A precision weaving manufacturing method for antenna radiation array with arbitrary curved surface

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of antenna manufacturing technology, and specifically discloses a method for precision weaving of an antenna radiating array with an arbitrary curved surface, comprising the following steps: Step S1: processing and manufacturing a weaving mold and a dipping and curing tool; Step S2: weaving a radiating array substrate on the matching curved surface of the weaving mold; Step S3: weaving a circuit pattern and a feeder on the radiating array substrate to obtain a first woven radiating surface blank; Step S4: weaving a resistor device on the circuit pattern to obtain a second woven radiating surface blank; Step S5: placing the second woven radiating surface blank in a dipping and curing tool for dipping and curing to obtain a shaped antenna radiating surface; Step S6: demolding and cutting the woven antenna radiating surface. The present invention realizes the manufacture of an antenna radiating array with an arbitrary curved surface, and obtains a high-precision, small-thickness, dense array element, and strong device, and achieves conformal fitting to human skin, device shape, etc., thereby achieving the purpose of the antenna radiating array with an arbitrary curved surface to exert electromagnetic functions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antenna manufacturing, and more particularly to a method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface. Background Art

[0002] Antennas have the function of signal transmission, and their external radiation surfaces have various shapes. They are indispensable radio equipment in production and life.

[0003] In order to achieve conformal fitting of antennas to human skin, device shapes, etc., antennas with arbitrarily curved radiating surface structures are the future development direction; however, how to obtain a thin antenna radiating surface that can conform closely to objects with arbitrarily curved surface structures is a difficult problem faced by manufacturing.

[0004] For the antenna, the antenna radiation surface is located at the front end, reflecting the external shape of the antenna and realizing the function of the antenna to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves.

[0005] The antenna's radiating surface consists of a curved substrate, circuit patterns, and components. The curved substrate is made of high-strength, lightweight, and flexible materials, providing support and reducing weight. The circuit pattern, located on the substrate's surface, serves as the foundation for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves. Electronic components, located above the pattern, match impedance and further optimize signal transmission.

[0006] In order to ensure that the antenna can closely fit the human body contour and device shape, and to exert its antenna performance on irregular curved surfaces, the flexible radiating surface needs to be light in weight, high in strength, and have high three-dimensional contour accuracy and circuit pattern accuracy.

[0007] Currently, there are two technical methods to realize the manufacturing of curved antenna radiating surface in the existing technology:

[0008] One method uses a flexible film material as a substrate. The circuit pattern is combined with the substrate through printing, etching, or other methods. The electronic components are connected through welding, mechanical connection, etc. However, this technology has a complex manufacturing process. The resulting curved radiating surface needs to be bent and bonded with the curved substrate, which cannot achieve complete bonding. The bending process will cause damage to the circuit pattern and electronic components.

[0009] The second method uses fiber braids as the substrate, and conductive fibers are woven into the antenna pattern on the substrate. Finally, the pattern and components are fixed to the substrate through printing, needlework, bonding, stitching, etc. to prepare a flexible antenna radiation surface. This method has poor circuit pattern accuracy, large thickness (single layer thickness > 5mm), and few array elements (single array element). It is currently only implemented in a flat state and cannot achieve the preparation of arbitrarily curved radiation surfaces.

[0010] Therefore, traditional radiating surface manufacturing technology is no longer able to achieve the requirements of dense array elements, small devices, high pattern accuracy and installation accuracy for special-shaped curved array antennas. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for precision weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiating array with an arbitrary curved surface; the present invention realizes the manufacturing of an antenna radiating array with an arbitrary curved surface, and obtains a radiating array with high precision, small thickness, dense array elements, and firm devices, and realizes conforming to the human skin, the shape of the device, etc., so as to achieve the purpose of the radiating array of the antenna with an arbitrary curved surface to exert electromagnetic function.

[0012] The solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is:

[0013] A method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface comprises the following steps:

[0014] Step S1: Processing and manufacturing a weaving mold with a matching curved surface and a dipping and curing tool with a curing cavity;

[0015] Step S2: weaving a radiation array matrix with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm on the matching curved surface of the weaving mold;

[0016] Step S3: weaving a circuit pattern and a feeder on the radiation array substrate, and connecting the circuit pattern and the feeder to obtain a first woven radiation surface blank;

[0017] Step S4: weaving a resistor component on the circuit pattern to obtain a second woven radiation surface blank;

[0018] Step S5: placing the second braided radiating surface blank in a dipping and curing tool, dipping it in resin glue, and heating and pressurizing it to cure it, thereby obtaining a shaped antenna braided radiating surface;

[0019] Step S6: demoulding and cutting the antenna braided radiation surface to obtain an antenna radiation array surface with a curved surface.

