A telescope primary mirror protection device

Abstract

The application provides a telescope main mirror protection device, which comprises a support frame, a protection cover plate hinged to the support frame on one side of a mirror surface, the protection cover plate comprising a first cover plate and a second cover plate arranged in a folding manner, a driving mechanism connected to the protection cover plate, the driving mechanism being capable of controlling the first cover plate and the second cover plate to rotate, so that the first cover plate and the second cover plate are unfolded to cover the main mirror surface or are folded to expose the main mirror surface, and the first cover plate and the second cover plate are arranged in a folding manner on one side of the mirror surface when the telescope is not used, so that the structure of the protection device is more compact, the volume occupied by the protection device is reduced, and the driving mechanism can drive the protection cover plate to be unfolded or folded, so that the user does not need to manually unfold or fold the large-sized protection cover plate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of telescope protection technology, and in particular to a telescope primary mirror protection device. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of astronomy, the demand for large-aperture telescopes will inevitably increase in the future. Larger apertures mean the ability to collect more optical information and detail, allowing for a clearer and more distant view, enabling the observation of fainter targets and astronomical events in the distant universe. However, traditional large-aperture monolithic primary mirrors are limited by manufacturing processes, costs, and transportation, preventing unlimited increases in aperture. Currently, the largest monolithic primary mirror manufactured in the world has a diameter of 8.2 meters. Therefore, combining a series of easily manufactured small-aperture systems into a large-aperture optical system through optical synthesis methods such as mirror splicing and sparse apertures represents the future development trend of large-aperture telescopes.

[0003] The primary mirror, with its large aperture, high cost, and long manufacturing cycle, is a critical component of the optical system. Therefore, it requires meticulous protection during actual telescope operation to prevent dust or dirt from falling onto the mirror surface, damaging the optical coating system, and affecting image quality. Once the mirror surface is severely contaminated, the processes of mirror cleaning and optical coating are complex and expensive.

[0004] For small-aperture optical systems, manual protective covers are generally used to protect the optical system. However, for larger-aperture optical systems, due to the large size and weight of the corresponding protective covers, it is difficult to manually close and seal them. Therefore, multiple protective covers are designed to be combined and spliced ​​to seal the optical system. The multiple protective covers generally cover the optical system mirrors through straight sliding or rotational movements. The structure that drives the protective covers to make the corresponding movements generally occupies a large space, resulting in a non-compact structure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the technical problem in the prior art that for large-diameter optical systems, due to the large size and weight of the corresponding protective cover structure, it is difficult to manually close and seal the protective cover. In addition, the structure that drives the protective cover to make corresponding movements to cover the optical system mirror through multiple protective covers generally occupies a large space and has a non-compact structure.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a telescope primary mirror protection device, which includes: a support frame; a protective cover plate disposed on one side of the mirror surface and hinged to the support frame; the protective cover plate includes a first cover plate and a second cover plate that are folded; and a driving mechanism connected to the protective cover plate, the driving mechanism being able to control the rotation of the first cover plate and the second cover plate, so that the first cover plate and the second cover plate unfold to cover the primary mirror surface or fold to expose the primary mirror surface.

[0007] Furthermore, the driving mechanism includes an active driving component and a driven driving component. The active driving component acts on the first cover plate and can drive the first cover plate to rotate around the support frame. The driven driving component acts on the second cover plate. When the first cover plate rotates, the driven driving component drives the second cover plate to rotate.

[0008] Furthermore, the driven component has a drive member that is hinged to the first cover plate and connected to the second cover plate. When the first cover plate rotates, the drive member rotates and pulls the second cover plate, causing the second cover plate to rotate so that the protective cover plate can be unfolded or folded.

[0009] Furthermore, the driven assembly includes a first link hinged to the support frame, a second link with one end hinged to the side of the first cover plate away from the support frame, and the other end hinged to the side of the first link away from the support frame. The rotational surface formed by the rotation of the first link is parallel to the rotational surface of the first cover plate, and the axis of the second link is parallel to the straight line connecting the first cover plate and the hinge point of the first link away from the second link.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a third link, with one end of the second link hinged to the side of the second link away from the first cover plate, and the other end of the third link connected to the second cover plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the active drive component is a telescopic drive component, which is driven to connect with the first cover plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the telescopic drive component is a hydraulic cylinder.

[0013] Furthermore, the drive mechanism has two sets, distributed on both sides of the protective cover.

[0014] Furthermore, a fixed shaft connects the second connecting rods on opposite sides, and the end of the third connecting rod away from the second cover plate is hinged to the fixed shaft.

