Remote Tuning Sub-Reflector Actuators for Antenna Surface Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deployed antennas often suffer from defects and imperfections due to folding and deployment issues, leading to reduced performance in terms of bandwidth and gain, which can be difficult to correct, especially in remote or inaccessible locations like space.
Innovation Solution
An antenna assembly with a sub-reflector that includes actuators to locally deform its surface, allowing for remote tuning by measuring the main reflector's geometry and calculating correction vectors to adjust the sub-reflector's curvature, thereby compensating for defects and optimizing antenna performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If deployable antenna reflectors are used to achieve larger antenna size, then antenna bandwidth is improved, but the reflector surface becomes deformed and imperfect after folding and deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector surface is divided into multiple adjustable segments or zones. Each segment can be independently deformed or positioned to compensate for overall surface errors, allowing the large antenna to maintain precision despite deployment challenges
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna reflector incorporates adjustable mechanisms that allow dynamic reconfiguration of the reflector surface after deployment. This enables correction of deformation errors by actively adjusting the surface geometry to restore accuracy
2Ease of operation
If the antenna is deployed in remote or inaccessible locations, then deployment flexibility is improved, but calibration and correction become difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system incorporates self-calibration capabilities with integrated sensors and adjustment mechanisms that allow the antenna to automatically detect and correct its own alignment errors without requiring external intervention or manual calibration
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from sensors that measure the actual reflector surface geometry and antenna performance to automatically adjust the reflector position or shape, enabling remote calibration through automated control loops
3Volume of moving object
If folded reflectors are used to fit into spacecraft, then space utilization is improved, but the reflectors become deformed causing incorrect antenna illumination footprints
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system incorporates adjustable mechanisms that allow dynamic reconfiguration of the reflector surface after deployment. This enables correction of deformation errors by actively adjusting the surface geometry to restore accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of the reflector (such as surface curvature, segment positions, or focal distance) to compensate for deformation effects and restore the correct illumination footprint pattern
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the restoration of antenna performance to near-perfect levels by dynamically adjusting the sub-reflector's shape to compensate for main reflector defects, maintaining high gain and bandwidth even with imperfect main reflectors, and can be remotely controlled for accessibility challenges.
Implementation Method 1
a geometric measuring device configured to scan the surface of the main reflector by measuring a distance to a plurality of selected points on the inner face of main reflector from the geometric measuring device
Implementation Method 2
each of the plurality of actuators being configured to locally deform the surface of the sub-reflector adjacent to that actuator by locally pushing the material forming the sub-reflector inwardly or outwardly
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
An antenna assembly tunable from remote comprising a main reflector a sub-reflector associated with the main reflector, and a feed adapted receive transmission illuminating the main reflector via the sub-reflector, or to transmit transmission to the main reflector via the sub- reflector. The sub-reflector comprising a plurality of actuators disposed over and attached to its outer face. Each of the actuators is adapted to locally deform the surface of the sub-reflector adjacent to that actuator in response to a change in the actuator position.