 1 to Figure 6 As shown, an air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications includes a radome 1, an antenna body 2, a T / R array surface 3, a fan 4, a control module 5, an air duct partition 6 and a wind shield 7.

[0035] The antenna body 2 adopts an integrated sandwich structure, and is divided into an upper T / R array 3, a middle heat dissipation duct 204, and a lower control module 5. The T / R array 3 is used to realize the wireless transceiver function of the antenna, the heat dissipation duct 204 is used for ventilation to cool the electronic devices on the upper and lower layers, and the control module 5 is used to realize various functions of the antenna.

[0036] The radome 1 is connected to the antenna body 2 by screws, and the radome 1 covers the array surface installation port at the upper end of the antenna body 2. A sealing strip is provided between the radome 1 and the antenna body 2 to waterproof and seal the T / R array surface 3. A connecting skirt is provided around the outer side of the lower end of the antenna body 2. The connecting skirt is used to directly connect to the fan through screws to play a role in installing and fixing the entire antenna. After the antenna is installed, the control module 5 is enclosed in the enclosed space formed by the antenna body 2 and the aircraft skin, so that the electronic components of the antenna are not exposed to the outside air and are not directly facing the harsh natural environment outside. It has good sealing, waterproofing and corrosion resistance capabilities, and improves the reliability of the antenna.

[0037] The air duct partition plate 6 divides the front end of the heat dissipation air duct 204 into an upper convection channel 205 and a lower fan channel 206, and a fan 4 is arranged in the fan channel 206. The front end of the antenna body 2 is provided with an air inlet 202 connected to the convection channel 205, so that cold air can enter from the front end. The rear end of the antenna body 2 is provided with an air outlet 203 connected to the heat dissipation air duct 204, so that hot air can be discharged from the rear end, and cold air can also enter from the rear end.

[0038] The side of the antenna body 2 is provided with a fan exhaust port 201 connected to the fan channel 206. A ventilation path perpendicular to the antenna heading is formed between the lower fan channel 206 and the fan exhaust port 201. The fan 4 is installed in the fan cabin 207 to achieve the discharge of hot air from the side and prevent cold air from entering from the side. A windshield plate 7 that opens one-way from back to front is provided between the heat dissipation duct 204 and the fan channel 206. The one-way opening of the windshield plate 7 realizes the switching of the air cooling mode.

[0039] The upper end of the wind shield 7 is hinged on the air duct partition 6, and the lower end of the wind shield 7 is opposite to the blocking block that blocks it from turning from front to back. When the forced air cooling fan is started, the negative pressure in the fan channel 206 drives the wind shield to turn open to discharge the hot air. When the natural air cooling fan is turned off, the wind shield 7 remains closed under the action of gravity and the blocking block, and the fan does not participate in natural air cooling.

[0040] The fan exhaust ports 201 are arranged symmetrically on both sides of the antenna body 2, so that hot air can be discharged from both sides and the heat dissipation volume can be increased. A fan cabin 207 is provided at the side end of the fan channel 206, and the fan 4 is arranged in the fan cabin 207.

[0041] An upper cold plate 208 and a lower cold plate 209 are provided in the antenna body 2. An antenna array surface installation area is provided on the upper cold plate 208 for fixing the T / R array surface 3. Sealing strips are provided on the mounting platform connected to the antenna cover 1 around the antenna array surface installation area to provide a waterproof seal for the T / R array surface 3.

[0042] The heat dissipation duct 204 is provided between the upper cold plate 208 and the lower cold plate 209. The heat dissipation duct 204 is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped heat dissipation teeth arranged along the flight direction. The upper and lower ends of the heat dissipation teeth are directly in contact with the upper and lower cold plates to increase the heat exchange area of ​​the antenna surface and improve the heat exchange efficiency. The lower cold plate 209 is provided with a control module installation area for fixing the control module 5.

[0043] The T / R array 3 and control module 5, which generate more heat, are directly installed on the upper cold plate 208 and the lower cold plate 209 above and below the heat dissipation duct 204. The layout space of the heat dissipation components covers the entire antenna area, which not only has a large heat exchange area, but also has a short heat dissipation path, so that the heat can be efficiently transferred to the strip heat dissipation teeth of the cold plate to be taken away by the cold air, and has good thermal conductivity.

[0044] The fan exhaust port 201 is a gill-shaped grille window that opens obliquely backwards. The upper and lower double-layer air ducts at the front end of the antenna cooperate with the automatic damper design of the convection channel 205 and the fan channel 206 through a purely mechanical wind shield 7, which prevents high-speed airflow from entering the fan compartment 207 through the fan exhaust port 201 and the fan channel 206 during flight and damaging the heat dissipation fan 4, thereby improving the reliability of the fan 4, extending the service life of the fan 4, and ensuring the long-term stable and reliable operation of the antenna's functional performance.

[0045] Similarly, the purely mechanical form of the automatic damper design of the wind shield 7 can also be replaced by a related electromechanical structural design, which is also within the protection scope of the design method of the present invention. However, the reliability of the electromechanical design in harsh environments is difficult to guarantee and control failure may occur. Therefore, the purely mechanical form of the wind shield 7 that only relies on its own gravity, flight inertia and the negative pressure of the fan to open and close the damper is more stable.

