Repeatable unfolding device for protection

Abstract

The invention relates to a repeatable unfolding device capable of being used for protection, and belongs to the technical field of spacecraft protection. Comprising an extensible protective cover, an unfolding mechanism, a mounting seat, a rope driving mechanism and a locking mechanism, the mounting seat is of a conical cylinder structure which is vertically arranged in the axial direction; the interior of the mounting base is a hollow cavity, and a circular opening is formed in the top of the mounting base; the unfolding mechanism is arranged at the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat; the deployable protective cover is connected with the extending end of the deploying mechanism; the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism are both mounted on the deployable protective cover; the unfolding mechanism rotates by taking the outer edge of the opening in the top of the mounting seat as an axis to drive the deployable protective cover, the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism to turn over; the rope driving mechanism drives the deployable protection cover to unfold or fold; the locking mechanism is used for locking the deployable protective cover in an unfolding state; the protection device can be flexibly folded and locked after being unfolded, and therefore protection on equipment in a specific area of a spacecraft is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of spacecraft protection, and relates to a repeatedly deployable device that can be used for protection. Background Art

[0002] New spacecraft, including nuclear-powered spacecraft or other types of spacecraft, often have a certain degree of radioactivity. However, some payloads of spacecraft, such as cameras and particle detectors, have high requirements for the working environment conditions in space, are sensitive to high and low temperature environments, radiation, etc., and need to open the detection field of view when working, and need to be protected when not working or at other times to prevent the instruments and equipment from being affected. Therefore, there is a demand for reusable protective devices.

[0003] However, the resources carried by spacecraft are very valuable, and how to achieve effective protection and effective coordination of various payload resources on spacecraft in the non-protective state is still a difficult problem. For example, if the non-re-deployable protective panels on traditional spacecraft are used, they can be closed and opened, but in the open state they usually block other spacecraft surfaces, making it difficult to fully utilize the spacecraft surface resources.

[0004] In addition, some spacecraft currently require thermal protection, such as spacecraft, which usually use special thermal protection structures to protect spacecraft from specific extreme environments, such as high temperature when passing through the atmosphere, to ensure the safety of the internal main structure, instruments and equipment, personnel and materials. However, existing thermal protection measures are usually fixed rigid structures, and the overall size is difficult to reduce when folded. How to reasonably protect instruments and equipment while making reasonable use of the space layout of spacecraft has become a problem that reusable spacecraft need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem solved by the present invention is: to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to propose a repeatedly deployable device that can be used for protection, which can realize the flexible folding of the protection device and the locking after unfolding, thereby realizing the protection of equipment in a specific area of ​​the spacecraft.

[0006] The solution of the present invention is:

[0007] A repeatedly deployable device that can be used for protection, comprising a deployable protective cover, a deployment mechanism, a mounting seat, a rope drive mechanism and a locking mechanism;

[0008] Among them, the mounting seat is a conical cylindrical structure placed axially vertically; the interior of the mounting seat is a hollow cavity, and a circular opening is arranged on the top of the mounting seat; the unfolding mechanism is arranged at the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat; the unfoldable protective cover is connected to the protruding end of the unfolding mechanism; the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism are both installed on the unfoldable protective cover; the unfolding mechanism realizes rotation with the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat as the axis, driving the unfoldable protective cover, the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism to flip; the rope driving mechanism realizes driving the unfoldable protective cover to unfold or fold; the locking mechanism realizes locking of the unfoldable protective cover in the unfolded state.

[0009] In the above-mentioned re-deployable device for protection, when the mounting base is in an unprotected state:

[0010] The unfolding mechanism is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat; the unfoldable protective cover is in a folded and retracted state, and the unfoldable protective cover is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat.

[0011] In the above-mentioned reusable deployable device for protection, it also includes a fixed protective cover; when the mounting seat is in the protective state:

[0012] The unfolding mechanism drives the unfoldable protective cover to flip 90°; the unfoldable protective cover in the suspended state is unfolded into an annular structure driven by the rope driving mechanism, and the unfoldable protective cover with the annular structure is locked and preserved by the locking mechanism; the unfolding mechanism drives the unfoldable protective cover to continue to flip until it covers the circular opening at the top of the mounting seat; the fixed protective cover covers the middle through hole of the unfoldable protective cover with the annular structure to seal the top opening of the mounting seat and achieve protection.

