Lateral tensioning device and method for winding type flexible solar wing substrate

Abstract

The invention provides a winding type flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device and method. The winding type flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device comprises a main tensioning rope, an auxiliary tensioning rope, a tensioning motor and a guide rod wheel. When the flexible solar wing is wound, the two main tensioning ropes are wound on the extending end winding drum along with the flexible solar wing extending rods on the two sides and the base plate, one ends of the multiple auxiliary tensioning ropes are connected with the flexible base plate, and the other ends of the multiple auxiliary tensioning ropes penetrate through limiting holes in the extending rods and then are connected with the main tensioning ropes. After the flexible solar wing is unfolded to be a plane, the tensioning motor installed on the root installation plate rotates to drive the main tensioning rope to wind around the guide rod wheel to be stretched towards the root installation plate, one ends of the multiple auxiliary tensioning ropes move along with the main tensioning rope, and the other ends of the multiple auxiliary tensioning ropes pull the base plate to be tensioned in the side direction after steering through the stretching rod limiting holes. According to the winding type flexible solar wing, the structural characteristics of the winding type flexible wing are fully utilized, lateral tensioning of the winding type flexible solar wing base plate is achieved, the overall rigidity of the flexible solar wing is improved, and the winding type flexible solar wing has the advantages of being simple in structure, small in additional mass and adjustable and controllable in lateral tensioning force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of space flexible solar wings, and specifically, relates to a lateral tensioning device and method for a winding flexible solar wing substrate. Background Art

[0002] Solar panels are the main energy supply device for spacecraft. Flexible solar panels, especially the rolled flexible solar panels, have the characteristics of small folded volume, large unfolded area, and high power-to-weight ratio, which are suitable for constellation stacked satellites and high-power spacecraft.

[0003] The roll-up flexible solar wing uses a rollable open carbon fiber extension rod as a driving and unfolding device, and a fiberglass mesh cloth covered with a polyimide film as a flexible substrate. Due to its large size after unfolding, the base frequency is generally low.

[0004] The US patent document with publication number US9604737B2 discloses a directionally deployable flexible roll-up solar wing, and proposes setting a spring group between the flexible substrate and the root mounting plate to achieve uniform tensioning in the extension direction of the flexible substrate after the flexible wing is fully unfolded.

[0005] A Chinese patent document with publication number CN116853522A discloses a flexible solar wing constant force tensioning mechanism, including a tensioning assembly fixed to a satellite cabin body and a tensioning rope, wherein a first end of the tensioning rope is connected and fixed to the satellite cabin body through the tensioning assembly, and a second end passes through an end of a solar wing extension arm away from the satellite cabin body and is fixed to the satellite cabin body, the tensioning rope can be tensioned as the solar wing is deployed, and the tensioning assembly is configured to provide a constant tensioning force to the tensioning rope; the tensioning assembly includes a bracket fixed to the satellite cabin body, a pull rod mounted on the bracket, and a constant force spring connected between the bracket and the pull rod; the first end of the tensioning rope is connected to the middle part of the pull rod, and the pull rod can reciprocate relative to the bracket in a first direction as the tensioning rope is extended or shortened, thereby driving the constant force spring to expand and contract in the first direction.

[0006] However, the solutions in the above-mentioned prior art only connect and tension the flexible substrate at both ends, the extension rod and the flexible substrate are relatively independent, the fundamental frequency, especially the fundamental frequency of the flexible substrate is low, and there may be coupling with the fundamental frequency of attitude and orbit control, which limits the application of the flexible wing. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the defects in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a lateral tensioning device and method for a roll-up flexible solar wing substrate.

[0008] According to the present invention, a lateral tensioning device for a winding flexible solar wing substrate is provided, comprising: a main tensioning rope 1, a slave tensioning rope 2, a tensioning motor 3 and a guide rod wheel 9;

[0009] The main tensioning rope 1 of which one end passes around the guide rod wheel 9 and is connected to the tensioning motor 3, and extends inside the extension rod 4 of the winding flexible solar wing;

[0010] The main tension rope 1 is connected to one end of the tension rope 2 through a limiting hole on the extension rod 4 of the winding flexible solar wing, and the other end of the tension rope 2 is connected to the flexible substrate 5 of the winding flexible solar wing;

[0011] The tensioning motor 3 is arranged on the root mounting plate 7 of the winding flexible solar wing.

