Antenna, antenna main body and signal transmission equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to an antenna, an antenna main body and a signal transmission device, the antenna comprises an antenna radiator and a feed assembly, the antenna radiator comprises the antenna main body and a shell connected to the bottom of the antenna main body, the shell is used for supporting the antenna main body and providing electromagnetic interference protection, and the feed assembly comprises a feed network and a plurality of antenna probes; the antenna main body comprises a plurality of spiral arms of a rotational symmetric structure and outer conductors connected with the spiral arms in a one-to-one correspondence manner; and one end of each antenna probe is connected with the output port of the feed network, and the other end of each antenna probe passes through the bottom of the shell and is connected with the corresponding spiral arm. Through adoption of a plurality of spiral arms of a rotational symmetry structure, a feed network and a coaxial line structure formed by an antenna probe and an outer conductor, independent and rotational symmetry feed of each spiral arm is realized, so that the antenna has a low axial ratio characteristic and high phase center stability in a wide beam range; therefore, the overall performance and reliability of the antenna are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a signal transmission device, in particular to an antenna, an antenna body and a signal transmission device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of science and technology, satellite navigation technology is also constantly progressing, especially in the field of navigation enhancement system. In satellite navigation technology, antennas play a crucial role as they are responsible for accurately receiving, filtering and transmitting satellite signals. When designing a satellite navigation antenna, key factors to be considered include covering the required frequency band, meeting specific shaping requirements, providing sufficient gain, having good environmental resistance and anti-interference ability, while also taking into account the ease of manufacturing and cost-effectiveness.

[0003] In the prior art, when achieving centimeter-level positioning accuracy by utilizing the rapid motion characteristics of low-orbit satellites, not only does the antenna of the low-orbit satellite as a whole need to have high power capacity, but also the influence of different geographical locations on the power control of the communication system needs to be considered. At the same time, on the basis of meeting the above radiation capacity requirements, low axial ratio characteristics in a wide beam range and high phase center stability characteristics also need to be considered. At present, a wide-beam low-axial-ratio navigation antenna is mainly used as a GNSS signal receiving antenna, such as a beryllium bronze bent spiral antenna using a microstrip line four-point feed network scheme.

[0004] However, when used as a navigation signal transmitting scenario, this antenna cannot meet the characteristics of wide-beam low-axial-ratio while meeting the requirements of earth matching beam shaping and having high phase center stability characteristics at the same time, so there is an urgent need to develop a new type of transmitting antenna device to overcome the above technical problems. CONTENT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present disclosure provides an antenna, an antenna body and a signal transmission device to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna is provided, comprising:

[0007] an antenna radiator and a feed assembly, wherein the antenna radiator comprises an antenna body and a shell connected to the bottom of the antenna body, the shell being used to support the antenna body and provide electromagnetic interference protection, and the feed assembly comprises a feed network and a plurality of antenna probes;

[0008] the antenna body comprises a plurality of spiral arms of a rotationally symmetric structure and an outer conductor connected to each spiral arm one by one; one end of each antenna probe is connected to an output port of the feed network, and the other end of each antenna probe passes through the bottom of the shell and is connected to the corresponding spiral arm.

[0009] Optionally, the shell is a solid of revolution with the axis of the antenna as the center of rotation.

[0010] Optionally, the shell comprises at least two layers of common base plate structures, and the at least two layers of common base plate structures have different opening angles.

[0011] Optionally, each outer conductor is provided with a balun slot, and each outer conductor is sequentially arranged in rotationally symmetric axis of each spiral arm.

[0012] Optionally, the number of each spiral arm, each outer conductor and the antenna probe is four.

[0013] Optionally, the antenna main body further comprises a support base, and each spiral arm and each outer conductor is integrally connected with the support base.

[0014] Optionally, the mounting surface of the shell is connected with the support base.

[0015] Optionally, the feed network is a square coaxial bridge feed network, or the antenna further comprises a support cylinder, wherein the support cylinder is connected with the bottom of the shell through a top flange.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna main body is provided, comprising: a plurality of spiral arms in rotationally symmetric structure, an outer conductor corresponding to each spiral arm, and a support base.

[0017] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a signal transmission device is provided, comprising the above-mentioned antenna.

