A high power microwave antenna device and method of installation

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to a high-energy microwave antenna device and a mounting method. The application is composed of a metal flange plate, a 4*8 horn array, four 1-8 waveguide power dividers, a U-shaped copper pipe, a waveguide inflation outer-filar straight pipe, an air nozzle cover, 32 pieces of polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric blocks and an antenna cover, wherein the 32 pieces of polytetrafluoroethylene blocks are fixed in the limiting grooves of the metal flange plate, and the polytetrafluoroethylene and the metal flange plate jointly form a partition wall of two independent cavities. The 32 horns and the antenna cover are fixed on the front side of the metal flange plate, and the antenna cover is filled with dry air; the four 1-8 waveguide power dividers are fixed on the back of the metal flange plate, and the cavities of the four 1-8 waveguide power dividers are connected in series by the U-shaped copper pipe to form an integrated inflation cavity for inflating two standard atmospheric pressure sulfur hexafluoride gas and inhibiting the sparking and discharging phenomenon under high-power working conditions. The application fully meets the working and using requirements of high-energy microwaves, and has the characteristics of simple structure, few parts, high reliability, convenient installation, low use and maintenance cost and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of high-energy microwave antenna technology, and in particular to a high-energy microwave antenna device and its installation method. Background Technology

[0002] In high-energy microwave systems, all-metal horn array antennas offer advantages such as high power capacity and low RF loss, making them the preferred configuration for high-power applications. To improve the microwave breakdown threshold of the waveguide feed network and suppress arcing under high-power conditions, existing technologies often employ the method of filling the feed cavity with high-pressure dry gas to enhance the gas breakdown field strength.

[0003] Existing pressurized horn array antennas mainly suffer from the following technical defects:

[0004] First, the power divider network's pressurization chamber configuration has inherent shortcomings. Existing pressurization schemes are divided into a large overall chamber scheme and a single-device independent pressurization scheme. The large overall chamber scheme places the power divider network and speaker unit all within the same sealed chamber for joint pressurization. If a leak occurs at any point in the chamber, the entire system pressure is lost. Simultaneously, if arcing or contaminant generation occurs at the speaker opening, it will directly enter the power divider network, causing damage to the power divider components, resulting in poor system reliability. In the single-device independent pressurization scheme, each power divider has its own independent sealed housing, equipped with its own gas inlet, pressure monitoring, and pressure relief components. This results in a large number of parts, numerous sealing flange points, a complex assembly process, and a large overall weight. When multiple power dividers are pressurized independently, it is difficult to ensure pressure consistency across chambers, leading to a large system hardware scale. Existing technology lacks a structure that connects multiple waveguide power dividers through gas pipelines to form a unified, interconnected pressurization chamber.

[0005] Secondly, achieving airtight isolation between the power supply and charging chamber and the speaker area is difficult. Conventional solutions involve connecting an independent dielectric window assembly to each output port of the power divider, with each dielectric window having its own independent flange structure. This results in a large number of parts and a long assembly chain; the flange interface is both a potential point of leakage and a weak point for concentrated arcing under high power. Existing technologies lack a structural form that allows a single flange to simultaneously serve as the speaker mounting base plate, the power divider mounting backplate, and the airtight isolation partition between the power supply and the two chambers.

[0006] Third, row-fed horn arrays suffer from poor pressure-layout matching. For 4×8 horn arrays, traditional power supply networks mostly employ multi-stage 1-2 waveguide power dividers connected together for power distribution. This results in a large number of power dividers, numerous connecting flanges, and higher risks of leakage and arcing. Using a 1-8 waveguide power divider per row to directly match the horn units reduces the number of power dividers. Furthermore, current technology lacks a structure that allows multiple 1-8 waveguide power dividers to be mounted on the back of the same metal flange and that enables gas pressure exchange between the divider cavities via a U-shaped copper tube; the U-shaped copper tube serves only as a gas flow channel and does not participate in microwave transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a high-energy microwave antenna device and its installation method. The invention comprises 32 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) blocks fixed in the limiting grooves of a metal flange plate. The PTFE blocks and the metal flange plate together form a partition wall between two independent cavities. Four 1-8 waveguide power divider cavities are connected in series by U-shaped copper tubes to form an integrated gas-filled cavity, used to fill with sulfur hexafluoride gas at 2 standard atmospheres to suppress arcing and discharge phenomena under high-power conditions.

