Ultra-low profile conformal antenna

Abstract

The utility model provides an ultra-low profile conformal antenna, which belongs to the technical field of antennas, and comprises a radiator, a reflecting plate and an antenna cover, and the radiator is made of a printed circuit board; the reflecting plate is made of a metal material and is fixedly connected with the radiating body; the antenna housing, the radiator and the reflecting plate are integrally arranged; and the combined appearance of the radiator, the reflecting plate and the antenna housing is attached to the surface of the carrier. According to the antenna assembly, the reliability is enhanced through an integrated structure, the low-profile conformal design is highly attached to the curved surface of a carrier, the aerodynamic performance is remarkably optimized, the wind resistance is reduced, the load of the carrier is effectively reduced through the lightweight design, the fuel consumption and the maintenance difficulty are reduced, and the maneuverability and deployment efficiency of the high-speed carrier are integrally improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of antenna, concretely relates to a kind of ultra-low profile conformal antenna. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of aerospace, high-speed traffic and special equipment field, various high-speed carriers (such as aircraft, missile, high-speed rail, etc.) have put forward more stringent requirements for antenna system. The following technical bottlenecks are generally existed in traditional external antenna:

[0003] First, the form adaptability is poor, most of the traditional antenna adopts rigid convex structure, which is difficult to perfectly match with the carrier surface. Not only the integrity of the original aerodynamic shape of the carrier is damaged, but also the structure fatigue risk may be caused by local stress concentration, especially in the modern military and high-end civilian fields with increasing demand for stealth, such contradiction is more acute.

[0004] Second, the contradiction between space occupation and load is prominent. The traditional antenna needs to independently occupy the external space of the carrier, and the volume and weight directly squeeze the effective load quota, resulting in the increase of the total mass of the carrier and the decrease of the maneuverability. And multiple antennas need to be configured for multi-band tasks, which further aggravates the space and weight burden.

[0005] Third, the aerodynamic performance is limited. The high profile structure of conventional antenna will produce significant wind resistance in high-speed motion scene, which not only increases energy consumption but also restricts the upper limit of speed. Especially for supersonic aircraft, small increase in resistance will lead to exponential growth in thrust demand.

[0006] In addition, although there are some attempts to realize simple bending antenna by flexible materials in the prior art, the stability of electromagnetic performance, mechanical strength and long-term environmental adaptability cannot be considered, and it is difficult to meet the reliable working requirements under complex working conditions. Therefore, it is a key problem to be solved in the field to develop a high-performance antenna system with conformal ability, low profile characteristics, low wind resistance advantage and light weight. UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0007] The utility model aims at providing a kind of ultra-low profile conformal antenna, to solve the problems raised in the background art.

[0008] A kind of ultra-low profile conformal antenna, characterized by comprising:

[0009] Radiation body, the radiation body is made of printed circuit board;

[0010] Reflector, the reflector is made of metal material, and is fixedly connected with the radiation body;

[0011] Antenna cover, the antenna cover is integrally arranged with the radiation body and reflector;

[0012] The combination shape of the radiator, the reflecting plate and the radome is attached to the surface of the carrier.

[0013] Further, the radome is made of transparent dielectric material and is sealed with the radiator and the reflecting plate.

[0014] Further, the outer wall of the reflecting plate is provided with an identification slot.

[0015] Further, the reflecting plate is provided with a radio frequency connector, and the radiator is connected with external equipment through the radio frequency connector.

[0016] Further, the surface of the radiator is covered with an anti-oxidation coating.

[0017] Further, the edge of the outer wall of the reflecting plate is chamfered.

[0018] Further, the reflecting plate is provided with a groove for embedding the radiator, and the edge of the radiator is in interference fit with the groove.

[0019] Further, the outer surface of the radome is flush with the surface of the carrier.

[0020] Further, the printed circuit pattern of the radiator is symmetrically distributed.

[0021] Further, the reflecting plate is of rectangular structure.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the advantages that:

[0023] 1. The structure design of the utility model makes the antenna shape highly fit the surface of the carrier, completely eliminates the aerodynamic defects caused by the traditional convex antenna, the conformal characteristic not only maintains the original aerodynamic layout of the carrier, reduces the flight resistance coefficient, but also avoids the increase of radar scattering cross section caused by local protrusion, significantly improves the stealth performance and aerodynamic efficiency of the carrier, at the same time, the integration of the antenna and the carrier structure enhances the overall mechanical strength and reduces the performance attenuation risk under the vibration environment.

