Flexible solar wing ground unfolding gravity unloading mechanism

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of spacecrafts, and particularly relates to a flexible solar wing ground unfolding gravity unloading mechanism. Comprising a guide rail and a plurality of gravity unloading units. The gravity unloading unit comprises pulleys, a supporting beam, a rotating shaft, a swing rod and a balancing weight, the two ends of the supporting beam are connected with the two pulleys, the pulleys are installed on the guide rails, the rotating shaft is rotationally installed on the supporting beam, the lower end of the rotating shaft is connected with the swing rod, and hanging points at the tail end of the swing rod are connected with wing plate mass center hanging points of the solar wing through hanging ropes respectively; the upper end of the rotating shaft is connected with the balancing weight; when the solar wing is unfolded, the tackle moves longitudinally along with the mass center of each wing plate and freely slides along the guide rail, the swing rod swings along with the transverse movement of the mass center of each wing plate, and the balancing weight balances the torque generated by hanging the solar wing. The device adapts to the extremely small distance when the flexible solar wing is folded, and can move along with the mass center in the unfolding process of the solar wing in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, and gravity unloading in the ground unfolding process of the flexible solar wing is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of spacecraft, and in particular relates to a gravity unloading mechanism for ground deployment of a flexible solar wing. Background Art

[0002] The solar wing is the main source of energy for the spacecraft. It is in a folded state before entering orbit and unfolds after entering orbit. In order to verify the function of the solar wing unfolding mechanism, it is necessary to conduct a unfolding function verification test on the ground. The unfolding mechanism of the solar wing is designed for the weightless environment of space and usually does not have the ability to overcome the gravity on the ground. Therefore, when the solar wing is unfolded on the ground, a gravity unloading mechanism is required to gravity unload each unfolding component.

[0003] The traditional solar wing has a relatively thick base plate and a relatively large gap between each wing plate. The gravity unloading mechanism technology is relatively mature, that is, the hanging tool is directly connected vertically to the center of mass suspension point of each solar wing plate, and the gravity unloading can be achieved by adjusting the tension of the hanging tool. With the development of aerospace technology, flexible solar wings are increasingly widely used due to their small envelope, light weight, and modularity. The flexible solar wing uses a thin film structure with a thickness of less than 1mm as the base plate. After folding, the different base plates are completely in contact and pressed. After the traditional hanging tool is folded, its thickness is far greater than the thickness of the flexible solar wing in the folded state, and the existing structure cannot meet the use requirements by reducing the thickness. Therefore, it is not suitable for gravity unloading of the flexible solar wing on the ground. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a gravity unloading mechanism for the ground deployment of a flexible solar wing. Summary of the invention

[0004] In response to the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a gravity unloading mechanism for ground deployment of a flexible solar wing, whose hanging point setting can adapt to the extremely small spacing between the flexible solar wings when they are in a folded state, and the hanging tooling can follow the longitudinal and lateral movement of the center of mass of the solar wing during the deployment process, thereby realizing gravity unloading during the ground deployment of the flexible solar wing.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: The present invention provides a flexible solar wing ground-deployed gravity unloading mechanism, comprising two parallel guide rails and a plurality of gravity unloading units slidably connected to the two guide rails; the two guide rails are consistent with the longitudinal extension direction of the solar wing when unfolded, and the plurality of gravity unloading units are respectively connected to the center of mass suspension points of each wing panel of the solar wing through suspension ropes, and the gravity unloading of the solar wing is achieved through the plurality of gravity unloading units.

[0006] The gravity unloading unit comprises a pulley, a support beam, a rotating shaft, a swing rod and a counterweight, wherein the two ends of the support beam are respectively connected to the two pulleys, the two pulleys are respectively mounted on the two guide rails, the rotating shaft is rotatably mounted on the support beam, the lower end of the rotating shaft is connected to the horizontally arranged swing rod, and the end of the swing rod is provided with a hanging point; the upper end of the rotating shaft is directly connected to the counterweight, or the upper end of the rotating shaft is connected to the counterweight through the support rod; When the solar wing is unfolded, the pulley moves longitudinally with the center of mass of each wing panel and slides freely along the guide rail, the swing rod moves laterally with the center of mass of each wing panel and swings, and the counterweight block is used to balance the torque generated by the solar wing suspended at the end of the swing rod.