[0018] One beneficial effect of the present disclosure is that by adopting the plurality of spiral arms in rotationally symmetric structure and the outer conductor design, and by connecting each spiral arm with the feed network through a plurality of antenna probes, independent and rotationally symmetric feeding of each spiral arm is realized, so that the antenna has low axial ratio characteristics and high phase center stability in a wide beam range, while the stability and power capacity of the mechanical structure are improved, the assembly and maintenance process are simplified, and thus the overall performance and reliability of the antenna are significantly improved.

[0019] Other features of the present disclosure and its advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1 is an assembly and disassembly view of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an antenna main body provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3is a front view of an antenna body provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a spiral arm of an antenna body provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 is a perspective view of an outer conductor and a support base of an antenna body provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 is a front view of an antenna probe provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7 is a perspective view of an outer shell provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 8 is a top view of an outer shell provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 9 is a front view of an outer shell provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 10 is a perspective view of a feed network provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 11 is a top view of a feed network provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 12 is a front view of a feed network provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 13 is a perspective view of a support cylinder provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 14 is a front view of a support cylinder provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 15 is an assembly diagram of an antenna probe and an outer conductor provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 16 is an overall assembly diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 17 is an antenna amplitude pattern diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 18 is an antenna axial ratio pattern diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 19The antenna far-field phase pattern of the antenna is provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figures 1 to 16 The one-to-one correspondence between the names of various components and the reference numerals is as follows:

[0041] Reference numerals:

[0042] The antenna radiator 100, the support cylinder 200, and the feed assembly 300;

[0043] The antenna main body 101 and the shell 102;

[0044] The spiral arm 10101, the outer conductor 10102, and the support base 10103;

[0045] The common bottom plate structure 10201 and the through hole 10202;

[0046] The top flange 201;

[0047] The antenna probe 301 and the feed network 302;

[0048] The output end 30201. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present description. However, the present description can be practiced without the specific details, other than in the examples described herein, and it is understood that the scope of the present description is not limited to the details below.

[0050] The terminology used in the one or more embodiments of the present description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the one or more embodiments of the present description. As used in the one or more embodiments of the present description and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in the one or more embodiments of the present description, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0051] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. can be used herein to describe various information, these terms are not intended to denote a temporal or chronological order. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the one or more embodiments of the present description, first can be termed second, and similarly, second can be termed first. The word "if" as used herein means "when" or "upon" or "in response to the determination" depending on the context.

[0052] The present application provides an antenna capable of accurately transmitting satellite navigation signals, specifically, the antenna is a device for receiving and transmitting radio signals for communication between space equipment and its ground station, space equipment or other equipment. The antenna includes but is not limited to omnidirectional antenna, directional antenna, parabolic antenna, helical antenna, etc. As shown in the figure, the present application provides an antenna: Figures 1 to 16 The present application provides an antenna:

[0053] The present application provides an antenna, including an antenna radiator and a feed assembly.

[0054] Among them, the antenna radiator is the key part of the antenna system responsible for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves, which can be a single metal element or a group of elements designed to work together.

[0055] The antenna radiator can be divided into two parts, the antenna body and the antenna shell, from the structure. The antenna radiator can be used to realize the specific radiation characteristics of the antenna. In the antenna provided by the present application, the radiation characteristics of the antenna can include earth-matched beamforming, wide-beam low-axis ratio, wide-beam high-phase center stability.

[0056] The antenna shell is a structure for protecting and supporting the antenna body. Further, the antenna shell can also significantly affect the electromagnetic field distribution of the antenna surface and the surrounding environment, thereby improving the performance of the antenna. The antenna shell can have various shapes, and different shapes of the antenna shell can achieve different effects. For example, a polygonal shell such as a square, a hexagon, etc. can adjust the electromagnetic field distribution of the antenna by changing the number of sides, the length of the side, and the angle of the polygon, etc. A cylindrical shell can change the electromagnetic field distribution by adjusting the height and diameter of the cylinder, or by adding grooves or protrusions on the circumference. A shell of a surface of revolution can change the electromagnetic field distribution by adjusting the opening angle of the shell.

