Space station truss system

Abstract

The invention provides a space station truss system. The system is composed of an upper truss structure (1), a lower truss structure (2), an unfolding driving assembly (3), a base structure (4), an integrated two-degree-of-freedom driving mechanism (5), a large-area flexible solar wing (6), an exposed load adapter (7) and the like. The system is launched into an orbit along with a space station cabin section. After being launched into a rail, the upper truss structure and the lower truss structure are driven by the unfolding assembly to synchronously and reversely rotate by 90 degrees around the axis of the rotating shaft assembly to be unfolded, and the unfolding assembly is locked after the upper truss structure and the lower truss structure are in place, so that a fixed structure system is formed. At least four pairs of large-area solar wings can be carried through one-time launching, and at least 16 exposed load stations are provided at the same time. The device can be applied to a space station, is simple in form, is compact in structure, is high in single-cabin launching capability, and is good in expandability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of overall design of spacecraft, and in particular to a space station truss system. Background Art

[0002] A space station is a large orbiting spacecraft, such as the Mir space station, the International Space Station, and my country's Tiangong space station, which is generally composed of multiple modules and large structures. Space stations are home to astronauts who live and work in orbit for a long time, and there are many platform instruments and payloads in operation.

[0003] Space stations generally require large energy needs. The energy system commonly used in spacecraft is the solar array photovoltaic power generation system. Due to the large energy demand of space stations, they often need to be equipped with large-area solar wings. For example, the total area of ​​the solar wings of the International Space Station has reached an astonishing 2,500 square meters. Large-area solar wings, whether rigid solar wings (such as the "Mir" space station) or flexible solar wings (such as the International Space Station and my country's "Tiangong" space station), generally have two major problems: one is the launch space problem. Due to the envelope constraints of the launch vehicle fairing, the solar wings need to be folded during launch, and large-area solar wings still occupy a very large volume even when folded, and the weight is huge; the second is that after launching into orbit, the solar wings need to be unfolded and perform directional movement towards the sun, which requires a support structure with sufficient strength and stiffness (such as the large truss structure of the International Space Station). Due to the heavy weight and large volume, the solar wings and their supporting structures often need to be launched multiple times. For example, there are a total of 9 launches of the International Space Station, which are related to this. The construction period is long and the cost is high.

[0004] As an on-orbit space laboratory, the space station needs to provide enough experimental stations exposed to the outer space environment to support experiments that need to use the space environment. These exposed load stations are best arranged in a centralized manner so that various electromechanical, thermal and information interfaces can be provided in a centralized manner and can be centrally managed. However, the space station cabin is generally cylindrical or conical in shape, making it difficult to provide a large number of centralized stations. In addition, various sensors, antennas and other equipment need to be arranged on the outer wall of the cabin, and other equipment cannot be arranged around it to avoid blocking its working field of view.

[0005] To sum up, how to adopt innovative designs to make the layout of solar panels and their supporting structures compact, and to increase the number of solar panels as much as possible in one launch, so as to significantly reduce the construction period and cost of the space station; at the same time, to provide a large number of exposed payload stations in a concentrated manner to obtain greater application benefits, is a difficult problem with important practical significance. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a space station truss system that can carry at least 4 large-area solar wings in one launch, and can also provide a large number (no less than 16) of exposed load stations)

[0007] In order to achieve the above technical effects, the technical solution of the present invention is: to provide a space station truss system, characterized in that it includes an upper truss structure 1, a lower truss structure 2, a deployment drive assembly 3, a base structure 4, an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 5, a large-area flexible solar wing 6 and an exposed load adapter 7;

[0008] The upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are of rectangular configuration with a square cross-section, and the four rectangular sides are used for installing equipment, of which the sky-facing and ground-facing sides are used for installing exposed load adapters 7, serving as a centralized layout area for exposed load workstations of the space station; the outer side surfaces of the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 close to the main body of the space station are used for installing large-area flexible solar wings 6; the large-area flexible solar wings 6 adopt an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 5 to achieve two-dimensional solar orientation, so that the large-area flexible solar wings 6 can achieve higher lighting efficiency.

[0009] Furthermore, the main structure of the truss system is composed of an upper truss structure 1 and a lower truss structure 2 connected in parallel up and down; the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are connected to the base structure 4 through an unfolding drive assembly 3 to form a whole, which is launched into orbit together with the cabin; after being launched into orbit, the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are driven by the unfolding drive assembly 3 to synchronously rotate 90° in opposite directions around the axis of the rotating shaft assembly to unfold, and the unfolding assembly is locked after being in place to form a fixed structure system.

[0010] Furthermore, the truss system is arranged at the tail of the transverse compartment of the space station and is connected to the tail structure of the transverse compartment of the space station through the base structure 3; the transverse direction of the space station refers to a direction that is orthogonal to the flight direction and the direction toward the sky and the earth.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 can be expanded along the front-rear direction parallel to the flight direction, and the lateral size of the entire space station does not increase after expansion, and the disturbance to the attitude control of the space station is small.

