X-band MW-level modularized straight cavity horn array antenna
The X-band MW-level straight cavity horn array antenna with modular design solves the problems of complex structure, heavy weight, high cost and poor reliability of existing high-power microwave antennas. It achieves a wider operating bandwidth, higher efficiency and power capacity, thinner thickness and lighter weight, and has the advantages of high reliability and low cost.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUIZHOU AEROSPACE NANHAI SCI & TECH
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing high-power microwave antennas suffer from problems such as complex structure, heavy weight, high cost, poor reliability, narrow bandwidth, limited power capacity improvement, and difficulty in integration. Furthermore, the use of inert gas in existing designs reduces system reliability and maintainability.
The X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna consists of a radiating layer, a coupling layer, and a feeding layer stacked from top to bottom. The radiating layer is composed of multiple rectangular cavities, and the coupling layer is connected by matching bumps of the coupling cavities. The feeding layer adopts a feeding network composed of four-stage E-plane waveguide power dividers, which simplifies the design and improves bandwidth and power capacity.
It achieves a wider operating bandwidth, higher efficiency and power capacity, is thinner and lighter, and has the advantages of high reliability and low cost. The bandwidth reaches 6.7% with a VSWR of less than 1.35, the peak gain is 27.8dB, the efficiency reaches more than 90%, and the power capacity is greater than 1.4MW.
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Figure CN224355447U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of high-power microwave antenna technology, and in particular to an X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna. Background Technology
[0002] In modern military technology, high-power microwave (HPM) technology has become one of the important research directions. High-power microwave radar, as an advanced piece of equipment integrating detection, jamming, and attack capabilities, plays a crucial role in military conflicts. High-power microwave antennas, serving as the radiation window of high-power microwave radar, must possess characteristics such as high power capacity, wide bandwidth, high efficiency, and low cost. The X-band is a specific frequency range within the microwave frequency band; specifically, the frequency range of the X-band is between 8 GHz and 12 GHz. The X-band features high resolution, high power capacity, and good anti-jamming capabilities, and is commonly used in radar, communication, and satellite applications.
[0003] Currently common high-power microwave antennas include radial helical array antennas, waveguide slot antennas, parabolic reflector antennas, and traditional flared horn antennas. However, these antennas have the following drawbacks: radial helical array antennas are complex in structure, heavy in weight, have high development costs, and poor reliability; waveguide slot antennas have narrow bandwidth and limited power capacity improvement; flared horn array antennas have low aperture efficiency and high profile; and reflector antennas are not suitable for vehicle-mounted or airborne integration. Furthermore, most existing high-power microwave antennas use inert gases such as SF6 to ensure that the power capacity meets requirements. This introduces a gas filling and defilling device into the antenna system during engineering applications, and uses sealing rings and sealants to ensure the airtightness of the internal space, thereby reducing the reliability and maintainability of the antenna system.
[0004] In the prior art, patent application CN1885616A discloses a high-gain waveguide horn array planar antenna, which includes a top conductive plate, a middle conductive plate, a wire-layer conductive plate, and a bottom conductive plate. However, due to the design of the wire-layer conductive plate, its power capacity is low, making it unsuitable for high-power applications. In addition, the antenna element opening area is small, the element spacing is large, and the aperture utilization rate is low. Utility Model Content
[0005] The main objective of this invention is to propose an X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna, which aims to solve the aforementioned technical problems.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model proposes an X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna, comprising a radiating layer, a coupling layer, and a feed layer stacked sequentially from top to bottom. The radiating layer array has multiple rectangular cavities with open top surfaces, each rectangular cavity forming a straight-cavity horn antenna element. A rectangular hole is formed at the center of the bottom wall of each rectangular cavity, which forms the feed matching port of the straight-cavity horn antenna element. The coupling layer has multiple coupling cavities with open top surfaces, and each coupling cavity has a coupling cavity matching bump at the middle of its four side walls. The four coupling cavity matching bumps divide the coupling cavity into four output ports, each output port being connected to a rectangular hole on the radiating layer. The bottom wall of the coupling cavity has a coupling cavity feed matching port. The feed layer has a feed network cavity composed of four cascaded E-plane waveguide power dividers, and the output end of the feed network cavity has a waveguide output port, which is connected to the coupling cavity feed matching port of the coupling layer.