[0012] Preferably, the rolled-up flexible solar wing can be changed between a rolled-up state and an unfolded state;

[0013] When the winding-type flexible solar wing is in the winding state, the main tensioning rope 1 is respectively wound on the winding drum 6 of the winding-type flexible solar wing together with the stretching rods 4 and the flexible substrate 5 on both sides of the winding-type flexible solar wing, and one end of a plurality of tensioning ropes 2 is connected to the flexible substrate 5, and the other end passes through the upper limit hole of the stretching rod 4 and is connected to the main tensioning rope 1; the main tensioning rope 1 and the tensioning rope 2 are both in a straight but tension-free state;

[0014] When the winding flexible solar wing is in the unfolded state, the tensioning motor 3 rotates, thereby driving the main tensioning rope 1 to bypass the guide rod wheel 9 and stretch toward the root mounting plate 7 for tensioning. One end of the multiple tensioning ropes 2 moves with the main tensioning rope 1, and after turning through the limiting hole, the other end pulls the flexible substrate 5 to be tensioned laterally.

[0015] The stretching rod 4 is a carbon fiber round rod with a C-shaped opening, which can be deformed and reversely wound onto the winding drum 6 of the roll-up flexible solar wing. When it needs to be unfolded, it can stretch by relying on its own stored elastic potential energy, pushing the winding drum 6 with the flexible substrate 5 to move in a direction away from the root mounting plate 7.

[0016] The main tension ropes 1 are N, N ≥ 2, and are arranged in the middle position of the inner side of the stretching rod 4 with a C-shaped opening on both sides of the flexible substrate 5; wherein the middle position refers to the position on the symmetry line of the stretching rod 4, and the main tension ropes 1 and the tension ropes 2 both extend in the plane where the unfolded flexible substrate 5 is located.

[0017] Preferably, the slave tensioning ropes (2) are arranged in multiple groups according to tensioning requirements and are symmetrically distributed relative to the flexible substrate (5).

[0018] Preferably, the rotating shaft of the tensioning motor 3 is connected to the main tensioning rope 1. The rotation of the tensioning motor 3 causes the main tensioning rope 1 to be stretched toward the root mounting plate 7, thereby driving the slave tensioning rope 2 connected to the main tensioning rope 1 to move. The steering effect of the upper limit hole of the stretching rod 4 causes the slave tensioning rope 2 to stretch and tension the side of the flexible substrate 5.

[0019] Preferably, controlling the rotation angle of the tensioning motor 3 can adjust the stretching amount of the main tensioning rope 1 , thereby controlling the stretching amount of the secondary tensioning rope 2 and adjusting the lateral tensioning force of the flexible substrate 5 .

[0020] Preferably, the guide rod wheel 9 can make the main tension rope 1 smoothly transition from the middle of the inner side of the stretch rod 4 to the rotating shaft of the motor 3, and the main tension rope 1 applies tension along the axial direction of the stretch rod 4. The guide rod wheel 9 is a grooved structure to limit the lateral movement of the main tension rope 1. The limiting hole on the stretch rod 4 is a smooth circular ring.

[0021] A method for lateral tensioning of a roll-up flexible solar wing substrate provided in accordance with the present invention comprises using the roll-up flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device as described above to perform lateral tensioning on the roll-up flexible solar wing substrate.

[0022] Preferably, the present invention further provides a roll-up flexible solar wing system, comprising a flexible substrate 5 and a roll-up flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device as described above, which is capable of tensioning the flexible substrate 5 .

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The present invention makes full use of the structural characteristics of the winding flexible wing, arranges master-slave tensioning ropes, realizes lateral tensioning of the flexible substrate, and improves the overall stiffness of the flexible solar wing.

[0025] 2. The present invention can realize lateral multi-point tensioning of the flexible substrate by rationally configuring the master and slave tensioning ropes and using only two tensioning motors as control points, and the tensioning force can be adjusted by rotating the tensioning motors.

[0026] 3. The present invention, as a tensioning structure of a rolled-up flexible wing, has a simple structure, small additional mass, and does not affect the rolling and stretching of the original flexible wing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the winding flexible wing with a substrate lateral tensioning device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure after omitting the extension rod and the root mounting plate;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the tensioning motor, the guide rod and the tensioning rope of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a typical unwinding / reeling phase of a stretching rod;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the extension rod limit hole and the tension rope position.