[0015] Furthermore, it also includes a buffer mechanism, which is located on the side of the first cover plate away from the main mirror. The buffer mechanism includes a gas spring fixedly mounted on the first cover plate, a fourth connecting rod with one end hinged to the output end of the gas spring and the other end hinged to a fixed shaft.

[0016] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the first and second cover plates are folded, so that when the telescope is not used, the protective cover plate can be folded and arranged on one side of the mirror, thereby making the structure of the protective device more compact and reducing the volume occupied by the protective device. Furthermore, the driving mechanism can drive the protective cover plate to unfold or fold, eliminating the need for the user to manually unfold or fold the large-sized protective cover plate. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the folded state of the protective cover plate of the splicing primary mirror provided in this application.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the protective cover plate of the splicing primary mirror provided in this application.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the folded state of the protective cover provided in this application.

[0020] Figure 4 This is an enlarged view of the protective cover plate provided in this application in its folded state.

[0021] Figure 5 This is an enlarged view of the protective cover provided in this application in its folded state from another angle.

[0022] Figure 6 This is an enlarged view of the protective cover plate provided in this application in its unfolded state.

[0023] The reference numerals in the attached drawings are explained as follows: 1. Mirror chamber; 11. Mirror surface; 2. Support frame; 21. Protective cover plate; 211. First cover plate; 212. Second cover plate; 3. Drive mechanism; 31. Hydraulic cylinder; 32. First connecting rod; 33. Second connecting rod; 331. Fixed shaft; 34. Third connecting rod; 4. Gas spring; 41. Fourth connecting rod. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various variations in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations herein are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the present invention.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0026] To further illustrate the principles and structure of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Please see Figure 1-2 This invention provides a primary mirror protection device for a telescope. This primary mirror protection device is applied to a large-aperture telescope. As shown in the figure, the primary mirror of the large-aperture telescope mainly consists of multiple circular spliced ​​mirrors 11 and mirror chambers 1 corresponding to the mirrors 11. The number of mirrors 11 and mirror chambers 1 is 7. The number of spliced ​​mirrors 11 can be adjusted appropriately as needed. The shape of the mirrors 11 is not limited to circular, but can also be fan-shaped, hexagonal, etc., to ensure that the splicing forms a good optical surface shape and imaging effect. The number of the above-mentioned primary mirror protection devices corresponds to the number of mirrors 11. The structures of multiple sets of primary mirror protection devices are the same. One of the protection devices will be described below.

[0028] This application provides a protective device for the primary mirror of a telescope, such as... Figure 1-6 As shown, it includes a support frame 2 and a foldable protective cover 21 hinged to the support frame 2. The protective cover 21 is located on one side of the mirror surface 11. When unfolded, the protective cover 21 covers the main mirror surface 11 to achieve safety protection for the main mirror. When the main mirror needs to be used, the protective cover 21 is folded to expose the main mirror surface 11.

[0029] It also includes a drive mechanism 3, which is connected to the protective cover plate 21 and is used to control the unfolding or folding of the protective cover plate 21. The protective cover plate 21 includes a first cover plate 211 and a second cover plate 212 that are folded together. One end of the first cover plate 211 is hinged to the support frame 2, and the other end is hinged to the second cover plate 212. The drive mechanism 3 is connected to the first cover plate 211 and the second cover plate 212. When the protective cover plate 21 is unfolded, the drive mechanism 3 drives the first cover plate 211 and the second cover plate 212 to rotate, so that the first cover plate 211 rotates closer to the main mirror surface 11, and at the same time drives the free end of the second cover plate 212 to rotate away from the first cover plate 211, thereby unfolding the protective cover plate 21. When the protective cover 21 is unfolded, it covers the mirror surface 11. When the protective cover 21 is folded, the drive mechanism 3 drives the first cover 211 to rotate away from the mirror surface 11, and at the same time drives the second cover 212 to rotate closer to the first cover 211, so that the protective cover 21 is folded. The folded first cover 211 and second cover 212 can be arranged on one side of the mirror surface 11 when the telescope is not needed, so that the structure of the protective device is more compact and the volume occupied by the protective device is reduced. Moreover, the drive mechanism 3 can drive the protective cover 21 to unfold or fold without the user having to manually unfold or fold the large protective cover 21.

[0030] The aforementioned drive mechanism 3 includes an active drive component and a driven drive component. The active drive component acts on the first cover plate 211 and can drive the first cover plate 211 to reciprocate around the hinge point between it and the support frame 2. The driven component acts on the second cover plate 212 and can cause one end of the second cover plate 212 to rotate closer to or away from the first cover plate 211. When the first cover plate 211 rotates, the driven drive component drives the second cover plate 212 to rotate.