[0008] The technical solution of this invention is: a high-energy microwave antenna device, comprising an antenna radome, a metal flange plate, a 1-8 waveguide power divider, horns, a polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block, a U-shaped copper tube, and a gas nozzle cover; the antenna radome is assembled on the front side of the metal flange plate and is used to cover the horn array; every 8 horns form 1 row, for a total of N rows, where N is greater than or equal to 2; the horns are fixedly installed on the front side of the metal flange plate, and each row of horns corresponds to one 1-8 waveguide power divider, characterized in that: the 1-8 waveguide power divider is located on the back of the metal flange plate; each 1-8 waveguide power divider output port corresponds to a row of horn units; each 1-8 waveguide power divider has a sealed housing; the sealed housings of each 1-8 waveguide power divider are connected by a U-shaped copper tube, and the 1-8 waveguide power divider... The internal cavity of the waveguide power divider is connected to the pressurized cavity via a U-shaped copper tube. An air inlet connector is located on the right side of the 1-8 power divider for connecting the waveguide air inlet straight tube. The U-shaped copper tube connects two waveguide air inlet straight tubes in sequence. An air nozzle cap is used to block the air outlet, forming the connected pressurized cavity. The metal flange plate has N rows and 8 columns of through mounting slots, each slot containing a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric block. The back of the PTFE dielectric block matches the output port of waveguide power divider 8 (1-8), and the front matches the input port of the speaker unit. The metal flange plate has stepped limiting grooves. Within these grooves, the PTFE dielectric block and the metal flange plate together form a sealed cavity isolation wall.

[0009] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the antenna radome is filled with dry air.

[0010] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the characteristic is that the working pressure inside the internal cavity of the 1-8 waveguide power divider is 2 atmospheres, and the gas is sulfur hexafluoride.

[0011] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the characteristic is that the dielectric constant of the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block is 2.02.

[0012] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the feature is that the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block and the stepped limiting groove are in a transition fit.

[0013] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the characteristic is that the minute gap between the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block and the stepped limiting groove is sealed with sealant.

[0014] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the feature is that: a sealing ring groove is provided on the metal flange plate, and an O-ring is built in for sealing the inside of the antenna radome; an external threaded tube for filling the antenna radome with dry air is installed on the back of the metal flange plate; and the internal space of the antenna radome is under normal pressure.

[0015] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the microwave antenna is a Ku-band antenna.

[0016] According to the high-energy microwave antenna device described above, the characteristic is that N is 4.

[0017] This invention also discloses a method for installing a high-energy microwave antenna, which uses a high-energy microwave antenna device as described above, characterized in that:

[0018] Step 1: Apply sealant evenly to the inner wall of the step limiting groove of the metal flange plate, install the PTFE medium block in the corresponding step limiting groove of the metal flange plate, and wipe away the excess sealant.

[0019] Step 2: Install the horns sequentially on the front side of the metal flange plate;

[0020] Step 3: Install the sealing rings on the two flanges of the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing;

[0021] Step 4: Install the waveguide power divider housings 1-8 sequentially onto the back of the metal flange plate;

[0022] Step 5: Install the waveguide air-filled straight tube at the corresponding position on the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing, and connect the U-shaped copper tubes in series with each 1-8 waveguide power divider housing, and screw on the air nozzle cap to form a sealed cavity;

[0023] Step 6: Install the sealing ring on the front of the metal flange plate and install the antenna cover.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. The four 1-8 waveguide power dividers of this invention form a unified connected pressurization cavity using U-shaped copper tubes. Only one set of inflation interface, pressure monitoring, and pressure relief components is needed to complete the inflation and pressure maintenance of all power divider cavities. Compared with the independent pressurization scheme for each power divider, this significantly reduces the number of supporting components and simplifies the assembly process. 2. The feed-side connected pressurization cavity and the horn-side space are hermetically isolated by a PTFE dielectric block embedded in the flange. Even if leakage, sparking, or contamination occurs on the horn side, it will not affect the pressure of the downstream connected pressurization cavity, and the fault will not spread to the feed network, improving the reliability of the feed system. Compared with the overall large cavity scheme, there is no problem of single-point leakage causing pressure loss of the entire system. 3. The feed-side connected pressurization cavity maintains 2 standard atmospheres of pressure, increasing the microwave breakdown threshold inside the power divider network. The horn-side space is at normal pressure, and the radome does not need to withstand the pressure difference of 2 standard atmospheres, reducing the mechanical design difficulty of the radome and alleviating the radome deformation problem caused by high pressure difference. 4. Using a PTFE dielectric block embedded in the flange as a hermetically sealed channel eliminates the need for an external independent dielectric window flange at each power divider output port, reducing external sealing points and the number of parts in the entire unit. 5. Using one 1-8 waveguide power divider per row to directly match one row of speakers avoids multi-stage 1-2 power divider cascading, reduces waveguide adapter flanges, and lowers the risk of arcing and leakage in the RF path. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a front view of the Ku-band high-energy microwave antenna device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a top view (excluding the radome) of the Ku-band high-energy microwave antenna device of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 Left view of a Ku-band high-energy microwave antenna device.

