Antenna arrangement for an aircraft

Abstract

An antenna arrangement for an aircraft for fastening to an outer side of an exterior skin of the aircraft has a body and side wall sections and a connecting section. The body is U-shaped or H-shaped if viewed from a predefined direction and can be flowed through with a low aerodynamic drag by a flow along the predefined direction. The antenna arrangement has one or more antennas in the form of a printed circuit board and of which each is fastened to the body and is fastenable directly to the outer side of the aircraft exterior skin at two first edges of the side wall sections which form two free ends of the U-shape or H-shape on a first side of the connecting section or, for the U-shape, on the connecting section and/or regions of the side wall sections, which regions adjoin the connecting section directly as the predefined direction is parallel to the flow direction during flight.

Claims

1. An antenna arrangement for an aircraft for fastening to an outer side of an exterior skin of the aircraft, the antenna arrangement comprising: a body configured from one or more non-metallic materials, and two plate-shaped side wall sections and a connecting section which connects them, which are arranged such that the body is U-shaped or H-shaped if viewed from a predefined direction; and one or more antennas in a form of a printed circuit board and of which each is fastened to the body; wherein the antenna arrangement can be fastened directly to the outer side of the exterior skin of the aircraft at two first edges of the side wall sections which form two free ends of the U-shape or H-shape on a first side of the connecting section or, in case of the U-shape, on the connecting section and/or regions of the side wall sections, which regions adjoin the connecting section directly, such that the predefined direction is parallel to a flow direction during flight of the aircraft.

2. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the antennas is fastened either on a side of one of the side wall sections which faces another one of the side wall sections, or on the connecting section in case of the U-shape on a side which faces an interior of the U-shape.

3. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the antennas is fastened to the body by being embedded completely or partially into the body.

4. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the antennas has a cooling element and is embedded into the body such that only the cooling element or a part of the cooling element projects from the body.

5. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the body is of single-piece or monolithic configuration.

6. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a plastic material and/or a composite material which is reinforced with glass fibers, quartz fibers, ceramic fibers or aramid fibers, or is configured from one or more of the materials.

7. The antenna arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the body comprises a composite material which is reinforced with glass fibers, quartz fibers, ceramic fibers or aramid fibers, which encloses a core made from a foam material or a honeycomb material.

8. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a maximum extent of the connecting section in the predefined direction is smaller than a maximum extent of the side wall sections in the predefined direction.

9. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a maximum extent of the connecting section in the predefined direction is greater than a maximum extent of the side wall sections in the predefined direction.

10. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the antennas is fastened to the connecting section, and which antenna arrangement has a heat conduction device which is arranged on or in the body and connects the at least one antenna which is fastened to the connecting section to one or more heat sinks which is/are arranged on one of the or both side wall sections.

11. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the body is H-shaped if viewed from the predefined direction, and in case of which the connecting section is arranged closer to the first edges of the side wall sections than to two second edges of the side wall sections which form other free ends of the H-shape on a second side of the connecting section which lies opposite the first side of the connecting section.

12. The antenna arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each of the antennas is in each case a KU-band, KA-band or L-band antenna.

13. An aircraft with an exterior skin and an antenna arrangement according to claim 1, the antenna arrangement being fastened directly to the outer side of the exterior skin of the aircraft at the two first edges of the side wall sections or, in case of the U-shape, on the connecting section and/or regions of the side wall sections, which regions adjoin the connecting section directly, such that the predefined direction is parallel to the flow direction during the flight of the aircraft.

14. The aircraft according to claim 13, comprising an arrangement of fastening elements on the outer side of the exterior skin, the antenna arrangement being fastened to the fastening elements by two first edges of the side wall sections or, in case of the U-shape, being fastened to the fastening elements by the connecting section and/or regions of the side wall sections, which regions adjoin the connecting section directly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following text, the disclosure herein will be described in greater detail with reference to the figures, in which various exemplary embodiments are shown.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of an aircraft with an antenna arrangement according to the disclosure herein.

