Electromagnetic radiation and scatter control integrated conformal array antenna

Abstract

The application discloses an electromagnetic radiation and scattering control integrated conformal array antenna and belongs to the field of integrated conformal array antennas. The outer layer of the antenna comprises a coplanar and conformal electromagnetic control layer A and a plurality of antenna radiation array elements, the electromagnetic control layer A comprises a plurality of first electromagnetic control units adopting inner-outer double circular ring microstructures; the middle layer is an electromagnetic control layer B composed of a plurality of second electromagnetic control units, the second electromagnetic control units are arranged in a unit concentric arrangement with the first electromagnetic control units; the second electromagnetic control units adopt a composite structure of an outer circular ring and an inner cross-shaped structure; the inner layer is an antenna feed network layer and is electrically connected with the antenna radiation array elements through a feed structure. The application realizes coplanar and conformal design of the antenna array and electromagnetic scattering control through a flexible base material, realizes electromagnetic shielding, antenna pattern correction and other functions of partial frequency bands through the electromagnetic scattering control layer, realizes low scattering performance of the antenna array, and also realizes good antenna radiation performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of integrated conformal array antennas, and more particularly to an integrated conformal array antenna for electromagnetic radiation and scattering control. Background Technology

[0002] As high-speed aircraft face increasingly stringent requirements for aerodynamic shape and strict control over their scattering characteristics, exposed antennas can disrupt the aerodynamic profile, affecting flight speed and control performance. Furthermore, they themselves become significant scattering sources, degrading the aircraft's stealth capabilities. Conformal antennas have become the preferred configuration for various new types of aircraft. However, the numerous conformal antennas on the aircraft's surface present a significant challenge to further reducing its scattering characteristics. Simultaneously, electromagnetic interference between different conformal antennas becomes a crucial factor affecting system communication quality. Therefore, it is essential to rationally arrange conformal array antennas to minimize their own scattering characteristics, effectively shield against external electromagnetic interference, achieve electromagnetic scattering control of the antennas, and simultaneously ensure the antennas' own radiation performance to guarantee system communication quality.

[0003] Traditional antennas lack low-scattering performance, and as the performance requirements of aircraft antennas continue to increase, ordinary conformal antennas are no longer sufficient to meet the requirements for low-scattering characteristics and overall electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). While conventional conformal antennas can achieve a certain degree of scattering reduction, the reduction is far from meeting the required specifications. Furthermore, with the increasing number of sensors installed on aircraft, EMC issues are becoming increasingly prominent, becoming a key factor affecting communication quality. Therefore, conventional antennas struggle to simultaneously achieve both low-scattering and high-radiation performance, let alone meet the multiple requirements of EMC and structural load-bearing capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a conformal array antenna that integrates electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, aiming to solve the technical problem that it is difficult to synergistically improve the antenna's radiation performance and scattering control performance within the limited space of the aircraft skin, and it is also difficult to balance electromagnetic shielding and structural load-bearing functions.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: a conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, comprising three functional layers from the outside to the inside: an outer layer, a middle layer, and an inner layer; the interlayers of the three functional layers are supported by a dielectric composite material;

[0006] The outer layer includes a coplanar and conformal electromagnetic control layer A and multiple antenna radiating elements. The electromagnetic control layer A includes multiple first electromagnetic control units with inner and outer double-ring microstructures.

[0007] Multiple first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged in an array within a planar grid on the plane of the outer layer. Each grid position in the first and last two rows and the first and last two columns of the planar grid contains a first electromagnetic control unit. Along the row direction, the next row after each row consisting entirely of first electromagnetic control units is a composite row where first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately. Along the column direction, the next column after each column consisting entirely of first electromagnetic control units is a composite column where first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately. In other words, within the planar grid, the grid positions where composite rows and composite columns intersect contain first electromagnetic control units.

[0008] The intermediate layer is an electromagnetic control layer B composed of multiple second electromagnetic control units. The second electromagnetic control units and the first electromagnetic control units are arranged concentrically, and the number of second electromagnetic control units and the first electromagnetic control units is the same. The second electromagnetic control unit includes an outer ring and an inner cross-shaped structure, with the inner cross-shaped structure located inside the outer ring. That is, the second electromagnetic control unit adopts a composite structure of an outer ring and an inner cross-shaped structure.

