High stiffness latching hinge

Abstract

This invention provides a high-rigidity latching hinge, comprising a female hinge, a male hinge rotatably engaged with the female hinge via a pin, and a drive assembly. The female hinge is equipped with a locking buckle and an elastic component that elastically engages with the locking buckle. The male hinge has a first locking structure and can be in two states: fully extended and retracted. In the retracted state, the male hinge overlaps with the female hinge. When the end of the male hinge rotates from a first position to a second position around the pin under the drive assembly, the first locking structure is locked by the locking buckle, placing the male hinge in the fully extended state. The locking part of this invention is a locking buckle friction angle lock, and all locking parts are made of titanium alloy, ensuring no deformation or damage under high impact. Furthermore, it maintains a certain locking strength and rigidity after locking, thus improving load-bearing capacity. This hinge is small in size, lightweight, simple in design, and easy to manufacture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of hinge technology, specifically to a locking high-rigidity hinge, and more particularly to a locking high-rigidity small hinge. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of small spacecraft, small deployable space mechanisms have been increasingly widely used due to their lightweight, low cost, and ease of transportation and storage. However, small deployable space structures place demands on hinges that are small in size, lightweight, and highly reliable. The hinge devices used on existing spacecraft often employ large hinges with high cost and high precision designs, or small hinges with low cost but low deployment reliability and locking strength, which cannot meet the needs of spacecraft.

[0003] Patent document CN106763131A discloses a lightweight hinge for a small satellite deployment mechanism. This hinge includes a male hinge, a female hinge, a torsion spring, a locking spring, a pin, a bushing, a spring retainer, and an insulating washer. The torsion spring is used as the core actuating component during deployment. The elastic potential energy stored in the torsion spring during retraction can serve as its deployment power, allowing the hinge to deploy autonomously after being released from constraints. The male hinge has three mounting holes for fine-tuning the hinge's deployment torque. The locking spring is made of thin sheet spring steel. After deployment, the locking spring engages with a protrusion on the male hinge, completing the hinge's locking position. However, this design uses a spring-locking mechanism, which has low spring strength and is at risk of deformation or even breakage under locking impact, resulting in low locking strength and stiffness. Furthermore, the spring needs to simultaneously undergo elastic deformation and lock into position during the locking process, leading to low locking reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a locking high-rigidity hinge.

[0005] According to the present invention, a locking high-rigidity hinge includes a female hinge, a male hinge that is rotatably engaged with the female hinge via a pin, and a drive assembly.

[0006] The female hinge is equipped with a locking buckle and an elastic component that elastically engages with the locking buckle; the male hinge is provided with a first locking structure and has two states: fully extended and retracted.

[0007] In the retracted state, the male hinge overlaps with the female hinge. When the end of the male hinge rotates from the first position to the second position around the pin under the drive of the drive assembly, the first locking structure is locked by the locking buckle, so that the male hinge is in the fully extended state.

[0008] Preferably, the locking buckle is rotatably mounted on the female hinge via a resolver output shaft, with one end elastically engaging with the elastic component and the other end having a second locking structure that matches the first locking structure.

[0009] Preferably, the elastic component includes a support column and a compression spring fitted on the support column, one end of the support column is mounted on the female hinge, and the other end of the support column is connected to one end of the locking buckle, wherein the compression spring is in a compressed state and has a tendency to drive one end of the locking buckle away from the female hinge.

[0010] Preferably, the resolver output shaft is an eccentric shaft, which allows adjustment of the distance by which the second locking structure extends beyond the female hinge when the resolver output shaft is rotated.

[0011] Preferably, the second locking structure is a bending structure, and the bending angle of the bending structure is 70° to 85°;

[0012] The first locking structure has a friction slope that matches the bending structure, and the inclination angle of the friction slope is 70° to 85°.

[0013] Preferably, the contact surfaces of the second locking structure and the first locking structure are polished during locking, so that their respective surfaces have a roughness matching that during locking.

[0014] Preferably, the resolver output shaft is mounted on the female hinge via a fixed base;

[0015] The end of the resolver output shaft has an operating structure, and the operating structure is located outside the fixed base.

[0016] Preferably, the female hinge, male hinge, and locking buckle are all made of titanium alloy.

[0017] Preferably, the drive assembly is a torsion spring.