[0031] The aforementioned active drive component can be a motor (not shown in the figure), which is driven by the first cover plate 211. Specifically, the motor can be a geared motor or a stepper motor. In this embodiment, the first cover plate 211 has a fixedly installed drive shaft. The first cover plate 211 is hinged to the support frame 2 through the drive shaft. The geared motor and the stepper motor can be directly or indirectly connected to the drive shaft of the first cover plate 211. Both connection methods can drive the first cover plate 211 to reciprocate.

[0032] The aforementioned active drive component is preferably a telescopic drive component that can be telescopically driven. The telescopic drive component can be any one of an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder 31. Preferably, the telescopic drive component is a hydraulic cylinder 31. The hydraulic cylinder 31 has a mounting end and an output end. The output end of the hydraulic cylinder 31 is connected to the first cover plate 211. The first cover plate 211 is driven to reciprocate by moving the output end. The mounting end of the hydraulic cylinder 31 can be hinged to the support frame 2 or hinged to the outer wall of the mirror chamber 1 as shown in the figure. The telescopic transmission of the hydraulic cylinder 31 is stable and reliable, and it does not require motor drive or electrical control. It has a low failure rate and high reliability.

[0033] In a further embodiment, the aforementioned drive mechanism 3 has two sets, such as... Figure 4-5 As shown, two sets of drive mechanisms 3 are distributed on both sides of the protective cover plate 21. The telescopic drive components in both sets of drive mechanisms 3 are connected to the first cover plate 211. Compared with one set of drive mechanisms 3, two sets of drive mechanisms 3 can make the protective cover plate 21 more evenly stressed and increase the stability of the protective cover plate 21. The telescopic drive components in the two sets of drive mechanisms 3 can support both sides of the first cover plate 211 and enhance the structural strength of the protective cover plate 21.

[0034] To further explain, the aforementioned driven assembly has a drive member that is hinged to the side of the first cover plate 211 away from the support frame 2. The drive member is connected to the second cover plate 212. When the first cover plate 211 rotates, the drive member will rotate accordingly. That is, the rotation of the first cover plate 211 can drive the drive member to rotate on the first cover plate 211. The rotation of the drive member will pull the second cover plate 212, causing the second cover plate 212 to rotate, so that the protective cover plate 21 can be unfolded or folded.

[0035] The connection between the aforementioned driving component and the second cover plate 212 can be a rigid connection, for example, the driving component is connected to the second cover plate 212 via a connecting rod, and the second cover plate 212 is rotated by pulling the connecting rod. Alternatively, it can be a flexible connection, for example, the driving component is connected to the second cover plate 212 via a pull rope, and the second cover plate 212 is rotated by pulling the pull rope. The rigid connection method can make the rotation of the second cover plate 212 more stable, and when the driving component stops moving, the driving component can also lock the second cover plate 212 via the connecting rod, which can prevent the second cover plate 212 from rotating under the action of external force. The flexible connection method can reduce production costs.

[0036] Specifically, the driven assembly includes a first link 32 hinged to the support frame 2, a second link 33 with one end hinged to the side of the first cover plate 211 away from the support frame 2, and the other end hinged to the side of the first link 32 away from the support frame 2. The first link 32 is parallel to the first cover plate 211, and the rotational surface formed by the rotation of the first link 32 is parallel to the rotational surface of the first cover plate 211. The axis of the second link 33 is parallel to the hinge of the first cover plate 211 and the first link 32 away from the support frame 2. The straight lines connecting the joints are parallel, thus forming a parallelogram structure with the first cover plate 211, the first connecting rod 32, and the second connecting rod 33. When the first cover plate 211 and the first connecting rod 32 rotate, the second connecting rod 33 is always parallel to the straight line connecting the hinge of the first cover plate 211 and the first connecting rod 32 away from the second connecting rod 33. Thus, the rotation of the first cover plate 211 will cause the angle between the second connecting rod 33 and the first cover plate 211 to change, thereby causing the second connecting rod 33 to rotate around the first cover plate 211.

[0037] The second connecting rod 33 is connected to the second cover plate 212. When the second connecting rod 33 rotates, it pulls the second cover plate 212, causing the second cover plate 212 to rotate.

[0038] It also includes a third link 34, with the side of the second link 33 away from the first cover plate 211 hinged to one end of the third link 34, and the other end of the third link 34 hinged to the second cover plate 212. The rotation of the second link 33 drives the second cover plate 212 to rotate through the third link 34.