[0057] The feed assembly is responsible for transmitting signals from the transmission line (such as coaxial cable, waveguide, etc.) to the antenna radiator. The feed assembly specifically includes an antenna probe and a feed network.

[0058] Among them, the antenna probe is a kind of metal part inside the antenna, usually a slender metal rod, which can serve as the inner conductor of the feed assembly, responsible for transmitting signals from the output end of the feed network to the antenna radiator.

[0059] The feed network is the core component of the feed assembly and can include microstrip feed networks, integrated feed networks, square coaxial bridge feed networks, etc. Different types of feed networks are suitable for different types of antennas. For example, a square coaxial bridge solution can be used as the feed network for a quadrifilar helical antenna to ensure a 90-degree phase difference between the four helical arms to achieve circular polarization. A complex feed network consisting of adjustable phase shifters and power dividers can be used for phased array antennas to achieve electronic beam scanning. A feed network consisting of microstrip power dividers and phase shifters can be used for microstrip antenna arrays to achieve uniform energy distribution and precise phase control.

[0060] Specifically, if Figures 1 to 16 The antenna radiator 100 shown includes an antenna body 101 and a housing 102 connected to the bottom of the antenna body 101. The housing 102 is used to support the antenna and provide electromagnetic interference protection. The feeding assembly 300 includes a feeding network 302 and multiple antenna probes 301. The antenna body 101 includes multiple spiral arms 10101 with a rotationally symmetrical structure and an outer conductor 10102 connected to each spiral arm 10101. One end of each antenna probe 301 is connected to the output port of the feeding network 302, and the other end of each antenna probe 301 passes through the bottom of the housing 102 and connects to the corresponding spiral arm 10101.

[0061] Alternatively, taking a vertically positioned antenna as an example, the order of the components from top to bottom is: antenna radiator 100, feed assembly 300, and within antenna radiator 100, the order from top to bottom is: antenna body 101, antenna housing 102. Specifically, antenna body 101 is located at the top of the antenna, with multiple spiral arms 10101 included therein rising in a spiral pattern from bottom to top. Housing 102 is located below antenna body 101 and connected to its lower portion. Feed assembly 300 is located below housing 102 and connected to its lower portion. Optionally, both feed assembly 300 and antenna body 101 employ a modular design, with solderless connections (e.g., screws, snap-on connections, etc.) between antenna body 101 and housing 102, and between housing 102 and feed assembly. The multiple spiral arms 10101 of the antenna body 101 are wrapped around the coaxial outer conductor 10102. Each outer conductor 10102 is used to feed power to each spiral arm 10101 and also to support the entire antenna body 101 to ensure the stability and reliability of the antenna body 101 structure. Figure 14 As shown: the antenna probe 301 can serve as an inner conductor, one end of which is connected to the output port in the feeding network 302, and the other end passes through the corresponding number of through holes 10202 at the bottom of the shell 102 and is inserted into the outer conductor 10102, so as to realize feeding from the feeding network 302 to the spiral arm 10101.

[0062] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 7 to 9 The shell 102 can be a shell of a rotary body with the axis of the antenna as the center of rotation. The shell is formed by rotating around the central axis of the antenna, and the profile of the shell in each direction does not change, ensuring that the radiation pattern of the antenna is symmetrical in all directions, which helps to improve the electromagnetic field distribution at different elevation angles, and thus achieve low axial ratio and high phase center stability characteristics in a wide beam range.

[0063] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 7 to 9 Further, the shell 102 can be a multi-layer shell of a rotary body, which includes at least two layers of common backplane structures 10201.

[0064] During the operation of the antenna, there is a current distribution between the at least two layers of common backplane structures 10201. By changing the opening angle of the at least two layers of common backplane structures 10201, the incident angle and reflection path of the electromagnetic waves around the antenna can be affected. A reasonable opening angle can cause the electromagnetic waves reflected by the shell to form corresponding coherent cancellation and superposition effects in space, thereby changing the phase and amplitude distribution of the electromagnetic waves, so that the energy is concentrated in a specific direction and cancelled in a non-specific direction. In combination with the rotational symmetry characteristics of the shell of a rotary body, the electromagnetic field distribution at different azimuth angles in space can be improved, and thus the corresponding low axial ratio and high phase center stability characteristics at a large angle (wide beam) can be obtained.

