Flexible stowing method for solar wing in stowed condition

Abstract

The application provides a flexible stowing method for a solar wing in a stowed state, comprising the following steps: a, fixing and connecting the upper side of inner plates, middle plates and outer plates of the solar wing by using an upper fixing tool; b, fixing and connecting the lower side of the inner plates, the middle plates and the outer plates of the solar wing by using a lower fixing tool; c, fixing and connecting the left side of connecting frames, the inner plates, the middle plates and the outer plates of the solar wing by using a left fixing tool; d, fixing and connecting the right side of the connecting frames, the inner plates, the middle plates and the outer plates of the solar wing by using a right fixing tool; e, connecting the root hinge of the solar wing with the left fixing tool by using a root fixing tool; f, connecting and fixing the upper fixing tool, the lower fixing tool, the left fixing tool and the right fixing tool by using an overall fixing tool; g, suspending the solar wing and the tool assembly to the lifting arm of a moving vehicle; h, slowly driving the moving vehicle to the vicinity of a satellite; i, adjusting the lifting arm of the moving vehicle so that the pressing point of the solar wing is substantially aligned with the pressing base on the satellite; j, adjusting the pressing point to accurately adhere to the base of the satellite, and installing the solar wing pressing rod and the root hinge screw.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of satellite solar panel mounting technology, specifically a flexible satellite mounting method with the solar panels retracted. Background Technology

[0002] The typical method for installing a satellite solar array is as follows: First, the solar array and the simulation wall assembly are hoisted onto a support vehicle. The support vehicle is then pushed to the vicinity of an air-bearing platform or a hanging truss. The weight of each substrate of the solar array is balanced using an air-bearing device or a hanging device. The solar array is then manually deployed. After deployment, the solar array is detached from the simulation wall, the support vehicle and simulation wall are moved away, and the satellite is moved to the original position of the support vehicle. Finally, the hinge at the root of the solar array is connected to the satellite's drive mechanism, and the solar array is retracted and pressed tightly, thus completing the satellite installation task. Clearly, this conventional method requires a significant amount of ground equipment, such as a support vehicle, an air-bearing platform, an air source, substrate air-bearing devices, a truss, and substrate hanging devices; it also requires a considerable installation time, including the time for hoisting the simulation wall onto the support vehicle, adjusting the simulation wall's attitude before solar array deployment, and adjusting the satellite's attitude before docking the solar array with the satellite; and it also requires a relatively complex installation process. Therefore, this conventional method of solar wing satellite mounting makes the process complex, inefficient, time-consuming, and costly. Especially for models where launch time is limited but solar wing satellite mounting is required, there is an urgent need for a simple, fast, efficient, and low-cost method. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a flexible satellite mounting method for the retracted solar array, comprising a fixing assembly and a fixed solar array. The fixing assembly includes: an upper fixing fixture, a lower fixing fixture, a left fixing fixture, a right fixing fixture, a root fixing fixture, and an overall fixing fixture; wherein, the method includes:

[0004] a. Use the upper fixing fixture to fix and connect the inner plate, middle plate and the upper side of the outer plate of the solar panel;

[0005] b. Use the lower fixing fixture to fix and connect the lower side of the inner plate, middle plate and outer plate of the solar panel;

[0006] c. Use the left fixing fixture to fix and connect the left side of the solar panel's connecting frame, inner plate, middle plate, and outer plate;

[0007] d. Use the right-side fixing fixture to fix and connect the connecting frame, inner plate, middle plate and outer plate of the solar panel to the right side;

[0008] e. Connect the root hinge of the solar panel to the left fixing fixture using the root fixing fixture;

[0009] f. Connect and fix the upper fixed fixture, lower fixed fixture, left fixed fixture and right fixed fixture with an integral fixed fixture;

[0010] g. Suspend the solar panel and tooling assembly onto the boom of the mobile vehicle;

[0011] h. The mobile vehicle slowly moves to the vicinity of the satellite;

[0012] i. Adjust the boom of the moving vehicle up, down, left, right, forward and backward to make the solar panel clamping point basically aligned with the clamping base on the satellite;

[0013] j. Adjust the clamping point to ensure precise fit with the satellite base, and install the solar panel clamping rod and the root hinge screw.

