A metamorphic configuration of super-large caliber load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of super-large aperture load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism of metamorphic configuration, it is related to space field, by nineteen kinds of configuration same, size different metamorphic configuration folding and unfolding mechanism topologically according to central symmetry mode hierarchical, its unfolded state is spherical surface, aperture is not less than 50m.The unfolding of antenna in the application is two stages of mutual decoupling: the first stage is plane-like unfolding, for realizing the expansion of antenna aperture, the second stage is spatial unfolding, for realizing the target spherical surface of antenna folding and unfolding mechanism to be formed, the metamorphic configuration deployable unit in the application can be realized by the cooperation of mechanism short rod and locking push rod the phased unfolding of deployable unit, the two stages of antenna unfolding correspond to the two stages of metamorphic configuration deployable unit unfolding, the antenna of the application can realize higher folding and unfolding ratio while having larger unfolded aperture, provide ideas for subsequent super-large aperture load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism design.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of aerospace technology, in particular to a metamorphic configuration's super-large caliber load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the cognition of human beings to the space environment and the continuous progress of their own technology, the position of aerospace technology in the development of human science and technology is also increasingly important. The progress of human aerospace technology not only brings about a high-speed growth of scientific and technological achievements, but also puts forward more complex and strict requirements for the development of aerospace technology. Under the condition of limited carrying capacity of aerospace launch vehicles, the contradiction between limited carrying space and large-area structure demand of spacecraft has led to the development and progress of space folding and unfolding mechanisms. In the past two decades, space deployable antennas, as representatives of space folding and unfolding mechanisms, have made vigorous development, giving birth to numerous forms of folding and unfolding mechanisms, which have played a crucial role in the development of spacecraft and thus promoted the development of aerospace technology.

[0003] Among the numerous types of space folding and unfolding mechanisms, space deployable antennas are the most valuable and difficult branch to study. Their characteristics of being folded during launch and unfolded after entering orbit make them have a large folding ratio, which can provide a larger on-orbit caliber under the same launch vehicle space. For this reason, space deployable antennas are widely used in military reconnaissance, resource detection, data relay and deep space exploration. At the same time, the realization of high folding ratio closed-loop mechanisms, kinematics and deployment dynamics of space deployable antennas also provide difficulties for the related theoretical research and engineering design of larger caliber and higher folding ratio space deployable antennas. Under this background, the research on metamorphic configuration's super-large caliber load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism has important practical significance for the design, theoretical analysis and engineering application of super-large caliber load antenna. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to provide a metamorphic configuration's super-large caliber load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism to solve the problems raised in the background.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides the following technical solution: a metamorphic configuration's super-large caliber load antenna folding and unfolding mechanism is formed by nineteen metamorphic configuration folding and unfolding mechanisms with the same configuration and different sizes, which are topologically formed in a center-symmetrical manner in layers, the unfolded state is a spherical surface with a caliber not less than 50m, and the folded state is a regular cylindrical body composed of six-prism module units formed by splicing three-prism units with the same cross-sectional size, and the folded cross-sectional diameter is not greater than 3m.

[0006] The variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism can be divided into three topological levels according to the topological level division of the hexagonal prism module unit: a central topological level, a second topological level and a third topological level, and four module types: one central topological level, six second topological levels, six third topological level type one and six third topological level type two, and each module type is distributed in a central symmetry around the antenna symmetry center.

[0007] The nineteen configurations of the variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism include six central folding and unfolding mechanisms one, six central folding and unfolding mechanisms two, six second level topological folding and unfolding mechanisms one, twelve second level topological folding and unfolding mechanisms two, twelve second level topological folding and unfolding mechanisms three, twelve second level topological folding and unfolding mechanisms four, twelve second level topological folding and unfolding mechanisms five, twelve third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms one, twelve third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms two, twelve third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms three, twelve third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms four, twelve third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms five, six third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms six, six third level topological type one folding and unfolding mechanisms seven, twelve third level topological type two folding and unfolding mechanisms one, six third level topological type two folding and unfolding mechanisms two, twelve third level topological type two folding and unfolding mechanisms three, twelve third level topological type two folding and unfolding mechanisms four, six third level topological type two folding and unfolding mechanisms five, and each configuration of the variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism is distributed in a central symmetry around the antenna symmetry center, and when the corresponding variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism forms a hexagonal prism module unit, there is a case that one or more variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanisms are shared between adjacent hexagonal prism units.