(3) FIG. 2A shows a diagrammatic perspective view of an antenna arrangement in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the disclosure herein, which antenna arrangement is fastened to a section of an exterior skin of the aircraft.

(4) FIG. 2B shows a lateral view of the antenna arrangement and exterior skin of FIG. 2A.

(5) FIG. 3 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a first variant of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.

(6) FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a second variant of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.

(7) FIG. 5 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a variant of the antenna arrangement of FIG. 4.

(8) FIG. 6A shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a third variant of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.

(9) FIG. 6B shows a diagrammatic plan view of the antenna arrangement of FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) The aircraft 1 which is shown in FIG. 1 has a fuselage 2 with an exterior skin 3, on the outer side of which an antenna arrangement 4 according to the disclosure herein is mounted. The antenna arrangement 4 and a section of the exterior skin 3, on which section the antenna arrangement is mounted, are shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2A.

(11) The antenna arrangement 4 has a body 5 and, in this exemplary embodiment, three various printed circuit board antennas 6 which can be oriented electronically. For its part, the body 5 which is produced in one piece, for example, from a glass fiber-reinforced composite material has two plate-shaped side wall sections 7 and a likewise plate-shaped connecting section 8 which connects them. Each of the two side wall sections 7 is fastened on a first edge 9 to the exterior skin 3, in order to fasten the body 5 overall to the exterior skin 3. The fastening can take place, in particular, by the first edges 9 being provided with fastening devices (not shown in the figure) which match an arrangement (likewise not shown in the figure) of corresponding fastening devices which are provided on the exterior skin 3. The latter fastening devices can be, for example, fastening projections or attachments.

(12) The extent of the two side wall sections 7 in a predefined direction 10 is greatest in each case on their first edge 9, that is to say directly adjacently with respect to the exterior skin 3, and they taper in each case with an increasing spacing from their first edge 9 and the exterior skin 3. As a result, the two side wall sections 7 have a ramp shape on their edges 11 which point counter to the predefined direction 10 or in the predefined direction 10, that is to say in relation to the direction 10 on their front and rear edge 11. The body 5 is fastened to the exterior skin 3 in such a way that the predefined direction 10 is the direction of the air flow when the aircraft 1 is flying. Therefore, the ramp shape of the edges 11 has the advantage of reducing the drag of the antenna arrangement 4.

(13) As can be seen, the maximum extent of the connecting section 8 in this embodiment in the predefined direction 10 is smaller than the maximum extent of the side wall sections 7 in this direction.

(14) It can also be seen that, during the flight of the aircraft 1, air can flow in a substantially unimpeded manner along the predefined direction 10 through the body 5, and that the body 5 has a greatly reduced drag in comparison with a radome of comparable dimensions which is closed or provided merely with ventilation openings. If the body 5 is observed along the predefined direction 10, it has a U-shape, as can already be seen from FIG. 2A and can be gathered in an improved manner from FIG. 2B, in which the printed circuit board antennas 6 are not shown for reasons of simplicity and which shows a view of the antenna arrangement substantially along the predefined direction 10. The duct which is formed by way of the U-shape and the exterior skin 3 makes it possible for air to flow through the antenna arrangement.

(15) It can also be seen in FIG. 2A that in each case one of the printed circuit board antennas 6 is arranged on and fastened to another one of the side wall sections 7, and the third printed circuit board antenna 6 is arranged on and fastened to the connecting section 8. As a result, the three printed circuit board antennas 6 are oriented in each case in accordance with the orientation of the corresponding section 7, 8, with the result that they have different orientations and therefore have different spatial emitting and receiving properties. The printed circuit board antennas 6 can be, for example, transmitting and receiving antennas. It is also possible, however, to provide not only one printed circuit board antenna 6 on each of the side wall sections 7 and the connecting section 8, but rather two printed circuit board antennas, one for transmitting and one for receiving. Two printed circuit board antennas 6 of this type can then be fastened, in particular, next to one another to the corresponding one of the sections 7, 8.