[0020] In some possible embodiments, the radiation array matrix includes a bottom fiber layer woven on a matching curved surface of a weaving mold using a three-dimensional weaving machine, an intermediate fiber layer woven on the bottom fiber layer, and a top fiber layer woven on the intermediate fiber layer; the intermediate fiber layer is at least one layer.

[0021] In some possible embodiments, the bottom fiber layer, the middle fiber layer, and the top fiber layer are all made of fiber bundles, and the diameter of the fiber bundles is 0.1 microns to 20 microns; the fiber bundles are made of any one or more of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber; when weaving the radiation array matrix, the offset accuracy of the fiber bundles is ±50 microns.

[0022] In some possible implementations, when weaving the circuit pattern in step S3, a three-dimensional weaving machine is used to weave the circuit pattern on the radiation array substrate using a silk fiber.

[0023] The diameter of the first silk fiber is 0.1 micron to 20 microns, and the first silk fiber is made of any one or more of gold wire, silver wire, copper wire, and molybdenum wire;

[0024] When weaving the circuit pattern, the deviation accuracy of the silk fiber is ±5 microns.

[0025] In some possible implementations, when performing feeder weaving in step S3, a feeder connected to the circuit pattern is woven on the radiation array substrate using a feeder fiber through a three-dimensional weaving machine, wherein the diameter of the feeder fiber is 5 microns to 20 microns;

[0026] There are multiple groups of feed lines, and one end of each group of feed lines away from the circuit pattern extends to the edge of the radiation array substrate; the feed line fibers are made of metal wires.

[0027] In some possible implementations, when weaving the resistor device in step S4, the resistor device is weaved on the circuit pattern using a three-dimensional braiding machine using a silk fiber;

[0028] The second silk fiber is made of any one or more of copper wire, chromium wire, tungsten wire, and non-metallic fiber.

[0029] In some possible implementations, when the braided radiation surface blank is placed in a dipping and curing tool for dipping and curing, the curing heating rate is 0.5-5.0°C / min, the curing temperature is 60-250°C, and the curing pressure is 0.1MPa-6.0MPa.

[0030] In some possible embodiments, the dipping and curing tooling includes a male mold and a female mold used in conjunction with the male mold to form a curing cavity and provided with a glue injection port; the female mold is further provided with a waste removal cavity; the waste removal cavity and the glue injection port are respectively connected to the curing cavity;

[0031] During the dipping and curing process, the second braided radiation surface blank will be located in the curing cavity.

[0032] In some possible embodiments, the weaving mold includes a weaving front end transition portion, a curved surface structure having a matching curved surface, and a weaving rear end transition portion; the weaving front end transition portion, the curved surface structure, and the weaving rear end transition portion are connected in sequence, and the weaving front end transition portion and the curved surface structure form the starting point for cutting the antenna weaving radiation surface, and the curved surface structure and the weaving rear end transition portion form the end point for cutting the antenna weaving radiation surface.

[0033] In some possible implementations, the roughness of the matching curved surface is ≤ Ra3.2.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0035] The present invention can realize the processing of a radiation array with arbitrary curved surface, high precision, small thickness, dense array elements, and strong devices, thereby achieving conformity with human skin, device shape, etc., and achieving the purpose of the electromagnetic function of the radiation array of the arbitrary curved antenna;

[0036] The present invention provides a curved surface shape and dimensional accuracy for the radiation array substrate through a weaving mold, and adopts three-dimensional weaving technology to ensure the shape and accuracy of the radiation array substrate, circuit pattern, resistor device, and feeder; the dip-curing tooling manufactured by mechanical processing ensures the structure and accuracy of the dip-curing tooling, and the fixation of the braided radiation surface blank 2 and the protection of the circuit pattern, resistor device, and feeder are achieved by dip-curing in the dip-curing tooling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 It is a workflow diagram of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the braiding mold in the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second treatment of the braided radiation surface blank using the dipping and fixing tool in the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the second braided radiation surface blank in the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the antenna radiation array prepared by the present invention;