[0014] In one possible implementation, mounting holes are pre-embedded on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of each base plate and connecting frame of the solar array, and mounting holes are pre-reserved on the side where the root hinge connects to the star.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the upper and lower fixed fixtures are positioned to avoid the upper and lower steel wire ropes and related parts of the solar panel, respectively, and the fixed fixtures are not fixed to the connecting frame.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the left and right fixed fixtures avoid the cables and cable supports between the left and right panels of the solar panel, and the fixed fixtures need to be fixed to the connecting frame.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the overall fixing fixture is larger than the solar wing in both length and width. The upper side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the upper fixing fixture of the solar wing, the lower side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the lower fixing fixture of the solar wing, the left side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the left fixing fixture of the solar wing, and the right side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the right fixing fixture of the solar wing.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the back of the overall fixing fixture has several windows for installing and operating the solar panel clamping rods, and a safety gap is left between the back of the overall fixing fixture and the outer plate of the solar panel; the upper side of the overall fixing fixture has a "cross" shaped attitude adjustment device connected to the hanging device; after the solar panel is hung, the attitude adjustment device is adjusted so that the horizontality of the solar panel is ≤0.5mm and the verticality is ≤0.5mm.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the mobile vehicle is equipped with casters at the bottom and a boom on the mobile vehicle, which enables the solar panels to move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. A spring scale is installed in the middle of the suspension device on the boom.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the mobile crane arm is adjusted in the dimensions of up, down, left, right, front, and back, so that all the clamping bushings on the solar panel substrate and connecting frame are basically aligned with all the bases on the satellite in the up, down, left, and right directions, with an up-down error ≤1mm, a left-right error ≤1mm, and a front-back gap ≤1mm.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the solar panel substrate is adjusted so that it is fully aligned with all the clamping bushings on the connecting frame and all the bases on the satellite in the up, down, left, right, front, and back directions. The mounting screws between the root hinge and the satellite are then tightened in sequence, and all clamping rods are installed.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The flexible satellite mounting method with the solar array in its retracted state provided by this invention effectively simplifies the solar array mounting process, improves the efficiency of solar array mounting, saves solar array mounting time, and reduces the cost of solar array mounting. Attached Figure Description

[0024] 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:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a flexible satellite mounting method with the solar array in the retracted state, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a four-sided fixing fixture for mounting solar panels provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of mounting a mobile vehicle-suspended solar array onto a satellite, as provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0028] 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 protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Please refer to... Figures 1 to 3The flexible satellite mounting method for the retracted solar array provided in this embodiment involves the following steps: b) using an upper fixing fixture to securely connect the upper sides of the inner, middle, and outer plates of the solar array together; c) using a lower fixing fixture to securely connect the lower sides of the inner, middle, and outer plates of the solar array together; d) using a left fixing fixture to securely connect the left side of the connecting frame, inner, middle, and outer plates of the solar array together; e) using a right fixing fixture to securely connect the right side of the connecting frame, inner, middle, and outer plates of the solar array together; and finally, using a root fixing fixture to secure the solar array... f. Connect the root hinge of the wing to the left fixed fixture; g. Connect and fix the four fixed fixtures (upper, lower, left, and right) using the overall fixed fixture; h. Suspend the solar array and fixture assembly onto the boom of the mobile vehicle; i. Slowly move the mobile vehicle to the vicinity of the satellite; j. Adjust the boom of the mobile vehicle up, down, left, right, forward, and backward to make the solar array clamping point basically aligned with the satellite base; k. The operator holds the solar array to further adjust the clamping point to ensure precise contact with the satellite base; l. Install the solar array clamping rod and root hinge screws; d. Remove all fixtures from the solar array.

