High adaptive temperature control method for high power complex mode antenna

Abstract

This invention provides a highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power antennas with complex operating modes, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Conducting a combined mechanical-thermal design, with staggered layout of individual units; Step S2: Pre-embedding phase-change heat pipes within the structural mounting plate where the heat-generating units are installed; Step S3: Distributing heaters and thermistors in the heat pipe area between two individual units; Step S4: Installing a radiative cooling film on the back of the antenna; Step S5: Installing a multi-layer retractable assembly device on the side of the antenna, switching between the retracted and deployed states of the multi-layer thermal insulation assembly. This invention can flexibly reduce the consumption of temperature control power resources; it can solve the fundamental problems of limited antenna heat dissipation capacity and insufficient temperature control power resources in existing technologies; it can solve the temperature uniformity and heat dissipation problems of antennas with higher power consumption and longer operating time; it has strong adaptability and high reliability; and it can achieve low-compensation temperature control for ultra-high power antennas with complex operating modes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of spacecraft thermal control technology, and more specifically, to a highly adaptable temperature control method for a high-power antenna with complex operating modes. Background Technology

[0002] Radar antennas are a commonly used remote sensing satellite payload, capable of acquiring both wide-swath and sub-meter resolution images, unaffected by lighting or weather conditions. They are widely used in topographic mapping, geological disaster monitoring, and agricultural and forestry resource surveys.

[0003] With the continuous development of chip technology and the increasing demands for imaging quality from radar antennas, radar antennas are gradually evolving towards multi-mode operation, high power consumption, long-duration operation, and high temperature consistency requirements. For example, continuous on-orbit operation time can reach over 24 hours, and antenna power consumption in high-resolution mode can reach over 30kW. Limited heat dissipation capacity and insufficient temperature control power resources have become limiting factors for the on-orbit application of radar antennas. Therefore, the temperature control problem of high-power antennas with complex operating modes urgently needs to be solved.

[0004] Patent document CN106207462A discloses an electromechanical-thermal integrated phased array antenna module: horizontally polarized antennas and vertically polarized antennas are arranged in a layered, staggered array; compared with traditional antenna modules, the antenna thickness and number of layers are reduced, which is beneficial for antenna heat dissipation. This invention only optimizes the antenna waveguide structure locally and cannot fundamentally solve the heat dissipation problem of antennas with higher power consumption and longer operating time.

[0005] Patent document CN106953172A discloses an electromechanical-thermal integrated structure for a spaceborne phased array antenna. This structure integrates heat pipes with the main heat-generating components of the phased array antenna and integrates the modules onto the antenna array structure plate without affecting the microwave channel. However, this invention only provides a highly efficient integration solution for the internal structure of a phased array antenna and cannot fundamentally solve the heat dissipation problems of antennas with higher power consumption and longer operating times.

[0006] Patent document CN107167774A discloses a thermal control system for a dual-view, high-power, high-heat-flux planar phased array antenna. The system includes an aluminum-ammonia phase-change heat pipe pre-embedded within a structural honeycomb panel. The pre-embedded area for the transmit / receive chip assembly, where the phase-change heat pipe is installed, provides temperature uniformity and suppresses temperature rise. Thermally conductive filler is placed between the transmit / receive chip assembly and the pre-embedded heat pipe area in the honeycomb panel to increase contact heat conduction between the two components. However, this invention, except for the antenna waveguide, covers the remaining parts with multiple layers of thermal insulation material. This limits the antenna's heat dissipation capacity and fails to address the heat dissipation problems caused by the exponential increase in power consumption and operating time.

[0007] Patent document CN116706492A discloses a temperature control device and satellite for an active phased array antenna. It employs an active phased array antenna with the ground as a heat dissipation surface, and attaches a germanium-plated polyimide film to this surface to ensure a high absorption-to-emission ratio, guaranteeing heat dissipation even after high-power devices generate heat. Simultaneously, it utilizes the extremely low thermal conductivity of paper honeycomb to reduce the need for thermal compensation heaters. However, this invention uses a germanium film for heat dissipation, and the antenna's sides and back are covered with multiple layers of heat insulation components. This limited heat dissipation capacity fails to address the heat dissipation problems associated with exponentially increasing power consumption and operating time.

