Telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna
Technical Field
The invention belongs to an unmanned aerial vehicle antenna, and particularly relates to a telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna.
Background
At present, the industrial unmanned aerial vehicle is widely applied to various fields such as military, civil use, commercial use and the like, in particular to the fields such as petroleum and natural gas pipeline hunting, electric power hunting, logistics, mapping, environment monitoring and the like. In order to ensure that the performance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is safer and more reliable in such wide application, the communication, image transmission and data transmission distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is increased, and the unmanned aerial vehicle has wide development prospect.
In the existing radio monitoring system, in order to reduce the system size, a PCB antenna is mostly adopted, but the antenna has small gain due to small size, and the monitored distance range is limited. The pure direction-finding system generally adopts a larger yagi antenna, and the yagi antenna has large size, high cost and no communication function. Moreover, there is currently no efficient antenna system that can combine direction finding and communication functions, which limits the wider application of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention mainly aims to solve the problems that a radio monitoring system adopts a PCB antenna to limit the monitoring distance range, a direction finding system adopts a yagi antenna, the size is large, the cost is high, a communication function is not provided, and meanwhile, the combination of the direction finding function and the remote measuring function is not provided, and a remote measuring and direction finding integrated antenna is provided.
In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:
the telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna is characterized by comprising an antenna housing, a reflection backboard and a plurality of groups of antenna arrays;
The antenna arrays are fixed right above the reflecting backboard and are parallel to the reflecting backboard; the reflection backboard and the plurality of groups of antenna arrays are packaged in the antenna housing;
the antenna arrays are uniformly arranged in one row along the transverse direction,
Or are uniformly distributed into one row along the longitudinal direction,
Or are respectively arranged in a plurality of rows and columns along the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction,
Or respectively along the transverse direction longitudinally arranged in a single column and a plurality of rows,
Or are respectively arranged into a matrix along the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction;
The antenna array comprises a feed network and a plurality of antenna array elements; the antenna elements are arranged in rows and columns, the antenna elements of each row are sequentially connected through a feed network, and the antenna elements of each row are connected in parallel through the feed network; the antenna array element and the feed network are of an integrated structure; the antenna array element, the feed network and the reflecting backboard are all made of solid metal materials, and the thickness of the antenna array element is the same as that of the feed network; a feeding point is arranged at the center of the feeding network; the feed point is connected to the reflective backplate by an SMA connector.
Further, the device also comprises a plurality of support columns made of ABS materials; the center of the antenna array element is provided with a first through hole, the reflecting backboard is provided with a second through hole at a position corresponding to the first through hole, both ends of the supporting column are provided with threaded holes, the supporting column is arranged between the reflecting backboard and the antenna array element, and the threaded holes at both ends are respectively opposite to the first through hole and the second through hole; one end of the support column is fixed with the reflecting backboard through a screw, the other end is connected with the antenna array element through a screw. The mounting distance and parallelism of the antenna array and the reflection backboard are guaranteed through the support columns.
Furthermore, the screws are metal screws below M4, so that the geometric centers of all antenna array elements are guaranteed to be high-frequency zero potential.
Further, the SMA connector includes an inner conductor, a medium, and a flange; a third through hole with the aperture the same as the diameter of the inner conductor is formed at the feed point, and a fourth through hole is formed at the position of the reflecting backboard corresponding to the third through hole; one end of the medium passes through the fourth through hole, the other end is attached to the back of the feed point; the flange is sleeved and fixed outside the medium, two threaded holes are formed in two sides of the fourth through hole, and the flange is fixed on the back of the reflecting backboard through the matching of bolts and the threaded holes; one end of the inner conductor penetrates through the third through hole to be fixed at the top of the medium, threads are arranged outside the other end of the inner conductor, the nut is connected with the threads in a matched mode to the outside of the inner conductor, and the nut is attached to the front face of the feed network.
Further, the plurality of antenna arrays are fixed right above the same reflection backboard, so that the weight of the antenna is effectively reduced, and the arrangement is more attractive.
Further, the antenna array element, the feed network and the reflection backboard are all made of aluminum.
Further, the side length of the antenna array element is equivalent to half of the wavelength of the preset coverage frequency band.
