A curled sector antenna

Abstract

The utility model belongs to radio frequency emission technical field discloses a kind of crimping sector antenna, including a support pedestal made of macromolecular material and an antenna main body.The support pedestal has the support surface matched with the shape of antenna back, and is provided with multiple through holes.The antenna main body is made of multiple layers of metal sheet laminates, is laid on the support surface of support pedestal, and each layer of metal sheet is welded as a whole by resistance spot welding through the through hole on pedestal.The antenna main body is fixed on the support pedestal by connecting member such as countersunk screw, and screw head is lower than antenna emission surface.The utility model utilizes pedestal to ensure forming accuracy, constructs antenna main body by the way of laminated welding sheet, greatly reduces processing difficulty and cost, and improves yield and production flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of radio frequency transmission technology, specifically relating to a rolled-up fan-shaped antenna. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of radio frequency (RF), certain applications require transmitting antennas with specific curved, fan-shaped surfaces. The shape accuracy of the antenna plays a decisive role in the transmission performance; the closer its shape is to the theoretically designed curved surface, the more ideal the transmission performance. For example... Figure 1 The image shows the main body of a fan-shaped transmitting antenna. This antenna requires its emitting surface to be made of a metallic material, and the entire antenna to be made of the same metal to ensure uniform electrical performance.

[0003] These antennas are typically tens of centimeters wide and are usually mounted at the end of a system structure, forming a long cantilever. Therefore, to avoid base deformation due to its own weight under leverage, the antenna must be lightweight. Typically, the industry uses low-density aluminum alloys for manufacturing. However, this antenna component is a thin-walled, irregularly shaped structure, and processing it with aluminum alloys easily leads to stress deformation, making it difficult to control the shape of the finished product and failing to meet high-precision requirements.

[0004] Existing processing methods mainly include mold manufacturing, CNC machining, wire cutting, disassembly, assembly, and welding. In the process of realizing this utility model, the inventors discovered that these processing methods have at least the following problems:

[0005] Mold manufacturing: The demand for this type of antenna is usually small, but its size is large, which makes the mold opening cost very expensive, making it unsuitable for small-batch production using this high-cost method.

[0006] CNC machining: Due to the complex inward-curving shape of the antenna, conventional three-axis CNC equipment cannot complete the machining in one go. Even with five-axis CNC machining, the thin-walled features are prone to stress deformation during multiple clamping and cutting processes, and this deformation is almost impossible to correct.

[0007] Wire cutting: The antenna parts are large in size, exceeding the processing stroke of conventional wire cutting equipment, making it impossible to process them as a whole in one go;

[0008] Disassembly and then welding: The antenna is disassembled into multiple small parts, processed separately, and then assembled into a whole by welding. However, welding is a special process, and the thermal deformation generated during welding is completely uncontrollable, which seriously affects the final surface accuracy.

[0009] For example, some companies have attempted to manufacture monolithic sector antennas using CNC machining. Because the antenna has a large area of ​​curved, thin-walled structure, clamping it in the later stages of machining is extremely difficult. To solve this problem, expensive specialized tooling needs to be fabricated separately to assist in clamping, and rough machining is performed using a three-axis CNC machining center, followed by finish machining on a five-axis CNC machining center. The entire process is complex, with high machining costs and process expenses, and the yield rate cannot be guaranteed. Utility Model Content

[0010] The present invention aims to at least partially solve the aforementioned technical problems. Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a curved sector-shaped antenna.

[0011] The technical solution adopted in this utility model is as follows:

[0012] A curved fan-shaped antenna includes: a support base made of polymer material, having a support surface that matches the shape and size of a pre-designed curved back surface of the antenna, and having multiple through holes on the support base; an antenna body disposed on the support surface of the support base, the antenna body being composed of multiple layers of stacked metal sheets, the metal sheets being welded together to form a whole; and the antenna body being fixed to the support base by connectors.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the multiple through holes on the support base include: welding holes, which allow the welding head of a welding tool to pass through for welding the various metal sheets of the antenna body; and connecting holes, which allow the connecting parts to pass through for fixing the antenna body to the support base.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the antenna body includes: an inner metal sheet assembly, which is formed by stacking and welding at least two metal sheets; and a surface layer, which is a single metal sheet, laid on the side of the inner metal sheet assembly away from the support base, and fixed to the inner metal sheet assembly as a whole by welding.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, both the inner metal sheet assembly and the surface layer are welded using resistance spot welding. During welding, the welding head of the resistance spot welder passes through the welding holes on the support base to weld the metal sheets. This method involves low heat input, minimal impact on the sheets, and effectively avoids deformation.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, the connector is a combination of a screw and a nut; the antenna body is provided with a threaded hole corresponding to the connecting hole on the support base, the screw passes through the connecting hole of the support base and the threaded hole of the antenna body in sequence, and cooperates with the nut to fasten the antenna body to the support base.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the threaded hole of the antenna body has a countersunk hole on one side of its emitting surface; the screw is a countersunk screw, the head of which is accommodated in the countersunk hole, and the top surface of the countersunk screw head is lower than or flush with the emitting surface of the antenna body. This ensures the flatness and smoothness of the antenna emitting surface and avoids interference of the screw head with the radio frequency signal.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, the depth of the countersunk hole is greater than the thickness of the countersunk screw head, providing sufficient space for the screw head to be lower than the antenna transmitting surface.