[0007] The pulley includes a pulley joint and three groups of rolling bearing assemblies, wherein the lower end of the pulley joint is fixedly connected to the support beam, the upper end of the pulley joint is provided with a slide groove for the guide rail to pass through, two groups of rolling bearing assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the slide groove, and the third group of rolling bearing assemblies is arranged at the bottom of the slide groove, and the three groups of rolling bearing assemblies are all in rolling contact with the guide rail.

[0008] The rolling bearing assembly comprises a rolling bearing and a pin, wherein the pin is connected to the pulley joint and the rolling bearing is mounted on the pin.

[0009] The support beam and the guide rail are in a non-vertical state.

[0010] The lengths of the swing rods and the counterweights in the plurality of gravity unloading units increase successively, and the heights of the hanging points at the ends of the swing rods decrease successively, and the lengths of the corresponding support rods become shorter successively.

[0011] An oblique rib is arranged between the swing rod and the rotating shaft.

[0012] The advantages and beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention enables the mechanism to follow the longitudinal movement of the center of mass of the wing panel during the unfolding of the solar wing through the longitudinally arranged guide rails and the pulley that can slide freely on the guide rails; the mechanism can follow the lateral movement of the center of mass of the wing panel during the unfolding of the solar wing through the swing of the rocker arm installed at one end of the rotating shaft around the center of the rotating shaft, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the ground test.

[0013] The swing rod in the present invention is installed at one end of the rotating shaft, which is a cantilever structure. A suspension point is set at the end of the swing rod. The cantilever length and suspension height of the swing rod between each unit are adjusted to adapt to the small spacing when the flexible solar wing is folded to avoid interference and collision between each group of mechanisms. At the same time, a counterweight is installed at the other end of the rotating shaft to eliminate the influence of the additional torque caused by the eccentricity of the suspension point.

[0014] In the present invention, three rows of six rolling bearings are arranged on the contact surface between the inner side of the pulley and the guide rail. The pulleys are installed on the guide rail in groups of two through support beams, and the axial direction of the support beam is not perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide rail, so that the mechanism can slide freely along the axial direction of the guide rail without overturning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is an axonometric diagram of a ground-deployed gravity unloading mechanism of a flexible solar wing of the present invention when the flexible solar wing is in a folded state; Figure 2 A top view of a ground-deployed gravity unloading mechanism of a flexible solar wing of the present invention when the flexible solar wing is in a folded state; Figure 3 It is an axonometric diagram of a single gravity unloading unit in the present invention; Figure 4 It is an axonometric view of the pulley in the present invention.

[0016] In the figure: 1-guide rail, 2-pulley, 21-pulley joint, 22-rolling bearing, 23-pin shaft, 3-support beam, 4-rotating shaft, 5-rocker, 6-counterweight, 7-support rod, 8-hanging point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0018] See also Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention provides a flexible solar wing ground-deployed gravity unloading mechanism, comprising two parallel guide rails 1 and a plurality of gravity unloading units slidably connected to the two guide rails 1; the two guide rails 1 are consistent with the longitudinal extension direction of the solar wing when unfolded, and the plurality of gravity unloading units are respectively connected to the center of mass suspension points of each wing panel of the solar wing through suspension ropes, and the unloading of the gravity of the solar wing is achieved through the plurality of gravity unloading units.

[0019] See also Figure 3 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the gravity unloading unit includes a pulley 2, a support beam 3, a rotating shaft 4, a rocker rod 5 and a counterweight 6, wherein the two ends of the support beam 3 are respectively connected to the two pulleys 2, the two pulleys 2 are respectively installed on the two guide rails 1, the rotating shaft 4 is rotatably installed on the support beam 3, the lower end of the rotating shaft 4 is connected to the horizontally arranged rocker rod 5, the end of the rocker rod 5 is provided with a hanging point 8, the hanging point 8 is connected to the center of mass hanging point of the solar wing panel through a hanging rope, so as to realize the unloading of the gravity of the solar wing; the upper end of the rotating shaft 4 is directly connected to the counterweight 6, or the upper end of the rotating shaft 4 is connected to the counterweight 6 through a support rod 7; when the solar wing is unfolded, the pulley 2 follows the longitudinal movement of the center of mass of each wing panel and slides freely along the guide rail 1, the rocker rod 5 follows the lateral movement of the center of mass of the wing panel and swings, and the counterweight 6 is used to balance the torque generated by the solar wing hanging at the end of the rocker rod 5.

[0020] Furthermore, oblique ribs are provided between the swing rod 5 and the rotating shaft 4 to improve the overall strength.

