WO-2026096893-A1 - DEPLOYABLE CENTER FED ANTENNA

Abstract

A deployable center fed antenna system for terrestrial and spacecraft applications has a reflector having a reflector center aperture; a first net extending from a first net center aperture to a first net perimeter edge, said first net outer surface supporting said reflector; a second net extending from a second net center aperture to a second net perimeter edge; a boom passing through said first net center aperture, said second net center aperture and said reflector center aperture; a truss disposed about said boom, said truss coupled to said first net at a plurality of points, said truss coupled to said second net at plurality of points; and a truss deployer operable to deploy said truss between a truss stowed condition and a truss deployed condition, said truss in said truss deployed condition tensioning said first net and said second net.

Inventors

• FREEBURY, GREGG
• THOMSON, MARK
• MESCHEWSKI, Ryan
• MCMAHON, STEVE

Assignees

• TENDEG LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251031

Priority Date

20241101

Claims (20)

1. 1. An apparatus, comprising: a reflector having a reflector center aperture; a first net extending from a first net center aperture to a first net perimeter edge, said first net having a first net inner surface opposite a first net outer surface, said first net outer surface supporting said reflector; a second net extending from a second net center aperture to a second net perimeter edge, said second net having a second net inner surface opposite a second net outer surface, said second net inner surface facing said first net inner surface; a boom passing through said first net center aperture, said second net center aperture and said reflector center aperture; a truss circumferentially disposed about said boom, said truss coupled to said first net at a plurality of points along said first net perimeter edge, said truss coupled to said second net at plurality of points along said second net perimeter edge; and a truss deployer operable to deploy said truss between a truss stowed condition and a truss deployed condition, said truss in said truss deployed condition tensioning said first net and said second net.
2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said truss includes a plurality of battens each having a batten length disposed between a batten first end and a batten second end, said plurality of points of said first net perimeter edge each correspondingly coupled to one of a plurality of batten first ends, said plurality of points of said second net perimeter edge each correspondingly coupled to one of a plurality of batten second ends.
3. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said truss further includes: a first plurality of longerons connecting adjacent pairs of said plurality of batten first ends; and a second plurality of longerons connecting adjacent pairs of said plurality of batten second ends.
4. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said truss further includes a plurality of diagonal members, wherein one of said plurality of diagonal members connects one of said plurality of batten first ends to an adjacent one of said plurality of batten second ends; and wherein another one of said plurality of diagonal members connects said adjacent one of said plurality of batten second ends to another adjacent one of said plurality of batten first ends.
5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said truss deployer includes: a cable routed through said plurality of diagonals; and a cable reel rotatable to wind said cable about said cable reel.
6. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a truss deployment controller, including: a spool; and at least one cord wound about said spool, said at least one cord extending to at least one of said plurality of battens, said spool rotates to pay out said at least one cord to control deployment of said truss from said truss stowed condition to said truss deployed condition.
7. 7. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: a spoke interface, including: a first interface plate having a first interface plate central aperture; a second interface plate having a second interface plate central aperture, said boom passing through each of said first and second inface plate center apertures, said first interface plate disposed a distance from said second interface plate on said boom; a first plurality of spokes correspondingly extending from said first interface plate to said plurality of batten first ends; and a second plurality of spokes correspondingly extending from said second interface plate to said plurality of second batten ends.
8. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said at least one cord extending to at least one of said plurality of battens comprises a spoke.
9. 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said boom comprises: a boom outer segment having a boom outer segment first end opposite a boom outer segment second end; and a boom inner segment having a boom inner segment first end opposite a boom inner segment second end, said boom inner segment telescopingly engaged inside said boom outer segment.
10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a boom deployer coupled to said boom inner segment, said boom deployer operable to extend said boom inner segment second end a distance outside of said boom outer segment.
11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said boom deployer comprises: a sheave having a sheave axis disposed in parallel with a longitudinal axis of said boom; a first pulley affixed to said boom outer segment first end; a second pully affixed to said boom outer segment second end; a third pully affixed to said boom inner segment first end; and a wire extending from said spool and engaging said first pulley, said second pully, and said third pully with a wire terminal end affixed proximate said boom inner segment second end.
12. 12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said boom inner segment comprises a plurality of boom inner segments telescopingly engaged inside said boom outer segment.
13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a boom deployer coupled to said plurality of boom inner segments, said boom deployer operable to extend said plurality of boom inner segments a distance outside of said boom outer segment.
14. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said boom deployer comprises: a sheave having a sheave axis disposed in parallel with a longitudinal axis of said boom; a first pulley affixed to said boom outer segment first end; a second pully affixed to said boom outer segment second end; a third pully affixed to a first boom inner segment first end; a fourth pully affixed to a first boom inner segment second end; a fifth pully affixed to a second boom inner segment first end; and a wire extending from said spool and engaging said first pulley, said second pully, said third pully, said fourth pulley and said fifth pulley with a wire terminal end affixed proximate said second boom inner segment second end.
15. 15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a feed coupled to said boom inner segment second end.
16. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said feed coupled to said boom inner segment, said feed configured to emit a signal which directly illuminates said reflector.
17. 17. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a sub-reflector coupled to said boom inner segment second end.
18. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a feed coupled to said boom inner segment second end and below said sub -reflector, said sub-reflector reflects a signal from said feed to illuminate said reflector.
19. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a boom hinge coupled between said boom and a support structure, said boom hinge operable between a hinge first condition disposing said boom in a boom stowed condition and a hinge second condition disposing said boom in a boom deployed condition.
20. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said boom hinge comprises: a first cup rotatably coupled to a second cup; said first cup configured to couple to said support structure and said second cup configured couple to said boom; a biasing pin telescopingly engaged to said second cup, said pin spring biased against telescoping movement in relation to said second cup; an over-center linkage including: a drive link having a drive link first end opposite a drive ling second end; a drag link having a drag link first end and a drag link second end, said drive link first end pivotally to said biasing pin; said drive link second end pivotally joined to said drag link second end.