[0019] As a preferred option, the material of the support base is a polymer material such as polyoxymethylene (POK) or polycarbonate (PC) that is less affected by environmental factors and has good dimensional stability.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment, the metal sheet is an aluminum alloy sheet to meet the requirement of antenna lightweighting.

[0021] The above-mentioned antenna body is manufactured using the following steps: S1: At least two initial metal sheets are laid on the support surface of the support base; S2: The at least two metal sheets are welded together by resistance spot welding to form an initial stack; S3: Metal sheets are added layer by layer on the initial stack, and each added layer is welded by resistance spot welding until a complete inner metal sheet group is formed; S4: The inner metal sheet group is fixed to the support base by connectors; S5: The surface layer is laid on the inner metal sheet group and welded to the inner metal sheet group together by resistance spot welding.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0023] This invention uses a support base made of polymer material with a high-precision curved surface as a molding mold. A thin metal sheet is laid on it to form a shape naturally. The bending rebound is small, which can ensure that the error between the antenna surface and the theoretical shape is minimal.

[0024] This invention uses layer-by-layer resistance spot welding to stack multiple thin metal sheets into a whole with a certain thickness and strength, and then firmly connects it to the base with screws, ensuring the strength requirements of the antenna as a cantilever structure. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an existing integrated patch antenna structure.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the supporting base in this utility model.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the stacked structure of the antenna body and the support base in this utility model.

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of the intermediate stacked layer.

[0029] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the connection between the inner metal sheet assembly and the support base in this utility model.

[0030] In the diagram: 1-support base, 2-antenna body, 31-screw, 32-nut. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings herein can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0032] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", "linking", "fixing", etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components.

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Reference Figures 2 to 5 This utility model provides a rolled-up fan-shaped antenna, which adopts a composite structure of base support combined with thin sheet stacking, replacing the traditional one-piece metal processing structure.

[0035] The antenna includes a support base 1, an antenna body 2, and a connector for connecting the two.

[0036] like Figure 2As shown, the support base 1 serves as the antenna's skeleton and forming reference. It is made of a polymer material that is less affected by environmental factors (such as temperature and humidity) and has good dimensional stability, such as polyoxymethylene (POK) or polycarbonate (PC). The support base 1 has a certain thickness to ensure sufficient rigidity and support force, while also facilitating processing and clamping. Crucially, it has a support surface whose arc shape and dimensions perfectly match the theoretically designed back side of the antenna. Multiple through holes are evenly distributed or distributed as needed on the support base 1. These through holes are of two types: one type is welding holes, with a diameter large enough to allow the welding head of resistance spot welding to pass through, for welding operations from the back of the base; the other type is connection holes, for screws and other connectors to pass through, fixing the antenna body 2 to the base.

[0037] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the antenna body 2 is the core component that enables radio frequency transmission. It is not made from a single piece of metal, but rather from multiple layers of metal sheets (such as aluminum alloy sheets). This structure includes an inner metal sheet group and a surface layer.

[0038] The inner metal sheet assembly consists of multiple layers of metal sheets. During fabrication, the metal sheets are cut to the desired planar shape after the antenna is unfolded. Then, two layers of metal sheets are laid on the support surface of the support base 1, allowing them to bend naturally using the shape of the base. Next, the welding nozzle of a resistance spot welder is passed through the welding holes on the back of the support base 1, and the two layers are spot welded together to fix them into a single unit. Resistance spot welding has a small heat-affected zone, low heat, and a smooth surface after welding, causing almost no deformation. After welding, another layer of metal sheet is added, and the spot welding process is repeated. This process of laying and welding layers is continued until the preset number of layers and thickness are reached, forming a unified inner metal sheet assembly with a certain rigidity.

[0039] The surface layer is the outermost transmitting surface of the antenna, consisting of a single thin metal sheet. After the inner metal sheet assembly is fixed to the base, the surface layer is laid on top of it. Similarly, a resistance spot welding nozzle is used to pass through the welding holes on the back of the base to weld it to the inner metal sheet assembly as a whole, ensuring the continuity and smoothness of the final transmitting surface.

