Pneumatically deployable structure and deployable battery array based on four-fold metamorphic origami

Abstract

The present invention discloses a pneumatically deployable structure and deployable battery array based on four-fold metamorphic origami. The pneumatically deployable structure comprises a flexible liner and multiple deployable modules. The flexible liner is a diamond-shaped tubular structure with one end open and the other closed. The multiple deployable modules are sequentially attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner along its length, with gaps between adjacent deployable modules forming transverse contact folds. The deployable modules comprise four identical rigid sheets, which are arranged on the four sides of the flexible liner along its circumference, with gaps between adjacent rigid sheets forming four longitudinal contact folds. The present invention combines the kinematic bifurcation characteristics of the transmission metamorphic origami mechanism with a lightweight pneumatic soft drive mechanism to generate multiple forms of metamorphic sequence motion under a single drive, significantly reducing the number of drives, weight, and manufacturing costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of deployable mechanisms, and in particular to a pneumatic deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami and a deployable battery array. Background Art

[0002] Deployable mechanisms can be collapsed into a compact configuration for storage and transport, then expanded to a larger size once positioned for extended range operations. These systems have broad application prospects in deployable space mechanisms, soft-deformable robots, origami robots, and origami structures. Traditional aerospace deployable mechanisms are mostly composed of rigid links connected by kinematic joints, achieving high load-bearing capacity and stiffness. They have been successfully applied in applications such as solar arrays, deployable satellite antennas, space extendable robotic arms, and drone-mounted robotic arms.

[0003] Traditional deployable systems have numerous rigid components and complex mechanical structures and power systems. This results in numerous drawbacks, including heavy system weight, a high number of actuators, high energy consumption, complex manufacturing processes, and high transportation costs. These limitations significantly restrict the application of deployable systems. Furthermore, many deployable systems may require additional motion tasks after deployment. Consequently, these deployable systems are typically designed with independent deployment and control motions, each driven by separate drive systems.

[0004] Existing deployable mechanisms utilize two independent actuators to perform the deployment and subsequent operational movements, often resulting in higher energy consumption, increased complexity, and a larger size. This is reflected in existing deployable manipulators, which often suffer from structural complexity, high cost, a low fold-to-expand ratio, and complex control. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a pneumatically deployable structure and a deployable battery array based on four-fold metamorphic origami, which combines the kinematic bifurcation characteristics of a traditional metamorphic origami mechanism with a lightweight pneumatic soft drive mechanism, and can achieve various forms of metamorphic sequence motion by a single drive.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned main objectives, the present invention provides, in a first aspect, a pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami. The pneumatically deployable structure includes a flexible liner and a plurality of deployable modules. The flexible liner is a diamond-shaped tubular structure with one end open and the other end closed. The plurality of deployable modules are sequentially attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner along the length direction of the flexible liner, with gaps between adjacent deployable modules to form transverse contact folds.

[0007] The expandable module includes four identical rigid sheets, which are respectively arranged on four sides of the flexible liner along the circumference of the flexible liner, with gaps between adjacent rigid sheets to form four longitudinal contact folds;

[0008] In the initial state, the four rigid sheets are arranged in pairs along the shorter diagonal of the flexible lining and are close to and in contact with each other. Adjacent expandable modules can be alternately folded around the collinear transverse contact creases, so that the pneumatic expandable structure is folded into a Z-shaped state. When expanding, air is inflated into the flexible lining, and multiple expandable modules are expanded around the collinear transverse contact creases until the longitudinal contact creases in the expandable modules are all collinear. The flexible lining is continued to be inflated, and the rigid sheets in the expandable modules rotate around the collinear longitudinal contact creases, so that the pneumatic expandable structure expands and expands along the shorter diagonal of the flexible lining.

[0009] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the lengths of the plurality of expandable modules along the length direction of the flexible liner are the same and / or different.

[0010] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the flexible liner is a flexible polyethylene film tube.

[0011] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the rigid sheet is a carbon fiber sheet.

[0012] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the rigid sheet is attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner in an adhesive manner.

[0013] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the number of expandable modules is 3-8.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention provides a deployable battery array, which includes a battery assembly and a pneumatic deployable structure based on the four-fold metamorphic origami described above for supporting the battery assembly.