[0009] The inner layer is the antenna feed network layer, which is electrically connected to the antenna radiating array elements through the feed structure;

[0010] The structure of the first electromagnetic control unit, which employs an inner and outer double-ring microstructure, is configured as follows:

[0011] The outer ring includes A zigzag groove facing the center, in which, It is an even number greater than or equal to 4;

[0012] Inner ring includes A zig-shaped groove and There are several zig-shaped protrusions and grooves, and the zig-shaped grooves and protrusions are arranged alternately, and their positions are relative to the outer ring. Each of the zigzag-shaped grooves corresponds to the previous one.

[0013] Furthermore, the outer ring of the first electromagnetic control unit The grooves are spaced out in a zigzag pattern.

[0014] Furthermore, the antenna radiating elements adopt a circular patch shape.

[0015] Furthermore, the inner cross-shaped structure of the second electromagnetic control unit includes a cross section and four arms extending outward from the cross section, with each arm ending in a T-shaped head, the lateral dimension of which is greater than the width of the arm.

[0016] Furthermore, the feeding structure of the antenna feed network layer and the antenna radiating element is configured as follows: a silver-plated metal pillar is pre-embedded at the feeding position to form a feeding pillar, which is then used for electrical connection between the antenna feed network layer and the antenna radiating element after curing.

[0017] Furthermore, the outer antenna radiating array elements are arranged in a 3×3 array.

[0018] Furthermore, the interlayers of the three functional layers are supported by cyanate quartz cloth or epoxy glass cloth.

[0019] Furthermore, the spacing between electromagnetic control layer A and electromagnetic control layer B is set to 1-3 mm.

[0020] The technical solution provided by this invention brings at least the following beneficial effects:

[0021] Since the antenna's same-frequency radiation performance and scattering characteristics are usually contradictory indicators and have a great influence on each other, and the electromagnetic control layer usually has a significant impact on the performance of the antenna's radiation array elements; however, in this invention, the array elements and the electromagnetic control unit are coplanar, participating in both electromagnetic scattering control and antenna electromagnetic radiation, so the radiation performance is no longer affected by the electromagnetic scattering control layer, and at the same time, the scattering control performance is not affected, resulting in excellent radiation pattern performance.

[0022] The integrated conformal array antenna provided by this invention has an average reflectivity of better than 10dB in its dual-layer electromagnetic scattering control layer and stable angular stability. It can effectively be equivalent to metal reflecting electromagnetic waves, avoiding external electromagnetic waves from entering the skin interior and causing scattering and electromagnetic interference.

[0023] Furthermore, this invention uses cyanate quartz cloth as a load-bearing material, which, after being integrally molded with the functional layer, possesses excellent structural and functional characteristics. It exhibits high wave transmission and high strength, meeting the lightweight load-bearing requirements of watchmaking equipment.

[0024] In summary, the integrated conformal array antenna provided by this invention has a simple structure, light weight, low profile, stable electrical performance, high consistency, and is suitable for mass production. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 A top view of the overall structure of a conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A side view of the overall structure of a conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3This is a side-view layered structure diagram of a conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the outer ring structure of the electromagnetic control layer A unit used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electromagnetic control layer B unit used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is the radiation pattern of the E (electric field) plane of the antenna array;

[0032] Figure 7 The radiation pattern of the H-plane (magnetic field) of the antenna array;

[0033] Figure 8 For electromagnetic control layer Schematic diagram of the (forward transmission coefficient) curve. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed using different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Currently, due to limitations in the size of various aircraft skins, it is difficult to simultaneously solve the challenges of antenna electromagnetic radiation, scattering control, electromagnetic shielding, and structural load-bearing. Antenna radiation and scattering performance often significantly influence each other. To address higher performance requirements and achieve integrated design of electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, this invention provides a conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control. It rationally utilizes the array antenna layout, achieving a coplanar and conformal design of the antenna array and electromagnetic scattering control through a flexible substrate. Furthermore, the electromagnetic scattering control layer enables partial frequency band electromagnetic shielding and antenna pattern correction, achieving low scattering performance while maintaining good antenna radiation performance. Moreover, the integrated manufacturing process using composite materials improves skin strength, enhances the load-bearing capacity of the skin structure, and reduces the overall weight and size of the antenna.

