A locking device for achieving automatic sliding of antenna modules with low collision and high precision.

Abstract

This invention discloses a locking device for achieving low-collision, high-precision automatic sliding of antenna modules, belonging to the field of satellite antenna technology. It includes a locking housing and a corresponding locking pin. The locking housing has a bottom cover and a rear cover. Inside the locking housing is a locking pin groove, with a stop sliding groove above it, and a stop block inside. A retractable guide rod and a buffer guide rod, aligned with the locking pin groove, are provided on the bottom cover. A return spring is mounted on the guide rod to guide the spring. Under the action of the return spring, the stop block slides outward into the locking hole, forming an interference fit. The friction angle is used to lock the antenna module in six positions. Simultaneously, the locking pin groove and the two sets of springs with opposite forces also lock the antenna module. This invention enables the antenna module to automatically generate vertical movement during horizontal sliding, thereby completing the mechanism for multi-module alignment and locking, achieving high-precision deployment and locking of solid-plane antennas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of satellite antenna technology, specifically a locking device that enables automatic sliding of antenna modules with low collision and high precision. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of fields such as communications, the demand for satellite antennas is increasing, and antenna shapes are becoming more diversified. However, to meet the requirements of rocket launch vehicles for lightweight and compact designs, modular antennas have emerged and developed rapidly, becoming an important method for constructing large-aperture, diverse antennas. Among these, solid-surface antennas are a crucial component. While the modules can be positioned horizontally using traction force to form a stepped arrangement during deployment, they require a certain degree of movement in the vertical direction to ultimately form a reflective surface. High-precision locking devices at specific locations are needed to achieve alignment and locking. Currently, methods and products addressing the problem of alignment and locking difficulties caused by the lack of vertical force during the deployment of foldable antennas are still lacking. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the problems of existing technologies, this invention provides a mechanism that enables antenna modules to automatically generate vertical movement during horizontal sliding, thereby completing the alignment and locking of multiple modules and achieving high-precision deployment and locking of solid-surface antennas.

[0004] This invention is implemented as follows:

[0005] A locking device for achieving low-collision and high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module is characterized in that the locking device comprises: a lock housing and a locking pin that cooperates with the lock housing; the lock housing has a symmetrical structure, with lock housing mounting holes at both ends of the front part of the lock housing, a lock housing bottom cover at the bottom of the lock housing with bottom cover mounting holes at both ends of the bottom cover, and a lock housing rear cover at the rear part of the lock housing with rear cover mounting holes at both ends; a locking pin slide groove is formed inside the lock housing, a stop block slide groove is formed inside the locking pin slide groove, a stop block is formed inside the stop block slide groove, and a stop block guide hole and a spring deformation hole are formed on the rear side of the stop block; a lower pressure plate is formed at the upper end of the locking pin slide groove, and a buffer plate is formed at the lower end of the locking pin slide groove, both of which form a clearance fit with the locking pin slide groove; the locking pin has locking holes on both sides of the upper end, a locking pin mounting hole in the middle, and a mating groove at the lower end. The lock hole has a front-wide, rear-narrow structure, with the stop block entering through the wide opening of the lock hole. The upper side of the lock housing bottom cover is equipped with a pressure plate guide rod and a buffer plate guide rod, both aligned with the lock pin slide groove. The front side of the lock housing rear cover is equipped with a stop block guide rod, aligned with the stop block slide groove. A retraction spring is mounted on the pressure plate guide rod, and a downward pressure buffer spring is mounted on the buffer plate guide rod, guiding the springs through these two guide rods. The pressure plate is connected to the lock housing bottom cover via the retraction spring. The buffer plate is connected to the lock housing bottom cover via the downward pressure buffer spring. The stop block is connected to the lock housing rear cover via a stop block return spring. The lock pin has a lock hole; the stop block enters the lock hole, forming an interference fit, stopping the lock pin's movement. Simultaneously, the friction angle prevents the stop block from exiting the lock hole, completing the final locking operation of the antenna module.

[0006] Furthermore, the lower pressure plate is provided with guide rod grooves at both ends, and the buffer plate is provided with guide rod grooves at both ends, further realizing the precise positioning of the buffer plate and the lower pressure plate.

