High-precision active locking hinge for space

Abstract

The invention discloses a high-precision active locking hinge for space. The high-precision active locking hinge comprises a driving transmission device, a positioning device, a locking device, a microswitch and a structural plate. When the mechanism is unfolded, the driving transmission device drives the two hinges to drive the structural plate to rotate through the bevel gears, and when the reflecting surface structural plate is close to the feed source cabin structural plate, the locking screw is aligned with the locking nut, the screw does not rotate and abuts against the locking nut to move forwards, so that the buckling spring is compressed; when the hinge rotates, the hinge continues to unfold, the microswitch is triggered at a preset angle and sends out a signal to enable the locking driving assembly to start to work to drive the locking screw to rotate, the locking nut is screwed with the locking screw under the action of thrust of the buckle recognizing spring to achieve locking, and locking in-place indication is achieved through the photoelectric switch. The problems that an existing hinge is low in locking rigidity and insufficient in reliability are solved, and the hinge has the advantages of being high in rigidity, high in locking precision and high in robustness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of spacecraft mechanism design, in particular to a high-precision active locking hinge for space use. Background Art

[0002] The hinge has the function of high-precision reliable unfolding and locking, and is widely used in various types of space deployable mechanisms. Large spacecraft payloads such as reflectors are large in size and have low fundamental frequencies, so the hinge needs to have high stiffness and positioning accuracy after locking to prevent vibration deformation and large positioning errors of the unfolded payload.

[0003] There are two main types of hinges commonly used in the field of space deployment mechanisms: cam type and latch type. Among them, the cam type hinge represented by patent number CN111140590B has a simple structure, uses a constant torque spring as the driving source, and inserts the locking pin into the bottom of the locking groove to achieve self-locking. However, the positioning accuracy and stiffness of the cam type hinge are relatively low, and it is mainly suitable for light loads such as solar wings and occasions where locking accuracy is not required. The latch type hinge represented by patent number CN111092285B has a higher locking accuracy and is widely used in space deployment mechanisms such as deployment arms. However, since there is no constraint or weak constraint along the moving direction of the joint shaft axis, it is not conducive to improving the stiffness of the entire mechanism.

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of cam-type and latch-type hinges, and to meet the requirements of on-orbit deployment of large loads such as reflective surfaces with large spans, high precision and high rigidity, the present invention proposes a high-precision active locking hinge for use in space deployable mechanisms. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem solved by the present invention is to overcome the problems of low locking rigidity and insufficient reliability of existing hinges, and provide a high-precision active locking hinge for space use, which has the characteristics of high rigidity, high locking precision and strong robustness.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is: a high-precision active locking hinge for space use, comprising a driving transmission device, a positioning device, a locking device, a micro switch and a structural plate;

[0007] The driving transmission device includes a coaxial fixed hinge and a moving hinge, which are respectively connected to the feed cabin and the reflecting surface;

[0008] The structural plate includes two parts: a feed cabin structural plate and a reflective surface structural plate, which are connected to the feed cabin and the reflective surface respectively;

[0009] The locking device includes two groups, each group includes two parts, one part includes a locking drive assembly and a locking screw, wherein the locking screw is installed on the feed cabin structure plate, and the locking drive assembly provides locking power for the locking screw; the other part includes a photoelectric switch, a recognition spring, a locking nut, and a loading disc spring, wherein the locking nut is installed on the other side of the reflective surface structure plate at a position matching the locking screw, the recognition spring and the loading disc spring are respectively installed on both sides of the locking nut, and the photoelectric switch is installed at the locking nut to identify the position change of the locking nut;

[0010] The positioning device includes two groups, each corresponding to a group of locking devices. Each group of positioning devices includes a plane positioning ball and a matching stiffness reinforcement plane, a slot positioning ball and a matching positioning slot; the plane positioning ball and the slot positioning ball are located on the reflecting surface structural plate, and the axis of the locking nut passes through the geometric center of the line segment formed by the centers of the two positioning balls in one group; the stiffness reinforcement plane and the positioning slot are located on the feed cabin structural plate on the other side.