[0008] Preferably, the variable cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism includes a sliding rod, a driving spring, a mechanism center hinge, a mechanism long rod, a mechanism short rod, a cylindrical pair connection side rod, a rotary pair connection side rod and a cylindrical pair mechanism, one end of the sliding rod is fixedly connected with a rotary pair mechanism rotary track, and the other end of the sliding rod is fixedly connected with a spring disc, one end of the driving spring is fixedly connected with one end of the spring disc, and a driving cylindrical pair mechanism at the other end of the driving spring can slide and slightly rotate on the sliding rod, a plurality of rotary pair mechanisms are connected on each rotary pair mechanism rotary track and can slightly rotate around the corresponding track, the rotary pair mechanism is fixedly connected with the rotary pair connection side rod, one end of the mechanism short rod is hinged with the mechanism long rod, and the other end is hinged with the cylindrical pair connection side rod, one end of the mechanism long rod on the rotary pair side is hinged with the rotary pair connection side rod, and the other end is fixedly connected with one end of the mechanism center hinge, one end of the mechanism long rod on the cylindrical pair side is hinged with the mechanism short rod, and the other end is fixedly connected with one end of the mechanism center hinge.

[0009] Preferably, the short rod of the mechanism includes a short rod body, a connecting rod assembly, a short rod fixing assembly, a short rod locking structure, a short rod torsion spring, a short rod connector, and a connector cover. One end of the short rod body is connected to the short rod locking structure and the connecting rod assembly via the short rod fixing assembly, and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting rod assembly. The connecting rod assembly is connected to the cylindrical auxiliary connecting rod via a hinge, and the connecting rod assembly is connected to the connecting rod assembly that is fixedly connected to the long rod via a hinge.

[0010] Preferably, the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod includes a locking push rod, a locking push rod groove, a rod limiting groove, a motion pair mechanism fixing screw hole, a weight reduction cutout, and a locking push rod through hole. The top of the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod is provided with a side rod hinge that is hinged to the short rod of the mechanism. The rod limiting groove is located on one side of the motion pair mechanism fixing screw hole, which can limit the long rod and the short rod of the mechanism when the antenna is retracted or when the first stage of deployment is performed. At the same time, there are weight reduction cutouts spaced apart along the length of the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod to reduce weight.

[0011] Preferably, the unfolding process of the variable cell configuration unfolding mechanism is divided into two mutually decoupled stages. The first stage is an approximately planar unfolding, in which the driving spring at the center of the corresponding hexagonal prism unit drives the mechanism rods of each variable cell mechanism in the unit to unfold, which only serves to expand the antenna aperture. The second stage is a spatial unfolding. After the first stage of unfolding is completed, the rotating track of each rotating pair mechanism contacts the cylindrical pair connecting side rod, pushing the short rod of the locking push rod unlocking mechanism to move. The mechanism short rod unfolds into place under the action of the built-in mechanism short rod torsion spring, forming the spherical surface required for the antenna.

[0012] Preferably, the mechanism short rod locking structure has two through locking holes. When the antenna is in the retracted state or in the first stage of deployment, the front end of the locking push rod can be inserted to lock the mechanism short rod. The mechanism short rod connecting cover is connected to the mechanism short rod connecting piece by bolts. At the same time, both the mechanism short rod connecting cover and the mechanism rod connection are provided with torsion spring rotation grooves. The torsion spring rotation grooves are used to place the mechanism short rod torsion spring to drive the second stage of deployment.

[0013] Preferably, the central hinge of the mechanism includes a half-mechanism central hinge, a central hinge shaft, and a central hinge bearing retaining ring. The main body of the central hinge consists of two mutually cooperating half-mechanism central hinges. The protruding ends of the half-mechanism central hinges are connected to the long rod of the mechanism by cylindrical pins. The two half-mechanism central hinges are connected by a through central hinge shaft. Both ends of the central hinge shaft are fitted with central hinge bearings, and the outer periphery of the central hinge bearings is limited by the central hinge bearing retaining ring.

[0014] Preferably, the cylindrical sub-mechanism is formed by the cooperation of a cylindrical sub-mechanism sleeve and its internal linear bearing, and the linear bearing is further provided with limiting cylindrical sub-mechanism bearing retaining rings above and below it.