[0040] like Figure 5As shown, to ensure a secure and reliable connection between the antenna body 2 and the support base 1, threaded holes are machined on the welded inner metal sheet assembly, aligned with the connection holes of the support base 1. Specifically, these threaded holes are countersunk holes with a chamfer on the convex side (i.e., the transmitting surface) of the antenna body 2. During connection, screws 31 are used, which pass sequentially through the connection holes of the support base 1 and the threaded holes of the inner metal sheet assembly (used as through holes in this case). A nut 32 is used to lock the screws 31 onto the back of the support base 1. The screws 31 are countersunk screws, and the depth of the countersunk hole is designed to be greater than the head thickness of the countersunk screw, ensuring that the screw head is completely submerged below the antenna surface and does not protrude from the transmitting surface, thus avoiding any adverse effects on antenna performance.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] This embodiment aims to fabricate a rolled-up fan-shaped antenna with a total thickness of 2mm.

[0043] Fabrication of Support Base 1: A contoured support base is fabricated using polyoxymethylene (POK) material via CNC machining. The curvature of its support surface matches the design value of the antenna's back side. The base thickness is 8mm to ensure sufficient strength and stability. Evenly distributed welding holes and connection holes are pre-machined onto the base.

[0044] Prepare metal sheets: Use 0.2mm thick 6061-T5 aluminum foil, cut according to the antenna unfolded dimensions, and prepare a total of 10 layers.

[0045] Overlapping inner metal sheet assembly: Two layers of aluminum foil are laid on the support base 1, clamped and shaped, and then spot welded using a resistance spot welding device, with the welding head passing through the welding hole on the back of the base. Then, a third layer of aluminum foil is laid and spot welded again. This process is repeated until all nine layers of aluminum foil (forming the inner metal sheet assembly) are laid and welded.

[0046] Fixing the inner layer assembly: Machining countersunk threaded holes on the welded inner metal sheet assembly, and then using countersunk screws and nuts to fasten it to the support base 1.

[0047] Laying and welding the surface layer: The 10th layer of aluminum foil is laid on the inner layer group as the surface layer, and then it is welded and fixed to the inner metal sheet group by resistance spot welding to form a complete antenna body.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] This embodiment aims to fabricate a rolled-up fan-shaped antenna with a total thickness of 2.1 mm.

[0050] Fabrication of support base 1: The conformal support base is made of polycarbonate (PC) material with a thickness of 5mm.

[0051] Prepare metal sheets: Use 6061-T5 aluminum foil with a thickness of 0.3mm, prepare a total of 7 layers, and cut them to size.

[0052] Overlapping and fixing: The manufacturing process is similar to that in Example 1. First, two layers are laid and then resistance spot welded. Then, each layer is laid and welded until six layers of aluminum foil form the inner metal sheet assembly. Finally, it is fixed to the support base 1d with screws and nuts.

[0053] Surface layer completion: Finally, the 7th layer of aluminum foil is laid as the surface layer and fixed to the inner layer group by resistance spot welding.

[0054] This utility model is not limited to the above-mentioned optional embodiments. Anyone can derive other forms of products under the guidance of this utility model. However, regardless of any changes made in its shape or structure, any technical solution that falls within the scope of the claims of this utility model shall be protected by this utility model.

Claims

1. A curved sector antenna, characterized in that, include: A support base (1) is made of polymer material and has a support surface that matches the shape and size of the arc surface on the back of the preset antenna. The support base (1) has multiple through holes. An antenna body (2) is disposed on the support surface of the support base (1). The antenna body (2) is made of multiple layers of metal sheets, and each layer of metal sheets is fixed together by welding. The antenna body (2) is fixed to the support base (1) by a connector.

2. The curved sector antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple through holes opened on the support base (1) include: Welding holes are used to allow the welding head of a welding tool to pass through in order to weld the various metal sheets of the antenna body. The connection hole is for the connector to pass through in order to fix the antenna body to the support base.

3. A rolled-up sector antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The antenna body (2) includes: An inner metal sheet assembly is formed by stacking and welding at least two metal sheets; A surface layer, which is a single-layer metal sheet, is laid on the side of the inner metal sheet assembly away from the support base and is fixed to the inner metal sheet assembly as a whole by welding.

4. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the inner metal sheet group and the surface layer are welded by resistance spot welding. During welding, the welding head of the resistance spot weld passes through the welding hole on the support base (1) to weld the metal sheet.

5. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The connector is a combination of screw (31) and nut (32); the antenna body (2) is provided with a threaded hole corresponding to the connecting hole on the support base (1), the screw (31) passes through the connecting hole of the support base (1) and the threaded hole of the antenna body (2) in sequence, and cooperates with the nut (32) to fasten the antenna body (2) to the support base (1).

6. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The threaded hole of the antenna body (2) is provided with a countersunk hole on one side of its emitting surface; the screw (31) is a countersunk screw, the head of the countersunk screw is accommodated in the countersunk hole, and the top surface of the head of the countersunk screw is lower than or flush with the emitting surface of the antenna body (2).

7. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that, The depth of the countersunk hole is greater than the thickness of the countersunk screw head.

8. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the support base (1) is polymethyl methacrylate or polycarbonate.

9. A rolled-up fan-shaped antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal sheet is an aluminum alloy sheet.

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