An intelligent driven deployable mesh antenna

Abstract

The present invention provides an intelligently driven deployable mesh antenna, comprising a metal reflective surface for reflecting signals and a support system for supporting the metal reflective surface, the support system comprising a cable net structure and a support structure; the cable net surface comprises a plurality of grid nodes, and the grid nodes between at least two layers of the cable net surface are connected by a tension matrix. A smart hinge is provided in the middle of the support rod, which is electrically driven to collapse or expand, thereby causing the support rod to collapse or expand; end hinges are provided at each end of the support rod, which deform to cause the triangular grid of the support surface to collapse or expand relative to adjacent triangular grids; tensioning assemblies are provided on the support surface, and the plurality of tensioning assemblies apply or remove in-plane tensioning force and longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension matrix to the cable net surface, thereby driving the tensioning and relaxation of the cable net structure, and in turn the tensioning and relaxation of the metal reflective surface on the cable net structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of deployable antennas, and in particular to an intelligently driven deployable mesh antenna. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of multifunctional satellite payloads, spacecraft such as mobile communications satellites, electronic reconnaissance satellites, data relay satellites, and microwave remote sensing satellites require space antennas with sufficiently high gain. To achieve high gain, space antennas must have the largest possible aperture and the highest possible precision. Currently, the primary deployable antennas used in space are mesh antennas, with specific structural forms including umbrella antennas, tensioned structure antennas, loop antennas, and gantry antennas. Traditional mesh antennas have low precision, with apertures typically ranging from 4 to 15 meters. These small- to medium-aperture, low-precision mesh deployable antennas have been widely used on various satellites, including geostationary communications satellites, electronic reconnaissance satellites, and tracking and data relay satellites.

[0003] With the development of deployable antenna technology, ultra-large aperture, high electromagnetic wave frequency deployable antennas (generally referring to those with an aperture of more than 30m and an electromagnetic wave frequency of more than 30GHz) have great application prospects. However, there are bottlenecks in the structural design of high-precision deployable antennas that can achieve such ultra-large apertures. The main bottlenecks include: (1) Currently, deployable antenna structures all have many mechanical hinges. The assembly clearance and freedom of movement of the mechanical hinges make it difficult to ensure the repeatable deployment accuracy of high-precision reflectors, and the stability is poor. (2) The cable net part of the pure cable net reflector system is made of ropes without any bending stiffness, so it is difficult to ensure the surface accuracy of the reflector. The larger the aperture, the more difficult it is to shape the reflector, and the more difficult it is to improve the accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above technical defects, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a more precise intelligent driven deployable mesh antenna.

[0005] The present invention discloses an intelligent driven deployable mesh antenna, comprising a metal reflective surface for reflecting signals and a support system for supporting the metal reflective surface, wherein the support system comprises a cable net structure and a bracket structure; the bracket structure comprises at least two layers of bracket surfaces, and the two / multi-layer bracket surfaces are connected by an intermediate rod; the cable net structure comprises at least two layers of cable net surfaces, and the cable net surfaces comprise a plurality of grid nodes, and the grid nodes between the at least two layers of cable net surfaces are connected by tension ropes, and the plurality of tension ropes form a tension matrix for tightening and loosening the cable net surfaces; the two / multi-layer cable net surfaces are arranged on both sides of the upper bracket surface of the bracket structure and are connected to the upper bracket surface; the bracket surface is a triangular grid surface, and the triangular grid is composed of three support rods. The support rods are connected end to end; an intelligent hinge is provided in the middle of the support rod, and the intelligent hinge is electrically driven to retract or expand, thereby causing the support rod to retract or expand; end hinges are provided at both ends of the support rod, and the end hinges are deformed, thereby causing the triangular grid to retract or expand relative to the adjacent triangular grids; a tensioning assembly is provided on the bracket surface, and a number of support points are provided on the cable net surface, and the tensioning assembly simultaneously connects a number of support points on two / multi-layer cable net surfaces; a number of the tensioning assemblies apply or cancel the in-plane tensioning force and the longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface, thereby driving the tensioning and relaxation of the cable net structure, and then driving the tensioning and relaxation of the metal reflective surface on the cable net structure.