[0015] Preferably, the rotating joint mechanism includes a rotating joint sleeve, a rotating joint retaining ring shaft, a rotating joint retaining ring, and a rotating joint retaining ring tension spring. The rotating joint mechanism has the rotating joint sleeve as the main body. The rotating joint retaining ring is connected to the rotating joint sleeve through the rotating joint retaining ring shaft, which is used to make the rotating joint mechanism rotate within the rotating joint mechanism rotation track. The two ends of the rotating joint retaining ring are fixedly connected to the two rotating joint retaining rings, so that it can be reset after being installed on the rotating joint mechanism rotation track.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] This invention discloses a variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture payload antenna unfolding mechanism, comprising nineteen similar but different-sized variable-cell configuration unfolding mechanisms located at different topological positions. These mechanisms constitute several hexagonal prism unfolding mechanisms assembled from triangular prisms. The final assembled ultra-large aperture payload antenna unfolding mechanism is a spherical mechanism with an unfolded aperture of no less than 50m. In its collapsed state, it is a regular cylindrical structure composed of hexagonal prism module units assembled from triangular prism units of the same cross-sectional size, with a collapsed cross-sectional diameter of no more than 3m. The variable-cell configuration unfolding mechanism of this invention can be divided into three topological levels and four module types according to the topological hierarchy of the hexagonal prism module units. Each module type is centrally symmetrically distributed around the antenna's center of symmetry. When the corresponding variable-cell configuration unfolding mechanisms form hexagonal prism module units, adjacent hexagonal prism units share one or more variable-cell configurations. In this invention, the antenna deployment involves two decoupled stages: the first stage is planar deployment, used to expand the antenna aperture; the second stage is spatial deployment, used to stretch the target spherical surface of the antenna deployment mechanism. In this invention, the variable-cell deployable unit can be deployed in stages through the cooperation of a mechanism short rod and a locking push rod. The two stages of antenna deployment correspond to the two stages of the variable-cell deployable unit deployment. The antenna of this invention can achieve a high deployment ratio while possessing a large deployed aperture, providing ideas for the design of subsequent ultra-large aperture payload antenna deployment mechanisms. The variable-cell ultra-large aperture payload antenna deployment mechanism studied in this invention has significant practical implications for the design, theoretical analysis, and engineering applications of ultra-large aperture payload antennas, and also promotes the development of spatial deployment mechanisms, thus having far-reaching significance. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolding mechanism of the variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture payload antenna in this invention.

[0019] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the semi-expanded state of the folding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with variable cell configuration in this invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the collapsed state of the folding mechanism of the variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture load antenna in this invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the topological division of the hexagonal prism module in this invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the types of variable-cell folding mechanisms in the variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture load antenna folding mechanism of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the collapsed state of the variable cell-type unfolding mechanism in this invention;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded / half-unfolded state of the variable cell type unfolding mechanism in this invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolding of the variable cell type unfolding mechanism in this invention;

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the retracted state of the short rods in the variable cell-type unfolding mechanism of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the short rod in the variable cell type unfolding mechanism of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical pair connecting side rod in the variable cell type unfolding mechanism of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the locking push rod in the variable cell folding mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the central hinge of the variable cell folding mechanism in this invention;

[0031] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical sub-mechanism in the variable cell type unfolding mechanism of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating pair mechanism in the variable cell type unfolding mechanism of the present invention.

[0033] In the diagram: 01. Central folding mechanism one; 02. Central folding mechanism two; 03. Second-level topology folding mechanism one; 04. Second-level topology folding mechanism two; 05. Second-level topology folding mechanism three; 06. Second-level topology folding mechanism four; 07. Second-level topology folding mechanism five; 08. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism one; 09. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism two; 10. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism three; 11. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism four; 12. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism five; 13. Third-level topology type one folding mechanism five; Type 1 Folding Mechanism Six; 14. Third-Level Topology Type 2 Folding Mechanism One; 15. Third-Level Topology Type 2 Folding Mechanism Two; 16. Third-Level Topology Type 2 Folding Mechanism Three; 17. Third-Level Topology Type 1 Folding Mechanism Seven; 18. Third-Level Topology Type 2 Folding Mechanism Four; 19. Third-Level Topology Type 2 Folding Mechanism Five; 101. Sliding Rod; 102. Drive Spring; 103. Mechanism Central Hinge; 104. Mechanism Long Rod; 105. Mechanism Short Rod; 106. Cylindrical Pair Connecting Side Rod; 107. Revolute Pair Connecting Side Rod; 108. Cylindrical Pair Mechanism; 1 09. Rotating pair mechanism; 110. Rotating track of rotating pair mechanism; 111. Spring disc; 1031. Central hinge of half mechanism; 1032. Central hinge shaft of mechanism; 1033. Central hinge bearing of mechanism; 1034. Retaining ring of central hinge bearing of mechanism; 1051. Short rod of mechanism; 1052. Link connection of mechanism; 1053. Short rod fixing assembly of mechanism; 1054. Locking structure of short rod of mechanism; 1055. Torsion spring of short rod of mechanism; 1056. Connector of short rod of mechanism; 1057. Cover of connector of short rod of mechanism; 1061. Locking push rod; 1062. Locking push rod slide 1063, Side rod hinge; 1064, Rod limiting groove; 1065, Kinematic pair fixing screw hole; 1066, Weight reduction hollow; 1067, Locking push rod through hole; 1081, Cylindrical pair sleeve; 1082, Cylindrical pair bearing retaining ring; 1083, Linear bearing; 1091, Rotary pair sleeve; 1092, Rotary pair retaining ring shaft; 1093, Rotary pair retaining ring; 1094, Rotary pair retaining ring tension spring; 201, Central topology level; 202, Second topology level; 203, Third topology level type one; 204, Third topology level type two. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] Example 1: Refer to Figure 1 - Figure 5 As shown: A variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture payload antenna unfolding mechanism is formed by nineteen variable-cell configuration unfolding mechanisms with the same configuration but different sizes in a hierarchical topology in a centrally symmetrical manner. Its unfolded state is a sphere with an aperture of not less than 50m, and its folded state is a regular cylinder composed of hexagonal prism module units spliced ​​together by triangular prism units with the same cross-sectional size, with a folded cross-sectional diameter of not more than 3m.