[0065] For example, a current antenna operates in the L1 frequency band (with a center frequency of about 1.57542 GHz). In order to maintain stable performance at a given elevation angle and azimuth angle, the opening angle of the at least two layers of common backplane structures 10201 is designed to be 30 degrees, and the distance and height of the at least two layers of common backplane structures 10201 are appropriately adjusted. Then, when the elevation angle changes in the range of ±60 degrees, low axial ratio (such as less than 2 dB) and high phase center stability (such as less than 2 mm) characteristics can be achieved, so that the antenna can maintain good circular polarization and high positioning accuracy characteristics at a given elevation angle.

[0066] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 to 5 Each outer conductor 10102 is provided with a balun slot, and each outer conductor 10102 is coaxially arranged with each spiral arm 10101.

[0067] In antenna design, a balun slot is a special structural design used to improve the impedance matching characteristics of an antenna and ensure that signals can be transmitted from the feed assembly to the antenna's radiator with minimal reflection. Typically, the length of a balun slot is about one-quarter wavelength (λ / 4) to achieve optimal impedance matching. Balun slots can have various shapes, such as straight slots, L-shaped slots, U-shaped slots, etc. Among them, a straight slot is usually linear, with a fixed length and a direction perpendicular to the spiral arm; an L-shaped slot consists of two perpendicular straight lines, which can adjust the transmission path of the signal in different directions; a U-shaped slot is a U-shaped structure that can change the signal path in a plane. In practical applications, the shape of the balun slot can be set according to the working characteristics to be achieved by the corresponding antenna, and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations on this.

[0068] Specifically, a balun slot is provided at the top end of each outer conductor 10102 and connected to the top end of the spiral arm 10101. The balun slot can transmit signals from the feed assembly 300 to the spiral line with minimal reflection, and radiate to free space through the spiral line. Optionally, the number of balun slots provided at the top end of each outer conductor 10102 can be two, which are oppositely distributed at the top end of the outer conductor 10102. By providing two opposite balun slots, the impedance matching and bandwidth characteristics of the overall antenna can be optimized, assisting in achieving the circular polarization characteristics of the antenna.

[0069] Exemplarily, as shown in the figure: Figures 17 to 19 The outer conductor 10102 of the antenna body 101 is provided with a balun slot, which cooperates with the antenna probe 301 to achieve impedance matching from the feed network output end 30201 to the antenna spiral arm 10101. The above structure can make the antenna realize a saddle-shaped amplitude pattern in the working frequency band, with a low axial ratio characteristic of not higher than 2.3dB within the ±57.8° beam, and a high phase center stability characteristic of not higher than 1.5mm.

[0070] Among them, Figure 17 is the antenna amplitude pattern. The abscissa is the elevation angle, with units of "angle / deg / °", and the ordinate is the gain, with units of "dBi". The upper saddle-shaped curve is the antenna main polarization pattern, and the saddle-shaped shaped beam characteristic is that the maximum radiation direction is at the beam edge about ±57.8°, and the gain difference with the law phase 0° direction is within 5.5~10dB to meet the earth matching shaping requirement; the lower cluster of curves is the antenna cross-polarization pattern, within the ±57.8° elevation angle range, the cross-polarization gain is at least 18dB lower than the main polarization gain, indicating that the antenna has a low cross-polarization (i.e. low axial ratio) characteristic within a 115.6° beam width.

[0071] Figure 18The figure is the axial ratio pattern of the antenna. The horizontal axis is the elevation angle, with the unit of "angle / deg / °", and the vertical axis is the axial ratio, with the unit of "dB". The axial ratio curve is relatively flat within the wide beam range of 115.6°, and is lower than 2.3dB, which together with the cross-polarization characteristics in the above figure shows that the antenna has a low axial ratio characteristic within a wide beam.