[0006] Preferably, the support structure includes two layers, the upper support surface and the lower support surface are both polygonal.

[0007] Preferably, the tensioning assembly includes a first tensioning assembly and a second tensioning assembly; the first tensioning assembly is arranged at the edge of the bracket surface, and is used to apply or cancel the in-surface tensioning force to the cable net surface; the second tensioning assembly is arranged inside the bracket surface, and is used to apply or cancel the longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface.

[0008] Preferably, the cable net structure includes two layers, the upper and lower layers, and the support points include a first support point located at the boundary of the cable net surface; the first tensioning assembly includes two first actuators, and the two first actuators are respectively connected to the first support points of the upper cable net surface and the lower cable net surface; two vertices of the first tensioning assembly are respectively connected to the first linear motor, and the other vertex is connected to the support surface; the first actuator moves within the surface, thereby driving the in-plane tensioning and relaxation of the cable net surface.

[0009] Preferably, the first tensioning assembly includes a triangular support frame, which is connected to the first support points of the upper cable net surface and the lower cable net surface through two first actuators respectively; two vertices of the triangular support frame are respectively connected to the first linear motor, and the other vertex is connected to the support surface; the first actuator moves within the surface, thereby driving the in-plane tensioning and relaxation of the cable net surface.

[0010] Preferably, the support point includes a second support point located inside the cable net surface; the second tensioning assembly is respectively connected to the upper support surface and the upper cable net surface and the lower cable net surface on both sides of the support surface through two second actuators; the second actuator moves along the longitudinal direction of the tension array, thereby driving the longitudinal tensioning and relaxation of the two cable net surfaces relative to the tension array.

[0011] Preferably, each vertex of the triangular grid on the upper support surface is provided with the tensioning assembly.

[0012] Preferably, the end hinges are respectively provided at both ends of the intermediate rod, so that the intermediate rod is connected to the upper and lower support surfaces through the end hinges.

[0013] Compared with the existing technology, the above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0014] 1. The support rod described in the present invention is provided with an intelligent hinge in the middle, which is electrically driven to fold or unfold, thereby causing the support rod to fold or unfold; both ends of the support rod are provided with end hinges, which are deformed to cause the triangular grid to fold or unfold relative to the adjacent triangular grids. The unfolding drive hinge solves the gap problem of traditional mechanical hinges, thereby improving the repeatable unfolding accuracy of the entire unfoldable structure. The unfolding drive hinge behaves as a motion mechanism when folding and unfolding. After the antenna is fully unfolded into place, the drive mechanism behaves as a structural component, ensuring the required structural rigidity, which is conducive to the reliable and high-precision deployment of the antenna system and the on-orbit accuracy maintenance of the antenna reflector system.

[0015] 2. In the present invention, the tensioning assembly on the support structure tensions the cable net structure, thereby achieving loading and unloading of pre-tension within the double-layer cable net surface. Specifically, when the cable net system is relaxed, the entire antenna structure is retracted. After entering orbit, the deployment mechanism is driven in a no-load state, allowing the antenna support structure system to be deployed no-load. After deployment is completed, the actuator on the tensioning assembly moves to achieve loading of pre-tension within the double-layer cable net surface, tensioning and shaping the double-layer cable net surface, so that the metal reflective surface achieves the desired working geometry.

[0016] 3. The tensioning assembly can be installed at any connection point of the support surface, dividing the cable net surface into several modular subsystems. This can effectively improve the accuracy of the cable net reflector system and reduce the load on the boundary connection points. In addition, the two layers of the cable net surface are located on both sides of the upper support surface, ensuring that the internal stress of the upper and lower cable net surfaces is ultimately transmitted to the support surface as primarily axial force, minimizing bending moment on the rods within the system. This reduces elastic deformation of the support surface and facilitates high-precision manufacturing and ultimately maintains accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the upper support surface according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the lower support surface according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of the intermediate rod according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of the support structure of a preferred embodiment provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of the support structure of a preferred embodiment provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the distribution of the smart hinge on the support structure according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of an upper cable net surface according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of the lower cable net surface of a preferred embodiment provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of the support system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the support structure provided with the tensioning assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of the first tensioning assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 12A schematic structural diagram of the second tensioning assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention

[0029] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of a single modular structure formed by a triangular grid of the support structure of a preferred embodiment provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 14 A schematic structural diagram of the number of turns of the support structure provided in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 15 A schematic structural diagram of the support system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of the support system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Among them: 1-upper support surface 1, 101-upper support rod, 2-lower support surface, 201-lower support rod, 3-middle rod, 301-middle support rod, 4-smart hinge, 5-triangle vertex, 6-first support point, 7-second support point, 8-triangular grid, 9-cable, 10-tension array, 11-upper cable net surface, 12-lower cable net surface, 13-edge point of support surface, 14-inside point of support surface, 15-triangle support frame, 16-cable, 17-first tensioning assembly, 1701-first actuator, 18-second tensioning assembly, 1801-second actuator, 19-end hinge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The advantages of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all possible embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0036] The terms used in this disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining."

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, or it can be the internal communication between two components. It can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0040] In the following description, the suffixes such as "module", "component" or "unit" used to represent elements are only used to facilitate the description of the present invention and have no specific meaning. Therefore, "module" and "component" can be used interchangeably.

[0041] See attached Figure 1-16 The present invention discloses an intelligently driven, deployable mesh antenna comprising a metal reflective surface for reflecting signals and a support system for supporting the metal reflective surface. The support system comprises a cable net structure and a bracket structure. The cable net structure is a non-rigid structure that provides a certain in-plane tension to the metal reflective surface and determines the final geometric shape of the metal reflective surface. The cable net structure is made of an ultra-thin composite material with high modulus, low expansion, and effective bendability. The bracket structure is a rigid structure that provides rigid support for the cable net structure and the metal reflective surface, ensuring their geometric stability.

[0042] The support structure includes at least two layers of support surfaces, and the two / multi-layer support surfaces are connected by support rods of the middle rod member 3.

[0043] The cable net structure includes at least two layers of cable net surfaces, each of which includes a plurality of grid nodes. The grid nodes between at least two layers of cable net surfaces are connected by tension ropes, and the plurality of tension ropes form a tension matrix 10 for tightening and loosening the cable net surface.

[0044] The two-layer / multi-layer cable net surface is arranged on both sides of the upper support surface 1 of the support structure and is connected to the upper support surface 1. The design should try to ensure that the force ultimately transmitted by the upper and lower cable net surfaces to the support surface is basically in the axial direction of the connecting rod, and avoid the rods inside the system from being subjected to bending moments as much as possible, so as to achieve high-precision manufacturing and ultimate precision maintenance.

[0045] The support surface is a triangular grid surface, and the triangular grid 8 is formed by three support rods connected end to end, and the structure is stable. Figure 4-6 The upper support surface 1 includes an upper support rod 101, the lower support surface 2 includes a lower support rod 201, and the intermediate rod 3 includes an intermediate support rod 301. The middle portions of the upper support rod 101 and the lower support rod 201 are each provided with a smart hinge 4. The smart hinge 4 is electrically driven to fold or unfold, thereby causing the upper support rod 101 and the lower support rod 201 to fold or unfold. End hinges 19 are also provided at both ends of the upper support rod 101 and the lower support rod 201. When the smart hinge 4 is electrically driven to bend and unfold, the middle portions of the support rods of the triangular mesh 8 of the upper support surface and the triangular mesh 8 of the lower support surface perform synchronous bending and unfolding movements. At this time, the end hinges 19 at both ends of the upper support rod 101, the lower support rod 201, and the intermediate support rod 301 also perform synchronous bending and unfolding movements, achieving folding and unfolding of the upper and lower support surfaces, and thereby achieving folding and unfolding of the entire support structure.

[0046] The bracket surface is also used to balance the tensioning force of the cable net structure in the unfolded state. Specifically, a tensioning component is provided on the bracket surface, and a number of support points are provided on the cable net surface. The tensioning component simultaneously connects a number of support points on two / multi-layer cable net surfaces. The several tensioning components apply or cancel the in-plane tensioning force and the longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface, thereby driving the tensioning and relaxation of the cable net structure, and then driving the tensioning and relaxation of the metal reflective surface on the cable net structure.