[0033] The figure shows:

[0034]

[0035] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. It should be noted that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several changes and improvements can also be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0037] The present invention provides a method for lateral tensioning of a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate, referring to Figure 1-Figure 5 , including a main tensioning rope 1, a slave tensioning rope 2, a tensioning motor 3, and a guide rod wheel 9;

[0038] When the flexible solar wing is in a wound state, the main tensioning rope 1 is wound on the winding drum 6 together with the stretching rods 4 and the flexible substrate 5 on both sides respectively. One end of a plurality of tensioning ropes 2 is connected to the flexible substrate 5, and the other end passes through the limiting hole on the stretching rod 4 to be connected to the main tensioning rope 1. Both the main tensioning rope 1 and the tensioning rope 2 are in a straight but tension-free state; wherein the limiting hole also constitutes a guide hole.

[0039] After the flexible solar wing substrate is unfolded into a plane, the tensioning of the flexible substrate 5 in the extension direction is realized by the end tensioning device 8. The tensioning motor 3 installed on the back of the root mounting plate 7 rotates, thereby driving the main tensioning rope 1 to bypass the guide rod wheel 9 and stretch toward the root mounting plate 7 for tensioning. One end of the multiple tensioning ropes 2 moves with the main tensioning rope 1, and after turning through the limit hole, the other end pulls the flexible substrate 5 for lateral tensioning.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, there are two main tension ropes 1, which are arranged in the middle position of the inner side of the stretching rod 4 with a C-shaped opening on both sides of the flexible substrate 5. The secondary tension ropes 2 can be set in multiple groups according to the tensioning requirements, and are symmetrically distributed relative to the flexible substrate 5. Among them, the middle position is the position on the symmetry line of the stretching rod 4, and the main tension rope 1 and the secondary tension rope 2 both extend in the plane where the unfolded flexible substrate 5 is located.

[0041] like Figure 3As shown, the rotating shaft of the tensioning motor 3 is connected to the main tensioning rope 1. The rotation of the tensioning motor 3 causes the main tensioning rope 1 to stretch toward the root mounting plate 7, thereby driving the slave tensioning rope 2 connected to the main tensioning rope 1 to move. The steering effect of the upper limit hole on the stretching rod 4 causes the slave tensioning rope 2 to stretch and tension the side of the flexible substrate 5. By controlling the rotation angle of the tensioning motor 3, the stretching amount of the main tensioning rope 1 can be adjusted, thereby controlling the stretching amount of the slave tensioning rope 2, and realizing the adjustment of the lateral tensioning force of the flexible substrate 5. The guide rod wheel 9 allows the main tensioning rope 1 to smoothly transition from the middle of the inner side of the stretching rod 4 to the rotating shaft of the tensioning motor 3, ensuring that the main tensioning rope 1 applies tensioning force along the axial direction of the stretching rod 4. The guide rod wheel 9 can be a structure with grooves to limit the lateral movement of the main tensioning rope 1. The tensioning motor 3 can be simplified to a single one, and the main tensioning ropes (1) on both sides can be wound around the same tensioning motor (3) through pulley steering, thereby performing synchronous tensioning on both sides.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the stretching rod 4 is a carbon fiber round rod with a C-shaped opening, which can undergo a large deformation and be reversely wound onto the winding drum 6. When it needs to be unfolded, it can stretch by relying on its own stored elastic potential energy, pushing the winding drum 6 to move with the flexible substrate 5 in a direction away from the root mounting plate 7.

[0043] like Figure 5 As shown, the stretching rod 4 is provided with corresponding limiting holes according to the number and position of the lateral tensioning points of the flexible substrate 5. The main tensioning rope 1 is arranged at the middle position of the inner side of the stretching rod 4 and is close to the rod wall (the middle position refers to the middle position on the symmetry line of the stretching rod 4, and the main tensioning rope 1 and the slave tensioning rope 2 both extend in the plane where the unfolded flexible substrate 5 is located.), and the flexible wing can be wound synchronously with the stretching rod 4 when winding. Most of the multiple slave tensioning ropes 2 are located outside the stretching rod 4, one end is connected to the tensioning point of the flexible substrate 5, and the other end is connected and fixed to the main tensioning rope 1 after passing through the limiting hole on the stretching rod 4. Under the steering action of the limiting hole on the stretching rod 4, the main tensioning rope 1 is pulled axially along the stretching rod 4, so that the slave tensioning rope 2 can laterally tighten the flexible substrate 5. The limiting hole on the stretching rod 4 is a smooth circular ring mouth to ensure the smooth sliding and steering of the slave tensioning rope 2.