[0013] In the above-mentioned repeatedly deployable device for protection, the deployable protective cover comprises a support arm, an auxiliary arm, n support ribs, an deploying drive rope, a retracting drive rope and a protective umbrella surface;

[0014] n supporting ribs are arranged adjacent to each other; the supporting arm and the auxiliary arm are respectively arranged on both sides of the n supporting ribs which are arranged adjacent to each other; the supporting arm and the adjacent supporting ribs, the two adjacent supporting ribs, and the auxiliary arm and the adjacent supporting ribs are all connected through the protective umbrella surface; the unfolding driving rope passes through the supporting arm, the n supporting ribs, the head end of the auxiliary arm in sequence, and is then connected to the rope driving mechanism; the folding driving rope passes through the supporting arm, the n supporting ribs, the middle part of the auxiliary arm in sequence, and is then connected to the rope driving mechanism; n is a positive integer not less than 5.

[0015] In the above-mentioned repeatedly deployable device for protection, the deployment process of the deployable protective cover is:

[0016] The rope drive mechanism tightens the deployment drive rope, driving the auxiliary arm to rotate clockwise until the auxiliary arm rotates one circle and docks with the support rib; at this time, the deployment drive rope is in a taut state; the n support ribs are in a divergent state, fully deploying the protective umbrella surface to form a ring structure.

[0017] In the above-mentioned repeatable deployable device that can be used for protection, grooves are provided on the lower surfaces of the support arm and the auxiliary arm; when the deployable protective cover is fully deployed, the grooves of the support arm and the auxiliary arm are spliced ​​into a locking groove; the locking mechanism is embedded in the locking groove to achieve locking and shape preservation of the deployable protective cover after deployment.

[0018] In the above-mentioned reusable deployable device for protection, the folding process of the deployable protective cover is:

[0019] The locking mechanism withdraws from the locking groove, and the rope driving mechanism tightens and gathers the driving rope, driving the auxiliary arm to rotate counterclockwise until the auxiliary arm rotates one circle; the supporting arm, the auxiliary arm and the n supporting ribs overlap to complete the folding.

[0020] In the above-mentioned repeatedly deployable device for protection, when the deployable protective cover is in the folded state, the protective umbrella surface between the support arm and the adjacent support rib, between two adjacent support ribs, and between the auxiliary arm and the adjacent support ribs are all in a folded and stored state.

[0021] In the above-mentioned reusable deployable device for protection, the rope drive mechanism includes a drive motor, a folding drive roller, an unfolding drive roller and a drive support frame;

[0022] Among them, the driving support frame is a horizontally placed plate-like structure; the driving motor, the folding driving roller, and the unfolding driving roller are all installed on the upper surface of the driving support frame; the driving motor, the folding driving roller, and the unfolding driving roller are coaxially connected in sequence; the folding driving roller and the unfolding driving roller are driven by the driving motor to rotate synchronously.

[0023] In the above-mentioned repeatable deployable device that can be used for protection, the deploying drive rope is wound around the deploying drive roller, and the deploying drive rope is tightened as the deploying drive roller rotates; the gathering drive rope is wound around the gathering drive roller, and the gathering drive rope is tightened as the gathering drive roller rotates.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0025] (1) The reusable deployable device of the present invention is a laterally foldable and stowed configuration, which can realize flexible folding of the protective device and locking after deployment, thereby realizing protection of equipment in a specific area of ​​the spacecraft;

[0026] (2) The present invention utilizes a multi-rod deployment mechanism to enable the protective device to be folded, stowed, deployed and locked along a specific motion trajectory, thereby enabling the protective device to protect the payload equipment on the spacecraft and prevent the protected sensitive equipment from being damaged by space rays, particles, attacks from other spacecraft, etc.;

[0027] (3) The protective device of the present invention can be folded along the circumferential direction into a small volume structure when folded, and the frame part of the protective cover can be stretched to be fully unfolded through the driving mechanism when unfolded, so that sensitive load equipment can be placed in the internal space of the protective device and the overall envelope volume can be reduced as much as possible;

[0028] (4) The present invention can realize flexible folding and unfolding functions of different sizes by changing the number and size parameters of the support frame. By setting a parabolic support frame and replacing the protective layer with an electromagnetic reflective net or a flexible reflective surface, the folding and unfolding of the antenna reflective surface can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the folded state of the reusable deployable device of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the repeatable unfolding device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the deployable protective cover of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the unfolding and folding of the unfoldable protective cover of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the locking mechanism of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the rope driving mechanism of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0036] The present invention provides a repeatedly deployable device that can be used for protection. The device has a laterally foldable and retractable configuration and can realize flexible folding of the protection device and locking after deployment, thereby realizing protection of equipment in a specific area of ​​a spacecraft.