[0042] Among them: 1. Braided front end transition part; 2. Curved surface structure; 3. Braided rear end transition part; 4. Starting point; 5. End point; 6. Male mold; 7. Female mold; 8. Glue injection port; 9. Excess material removal cavity; 10. Braided radiation surface blank 2; 101. Bottom fiber layer; 102. Middle fiber layer; 103. Top fiber layer; 104. Circuit pattern; 105. Feeder; 106. Resistor device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, terms such as "mounted," "connected," "connect," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integration; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary; they can refer to internal communication between two components or interactions between two components. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms mentioned in this application do not denote any order, quantity, or importance; they are simply used to distinguish between different components. Similarly, terms such as "one" or "a" do not indicate a quantitative limitation; rather, they indicate the presence of at least one. In the implementation of this application, "and / or" describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more. For example, "plurality" refers to two or more positioning posts. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0044] The present invention is described in detail below.

[0045] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown:

[0046] A method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface comprises the following steps:

[0047] Step S1: Processing and manufacturing a weaving mold with a matching curved surface and a resin-impregnating and curing tool with a curing cavity, wherein the curing cavity has the same shape as the antenna radiation array;

[0048] Specifically, based on the three-dimensional model of the antenna radiation array, a mold blank with a matching curved surface is manufactured using 3D printing technology; the mold blank is processed using five-axis precision machining technology to obtain a braided mold; and the braided mold provides the antenna radiation array with a curved surface shape and dimensional accuracy.

[0049] The dipping and curing tooling is also processed using 3D printing technology and five-axis finishing technology;

[0050] Further, if Figure 2 As shown, the braiding mold includes a braiding front transition portion 1, a curved surface structure 2 having a matching curved surface, and a braiding rear transition portion 3; the braiding front transition portion 1, the curved surface structure 2, and the braiding rear transition portion 3 are connected in sequence, the braiding front transition portion 1 and the curved surface structure 2 form a starting point 4 for later cutting, and the curved surface structure 2 and the braiding rear transition portion 3 form an end point 5 for later cutting; the roughness of the matching curved surface is ≤Ra3.2; the accuracy of the matching curved surface profile is ±0.05mm;

[0051] It should be noted that when weaving on a weaving mold, the weaving equipment performs weaving traction according to the set requirements, and weaves layer by layer along the fiber winding direction on the surface of the weaving mold, wherein the weaving front end transition portion 1 and the weaving rear end transition portion 3 are the weaving process edges, respectively, and the starting point 4 of the curved structure 2 and the end point 5 of the curved structure 2 are cutting positions; specifically, the weaving equipment is a three-dimensional weaving machine.

[0052] Step S2: Based on the braiding mold processed in step S1, a 3D braiding machine is used to weave a radiation array substrate with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm and having an external interconnection interface on the matching curved surface of the braiding mold;

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the radiation array matrix includes a bottom fiber layer 101 woven on a matching curved surface of a weaving mold using a three-dimensional weaving machine, an intermediate fiber layer 102 woven on the bottom fiber layer 101, and a top fiber layer 103 woven on the intermediate fiber layer 102; the intermediate fiber layer 102 is at least one layer, that is, the radiation array matrix is realized by weaving at least three fiber layers;

[0054] The bottom fiber layer 101, the middle fiber layer 102, and the top fiber layer 103 are all made of fiber tows, and the diameter of the fiber tows is 0.1 microns to 20 microns; the fiber tows are made of any one or more of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber;

[0055] When weaving the radiation array matrix, the deviation accuracy of the fiber bundle is ±50 microns, and a 2mm to 8mm process margin is reserved on the four edges of the radiation array matrix for cutting.

[0056] Step S3: using a three-dimensional weaving machine to weave the circuit pattern 104 and the feed line 105 on the radiation array substrate, and connecting the circuit pattern 104 and the feed line 105 to obtain a braided radiation surface blank.

[0057] Specifically, when weaving the circuit pattern 104, a three-dimensional weaving machine is used to weave the circuit pattern 104 on the radiation array substrate using a silk fiber.

[0058] The diameter of the first silk fiber is 0.1 micron to 20 microns, and the first silk fiber is made of any one or more of gold wire, silver wire, copper wire, and molybdenum wire;

[0059] When weaving the circuit pattern 104, the deviation accuracy of the silk fiber 1 is ±5 microns;

[0060] It should be noted that a splicing interface must be reserved for the circuit pattern 104 that will continue to be woven with the resistor device 106; to ensure the performance of the antenna radiation array, the circuit pattern 104 must meet a weaving forming accuracy of ≤0.05mm.