[0036] The variable cell configuration folding mechanism can be divided into three topological levels according to the topological hierarchy of the hexagonal prism module units: the central topological level, the second topological level, and the third topological level, with a total of four module types: one central topological level 201, six second topological levels 202, six third topological level type one 203, and six third topological level type two 204. The modules of each module type are all centrally symmetrically distributed according to the antenna symmetry center.

[0037] The nineteen cellular configurations of the folding mechanisms include six central folding mechanisms (01), six central folding mechanisms (2), six second-level topological folding mechanisms (1), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms (2), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms (3), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms (4), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms (5), twelve third-level topological type 1 folding mechanisms (1), twelve third-level topological type 1 folding mechanisms (2), twelve third-level topological type 1 folding mechanisms (3), twelve third-level topological type 1 folding mechanisms (4), and twelve third-level topological type 1 folding mechanisms (5). 12. Six third-level topology type one folding mechanism 13. Six third-level topology type one folding mechanism 17. Twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism one 14. Six third-level topology type two folding mechanism two 15. Twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism three 16. Twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism four 18. Six third-level topology type two folding mechanism five 19. The variable cell configuration folding mechanisms of each configuration are centrally symmetrically distributed around the antenna symmetry center. When the corresponding variable cell configuration folding mechanisms form a hexagonal prism module unit, there is a situation where adjacent hexagonal prism units share one or more variable cell configuration folding mechanisms.

[0038] In this embodiment, the variable-cell folding mechanism includes a sliding rod 101, a drive spring 102, a central hinge 103, a long rod 104, a short rod 105, a cylindrical pair connecting rod 106, a revolute pair connecting rod 107, and a cylindrical pair mechanism 108. One end of the sliding rod 101 is fixedly connected to the rotating track 110 of the revolute pair mechanism, and the other end of the sliding rod 101 is fixedly connected to a spring disc 111. One end of the drive spring 102 is fixedly connected to one end of the spring disc 111, and the driving cylindrical pair mechanism 108 located at the other end of the drive spring 102 can slide on the sliding rod 101 and rotate with a small amplitude. Each rotary joint mechanism has multiple rotary joint mechanisms 109 connected to its corresponding rotation track 110, which can rotate slightly around its corresponding track. The rotary joint mechanism 109 is fixedly connected to the rotary joint connecting side rod 107. One end of the mechanism short rod 105 is hinged to the mechanism long rod 104, and the other end is hinged to the cylindrical joint connecting side rod 106. One end of the mechanism long rod 104 located on one side of the rotary joint is hinged to the rotary joint connecting side rod 107, and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the mechanism central hinge 103. One end of the mechanism long rod 104 located on one side of the cylindrical joint is hinged to the mechanism short rod 105, and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the mechanism central hinge 103.

[0039] In this embodiment, the deployment process of the variable-cell configuration folding mechanism is divided into two decoupled stages. The first stage is an approximately planar deployment (the first stage of deployment is from the folded state to the semi-deployed state). The driving springs 102 in each variable-cell configuration folding mechanism drive the cylindrical sub-mechanism 108 to move on the sliding rod 101, thereby pushing the long rod 104 of the mechanism to unfold. The short rod 105 of the mechanism is in a locked state and does not move, only serving to expand the antenna aperture. When the first stage of deployment of the variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture load antenna folding mechanism ends, each variable-cell configuration folding mechanism is in the first and second stages of deployment. In the semi-deployed state, which is also the semi-deployed state of the entire antenna, the cylindrical joint connecting rod 106 of each variable cell configuration folding mechanism contacts the rotary joint connecting rod 107, pushing the locking push rod 1061 to move and unlocking the movement of each mechanism short rod; the second stage is spatial deployment (from the semi-deployed state to the deployed state is the second stage of deployment). After the first stage of deployment is completed, the rotating track 110 of each rotary joint mechanism contacts the cylindrical joint connecting rod 106, pushing the locking push rod 1061 to unlock the movement of the mechanism short rod 105. The mechanism short rod 105 unfolds into place under the action of the built-in mechanism short rod torsion spring 1055, forming the spherical surface required for the antenna.