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A sectional view of a view.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of a 1-8 power divider.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of a horn.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Antenna radome; 2. Metal flange plate; 3. Waveguide gas-filled external threaded straight tube; 4. Waveguide power divider 1-8; 5. Horn; 6. Polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block; 7. U-shaped copper tube; 8. Gas nozzle cover; 9. Antenna radome gas-filled external threaded straight tube. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the Ku-band high-energy microwave antenna device of the present invention comprises an antenna radome 1, a metal flange plate 2, a waveguide inflatable outer wire straight tube 3, a 1-8 waveguide power divider 4, horns 5, a polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block 6, a U-shaped copper tube 7, an air nozzle cover 8, and an antenna radome inflatable outer wire straight tube 9. Thirty-two horns 5 are fixedly installed in 4 rows and 8 columns on the front side of the metal flange plate 2. Each row of horns 5 corresponds to one 1-8 waveguide power divider 4, and four 1-8 waveguide power dividers 4 are located on the back of the metal flange plate 2. The number of rows in this invention can be determined according to actual conditions; for example, with 80 horns, there would be 10 rows.

[0034] The radome 1 is mounted on the front side of the metal flange plate 2 and is used to cover the 4-row, 8-column horn array 5. The radome 1 is filled with dry air. Each 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 output port is matched with a row of 8 horn units. Each 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 has its own sealed housing. The sealed housings of each 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 are connected by a U-shaped copper tube 7, which is only used for gas flow and does not transmit microwaves. The internal cavities of the four 1-8 waveguide power dividers 4 are connected and pressurized together by the U-shaped copper tube 7. The working pressure in the connected and pressurized cavity is 2 atmospheres, and the gas is sulfur hexafluoride. The metal flange plate 2 has 4 rows and 8 columns of through mounting slots, and each mounting slot is embedded with a polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block 6. The back of the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block 6 is matched with the output port of the waveguide power divider 1-8, and the front of the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block 6 is matched with the input port of the speaker unit 5. The polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block realizes microwave transmission and, together with the metal flange plate, isolates the connected pressurized cavity.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric block 6 of the present invention is installed in the stepped limiting groove of the metal flange plate 2. The PTFE dielectric block 6 and the stepped limiting groove are in an overfitting manner, and 703 sealant needs to be evenly applied around the stepped limiting groove during installation. The 32 PTFE dielectric blocks 6 and the metal flange plate 2 form a sealed cavity isolation wall. The PTFE dielectric block 6 of the present invention preferably has a dielectric constant of 2.02.

[0036] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, 32 horns 5 are installed on the front side of the metal flange plate 2 with screws. The antenna cover 1 is installed on the metal flange plate 2. The metal flange plate 2 is provided with a sealing ring groove and an O-ring is built in for sealing the inside of the antenna cover 1. The antenna cover inflation external thread straight tube 9 is installed on the back of the metal flange plate 2 for filling the antenna cover 1 with dry air. The internal space of the antenna cover 1 is at normal pressure.

[0037] like Figure 2As shown, four 1-8 power dividers 4 are installed on the back of the metal flange plate 2. The output port of each 1-8 power divider 4 is matched with the input port of a speaker 5 to form a microwave path. An air inlet is provided on the right side of the 1-8 power divider 4 for installing the waveguide air inlet straight tube 3. The U-shaped copper tube 7 is connected to two waveguide air inlet straight tubes 3 in sequence. The air nozzle cover 8 is used to block the air outlet to form a connected pressurized cavity.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block 6 is a cuboid with dimensions of 23.05mm (length) × 14.525mm (width) × 8.5mm (height). The cuboid has square bosses on both sides for electrical performance matching. The bosses on the speaker side have dimensions of 18.65mm × 9.125mm (bottom), 8.9mm × 4.7mm (top), and 14.8mm (height). The bosses on the power divider side have dimensions of 18.65mm × 9.125mm (bottom), 13.8mm × 8.8mm (top), and 4.4mm (height).

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, the output port face of the 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 is an integrated flange with a sealing ring groove. A sealing ring seals the connection between the 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 housing and the metal flange plate 2. Large rounded corners are used at the T-junctions and corners inside the 1-8 waveguide power divider to prevent arcing at energy concentration points and facilitate machining. The 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 has a wall thickness of 2.5mm and overall dimensions of 230mm (length) × 123.85mm (height) × 27mm (thickness).

[0040] like Figure 6 As shown, the length of speaker 5 is 88.5mm, the size of the speaker mouth is 25mm×25.5mm, the size of the speaker end face is 19.05mm×9.53mm, and the speaker wall thickness is 0.5mm.

[0041] The installation method of this antenna is described below. The installation process of this invention is simple and easy to operate, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0042] Step 1: Apply 703 sealant evenly to the inner wall of the step limiting groove of the metal flange plate 2, install 32 polytetrafluoroethylene media blocks 6 in the corresponding step limiting groove of the metal flange plate 2, and wipe away the overflowing 703 sealant.