[0037] Re-deployable devices that can be used for protection, such as Figure 1As shown, it specifically includes a deployable protective cover 1, a deployment mechanism 2, a mounting seat 3, a rope driving mechanism and a locking mechanism. Among them, the mounting seat 3 is a cone-shaped column structure placed vertically in the axial direction; the interior of the mounting seat 3 is a hollow cavity, and the top of the mounting seat 3 is provided with a circular opening; the deployment mechanism 2 is arranged at the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat 3; the deployable protective cover 1 is connected to the extended end of the deployment mechanism 2; the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism are both installed on the deployable protective cover 1; the deployment mechanism 2 realizes rotation with the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat 3 as the axis, driving the deployable protective cover 1, the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism to flip; the rope driving mechanism realizes driving the deployable protective cover 1 to deploy or fold; the locking mechanism realizes locking the deployable protective cover 1 in the deployed state.

[0038] When the mount 3 is in the unprotected state:

[0039] The unfolding mechanism 2 is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat 3 ; the unfoldable protective cover 1 is in a folded and retracted state, and the unfoldable protective cover 1 is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat 3 .

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the repeatable deployable device further includes a fixed protective cover 4; when the mounting seat 3 is in the protective state:

[0041] The unfolding mechanism 2 drives the unfoldable protective cover 1 to flip 90°; the unfoldable protective cover 1 in the suspended state is unfolded into an annular structure driven by the rope driving mechanism, and the unfoldable protective cover 1 with the annular structure is locked and preserved by the locking mechanism; the unfolding mechanism 2 drives the unfoldable protective cover 1 to continue to flip until it covers the circular opening at the top of the mounting seat 3; the fixed protective cover 4 covers the middle through hole of the unfoldable protective cover 1 with the annular structure to seal the top opening of the mounting seat 3 and achieve protection.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, the deployable protective cover 1 comprises a support arm 11, an auxiliary arm 12, n support ribs 13, an deploying driving rope 15, a folding driving rope 16 and a protective umbrella 17. The n support ribs 13 are arranged adjacent to each other; the support arm 11 and the auxiliary arm 12 are arranged on both sides of the n support ribs 13 arranged adjacent to each other; the support arm 11 and the adjacent support ribs 13, the two adjacent support ribs 13, and the auxiliary arm 12 and the adjacent support ribs 13 are connected through the protective umbrella 17; the deploying driving rope 15 passes through the support arm 11, the n support ribs 13, and the head end of the auxiliary arm 12 in sequence and is connected to the rope driving mechanism; the folding driving rope 16 passes through the support arm 11, the n support ribs 13, and the middle of the auxiliary arm 12 in sequence and is connected to the rope driving mechanism; n is a positive integer not less than 5.

[0043] like Figure 4 As shown, the unfolding process of the unfoldable protective cover 1 is:

[0044] The rope drive mechanism tightens the deployment drive rope 15, driving the auxiliary arm 12 to rotate clockwise until the auxiliary arm 12 rotates one circle and docks with the support rib 13; at this time, the deployment drive rope 15 is in a taut state; the n support ribs 13 are in a divergent state, and the protective umbrella surface 17 is fully deployed to form a ring structure. The lower surfaces of the support arm 11 and the auxiliary arm 12 are both provided with grooves; when the deployable protective cover 1 is fully deployed, the grooves of the support arm 11 and the auxiliary arm 12 are spliced ​​into a locking groove; the locking mechanism is embedded in the locking groove to achieve locking and shape preservation of the deployed deployable protective cover 1, such as Figure 5 shown.

[0045] The folding process of the deployable protective cover 1 is as follows:

[0046] The locking mechanism withdraws from the locking groove, and the rope driving mechanism tightens and gathers the driving rope 16, driving the auxiliary arm 12 to rotate counterclockwise until the auxiliary arm 12 rotates one circle; the support arm 11, the auxiliary arm 12 and the n support ribs 13 overlap together to complete the folding.

