A support structure for an off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope

Abstract

The invention discloses an off-axis quadruple mirror space telescope support structure, which belongs to the technical field of optical instruments, and comprises a primary mirror base, a vertical rod, a secondary mirror seat, a four-mirror seat, a three-mirror seat and a flexible support column foot; the primary mirror base is extended to one side thereof and provided with an extension portion, the vertical rod is fixedly arranged on the extension portion and is kept vertical to the primary mirror base; the vertical rod is provided with a four-mirror seat and a secondary mirror seat fixing member in sequence from bottom to top, and the secondary mirror seat is fixedly arranged on the top surface of the secondary mirror seat fixing member; the three-mirror seat is arranged at the connection between the primary mirror base and the extension portion, and is located below the secondary mirror seat; a plurality of flexible support column feet are provided, and the plurality of flexible support column feet are evenly distributed at the bottom of the primary mirror base. The invention adopts a connection method mainly based on a flexible structure, integrates the mirror surface into a support frame, and is relatively outstanding in terms of thermal deformation, self-weight deformation and vibration resistance, which not only meets the rigidity requirements, but also meets the stability requirements, and ensures the surface shape accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of optical instruments, and more specifically, relates to an off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure. Background Art

[0002] Large-aperture space telescopes are important instruments for detecting signals from deep space. With the continuous development of optoelectronic technology, the aperture of space telescopes is getting larger and larger. In order to obtain clear image observation effects, space telescopes require higher surface accuracy, and the quality of surface accuracy is closely related to the support structure of the telescope. Therefore, the optimization of the support structure of the telescope is extremely important.

[0003] In the prior art, some design schemes have been made for the support stability of large-aperture telescope support structures. In the prior art, the three-point support method of the back is mainly adopted, and the design is generally for a single mirror support mechanism, and there are relatively few overall structural designs for the vertical axis four-mirror optical system.

[0004] However, after further research, the above prior art still has the following defects or shortcomings:

[0005] First, its main mirror adopts a three-point support structure on the back and is directly fixed on the platform by limiting support blocks. It cannot be well integrated with subsequent secondary mirrors and other reflectors, which will affect the accuracy of subsequent reflectors. Secondly, its overall design treats the reflector as a rigid body, without considering the elastic deformation of the reflector, and its seismic resistance needs to be improved.

[0006] Based on the above defects and shortcomings, this field urgently needs to make further improved designs on the existing large-aperture space telescope support structure, and construct a support structure with a flexible device to prevent the main mirror of the reflector from being displaced when subjected to external vibrations, thereby affecting the imaging quality of the entire telescope. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the above defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present invention provides an off-axis quadruple mirror space telescope support structure, which aims to place it on the ground or on a seismic isolation platform through flexible column feet and install all the mirrors on the support frame, thereby solving the technical problem that the existing support structure is displaced when subjected to external vibrations, thereby affecting the imaging quality of the entire telescope.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an off-axis quadruple mirror space telescope support structure, comprising a primary mirror base, a vertical rod, a secondary mirror mount, a quadruple mirror mount, a triple mirror mount and a flexible support column foot;

[0009] The main mirror base is extended to one side thereof to form an extension portion, and the vertical rod is fixedly arranged on the extension portion and is kept perpendicular to the main mirror base;

[0010] The vertical rod is provided with four mirror seats and secondary mirror seat fixing parts in sequence from bottom to top, and the secondary mirror seat is fixedly arranged on the top surface of the secondary mirror seat fixing parts;

[0011] The three-mirror mirror seat is arranged at the connection between the primary mirror base and the extension portion, and is located below the secondary mirror mirror seat;

[0012] The flexible support column feet are provided in plurality, and the plurality of flexible support column feet are evenly distributed at the bottom of the primary mirror base.

[0013] Preferably, a limit block is provided above the flexible support column foot, and the limit block is cooperatively connected to the primary mirror base; and the flexible support column foot is assembled by a plurality of flexible hinges.

[0014] Preferably, the primary mirror base comprises a skeleton connecting rod and a skeleton reinforcing member; a plurality of the skeleton connecting rods are connected end to end to form a regular hexagonal structure, and the skeleton reinforcing member is provided between adjacent skeleton connecting rods.

[0015] Preferably, the skeleton connecting rod fixes the main mirror in the main mirror base through a main mirror connecting piece; the main mirror connecting piece includes a semi-curved limit support block, a flexible square block and a supporting curved piece; the supporting curved piece is arranged along the upper and inner surfaces of the skeleton connecting rod, the semi-curved limit support block is arranged on the supporting curved piece to fix the main mirror connecting piece to the skeleton connecting rod, and the flexible square block is arranged on the side of the supporting curved piece facing the main mirror.