[0024] 2. The flat structure with small longitudinal section greatly compresses the projection area of the antenna on the surface of the carrier, the design break throughly solves the equipment layout problem in the limited space, releases valuable space resources for the loading of other key systems, and is especially suitable for the high-speed carrier platform with compact internal space, and can realize the high integration of multi-functional modules such as communication, navigation and detection without sacrificing the performance of the antenna.

[0025] 3. The main body structure is combined by printed circuit board and light metal material, which realizes effective control of weight while ensuring electromagnetic performance, lightweight design not only reduces fuel consumption of the carrier, but also reduces load requirements of the structural support system, prolongs the service life of the equipment, the modular assembly method facilitates quick replacement and maintenance, and significantly reduces the maintenance cost in the whole life cycle;

[0026] 4. The integrated design of the radome and the antenna body strengthens the protection level and effectively resists the influence of salt spray, sand, extreme temperature and other harsh environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the present application together with embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 It is an exploded structural schematic view of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 It is an explosion view of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a gain pattern diagram of the present application.

[0032] In the drawings: 1, radiator; 2, reflector plate; 3, radome; 4, radio frequency connector; 5, identification slot; 6, mounting hole; 7, mounting slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "top / bottom end" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, therefore it cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0035] In the description of the utility model, it needs to explain, unless another explicit provision and limitation, the term "installation", "set with", "suits / connects", "connection" and so on, should do broad sense understanding, for example "connection", can be fixed connection, also can be detachable connection, or integrally connected;Can be mechanical connection, also can be electric connection;Can be directly connected, also can be indirectly connected through intermediate medium, can be the communication inside two elements.For the ordinary skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned terms in the utility model can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1-4 The technical scheme provided by the embodiment is as follows:

[0037] A kind of ultra-low profile conformal antenna, comprising:

[0038] Radiation body 1, the radiation body 1 is made of printed circuit board, specifically, it adopts high-frequency copper-clad laminate printed circuit board (PCB), its surface is etched with symmetrically distributed microstrip line resonant unit, the PCB substrate selects Rogers RT / duroid series high-frequency board material, dielectric constant is stable and loss is extremely low, ensure that electromagnetic wave is radiated efficiently.

[0039] Reflective plate 2, the reflective plate 2 is made of light metal material, and is fixedly connected with the radiation body 1, specifically, reflective plate 2 is rectangular aluminum alloy sheet material, thickness is controlled at 1.5mm±0.2mm, surface is treated by anodization to improve corrosion resistance.Reflective plate 2 is provided with recess in the center, which is matched with the shape of radiation body 1, after embedding, radiation body 1 forms interference fit (single side interference amount 0.1-0.3mm) with it, which ensures mechanical stability and avoids electromagnetic leakage.

[0040] Radome 3, the radome 3 is integrally arranged with the radiation body 1 and reflective plate 2.Specifically, the mounting groove 7 is formed in the reflective plate 2, and the radome 3 is fitted in the mounting groove 7, and the radiation body 1 is arranged in the mounting groove.The radome 3 is made of polycarbonate transparent medium material and is injection molded, and the edge of the radome body is sealed and matched with the reflective plate by ultrasonic welding.The outer surface of the radome is precisely polished and flushes with the surface of the carrier (tolerance ≤0.1mm), which ensures smooth airflow transition.

[0041] The combined shape of the radiator 1, the reflecting plate 2 and the antenna cover 3 is attached to the surface of the carrier to form a conformal structure. In the embodiment, the radiator 1, the reflecting plate 2 and the antenna cover 3 are combined into a rectangular structure, and the outer surface thereof is flush with the surface of the carrier. The radiator 1 is fixed in the groove of the reflecting plate 2 by M2 screws, and the screw heads are sunk below the surface of the reflecting plate 2; the radio frequency connector 4 is vertically installed at the preset hole position of the reflecting plate 2, and the interface thereof is tin soldered with the feed point of the radiator 1. After the overall combination, the total thickness of the antenna is not more than 8 mm, and the longitudinal cross-sectional area is reduced compared with the traditional whip antenna.