[0040] Example 2: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0041] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 6 The variable cell configuration folding mechanism is in the retracted state, the drive spring 102 is in the compressed state, the rotating joint connecting side rod 107 and the cylindrical joint connecting side rod 106 are at the farthest distance, the mechanism short rod 105 and the mechanism long rod 104 have their axes coincided, the locking push rod 1061 is located in the mechanism short rod locking structure 1054, and the mechanism short rod 105 is in the locked state.

[0042] Example 3: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0043] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 7 The variable-cell folding mechanism is in a semi-expanded state. The drive spring 102 has pushed the cylindrical sub-mechanism 108 to complete the sliding stroke. The rotating sub-connecting side rod 107 and the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod 106 are in contact with each other. The axis of the short rod 105 and the long rod 104 of the mechanism maintains a certain angle. The locking push rod 1061 leaves the locking structure 1054 of the short rod of the mechanism, and the short rod 105 of the mechanism is in an unlocked state.

[0044] Example 4: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments. For specific implementation details of the above embodiments, please refer to the above description; the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail. However, the difference between this application's embodiment and the above embodiments lies in:

[0045] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 8 The variable-cell folding mechanism is in the unfolded state. Since the short rod 105 is already in the unlocked state, the short rod 105 moves under the push of the internal short rod torsion spring 1055, which completes the rotation of the short rod 105 around the hinge between it and the long rod 104. The unfolding process of the variable-cell folding mechanism ends.

[0046] Example 5: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0047] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 9 When the variable cell configuration folding mechanism is in the retracted state, the axis between the short rod 105 and the connected long rod 104 of the mechanism coincides, and the axes between the short rod 105 and the long rod 104 of the mechanism are parallel to each other. A part of the short rod 105 and the long rod 104 of the mechanism are closely attached to the rod limiting groove 1064 on the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106. The locking push rod 1061 passes through the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106 as a whole, and its locking head position passes through the locking push rod through hole 1067.

[0048] Example 6: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0049] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 10 The short rod 105 includes a short rod body 1051, a rod connector 1052, a short rod fixing assembly 1053, a short rod locking structure 1054, a short rod torsion spring 1055, a short rod connecting piece 1056, and a short rod connecting piece cover 1057. One end of the short rod body 1051 is connected to the short rod locking structure 1054 and the rod connector 1052 via the short rod fixing assembly 1053, and the other end is fixedly connected to the short rod connector 1056. The rod connector 1052 is connected to the cylindrical auxiliary connecting side rod 106 via a hinge. The short rod connector 1056 is connected to the rod connector 1052, which is fixedly connected to the long rod 104 via a hinge.

[0050] In this embodiment, the mechanism short rod locking structure 1054 has two through locking holes. When the antenna is in the retracted state or in the first stage of deployment, the front end of the locking push rod 1061 can be inserted to lock the mechanism short rod 105. The mechanism short rod connecting cover 1057 is connected to the mechanism short rod connecting piece 1056 by bolts. At the same time, both the mechanism short rod connecting cover 1057 and the mechanism rod connecting piece 1052 are provided with torsion spring rotating grooves. The torsion spring rotating grooves are used to place the mechanism short rod torsion spring 1055 to drive the second stage of deployment.

[0051] Example 7: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0052] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 The dimensions of the rotating joint connecting rod 107 of the folding mechanism with different variable cell configurations are the same, but the length of the cylindrical joint connecting rod 106 is different; apart from the difference in length, the rotating joint connecting rod 107 and the cylindrical joint connecting rod 106 of the same mechanism have only one more locking push rod groove 1062 than the former.