[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The pneumatic deployable structure of the present invention is based on the kinematic bifurcation characteristics of four-fold metamorphic origami. In the initial state before inflation, adjacent deployable modules can be alternately folded around collinear transverse contact folds, so that the pneumatic deployable structure is folded into a Z-shaped state; during the inflation process, the pneumatic deployable structure first performs a Z-shaped deployment movement until the longitudinal contact folds in the deployable modules are all collinear, and then continues to inflate so that the pneumatic deployable structure expands and expands along the shorter diagonal of the flexible lining until it has a state with higher support stiffness; the pneumatic deployable structure of the present invention first generates an deployment movement when driven by a single air source and reaches the metamorphic state, and then changes to an expansion movement. It can realize a variety of sequential motion modes through overall drive, and at the same time has highly simplified deployability and a relatively high folding and unfolding ratio. It also has the advantages of greatly reduced number of drives, greatly reduced weight and greatly reduced manufacturing costs.

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the kinematic bifurcation characteristics of a four-fold metamorphic origami mechanism;

[0019] Figure 2 is the relationship between the angle of non-collinear creases and the origami stiffness in the four-crease metamorphic origami model;

[0020] Figure 3 is a diagram of the folded state of the pneumatically deployable structure embodiment of the present invention in the initial state;

[0021] Figure 4 2. It is a state diagram of the Z-shaped deployment of the pneumatically deployable structure embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a state diagram where the longitudinal contact creases in the deployable module are all collinear;

[0023] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the expansion and deployment state of an embodiment of the pneumatically deployable structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the use status of the supporting battery assembly of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0026] The crease space state, crease stiffness, and degree of motion of the inflatable metamorphic origami structure of the embodiment of the present invention satisfy the following variation rules: when the creases are collinear, the crease stiffness is minimum, and there is one degree of rotational freedom in the collinear direction; when the crease space is not collinear, the stiffness increases accordingly, and the corresponding degree of rotational freedom disappears.

[0027] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the following Figure 1 This paper describes the kinematic bifurcation characteristics of a four-fold metamorphic origami mechanism. If the thickness of the origami is negligible, when the origami is in the metamorphic state, it can be folded along either the collinear C2C4 creases or the collinear C1C3 creases. Once one set of collinear creases is selected for folding, the other set becomes non-collinear.

[0028] The relationship between the angle of the non-collinear folds of the origami model and the origami stiffness is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the figure: when the angle between folds C1C3 is 0°, the origami model has the maximum stiffness in the direction parallel to fold C1C3; when the origami model is unfolded around folds C2C4, as the angle between folds C1C3 gradually increases, the stiffness of the origami model in the direction of the bisector of the angle between folds C1C3 will gradually decrease; when folds C1C3 are collinear, the stiffness of the origami model in the direction of the bisector of the angle between folds C1C3 approaches 0, which means that folding movement can be generated around C1C3.

[0029] Based on the aforementioned principles, the pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami in this embodiment of the present invention can deploy under a single driving air pressure. The key characteristic of this motion pattern is its sequential nature, consisting of initial deployment around a first set of collinear transverse contact folds, followed by deployment around another set of collinear longitudinal contact folds as air pressure increases, effectively supporting large objects.

[0030] The pneumatically deployable structure 100 based on four-fold metamorphic origami of the embodiment is as follows Figure 3-6 As shown, it includes a flexible liner 101 and a plurality of expandable modules 102; wherein, the flexible liner 101 is a diamond-shaped tubular structure with one end open and the other end closed, and the plurality of expandable modules 102 are attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner 101 in sequence along the length direction of the flexible liner 101; wherein, when the pneumatic expandable structure 100 is fully inflated, the cross-section of the flexible liner 101 is diamond-shaped, and the diamond has two diagonals of different lengths. The purpose of such a setting is to enable the pneumatic expandable structure 100 to be expanded and folded in a preset manner under pneumatic control, and the entire expansion and folding process is repeatable.

[0031] Furthermore, the lengths of the multiple expandable modules 102 along the length of the flexible liner 101 are equal and / or different. To facilitate installation and connection, the lengths of two or more expandable modules 102 at the starting point (the open end of the flexible liner 101) are preferably different, while the lengths of two or more expandable modules 102 at the end point (the closed end of the flexible liner 101) are preferably the same. Specifically, the number of expandable modules 102 is preferably 3-8. In this embodiment, the number of expandable modules 102 is 6, with gaps between adjacent expandable modules 102 forming transverse contact folds 103.

