Small satellite solar wing deployment locking mechanism and usage method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a small satellite solar wing deployment locking mechanism, comprising: a male hinge, a female hinge, a rotary shaft connecting the male hinge and the female hinge, a micro switch installed on the female hinge, a power wheel installed on the male hinge, a constant torque spring installed on the power wheel, a support shaft to prevent the constant torque spring from folding, a leaf spring hook that acts as a lock, etc. The deployment locking mechanism performs folding and deployment actions around the rotary shaft. During the deployment process, the male hinge and the female hinge are deployed around the rotary shaft under the drive of the constant torque spring. When the maximum deployment angle is reached, the two leaf spring hooks hook the two wedge-shaped bosses on the female hinge, and the locking action of the deployment locking mechanism is completed. When the deployment locking mechanism is folded, the leaf spring hooks need to be unlocked in advance and then slowly folded. The present invention has the advantages of compact structure, high reliability, light weight, small size, and low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of aerospace satellites, and in particular relates to a small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Solar panels are a vital component of satellites. Reliable deployment of solar panels in orbit is a hallmark of a successful satellite launch. The deployment and locking mechanism is crucial for keeping the panels deployed. Traditional deployment and locking mechanisms often utilize a scroll spring structure, which is large, heavy, and complex. This increases system weight and space requirements, wasting both weight and space resources. Furthermore, the deployment and locking mechanism is difficult to assemble during solar panel assembly, making it susceptible to knocks and bumps, reducing product reliability. This makes it difficult to apply to small satellites, which have strict constraints on envelope size, overall mass, and rapid assembly. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: In response to the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism and a method of use, which has the characteristics of compact structure, high reliability, light weight, small size and low cost.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: a small satellite solar wing deployment locking mechanism, comprising a female hinge, a male hinge, a rotary shaft, a micro switch, a constant torque spring, a support shaft, a leaf spring hook, a power wheel and a stopper;

[0005] The female hinge is rotatably connected to the male hinge through a rotating shaft, and the micro switch is installed on the female hinge; the power wheel is installed on the male hinge, located at one end of the rotating shaft; one end of the constant torque spring is fixed on the power wheel, and the other end is naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft, so that the support shaft forms an expansion torque around the power wheel; the support shaft is installed on the side of the female hinge to prevent the constant torque spring from retracting; the leaf spring hook is used to lock the female hinge and the male hinge; the stop block is fixedly installed on the male hinge to trigger the micro switch after it is deployed into place.

[0006] Furthermore, when the male hinge is fixed, the female hinge obtains a constant expansion torque through the constant torque spring; when the female hinge is fixed, the male hinge obtains a constant expansion torque through the constant torque spring.

[0007] Furthermore, both the female hinge piece and the male hinge piece are provided with a limit table. When the female hinge piece and the male hinge piece are unfolded to a position with an included angle of 180 degrees, the female hinge piece collides with the limit table of the male hinge piece to prevent the female hinge piece and the male hinge piece from continuing to unfold, thereby ensuring a 180-degree unfolding angle.

[0008] Furthermore, the leaf spring hook is in the form of a cantilever beam, which is installed on the male hinge, and positioning holes are respectively provided at both ends of the leaf spring hook.

[0009] Furthermore, two wedge-shaped bosses for locking are provided on the female hinge. When the unfolding and locking mechanism is unfolded to a 180-degree position, the leaf spring hook hooks the wedge-shaped bosses, and the unfolding and locking mechanism is in a locked state.

[0010] Furthermore, when the deployment locking mechanism is in the folded state, the button of the microswitch is not pressed, the microswitch is in the disconnected state, and a corresponding switch status signal is provided to the satellite; when the deployment locking mechanism is in the deployed state, the button of the microswitch is pressed by the block, the microswitch is in the closed state, and a corresponding switch status signal is provided to the satellite.

[0011] Furthermore, the power wheel is coaxial with the rotating shaft, and the distance between the rotating shaft and the support shaft is maintained at a constant value, which is related to the diameter size of the power wheel.

[0012] The method for using the small satellite solar wing deployment locking mechanism includes:

[0013] The deployment locking mechanism is installed on the solar wing base plate. The initial state is the folded state. The button of the micro switch is not pressed and the micro switch is in the off state. The constant torque spring is folded on the power wheel, and the other end is naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft. The support shaft forms an deployment torque around the power wheel.

[0014] The deployment locking mechanism gradually deploys the solar wing base plate under the drive of the deployment torque. During the deployment process, the leaf spring hook gradually moves closer to the wedge-shaped boss on the female hinge, and the stopper gradually moves closer to the micro switch.