Furthermore, the antenna housing is made of ABS or epoxy glass cloth, so that the loss is low, and the performance of the antenna is not affected.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that:
1. According to the remote sensing and direction finding integrated antenna, through arrangement of the antenna array elements and the antenna array, communication and direction finding functions of an unmanned aerial vehicle are simultaneously considered, communication distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle is effectively increased, and bandwidth of the remote sensing antenna of the unmanned aerial vehicle is effectively widened through design of the antenna array elements. Each group of antenna arrays has a telemetry function, and the coverage frequency range of the antenna is determined through the design of the antenna array elements; the multiple groups of antenna arrays can realize direction finding in the horizontal direction through transverse arrangement, can finish direction finding in the pitching direction through longitudinal arrangement, and can simultaneously find directions in the horizontal direction and the pitching direction if the antenna arrays are simultaneously arranged in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction; even if the direction is detected in 360 degrees of full coverage, a plurality of integral antennas are only required to be distributed along the circumferential direction, and an antenna array is distributed in each integral antenna in a matrix along the transverse direction or the longitudinal direction. In addition, the telemetry antenna and the direction finding integrated antenna reduce the size and the weight of the telemetry antenna of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and are convenient to carry and install. The antenna array element and the feed network are of an integrated structure, so that debugging and welding are omitted, and efficiency can be improved. The antenna can be directly applied to various fields such as unmanned aerial vehicle time division, frequency division system data chains and the like, and can be used for different frequencies by adjusting antenna array elements.
2. According to the invention, the support column is arranged between each antenna array element and the reflection backboard, so that the installation distance and parallelism of the antenna array and the reflection backboard are ensured.
3. The invention adopts the metal screws below M4 to fix the antenna array elements, and ensures that the geometric centers of all the antenna array elements are high-frequency zero potential.
4. According to the invention, each antenna array is fixed on the same reflection backboard, so that the arrangement space of the internal antenna array is saved, and the weight of the antenna is further reduced.
5. According to the invention, aluminum is used as a design material, so that the design cost of the antenna is effectively reduced while the performance requirement of the antenna is ensured.
6. The invention adopts the ABS or the epoxy glass cloth with low loss medium as the antenna housing material, which can not influence the performance of the antenna and can protect the antenna.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a reflective back plate according to the present invention;
fig. 4 is a diagram of an antenna array according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 5 is an antenna and a pattern according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 6 is a diagram of an antenna difference pattern according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is a diagram of an antenna and a contrast pattern according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna pitch direction finding architecture of the present invention;
Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of the telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna of the present invention for both horizontal and pitch direction finding.
Wherein, 1-antenna housing; 2-a reflective back plate; 201-a second via; 202-fourth through holes; 203-a threaded hole; a 3-antenna array; 301-antenna array elements; 302-a feed network; 303-feeding points; a 4-SMA connector; 401-an inner conductor; 402-medium; 403-flange; 404-nut; 5-supporting columns; 6-a first through hole; 7-screws; 8-a third through hole.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments do not limit the present invention.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna comprises a radome 1, a reflective backboard 2 and a plurality of antenna arrays 3; the antenna array 3 is fixed right above the reflection backboard 2 in parallel; the reflection backboard 2 and the antenna array 3 are packaged in the antenna housing 1; the antenna array 3 comprises a feed network 302 and a plurality of antenna array elements 301; the antenna elements 301 are arranged in rows and columns, the antenna elements 301 of each row are sequentially connected through a feed network 302, and the antenna elements 301 of each row are connected in parallel through the feed network 302; the antenna array element 301 and the feed network 302 are of an integral structure; the antenna array element 301, the feed network 302 and the reflection backboard 2 are all made of solid metal materials, and the thickness of the antenna array element 301 is the same as that of the feed network 302; a feed point 303 is arranged at the center of the feed network 302; the feed point 303 is connected to the reflective backplate 2 by an SMA connector 4.
The radiation mechanism of the antenna element 301 is based on leakage of the high frequency electromagnetic field. If the electromagnetic field is not completely enclosed by the conductor, electromagnetic radiation leakage can be generated at the discontinuous position, and under a certain frequency, the electromagnetic field adopts a metal sheet, so that the electromagnetic field works in a resonance state, the radiation can be obviously enhanced, and the radiation efficiency can be greatly improved. Based on the above principle, this embodiment is equivalent to using two metal plates as the antenna, one of which is the reflective back plate 2, and the other of which is the antenna array element 301 and the feed network 302, and uses air as the medium, so that the expensive high-frequency medium plate is omitted. The distance between the antenna element 301 and the reflective backplate 2 can be freely adjusted for adjusting the resonant frequency, impedance and bandwidth. Meanwhile, the antenna adopts a series feed mode, and the feed network 302 also adopts a metal plate to form vertical polarization. In addition, the antenna array 3 is arranged according to a certain rule, and the direction finding purpose can be achieved. The multiple groups of antenna arrays can realize direction finding in the horizontal direction through transverse arrangement, can finish direction finding in the pitching direction through longitudinal arrangement, and can simultaneously find directions in the horizontal direction and the pitching direction if the antenna arrays are simultaneously arranged in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction; even if the direction is detected in 360 degrees of full coverage, a plurality of integral antennas are only required to be distributed along the circumferential direction, an antenna array is distributed in a matrix in the transverse direction or the longitudinal direction in each integral antenna, the number of the specific integral antennas depends on the lobe width of a directional diagram of the antennas, the narrower the lobe, the higher the gain, the more the number of the required antennas, and similarly, the wider the lobe, the lower the gain, and the fewer the number of the required antennas.