[0008] Patent document CN114537716A discloses a method and system for controlling the temperature uniformity of a dot-matrix heat source, including: for individual units evenly distributed on modules with a surface size greater than 400mm×400mm, a phase change heat pipe is pre-embedded in the active mounting plate below the individual unit, and thermally conductive silicone grease is laid between the individual unit and the active mounting plate; for individual units on modules smaller than 400mm×400mm, a phase change plate is installed above the module, high thermal conductivity graphene is laid on the phase change plate, and thermally conductive silicone grease is laid between the individual unit and the high thermal conductivity graphene; a thermistor and a heater are attached to the phase change heat pipe or the phase change plate to maintain the starting temperature of each antenna module at the same level; the antenna array surface, except for the surface facing the ground, is covered with multi-layer heat insulation components on the other five sides. This invention has limited heat dissipation capacity and cannot solve the heat dissipation problem of antennas with exponentially increasing power consumption and operating time.

[0009] Existing technologies cannot solve fundamental problems such as the limited heat dissipation capacity of antennas themselves and the insufficient temperature control power resources, and cannot provide temperature control support for the application of antennas with high power consumption and complex operating modes. Summary of the Invention

[0010] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power antennas with complex operating modes.

[0011] A highly adaptable temperature control method for a high-power, complex-mode antenna according to the present invention includes the following steps: Step S1: Conduct a combined mechanical and thermal design, and arrange the individual units in an alternating layout according to their type or heat consumption; Step S2: Embed phase change heat pipes within the structural mounting plate for installing the heating unit; Step S3: Distribute heaters and thermistors in the heat pipe area between the two units; Step S4: Install a radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna; Step S5: Install a multi-layer retractable component device on the side of the antenna. The multi-layer retractable component device includes: a multi-layer heat insulation component, an actuator, and a traction device. The multi-layer heat insulation component covers the radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna. According to different working modes of the antenna, the actuator and the traction device switch the retracted and deployed states of the multi-layer heat insulation component.

[0012] Preferably, in step S1, the multiple single machines are distributed in a matrix, and each single machine is different from the single machines in front, behind, left, and right.

[0013] Preferably, in step S2, n-tetradecane is used as the phase change material in the phase change heat pipe.

[0014] Preferably, in step S3, the heater is turned on when the temperature is below -10.5°C and turned off when the temperature is above -9.5°C.

[0015] Preferably, in step S4, the radiation cooling film includes a flexible thin-film thermal control coating with a solar absorptivity of less than 0.13 and an infrared emissivity of greater than 0.9.

[0016] Preferably, in step S4, the radiative cooling film is bonded and fixed to the edge of the antenna by silicone rubber, the radiative cooling film is tightly connected to the middle of the antenna by local discrete point bonding, and the radiative cooling film covers the unit, components and cables on the back of the antenna.

[0017] Preferably, in step S5, the multilayer thermal insulation component includes multiple stacked units, and each unit includes a reflective layer and a spacer layer.

[0018] Preferably, in step S5, when the antenna needs to enter a high-power, long-duration operating mode, the actuator drives the traction device to retract the multi-layer heat insulation components, exposing the radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna.

[0019] Preferably, in step S5, when the antenna stops working and the antenna temperature is lower than the set value, the actuator drives the traction device to unfold the multi-layer heat insulation component to cover the radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna.

[0020] Preferably, in step S5, when the antenna is in a long-term inactive state or needs to enter a short-term, low-power operating mode, the multi-layer heat insulation component is kept in the deployed state.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention employs a staggered layout of different types of individual units to avoid heat concentration and facilitate heat dissipation; it uses pre-embedded phase-change heat pipes within the structural mounting plate to achieve temperature uniformity and suppress antenna temperature rise; it installs heaters and thermistors for antenna temperature monitoring and control; it installs a radiative cooling film on the back of the antenna to enhance its heat dissipation capacity during high-power, long-term operation; and it installs a multi-layer retractable component device on the side of the antenna, with its multi-layer heat insulation components covering the radiative cooling film on the back of the antenna. Depending on the antenna's operating mode, the retraction and expansion of the multi-layer heat insulation components are controlled, which not only enhances the antenna's heat dissipation capacity but also significantly reduces thermal control compensation power consumption, flexibly reducing temperature control power consumption. This invention solves the fundamental problems of limited antenna heat dissipation capacity and insufficient temperature control power resources in existing technologies. It addresses the temperature uniformity and heat dissipation problems of antennas with higher power consumption and longer operating times, exhibiting strong adaptability and high reliability, and enabling low-compensation temperature control for antennas with ultra-high power consumption and complex operating modes. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power, complex-mode antennas, which is the main feature of this invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating three main types of staggered single-machine layouts in this invention; Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the antenna, which is the main feature of this invention.