[0016] Preferably, it also includes a cylindrical support rod base and a cylindrical support rod; the cylindrical support rod base is respectively arranged on the secondary mirror base fixing piece and the primary mirror base, and the two ends of the cylindrical support rod are arranged in the cylindrical support rod base, which is used to reinforce the secondary mirror base fixing piece and the primary mirror base to reduce the relative displacement of the secondary mirror base fixing piece.

[0017] Preferably, one side of the secondary mirror base is provided with three fixing protrusions, and the fixing protrusions are connected to the secondary mirror base fixing piece by an adhesive.

[0018] Preferably, the secondary mirror seat is provided with a flexible ring, the secondary mirror is installed in the flexible ring, and the flexible ring is used to compensate for the radial displacement of the secondary mirror when it is affected by the external environment.

[0019] Preferably, the four-mirror mirror base and the three-mirror mirror base are respectively provided with flexible rings for mounting four mirrors and three mirrors.

[0020] Preferably, it further comprises a plurality of adjustment members, which are respectively arranged on the secondary mirror mount, the third mirror mount and the fourth mirror mount.

[0021] Preferably, the materials of the primary mirror base, the vertical rod, the secondary mirror base, the fourth mirror base and the third mirror base are all reinforced carbon fiber plastic.

[0022] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0023] 1. The off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure proposed in the present invention has a support frame that is approximately a regular hexagon and limits the radial movement of the primary mirror. The support frame is placed on the ground or on a seismic isolation platform through three flexible column feet, and all mirrors are installed on the support frame. Compared with the installation of the mirrors separately, the seismic resistance of the overall structure is effectively enhanced.

[0024] 2. In the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure proposed by the present invention, each reflector is designed with a corresponding flexible structure, which can compensate for the radial displacement of each reflector when affected by the external environment, and has better stability than a rigid connection.

[0025] 3. The off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure proposed by the present invention has a secondary mirror, a third mirror and a fourth mirror that are all adjustable, so that the angle and orientation of the mirror can be adjusted conveniently during the reassembly process.

[0026] 4. The off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure proposed in the present invention can effectively improve the imaging quality of the optical system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 is a front view of the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 is a side view of the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 It is a front view of a flexible block in the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a front view of the flexible support column foot in the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope support structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 It is a front view of a flexible ring in the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 It is an axonometric diagram of the adjustment parts in the supporting structure of the off-axis quadruple-mirror space telescope of the present invention.

[0034] In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same elements or structures, wherein: 1-secondary mirror mount; 2-secondary mirror mount fixing member; 3-cylindrical support rod base; 4-cylindrical support rod; 5-vertical rod; 6-quadruple mirror mount; 7-vertical rod fixing member; 8-skeleton reinforcement member; 9-skeleton connecting rod; 10-flexible support column foot; 11-flexible block; 12-support curved sheet; 13-semi-curved limiting support block; 14-primary mirror; 15-third mirror; 16-fourth mirror; 17-secondary mirror. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1 to 6 , Figure 1 An axonometric diagram of a support structure of an off-axis quadruple mirror telescope according to the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A front view of Figure 3 for Figure 1 Side view of Figure 4 is the front view of the flexible block; Figure 5 It is a front view of the flexible support column foot; Figure 6 It is the front view of the flexible ring.

[0037] The present invention discloses an off-axis quadruple-reflector telescope support structure, which integrates a primary mirror 14, a secondary mirror 17, a third mirror 15 and a fourth mirror 16 onto a platform, and uses a flexible structure to isolate the platform from a seismic source, and each reflector has its own separate seismic isolation method.

[0038] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the off-axis quadruple mirror telescope support structure is entirely made of reinforced carbon fiber plastic (CFRP), which has an extremely low thermal expansion coefficient and density and can guarantee surface accuracy to the greatest extent.

[0039] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main mirror base adopts a back-opening lightweight design, and the unit honeycomb shape is triangular, which reduces the mass of the reflector while ensuring the rigidity of the reflector. The main mirror diameter is 220mm.

[0040] In the present invention, the primary mirror base is composed of five skeleton links 9 formed into a regular hexagon by an adhesive, and then expanded outward by three other skeleton links of different shapes to match the lateral distance between the primary mirror 14 and the secondary mirror 17. Every two adjacent skeleton links 9 are reinforced by the skeleton reinforcement 8 to reduce the deformation caused by the shear stress generated between the adjacent skeleton links 9.

[0041] The support structure described in the present invention is placed on the ground or on a seismic isolation platform through three flexible support column feet 10, which can effectively improve the natural frequency of the entire structure and enhance its seismic resistance. Specifically, the flexible support column foot 10 includes 5 flexible hinges, and two limit blocks are designed above the flexible support column foot 10. The limit blocks cooperate with the two square holes on the skeleton connecting rod 9. The three flexible support column feet 10 are distributed at an angle of 120 degrees in pairs, and the angle between the two legs of the flexible support column foot 10 is 72 degrees, forming a triangular distribution of support points as a whole.