As shown in fig. 1 to 3, one way of fixing the antenna array element 301 above the reflective back plate 2 in parallel is specifically to further include a plurality of support columns 5 made of ABS; the center of the antenna array element 301 is provided with a first through hole 6, the reflecting backboard 2 is provided with a second through hole 201 at a position corresponding to the first through hole 6, both ends of the supporting column 5 are provided with threaded holes, the supporting column 5 is arranged between the reflecting backboard 2 and the antenna array element 301, and the threaded holes at both ends are respectively opposite to the first through hole 6 and the second through hole 201; one end of the supporting column 5 is fixed with the reflecting backboard 2 through a screw 7, and the other end is connected with the antenna array element 301 through the screw 7.
In addition, one specific connection manner of the SMA connector 4 is that the SMA connector 4 includes an inner conductor 401, a medium 402, and a flange 403; a third through hole 8 with the aperture the same as the diameter of the inner conductor 401 is formed at the feed point 303, and a fourth through hole 202 is formed at the position of the reflection backboard 2 corresponding to the third through hole 8; one end of the medium 402 passes through the fourth through hole 202, and the other end is attached to the back surface of the feeding point 303; the flange 403 is sleeved and fixed outside the medium 402, two threaded holes 203 are formed on two sides of the fourth through hole 202, and the flange 403 is fixed on the back of the reflecting backboard 2 through the cooperation of bolts and the threaded holes 203; one end of the inner conductor 401 passes through the third through hole 8 to be fixed on the top of the medium 402, threads are arranged on the outer portion of the other end, a nut 404 is connected to the outer portion of the inner conductor 401 in a matched mode with the threads, and the nut 404 is attached to the front face of the feed network 302. Since the SMA connector 4 has various forms, it can be appropriately adjusted according to the use requirement.
As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, h is the distance between the antenna array 3 and the reflective backboard 2, and the value of the distance can affect the standing wave ratio of the antenna; t is the width of the feed network 302; l is the length of the antenna element 301, for adjusting the resonant frequency; w is the width of the antenna array element 301, and is used for adjusting the standing wave ratio of the antenna; the values of H, t, W and L can be determined according to the use requirement through HFSS simulation design.
The specific manufacturing process of the telemetering antenna comprises the following steps:
(1) Selecting a proper solid metal plate according to the requirement, determining the size of an antenna, determining the values of H, t, W and L according to the design requirement simulation design, and determining the arrangement and the array of the antenna array 3 according to the required direction finding range;
(2) Cutting by a cutting machine or a engraving and milling machine to obtain an integrated antenna array element 301 and a feed network 302, namely an antenna array 3;
(3) A third through hole 8 is punched in the middle of the feed network 302 at the center of the antenna array 3, and the size of the third through hole 8 is the same as the outer diameter of the inner conductor 401;
(4) Punching a first through hole 6 at the center of each antenna array element 301, and punching a second through hole 201 at a corresponding position on the reflective backboard 2;
(5) The antenna array element 301 is placed above the reflection backboard 2, and the antenna array element is fixed by the installation screw 7 and the support column 5 according to the figure 1, and the SMA connector 4 is fixed; the geometric centers of all the antenna elements 301 of the metal plate are high-frequency zero potential, can be insulated or electrically connected, and have no influence on the performance of the telemetry antenna, and if the screw 7 is made of metal, a screw below M4 is preferable.
(6) Installing an SMA connector 4 at the feeding point 8, and screwing a nut 404 outside the inner conductor 401 to enable the nut 404 to be tightly attached to the upper surface of the feeding point 8;
(7) The radome 1 with low loss medium is matched and installed on the reflecting backboard 2, and can be glued and sealed on the reflecting backboard 2.