Description

DEPLOYABLE CENTER FED ANTENNA This International Patent Cooperation Treaty Patent Application is a continuation of United States Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 18/935,175, filed November 1, 2024, hereby incorporated by reference herein. I. GOVERNMENT LICENSE RIGHTS This invention was made with government support under Subcontract Number 0000016977 under Prime Contract No. F A9453-20-C-0031 awarded by Air Force Research Laboratory. The government has certain rights in this invention. II. TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure generally relates to antenna systems. In particular the disclosure relates to a deployable center fed antenna system for terrestrial and spacecraft applications. III. BACKGROUND Current configurations of offset-fed antennas have high moments of inertia which correspondingly requires spacecraft to include attitude control systems capable of applying corresponding forces to control space craft orbit position, absolute attitude, rate and orientation. Attitude control systems capable of offsetting high moments of inertia require increased spacecraft size, weight, and power along with the attendant increased costs. By comparison, use of a center-fed antenna can result in a reduction in moments of inertia of greater than 75% over offset fed antenna configurations. The lower moments of inertia can allow spacecraft to perform increasingly demanding maneuvers while having less size, weight and power and at lower cost. There is a need for spacecraft which include agile, high stiffness center fed reflectors of direct illumination, cassegrain and axially displaced ellipse architectures that allow for rapid scanning and slewing maneuvers with scalable reflector apertures and having performance capabilities in the ultra-high and Ka radio band frequencies with minimal radio frequency interference from low noise amplifiers and power amplifiers and antenna stiffening components. IV. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a broad object of particular embodiments of the invention can provide a deployable center fed antenna including one or more of: a reflector having a reflector center aperture; a first net extending from a first net center aperture to a first net perimeter edge, wherein the first net having a first net inner surface opposite a first net outer surface, wherein the first net outer surface supports the reflector; a second net extending from a second net center aperture to a second net perimeter edge, wherein the second net having a second net inner surface opposite a second net outer surface, wherein the second net inner surface faces the first net inner surface; a boom disposed within the first net center aperture, the second net center aperture and the reflector center aperture; a truss disposed circumferentially about the boom, wherein the truss couples to the first net at a plurality of points along the first net perimeter edge, wherein the truss couples to the second net at plurality of points along the second net perimeter edge; a truss deployer operable to deploy the truss between a truss stowed condition and a truss deployed condition, wherein the truss in the truss deployed condition tensions the first net and the second net to dispose the reflector in an operable configuration; and a feed operable to directly illuminate the reflector or indirectly illuminate the reflector through a sub -reflector. Another broad object of particular embodiments of the invention can be to provide a method of making a deployable center fed antenna including one or more of: extending a reflector from a reflector center aperture to a reflector perimeter edge; extending a first net from a first net center aperture to a first net perimeter edge, wherein the first net having a first net inner surface opposite a first net outer surface, wherein the first net outer surface supports the reflector; extending a second net from a second net center aperture to a second net perimeter edge, wherein the second net having a second net inner surface opposite a second net outer surface, wherein the second net inner surface faces the first net inner surface; disposing a boom within said first net center aperture, said second net center aperture, and said reflector center aperture; disposing a truss circumferentially about said boom; coupling the truss to the first net at a plurality of points along the first net perimeter edge; coupling the truss to the second net at plurality of points along the second net perimeter edge; and coupling a truss deployer to the truss, wherein the truss deployer operates to deploy the truss between a truss stowed condition and a truss deployed condition, wherein the truss in the truss deployed condition tensions the first net and the second net. Another broad object of particular embodiments of the invention can be to provide a method of using a deployable center fed antenna including one or more of: deploying a center fed antenna from an antenna stowed condition, wherein the center