[0061] When weaving the feeder 105, the feeder fiber is used to weave the feeder 105 connected to the circuit pattern 104 on the radiation array substrate through a three-dimensional weaving machine;

[0062] There are multiple groups of feed lines 105, and one end of each group of feed lines 105 away from the circuit pattern 104 extends to the edge of the radiation array substrate; the diameter of the feed line fiber is 5 microns to 20 microns;

[0063] The feeder fiber is made of metal wire;

[0064] Of course, the feeder fiber can also be made of a metal wire to form a metal inner core, and an outer core is set outside the metal inner core, and the outer core is made of a non-metallic dielectric material.

[0065] Step S4: using a three-dimensional braiding machine to weave the resistor device 106 on the corresponding circuit pattern 104 to obtain a braided radiation surface blank 10;

[0066] When weaving the resistor device 106 , the resistor device 106 is woven on the circuit pattern 104 using a three-dimensional weaving machine using a silk fiber.

[0067] The second silk fiber is made of any one or more of copper wire, chromium wire, tungsten wire, and non-metallic fiber; the diameter of the second silk fiber is 5 microns to 200 microns;

[0068] Furthermore, the non-metallic fiber is any one of polyimide fiber, polyetheretherketone fiber, and polyethylene fiber.

[0069] The present invention effectively ensures that the thickness of the antenna radiation array ultimately formed is less than 5 mm by setting the diameters of the fiber bundle, the first wire fiber, the feed fiber, and the second wire fiber.

[0070] It should be noted that the fibers in each weaving direction of the braided radiation surface blank 2 10 are all independent, and the silk fiber 1, feeder fiber, and silk fiber 2 are interconnected; the top fiber layer 103 of the radiation array substrate and the silk fiber 1 at the boundary of the circuit pattern 104 are interwoven with each other, so that the two have good connection strength;

[0071] During the weaving process, by controlling the changes in the types of fibers (fiber bundles, wire fiber 1, feeder fiber, wire fiber 2) on different spools, the weaving path is controlled to achieve the weaving of the radiation array matrix, circuit pattern 104, feeder 105 and resistor device 106, thereby achieving the shape accuracy of the woven radiation surface blank 2 10 ≤ 0.1 mm and the pattern accuracy ≤ 0.05 mm.

[0072] Step S5: placing the braided radiation surface blank 10 in a dipping and curing tool, dipping it with resin glue, and heating and pressurizing it to cure it, thereby obtaining a shaped antenna braided radiation surface;

[0073] Specifically, such as Figure 3 As shown, the dipping and curing tooling includes a male mold 6 and a female mold 7 used in conjunction with the male mold 6 to form a curing cavity and provided with a glue injection port 8; a surplus material removal cavity 9 is also provided on the female mold 7; the surplus material removal cavity 9 and the glue injection port 8 are respectively connected to the curing cavity;

[0074] During the dipping and curing process, the braided radiation surface blank 10 will be compacted and shaped and fixed in the curing cavity, and resin glue will be injected into the curing cavity through the glue injection port 8 and cured into shape; the resin glue can be any one of epoxy resin, polyimide resin, and vinyl resin.

[0075] Specifically, when the braided radiation surface blank 10 is placed in a dipping and curing tool for dipping and curing, the curing heating rate is 0.5-5.0°C / min, the curing temperature is 60-250°C, and the curing pressure is 0.1MPa-6.0MPa.

[0076] It should be noted that before the resin is impregnated and cured, the feeder 105 should be protected in advance to prevent the end of the feeder 105 from being contaminated by the resin glue, so as to facilitate its installation with the subsequent connector.

[0077] Step S6: demoulding and cutting the antenna braided radiation surface to obtain a curved surface. Figure 5 The antenna radiation array shown is a single-layer structure and retains external interconnection interfaces; the cutting includes surface treatment and edge cutting.

[0078] The present invention uses 3D printing and five-axis finishing technology to provide contour and roughness accuracy for the braiding mold; the braiding mold provides the antenna radiation array with curved surface shape and dimensional accuracy. The use of a three-dimensional braiding machine to weave each layer ensures the shape and accuracy of the radiation array substrate, circuit pattern 104, feed line 105, and resistor device 106; the shape accuracy is ≤ 0.1 mm, and the circuit pattern 104 accuracy is ≤ 0.05 mm.