[0047] Better, see attached Figure 1-2 , in a top view, the support structure includes two layers, the upper support surface 1 and the lower support surface 2 are both polygonal, such as hexagonal. Figure 3 , connect the triangular vertex 5 of the upper support surface with the triangular vertex 5 of the lower support surface 2 through the intermediate rod 3.

[0048] See attached Figure 4-5 The upper support surface 1, the lower support surface 2 and the middle rod 3 form the support structure of the present invention.

[0049] Better, see attached Figure 11-12 The tensioning assembly includes a first tensioning assembly 17 and a second tensioning assembly 18. The first tensioning assembly is arranged at the edge of the bracket surface, and is used to apply or cancel the in-surface tensioning force to the cable net surface; the second tensioning assembly is arranged inside the bracket surface, and is used to apply or cancel the longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface.

[0050] The cable net surface is also composed of triangular meshes 8. The nodes of the upper cable net surface 11 are distributed on the designed curved surface, forming a continuous concave surface. The lower cable net surface 12 uses internal and boundary support points as constraints. Through form-finding analysis, the geometry of the lower cable net surface 12 is determined to maintain system force balance. The lower cable net surface 12 is composed of multiple discontinuous convex surfaces. The design of the lower cable net surface 12 effectively reduces the cross-sectional distance between the lower cable net surface 12 and the upper cable net surface 11.

[0051] Preferably, the cable net structure comprises two upper and lower surfaces, with support points comprising a first support point 6 located at the edge of the cable net surface and a second support point 7 located within the surface. A first tensioning assembly 17 is connected to the first support point 6 and is used to apply or remove in-plane tension to the cable net surface; a second tensioning assembly 18 is connected to the second support point 7 and is used to apply or remove longitudinal tension relative to the tension matrix.

[0052] For details, see the attached Figure 13 The first tensioning assembly 17 located at the boundary of the cable net surface includes a triangular support frame 15, which is connected to the first support points of the upper cable net surface 11 and the lower cable net surface 12 respectively through two first actuators 1701; two vertices of the triangular support frame 15 are respectively connected to the first actuator 1701, and the other vertex is connected to the support surface; the first actuator 1701 moves within the surface, thereby driving the in-plane tensioning and relaxation of the cable net surface.

[0053] In other embodiments, the first tensioning assembly 17 may also be in other shapes, such as a quadrilateral or polygonal support frame.

[0054] See attached Figure 14 The second tensioning assembly 18 is connected to the upper support surface and the upper cable net surface 11 and the lower cable net surface 12 on both sides of the support surface through two second actuators 1801; the second actuator 1801 moves along the longitudinal direction of the tension array, thereby driving the longitudinal tensioning and relaxation of the two cable net surfaces relative to the tension array.

[0055] Preferably, any vertex of the triangular mesh 8 on the upper support surface can be provided with the tensioning assembly. Another preferred embodiment is to provide a tensioning assembly at each vertex of the triangular mesh 8 on the support surface.

[0056] The cable strap 16 connected to the first support point 6 of the upper cable net surface 11 is rigidly connected to the upper cable net surface 11 by thread fastening or gluing. The cable strap 16 connected to the first support point 6 of the lower cable net surface 12 is rigidly connected to the lower cable net surface 12 by thread fastening or gluing.

[0057] Preferably, each supporting point is connected to six cables 16 on the cable net surface.

[0058] See attached Figure 15 The double-layer cable net structure is divided into a modular structure by tensioning components, which can effectively improve the manufacturing accuracy of the cable net structure and is conducive to maintaining accuracy.

[0059] When the first actuator 1701 and the second actuator 1801 move, the internal tension of the double-layer cable net structure can be unloaded. When the cable net structure is basically relaxed, the overall antenna structure is retracted. After entering the orbit, the deployment mechanism is driven in a no-load state to deploy the antenna support structure. After deployment into place, the actuators on the first tensioning assembly and the second tensioning assembly are driven to move, realizing the internal tension loading of the double-layer cable net structure. The double-layer cable net structure is tensioned and formed to form the required working geometry.

[0060] The bracket surface is folded and collapsed, and deployed on-orbit with low impact and high precision, using a smart hinge 4. This smart hinge 4 eliminates mechanical play and acts as a motion driver during the entire antenna folding and unfolding process. Once deployed, the smart hinge 4 acts as part of the bracket structure, providing structural rigidity.