[0046] The air inlet 202 is an array of cat-ear holes, which are evenly or discretely arranged on the large windward slope at the front end of the antenna body 2. The air outlet 203 is a large-sized grid window arranged in parallel, and the opening is aligned with the heat dissipation tooth gap in the heat dissipation duct 204 to prevent the high-speed airflow from being peeled off in a large area when passing through the air inlet 202. It can directly and quickly pass through the heat dissipation duct 204 and be discharged from the air outlet 203, which not only protects the overall aerodynamic shape of the antenna outside the aircraft skin, but also increases the cross-sectional area covered by the heat dissipation duct on the antenna.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] refer to Figure 1 to Figure 6 As shown, a heat dissipation method for an air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications adopts the air-cooled phased array antenna of Example 1, and the antenna is installed on the aircraft skin by screws.

[0049] When the aircraft is parked on the ground, the fan 4 is started to force air cooling and heat dissipation for the antenna. The fan 4 is started to form a negative pressure in the fan channel 206, and the negative pressure pushes the lower end of the wind shield 7 to flip from the back to the front to open the damper. The cold air enters from the front air inlet 202 of the antenna and the rear air outlet 203 of the antenna, respectively, and then passes through the convection channel 205 and the heat dissipation duct 204, and then converges together, and is discharged from the fan outlet 201 on the side of the antenna through the open wind shield 7 along the fan channel 206, taking away the heat inside the antenna;

[0050] When the aircraft is flying in the air, the fan 4 is turned off to dissipate heat from the antenna through natural convection cold wind. When the aircraft is flying in the air, the lower end of the windshield 7 remains closed under the action of gravity and flight inertia, and the blocking block prevents the lower end of the windshield 7 from flipping from front to back to open the air door. Cold air is introduced from the air inlet 202 at the front end of the antenna, flows through the convection channel 205 and the heat dissipation duct 204 in sequence, and is discharged from the air outlet 203 to take away the heat inside the antenna.

[0051] The aforementioned basic examples and their further selected examples can be freely combined to form multiple embodiments, all of which are embodiments that can be adopted and claimed for protection in this application. In the scheme of this application, each selected example can be arbitrarily combined with any other basic examples and selected examples.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications, comprising an antenna body (2), characterized in that: The antenna body (2) is divided into an upper T / R array surface (3), a middle heat dissipation duct (204) and a lower control module (5); the duct partition plate (6) divides the front end of the heat dissipation duct (204) into an upper convection channel (205) and a lower fan channel (206); a fan (4) is arranged in the fan channel (206); the front end of the antenna body (2) is provided with an air inlet (202) connected to the convection channel (205); the rear end of the antenna body (2) is provided with an air outlet (203) connected to the heat dissipation duct (204); the side of the antenna body (2) is provided with a fan exhaust port (201) connected to the fan channel (206); and a wind shield (7) that opens one-way from back to front is arranged between the heat dissipation duct (204) and the fan channel (206).

2. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises an antenna cover (1), the antenna cover (1) is connected to and covers an array surface installation opening arranged at the upper end of the antenna body (2), a sealing strip is arranged between the antenna cover (1) and the antenna body (2), and a connecting skirt is arranged around the lower end of the antenna body (2).

3. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the wind shield (7) is hinged on the air duct partition (6), and the lower end of the wind shield (7) is opposite to a blocking block that blocks the wind shield (7) from turning from front to back.

4. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both side surfaces of the antenna body (2) are provided with fan exhaust ports (201).

5. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: A fan cabin (207) is provided at the side end of the fan channel (206), and the fan (4) is arranged in the fan cabin (207).

6. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fan exhaust port (201) is a fish gill-shaped grille window that opens obliquely backwards, the air inlet (202) is an array of cat-ear holes that are evenly or discretely arranged on the windward inclined surface of the front end of the antenna body (2), and the air outlet (203) is a large-sized grille window that is arranged in parallel.

7. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat dissipation air duct (204) is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped heat dissipation teeth arranged along the flight direction.

8. The air-cooled heat dissipation phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: An upper cold plate (208) and a lower cold plate (209) are provided in the antenna body (2); an antenna array surface installation area is provided on the upper cold plate (208); a heat dissipation duct (204) is provided between the upper cold plate (208) and the lower cold plate (209); and a control module installation area is provided on the lower cold plate (209).

9. A heat dissipation method for an air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communications, characterized in that: The air-cooled phased array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is used and installed on an aircraft; When the aircraft is parked on the ground, the fan (4) is started to force air cooling and heat dissipation on the antenna, and cold air enters from the front air inlet (202) and the rear air outlet (203) of the antenna respectively, passes through the convection channel (205) and the heat dissipation air duct (204) respectively, and then converges together, and is discharged from the fan outlet (201) on the side of the antenna through the open wind shield (7) along the fan channel (206), thereby taking away the heat inside the antenna; When the aircraft is flying in the air, the fan (4) is turned off to dissipate heat from the antenna through natural convection cold air. The cold air is introduced from the air inlet (202) at the front end of the antenna, flows through the convection channel (205) and the heat dissipation duct (204) in sequence, and is discharged from the air outlet (203), thereby taking away the heat inside the antenna.

10. The heat dissipation method of the air-cooled phased array antenna suitable for airborne satellite communication according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the aircraft is parked on the ground, the fan (4) is started to form a negative pressure in the fan channel (206), and the negative pressure pushes the lower end of the wind shield (7) to flip from the back to the front to open the air door; when the aircraft is flying in the air, the lower end of the wind shield (7) remains in a closed state under the action of gravity and flight inertia, and the blocking block prevents the lower end of the wind shield (7) from flipping from the front to the back to open the air door.

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