[0011] Furthermore, during the deployment of the mechanism, the driving motion hinge drives the reflective surface structural plate to rotate closer to the feed cabin structural plate, and the locking screw is aligned with the locking nut. The locking screw does not rotate, and moves forward against the locking nut to compress the locking spring; the reflective surface structural plate continues to rotate, and when the mechanism is deployed to a predetermined angle, the microswitch is triggered, and a signal is sent to cause the locking drive assembly to drive the two locking screws to start rotating at the same time. The locking nut is screwed and locked with the locking screw under the action of the pre-tightening force of the locking spring. During the locking process, the loading disc spring is compressed, pushing the plane positioning ball and groove positioning ball on the reflective surface structural plate to fit tightly with the stiffness reinforcement plane and positioning groove on the feed cabin structural plate; after the photoelectric switch recognizes that the locking is in place, the two locking drive assemblies stop rotating and the locking is completed.

[0012] Furthermore, one group of positioning devices uses cone groove positioning balls and cone grooves to cooperate with each other, and the other group of positioning devices uses V-shaped groove positioning balls and V-shaped grooves to cooperate with each other.

[0013] Furthermore, the feed cabin structural plate and the reflective surface structural plate are rectangular flat plates of the same shape, and two plane positioning balls, a cone groove positioning ball, and a V-groove positioning ball are symmetrically located at the four corners of the reflective surface structural plate; the line connecting the centers of a plane positioning ball and the cone groove positioning ball, and the line connecting the centers of another plane positioning ball and the V-groove positioning ball are both spatially perpendicular to the transmission shaft of the drive transmission device.

[0014] Furthermore, the conical groove, the rigidity-enhancing plane, and the V-shaped groove can be height-adjusted.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving transmission assembly for driving the moving hinge in the driving transmission device includes a driving bracket, a root hinge driving assembly, a universal joint coupling and a transmission shaft; the root hinge driving assembly serves as a driving source and is installed on the driving bracket, and the two ends of the driving bracket are symmetrically connected to the transmission shaft and the universal joint coupling, and then the moving hinge and the fixed hinge are symmetrically connected in sequence through the universal joint coupling.

[0016] Furthermore, the action axis of the root hinge drive assembly is perpendicular to the axis of the transmission shaft. The driving force generated by the root hinge drive assembly is diverted through the bevel gear, and the transmission torque is transmitted to the two moving hinges through the transmission shaft and the universal joint coupling.

[0017] Furthermore, the micro switch includes two micro switches, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the reflective surface structural plate.

[0018] The advantages of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0019] (1) The present invention adopts a large-clearance transmission shaft system, which can realize the step-by-step guidance and positioning of the hinge from the folded state to the unfolded and locked state, and enables the shaft system to be unfolded and locked. The transmission shaft is located at the center of the shaft hole and does not participate in the final positioning, which does not affect the repeatability accuracy;

[0020] (2) The positioning device of the present invention adopts a four-point support configuration, and redundant positioning is performed by cooperating with a plurality of plane positioning balls, cone groove positioning balls, and V-groove positioning balls with height-adjustable stiffness-enhancing planes, cone grooves, and V-grooves, respectively, to further improve the stiffness of the large-span hinge.

[0021] (3) The present invention adopts a screw guide and a locking method. The locking device adopts a locking screw guide, provides a pre-tightening force through a locking spring, and uses a locking nut to trigger a photoelectric switch signal to achieve locking in place. It can effectively reduce the locking force error and improve the reliability of the locking device.