[0072] Figure 19 The figure is the far-field phase pattern of the antenna. The horizontal axis is the elevation angle, with the unit of "angle / deg / °", and the vertical axis is the far-field phase, with the unit of "angle / deg / °". The curves given in the figure are the phase characteristics of 17 cross-sections of the antenna radiation field at a spatial azimuth angle interval of 10°. The flatness of each curve reflects the level of phase center stability, and the phase center stability (with the unit of mm, the closer the value is to 0, the higher the phase center stability) can be calculated according to the degree of phase fluctuation. Within the range of ±57.8° of the elevation angle, the curve is high in flatness, low in phase fluctuation degree, and high in phase center stability, and the calculation shows that the characteristic of not higher than 1.5mm within a wide beam can be achieved.

[0073] The embodiments of the present disclosure optimize the impedance matching and bandwidth characteristics of the antenna by setting a balun groove at the top end of the outer conductor 10102 and connecting it with the top end of the spiral arm 10101, improve the power handling capability, and make the antenna realize a saddle-shaped radiation pattern that matches the earth's surface in the working frequency band, has a low axial ratio characteristic of not higher than 2.3dB within a ±57.8° beam, and has a high phase center stability characteristic of not higher than 1.5mm, thereby significantly improving the performance and reliability of the antenna within a wide beam range.

[0074] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 to 5 The data of each spiral arm 10101, each outer conductor 10102, and the antenna probe 301 are all four.

[0075] In a spiral antenna, the spiral arm refers to the conductor part that constitutes the spiral structure and is mainly used to control the polarization characteristics of the antenna. The spiral antenna can have one or more spiral arms. A single spiral arm spiral antenna is usually used to generate circularly polarized or elliptically polarized waves. The design of multiple spiral arms can be used to achieve more complex functions. For example:

[0076] The structure of a single-arm spiral antenna is the simplest, easy to manufacture and install, but its gain is low, the directivity is poor, it is difficult to achieve precise beam control, the axial ratio is unstable, it is difficult to achieve a low axial ratio characteristic within a wide beam range, the phase center stability is poor, and the single-arm spiral non-central rotational symmetry structure makes the stability of the antenna structure very low. It is only suitable for low-cost preliminary positioning and navigation application scenarios;

[0077] Compared with the single-arm helical antenna, the dual-arm helical antenna has improved gain size, directivity control and axial ratio stability, but the improvement is limited and cannot meet the higher precision positioning and navigation requirements. At the same time, due to the unsymmetrical balance structure of the outer conductor corresponding to the dual-arm helical antenna, the stability of the antenna structure is still low.

[0078] Compared with the dual-arm helical antenna, the four-arm helical antenna further improves the gain size, directivity control and axial ratio stability, and meets the high-precision navigation and positioning requirements. Due to the good central rotational symmetry structure, the antenna as a whole has high phase center stability, realizes structural balance, and improves the stability of the antenna structure.

[0079] Compared with the four-arm helical antenna, the eight-arm helical antenna provides extremely high gain, higher directivity control and axial ratio stability, and can meet the extremely high-precision positioning requirements. However, due to the large number of helical arms, the overall structure of the antenna is very complex, which greatly increases the manufacturing and processing cost, the debugging difficulty and the stability. Moreover, due to the large size, it is not suitable for compact design application scenarios.

[0080] In summary, in the helical antenna, the number of helical arms is related to the gain, directivity, polarization characteristics and anti-interference characteristics of the antenna. More helical arms can provide higher gain, stronger directivity control and stronger anti-interference characteristics than fewer helical arms. However, more helical arms will increase the complexity of the antenna, increase the processing difficulty and cost, increase the overall size and weight of the antenna, and reduce the stability of the antenna. Therefore, in practical applications, the number of helical arms can be set according to the working characteristics required by the antenna. In the present disclosure, a four-arm helical antenna is adopted, which can provide high antenna characteristics without increasing the processing cost and reducing the overall reliability of the antenna due to excessive complexity.

[0081] Specifically, the four outer conductors 10102 are located at the center of the antenna main body 101, and the angles between them are 90 degrees. The four helical arms 10101 surround the four outer conductors 10102 and are helical with an angle of 90 degrees between them. Figure 14 As shown: one end of the four antenna probes 301 is connected to the four output ends 30201 of the feed network 302, and the other end passes through the four through holes 10202 in the bottom of the shell 102 and is inserted into the four outer conductors 10102 for connection. The antenna is a four-helical-arm 10101 antenna, which provides excellent circular polarization characteristics, a wider operating bandwidth and enhanced anti-interference performance compared with other number of helical arms 10101 antennas. At the same time, it also has the advantages of compact structure and easy integration, making it very suitable for applications that require omnidirectional navigation signal processing, such as aerospace equipment.

