Deployable Cylindrical Parabolic Antenna With Strain-Energy Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deployable antenna structures face challenges in achieving high-frequency operation and large aperture requirements due to surface roughness and surface location precision issues, especially when using flexible membranes, while rigid structures are often too large for launch vehicle accommodation.
Innovation Solution
A deployable antenna structure employing a semi-rigid sheet with a deployment system that transitions from a stowed state to a cylindrical parabolic shape, using strain energy to maintain the shape and incorporating materials like carbon-fiber composites or reflectarray elements to achieve the necessary surface precision and roughness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large aperture antenna is used to provide high data rates, then communication performance is improved, but the antenna size and weight increase making it unsuitable for handheld devices
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna is divided into multiple panels that can be folded or rolled together. Each panel contains a portion of the overall aperture, and when deployed they form the complete large aperture surface. This segmentation allows the antenna to achieve high data rates when needed while being compact and lightweight for portable devices when folded.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna employs movable support structures including telescopic booms and articulated arms that can extend and retract. The antenna transitions from a compact stored state to a deployed operational state, dynamically changing its physical configuration to provide large aperture when required while maintaining portability during transport.
2Productivity
If a large aperture antenna is deployed to achieve long-range communication, then communication range is improved, but the mechanical complexity of deployment structures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into modular components including multiple telescopic booms and articulated arms. Each module can be independently controlled and assembled, simplifying the overall deployment mechanism while achieving the required large aperture configuration for long-range communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic booms utilize nested tube structures where smaller diameter tubes are housed within larger tubes. When retracted, the booms collapse into compact nested configurations. When deployed, they extend to provide the necessary support span for the large aperture antenna, reducing mechanical complexity through space-efficient nesting.
3Ease of operation
If the antenna is made collapsible or rollable for portability, then ease of transport is improved, but the structural integrity and signal quality may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna employs flexible printed circuit boards and thin substrate materials that can be folded or rolled without compromising electrical performance. These flexible structures maintain consistent impedance and signal integrity throughout the deployment and storage cycles, ensuring reliable communication quality while enabling portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna structure includes reinforcement elements and protective coatings applied beforehand to prevent damage during folding and rolling operations. These pre-applied protective measures ensure that the antenna maintains its structural integrity and electrical performance even after repeated deployment and storage cycles.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2D
AI summary
The invention is directed to a deployable antenna structure that, in one embodiment, implements an offset feed, cylindrical parabolic antenna. The antenna structure employs a semi-rigid panel that can transition from a stowed state characterized by the retention of substantial strain energy to a deployed state characterized by less strain energy than in the stowed state but more than if the panel were in a strain-free state and a portion of the panel having a shape that closely conforms to a cylindrical parabolic shape.