[0079] The present invention manufactures a resin-impregnating and curing tooling through mechanical processing to ensure the structure and precision of the resin-impregnating and curing tooling. The resin-impregnating and curing tooling is used to fix the braided radiation surface blank 10 and protect the circuit pattern 104, the resistor 106, and the feeder 105. Finally, the braiding mold, the resin-impregnating and curing tooling, and the three-dimensional braiding machine are used to complete the braiding of the radiation array of the arbitrary curved antenna of the present invention.

[0080] The present invention weaves and embeds circuit patterns 104, feed lines 105 and resistor devices 106 in a radiation array substrate with a thickness of less than 1 mm to construct a high-density array antenna unit, wherein the array element density is greater than 10,000 elements / m 2 ,The array element is the graphic on the radiation array substrate.

[0081] The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned specific embodiments, but extends to any new features or any new combination disclosed in this specification, as well as any new method or process steps or any new combination disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface, characterized in that: The specific steps include: Step S1: Processing and manufacturing a weaving mold with a matching curved surface and a dipping and curing tool with a curing cavity; Step S2: using a three-dimensional braiding machine to weave a radiation array matrix with a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1 mm on the matching curved surface of the braiding mold; Step S3: using a three-dimensional braiding machine to weave a circuit pattern and a feeder on the radiation array substrate, and connecting the circuit pattern and the feeder to obtain a braided radiation surface blank. Step S4: weaving the resistor component on the circuit pattern using a three-dimensional weaving machine to obtain a second braided radiation surface blank; Step S5: placing the second braided radiating surface blank in a dipping and curing tool, dipping it in resin glue, and heating and pressurizing it to cure it, thereby obtaining a shaped antenna braided radiating surface; Step S6: demoulding and cutting the antenna braided radiation surface to obtain an antenna radiation array surface with a curved surface.

2. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radiation array matrix includes a bottom fiber layer woven on a matching curved surface of a weaving mold using a three-dimensional weaving machine, an intermediate fiber layer woven on the bottom fiber layer, and a top fiber layer woven on the intermediate fiber layer; the intermediate fiber layer is at least one layer.

3. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom fiber layer, the middle fiber layer, and the top fiber layer are all made of fiber tows, and the diameter of the fiber tows is 0.1 microns to 20 microns; the fiber tows are made of any one or more of carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber; When weaving the radiation array matrix, the deviation accuracy of the fiber bundles is ±50 microns.

4. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the circuit pattern is knitted in step S3, the circuit pattern is knitted on the radiation array substrate using a three-dimensional knitting machine using a silk fiber. The diameter of the first silk fiber is 0.1 micron to 20 microns, and the first silk fiber is made of any one or more of gold wire, silver wire, copper wire, and molybdenum wire; When weaving the circuit pattern, the deviation accuracy of the silk fiber is ±5 microns.

5. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the feeder is braided in step S3, the feeder fiber is used to weave the feeder connected to the circuit pattern on the radiation array substrate through a three-dimensional braiding machine; the diameter of the feeder fiber is 5 microns to 20 microns; There are multiple groups of feed lines, and one end of each group of feed lines away from the circuit pattern extends to the edge of the radiation array substrate; The feeder fiber is made of metal wire.

6. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: When weaving the resistor device in step S4, the resistor device is weaved on the circuit pattern using a three-dimensional braiding machine using a silk fiber; The second silk fiber is made of any one or more of copper wire, chromium wire, tungsten wire, and non-metallic fiber.

7. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the braided radiation surface blank is placed in the dipping and curing tool for dipping and curing, the curing heating rate is 0.5-5.0° C. / min, the curing temperature is 60-250° C., and the curing pressure is 0.1 MPa-6.0 MPa.

8. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dipping and curing tooling comprises a male mold and a female mold used in conjunction with the male mold to form a curing cavity and provided with a glue injection port; a surplus material removal cavity is also provided on the female mold; the surplus material removal cavity and the glue injection port are respectively connected to the curing cavity; During the dipping and curing process, the second braided radiation surface blank will be located in the curing cavity.

9. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The weaving mold includes a weaving front end transition part, a curved surface structure with a matching curved surface, and a weaving rear end transition part; the weaving front end transition part, the curved surface structure, and the weaving rear end transition part are connected in sequence, the weaving front end transition part and the curved surface structure form the starting point for cutting the antenna weaving radiation surface, and the curved surface structure and the weaving rear end transition part form the end point for cutting the antenna weaving radiation surface.

10. The method for precisely weaving and manufacturing an antenna radiation array with an arbitrary curved surface according to claim 9, characterized in that: The roughness of the matching curved surface is ≤Ra3.2.

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