[0012] The beneficial effects achieved by the space station truss system provided by the present invention are:

[0013] 1. It can carry four large-area solar panels in one launch, greatly improving the launch capacity of solar panels and the efficiency of space station construction;

[0014] 2. It can provide no less than 16 exposure payload stations at the same time in one launch, which greatly improves the support capability of the exposure payload extravehicular test in the initial construction stage of the space station. Moreover, these exposure payloads can be centrally cared for and managed, improving the efficiency of on-orbit care;

[0015] 3. The solar panels are arranged on the outside of the space station, without blocking the view of various sensors, antennas and other equipment outside the space station cabin;

[0016] 4. The solar wing and its supporting truss can be expanded in the front-to-back direction parallel to the flight direction of the space station. The lateral size does not increase after expansion, and the disturbance to the attitude control of the space station is small.

[0017] A space station truss system of the present invention can be applied to a space station, has a simple form, a compact structure, a strong single-cabin launching capability, and good scalability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the launch and retraction state of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the on-orbit deployment process of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the on-orbit motion of a solar wing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a typical space station to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The space station truss system proposed by the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and claims. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise ratios, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1 to Figure 3The figure shows the launch and on-orbit deployment and motion state schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The truss system includes an upper truss structure 1, a lower truss structure 2, a deployment drive assembly 3, a base structure 4, an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 5, a large-area flexible solar wing 6, an exposed load adapter 7 and other parts. The upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are rectangular parallelepiped structures with a square cross-section. The four rectangular sides are used to install equipment. The exposed load adapter 7 is used to install the exposed load station 7 facing the sky and the ground, which serves as the concentrated layout area of ​​the space station exposed load station. The upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are close to the outer side of the space station body for installing the large-area flexible solar wing 6. The large-area flexible solar wing 6 adopts an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism 5 to achieve two-dimensional solar orientation, so that the large-area flexible solar wing 6 can achieve higher lighting efficiency. The main structure of the truss system is composed of the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 in parallel. The upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are connected to the base structure 4 through the deployment drive assembly 3 to form a whole, which is launched into orbit together with the cabin. After being launched into orbit, the upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 are driven by the deployment drive assembly 3 to rotate 90 degrees in opposite directions around the axis of the shaft assembly to deploy, and the deployment assembly is locked after being in place to form a fixed structure system.

[0025] Figure 4 The figure shows a typical space station schematic diagram to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied. The truss system can be arranged at the tail of the transverse compartment of the space station (a direction orthogonal to the flight direction and the direction toward the sky and the earth), and connected to the tail structure of the transverse compartment of the space station through the base structure 3. The upper truss structure 1 and the lower truss structure 2 can be expanded along the front-back direction parallel to the flight direction, and the lateral size of the entire space station can be kept unchanged after expansion, and the disturbance to the attitude control of the space station is small.

[0026] The contents not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to those skilled in the art. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A space station truss system, characterized in that: It comprises an upper truss structure (1), a lower truss structure (2), an unfolding drive assembly (3), a base structure (4), an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism (5), a large-area flexible solar wing (6) and an exposed load adapter (7); The upper truss structure (1) and the lower truss structure (2) are in a rectangular configuration with a square cross section. The four rectangular sides are used for installing equipment, wherein the sky-facing side and the ground-facing side are used for installing an exposure load adapter (7), serving as a concentrated arrangement area for exposure load workstations of the space station. The outer side surfaces of the upper truss structure (1) and the lower truss structure (2) close to the main body of the space station are used for installing a large-area flexible solar wing (6). The large-area flexible solar wing (6) adopts an integrated dual-degree-of-freedom drive mechanism (5) to achieve two-dimensional solar orientation, so that the large-area flexible solar wing (6) can achieve higher lighting efficiency.

2. The space station truss system according to claim (1), characterized in that: The main structure of the truss system is composed of an upper truss structure (1) and a lower truss structure (2) connected in parallel; the upper truss structure (1) and the lower truss structure (2) are connected to a base structure (4) via an unfolding drive assembly (3), thereby forming a whole, and being launched into orbit together with the cabin; After launch into orbit, the upper truss structure (1) and the lower truss structure (2) are driven by the deployment drive assembly (3) to rotate 90 degrees in opposite directions around the axis of the rotating shaft assembly to deploy. After they are in place, the deployment assembly is locked to form a fixed structure system.

3. The space station truss system according to claim (1), characterized in that: The truss system is arranged at the tail of the transverse compartment of the space station and is connected to the tail structure of the transverse compartment of the space station via a base structure (3); the transverse direction of the space station refers to a direction that is orthogonal to the flight direction and the direction toward the sky and the earth.

4. The space station truss system according to claim (1), characterized in that: The upper truss structure (1) and the lower truss structure (2) can both be expanded along a front-rear direction parallel to the flight direction, and the lateral dimensions of the entire space station do not increase after expansion, with minimal disturbance to the attitude control of the space station.

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