(16) As is indicated in FIG. 2A and can be seen in an improved manner in FIGS. 3 to 5, the printed circuit board antennas 6 are in each case embedded partially into the body 5 or arranged in a respective depression which is provided in the body 5, in such a way that they project partially out of the surface of the side wall section 7 or connecting section 8 which faces the exterior skin 3, that is to say out of the lower side of the body 5. It is also possible, however, that the printed circuit board antennas 6 are embedded completely into the body 5.

(17) In each case in a cross-sectional view perpendicularly with respect to the predefined direction 10, FIGS. 3 and 4 show two different variants of the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B which differ in terms of their U-shape. In particular, the two variants differ by virtue of the fact that three printed circuit board antennas 6 as in FIG. 2A and FIG. 4 are not provided in FIG. 3, but rather merely two, in each case one in each of the two side wall sections 7. In comparison with FIG. 4, the connecting section 8 in FIG. 3 has a smaller extent in a direction perpendicularly with respect to the predefined direction, with the result that the U-shape is narrower and is approximately V-shaped. In return, the extent of the side wall sections 7 in the direction perpendicularly with respect to the predefined direction 10 between the exterior skin 3 and the connecting section 8 in FIG. 4 is smaller than in FIG. 3, with the result that the printed circuit board antennas 6 which are arranged in the side wall sections 7 also have correspondingly smaller dimensions.

(18) Both FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show fastening projections 12 which are fastened to the exterior skin 3 in a predefined arrangement, and to which in turn the first edges 9 of the side wall sections 7 of the body 5 are fastened.

(19) FIG. 5 shows one variant of the embodiment of FIG. 4, in which the printed circuit board antennas 6 in each case have a cooling element 13, with which they project inwards from the side wall sections 7 or the connecting section 8, with the result that, during the flight of the aircraft 1, they are situated in the air flow which then flows through the duct which is defined by way of the U-shape and the exterior skin 3. As a result, the cooling effect of the air flow for the printed circuit board antennas 6 which also exists in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4 is improved.

(20) FIGS. 6A and 6B show a cross-sectional view perpendicularly with respect to the predefined direction 10 and in a diagrammatic plan view (from above in FIG. 6A) of a further variant of the embodiment of FIG. 2A. As can be seen from FIG. 6B, in contrast to FIG. 2A, the maximum extent of the connecting section 8 in the predefined direction 10 is initially greater than the maximum extent of the side wall sections 7 in the predefined direction 10. Moreover, two printed circuit board antennas 6 are arranged on the longer connecting section 8, whereas one printed circuit board antenna 6 is still arranged on each of the two side wall sections 7, with the result that the overall antenna arrangement 4 comprises four printed circuit board antennas 6.

(21) Moreover, if it is viewed along the predefined direction 10 (see FIG. 6A), the body 5 has an H-shape, since the connecting section 8 does not connect the side wall sections 7 at their ends which lie opposite the first edges 9, but rather between the ends and the edges 9 in a region which lies closer to the edges 9. In this way, the connecting section 8 and therefore also the printed circuit board antennas 6 which are arranged on it are arranged closer to the exterior skin 3 and preferably in the boundary layer region of the air flow, with the result that the drag can be reduced further. On account of this, however, the cooling of the two printed circuit board antennas 6 which are arranged on the connecting section 8 by way of the air flow is also impaired. Therefore, in this embodiment, the antenna arrangement has heat pipes 14 or other heat conduction devices which are provided on the body 5 and in each case connect the two printed circuit board antennas 6 which are arranged on the connecting section 8 to a heat sink 15, which heat sinks 15 are provided on the side wall sections 7, for example in the form of a cooling element.

(22) It can also be seen in FIG. 6B that the connecting section 8 can likewise be connected at its ends to fastening attachments 12 which project from the exterior skin 3.

(23) While at least one example embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the example embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a”, “an” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.