[0043] Step 2: Install the 32 speakers 5 one by one on the front side of the metal flange plate 2 with screws;

[0044] Step 3: Install the sealing rings on the two flanges of the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing 4;

[0045] Step 4: Install the housings of the four 1-8 waveguide power dividers 4 sequentially on the back of the metal flange plate 2;

[0046] Step 5: Install the waveguide air-filled external wire straight tube 3 at the corresponding position of the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing 4, and connect the U-shaped copper tube 7 in series with each 1-8 waveguide power divider 4 housing, and screw on the air nozzle cap 8 to form a sealed cavity.

[0047] Step 6: Install the sealing ring on the front of the metal flange plate 2 and install the antenna cover 1.

[0048] The installation process of this invention is very simple. No special tools are required for the entire installation process. Only a screwdriver and 703 glue are needed, which is convenient for mass production.

[0049] The following explains the ease of maintenance of this antenna: Before powering on, a simple visual inspection of the radome is sufficient. Remove surface dust and check that the metal flange and U-shaped copper tube connectors are secure. The key is to ensure the pressurization chamber maintains its rated pressure of 2 atmospheres. If the pressure is insufficient, add gas; no repeated disassembly is required. During regular maintenance, there is no need to disassemble numerous microwave components. Only a gas tightness check of the pipe joints is necessary to ensure the U-shaped copper tube gas path is unobstructed. No complex adjustments are required, effectively preventing issues such as arcing, breakdown, and performance degradation.

Claims

1. A high-energy microwave antenna device, comprising an radome, a metal flange plate, a 1-8 waveguide power divider, horns, a polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block, a U-shaped copper tube, and a gas nozzle cover; the radome is assembled on the front side of the metal flange plate for covering the horn array; each row consists of 8 horns, for a total of N rows, where N is greater than or equal to 2; the horns are fixedly installed on the front side of the metal flange plate, and each row of horns corresponds to one 1-8 waveguide power divider, characterized in that: The 1-8 waveguide power divider is located on the back of the metal flange plate; each 1-8 waveguide power divider output port corresponds to a row of speaker units; each 1-8 waveguide power divider has a sealed housing; the sealed housings of each 1-8 waveguide power divider are connected by a U-shaped copper tube, and the internal cavities of the 1-8 waveguide power dividers are connected to form a pressurized cavity via the U-shaped copper tube; an inflation connector is located on the right side of the 1-8 power divider for installing and connecting the waveguide inflation external thread straight tube, and the U-shaped copper tube sequentially connects two waveguide inflation external threads. The straight pipe and the air nozzle cap are used to block the air outlet, forming a connected pressurized cavity; the metal flange plate has N rows and 8 columns of through mounting slots, and each mounting slot has a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric block embedded in it; the back of the PTFE dielectric block matches the output port of the corresponding 1-8 waveguide power divider, and the front of the PTFE dielectric block matches the input port of the corresponding speaker unit; the metal flange plate is provided with stepped limiting grooves, and within the stepped limiting grooves of the PTFE dielectric block, the PTFE dielectric block and the metal flange plate form a sealed cavity isolation wall.

2. The high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radome is filled with dry air.

3. The high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal cavity of the 1-8 waveguide power divider operates at a pressure of 2 atmospheres, and the gas is sulfur hexafluoride.

4. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dielectric constant of the polytetrafluoroethylene dielectric block is 2.

02.

5. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The polytetrafluoroethylene medium block and the stepped limiting groove are in an overfitting configuration.

6. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tiny gap between the PTFE medium block and the stepped limiting groove is sealed with sealant.

7. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal flange plate has a sealing ring groove with an internal O-ring for sealing the inside of the radome. The back of the metal flange plate is equipped with an external threaded tube for filling the radome with dry air, and the internal space of the radome is at normal pressure.

8. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microwave antenna is a Ku-band antenna.

9. A high-energy microwave antenna device according to claim 1, characterized in that: N is 4.

10. A method for installing a high-energy microwave antenna, using a high-energy microwave antenna device as described in claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: Step 1: Apply sealant evenly to the inner wall of the step limiting groove of the metal flange plate, install the PTFE medium block in the corresponding step limiting groove of the metal flange plate, and wipe away the excess sealant. Step 2: Install the horns sequentially on the front side of the metal flange plate; Step 3: Install the sealing rings on the two flanges of the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing; Step 4: Install the waveguide power divider housings 1-8 sequentially onto the back of the metal flange plate; Step 5: Install the waveguide air-filled straight tube at the corresponding position on the 1-8 waveguide power divider housing, and connect the U-shaped copper tubes in series with each 1-8 waveguide power divider housing, and screw on the air nozzle cap to form a sealed cavity; Step 6: Install the sealing ring on the front of the metal flange plate and install the antenna cover.

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