[0061] In the upper support surface 1 and the lower support surface 2, any triangle vertex 5 contains three hinges: end hinges 19 at each end of the support rod and a smart hinge 4 in the middle of the support rod. Each position near the triangle vertex 5 contains an end hinge 19, and the middle position of the triangle side contains a smart hinge 4. The middle rod 3 also contains two end hinges 19 at each end of the rod.

[0062] The present invention defines the number of turns of the support structure according to the number of turns of the upper support surface. The number of turns of the support structure can be adjusted according to the antenna diameter. Figure 14 , Figure 14 a is a 1-circle support structure. Figure 14 b is a 2-circle bracket structure. Figure 14 c is a 3-circle support structure. Figure 14 d is a 4-circle bracket structure.

[0063] See attached Figure 15-16 , which is a structural diagram of a support system of a multi-ring bracket structure of the present invention.

[0064] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention have better practicability and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Any technician familiar with the field may use the technical content disclosed above to change or modify it into an equivalent effective embodiment. However, any modification or equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent drive deployable mesh antenna, characterized in that: It includes a metal reflective surface for reflecting signals and a support system for supporting the metal reflective surface, wherein the support system includes a cable net structure and a bracket structure; The support structure comprises at least two layers of support surfaces, and the two / multiple layers of support surfaces are connected by an intermediate rod; The cable net structure comprises at least two layers of cable net surfaces, each of which comprises a plurality of grid nodes. The grid nodes between the at least two layers of cable net surfaces are connected by tension ropes, and the plurality of tension ropes form a tension matrix for tightening and loosening the cable net surface. The two / multi-layer cable net surfaces are arranged on both sides of the upper support surface of the support structure and connected to the upper support surface; The support surface is a triangular mesh surface, and the triangular mesh is formed by connecting three support rods end to end; a smart hinge is provided in the middle of the support rod, and the smart hinge is electrically driven to fold or unfold, thereby causing the support rod to fold or unfold; end hinges are provided at both ends of the support rod, and the end hinges are deformed to cause the triangular mesh to fold or unfold relative to the adjacent triangular mesh; A tensioning assembly is provided on the support surface, and a plurality of supporting points are provided on the cable net surface. The tensioning assembly simultaneously connects the plurality of supporting points on two or more layers of the cable net surface; the plurality of tensioning assemblies apply or cancel in-plane tensioning force and longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface, thereby driving the tensioning and relaxing of the cable net structure, and further driving the tensioning and relaxing of the metal reflective surface on the cable net structure; The tensioning assembly includes a first tensioning assembly and a second tensioning assembly; The first tensioning assembly is provided at the edge of the support surface and is used to apply or remove in-plane tensioning force to the cable net surface; The second tensioning assembly is disposed inside the support surface and is used to apply or remove a longitudinal tensioning force relative to the tension array to the cable net surface; The cable net structure includes two layers, upper and lower, and the support points include a first support point located at the boundary of the cable net surface; The first tensioning assembly includes a triangular support frame, and the triangular support frame is connected to the first support points of the upper cable net surface and the lower cable net surface respectively through two first linear motors; Two vertices of the triangular support frame are respectively connected to the first linear motor, and the other vertex is connected to the support surface; The first linear motor moves in a plane, thereby driving the in-plane tensioning and relaxation of the cable net surface.

2. The intelligent drive deployable mesh antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support structure includes two layers, the upper layer and the lower layer, and the support surface of the upper layer and the support surface of the lower layer are both polygonal.

3. The intelligent drive deployable mesh antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support points include a second support point located inside the cable net surface; The second tensioning assembly is connected to the upper support surface and the upper cable net surface and the lower cable net surface on both sides of the support surface respectively through two second linear motors; The second linear motor moves along the longitudinal direction of the tension array, thereby driving the longitudinal tensioning and relaxation of the two cable net surfaces relative to the tension array.

4. The intelligent drive deployable mesh antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each vertex of the triangular grid on the upper support surface is provided with the tensioning assembly.

5. The intelligent drive deployable mesh antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The end hinges are respectively provided at both ends of the intermediate rod, so that the intermediate rod and the upper and lower support surfaces are connected through the end hinges.

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