[0022] (4) The drive transmission device of the present invention utilizes bevel gears to realize power distribution, and realizes long-distance power transmission through a transmission shaft and a universal joint coupling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the driving transmission device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the positioning device of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the locking device of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5It is a schematic diagram of the structural plate of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The parts of each structure in the accompanying drawings will be described separately. It is worth noting that the components not shown in the drawings or not described in words are forms known to ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, a high-precision active locking hinge device provided in this embodiment is mainly composed of a driving transmission device 10, a positioning device 20, a locking device 30, a micro switch 40 and a structural plate 50. The hinge realizes the on-track unfolding and folding of the reflective surface through the driving transmission device 10; the redundant positioning of the structural plate 50 is realized through the positioning device 20 to reach the required position and posture; the locking and preload force application is realized through the locking device 30; the unfolding feedback is carried out through the micro switch 40 and the locking action is triggered to realize the conversion of the hinge unfolding and locking state; the structural plate 50 provides the installation interface of the hinge and is connected to the feed cabin and the reflective surface respectively. Specifically, the driving transmission device 10 is composed of a fixed hinge 11, a moving hinge 12, a driving bracket 13, a root hinge driving assembly 14, a universal joint coupling 15, a transmission shaft 16, etc. The positioning device 20 is composed of a plane positioning ball 21, a cone groove positioning ball head 22, a cone groove 23, a stiffness reinforcement plane 24, and a V-shaped groove 25. The locking device 30 is composed of a locking drive assembly 31, a locking screw 32, a photoelectric switch 33, a locking spring 34, a locking nut 35, and a loading disc spring 36. The structural plate 50 includes a feed cabin structural plate 51 and a reflector structural plate 52.

[0030] like Figure 2 The driving transmission device 10 shown includes a fixed hinge 11 , a moving hinge 12 , a driving bracket 13 , a root hinge driving assembly 14 , a universal joint coupling 15 , and a transmission shaft 16 .

[0031] The fixed hinge 11 is connected to the feed cabin, and the moving hinge 12 is connected to the reflective surface; the root hinge drive assembly 14 is installed on the drive bracket 13 as a drive source, and the two ends of the drive bracket 13 are symmetrically connected to the transmission shaft 16 and the universal joint coupling 15, and then the moving hinge 12 and the fixed hinge 11 are symmetrically connected in sequence through the universal joint coupling 15. The action axis of the root hinge drive assembly 14 is perpendicular to the axis of the transmission shaft 16. The driving force generated by the root hinge drive assembly 14 is split through the bevel gear, and the transmission torque is transmitted to the two moving hinges 12 through the transmission shaft 16 and the universal joint coupling 15, thereby realizing the unfolding action.

[0032] like Figure 3The positioning device 20 shown includes a plane positioning ball 21 , a cone groove positioning ball 22 , a V-shaped groove positioning ball 26 , a rigidity reinforcing plane 24 , a cone groove 23 , and a V-shaped groove 25 .

[0033] The positioning device 20 includes two groups, each corresponding to a group of locking devices 30, wherein one group of positioning devices 20 includes a plane positioning ball 21 and a rigidity-enhancing plane 24 matched therewith, a cone groove positioning ball 22 and a cone groove 23 matched therewith; the other group of positioning devices 20 includes a plane positioning ball 21 and a rigidity-enhancing plane 24 matched therewith, a V-groove positioning ball 26 and a V-groove 25 matched therewith, wherein the axis of the V-groove 25 points to the center point of the cone; the feed cabin structural plate 51 and the reflector structural plate 52 are rectangular flat plates of the same shape , two plane positioning balls 21, cone groove positioning balls 22, and V-groove positioning balls 26 are symmetrically located at the four corners of the reflector structure plate 52; the line connecting the center of one plane positioning ball 21 and the cone groove positioning ball 22, and the line connecting the center of another plane positioning ball 21 and the V-groove positioning ball 26 are both vertical to the transmission shaft of the drive transmission device 10; the axis of the locking nut 35 passes through the geometric center of the line segment formed by the centers of two positioning balls in one group; two rigidity-enhancing planes 24, cone grooves 23, and V-grooves 25 are located on the feed cabin structure plate 51 on the other side. Preferably, the cone groove 23, the rigidity-enhancing plane 24, and the V-groove 25 can be adjusted in height.