[0082] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 to 5 The antenna body 101 further comprises a support base 10103, and each spiral arm 10101 and each outer conductor 10102 are integrally connected with the support base 10103. The support base 10103 is located at the lower part of the antenna body 101, the outer conductor 10102 is located at the center of the support base 10103, the bottom of the outer conductor 10102 is perpendicular to the support base 10103, one end of the spiral arm 10101 is connected with the support base 10103, and the other end is connected with the top of the outer conductor 10102.

[0083] Specifically, the integrally connected manner can be full-metal integrated 3D printing, metal integral casting, metal computer numerical control (CNC, Computer Numerical Control) process integrated machining, etc., and the present disclosure does not make specific limitations thereto.

[0084] By integrally connecting each spiral arm 10101, each outer conductor 10102 and the support base 10103, the control of the spiral shape of each spiral arm 10101 is more accurate, small cracks that can be generated by the traditional bending process can be avoided, and the use of connecting welding points is avoided, so that the overall stiffness, mechanical properties and reliability of the antenna body 101 are improved.

[0085] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 to 9 The mounting surface of the shell 102 is connected with the support base 10103.

[0086] Specifically, the shell 102 is located below the antenna body 101, the mounting surface of the shell is the upper surface of the shell, and the support base 10103 at the bottom of the antenna body 101 is connected with the support base 10103 of the shell 102 without welding points, for example, by screws or buckles, and the support base 10103 of the antenna body 101 is located at the center of the two-layer common bottom plate structure 10201 of the shell 102.

[0087] Optionally, the upper surface of the shell 102 is provided with a plurality of groups of through holes 10202 in a preset number, and the through holes 10202 can be grouped according to the functions to be connected or implemented, for example, four groups of through holes 10202 can be provided for: passing through the antenna probe 301, connecting the support base 10103 of the antenna body 101, connecting the feed network 302, and connecting the support cylinder 200. In the case of the above-mentioned four-arm spiral antenna, the number of corresponding antenna probes 301 is four, and the through hole grouping for passing through the antenna probe 301 includes four through holes 10202, which are uniformly arranged around the central axis of the antenna.

[0088] By adopting a solderless connection mode (such as a screw or a buckle), the assembly process is simplified, the later maintenance and replacement are facilitated, the influence of the heat effect generated in the welding connection process on the antenna material is reduced, the tiny gap formed at the connection due to welding is avoided, electromagnetic wave leakage caused by the tiny gap is avoided, the electromagnetic compatibility of the antenna is affected, the reliability of the connection is improved. Meanwhile, a plurality of through holes are formed on the upper surface of the shell, and are respectively used for the antenna probe to pass through, the support base to be connected, the feed assembly to be connected, and the support cylinder to be connected, so that the accurate alignment and efficient transmission between the components in the antenna are ensured, and the uniform radiation characteristics, the low axial ratio, and the high phase center stability of the four-arm helical antenna at different pitch angles are realized, and the influence of the reflection of the earth surface on the performance is reduced.

[0089] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 10 to 12 The feed network 302 is a square coaxial bridge feed network 302. The square coaxial bridge feed network 302 is a feed network 302 design capable of meeting the transmission requirements of a higher power transmission signal. By adopting the square coaxial bridge feed network, the phase control of the multi-arm helical antenna can be realized, which is mainly used to ensure the accurate phase relationship between the multiple helical arms to realize the required polarization characteristics, especially the circular polarization characteristics. The core of this kind of feed network scheme is to equally divide the input signal into multiple output signals, and introduce an accurate phase difference between the multiple outputs, for example, a 90-degree phase difference for a four-arm helical antenna. The square coaxial bridge feed network 302 includes an input end and a plurality of output ends. The input end is an external interface of the antenna as a whole, and is used to connect a signal source or a transmitter. Optionally, the input end can select a standard SMA (Subminiature version A) connector or a standard TNC (Threaded Neill-Concelman) connector according to actual needs. The output end is used to be connected to the outer conductor of each helical arm through the antenna probe.