[0007] Furthermore, after the stop block and the locking hole on the locking pin are engaged and locked, the front end of the stop block is clearly visible in the narrow opening of the locking hole. To unlock the locking device, the stop block is simply pushed back into the stop block sliding groove through the narrow opening of the locking hole, causing the locking pin to move upward and thus restricting the lower pressure plate again, thereby completing the multiple retraction and unfolding of the antenna module.

[0008] Furthermore, the back sides of the lock housing and the locking pin are provided with several lock housing mounting holes and several locking pin mounting holes for fixed installation with the antenna module interface.

[0009] Furthermore, the working method of the locking device is as follows:

[0010] When the stop spring is in its natural state, the stop block extends out of the stop block sliding groove, blocking the vertical movement of the pressure plate under the tension of the compression spring. When the locking pin moves horizontally to contact the stop block, the lower groove of the locking pin forms a mating connection with the pressure plate, pushing the stop block horizontally into the stop block sliding groove. At this time, the pressure plate is unobstructed and, under the action of the restoring force of the compression spring, drives the locking pin to move into the locking pin sliding groove. After the buffer plate contacts the locking pin, the pressure buffer spring is compressed, generating a restoring force to slow down the movement of the locking pin. When it moves to a certain position, the stop block aligns with the locking hole on the locking pin. Under the action of the stop spring, the stop block slides outward, entering the locking hole from the wide opening. The locking hole gradually decreases, forming an interference fit, and using the friction angle to complete the locking of the antenna module in six directions. At the same time, the locking pin sliding groove, along with the compression spring and the pressure buffer spring with opposite forces, can also complete the locking of the antenna module to a certain extent.

[0011] The advantages of this invention over the prior art are as follows:

[0012] 1. This invention utilizes the excellent contraction characteristics of springs to solve the problem of no movement trend in the vertical direction of the antenna module.

[0013] 2. This invention utilizes the cooperation between the stop block and the lock hole, and the lock shell and the lock pin to achieve the connection and locking of two adjacent modules of the solid surface antenna.

[0014] 3. The present invention takes into account practical engineering applications in its design, and retains a certain margin of machining error through the design of chamfers, lock holes and stops.

[0015] 4. This invention reduces collisions during module connection by using multiple spring buffers, and also promotes the positioning of the antenna module in the horizontal plane, thereby further realizing high-precision positioning and locking of the antenna module. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the locking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the satellite fixed antenna and the locking device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the locking and alignment of the satellite solid antenna in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the locking device in operation (working state) in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the locking device in a relaxed state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation between the stop block and the lower pressure plate when the locking device is in the relaxed state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the locking device in the locking state (working state) in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the locking device structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Among them, 1-lock case bottom cover, 2-lock case, 3-buffer plate, 4-lower pressure plate, 5-lock case rear cover, 6-lock pin, 7-bottom cover mounting hole, 8-lock case mounting hole, 9-rear cover mounting hole, 10-lock pin mounting hole, 11-stop block, 12-fitting groove, 13-lock hole, 14-stop block guide hole, 15-lower pressure plate guide rod, 16-contraction spring, 17-buffer plate guide rod, 18-lower pressure buffer spring, 19-stop block guide rod, 20-stop block spring, 21-spring deformation hole, 22-lower pressure plate guide rod slide groove, 23-buffer plate guide rod slide groove, 24-lock pin slide groove, 25-stop block sliding groove. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and effects of this invention clearer and more explicit, the following examples provide a more detailed description of the invention. It should be noted that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0026] like Figures 1-8As shown, the locking device of the present invention includes: a lock housing 2 and a locking pin 6 that cooperates with the lock housing; the lock housing 2 has a symmetrical structure, with lock housing mounting holes 8 at both ends of the front part of the lock housing 2, a lock housing bottom cover 1 at the bottom of the lock housing 2, bottom cover mounting holes 7 at both ends of the bottom cover 1, and a lock housing rear cover 5 at the rear part of the lock housing 2, with rear cover mounting holes 9 at both ends of the rear cover 5; a locking pin sliding groove 24 is opened inside the lock housing 2, and a stop block is provided in the locking pin sliding groove 24. The groove 25 contains a stop block 11, with a stop block guide hole 14 and a spring deformation hole 21 on the rear side of the stop block 11; the upper end of the locking pin slide groove 24 is provided with a lower pressure plate 4, and the lower end of the locking pin slide groove 24 is provided with a buffer plate 3, both of which form a clearance fit with the locking pin slide groove 24; the upper end of the locking pin 6 is provided with locking holes 13 on both sides, a locking pin mounting hole 10 in the middle, and a mating groove 12 at the lower end, the locking holes 13 having a front-wide and rear-narrow structure, the stop block Block 11 enters through the wide opening of the lock hole 13; the upper side of the lock case bottom cover 1 is provided with a downward pressure plate guide rod 15 and a buffer plate guide rod 17 in the same direction as the lock pin slide groove 24; the front side of the lock case rear cover 2 is provided with a stop block guide rod 19 in the same direction as the stop block slide groove 25; a contraction spring 16 is provided on the downward pressure plate guide rod 15, and a downward pressure buffer spring 18 is provided on the buffer plate guide rod 17, thereby guiding the springs through the above two guide rods; the downward pressure plate 4 is connected to the lock case bottom cover 1 through the contraction spring 16; the buffer plate 3 is connected to the lock case bottom cover 1 through the downward pressure buffer spring 18; the stop block 11 is connected to the lock case rear cover 5 through the stop block return spring 20; the lock pin 6 is provided with a lock hole 13, and the stop block 11 enters the lock hole 13 to form an interference fit, causing the lock pin 6 to stop moving, while using the friction angle to prevent the stop block 11 from exiting the lock hole 13, thus completing the final locking work of the antenna module.