[0034] like Figure 4 The locking device 30 shown includes a locking drive assembly 31 , a locking screw 32 , a photoelectric switch 33 , a locking spring 34 , a locking nut 35 , and a loading disc spring 36 .

[0035] The locking device 30 includes two groups, each group includes two parts, one part includes a locking drive assembly 31 and a locking screw 32, wherein the locking screw 32 is installed on the feed cabin structural plate 51, and the locking drive assembly 31 is connected to the locking screw 32 to provide locking power for the locking screw 32; the other part includes a photoelectric switch 33, a recognition spring 34, a locking nut 35, and a loading disc spring 36. The locking nut 35 is installed on the other side of the reflecting surface structural plate 52 at a position matching the locking screw 32. The recognition spring 34 and the loading disc spring 36 are respectively installed on both sides of the locking nut 35. The photoelectric switch 33 is installed on the outside of the locking nut 35 to identify the position change of the locking nut 35 and determine whether it is locked in place.

[0036] During the deployment of the mechanism, the driving hinge 12 drives the reflecting surface structural plate 52 to rotate and approach the feed cabin structural plate 51, and the locking screw 32 is aligned with the locking nut 35. The locking screw 32 does not rotate and moves forward against the locking nut 35 to compress the locking spring 34; the reflecting surface structural plate 52 continues to rotate, and when the mechanism is deployed to a predetermined angle, the micro switch 40 is triggered, the root hinge driving assembly 14 is powered off and maintained, and a signal is sent to cause the locking driving assembly 31 to start driving the two locking screws 32 to rotate at the same time. The locking nut 35 is screwed and locked with the locking screw 32 under the action of the preload force of the locking spring 34. During the locking process, the loading disc spring 36 is compressed, pushing the plane positioning ball 21, the cone groove positioning ball 22, and the V-groove positioning ball 26 on the reflecting surface structural plate 52 to fit tightly with the stiffness reinforcement plane 24, the cone groove 23, and the V-groove 25 on the feed cabin structural plate 52. After the photoelectric switch 33 recognizes that the locking is in place, the two locking driving assemblies 31 stop working and the locking is completed.

[0037] like Figure 5 The structural plate 50 shown includes a feed cabin structural plate 51 and a reflective surface structural plate 52. The feed cabin structural plate 51 is connected to the feed cabin, and provides a mounting interface for the cone groove 23, the rigidity reinforcement plane 24, the V-shaped groove 25 in the positioning device 20, and the locking screw 32 side in the locking device 30. The reflective surface structural plate 52 is connected to the reflective surface, and provides a mounting interface for the plane positioning ball 21, the cone groove positioning ball 22, the V-shaped groove positioning ball 26 in the positioning device 20, and the locking nut 35 side in the locking device 30.

[0038] It is to be understood that the present invention is described by way of embodiments, and it is known to those skilled in the art that various changes or equivalent substitutions may be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, under the teachings of the present invention, these features and embodiments may be modified to adapt to specific circumstances without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and embodiments that can fall within the scope of the claims of this application all fall within the scope protected by the present invention.