[0007] Preferably, the number of rectangular cavities on the radiation layer is 64, arranged in an 8×8 array, the wall thickness of the partition between two adjacent rectangular cavities is 2mm, the length and width of the rectangular cavities are 25mm and 24.5mm respectively, and the array size of the radiation layer is 216mm×212mm.
[0008] Preferably, the coupling layer has 16 coupling cavities arranged in a 4×4 array.
[0009] Preferably, the four-stage E-plane waveguide power dividers on the feed layer are a first-stage waveguide power divider, a second-stage waveguide power divider, a third-stage waveguide power divider, and a fourth-stage waveguide power divider; the second-stage waveguide power divider is perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the first-stage waveguide power divider; the third-stage waveguide power divider is perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the second-stage waveguide power divider; the fourth-stage waveguide power divider is perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the third-stage waveguide power divider; and waveguide output ports are disposed at both ends of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider.
[0010] Preferably, the first-stage waveguide power divider is fed by a standard waveguide BJ84 aperture and is equipped with matching pins.
[0011] Preferably, the length and width of the first-stage waveguide power divider are 28.5 mm and 12.62 mm, respectively; the radius of the matching pin is 1 mm; and the two ends of the matching pin are respectively inserted at the center of the two long sidewalls of the first-stage waveguide power divider.
[0012] Preferably, a first matching bump is provided on the long side of the second-stage waveguide power divider, and the first matching bump is a three-stage stepped matching module.
[0013] Preferably, a second matching bump is provided on the long side of the third-stage waveguide power divider, and the second matching bump is located at a position opposite to the end of the second-stage waveguide power divider.
[0014] Preferably, a third matching bump is provided on the long side of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider, and the third matching bump is located at a position opposite to the end of the third-stage waveguide power divider.
[0015] Preferably, the waveguide output port has dimensions of 19mm in length and 9mm in width.
[0016] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:
[0017] (1) In the modular straight-cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model, a straight-cavity horn antenna element is used in the radiating layer, a one-to-four coupling structure is used in the coupling layer, and a feeding network cavity composed of four-stage E-plane waveguide power dividers is used in the feeding layer. This simplifies the feeding network design, saves half the number and space of the waveguide power divider network feeding elements, and achieves a wider operating bandwidth. Compared with the traditional angular horn element, the straight-cavity horn antenna element in the radiating layer is thinner, lighter, and has higher aperture efficiency.
[0018] (2) The modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model has the advantages of wide bandwidth, high efficiency, high power capacity, low cost and high reliability. The bandwidth with VSWR less than 1.35 reaches 6.7%, the peak gain is 27.8dB, the efficiency reaches more than 90%, and the power capacity under air propagation conditions is greater than 1.4MW.
[0019] (3) The modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model can be arrayed according to different power requirements through modular design. Attached Figure Description
[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.
[0021] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model;
[0022] Figure 2 This is a top view of the radiation layer in this utility model;
[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Sectional view of AA;
[0024] Figure 4 This is a top view of the coupling layer in this utility model;
[0025] Figure 5 This is a top view of the feed layer in this utility model;
[0026] Figure 6 The VSWR parameter curve of the X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model;
[0027] Figure 7 The radiation pattern of the X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model;
[0028] Figure 8 The electric field distribution diagram is shown for the X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna provided by this utility model.
[0029] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows: 1. Radiation layer; 11. Rectangular cavity; 12. Rectangular aperture; 2. Coupling layer; 21. Coupling cavity; 22. Coupling cavity feed matching port; 23. Coupling cavity matching bump; 3. Feeding layer; 31. Feeding network cavity; 32. First matching bump; 33. Waveguide output port; 34. Second matching bump; 35. Matching pin; 36. Third matching bump. Detailed Implementation
[0030] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0031] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in this utility model embodiment are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.
[0032] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this utility model is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis of being achievable by those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.
[0033] Combination Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an X-band MW-level modular straight cavity horn array antenna includes a radiating layer 1, a coupling layer 2, and a feeding layer 3 stacked sequentially from top to bottom.