[0090] For example, when the output port is four, the four antenna probes 301 can receive four signals with equal amplitude and a phase difference of 90° in sequence, thereby realizing the sequential rotation feed of the antenna main body 101. Not only can the efficiency and stability in the signal transmission process be ensured, but also the required right-handed circular polarization radiation characteristics of the antenna can be supported, thereby improving the low axial ratio and high phase center stability performance of the antenna in a wide beam range.

[0091] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 13 to 14 The antenna further includes a support cylinder 200, the support cylinder 200 is connected to the bottom of the shell 102 through a top flange 201, and the feed network 302 is located in the center of the support cylinder 200.

[0092] The support cylinder can be cylindrical, polygonal cylindrical or other shapes, and has a hollow structure. The support cylinder has a top flange at the upper portion thereof, which is connected to the bottom of the shell, in particular, by screw connection or buckle connection, and is connected to the group of through holes in the bottom of the shell. The feed network is connected to the bottom of the shell, and is located in the center of the support cylinder after the support cylinder is connected to the bottom of the shell.

[0093] The support cylinder is used to support the entire antenna, and can protect other components such as the feed assembly in the support cylinder while being connected to the shell of the antenna radiator. The support cylinder is usually made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy or stainless steel, so as to form electromagnetic shielding with the shell, protect the internal components in the extreme environment such as space, and realize the overall grounding of the antenna, so as to ensure the safety of the circuit of the entire antenna. Optionally, the antenna support cylinder also needs to consider the heat dissipation design, so as to timely dissipate a large amount of heat generated during the operation of the antenna, and further ensure the structural safety of the entire antenna.

[0094] The present disclosure also provides an antenna body, wherein the antenna body 101 comprises a plurality of spiral arms 10101 of a rotationally symmetric structure, an outer conductor 10102 connected to each spiral arm in one-to-one correspondence, and a support base 10103.

[0095] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, each outer conductor 10102 is provided with a balun slot, and each outer conductor 10102 is coaxially arranged with each spiral arm 10101.

[0096] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of each spiral arm 10101, each outer conductor 10102 and the antenna probe 301 is four. The four outer conductors 10102 are located in the center of the antenna body 101, and the angle between them is 90 degrees. The four spiral arms 10101 surround the four outer conductors 10102 and are spirally arranged with an angle of 90 degrees between them.

[0097] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna body 101 further comprises a support base 10103, and each spiral arm 10101 and each outer conductor 10102 are integrally connected to the support base 10103. The support base 10103 is located at the lower portion of the antenna body 101, the outer conductor 10102 is located at the center of the support base 10103, the bottom of the outer conductor 10102 is perpendicular to the support base 10103, one end of the spiral arm 10101 is connected to the support base 10103, spirally rises around the outer conductor 10102, and the other end is connected to the top of the outer conductor 10102.

[0098] The antenna body in each of the above embodiments is the same as or similar to the antenna body in the above antenna embodiments, and the specific technical details can be referred to the above embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0099] The antenna main body is a core component of an antenna provided by the present disclosure. The spiral arms, the outer conductors and the support base included therein are designed with spatial symmetry, in particular, the spiral lines are distributed in rotational symmetry, so that the function of forming circular polarization characteristics is transferred from the spiral lines to the feed assembly, thereby enabling the antenna main body to form low axial ratio and high phase center stability radiation characteristics within a wide beam.

[0100] The spiral arms, the outer conductors and the support base are designed with a modular integrated design, which improves the reliability of the performance and the stability of the structure of the antenna main body. The all-metal integrated 3D printing scheme adopted in the integrated design enables the spiral arms of the antenna main body to more accurately control the spiral characteristics in the case of high spiral height and large number of turns, avoiding the influence of possible small cracks on the overall performance of the antenna main body. The integrated design of the spiral arms and the support base improves the stiffness, mechanical properties and reliability of the antenna main body. In the antenna main body, the outer conductors are used as support columns for the spiral arms, which not only realizes port impedance matching, but also provides stronger support for the spiral arms.