[0032] Please continue reading Figure 6 The expandable module 102 includes four identical rigid sheets 104, which are respectively arranged on the four sides of the flexible liner 101 along the circumference of the flexible liner 101, and there are gaps between adjacent rigid sheets 104 to form four longitudinal contact folds 105; in this embodiment, the flexible liner 101 is preferably a flexible polyethylene film tube, and the rigid sheets 104 are preferably carbon fiber sheets, and the rigid sheets 104 are preferably attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner 101 by bonding, for example, by bonding with double-sided tape.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, in the initial state, the four rigid sheets 104 are arranged in pairs along the shorter diagonal lines of the flexible liner 101, and are close to and in contact with each other. Adjacent deployable modules 102 can be alternately folded around the collinear transverse contact folds 103, so that the pneumatic deployable structure 100 is folded into a Z-shaped state. When deploying, air is inflated into the flexible liner 101, and the multiple deployable modules 102 are deployed around the collinear transverse contact folds 103 until the longitudinal contact folds 105 in the deployable modules 102 are all collinear, as shown in FIG. Figure 4-5 Continue to inflate the flexible liner 101, the rigid sheet in the deployable module 102 rotates around the collinear longitudinal contact fold 105, so that the pneumatic deployable structure 100 expands along the shorter diagonal of the flexible liner 101, as shown Figure 6 As shown, the pneumatically deployable structure 100 now has an origami chamber 106 with a diamond-shaped cross section; Figure 6 In the expanded and unfolded state, the pneumatically deployable structures 100 can be used individually or in combination as a support mechanism. For example, a plurality of pneumatically deployable structures 100 can be combined and used as a support frame for a battery assembly 200 in an aerospace device to form a spatially deployable battery array, such as Figure 7 shown.

[0034] The transverse contact fold 103 and the longitudinal contact fold 105 in the embodiment are both rigid folds. Figure 3In the folded state shown, the upper lateral contact folds 103 and the lower lateral contact folds 103 at both ends of each rigid surface are in contact and collinear, and the pneumatically deployable structure 100 can be deployed around these collinear lateral contact folds 103 to generate a first stage deployment movement in response to air pressure, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 shown; in Figure 5 When the pneumatically deployable structure 100 is deployed to a metamorphic state with collinear longitudinal contact folds 105, as the air pressure continues to increase, the upper transverse contact folds 103 and the lower transverse contact folds 103 are no longer in contact with each other, resulting in the deployment movement of the pneumatically deployable structure 100 around the transverse contact folds 103 being locked, and the pneumatically deployable structure 100 gradually expands to the state shown in FIG. Figure 6 Specifically, the pneumatically deployable structure 100 of this embodiment has a very high folding and unfolding ratio, which can reach about 38.8.

[0035] Although the present invention has been described above through embodiments, it should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to exemplify the possible implementation schemes of the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. That is, any substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the present invention should also be covered by the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami, characterized by: The pneumatically deployable structure includes a flexible liner and a plurality of deployable modules. The flexible liner is a diamond-shaped tubular structure with one end open and the other end closed. The plurality of deployable modules are sequentially attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner along the length direction of the flexible liner, with gaps between adjacent deployable modules to form transverse contact folds. The expandable module includes four identical rigid sheets, which are respectively arranged on four sides of the flexible liner along the circumference of the flexible liner, with gaps between adjacent rigid sheets to form four longitudinal contact folds; In the initial state, the four rigid sheets are arranged in pairs along the shorter diagonal of the flexible lining and are close to and in contact with each other, and the adjacent expandable modules can be alternately folded around the collinear transverse contact folds, so that the pneumatic expandable structure is folded into a Z-shaped state; when expanding, the flexible lining is inflated, and the multiple expandable modules are expanded around the collinear transverse contact folds until the longitudinal contact folds in the expandable modules are all collinear; the flexible lining is continued to be inflated, and the rigid sheets in the expandable modules are rotated around the collinear longitudinal contact folds, so that the pneumatic expandable structure is expanded and expanded along the shorter diagonal of the flexible lining.

2. The pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lengths of the plurality of expandable modules along the length direction of the flexible liner are the same and / or different.

3. The pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible liner is a flexible polyethylene film tube.

4. The pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami according to claim 1, wherein: The rigid sheet is a carbon fiber sheet.

5. The pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid sheet is adhesively attached to the outer surface of the flexible liner.

6. The pneumatically deployable structure based on four-fold metamorphic origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the expandable modules is 3-8.

7. A deployable battery array, characterized by A pneumatically deployable structure comprising a battery assembly and a four-fold metamorphic origami-based pneumatically deployable structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 for supporting the battery assembly.

Images