[0034] The array of the radiating layer 1 is provided with multiple rectangular cavities 11 with open top surfaces, each rectangular cavity 11 forming a straight cavity horn antenna unit; a rectangular hole 12 is provided at the center of the bottom wall of each rectangular cavity 11, the rectangular hole 12 forming the feed matching port of the straight cavity horn antenna unit.
[0035] The coupling layer 2 has multiple top-opening coupling cavities 21. Each coupling cavity 21 has a coupling cavity matching bump 23 located at the middle of its four sidewalls. The four coupling cavity matching bumps 23 together divide the coupling cavity 21 into four output ports, each of which is connected to a rectangular hole 12 on the radiation layer 1. The bottom wall of the coupling cavity 21 has a coupling cavity power supply matching port 22. The coupling cavity matching bump 23 is a rectangular block with dimensions of 8.3mm × 1.4mm × 10mm, and its function is to match and isolate the multimode electromagnetic field within the coupling cavity 21.
[0036] The feed layer 3 is provided with a feed network cavity 31 consisting of four-stage E-plane waveguide power dividers. The output end of the feed network 31 is provided with a waveguide output port 33, which is connected to the coupling cavity feed matching port 22 of the coupling layer 2.
[0037] Combination Figure 2 As shown, the radiation layer 1 has 64 rectangular cavities 11 arranged in an 8×8 array. The wall thickness of the partition between two adjacent rectangular cavities 11 is 2mm. The length and width of the rectangular cavities 11 are 25mm and 24.5mm, respectively. The array size of the radiation layer 1 is 216mm×212mm.
[0038] Combination Figure 4 As shown, the coupling layer 2 has 16 coupling cavities 21 arranged in a 4×4 array.
[0039] Combination Figure 5 As shown, the four-stage E-plane waveguide power dividers on the feed layer 3 are a first-stage waveguide power divider, a second-stage waveguide power divider, a third-stage waveguide power divider, and a fourth-stage waveguide power divider. The second-stage waveguide power divider is vertically arranged at both ends of the first-stage waveguide power divider; the third-stage waveguide power divider is vertically arranged at both ends of the second-stage waveguide power divider; the fourth-stage waveguide power divider is vertically arranged at both ends of the third-stage waveguide power divider; and the waveguide output port 33 is provided at both ends of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider.
[0040] Furthermore, for modularity, standardization, and universality considerations, the first-stage waveguide power divider adopts a standard waveguide BJ84 aperture for feeding, and a matching pin 35 is provided on the first-stage waveguide power divider for impedance matching. The length and width of the first-stage waveguide power divider are 28.5mm and 12.62mm, respectively; the radius of the matching pin 35 is 1mm; the two ends of the matching pin 35 are respectively inserted into the center positions of the two long sidewalls of the first-stage waveguide power divider.
[0041] A first matching bump 32 is provided on the long side of the second-stage waveguide power divider. The first matching bump 32 is a three-stage stepped matching module, with the small end of the first matching bump 32 facing the end of the first-stage waveguide power divider. The first matching bump 32 is used to widen the operating bandwidth. Since multi-stage stepped matching requires at least three stages to significantly widen the bandwidth, the operating bandwidth of the feed layer 3 is expanded through three-stage stepped matching. The dimensions of the first-stage stepped matching module are 12mm × 6.8mm, the second-stage stepped matching module is 7.2mm × 3mm, and the third-stage stepped matching module is 6.6mm × 1.6mm.
[0042] A second matching bump 34 is provided on the long side of the third-stage waveguide power divider, and the second matching bump 34 is located at a position opposite to the end of the second-stage waveguide power divider.
[0043] A third matching bump 36 is provided on the long side of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider, and the third matching bump 36 is located at a position opposite to the end of the third-stage waveguide power divider.
[0044] The waveguide output port 33 has dimensions of 19mm in length and 9mm in width.
[0045] The electromagnetic wave from the output port 33 of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider propagates upwards, resulting in significant energy reflection. Traditionally, a chamfered design is used at the bottom of the output port 33 for matching, but this increases the thickness of the output port 33. Therefore, this embodiment reduces the narrow side dimension of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider, resulting in good reflection characteristics. The reduced narrow side length is 11.5mm, compared to 12.62mm for the first three stages. The feed layer 3 employs a four-stage E-plane waveguide power divider structure, with matching structures on each stage for impedance matching, achieving a wider operating bandwidth.