[0044] The present invention makes full use of the structural characteristics of the winding flexible wing, sets the master-slave tension rope, realizes the lateral tensioning of the flexible substrate, and improves the overall stiffness of the flexible solar wing. Through the reasonable configuration of the master-slave tension rope, only two tensioning motors are used as control points to realize the lateral multi-point tensioning of the flexible substrate, and the tensioning force can be adjusted by the rotation of the tensioning motor, and can be simplified to a single tensioning motor by setting a pulley steering. At the same time, as a tensioning structure of the winding flexible wing, the present invention has a simple structure, a small additional mass, and does not affect the winding and stretching of the original flexible wing.

[0045] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0046] The above describes the specific embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which does not affect the essence of the present invention. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

Claims

1. A lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate, characterized in that: include: A main tensioning rope (1), a secondary tensioning rope (2), a tensioning motor (3) and a guide rod wheel (9); The main tensioning rope (1) has one end passing around a guide rod wheel (9) and connected to a tensioning motor (3), and extends inside a stretching rod (4) of a winding flexible solar wing; The main tension rope (1) is connected to a limit hole on a stretching rod (4) of a winding-type flexible solar wing from one end of a tension rope (2), and the other end of the tension rope (2) is connected to a flexible substrate (5) of the winding-type flexible solar wing; The tensioning motor (3) is arranged on a root mounting plate (7) of the winding flexible solar wing.

2. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The rolled-up flexible solar wing can be changed between a rolled-up state and an unfolded state; When the rolled-up flexible solar wing is in the rolled-up state, the main tensioning rope (1) is respectively wound around the winding drum (6) of the rolled-up flexible solar wing together with the stretching rods (4) and the flexible substrate (5) on both sides of the rolled-up flexible solar wing, and one end of a plurality of tensioning ropes (2) is connected to the flexible substrate (5), and the other end passes through the upper limit hole of the stretching rod (4) and is connected to the main tensioning rope (1); the main tensioning rope (1) and the tensioning rope (2) are both in a straight but tension-free state; When the rolled-up flexible solar wing is in an unfolded state, the tensioning motor (3) rotates, thereby driving the main tensioning rope (1) to bypass the guide rod wheel (9) and stretch toward the root mounting plate (7) for tensioning, and one end of the plurality of tensioning ropes (2) moves along with the main tensioning rope (1), and after turning through the limiting hole, the other end pulls the flexible substrate (5) for lateral tensioning; The stretching rod (4) is a carbon fiber round rod with a C-shaped opening, which can be deformed and reversely wound onto the winding drum (6) of the winding flexible solar wing. When it needs to be unfolded, it can stretch by relying on its own stored elastic potential energy, pushing the winding drum (6) and the flexible substrate (5) to move in a direction away from the root mounting plate 7.

3. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The main tension ropes (1) are N in number, N≥2, and are arranged in the middle position of the inner side of the stretching rod (4) with a C-shaped opening on both sides of the flexible substrate (5); wherein the middle position refers to the position on the symmetry line of the stretching rod (4), and the main tension ropes (1) and the tension ropes (2) both extend in the plane where the unfolded flexible substrate (5) is located.

4. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The slave tensioning ropes (2) are arranged in multiple groups according to tensioning requirements and are symmetrically distributed relative to the flexible substrate (5).

5. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The rotating shaft of the tensioning motor (3) is connected to the main tensioning rope (1). The rotation of the tensioning motor (3) causes the main tensioning rope (1) to be stretched toward the root mounting plate (7), thereby driving the slave tensioning rope (2) connected to the main tensioning rope (1) to move. The steering effect of the upper limit hole of the stretching rod (4) causes the slave tensioning rope (2) to stretch and tension the side of the flexible substrate (5).

6. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 5 is characterized in that: Controlling the rotation angle of the tensioning motor (3) can adjust the stretching amount of the main tensioning rope (1), thereby controlling the stretching amount of the secondary tensioning rope (2) and adjusting the lateral tensioning force of the flexible substrate (5).

7. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 5 is characterized in that: The guide rod wheel (9) can make the main tension rope (1) smoothly transition from the middle of the inner side of the stretch rod (4) to the rotating shaft of the motor (3), and the main tension rope (1) applies tensioning force along the axial direction of the stretch rod (4). The guide rod wheel (9) is a grooved structure to limit the lateral movement of the main tension rope (1).

8. The lateral tensioning device for a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The limiting hole on the stretching rod (4) is a smooth circular ring opening.

9. A method for lateral tensioning of a rolled-up flexible solar wing substrate, characterized in that: The roll-up flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is used to perform lateral tensioning on the roll-up flexible solar wing substrate.

10. A rolling flexible solar wing system, characterized in that: A roll-up flexible solar wing substrate lateral tensioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a flexible substrate (5) and capable of tensioning the flexible substrate (5).

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