[0030] The solar array 1 is initially assembled on the simulation wall 6 and transported to the satellite installation site. The upper fixing fixture 2 is used to fix and connect the inner plate 12, middle plate 13 and the upper side of the outer plate 14 of the solar array together. The upper fixing fixture 2 should avoid the upper steel wire rope and accessories of the solar array. When installing the screws, the tightening torque of the upper fixing fixture 2 should be applied according to the pull-out force that the embedded parts of the base plate screw hole can withstand. Since the connecting frame 11 is triangular, the upper side is oblique and the distance from the upper side of the base plate is far, so the fixing fixture does not need to be fixed to the upper oblique side of the connecting frame 11. The lower fixing fixture 3 is used to fix and connect the lower sides of the inner plate 12, middle plate 13 and outer plate 14 of the solar panel 1 together. The lower fixing fixture 3 should avoid the steel wire rope and accessories on the lower side of the solar panel. When installing the screws, the tightening torque should be applied according to the pull-out force that the embedded parts of the base plate screw hole can withstand. The base plate is a collective term for the inner plate 12, middle plate 13 and outer plate 14. Since the connecting frame 11 is triangular, the lower side is oblique and the distance from the lower side of the base plate is far, so the lower fixing fixture 3 does not need to be fixed to the lower oblique side of the connecting frame 11. The left fixing fixture 4 is used to fix and connect the connecting frame 11, inner plate 12, middle plate 13 and outer plate 14 of the solar panel together. The left fixing fixture 4 should avoid the cables and cable brackets between the left side plates of the solar panel. When installing the screws, the tightening torque of the left fixing fixture 4 should be applied according to the pull-out force that the embedded parts of the base plate screw hole can withstand. Since the left side of the connecting frame 11 is connected to the root hinge 21, and the root hinge 21 is offset, that is, the root hinge 21 is located on the left side of the base plate, the connecting frame 11 is basically flush with the base plate. Therefore, the left fixing fixture 4 needs to be fixed to the connecting frame 11. Use the right fixing fixture 5 to securely connect the connecting frame 11, inner plate 12, middle plate 13, and outer plate 14 of the solar array 1 together on the right. The right fixing fixture 5 must avoid the cables and cable brackets between the plates on the right side of the solar array 1. When installing the screws, the tightening torque of the right fixing fixture 5 should be applied according to the pull-out force that the embedded parts of the base plate screw holes can withstand. Since there is a reinforcing vertical beam on the right side of the connecting frame and it is close to the right side of the base plate, the right fixing fixture 5 must be fixed to the reinforcing vertical beam on the right side of the connecting frame 11. Use the root fixing fixture 15 to connect the root hinge 21 of the solar array 1 to the left fixing fixture 4. The root fixing fixture must avoid the mounting holes of the root hinge 21 and the satellite 7, and must avoid protrusions such as root cables and cable brackets.

[0031] The four fixing fixtures (top, bottom, left, and right) are connected and fixed using an integral fixing fixture 10. The integral fixing fixture 10 is larger in both length and width than the solar panel, has high rigidity, and is not easily deformed. The upper side of the integral fixing fixture 10 is connected to the upper fixing fixture 2 of the solar panel 1, the lower side of the integral fixing fixture 10 is connected to the lower fixing fixture 3 of the solar panel, the left side of the integral fixing fixture 10 is connected to the left fixing fixture 4 of the solar panel, and the right side of the integral fixing fixture 10 is connected to the right fixing fixture 5 of the solar panel. Several solar panel clamping rod installation operation windows are provided on the back of the integral fixing fixture 10, and sufficient safety clearance is provided between the back of the integral fixing fixture 10 and the outer panel 14 of the solar panel to avoid collision.

[0032] After securing the solar array with the integral fixing fixture 10, remove the screws between the solar array's root hinge 21 and the simulated wall 6, and remove all clamping rods. Suspend the solar array and fixture assembly onto the boom 19 of the mobile vehicle. The integral fixing fixture 10 has a cross-shaped attitude adjustment device connected to the suspension device on its upper side, which can adjust the overlap between the solar array's center of gravity and the suspension point. Adjust the attitude adjustment device so that the solar array 1's horizontality is ≤0.5mm and its verticality is ≤0.5mm. The mobile vehicle 20 has omnidirectional wheels at its bottom, enabling the mobile vehicle to perform large-scale, coarse-precision translational movements on the ground. The mobile vehicle 20 slowly moves to the vicinity of the satellite. During the movement, an operator must hold the solar array to prevent it from shaking violently. The suspension device on the boom 19 contains a spring scale 9 in the middle section, which can display the specific weight of the solar array and the fixing fixture, and also buffer the vibration of the solar array during the mobile vehicle's movement. The boom 19 can move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. After the solar array is moved to the satellite's vicinity, the boom 19 is adjusted up, down, left, right, forward, and backward to make the solar array clamping point bushing 16 basically aligned with the satellite clamping base 18, with an up-down error ≤1mm, a left-right error ≤1mm, and a front-back gap ≤1mm. During the adjustment of the boom 19, the operator must hold the solar array throughout the process to avoid collisions.