[0023] The diagram shows: Unit A1, Unit B2, Unit C3, Phase Change Heat Pipe 4, Thermistor 5, Heater 6, Radiative Cooling Film 7, Multi-layer Insulation Assembly 8, Actuator 9, Traction Device 10. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, a highly adaptable temperature control method for a high-power complex operating mode antenna according to the present invention includes the following steps: Step S1: Conduct a combined mechanical and thermal design. Based on the type or heat dissipation of the individual units, arrange them in an alternating manner. By alternating the arrangement of individual units of different types or with different heat generation, excessive heat concentration during antenna operation can be avoided, which is beneficial for antenna heat dissipation. Step S2: Pre-embed phase change heat pipe 4 in the structural mounting plate for installing the heating unit. Use the high thermal conductivity of the heat pipe for temperature equalization. At the same time, use the phase change energy storage characteristics to suppress the temperature rise when the antenna is working and avoid the antenna temperature from being too high. Step S3: Based on the layout of the individual units, heaters 6 and thermistors 5 are distributed in the heat pipe area between the two individual units for antenna temperature monitoring and control. Step S4: Install a radiation cooling film 7 on the back of the antenna to enhance the heat dissipation capability of the antenna during long-term high-power operation. Step S5: Install a multi-layer retractable component device on the side of the antenna. The multi-layer retractable component device includes: a multi-layer heat insulation component 8, an actuator 9, and a traction device 10. The multi-layer heat insulation component 8 covers the radiation cooling film 7 on the back of the antenna. According to different working modes of the antenna, the actuator 9 and the traction device 10 switch the retracted and extended states of the multi-layer heat insulation component 8, which can enhance the antenna's heat dissipation capacity and significantly reduce the thermal control compensation power consumption.

[0026] In step S1, a combined mechanical-thermal design method is adopted to stagger the arrangement of individual units of different types and heat dissipation in the complex operating mode antenna. This avoids heat concentration caused by concentrated arrangement of units of the same type, which is beneficial to antenna heat dissipation. Multiple units are distributed in a matrix, and each unit is different from the units in front, behind, to the sides. This application uses three different units as an example: A1, B2, and C3, which have significantly different heat dissipation. A staggered arrangement design is adopted, with the first row following the pattern A, B, C, A, B, C..., the second row following the pattern B, C, A, B, C, A..., and the third row following the pattern C, A, B, C, A, B... This avoids excessive heat concentration during antenna operation and facilitates antenna heat dissipation.

[0027] In step S2, a phase change heat pipe is used. In order to make full use of the latent heat of phase change of the heat pipe and ensure that the phase change heat pipe can suppress the temperature rise under most working conditions of the antenna, thereby increasing the working time of the antenna, n-tetradecane with a relatively low phase change point of 5.5℃ is used as the phase change material in the phase change heat pipe.

[0028] In step S3, when the temperature is below -10.5℃, heater 6 is turned on; when the temperature is above -9.5℃, heater 6 is turned off. Based on the layout of the individual units on the phase change heat pipe 4, thermistors 5 are arranged in the heat pipe region between the two units for on-orbit temperature monitoring and temperature control. Simultaneously, heaters 6 are distributed throughout the heat pipe region between the two units, and the temperature control threshold is set near -10℃. When the temperature is below -10.5℃, heater 6 is turned on to heat and maintain the antenna's temperature; when the temperature is above -9.5℃, heater 6 is turned off.

[0029] In step S4, the radiative cooling film 7 comprises a flexible thin-film thermal control coating with a solar absorptivity of less than 0.13 and an infrared emissivity of greater than 0.9. The radiative cooling film 7 is a novel flexible thin-film thermal control coating with a solar absorptivity of less than 0.13 and an infrared emissivity of greater than 0.9, exhibiting excellent thermal characteristics and effectively enhancing the antenna's heat dissipation capability. The radiative cooling film 7 is floated on the back of the antenna, covering all components, equipment, and cables on the back of the antenna, reducing the impact of sunlight on the antenna's temperature when it shines on the back of the antenna.

[0030] In step S4, the radiative cooling film 7 is attached and fixed to the edge of the antenna by silicone rubber, and the radiative cooling film 7 is tightly connected to the middle of the antenna by local discrete points. The radiative cooling film 7 covers the unit, components and cables on the back of the antenna.

[0031] In step S5, the multi-layer component retractable device is an actively driven movable device that enables the repeated retraction and unfolding of the multi-layer heat insulation component 8. The multi-layer heat insulation component 8 includes multiple stacked units, each of which includes a reflective layer and a spacer layer. That is, the multi-layer heat insulation component 8 is manufactured from multiple units, each of which consists of a reflective layer and a spacer layer, and can achieve the function of isolating radiative heat exchange.

[0032] In step S5, when the antenna needs to enter a high-power, long-duration working mode, the actuator 9 drives the traction device 10 to retract the multi-layer heat insulation component 8 in advance, exposing the radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna, thereby enhancing the antenna's heat dissipation capacity and preventing the temperature from becoming too high.