[0015] When the deployment locking mechanism is deployed to the 180-degree position, the female hinge collides with the limit table on the male hinge, preventing the deployment locking mechanism from further deployment. At this time, the leaf spring hook hooks the wedge-shaped boss on the female hinge, and the deployment locking mechanism is in a locked state. The button of the micro switch is pressed by the block, the micro switch is in a closed state, and a corresponding switch state signal is provided to the satellite.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] (1) The deployment and locking mechanism of the present invention uses a small number of components and has the characteristics of compact structure, light weight, small size, high reliability and low cost;

[0018] (2) The deployment locking mechanism of the present invention adopts a constant torque spring, which has the characteristics of stable output torque and small deployment impact. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the unfolded state of the solar wing unfolding and locking mechanism of the small satellite of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the folded state of the solar wing locking mechanism of a small satellite according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following is a detailed description of the solar panel deployment and locking mechanism for small satellites proposed by the present invention, combined 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 drawings are highly simplified and not to exact ratios, and are intended solely to facilitate and clarify the purpose of illustrating the embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a small satellite solar wing deployment locking mechanism of the present invention includes a female hinge 1, a male hinge 9, a rotating shaft 3 connecting the female hinge 1 and the male hinge 9, a micro switch 2 mounted on the female hinge 1, a power wheel 7 mounted on the male hinge 9, a constant torque spring 4 mounted on the power wheel 7, a support shaft 5 to prevent the constant torque spring 4 from retracting, a leaf spring hook 6 that acts as a lock, and a block 8 that triggers the micro switch 2 after deployment. The constant torque spring 4 is made of 3Cr19Ni9Mo2N. The constant torque spring 4 is wound around the power wheel 7, which has a diameter of Φ25mm. The power wheel 7 is coaxial with the rotating shaft 3, and the distance between the rotating shaft 3 and the support shaft 5 is maintained at a constant value of 18mm.

[0024] The female hinge piece 1 and the male hinge piece 9 both have hard limit surfaces. When the deployment locking mechanism is deployed to the maximum 180-degree position, the female hinge piece 1 collides with the hard limit surfaces of the male hinge piece 9 to prevent the deployment locking mechanism from further deployment, thereby obtaining an accurate 180-degree deployment angle.

[0025] One end of the constant torque spring 4 is fixed to the power wheel 7 by a screw, and the other end is naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft 5. The outer ring of the support shaft 5 is provided with a sliding copper sleeve, which can ensure rolling friction between the constant torque spring 4 and the copper sleeve, and form a constant expansion torque between the support shaft 5 and the power wheel 7.

[0026] The support shaft 5 is fixedly connected to the female hinge piece 1, and the power wheel 7 is fixedly connected to the male hinge piece 9. Therefore, when the male hinge piece 9 is fixed, the female hinge piece 1 obtains a constant expansion torque. Conversely, when the female hinge piece 1 is fixed, the male hinge piece 9 also obtains a constant expansion torque.

[0027] The female hinge 1 has two wedge-shaped projections at unique angles for locking. The leaf spring hook 6 is a cantilever beam with a certain degree of bending elasticity. When the deployment locking mechanism approaches its maximum angle, the leaf spring hook 6 slowly contacts the wedge-shaped projections and applies pressure to them. As the deployment locking mechanism extends to its maximum 180-degree position, the leaf spring hook 6 hooks onto the wedge-shaped projections, locking the deployment locking mechanism. Without manually unlocking the leaf spring hook 6, the deployment locking mechanism cannot retract under the action of the reverse torque.

[0028] The micro switch 2 is fixedly mounted on the female hinge 1, and the stopper 8 is fixedly mounted on the male hinge 9. When the deployment locking mechanism is in the retracted state, the button of the micro switch 2 is not pressed, the micro switch is in the open state, and a corresponding switch status signal is provided to the satellite. When the deployment locking mechanism is in the deployed state, the button of the micro switch 2 is pressed by the stopper 8, the micro switch is in the closed state, and a corresponding switch status signal is provided to the satellite.