Example 1
As shown in fig. 2, the telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna of the dual antenna array 3 is formed by processing a whole aluminum plate with the thickness of 2mm to obtain the whole antenna array element 301 and the whole feed network 302, fixing the whole antenna array element and the whole feed network by using a support column 5 and an SMA connector 4, transmitting energy to the feed network 302 at a feed point 303 through the SMA connector 4, and transmitting the energy to the antenna array element 301 by the feed network 302 and radiating outwards to realize the telemetry function; in addition, the two antenna arrays 3 arranged laterally can perform direction finding in the horizontal direction. According to the antenna array pattern shown in fig. 4, the antenna array gain of the present embodiment can reach 19dBi. As shown in fig. 5, 6 and 7, which are respectively a sum pattern, a difference pattern and a sum-difference pattern of the antenna of the present embodiment, it is clear from the figures that the direction-finding sensitivity of the present embodiment is excellent as the power changes corresponding to each direction deviated from 1 °. In summary, the integrated antenna of this embodiment can simultaneously give consideration to the telemetry and the sensitive direction finding functions of high gain, and the antenna can increase the gain of 3dBi by feeding through two feeder lines.
Example two
As shown in fig. 8, the telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna of the four-antenna array 3 is formed by processing a whole aluminum plate with the thickness of 0.5mm to obtain the whole antenna array element 301 and the whole feed network 302, fixing the whole antenna array element and the whole feed network by using the support column 5 and the SMA connector 4, transmitting energy to the feed network 302 at the feed point 303 through the SMA connector 4, and transmitting the energy to the antenna array element 301 by the feed network 302 and radiating outwards to realize the telemetry function. In the embodiment, the two antenna arrays 3 arranged in the transverse direction can determine the horizontal direction through direction finding, and the two antenna arrays 3 in the pitching direction can determine the pitching angle through direction finding, so that the direction finding of the horizontal direction and the pitching direction is realized simultaneously; meanwhile, each antenna array 3 of the embodiment can realize a telemetry function, so that telemetry and direction finding integrated antennas are realized. By feeding through four feeders, the antenna can increase the gain by 6 dBi.
The arrangement of the antenna array 3 in the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above: (1) In the horizontal direction finding, in the first embodiment, an arrangement of telemetry and horizontal direction finding is described, and the antenna array 3 in fig. 2 may be arranged with more groups along the lateral direction, where the number of groups is determined according to the coverage area required; (2) Pitching direction finding, as shown in fig. 9, the antenna arrays 3 are arranged longitudinally, so that the direction finding of the pitching direction can be realized, and the number of groups of the antenna arrays 3 can be determined according to the required coverage area; (3) The two-dimensional horizontal and pitching direction finding device can be arranged as described in the second embodiment of fig. 8 or the two-dimensional vertical and pitching direction finding device can be arranged as shown in fig. 10, and the two-dimensional vertical and pitching direction finding device can meet the direction finding requirements of the two-dimensional horizontal and pitching directions only in a single-row multi-column or single-column multi-row arrangement mode similar to the embodiment of fig. 10 with different coverage angles. The positions of the different antenna arrays 3 are different, and the phase information of the signals received by each antenna array 3 is different for different wave directions, so that the direction finding effect is achieved according to the wave direction of the received signal phase difference information Jie Suanchu of the antenna array 3.
The integrated antenna can be arbitrarily assembled according to the use requirement, namely the telemetry requirement and the direction finding range requirement, and the antenna gain is improved through the assembly on one hand, and the direction finding range is increased on the other hand. Each antenna element 301 needs to be determined in length and width through HFSS simulation, so that the resonant frequency covers a preset frequency band, and the length and width of each antenna element 301 are equivalent to about half a wavelength. In addition, in addition to using aluminum as the reflective back plate 2, the antenna array element 301, and the feed network 302 in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, other solid metal materials such as an iron plate, a steel plate, or a copper plate may be used, and in the embodiment, the thickness of the solid metal material selected may be selected according to the needs, and may be any thickness of 0.5mm, 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, or 4mm, because the aluminum plate is inexpensive and the processing is convenient as a preferred scheme.
In addition, for aesthetic and weight reduction, the antenna arrays 3 may be fixed directly above the same reflection back plate 2, and a plurality of antenna arrays 3 may share one reflection back plate 2.
The telemetry and direction finding integrated antenna has the functions of increasing communication distance and multidimensional direction finding by telemetry through the array arrangement of the antenna array 3, has higher gain than a microstrip array antenna and other types of antennas, and widens the bandwidth by 2-3 times. In addition, the expensive large-size PCB is not required to be processed, only the thinner metal plate is adopted for simple machining, the processing cost is reduced to the greatest extent, welding is not required in the processing process, assembly and simplicity are realized, and a series of problems of complicated assembly and debugging, large weight, large size, high cost, narrow bandwidth, inconvenience in installation and carrying and the like are solved.
The foregoing description is only illustrative of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and all equivalent structural changes made by the present invention and the accompanying drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present invention.