[0027] The lower pressure plate 4 is provided with lower pressure plate guide rod grooves 22 at both ends, and the buffer plate 3 is provided with buffer plate guide rod grooves 23 at both ends, so as to further realize the precise positioning of the buffer plate 3 and the lower pressure plate 4.

[0028] The working method of the locking device of the present invention is as follows:

[0029] When the stop spring 20 is in its natural state, the stop 11 extends out of the stop sliding groove 25, blocking the vertical movement of the pressure plate under the tension of the contraction spring 16. When the locking pin 6 moves horizontally to contact the stop 11, the lower groove of the locking pin 6 forms a mating connection with the pressure plate 4, pushing the stop 11 horizontally into the stop sliding groove 25. At this time, the pressure plate is unobstructed and, under the action of the restoring force of the contraction spring 16, drives the locking pin 6 to move into the locking pin groove 24. After the buffer plate 3 contacts the locking pin 6, the pressure buffer spring 18 is compressed, generating a restoring force to slow down the movement of the locking pin 6. When it moves to a certain position, the stop 11 aligns with the locking hole 13 on the locking pin 6. Under the action of the stop spring 20, the stop 11 slides outward and enters the locking hole 13 from the wide opening. The locking hole 13 gradually decreases, forming an interference fit, and the antenna module is locked in six directions by using the friction angle. At the same time, the locking pin groove 24 and the contraction spring 16 and the pressure buffer spring 18, which have opposite forces, can also lock the antenna module to a certain extent. After the stop block 11 and the locking hole 13 on the locking pin 6 are engaged and locked, the front end of the stop block 11 is clearly visible in the narrow opening of the locking hole 13 and exposed in the external space. In order to unlock the locking device, the stop block 11 is simply pushed back into the stop block sliding groove 25 through the narrow opening of the locking hole 13, so that the locking pin 6 moves upward and the stop block restricts the lower pressure plate 4 again, thereby completing the multiple retraction and unfolding of the antenna module.