[0018] Preferably, the ends of the female hinge and the male hinge furthest from the pin have mounting structures, which are used to fix the hinges.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] 1. The locking part of the present invention is a locking buckle friction angle lock, and the locking part is made of titanium alloy, which can ensure no deformation and damage under high impact, and maintain a certain locking strength and rigidity after locking, and also improve the load-bearing capacity. Compared with existing large hinges, this hinge is small in size, light in weight, simple in structure and easy to process.

[0021] 2. The present invention uses a combination of torsion spring and compression spring to achieve locking, which has the advantages of good buffering and high locking reliability.

[0022] 3. The resolver output shaft in this invention adopts an eccentric shaft design, which allows for fine adjustment of the locking gap, demonstrating an ingenious structural design. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the fully extended state of the locking high-rigidity hinge of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the retracted state of the locking high-rigidity hinge of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a side view of the locking high-rigidity hinge of the present invention from the retracted state to the fully extended state.

[0027] Figure 4 This is an enlarged view of the end bend of the locking buckle and the male hinge protrusion of the locking buckle in the locking state of the high rigidity hinge of the present invention.

[0028] The diagram shows:

[0029] Female hinge 1

[0030] Male hinge 2

[0031] Pin 3

[0032] Torsion spring 4

[0033] Resolver output shaft 6

[0034] Compression spring 7

[0035] Pillar 8

[0036] Lock 9

[0037] Fixed base 11

[0038] First locking structure 21

[0039] Operational Structure 61

[0040] Second locking structure 91 Detailed Implementation

[0041] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] This invention provides a locking type high-rigidity hinge, preferably a small-volume hinge, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, it includes a female hinge 1, a male hinge 2 that is rotatably engaged with the female hinge 1 via a pin 3, and a drive assembly. The drive assembly is preferably a torsion spring 4. In use, the torsion spring 4 is mounted on the pin 3 and connected to the female hinge 1 and the male hinge 2 on both sides respectively.

[0043] The female hinge 1 is equipped with a locking buckle 9 and an elastic component that elastically engages with the locking buckle 9. The male hinge 2 is provided with a first locking structure 21 and has two states: fully extended and retracted. In the retracted state, the male hinge 2 overlaps with the female hinge 1, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, at this time, the end of the male hinge 2 away from the pin 3 is in the first position. When the end of the male hinge 2 rotates from the first position to the second position around the pin 3 away from the female hinge 1 under the drive of the drive assembly, the first locking structure 21 is locked by the locking buckle 9, so that the male hinge 2 is in a fully deployed state. The hinge in this invention, while maintaining the characteristics of other small hinges such as small size, light weight, simple configuration, and convenient processing, has the advantages of high locking strength and rigidity, and high locking reliability. It is suitable for various small satellite deployment mechanisms and has wide adaptability and application value.

[0044] Specifically, the locking buckle 9 is rotatably mounted on the female hinge 1 via the resolver output shaft 6. One end is elastically engaged with an elastic component, and the other end has a second locking structure 91 that matches the first locking structure 21. The elastic component includes a support column 8 and a compression spring 7 fitted on the support column 8. One end of the support column 8 is mounted on the female hinge 1, and the other end of the support column 8 is connected to one end of the locking buckle 9. The compression spring 7 is preferably located between the female hinge 1 and the locking buckle 9, and the compression spring 7 is always in a compressed state. The compression spring 7 has a tendency to drive the end of the locking buckle 9 connected to the support column 8 away from the female hinge 1, so that when the male hinge 2 moves from the first position to the second position, the second locking structure 91 on the locking buckle 9 locks with the first locking structure 21 with a certain buffer. The locking buckle 9 is mounted on the female hinge 1 via the resolver output shaft 6 and rotates around the resolver output shaft 6. The compression spring 7 is fitted on the support column 8 to apply elastic force to the locking buckle 9. The male hinge 2 has a protrusion that matches the locking buckle 9, namely the second locking structure 91.

[0045] The resolver output shaft 6 is an eccentric shaft, which allows the distance of the second locking structure 91 extending outside the female hinge 1 to be adjusted when the resolver output shaft 6 is rotated. Rotating the resolver output shaft 6 can change the front and rear position of the locking buckle 9, thereby adjusting the hinge to the most suitable locking position. The adjustable position distance of the resolver output shaft 6 is at least 0.5mm.

