Configurable Horn Antenna Mechanical Waveguide Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
UAVs face size and weight constraints that limit the use of antennas, requiring a single antenna to function both omnidirectionally for close-range communication and directionally for long-distance communication, while existing solutions suffer from impedance differences impacting performance characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A configurable horn antenna with a circular horn array, a mechanical waveguide, and actuators that retract triangular wedges and tuning rods to switch between omnidirectional and directional modes, maintaining performance across modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a circular horn array is switched electronically to use fewer than all of the horns to increase gain, then directional high gain radiation is achieved, but impedance differences adversely impact the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) and other performance characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electronic switching with a mechanical waveguide-style switch system. Triangular wedges and tuning rods are physically moved into and out of the waveguide path using mechanical actuators. This mechanical approach eliminates the impedance mismatches inherent in electronic switching, maintaining consistent VSWR across both omnidirectional and directional modes while achieving high gain when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide configuration is made dynamically adjustable through mechanical movement of triangular wedges and tuning rods. The system can transition between omnidirectional mode (all horns active, wedges retracted) and directional mode (selected horns active, wedges inserted to block unwanted paths). This dynamic mechanical reconfiguration allows optimal performance in each mode without the performance degradation associated with electronic switching.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single antenna is used to provide both omnidirectional low gain radiation and directional high gain radiation, then space and weight allowances are met, but the antenna must support multiple conflicting radiation patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is segmented into multiple horn elements arranged in a circular array, with each horn capable of being independently activated or deactivated. The waveguide is similarly segmented with triangular wedges that can selectively block individual horn paths. This segmentation allows the single antenna to provide both omnidirectional coverage (all horns active) and directional high gain (selected horns active) by controlling which segments are active.
Solution Approach 2:
The single configurable horn antenna serves multiple functions that would traditionally require separate antennas. It provides omnidirectional low gain radiation for close-range communication and directional high gain radiation for long-distance communication. The mechanical waveguide switching system enables this multi-functionality within a single antenna structure, meeting the space and weight constraints while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate antenna systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A configurable antenna may include a circular horn array comprising a plurality of horn antennas, a configurable waveguide in a center of the circular horn array, and a plurality of actuators. The configurable waveguide includes a plurality of retractable triangular wedges, with one side of each wedge oriented to one of the plurality of horn antenna and a corner oriented toward a center of the waveguide, wherein a circle defined by each of the corners oriented toward the center of the waveguide defines a first circumference. The configurable waveguide further includes a plurality of movable tuning rods arranged in a circle defining a second circumference, the second circumference being smaller than the first circumference, said movable tuning rods further arranged such that the movable tuning rods are between the corners the corners oriented toward the center of the waveguide.