JP3060947B2 - Collinear array antenna - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a collinear array antenna mounted on an artificial satellite and having a toroidal directional pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, collinear array antennas mounted on artificial satellites, and particularly used for artificial satellite operation, generally include:
A directional characteristic having a maximum gain in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the antenna as viewed from the satellite is required.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a conventional collinear array antenna is applied to an artificial satellite. In FIG.
1 shows a configuration relationship among an artificial satellite main body 1, a solar battery paddle 2, and a conventional collinear array antenna 18. The hatched portion is the required directivity range B of the antenna pattern.

The specific required directivity range B differs depending on the attitude control / operation type of the artificial satellite body 1, but the entire circumferential direction around the rotation axis of the solar battery paddle 2 for supplying electric power used in the artificial satellite. A circumferential radiation pattern may be required. In this case, conventionally, an antenna having a toroidal radiation pattern such as a discone antenna is disposed on an artificial satellite or protruded from the artificial satellite using a deployment boom, and is used.

[0005] Even when a different radiation pattern is required, if the original antenna pattern is disturbed due to the influence of the reflection on the surface of the solar battery paddle, an omnidirectional antenna is provided at the tip of the solar battery paddle. Has been devised (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 60-193703).

[0006]

However, according to the antenna type and mounting method of the above-described conventional example,
From the antenna, for example, a solar cell paddle or its support column comes into view. For this reason, reflection or blocking of radio waves causes a ripple or a drop in a radiation pattern in a state where the artificial satellite is mounted, which causes a problem that it is difficult to obtain a required radiation pattern.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a collinear array antenna having a favorable radiation pattern while suppressing the influence of a mounted object outside a satellite.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a collinear array antenna according to the present invention is formed in a hollow pipe using a radio wave permeable dielectric material, and one end of the pipe is provided with an artificial satellite body. And the other end is connected to a solar battery paddle, integrated with a solar battery paddle support column (boom), and installed inside the hollow of the boom.

Further, a cable for transmitting the power generated by the solar cell to the main body of the artificial satellite is disposed in a hollow portion at the center of the collinear array antenna, and the pipe is made of a radio wave containing glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). It is preferable to use a transparent dielectric material.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a collinear array antenna according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown one embodiment of the collinear array antenna of the present invention.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram in which a required range A of an artificial satellite body 1, a solar battery paddle 2, a solar battery paddle support column (hereinafter also referred to as a boom) 3, and an antenna pattern is indicated by oblique lines.

FIG. 1 shows the mounting position of the antenna of the present embodiment on the artificial satellite main body 1. Solar battery paddle 2
Is located at a certain distance from the satellite body 1 so that the shadow from the satellite body 1 does not fall on the solar battery paddle 2. For this purpose, it is attached to a boom (support column) 3 of a certain length.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual side view showing a configuration example of the boom 3. Boom 3 is a collinear array antenna 4
, An antenna feed connector 6, a solar cell generated power transmission cable 7, and a pipe 8. The outer periphery of the boom 3 has a pipe structure. The pipe 8 is made of a radio wave transmitting dielectric material, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP).

A collinear array antenna 4 is inserted into a pipe 8 constituting the boom 3. The collinear array antenna 4 includes an antenna element 5 such as a collinear array antenna element or a vertical dipole antenna element. The collinear array antenna 4 housed in the boom 3 resonates a high-frequency current on a rod-shaped metal body.
The antenna is excited to function as an antenna, and the central portion of the collinear array antenna 4 is configured to be hollow.

A cable 7 for transmitting the generated power of the solar cell to the main body of the artificial satellite is arranged in a hollow portion at the center of the collinear array antenna 4. The reason why the power transmission cable 7 is arranged at the center of the collinear array antenna 4 is to make the collinear array antenna 4 less susceptible to transmitted power. When the power transmission cable 7 is outside the collinear array antenna 4, the radiation pattern radiated by the antenna element 5 is greatly affected by the transmission power. In order to avoid this effect, this arrangement is adopted.

Since the collinear array antenna arranged as described above is integrally formed with the support column of the solar cell paddle, the support column, which is itself, does not naturally enter the field of view when viewed from the collinear array antenna. . Since the satellite body or the solar cell paddle is also located outside the field of view, the influence of the support column of the solar cell paddle can be completely avoided. Further, the influence of the reflection on the satellite body or the solar battery paddle is reduced, and a good radiation pattern can be expected.

According to the above embodiment, it is possible to avoid the influence of the reflection by the support column itself. Further, by arranging the position of the reflector in a direction in which the antenna does not originally have a radiation pattern, the influence can be reduced. Therefore, by using the antenna of the present embodiment, the influence of the reflection and scattering of the radio wave that has been received from the satellite body, the solar battery paddle and the support strut of the solar battery paddle or the like is avoided or reduced, and a good radiation pattern is obtained. It is possible to obtain.

Although the above embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0019]

As is clear from the above description, the collinear array antenna of the present invention is constituted by integrating a support column for supporting a solar cell paddle and a radiating element. Therefore,
Obstacles of radio waves around the antenna can be reduced, and the effects of reflected and scattered radio waves can be avoided or reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual external perspective view in which an embodiment of a collinear array antenna of the present invention is applied to an artificial satellite.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of a collinear array antenna;
It is a figure showing the state where an antenna element was pulled out from a GFRP pipe also serving as a solar cell support column.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual external perspective view in which a conventional antenna is mounted on a satellite.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Artificial satellite main body 2 Solar cell paddle 3 Solar cell paddle support column (boom) 4 Collinear array antenna 5 Antenna element 6 Antenna feed connector 7 Power transmission cable

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI H01Q 11/16 H01Q 11/16 (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01Q 21/00-21/30 B64G 1/22-1/66 H01Q 1/27-1/52 H01Q 5/00-11/20

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] (1)Hollow using radio wave permeable dielectric material
Formed into a pipe, One end of the pipe is attached to the satellite body, The other end is connected to the solar array paddle, It is integrated with the solar cell paddle support column (boom), Installed in the hollow of the boom It is characterized by being composed
Collinear array antenna. 2. In a central portion of a collinear array antenna.
In the sky, the power generated by the solar cell is
2. The collinear array antenna according to claim 1, wherein a cable for transmission is arranged . 3. The pipe is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic.
Using dielectric material that transmits radio waves including
Collinear array antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the.