[0053] In this embodiment, the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106 includes a locking push rod 1061, a locking push rod groove 1062, a rod limiting groove 1064, a kinematic pair mechanism fixing screw hole 1065, a weight-reducing hollow 1066, and a locking push rod through hole 1067. The top of the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106 is provided with a side rod hinge 1063 that is hinged to the mechanism short rod 105. Next to the side rod hinge 1063 is a locking push rod through hole 1067 through which the head of the locking push rod 1061 passes. The locking push rod groove 1062 extends through the entire length of the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106 and consists of a cylindrical through hole plus two overlapping cuboid holes, thereby allowing the locking push rod 1061 to slide while restricting its rotation. The kinematic pair mechanism fixing screw hole 1065 is located in the cylindrical pair connecting side rod 106. The side of the column joint connecting rod 106 or the rotating joint connecting rod 107 is used for fixed connection with the cylindrical joint mechanism 108 or the rotating joint mechanism 109. The fixed screw holes 1065 of the kinematic joint mechanism corresponding to the multiple cylindrical joint mechanisms 108 or the rotating joint mechanism 109 located on the same sliding rod 101 are at different distances from the top on the corresponding cylindrical joint connecting rod 106 or the rotating joint connecting rod 107, and are staggered. The rod limiting groove 1064 is located on one side of the fixed screw hole 1065 of the kinematic joint mechanism, and can play a limiting role for the long rod 104 and the short rod 105 of the mechanism when the antenna is retracted or the first stage of deployment is carried out. At the same time, there are also weight-reducing hollows 1066 spaced apart in the length direction of the cylindrical joint connecting rod 106 to reduce weight.

[0054] In this embodiment, the head of the locking push rod 1061 is a protruding part with two angles, which is used to cooperate with the hole on the mechanism short rod locking structure 1054 to lock the mechanism short rod 105. The main body of the locking push rod 1061 is a rod that cooperates with the locking push rod groove 1062.

[0055] Example 8: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be described in detail again; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0056] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 13 The central hinge 103 of the mechanism includes a half-mechanism central hinge 1031, a central hinge shaft 1032, and a central hinge bearing retaining ring 1034. The main body of the central hinge 103 consists of two mutually cooperating half-mechanism central hinges 1031. The protruding parts at both ends of the half-mechanism central hinge 1031 are connected to the long rod 104 of the mechanism by cylindrical pins. The two half-mechanism central hinges 1031 are connected by a through central hinge shaft 1032. The two ends of the central hinge shaft 1032 are fitted with central hinge bearings 1033. The outer periphery of the central hinge bearings 1033 is limited by the central hinge bearing retaining ring 1034.

[0057] Example 9: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be described in detail again; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0058] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 14 The cylindrical sub-mechanism 108 is formed by the cooperation of the cylindrical sub-mechanism sleeve 1081 and the linear bearing 1083 inside it. The linear bearing 1083 is also limited by cylindrical sub-mechanism bearing retaining rings 1082 above and below it.

[0059] Example 10: It has the implementation content of the above embodiments, wherein the specific implementation methods of the above embodiments can be referred to the above description, and the embodiments here will not be repeated in detail; however, the difference between the embodiments in this application and the above embodiments is that:

[0060] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 15 The rotating joint mechanism 109 includes a rotating joint sleeve 1091, a rotating joint retaining ring shaft 1092, a rotating joint retaining ring 1093, and a rotating joint retaining ring tension spring 1094. The rotating joint mechanism 109 has the rotating joint sleeve 1091 as its main body. The rotating joint retaining ring 1093 is connected to the rotating joint sleeve 1091 through the rotating joint retaining ring shaft 1092, which is used to make the rotating joint mechanism 109 rotate within the rotating joint mechanism rotation track 110. The rotating joint retaining ring tension spring 1094 is fixedly connected to the two rotating joint retaining rings 1093 at both ends, which can be reset after it is installed in the rotating joint mechanism rotation track 110.

[0061] The usage method and working principle of this device: A variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture load antenna unfolding mechanism includes nineteen variable-cell configuration unfolding mechanisms with similar configurations and different sizes located in different topological positions. These constitute several hexagonal prism unfolding mechanisms spliced ​​together from triangular prisms. The final ultra-large aperture load antenna unfolding mechanism is a spherical mechanism with an unfolded aperture of not less than 50m. In the folded state, it is a regular cylindrical body composed of hexagonal prism module units spliced ​​together from triangular prism units with the same cross-sectional dimensions. The folded cross-sectional diameter is not greater than 3m.

[0062] The variable cell configuration folding mechanism of the present invention can be divided into three topological levels according to the topological hierarchy of the hexagonal prism module unit: the central topological level, the second topological level, and the third topological level, with a total of four module types: one central topological level 201, six second topological levels 202, six third topological level type one 203, and six third topological level type two 204. The modules of each module type are centrally symmetrically distributed according to the antenna symmetry center. When the corresponding variable cell configuration folding mechanism forms a hexagonal prism module unit, there is a situation where adjacent hexagonal prism units share one or more variable cell configuration folding mechanisms.