[0033] After the boom 19 is adjusted, the operator guides the solar array towards the satellite for close contact, and further adjusts the precise alignment of the solar array clamping point bushing 16 with the satellite clamping base 18, and the alignment of the satellite hinge base 17 with the mounting hole of the solar array root hinge 21. Once all the solar array clamping point bushings 16 are fully aligned with the satellite clamping base 18 in all directions (up, down, left, right, front, back), and once the satellite hinge base 17 is fully aligned with the mounting hole of the solar array root hinge 21, first tighten the mounting screws between the root hinge 21 and the satellite 7, and then install all the clamping rods. After the solar array 1 is installed on the satellite, the overall fixing fixture 10 should first be removed from the fixing fixtures around the solar array, and then moved away together with the boom 19 and the moving vehicle 20. Finally, the upper, lower, left, and right fixing fixtures around the solar array and the root hinge fixture should be removed.

[0034] 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 flexible satellite mounting method with solar arrays in a retracted state, characterized in that, It includes a fixing assembly and a fixed solar array. The fixing assembly includes: an upper fixing fixture, a lower fixing fixture, a left fixing fixture, a right fixing fixture, a root fixing fixture, and an overall fixing fixture; wherein, the method includes: a. Use the upper fixing fixture to fix and connect the inner plate, middle plate and the upper side of the outer plate of the solar panel; b. Use the lower fixing fixture to fix and connect the lower side of the inner plate, middle plate and outer plate of the solar panel; c. Use the left fixing fixture to fix and connect the left side of the solar panel's connecting frame, inner plate, middle plate, and outer plate; d. Use the right-side fixing fixture to fix and connect the connecting frame, inner plate, middle plate and outer plate of the solar panel to the right side; e. Connect the root hinge of the solar panel to the left fixing fixture using the root fixing fixture; f. Connect and fix the upper fixed fixture, lower fixed fixture, left fixed fixture and right fixed fixture with an integral fixed fixture; g. Suspend the solar panel and tooling assembly onto the boom of the mobile vehicle; h. The mobile vehicle slowly moves to the vicinity of the satellite; i. Adjust the boom of the moving vehicle up, down, left, right, forward and backward to make the solar panel clamping point basically aligned with the clamping base on the satellite; j. Adjust the clamping point to precisely fit the clamping base on the satellite, and install the solar panel clamping rod and the root hinge screw.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Mounting holes are pre-embedded on the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the inner, middle, and outer panels of the solar array and the connecting frame. Mounting holes are also pre-reserved on the side of the root hinge that connects to the satellite.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper and lower fixed fixtures are positioned to avoid the upper and lower steel wire ropes and accessories on the solar panel, respectively, and the fixed fixtures are not fixed to the connecting frame.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The left and right fixed fixtures should avoid the cables and cable supports between the left and right panels of the solar panel. The fixed fixtures should be fixed to the connecting frame.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The overall fixing fixture is longer and wider than the solar panel. The upper side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the upper fixing fixture of the solar panel, the lower side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the lower fixing fixture of the solar panel, the left side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the left fixing fixture of the solar panel, and the right side of the overall fixing fixture is connected to the right fixing fixture of the solar panel.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The back of the overall fixing fixture has several windows for installing and operating the solar panel clamping rods. A safety gap is left between the back of the overall fixing fixture and the outer plate of the solar panel. The upper side of the overall fixing fixture has a "cross" shaped attitude adjustment device that connects to the hanging device on the boom. After the solar panel is hung, the attitude adjustment device is adjusted so that the horizontality of the solar panel is ≤0.5mm and the verticality is ≤0.5mm.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mobile vehicle is equipped with casters at the bottom and a boom on the vehicle, which allows the solar panels to move up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. A spring scale is installed in the middle of the suspension device on the boom.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adjust the mobile crane arm in the vertical, horizontal, front and back dimensions to ensure that all clamping bushings on the inner, middle, and outer panels of the solar array and the connecting frame are basically aligned with all clamping bases on the satellite in the vertical and horizontal directions, with a vertical error ≤1mm, a horizontal error ≤1mm, and a front and back gap ≤1mm.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Adjust the inner, middle, and outer panels of the solar array to ensure they are fully aligned with all clamping bushings on the connecting frame and all clamping bases on the satellite in all directions (up, down, left, right, front, and back). Tighten the mounting screws between the root hinge and the satellite in sequence, and install all clamping rods.

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