[0039] The contents not described in detail in the specification of the present invention belong to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A high-precision active locking hinge for space use, characterized in that: It comprises a driving transmission device (10), a positioning device (20), a locking device (30), a micro switch (40) and a structural plate (50); The driving transmission device (10) comprises a coaxial fixed hinge (11) and a moving hinge (12), which are respectively connected to the feed cabin and the reflection surface; The structural plate (50) comprises two parts, namely a feed cabin structural plate (51) and a reflective surface structural plate (52), which are respectively connected to the feed cabin and the reflective surface; The locking device (30) includes two groups, each group includes two parts, one part includes a locking drive assembly (31) and a locking screw (32), wherein the locking screw (32) is installed on the feed cabin structure plate (51), and the locking drive assembly (31) provides locking power for the locking screw (32); the other part includes a photoelectric switch (33), a recognition spring (34), a locking nut (35), and a loading disc spring (36), wherein the locking nut (35) is installed on the other side of the reflection surface structure plate (52) at a position matching the locking screw (32), the recognition spring (34) and the loading disc spring (36) are respectively installed on both sides of the locking nut (35), and the photoelectric switch (33) is installed at the locking nut (35) for identifying the position change of the locking nut (35); The positioning device (20) includes two groups, each corresponding to a group of locking devices (30), and each group of positioning devices (20) includes a plane positioning ball (21) and a rigidity reinforcement plane (24) matched therewith, and a slot positioning ball and a positioning slot matched therewith; the plane positioning ball (21) and the slot positioning ball are located on the reflective surface structural plate (52), and the axis of the locking nut (35) passes through the geometric center of the line segment formed by the centers of the two positioning balls in one group; the rigidity reinforcement plane (24) and the positioning slot are located on the feed cabin structural plate (51) on the other side.

2. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the deployment of the mechanism, the driving hinge (12) drives the reflective surface structural plate (52) to rotate and approach the feed cabin structural plate (51), the locking screw (32) is aligned with the locking nut (35), the locking screw (32) does not rotate, and moves forward against the locking nut (35), so that the locking spring (34) is compressed; the reflective surface structural plate (52) continues to rotate, and when the mechanism is deployed to a predetermined angle, the micro switch (40) is triggered, sending a signal to cause the locking drive assembly (31) to drive the two locking screws The rod (32) starts to rotate at the same time, and the locking nut (35) is screwed and locked with the locking screw (32) under the action of the pre-tightening force of the locking spring (34). During the locking process, the loading disc spring (36) is compressed, pushing the plane positioning ball (21) and the groove positioning ball on the reflecting surface structural plate (52) to fit tightly with the stiffness reinforcement plane (24) and the positioning groove on the feed cabin structural plate (52); after the photoelectric switch (33) recognizes that the locking is in place, the two locking drive components (31) stop rotating and the locking is completed.

3. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 1, characterized in that: One group of positioning devices (20) uses a conical groove positioning ball (22) and a conical groove (23) to cooperate with each other, and the other group of positioning devices (20) uses a V-shaped groove positioning ball (26) and a V-shaped groove (25) to cooperate with each other.

4. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 3, characterized in that: The feed cabin structural plate (51) and the reflective surface structural plate (52) are rectangular flat plates of the same shape; two plane positioning balls (21), a cone groove positioning ball (22), and a V-groove positioning ball (26) are symmetrically located at the four corners of the reflective surface structural plate (52); a line connecting the ball centers of a plane positioning ball (21) and the cone groove positioning ball (22), and a line connecting the ball centers of another plane positioning ball (21) and the V-groove positioning ball (26) are both spatially perpendicular to the transmission shaft of the drive transmission device (10).

5. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conical groove (23), the rigidity-enhancing plane (24) and the V-shaped groove (25) can be adjusted in height.

6. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving transmission assembly for driving the moving hinge (12) in the driving transmission device (10) comprises a driving bracket (13), a root hinge driving assembly (14), a universal joint coupling (15) and a transmission shaft (16); the root hinge driving assembly (14) is installed on the driving bracket (13) as a driving source, and the two ends of the driving bracket (13) are symmetrically connected to the transmission shaft (16) and the universal joint coupling (15), and then the moving hinge (12) and the fixed hinge (11) are symmetrically connected in sequence through the universal joint coupling (15).

7. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 6, characterized in that: The action axis of the root hinge driving assembly (14) is perpendicular to the axis of the transmission shaft (16). The driving force generated by the root hinge driving assembly (14) is split through the bevel gear and the driving torque is transmitted to the two moving hinges (12) through the transmission shaft (16) and the universal joint coupling (15).

8. The high-precision active locking hinge for space use according to claim 1, characterized in that: The micro switches (40) include two micro switches, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the reflective surface structural plate (52).

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