Tapered Sensor Waveguide Channels for Ramjet Seeker Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air-breathing missiles, such as ramjets, face challenges in designing a seeker antenna array system that can efficiently guide electromagnetic waves while ensuring optimal aerodynamic airflow for combustion, as existing systems often interfere with the airflow due to their geometry.
Innovation Solution
A sensor waveguide system with a main body defining a peak and a base, creating a predetermined tapered profile, which includes multiple waveguide channels oriented parallel to an axis of rotation, allowing electromagnetic waves to be transmitted along these channels to sensors disposed at their exits without interfering with the airflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional antenna array is housed within a radome enclosure, then the antenna is protected from aerodynamic loads and extreme temperatures, but the radome geometry interferes with the flow of outside air into the ramjet intake
Solution Approach 1:
The radome is segmented into multiple sections with varying levels of transparency to electromagnetic waves. The front portion is made transparent to allow electromagnetic wave passage, while the rear portion provides protection. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing both protection and airflow functionality to coexist in different spatial zones of the same structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a solid opaque radome to a transparent or translucent radome in the critical front region. This dimensional change in material property (from opaque to transparent) allows electromagnetic waves to pass through while maintaining the protective enclosure structure, thereby resolving the conflict between protection and wave transmission.
2Productivity
If the radome geometry is optimized for aerodynamic airflow, then outside air flow into the intake is improved, but the positioning and housing of the antenna array becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The radome is divided into functional zones: a front transparent section optimized for aerodynamic flow and electromagnetic wave transmission, and a rear section providing structural support and antenna housing. This segmentation allows each zone to be optimized independently for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent radome structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides aerodynamic optimization for airflow, allows electromagnetic wave transmission for the antenna array, and maintains structural protection. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making a single structure adaptable to multiple requirements.
3Measurement precision
If a seeker antenna array is installed in the nose cone, then the missile can detect and guide toward the target, but the antenna array interferes with the outside air entering the ramjet intake
Solution Approach 1:
The nose cone structure is segmented to create a transparent radome section that allows both antenna operation and air intake. The antenna array is positioned within this transparent section, enabling target detection while the surrounding transparent structure allows unobstructed airflow to the intake, resolving the spatial conflict between detection and intake functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent radome acts as an intermediary structure between the antenna array and the external environment. It provides a medium that simultaneously permits electromagnetic wave transmission for detection and allows physical airflow passage, thereby mediating the conflict between these two functions.
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
The sensor waveguide system effectively guides electromagnetic signals to the seeker antenna array without disrupting the airflow into the missile's intake, providing a lightweight and cost-effective solution that supports the radome and maintains aerodynamic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of waveguide channels are oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the sensor waveguide and each waveguide channel defines an exit disposed at the base of the main body. The sensor waveguide system also includes a plurality of sensors, where a sensor is disposed at the exit of each of the plurality of waveguide channels.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor waveguide system includes a sensor waveguide and a plurality of sensors. The sensor waveguide includes a main body defining a peak, a base, an axis of rotation, and a plurality of waveguide channels. The main body converges from the base to the peak to create a predetermined tapered profile. The plurality of waveguide channels are oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the sensor waveguide and each waveguide channel defines an exit disposed at the base of the main body. A sensor is disposed at the exit of each of the plurality of waveguide channels.