[0036] See Figure 1 and Figure 2The overall functional structure of the conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control provided in this embodiment of the invention consists of three layers from the outside in: an outer layer, a middle layer, and an inner layer; the outer layer is composed of coplanar and conformal antenna radiating elements and an electromagnetic control layer A, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the electromagnetic control unit of electromagnetic control layer A includes multiple electromagnetic control units, namely electromagnetic control layer A units. These multiple electromagnetic control layer A units and antenna radiating elements are arranged in an array within a planar grid on the plane of the outer layer. Each grid position in the first and last rows and columns of the planar grid is equipped with an electromagnetic control layer A unit. Along the row direction, the next row after each row consisting entirely of electromagnetic control layer A units is a composite row where electromagnetic control layer A units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately. Along the column direction, the next column after each column consisting entirely of electromagnetic control layer A units is a composite column where electromagnetic control layer A units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately. In other words, in this invention, a composite row refers to a row where electromagnetic control layer A units and antenna radiating elements are arranged simultaneously in the grid, with the same applies to composite columns. Furthermore, the grid positions where composite rows and composite columns intersect are occupied by electromagnetic control layer A units.

[0037] In this embodiment, the antenna radiating elements are conventional circular patch shapes, arranged in a 3×3 array to achieve electromagnetic radiation in the target band. The array arrangement is not limited to 3×3; the array size can be increased or decreased, depending on the specific application scenario. The electromagnetic control layer A unit uses inner and outer double-ring microstructure elements, and the antenna radiating elements themselves are coplanar with the electromagnetic control layer A to form an electromagnetic control functional layer. The middle layer is an electromagnetic control layer B, which includes multiple electromagnetic control units, i.e., the electromagnetic control layer B unit. This unit uses a composite structure of an outer ring and an inner cross shape. The electromagnetic control units of the outer and middle layers are concentrically arranged to jointly complete the electromagnetic scattering control function in the target band, achieving electromagnetic shielding and equivalent metallization in the target band, while also improving antenna radiation performance. The inner layer is the antenna feed network layer, realizing array antenna beamforming. The substrate for the three functional layers is a flexible printed substrate, facilitating circuit etching. The three functional layers are supported by cyanate quartz cloth, a material with high strength, high wave transmission, and high temperature resistance. After being integrally molded, it possesses excellent structural and functional characteristics. The antenna radiating elements need to be electrically connected to the antenna feed network layer. The connection method can be achieved by pre-embedding silver-plated metal pillars at the feed position to form feed pillars before the overall layer layup is cured, and then achieving electrical connection after curing.

[0038] In this embodiment, the side view of the final conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control is as follows: Figure 3As shown, it sequentially includes: cyanate ester quartz cloth (substrate\bearing), electromagnetic control layer A\antenna radiation layer (coplanar), cyanate ester quartz cloth (substrate\bearing), electromagnetic control layer B, cyanate ester quartz cloth, and antenna feed network. In this embodiment, the electromagnetic control layer A and the antenna radiation array elements are designed to be coplanar and etched on one layer of flexible printed substrate, and the electromagnetic control layer B is also etched on one layer of flexible printed substrate. The distance between the functional layers is controlled by laying cyanate ester quartz cloth between the functional layers, and structural strength bearing is realized. The feed network is arranged at the innermost layer, and feeds power to the antenna radiation array elements through silver-plated metal posts to realize antenna beamforming and electromagnetic radiation. Preferably, the distance between the electromagnetic control layers A and B is set to 1-3mm, and the distance can be finely adjusted to ensure electromagnetic shielding performance.

[0039] The electromagnetic control layer A adopts inner and outer double-ring microstructure array elements, and the equivalent LC circuit (a passive circuit composed of an inductor (L) and a capacitor (C)) resonates to achieve spatial filtering characteristics. Wherein, the outer ring of the inner and outer double-ring microstructure array elements adopts the structure as shown in Figure 4 The structure shown includes 8 inward-facing "several"-shaped grooves, which aim to increase the length of the ring and increase the adjustable factor of the unit resonant frequency; similarly, 4 "several"-shaped grooves and four "several"-shaped convex grooves are designed at corresponding positions on the inner ring, that is, the "several"-shaped grooves and the "several"-shaped convex grooves are arranged at intervals, in one-to-one correspondence with the 8 inward-facing "several"-shaped grooves, aiming to increase the length of the ring, enhance the capacitance effect of the inner and outer rings, and increase the adjustable factor of the unit resonant frequency. The number of grooves or convex grooves can be increased or decreased according to the actual resonant frequency, but the relative positional relationship of the grooves or convex grooves of the inner and outer rings cannot be changed. The antenna radiation array elements adopt a conventional circular patch shape, and can also adopt symmetric patch shapes such as square and polygon to realize electromagnetic radiation. The antenna radiation array elements are arranged in a 3×3 array to form an antenna array to realize electromagnetic radiation in the target band, and the arrangement form of the antenna array is not limited to the 3×3 arrangement.