[0030] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A locking device for achieving low-collision, high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module, characterized in that, The locking device includes: a lock housing (2) and a locking pin (6) that cooperates with the lock housing; The lock shell (2) is a symmetrical structure. Lock shell mounting holes (8) are provided at both ends of the front part of the lock shell (2). Lock shell bottom cover (1) is provided at the bottom of the lock shell (2). Bottom cover mounting holes (7) are provided at both ends of the bottom cover (1). Lock shell rear cover (5) is provided at the rear part of the lock shell (2). Bottom cover mounting holes (9) are provided at both ends of the rear cover (5). Lock shell (2) has a lock pin slide groove (24) inside. Lock pin slide groove (24) has a stop block slide groove (25) inside. Stop block (11) is provided in the stop block slide groove (25). Stop block guide hole (14) and spring deformation hole (21) are provided on the rear side of stop block (11). Lock pin slide groove (24) has a lower pressure plate (4) at the upper end and a buffer plate (3) at the lower end. Both of them form a clearance fit with lock pin slide groove (24). The upper end of the locking pin (6) is provided with locking holes (13) on both sides, a locking pin mounting hole (10) in the middle, and a mating groove (12) at the lower end. The locking holes (13) are wide at the front and narrow at the back. The stop block (11) enters from the wide opening of the locking hole (13). The upper side of the lock shell bottom cover (1) is provided with a lower pressure plate guide rod (15) and a buffer plate guide rod (17) in the same direction as the locking pin slide groove (24). The lock case back cover (5) is provided with a stop block guide rod (19) in the same direction as the stop block sliding groove (25) on the front side. A retraction spring (16) is provided on the lower pressure plate guide rod (15), and a downward pressure buffer spring (18) is provided on the buffer plate guide rod (17). The springs are guided by the two guide rods. The lower pressure plate (4) is connected to the lock case bottom cover (1) through the retraction spring (16). The buffer plate (3) is connected to the lock case bottom cover (1) through the downward pressure buffer spring (18). The stop block (11) is connected to the lock case rear cover (5) through the stop block spring (20). The stop block (11) enters the lock hole (13) to form an interference fit, so that the locking pin (6) stops moving. At the same time, the friction angle is used to prevent the stop block (11) from exiting the lock hole (13), thus completing the final locking work of the antenna module.

2. The locking device for achieving low-collision and high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower pressure plate (4) is provided with a lower pressure plate guide rod groove (22) at both ends, and the buffer plate (3) is provided with a buffer plate guide rod groove (23) at both ends, so as to further realize the precise positioning of the buffer plate (3) and the lower pressure plate (4).

3. The locking device for achieving low-collision and high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The back sides of the lock housing (2) and the locking pin (6) are provided with several lock housing mounting holes (8) and several locking pin mounting holes (10) for fixing and installing with the antenna module interface.

4. A locking device for achieving low-collision and high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the stop (11) and the locking hole (13) on the locking pin (6) are engaged and locked, the front end of the stop (11) is clearly visible in the narrow opening of the locking hole (13). In order to unlock the locking device, the stop (11) is pushed back into the stop sliding groove (25) from the narrow opening of the locking hole (13), so that the locking pin (6) moves upward and the stop restricts the lower pressure plate (4) again, thereby completing the multiple retraction and unfolding of the antenna module.

5. A locking device for achieving low-collision and high-precision automatic sliding of an antenna module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The working method of the locking device is as follows: When the stop spring (20) is in its natural state, the stop block (11) extends out of the stop block sliding groove (25) to block the vertical movement of the pressure plate under the tension of the compression spring (16); when the locking pin (6) moves horizontally to contact the stop block (11), the lower groove of the locking pin (6) forms a mating connection with the pressure plate (4), pushing the stop block (11) horizontally into the stop block sliding groove (25); at this time, the pressure plate is unobstructed and, under the action of the restoring force of the compression spring (16), drives the locking pin (6) to move into the locking pin sliding groove (24); after the buffer plate (3) contacts the locking pin (6), it presses down. The buffer spring (18) is compressed, generating a restoring force to slow down the movement of the locking pin (6); when it moves to a certain position, the stop block (11) aligns with the locking hole (13) on the locking pin (6). Under the action of the stop block spring (20), the stop block (11) slides outward and enters the locking hole (13) from the wide opening. The locking hole (13) gradually decreases, forming an interference fit. The friction angle is used to lock the antenna module in six directions. At the same time, the locking pin slide (24) and the contraction spring (16) and the downward buffer spring (18) with opposite forces can also lock the antenna module to a certain extent.

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