[0063] In this invention, the antenna deployment consists of two mutually decoupled stages: the first stage is planar deployment (driven by the driving springs 102 in each variable cell configuration folding mechanism, the cylindrical sub-mechanism 108 moves on the sliding rod 101, thereby pushing the long rod 104 of the mechanism to unfold, while the short rod 105 of the mechanism is locked and does not move), used to expand the antenna aperture; the second stage is spatial deployment (after the first stage of deployment is completed, the rotating track 110 of each rotating sub-mechanism contacts the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod 106, pushing the locking push rod 1061 to unlock the movement of the short rod 105 of the mechanism, and the short rod 105 of the mechanism unfolds into place under the action of the built-in short rod torsion spring 1055, forming the spherical surface required for the antenna), used to achieve the formation of the target spherical surface of the antenna folding mechanism. In this invention, the variable cell configuration deployable unit can achieve the phased deployment of the deployable unit by the cooperation of the short rod of the mechanism and the locking push rod. The two stages of antenna deployment correspond to the two stages of the deployment of the variable cell configuration deployable unit.

[0064] The antenna of this invention can achieve a high folding-to-spread ratio while having a large unfolded aperture, providing ideas for the design of folding-to-spread mechanisms for subsequent ultra-large aperture payload antennas. The variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture payload antenna folding-to-spread mechanism studied in this invention has important practical significance for the design, theoretical analysis, and engineering application of ultra-large aperture payload antennas, and also promotes the development of spatial folding-to-spread mechanisms, which has far-reaching significance.

[0065] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A variable-cell configuration folding and unfolding mechanism for an ultra-large aperture payload antenna, characterized in that: The antenna is constructed from nineteen different variable-cell folding mechanisms with identical configurations but different sizes, arranged in a centrally symmetrical hierarchical topology. Its unfolded state is a sphere with a diameter of not less than 50m, and its folded state is a regular cylindrical structure composed of hexagonal prism modules assembled from triangular prism units with the same cross-sectional dimensions, with a folded cross-sectional diameter of not more than 3m. The antenna unfolding is divided into two mutually decoupled stages: the first stage is planar unfolding, used to expand the antenna aperture, and the second stage is spatial unfolding, used to stretch the target sphere of the antenna folding mechanism. The variable cell configuration unfolding mechanism can be divided into three topological levels according to the topological hierarchy of the hexagonal prism module unit: the central topological level, the second topological level and the third topological level, with a total of four module types: one central topological level (201), six second topological levels (202), six third topological level type one (203), and six third topological level type two (204). The modules of each module type are all centrally symmetrically distributed according to the antenna symmetry center. The folding mechanisms of the nineteen configurations include six central folding mechanisms one (01), six central folding mechanisms two (02), six second-level topological folding mechanisms one (03), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms two (04), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms three (05), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms four (06), twelve second-level topological folding mechanisms five (07), twelve third-level topological type one folding mechanisms one (08), twelve third-level topological type one folding mechanisms two (09), twelve third-level topological type one folding mechanisms three (10), twelve third-level topological type one folding mechanisms four (11), and twelve third-level topological type one folding mechanisms. Five (12), six third-level topology type one folding mechanism six (13), six third-level topology type one folding mechanism seven (17), twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism one (14), six third-level topology type two folding mechanism two (15), twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism three (16), twelve third-level topology type two folding mechanism four (18), six third-level topology type two folding mechanism five (19), the variable cell configuration folding mechanisms of each configuration are all centrally symmetrically distributed around the antenna symmetry center. When the corresponding variable cell configuration folding mechanisms form a hexagonal prism module unit, there is a situation where adjacent hexagonal prism units share one or more variable cell configuration folding mechanisms. The folding mechanism includes a sliding rod (101), a drive spring (102), a central hinge (103), a long rod (104), a short rod (105), a cylindrical joint connecting rod (106), a revolute joint connecting rod (107), and a cylindrical joint mechanism (108). One end of the sliding rod (101) is fixedly connected to the rotating track (110) of the revolute joint mechanism, and the other end of the sliding rod (101) is fixedly connected to a spring disc (111). One end of the drive spring (102) is fixedly connected to one end of the spring disc (111), and the driving cylindrical joint mechanism (108) located at the other end of the drive spring (102) can slide on the sliding rod (101) and rotate slightly. Each of the rotating joint mechanisms has multiple rotating joint mechanisms (109) connected to its rotating track (110), which can rotate slightly around its corresponding track. The rotating joint mechanism (109) is fixedly connected to the rotating joint connecting side rod (107). One end of the mechanism short rod (105) is hinged to the mechanism long rod (104), and the other end is hinged to the cylindrical joint connecting side rod (106). One end of the mechanism long rod (104) located on one side of the rotating joint is hinged to the rotating joint connecting side rod (107), and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the mechanism central hinge (103). One end of the mechanism long rod (104) located on one side of the cylindrical joint is hinged to the mechanism short rod (105), and the other end is fixedly connected to one end of the mechanism central hinge (103).

2. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The short rod (105) of the mechanism includes a short rod body (1051), a short rod connector (1052), a short rod fixing assembly (1053), a short rod locking structure (1054), a short rod torsion spring (1055), a short rod connector (1056), and a short rod connector cover (1057). One end of the short rod body (1051) is connected to the short rod locking structure (1054) and the short rod connector (1052) through the short rod fixing assembly (1053), and the other end is fixedly connected to the short rod connector (1056). The short rod connector (1052) is connected to the cylindrical auxiliary connecting side rod (106) by a hinge. The short rod connector (1056) is connected to the short rod connector (1052) of the long rod (104) by a hinge.

3. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cylindrical sub-connecting side rod (106) includes a locking push rod (1061), a locking push rod groove (1062), a rod limiting groove (1064), a motion pair mechanism fixing screw hole (1065), a weight reduction cutout (1066), and a locking push rod through hole (1067). The top of the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod (106) is provided with a side rod hinge (1063) that is hinged to the short rod (105) of the mechanism. The rod limiting groove (1064) is located on one side of the motion pair mechanism fixing screw hole (1065). When the antenna is retracted or the first stage of deployment is carried out, it can limit the long rod (104) and the short rod (105) of the mechanism. At the same time, there are also weight reduction cutouts (1066) spaced apart in the length direction of the cylindrical sub-connecting side rod (106) to reduce weight.

4. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 3, characterized in that: The unfolding process of the variable cell configuration unfolding mechanism is divided into two mutually decoupled stages. The first stage is an approximate planar unfolding, in which the driving spring (102) at the center of the corresponding hexagonal prism unit drives the mechanism rod (104) of each variable cell mechanism in the unit to unfold, which only serves to expand the antenna aperture. The second stage is a spatial unfolding. After the first stage unfolding is completed, the rotating track (110) of each rotating pair mechanism contacts the cylindrical pair connecting side rod (106), pushing the locking push rod (1061) to unlock the short rod (105) of the mechanism. The short rod (105) of the mechanism unfolds into place under the action of the built-in mechanism short rod torsion spring (1055), forming the spherical surface required for the antenna.

5. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the large-aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mechanism short rod locking structure (1054) has two through locking holes. When the antenna is in the retracted state or in the first stage of deployment, the front end of the locking push rod (1061) can be inserted to lock the mechanism short rod (105). The mechanism short rod connecting cover (1057) is connected to the mechanism short rod connecting piece (1056) by bolts. At the same time, the mechanism short rod connecting cover (1057) and the mechanism rod connecting piece (1052) are both provided with torsion spring rotating grooves. The torsion spring rotating grooves are used to place the mechanism short rod torsion spring (1055) to drive the second stage of deployment.

6. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central hinge (103) of the mechanism includes a half-mechanism central hinge (1031), a central hinge shaft (1032), and a central hinge bearing retainer (1034). The main body of the central hinge (103) consists of two mutually cooperating half-mechanism central hinges (1031). The protruding parts at both ends of the half-mechanism central hinges (1031) are connected to the long rod (104) of the mechanism by cylindrical pins. The two half-mechanism central hinges (1031) are connected by a through central hinge shaft (1032). The two ends of the central hinge shaft (1032) are fitted with central hinge bearings (1033). The outer periphery of the central hinge bearings (1033) is limited by the central hinge bearing retainer (1034).

7. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the ultra-large aperture payload antenna with a variable-cell configuration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cylindrical sub-mechanism (108) is formed by the cooperation of the cylindrical sub-mechanism sleeve (1081) and the linear bearing (1083) inside it. The linear bearing (1083) is also limited by cylindrical sub-mechanism bearing retaining rings (1082) above and below it.

8. The folding and unfolding mechanism of the variable-cell configuration ultra-large aperture payload antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating joint mechanism (109) includes a rotating joint sleeve (1091), a rotating joint retaining ring shaft (1092), a rotating joint retaining ring (1093), and a rotating joint retaining ring tension spring (1094). The rotating joint mechanism (109) is mainly composed of the rotating joint sleeve (1091). The rotating joint retaining ring (1093) is connected to the rotating joint sleeve (1091) through the rotating joint retaining ring shaft (1092) to enable the rotating joint mechanism (109) to rotate within the rotating joint mechanism rotation track (110). The rotating joint retaining ring tension spring (1094) is fixedly connected to the two rotating joint retaining rings (1093) at both ends, so that it can be reset after being installed on the rotating joint mechanism rotation track (110).

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