[0042] An identification groove 5 is formed in the outer wall of the reflecting plate 2, and a fluorescent bar code label is embedded in the groove, so that the positioning during night maintenance is facilitated.

[0043] The radio frequency connector 4 is arranged on the reflecting plate 2, and the radiator 1 is connected with external equipment through the radio frequency connector 4.

[0044] The surface of the radiator 1 is covered with an anti-oxidation coating. Specifically, a double-layer protection is added to the surface of the radiator 1, the bottom layer is a chemical nickel plating layer with a thickness of 5 μm, and the surface layer is coated with an acrylic varnish with a thickness of 8 μm, so that the salt spray corrosion is effectively blocked.

[0045] In the embodiment, the outer wall edge of the reflecting plate 2 is chamfered. Specifically, the CNC fine carving chamfer is adopted at the four corners of the reflecting plate 2 to eliminate the stress concentration caused by sharp edges and reduce the radar wave scattering.

[0046] In the embodiment, the reflecting plate 2 is provided with a groove for embedding the radiator 1, and the edge of the radiator 1 is in interference fit with the groove. The outer surface of the antenna cover 3 is flush with the surface of the carrier. The printed circuit pattern of the radiator 1 is symmetrically distributed. The mounting holes 6 are formed at the four corners of the reflecting plate 2 to facilitate quick installation and deployment.

[0047] Working principle: when the external equipment inputs a signal through the radio frequency connector, the microstrip line resonant unit on the radiator is excited to generate an electromagnetic field, and the reflecting plate serves as a ground plate to form a directional radiation mode. Due to the accurate control of the spacing between the radiator and the reflecting plate, the performance index of the standing wave ratio (VSWR) <1.5 can be maintained in a wide frequency band.

[0048] Table 1

[0049] Performance indicators Conventional raised antenna Embodiments of the present invention Lifting amplitude Maximum wind resistance coefficient 0.35 0.12 -62.8% Weight per unit area 1.8 kg / m2 0.6 kg / m2 -66.7% Operating bandwidth 8%-12% 25%-40% +1 times or more Maintenance time 45 min 3 min -93.3% Radar cross section 0.08㎡ 0.02㎡ -75%

[0050] The above embodiments fully prove that, by means of the innovative structure design and material selection, the technical bottlenecks of the traditional antenna in the aspects of conformal attachment, low profile and light weight, environmental adaptability and the like are successfully solved, and the antenna has remarkable military and economic values.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that: the above only for the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application, although the foregoing embodiments of the present application have been described in detail, for the skilled in the art, it still can be modified, or for the equivalent replacement of part of the technical features of the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application, shall be included within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna, comprising: The utility model relates to a kind of antenna, including: Radiation body (1), the radiation body (1) is made of printed circuit board; Reflective plate (2), the reflective plate (2) is made of metal material, and is fixedly connected with the radiation body (1); Radome (3), the radome (3) is integrally arranged with the radiation body (1) and reflective plate (2); Wherein, the combination shape of the radiation body (1), reflective plate (2) and radome (3) is attached with carrier surface.

2. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The radome (3) is made of transparent medium material, and is sealed with the radiation body (1) and reflective plate (2).

3. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna according to claim 2, wherein, The outer wall of the reflective plate (2) is provided with identification slot (5).

4. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna according to claim 3, wherein, The reflective plate (2) is provided with radio frequency connector (4), and the radiation body (1) is connected with external device through radio frequency connector (4).

5. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna according to claim 4, wherein, The surface of the radiation body (1) is covered with anti-oxidation coating.

6. An ultra-low profile conformal antenna according to claim 5, wherein, The outer wall edge of the reflective plate (2) is chamfered.

7. The ultra-low profile conformal antenna of claim 1, wherein, The reflective plate (2) is provided with recess for embedding the radiation body (1), and the edge of the radiation body (1) is interference fit with the recess.

8. The ultra-low profile conformal antenna of claim 1, wherein, The outer surface of the radome (3) is flush with the surface of carrier.

9. The ultra-low profile conformal antenna of claim 1, wherein, The printed circuit pattern of the radiation body (1) is symmetrically distributed.

10. The ultra-low profile conformal antenna of claim 1, wherein, The reflective plate (2) is rectangular structure.

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