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, the second locking structure 91 is a bending structure with a bending angle of α, where α ranges from 70° to 85°. The first locking structure 21 has a friction inclined surface that matches the bending structure, with an inclination angle of β, where β ranges from 70° to 85°.

[0047] The contact surfaces of the second locking structure 91 and the first locking structure 21 are polished during locking, so that their respective surfaces have the same roughness as when locked.

[0048] The resolver output shaft 6 is mounted on the female hinge 1 via a fixing base 11. The end of the resolver output shaft 6 has an operating structure 61, which is located outside the fixing base 11. The operating structure 61 is preferably a hexagonal prism at one end of the resolver output shaft 6, which allows for easy rotation using tools.

[0049] The female hinge 1, male hinge 2, and locking buckle 9 are all made of titanium alloy, which can ensure no deformation or damage under high impact, and maintain a certain locking strength and rigidity after locking, thus improving the load-bearing capacity.

[0050] Both the female hinge 1 and the male hinge 2 have mounting structures at their ends away from the pin 3. The mounting structures are used to fix the hinges. The mounting structures are preferably open holes or other structures that can be fixed.

[0051] The working principle of this invention is as follows:

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, in the folded state, the male hinge 2 and the female hinge 1 are overlapped, with the lower part of the male hinge 2 and the upper part of the female hinge 1 arranged opposite each other, and the end of the male hinge 2 away from the pin 3 is in the first position.

[0053] When the end of the male hinge 2 is driven by the torsion spring 4 to rotate around the pin 3 away from the female hinge 1 and unfold from the first position until it rotates to the second position, the first locking structure 21 is locked by the locking buckle 9, that is, the unfolding and locking are in place, and the male hinge 2 is in a fully unfolded state. During the unfolding process, the end of the locking buckle 9 moves along the protrusion on the male hinge 2 to the outside of the inclined protrusion, and finally gets stuck on the protrusion on the male hinge 2. The locking is achieved by the friction angle on the outside of the protrusion, ensuring the locking rigidity.

[0054] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0055] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A locking type high-rigidity hinge, characterized in that, It includes a female hinge (1), a male hinge (2) that rotatably engages with the female hinge (1) via a pin (3), and a drive assembly; The female hinge (1) is provided with a locking buckle (9) and an elastic component that elastically engages with the locking buckle (9). The male hinge (2) is provided with a first locking structure (21) and has two states: fully extended and retracted. In the retracted state, the male hinge (2) overlaps with the female hinge (1). When the end of the male hinge (2) rotates from the first position to the second position around the pin (3) away from the female hinge (1) under the drive of the drive assembly, the first locking structure (21) is locked by the locking buckle (9) so that the male hinge (2) is in the fully extended state. The locking buckle (9) is rotatably mounted on the female hinge (1) via the resolver output shaft (6), with one end elastically engaged with the elastic component and the other end having a second locking structure (91) that matches the first locking structure (21). The elastic component includes a support (8) and a compression spring (7) fitted on the support (8). One end of the support (8) is mounted on the female hinge (1), and the other end of the support (8) is connected to one end of the locking buckle (9). The compression spring (7) is in a compressed state and has a tendency to drive one end of the locking buckle (9) away from the female hinge (1). The resolver output shaft (6) is an eccentric shaft, which allows the distance by which the second locking structure (91) extends outside the female hinge (1) to be adjusted when the resolver output shaft (6) is rotated.

2. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second locking structure (91) is a bent structure, and the bending angle of the bent structure is 70° to 85°; The first locking structure (21) has a friction slope that matches the bending structure, and the inclination angle of the friction slope is 70° to 85°.

3. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second locking structure (91) and the first locking structure (21) are both polished when they are locked, so that their respective surfaces have a roughness that matches the locking condition.

4. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The resolver output shaft (6) is mounted on the female hinge (1) via a mounting base (11); The end of the resolver output shaft (6) has an operating structure (61) and the operating structure (61) is located outside the fixed base (11).

5. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The female hinge (1), male hinge (2), and locking buckle (9) are all made of titanium alloy.

6. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly uses a torsion spring (4).

7. The locking high-rigidity hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ends of the female hinge (1) and male hinge (2) away from the pin (3) each have a mounting structure, which is used to fix the hinge.

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