[0101] The present disclosure also provides a signal transmission device including the antenna provided in one or more embodiments described above. The signal transmission device can be a satellite, a space shuttle, a high-altitude sounding balloon or the like.

[0102] Specifically, the support cylinder 200 of the antenna also has a bottom flange as a mechanical interface of the antenna. The antenna can be mechanically connected to the signal transmission device through the bottom flange, and electronically connected to the signal source or transmitter of the signal transmission device through the input end in the feed network.

[0103] The bottom flange can be adaptively designed according to the actual use scene, so that the antenna can be installed on the surface of the communication device described above, and the signal transmission device can transmit signals through the antenna, which can realize the characteristics of wide beam and low axial ratio, and can satisfy both earth matching beam shaping and high phase center stability.

[0104] The antenna provided by one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an antenna radiator and a feed assembly, wherein the antenna radiator includes an antenna main body and a shell connected to the bottom of the antenna main body, the shell is used for supporting the antenna main body and providing electromagnetic interference protection, and the feed assembly includes a feed network and a plurality of antenna probes; the antenna main body includes a plurality of spiral arms in a rotationally symmetric structure and an outer conductor connected to each spiral arm; one end of each antenna probe is connected to an output port of the feed network, and the other end of each antenna probe penetrates through the bottom of the shell and is connected to the corresponding spiral arm. By adopting the plurality of spiral arms in the rotationally symmetric structure and the outer conductor design, and by connecting each outer conductor to the feed network through the plurality of antenna probes respectively, independent and rotationally symmetric feeding of each spiral arm is realized, so that the antenna has low axial ratio characteristics and high phase center stability in a wide beam range, thereby significantly improving the overall performance and reliability of the antenna.

[0105] In the description of the present disclosure, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In the present description, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0106] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for the purpose of description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In this document, "equal", "same" and the like are not strictly mathematical and / or geometric restrictions, but also include errors allowed by those skilled in the art in manufacturing or use, etc.

[0107] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integrally connected; it can be mechanical connection, or electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0108] Unless otherwise indicated herein, numerical ranges include all the subranges between the two endpoints. 1

[0109] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and various changes can be made within the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the concept of the present application.

[0110] The preferred embodiments of the present specification disclosed above are only used to help explain the present specification. Alternative embodiments do not describe all the details and limit the present application to the specific embodiments described. Obviously, many modifications and changes can be made according to the content of the present specification. The present specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the present specification, so that those skilled in the art can well understand and utilize the present specification. The present specification is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized by The antenna comprises: an antenna radiator and a feed assembly, wherein the antenna radiator comprises an antenna body and a shell connected to the bottom of the antenna body, the shell being used for supporting the antenna body and providing electromagnetic interference protection, and the feed assembly comprises a feed network and a plurality of antenna probes; the antenna body comprises a plurality of helical arms in a rotationally symmetric structure and an outer conductor connected to each of the helical arms one by one; one end of each of the antenna probes is connected to an output port of the feed network, and the other end of each of the antenna probes penetrates through the bottom of the shell and is connected to a corresponding one of the helical arms.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell is a solid of revolution with the axis of the antenna as the center of rotation.

3. The antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The shell comprises at least two layers of common bottom plate structures with different opening angles.

4. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the outer conductors is provided with a balun slot, and each of the outer conductors is sequentially arranged in a rotationally symmetric structure with the rotationally symmetric axis of each of the helical arms as the symmetric axis.

5. The antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The number of each of the helical arms, each of the outer conductors and the antenna probes is four.

6. The antenna according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The antenna body further comprises a support base, and each of the helical arms and each of the outer conductors is integrally connected to the support base.

7. The antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The mounting surface of the shell is connected to the support base.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The feed network is a square coaxial bridge feed network, or the antenna further comprises a support cylinder, wherein the support cylinder is connected to the bottom of the shell through a top flange.

9. An antenna body, characterized by The antenna body comprises a plurality of helical arms in a rotationally symmetric structure, an outer conductor connected to each of the helical arms one by one, and a support base.

10. A signal transmission device, characterized by comprising: The antenna comprises the antenna according to any one of claims 1-8. The antenna comprises the antenna according to any one of claims 1-8.

Images