[0046] Figure 6 The figure shows the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) simulation results of the straight cavity horn array antenna provided in this embodiment. As can be seen from the figure, the bandwidth with a VSWR of less than 1.35 reaches 6.7%, indicating good standing wave performance.
[0047] Figure 7 The figure shows the simulation results of the antenna radiation pattern of the straight cavity horn array antenna provided in this embodiment. As can be seen from the figure, the peak gain is 27.8dB and the efficiency reaches over 90%.
[0048] Figure 8 The figure shows the electric field distribution of the straight cavity horn array antenna provided in this embodiment. As can be seen from the figure, the maximum field strength is 2497V / m. According to the air breakdown threshold, the power capacity of the antenna under air propagation conditions is greater than 1.4MW, indicating good high-power transmission performance.
[0049] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and does not limit the patent scope of the present utility model. All equivalent structural transformations made under the concept of the present utility model and using the contents of the present utility model specification and drawings, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present utility model.
Claims
1. An X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna, characterized in that, It includes a radiation layer (1), a coupling layer (2) and a feeding layer (3) stacked from top to bottom; The array of the radiating layer (1) is provided with multiple rectangular cavities (11) with open top surfaces, each rectangular cavity (11) forming a straight cavity horn antenna unit; a rectangular hole (12) is provided at the center of the bottom wall of each rectangular cavity (11), the rectangular hole (12) forming the feed matching port of the straight cavity horn antenna unit. The coupling layer (2) is provided with a plurality of top-opening coupling cavities (21). Each coupling cavity (21) has a coupling cavity matching bump (23) at the middle position of the four side walls. The four coupling cavity matching bumps (23) together divide the coupling cavity (21) into four output ports. Each output port is connected to a rectangular hole (12) on the radiation layer (1). The bottom wall of the coupling cavity (21) is provided with a coupling cavity power supply matching port (22). The feed layer (3) is provided with a feed network cavity (31) consisting of four cascaded E-plane waveguide power dividers. The output end of the feed network cavity (31) is provided with a waveguide output port (33). The waveguide output port (33) is connected to the coupling cavity feed matching port (22) of the coupling layer (2).
2. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of rectangular cavities (11) on the radiation layer (1) is 64, arranged in an 8×8 array. The wall thickness of the partition between two adjacent rectangular cavities (11) is 2mm. The length and width of the rectangular cavity (11) are 25mm and 24.5mm, respectively. The array size of the radiation layer (1) is 216mm×212mm.
3. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The coupling layer (2) has 16 coupling cavities (21) arranged in a 4×4 array.
4. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The four-stage cascaded E-plane waveguide power dividers used on the feed layer (3) are the first-stage waveguide power divider, the second-stage waveguide power divider, the third-stage waveguide power divider, and the fourth-stage waveguide power divider. A second-stage waveguide power divider is vertically disposed at both ends of the first-stage waveguide power divider; The third-stage waveguide power divider is vertically disposed at both ends of the second-stage waveguide power divider. The fourth-stage waveguide power divider is vertically disposed at both ends of the third-stage waveguide power divider. The fourth-stage waveguide power divider is provided with waveguide output ports (33) at both ends.
5. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The first-stage waveguide power divider is fed by a standard waveguide BJ84 aperture and is equipped with a matching pin (35).
6. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The length and width of the first-stage waveguide power divider are 28.5 mm and 12.62 mm, respectively; the radius of the matching pin (35) is 1 mm; the two ends of the matching pin (35) are respectively inserted at the center of the two long sidewalls of the first-stage waveguide power divider.
7. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A first matching bump (32) is provided on the long side of the second-stage waveguide power divider. The first matching bump (32) is a three-stage stepped matching module.
8. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A second matching bump (34) is provided on the long side of the third-stage waveguide power divider, and the second matching bump (34) is located at a position opposite to the end of the second-stage waveguide power divider.
9. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, A third matching bump (36) is provided on the long side of the fourth-stage waveguide power divider, and the third matching bump (36) is located at a position opposite to the end of the third-stage waveguide power divider.
10. The X-band MW-level modular straight-cavity horn array antenna as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The waveguide output port (33) has dimensions of 19mm in length and 9mm in width.