Patent Application
20080001841
The following terms are defined for use in this Specification, including the appended claims:
Radar system 104 is protected by breathable radome 106. In addition to providing conventional radome functionality (e.g., environmental protection, etc.), breathable radome 106 is specially adapted to pass a flow 120 of air. Due to the flow-through nature of radome 106, a greater quantity (i.e., mass) of air can be flowed over heat-radiating elements 112 than would otherwise be the case. As a consequence, the air-cooling system can dissipate more heat than prior-art air-cooling systems in which air flows less freely. Since breathable radome 106 improves the operation of the air-cooling system, it can be considered to be part of the air-cooling system.
Notwithstanding its etymology, a “radome” need not be dome-shaped. Although the radome that is depicted in
In the embodiment that is depicted in
An inner layer (like inner layer 222) and an outer layer (like outer layer 230) are often present in prior-art radomes. These composite layers are usually formed from polymer matrix composites such as epoxy or cyanate ester, with quartz or fiberglass reinforcement. In the prior art, and unlike layers 222 and 230 of radome 106 in accordance with the present invention, these composite layers are typically solid. In radome 106, inner composite layer 222 and outer composite layer 230 are perforated to enable a flow of air to pass these layers. In particular, inner layer 222 includes perforations 224 and outer layer 230 includes perforations 232.
The perforated inner layer 222 and perforated outer layer 230 flank or “sandwich” core layer 226. The core layer, which is often present in prior-art radomes, has an open structure (e.g., cellular, perforated, etc.) that permits a flow of air to pass. In the embodiment that is depicted in
Since outer composite layer 230 is perforated, it is desirable to cover it with a material that provides a barrier to water intrusion (e.g., rain, snow, ice, etc.) In some embodiments, layer 230 is covered by a fabric that is water-impermeable and that permits a flow of air to pass. The material is advantageously robust enough to withstand anticipated environmental conditions. Suitable materials include, without limitation, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyester woven material, and PTFE-coated fiberglass.
In some embodiments, composite layers 222 and 230 are contoured or formed into a desired shape such that a separate frame (i.e., frame 220) is not required. In some further embodiments, especially those in which radome 106 is non-structural, core 226 is not present. In yet some additional embodiments, the core is formed to a desired shape.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the breathable radome disclosed herein is likely to be used in conjunction with a variety of different radar systems, some relatively higher-powered and others relatively lower powered. There can be significant differences in the amount of heat that is generated by such systems. Furthermore, the breathable radome disclosed herein will be used with other types of heat-generating electronics. As a consequence, heat load can vary greatly from application to application.
To that end, the breathable radome disclosed herein and other elements of the cooling system are highly tailorable to meet the thermal requirements of any specific application. In particular, the effectiveness of the breathable radome for heat removal is tailored via alterations in skin perforation size, the quantity of perforations in the skin, the inclusion or exclusion of a permeable fabric, fabric thickness and type, thermal conductivity of the composite materials, as well as other parameters.
Furthermore, other aspects of the system are alterable to meet specific thermal requirements. For example, to the extent that fans are present for cooling, the quantity, location, and flow rate of the fans are parameters that can be varied to meet thermal requirements. Also, in some cases, there will be freedom to select the geometry and orientation of the heat-generating electronics, which will have an impact on thermal requirements.
Those skilled in the art will be able to vary these parameters, as required, to satisfy the thermal requirements of any particular application.
It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and that many variations of the above-described embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in this Specification, numerous specific details are provided in order to provide a thorough description and understanding of the illustrative embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of those details, or with other methods, materials, components, etc.
Furthermore, in some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the illustrative embodiments. It is understood that the various embodiments shown in the Figures are illustrative, and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “some embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment(s) is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, but not necessarily all embodiments. Consequently, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout the Specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is therefore intended that such variations be included within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