[0029] A method for using a deployment locking mechanism for a small satellite solar wing includes: The initial state of the present invention is a retracted state, in which the button of the microswitch 2 is not pressed and the microswitch is in an open state. At this time, the constant torque spring 4 is retracted on the power wheel 7, with the other end naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft 5. The support shaft 5 forms a constant deployment torque around the power wheel 7. Driven by the deployment torque, the deployment locking mechanism gradually deploys the solar wing base plate. During deployment, the leaf spring hook 6 gradually approaches the wedge-shaped boss on the female hinge 1, and the stopper 8 gradually moves toward the microswitch 2. When the deployment locking mechanism is deployed to its maximum 180-degree position, the female hinge 1 collides with the hard stop surface of the male hinge 9, preventing further deployment of the deployment locking mechanism to achieve a precise 180-degree deployment angle. At this point, the leaf spring hook 6 engages the wedge-shaped boss, locking the deployment locking mechanism. The button of the microswitch 2 is pressed by the stopper 8, closing the microswitch and providing a corresponding switch status signal to the satellite.

[0030] Parts of the present invention that are not described in detail belong to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism, characterized by: It comprises a female hinge (1), a male hinge (9), a rotary shaft (3), a micro switch (2), a constant torque spring (4), a support shaft (5), a leaf spring hook (6), a power wheel (7) and a stopper (8); The female hinge (1) is rotatably connected to the male hinge via a rotary shaft (3), and the micro switch (2) is mounted on the female hinge (1); the power wheel (7) is mounted on the male hinge (9) and is located at one end of the rotary shaft (3); one end of the constant torque spring (4) is fixed to the power wheel (7), and the other end is naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft (5), so that the support shaft (5) forms an expansion torque around the power wheel (7); the support shaft (5) is mounted on the side of the female hinge (1) and is used to prevent the constant torque spring (4) from being retracted; the leaf spring hook (6) is used to lock the female hinge (1) and the male hinge (9); the stopper (8) is fixedly mounted on the male hinge (9) and is used to trigger the micro switch (2) after being deployed into place.

2. A small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the male hinge piece (9) is fixed, the female hinge piece (1) obtains a constant unfolding torque through the constant torque spring (4); when the female hinge piece (1) is fixed, the male hinge piece (9) obtains a constant unfolding torque through the constant torque spring (4).

3. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The female hinge piece (1) and the male hinge piece (9) are both provided with a limiting table. When the female hinge piece (1) and the male hinge piece (9) are unfolded to a position at an angle of 180 degrees, the female hinge piece collides with the limiting table of the male hinge piece, preventing the female hinge piece (1) and the male hinge piece (9) from further unfolding, thereby ensuring an unfolding angle of 180 degrees.

4. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The leaf spring hook (6) is in the form of a cantilever beam and is mounted on the male hinge (9). Positioning holes are respectively provided at the two ends of the leaf spring hook (6).

5. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The female hinge (1) is provided with two wedge-shaped bosses for locking. When the unfolding locking mechanism is unfolded to a 180-degree position, the leaf spring hook (6) hooks the wedge-shaped bosses, and the unfolding locking mechanism is in a locked state.

6. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the unfolding locking mechanism is in the folded state, the button of the micro switch (2) is not pressed, the micro switch (2) is in the disconnected state, and provides a corresponding switch state signal to the satellite.

7. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the unfolding locking mechanism is in the unfolded state, the button of the micro switch (2) is pressed by the block, the micro switch is in the closed state, and a corresponding switch state signal is provided to the satellite.

8. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the constant torque spring (4) is 3Cr19Ni9Mo2N.

9. The small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power wheel (7) is coaxial with the rotary shaft (3), and the distance between the rotary shaft (3) and the support shaft (5) is maintained at a constant value, which is related to the diameter size of the power wheel (7).

10. A method for using a small satellite solar wing deployment and locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: The deployment locking mechanism is mounted on the solar wing base plate, the initial state is a folded state, the button of the micro switch (2) is not pressed, the micro switch (2) is in an off state, the constant torque spring (4) is folded on the power wheel (7), the other end is naturally curled and blocked by the support shaft (5), and the support shaft (5) forms an deployment torque around the power wheel (7); The unfolding locking mechanism gradually unfolds the solar wing base plate under the drive of the unfolding torque. During the unfolding process, the leaf spring hook (6) gradually moves closer to the wedge-shaped boss on the female hinge (1), and the stopper (8) gradually moves closer to the micro switch (2). When the deployment locking mechanism is deployed to a 180-degree position, the female hinge (1) collides with the limit table on the male hinge (9), preventing the deployment locking mechanism from further deployment. At this time, the leaf spring hook (6) hooks the wedge-shaped boss on the female hinge (1), the deployment locking mechanism is in a locked state, the button of the micro switch (2) is pressed by the block (8), the micro switch (2) is in a closed state, and a corresponding switch state signal is provided to the satellite.

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