[0033] In step S5, when the antenna stops working and the antenna temperature is lower than the set value, such as 0°C, the actuator 9 drives the traction device 10 to automatically unfold the multi-layer heat insulation component 8, covering the radiation cooling film on the back of the antenna, reducing the antenna's heat dissipation capacity and reducing thermal control compensation power consumption.

[0034] In step S5, when the antenna is in a long-term inactive state or needs to enter a short-term, low-power operating mode, the multi-layer heat insulation component 8 is kept in the deployed state, and heat dissipation is carried out only by the front of the antenna to reduce thermal control compensation power consumption.

[0035] In step S5, the multi-layer component retractable device can be laid out and adjusted according to the actual antenna configuration.

[0036] Furthermore, a thermal control coating with low solar absorptivity and high infrared emissivity is used on the front of the antenna as a heat dissipation surface.

[0037] This invention employs a staggered layout of different types of individual antennas to avoid heat concentration and facilitate heat dissipation. It uses pre-embedded phase-change heat pipes 4 within the structural mounting plate to achieve temperature uniformity and suppress antenna temperature rise. Heaters 6 and thermistors 5 are installed for antenna temperature monitoring and control. A radiative cooling film 7 is installed on the back of the antenna to enhance its heat dissipation capacity during high-power, long-duration operation. A multi-layer retractable component device is installed on the side of the antenna, with multi-layer heat insulation components 8 covering the radiative cooling film on the back of the antenna. The retraction and expansion of the multi-layer heat insulation components 8 are controlled according to different antenna operating modes, which not only enhances the antenna's heat dissipation capacity but also significantly reduces thermal control compensation power consumption, flexibly reducing temperature control power consumption. This invention solves the fundamental problems of limited antenna heat dissipation capacity and insufficient temperature control power resources in existing technologies. It addresses the temperature uniformity and heat dissipation problems of antennas with higher power consumption and longer operating times, exhibiting strong adaptability and high reliability, and enabling low-compensation temperature control for ultra-high power consumption antennas with complex operating modes.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0039] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A highly adaptable temperature control method for a high-power antenna with complex operating modes, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step S1: Conduct a combined mechanical and thermal design, and arrange the individual units in an alternating layout according to their type or heat consumption; Step S2: Embed phase change heat pipes (4) in the structural mounting plate for installing the heating unit; Step S3: Distribute heaters (6) and thermistors (5) in the heat pipe area between the two units; Step S4: Install the radiation cooling film (7) on the back of the antenna; Step S5: Install a multi-layer retractable component device on the side of the antenna. The multi-layer retractable component device includes: a multi-layer heat insulation component (8), an actuator (9), and a traction device (10). The multi-layer heat insulation component (8) covers the radiation cooling film (7) on the back of the antenna. According to the different working modes of the antenna, the retracted state and the unfolded state of the multi-layer heat insulation component (8) are switched by the actuator (9) and the traction device (10).

2. The high-adaptability temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the multiple single machines are distributed in a matrix, and each single machine is different from the single machines in front, behind, left, and right.

3. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, n-tetradecane is used as the phase change material in the phase change heat pipe (4).

4. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, when the temperature is below -10.5℃, the heater (6) is turned on, and when the temperature is above -9.5℃, the heater (6) is turned off.

5. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the radiation cooling film (7) includes a flexible thin film thermal control coating with a solar absorptivity of less than 0.13 and an infrared emissivity of greater than 0.

9.

6. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, the radiation cooling film (7) is fixed to the edge of the antenna by silicone rubber, and the radiation cooling film (7) is tightly connected to the middle of the antenna by local discrete point affixing. The radiation cooling film (7) covers the unit, components and cables on the back of the antenna.

7. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the multilayer thermal insulation component (8) includes multiple stacked units, each of which includes a reflective layer and a spacer layer.

8. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, when the antenna needs to enter a high-power long-term working mode, the actuator (9) drives the traction device (10) to retract the multi-layer heat insulation component (8) and expose the radiation cooling film (7) on the back of the antenna.

9. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 8, characterized in that, In step S5, when the antenna stops working and the antenna temperature is lower than the set value, the actuator (9) drives the traction device (10) to automatically unfold the multi-layer heat insulation component (8) to cover the radiation cooling film (7) on the back of the antenna.

10. The highly adaptable temperature control method for high-power complex operating mode antennas according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step S5, when the antenna is in a long-term inactive state or needs to enter a short-term, low-power working mode, the multi-layer heat insulation component (8) is kept in the deployed state.

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