Annular Aircraft Antenna Assembly Using a Shared Light Aperture
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance aircraft face challenges with increased drag and weight due to numerous apertures required for antenna and lighting systems, necessitating a solution to integrate antenna arrays with existing aircraft lighting systems to reduce the total number of apertures on the airframe.
Innovation Solution
An antenna assembly is integrated with an aircraft light fixture, featuring a ground plane with a center opening, a patch antenna configured as an annular ring, and a radome that aligns with the light fixture, allowing for reduced surface area and shared apertures, while supporting GPS L1 and L2 bands through reduced surface wave antennas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antenna assemblies and lighting equipment are mounted separately on the airframe, then each system can be independently optimized and installed, but the total number of apertures increases leading to increased weight and drag
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines antenna assemblies and lighting equipment into a single integrated aperture structure. The antenna is mounted within the lighting fixture housing, allowing both systems to share the same aperture opening in the airframe. This merging eliminates the need for separate apertures, reducing the total number of openings and associated structural reinforcements, thereby decreasing overall aircraft weight while maintaining independent optimization of each subsystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting fixture housing is designed to serve multiple functions: it houses the lighting equipment, provides structural support for the antenna assembly, and acts as the aperture cover for both systems. This multi-functional design allows a single structure to fulfill the roles of multiple separate components, reducing the total number of parts and structural reinforcements needed, thus reducing weight without compromising system independence.
2Ease of operation
If multiple separate apertures are created for antenna and lighting systems, then each system has dedicated mounting space, but drag increases due to increased aperture count and structural reinforcements
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna assembly is integrated within the lighting fixture housing, creating a single combined aperture rather than multiple separate openings. This merging reduces the total aperture count and eliminates redundant structural reinforcements around multiple openings, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag while maintaining dedicated mounting spaces within the integrated structure for both antenna and lighting components.
3Weight of moving object
If antenna assemblies are integrated with lighting systems, then the number of apertures is reduced minimizing drag and weight, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated aperture assembly is designed as a modular structure with distinct segments for antenna mounting and lighting equipment housing. The antenna assembly can be independently installed within the lighting fixture housing, allowing for separate optimization and installation of each subsystem while maintaining their integrated configuration. This segmentation reduces integration complexity by enabling independent assembly of components that maintain their functional independence.
4Ease of repair
If separate antenna and lighting apertures are used, then each system can be independently maintained and replaced, but the total aperture count increases requiring more structural reinforcements
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna and lighting systems share a common aperture opening and housing structure, eliminating redundant structural reinforcements that would be required for separate apertures. The integrated design allows both systems to use the same structural support elements, reducing the total weight of structural reinforcements while maintaining independent access and maintenance capabilities for each subsystem through the shared aperture.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are embodiments of antenna assemblies for integration with aircraft lighting systems. The antenna assemblies in some embodiments include a ground plane (506), a patch antenna (502) positioned on the ground plane, and a radome (510) covering the patch antenna. The patch antenna and radome are configured as an annular ring for positioning around a light fixture (504) received through a center opening through each of the ground plane, patch antenna, and radome such that the antenna assembly can mount and connect to the aircraft utilizing the light fixture aperture without the need for a separate antenna aperture.