[0047] When the protective cover 1 is in the folded state, the protective umbrella surface 17 between the support arm 11 and the adjacent support rib 13, between two adjacent support ribs 13, and between the auxiliary arm 12 and the adjacent support rib 13 are all in the folded and stored state.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, the rope driving mechanism includes a driving motor 51, a folding driving roller 52, an unfolding driving roller 53 and a driving support frame 54;

[0049] Among them, the driving support frame 54 is a horizontally placed plate-like structure; the driving motor 51, the folding driving roller 52, and the unfolding driving roller 53 are all installed on the upper surface of the driving support frame 54; the driving motor 51, the folding driving roller 52, and the unfolding driving roller 53 are coaxially connected in sequence; the folding driving roller 52 and the unfolding driving roller 53 are driven by the driving motor 51 to rotate synchronously.

[0050] The unfolding driving rope 15 is wound around the unfolding driving roller 53, and the unfolding driving rope 15 is tightened as the unfolding driving roller 53 rotates; the gathering driving rope 16 is wound around the gathering driving roller 52, and the gathering driving rope 16 is tightened as the gathering driving roller 52 rotates.

[0051] The present invention utilizes a multi-rod deployment mechanism 2 to enable the protective device to be folded, stowed, deployed and locked along a specific motion trajectory, thereby being able to protect the payload equipment on the spacecraft through the protective device to prevent the protected sensitive equipment from being damaged by space rays, particles, attacks from other spacecraft, etc.

[0052] When folded, the protective device can be folded in the circumferential direction into a smaller structure. When unfolded, the frame part of the protective cover can be stretched to full expansion through the driving mechanism, so that sensitive load equipment can be placed in the internal space of the protective device and the overall envelope volume can be minimized.

[0053] By changing the number and size parameters of the support frame, the flexible folding and unfolding functions of different sizes can be realized. By setting a parabolic support frame and replacing the protective layer with an electromagnetic reflective net or a flexible reflective surface, the folding and unfolding of the antenna reflective surface can be realized.

[0054] By setting the fixed position of the flexible layer, the outer surface or the inner surface can be smooth after unfolding to meet different usage requirements.

[0055] The fixed end of the unfolding mechanism 2 is connected to the mounting seat 3 , the movable end of the unfolding mechanism 2 is connected to the unfoldable protective cover 1 , and the locking device is connected to the mounting seat 3 .

[0056] When the protective cover is closed, the deployment mechanism 2 drives the deployable protective cover 1 to move toward the mounting seat 3. After the movement is in place, the wedge-shaped surface of the locking device can cooperate with the corresponding inclined surface on the deployable protective cover 1 to achieve the positioning and locking of the movable support rod. When the protective cover is opened, the deployment mechanism 2 drives the support rod away from the mounting seat 3, and the locking inclined surface of the locking device is disengaged, thereby releasing the constraint on the deployable protective cover 1.

[0057] In the folded state, the protective device can form a closed structure with the spacecraft cabin, protecting the internal detection instruments and other equipment, as well as the deployment mechanism 2 within the protection range of the protective device to avoid damage in a specific environment.

[0058] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the form of a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention by using the methods and technical contents disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A re-deployable device for protection, characterized in that: It comprises a deployable protective cover (1), a deployment mechanism (2), a mounting seat (3), a rope driving mechanism and a locking mechanism; The mounting seat (3) is a cone-shaped column structure placed vertically in an axial direction; the interior of the mounting seat (3) is a hollow cavity, and the top of the mounting seat (3) is provided with a circular opening; the unfolding mechanism (2) is arranged at the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat (3); the unfoldable protective cover (1) is connected to the protruding end of the unfolding mechanism (2); the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism are both installed on the unfoldable protective cover (1); the unfolding mechanism (2) is rotated with the outer edge of the top opening of the mounting seat (3) as the axis, driving the unfoldable protective cover (1), the rope driving mechanism and the locking mechanism to flip; the rope driving mechanism is used to drive the unfoldable protective cover (1) to unfold or fold; and the locking mechanism is used to lock the unfoldable protective cover (1) in the unfolded state.

2. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the mounting base (3) is in an unprotected state: The unfolding mechanism (2) is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat (3); the unfoldable protective cover (1) is in a folded and retracted state, and the unfoldable protective cover (1) is attached to the side wall of the mounting seat (3).

3. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a fixed protective cover (4); when the mounting base (3) is in the protective state: The unfolding mechanism (2) drives the unfoldable protective cover (1) to flip 90 degrees; the unfoldable protective cover (1) in the suspended state is unfolded into an annular structure under the drive of the rope driving mechanism, and the unfoldable protective cover (1) of the annular structure is locked by the locking mechanism to maintain its shape; the unfolding mechanism (2) drives the unfoldable protective cover (1) to continue to flip until it covers the circular opening at the top of the mounting seat (3); the fixed protective cover (4) covers the middle through hole of the unfoldable protective cover (1) of the annular structure to achieve sealing of the top opening of the mounting seat (3) and achieve protection.

4. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 3, characterized in that: The deployable protective cover (1) comprises a support arm (11), an auxiliary arm (12), n support ribs (13), an deployable driving rope (15), a folded driving rope (16) and a protective umbrella cover (17); n supporting ribs (13) are arranged adjacent to each other; a supporting arm (11) and an auxiliary arm (12) are arranged on both sides of the n supporting ribs (13) arranged adjacent to each other; the supporting arm (11) and the adjacent supporting rib (13), two adjacent supporting ribs (13), and the auxiliary arm (12) and the adjacent supporting rib (13) are all connected via a protective umbrella surface (17); an unfolding driving rope (15) passes through the supporting arm (11), the n supporting ribs (13), and the head end of the auxiliary arm (12) in sequence and is then connected to a rope driving mechanism; a folding driving rope (16) passes through the supporting arm (11), the n supporting ribs (13), and the middle of the auxiliary arm (12) in sequence and is then connected to the rope driving mechanism; and n is a positive integer not less than 5.

5. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 4, characterized in that: The unfolding process of the unfoldable protective cover (1) is as follows: The rope driving mechanism tightens the deployment driving rope (15), driving the auxiliary arm (12) to rotate clockwise until the auxiliary arm (12) rotates one circle and docks with the supporting rib (13); at this time, the deployment driving rope (15) is in a taut state; the n supporting ribs (13) are in a divergent state, and the protective umbrella surface (17) is fully deployed to form a ring structure.

6. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower surfaces of the support arm (11) and the auxiliary arm (12) are both provided with grooves; when the deployable protective cover (1) is fully deployed, the grooves of the support arm (11) and the auxiliary arm (12) are spliced ​​into a locking groove; and the locking mechanism is embedded in the locking groove to achieve locking and shape preservation of the deployed deployable protective cover (1).

7. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 6, characterized in that: The folding process of the deployable protective cover (1) is as follows: The locking mechanism withdraws from the locking groove, and the rope driving mechanism tightens and gathers the driving rope (16), driving the auxiliary arm (12) to rotate counterclockwise until the auxiliary arm (12) rotates one circle; the supporting arm (11), the auxiliary arm (12) and the n supporting ribs (13) overlap together, completing the folding.

8. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the deployable protective cover (1) is in a folded state, the protective umbrella surface (17) between the support arm (11) and the adjacent support rib (13), between two adjacent support ribs (13), and between the auxiliary arm (12) and the adjacent support rib (13) are all in a folded and stored state.

9. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 7, characterized in that: The rope driving mechanism comprises a driving motor (51), a folding driving roller (52), an unfolding driving roller (53) and a driving support frame (54); The driving support frame (54) is a horizontally placed plate-shaped structure; the driving motor (51), the folding driving roller (52), and the unfolding driving roller (53) are all mounted on the upper surface of the driving support frame (54); the driving motor (51), the folding driving roller (52), and the unfolding driving roller (53) are coaxially connected in sequence; and the folding driving roller (52) and the unfolding driving roller (53) are driven by the driving motor (51) to rotate synchronously.

10. A re-deployable device for protection according to claim 9, characterized in that: The unfolding driving rope (15) is wound around the unfolding driving roller (53), and the unfolding driving rope (15) is tightened as the unfolding driving roller (53) rotates; the gathering driving rope (16) is wound around the gathering driving roller (52), and the gathering driving rope (16) is tightened as the gathering driving roller (52) rotates.

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