[0042] Specifically, the main mirror 15 and the skeleton link 9 are connected through a semi-curved limit support block 13 and a flexible block 11, and then the semi-curved limit support block 13 and the flexible block 11 are installed on the supporting curved piece 12, and finally integrated above the skeleton link 9, including three semi-curved limit support blocks 13, supporting curved piece 12 and flexible block 11, presenting a triangular support method with an angle of 120 degrees, so as to better and evenly share the load.

[0043] Further explanation, the vertical rod 5 and the primary mirror base are fixed by a vertical rod fixing member 7, the secondary mirror base fixing member 2 is arranged above the vertical rod 5, in order to reduce the relative displacement of the secondary mirror base fixing member 2, the secondary mirror base fixing member 2 and the skeleton reinforcement member 8 are reinforced by the cylindrical support rod 4, and a disc-shaped cylindrical support rod base 3 is arranged between the cylindrical support rod 4 and the skeleton reinforcement member 8. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, 4 cylindrical support rod bases 3 and 2 cylindrical support rods 4 are included.

[0044] Specifically, the secondary mirror base 1 and the four-mirror base 6 are both mounted on the upper side of the vertical rod 5. The back plate of the secondary mirror base 1 is designed with three fixed protrusions, which are fixed together with the secondary mirror base fixing member 2 by adhesive. The three fulcrums provide stability in all directions. The four-mirror base 6 is directly mounted on the vertical rod 5 by adhesive. The three mirrors 15 and the four mirrors 16 are both fixed on their respective bases by a flexible ring for easy installation and adjustment. As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the secondary mirror base 1, the three-mirror base and the four-mirror base 6 are all designed with adjustment parts for adjusting the reflector in all directions during the installation and adjustment process.

[0045] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure, characterized in that: It comprises a primary mirror base, a vertical rod (5), a secondary mirror base (1), a quadruple mirror base (6), a triple mirror base and a flexible support column foot (10); The main mirror base is provided with an extension portion extending toward one side thereof, and the vertical rod (5) is fixedly arranged on the extension portion and maintained perpendicular to the main mirror base; The vertical rod (5) is provided with a four-mirror seat (6) and a secondary mirror seat fixing member (2) in sequence from bottom to top, and the secondary mirror seat (1) is fixedly arranged on the top surface of the secondary mirror seat fixing member (2); The three-mirror base is arranged at the connection between the primary mirror base and the extension portion, and is located below the secondary mirror base (1); The flexible support column feet (10) are provided in plurality, and the plurality of flexible support column feet (10) are evenly distributed at the bottom of the primary mirror base; The primary mirror base comprises a skeleton connecting rod (9) and a skeleton reinforcing member (8); a plurality of the skeleton connecting rods (9) are connected end to end to form a regular hexagonal structure, and the skeleton reinforcing member (8) is provided between adjacent skeleton connecting rods (9); The skeleton connecting rod (9) fixes the main mirror (14) in the main mirror base through the main mirror connecting piece; the main mirror connecting piece comprises a semi-curved limit support block (13), a flexible block (11) and a support curved piece (12); the support curved piece (12) is arranged along the upper side and inner side surface of the skeleton connecting rod (9), the semi-curved limit support block (13) is arranged on the support curved piece (12) for fixing the main mirror connecting piece to the skeleton connecting rod (9), and the flexible block (11) is arranged on the side of the support curved piece (12) facing the main mirror (14).

2. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limit block is provided above the flexible support column foot (10), and the limit block is cooperatively connected to the primary mirror base; the flexible support column foot (10) is assembled from a plurality of flexible hinges.

3. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a cylindrical support rod base (3) and a cylindrical support rod (4); the cylindrical support rod base (3) is respectively arranged on the secondary mirror base fixing member (2) and the primary mirror base, and the two ends of the cylindrical support rod (4) are arranged in the cylindrical support rod base (3) for reinforcing the secondary mirror base fixing member (2) and the primary mirror base to reduce the relative displacement of the secondary mirror base fixing member (2).

4. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: One side of the secondary mirror base (1) is provided with three fixing protrusions, and the fixing protrusions are connected to the secondary mirror base fixing member (2) via an adhesive.

5. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The secondary mirror seat (1) is provided with a flexible ring, the secondary mirror (17) is installed in the flexible ring, and the flexible ring is used to compensate for the radial displacement of the secondary mirror (17) when it is affected by the external environment.

6. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four-mirror mirror base (6) and the three-mirror mirror base are respectively provided with flexible rings for mounting the four mirrors (16) and the three mirrors (15).

7. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a plurality of adjustment parts, which are respectively arranged on the secondary mirror base (1), the third mirror base and the fourth mirror base (6).

8. The off-axis quadruple reflector space telescope support structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The materials of the primary mirror base, the vertical rod (5), the secondary mirror base (1), the fourth mirror base (6) and the third mirror base are all reinforced carbon fiber plastics.

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