[0040] See Figure 5 , the electromagnetic control layer B adopts a microstructure unit combining an outer ring and an inner cross-shaped structure, and the equivalent LC circuit resonates to achieve spatial filtering characteristics. The outer ring is a standard ring, and the width of the end of the inner cross-shaped structure is increased to enhance the capacitance effect, and the resonant frequency is adjusted by adjusting the length and width of the cross and the width of the cross end structure.

[0041] In the conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control provided in this embodiment, the antenna radiation array elements and the electromagnetic control units are coplanar, which not only participates in electromagnetic scattering control but also realizes antenna electromagnetic radiation. The radiation performance is no longer affected by the electromagnetic scattering control layer, and at the same time does not affect the scattering control performance, and its pattern is as shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown in the figure, its radiation pattern performance is excellent. While maintaining high main lobe gain, it achieves low sidelobes and high cross-polarization isolation, verifying that the introduction of the electromagnetic scattering control layer does not degrade the antenna radiation performance, demonstrating the good compatibility and synergy between radiation and scattering control functions. Electromagnetic control layers A and B, through concentric layering, together achieve broadband electromagnetic shielding characteristics, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the average reflectivity of the target band is better than -10dB, which effectively achieves electromagnetic shielding performance, prevents external radar electromagnetic waves from entering the antenna, and achieves low scattering performance.

[0042] In this invention, the number of electromagnetic control layers can be increased based on actual application requirements; in addition, materials can be replaced according to different usage environments, such as cyanate quartz cloth can be replaced with epoxy glass cloth, etc., depending on the application scenario.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the foregoing embodiments have described the present invention in detail, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] The above descriptions are merely some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control, comprising three functional layers from the outside in: an outer layer, a middle layer, and an inner layer, wherein the interlayers of the three functional layers are supported by a dielectric composite material, characterized in that: The outer layer includes a coplanar and conformal electromagnetic control layer A and multiple antenna radiating elements, wherein the electromagnetic control layer A includes multiple first electromagnetic control units with inner and outer double-ring microstructures. Multiple first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged in an array within a planar grid on the plane of the outer layer; wherein, each grid position in the first and last two rows and the first and last two columns of the planar grid is provided with a first electromagnetic control unit; along the row direction, the next row after each row is full of first electromagnetic control units is a composite row in which the first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately; along the column direction, the next column after each column is full of first electromagnetic control units is a composite column in which the first electromagnetic control units and antenna radiating elements are arranged alternately. The intermediate layer is an electromagnetic control layer B composed of multiple second electromagnetic control units. The second electromagnetic control units and the first electromagnetic control units are arranged concentrically, and the number of second electromagnetic control units and the number of first electromagnetic control units are the same. The second electromagnetic control unit includes an outer ring and an inner cross-shaped structure, with the inner cross-shaped structure located inside the outer ring. The inner layer is the antenna feed network layer, which is electrically connected to the antenna radiating array elements through the feed structure; The structure of the first electromagnetic control unit, which employs an inner and outer double-ring microstructure, is configured as follows: The outer ring includes A zigzag groove facing the center, in which, It is an even number greater than or equal to 4; Inner ring includes A zig-shaped groove and There are several zig-shaped protrusions and grooves, and the zig-shaped grooves and protrusions are arranged alternately, and their positions are relative to the outer ring. Each of the zigzag-shaped grooves corresponds to the previous one.

2. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer ring of the first electromagnetic control unit The grooves are spaced out in a zigzag pattern.

3. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The antenna radiating elements are circular patch-shaped.

4. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner cross-shaped structure of the second electromagnetic control unit includes a cross section and four arms extending outward from the cross section. The ends of each arm section form T-shaped ends, and the lateral dimension of the T-shaped ends is greater than the width of the arms.

5. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method for setting up the feeding structure between the antenna feeding network layer and the antenna radiating array element is as follows: a silver-plated metal pillar is pre-embedded at the feeding position to form a feeding pillar, which is used for electrical connection between the antenna feeding network layer and the antenna radiating array element after curing.

6. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer antenna radiating array elements are arranged in a 3×3 array.

7. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The interlayers of the three functional layers are supported by cyanate quartz cloth or epoxy glass cloth.

8. The conformal array antenna integrating electromagnetic radiation and scattering control as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The spacing between electromagnetic control layer A and electromagnetic control layer B is set to 1-3mm.

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