[0039] Furthermore, when the drive mechanism 3 has two sets distributed on both sides of the protective cover plate 21, a fixed shaft 331 can also be set between the second connecting rods 33 on opposite sides. The two ends of the fixed shaft 331 are connected to the second connecting rods 33 on both sides. The rotation of the second connecting rods 33 on both sides can drive the fixed shaft 331 to rotate. The end of the third connecting rod 34 mentioned above that is away from the second cover plate 212 is hinged to the fixed shaft 331. The second connecting rod 33 pulls the third connecting rod 34 through the fixed shaft 331. The setting of the fixed shaft 331 can make the third connecting rod 34 not need to be set close to the second connecting rod 33, and can make the setting position of the third connecting rod 34 more flexible and changeable, and can adjust the layout of the structure to make the layout of the structure more reasonable and beautiful.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, a buffer mechanism is also included. The buffer mechanism mainly buffers the movement of the protective cover 21 during folding or unfolding, so that the movement of the protective cover 21 is smooth and reliable when unfolding or closing.

[0041] Specifically, the aforementioned buffer mechanism includes a gas spring 4 located on the side of the protective cover 21 away from the main mirror, a fourth connecting rod 41 with one end hinged to the gas spring output end and the other end hinged to the fixed shaft 331. When the protective cover 21 is folded or unfolded, the second connecting rod 33 drives the fixed shaft 331 to rotate. The gas spring 4 buffers the rotating fixed shaft 331 through the fourth connecting rod 41, thereby buffering the protective cover 21. When the protective cover 21 is folded, the output end of the gas spring 4 is in a pulled-out state. When the protective cover 21 is unfolded, the output end of the gas spring 4 is in a compressed state.

[0042] The gas spring 4 can be a pneumatic gas spring 4 or a hydraulic gas spring 4, preferably a hydraulic gas spring 4, as the hydraulic gas spring 4 has a greater load-bearing capacity and is more suitable for large-sized protective covers 21.

[0043] The material of the aforementioned protective cover plate 21 can be carbon fiber, which has excellent strength and low density, to ensure the lightweight, stability and durability of the main mirror protective device to the greatest extent.

[0044] Although the invention has been described with reference to several typical embodiments, it should be understood that the terminology used is illustrative and exemplary, and not restrictive. Since the invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit or essence of the invention, it should be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any of the foregoing details, but should be interpreted broadly within the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims. Therefore, all variations and modifications falling within the scope of the claims or their equivalents should be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A protective device for a telescope primary mirror, characterized in that, Includes a support frame, a protective cover plate hinged to the support frame on one side of the mirror, the protective cover plate including a first cover plate and a second cover plate that are folded; and a drive mechanism connected to the protective cover plate, the drive mechanism can control the rotation of the first cover plate and the second cover plate to unfold and cover the main mirror surface or fold to expose the main mirror surface. The drive mechanism includes an active drive component and a driven drive component. The active drive component acts on the first cover plate and can drive the first cover plate to rotate around the support frame. The driven drive component acts on the second cover plate. When the first cover plate rotates, the driven drive component drives the second cover plate to rotate. The driven component has a drive member that is hinged to the first cover plate and connected to the second cover plate. When the first cover plate rotates, the drive member rotates and pulls the second cover plate, causing the second cover plate to rotate so that the protective cover plate can be unfolded or folded. The driven assembly includes a first link and a second link hinged to a support frame. One end of the second link is hinged to the side of the first cover plate away from the support frame, and the other end of the second link is hinged to the side of the first link away from the support frame. The rotation surface formed by the rotation of the first link is parallel to the rotation surface of the first cover plate. The axis of the second link is parallel to the straight line connecting the first cover plate and the hinge point of the first link away from the second link.

2. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a third link, one end of which is hinged to the side of the second link away from the first cover plate, and the other end of which is hinged to the second cover plate.

3. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The active drive component is a telescopic drive component, which is driven to connect with the first cover plate.

4. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The telescopic drive component is a hydraulic cylinder.

5. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The drive mechanism has two sets, distributed on both sides of the protective cover.

6. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, A fixed shaft connects the second connecting rods on opposite sides, and the end of the third connecting rod away from the second cover plate is hinged to the fixed shaft.

7. The telescope primary mirror protection device according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a buffer mechanism, which is located on the side of the first cover plate away from the main mirror. The buffer mechanism includes a gas spring and a fourth link. The gas spring is fixedly mounted on the first cover plate, one end of the fourth link is hinged to the output end of the gas spring, and the other end of the fourth link is hinged to the fixed shaft.

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