[0021] Furthermore, the support beam 3 and the guide rail 1 are in a non-vertical state, and this structure can balance a part of the torque generated by the solar wing hanging at the end of the swing rod on the mechanism. In this embodiment, the support beam 3 and the guide rail 1 are at an angle of 60°.

[0022] In the embodiment of the present invention, the rotating shaft 4 in the outermost gravity unloading unit is directly connected to the counterweight 6, and the rotating shafts 4 in the remaining gravity unloading units are connected to the counterweight 6 through the support rods 7. The lengths of the swing rods 5 and the counterweight 6 in the multiple gravity unloading units increase successively, and the heights of the hanging points 8 at the ends of the swing rods 5 decrease successively, and the lengths of the corresponding support rods 7 become shorter successively.

[0023] See also Figure 4 As shown, in the embodiment of the present invention, the pulley 2 includes a pulley joint 21 and three sets of rolling bearing assemblies, wherein the lower end of the pulley joint 21 is fixedly connected to the support beam 3, the upper end of the pulley joint 21 is provided with a slide groove for the guide rail 1 to pass through, two sets of rolling bearing assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the slide groove, and the third set of rolling bearing assemblies is arranged at the bottom of the slide groove, and the three sets of rolling bearing assemblies are in rolling contact with the guide rail 1. The pulley 2 can slide freely on the guide rail 1 and follow the longitudinal movement of the center of mass of the solar wing panel.

[0024] Specifically, each group of rolling bearing assemblies includes two rolling bearings 22 arranged along the axial direction of the slide groove of the pulley joint 21, and each rolling bearing 22 is installed on the pulley joint 21 through a pin shaft 23, that is, six rolling bearings 22 are installed on the mounting contact surface of the pulley joint 21 and the guide rail 1, so that the pulley 2 can slide freely along the axial direction of the guide rail 1 without overturning. The rolling bearings 22 can reduce the friction between the pulley 2 and the guide rail 1 during the sliding process, and avoid the influence of sliding obstruction due to excessive friction on the deployment of the suspended solar wing panels.

[0025] The present invention provides a gravity unloading mechanism for ground deployment of a flexible solar wing. The gravity unloading units can be used in multiple groups according to the number of solar wing panels. The cantilever length and suspension height of the swing rod 5 and the weight and installation height of the counterweight block 6 need to be adjusted between each group of units to prevent interference between the units. The mechanism can follow the longitudinal movement of the center of mass of the wing panel during the deployment of the solar wing through the longitudinally arranged guide rail 1 and the pulley 2 that can slide freely on the guide rail 1. The mechanism can follow the lateral movement of the center of mass of the wing panel during the deployment of the solar wing through the swing rod 5 installed at one end of the rotating shaft 4 swinging around the center of the rotating shaft, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the ground test.

[0026] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, expansion, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gravity unloading mechanism for ground deployment of a flexible solar wing, characterized in that: The invention comprises two parallel guide rails (1) and a plurality of gravity unloading units slidably connected to the two guide rails (1); the two guide rails (1) are aligned with the longitudinal extension direction of the solar wing when the solar wing is unfolded; the plurality of gravity unloading units are respectively connected to the centroid suspension points of each wing panel of the solar wing via suspension ropes; and the gravity unloading of the solar wing is achieved via the plurality of gravity unloading units; The gravity unloading unit comprises a pulley (2), a support beam (3), a rotating shaft (4), a swing rod (5) and a counterweight (6), wherein the two ends of the support beam (3) are respectively connected to the two pulleys (2), the two pulleys (2) are respectively mounted on the two guide rails (1), the rotating shaft (4) is rotatably mounted on the support beam (3), the lower end of the rotating shaft (4) is connected to a horizontally arranged swing rod (5), and a hanging point (8) is provided at the end of the swing rod (5); the upper end of the rotating shaft (4) is directly connected to the counterweight (6), or the upper end of the rotating shaft (4) is connected to the counterweight (6) via a support rod (7); When the solar wing is unfolded, the pulley (2) moves longitudinally with the center of mass of each wing plate and slides freely along the guide rail (1), the swing rod (5) moves laterally with the center of mass of each wing plate and swings, and the counterweight (6) is used to balance the torque generated by the solar wing suspended at the end of the swing rod (5).

2. The flexible solar wing ground deployment gravity unloading mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The pulley (2) comprises a pulley joint (21) and three groups of rolling bearing assemblies, wherein the lower end of the pulley joint (21) is fixedly connected to the support beam (3), the upper end of the pulley joint (21) is provided with a slide groove for the guide rail (1) to pass through, two groups of rolling bearing assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the top of the slide groove, and the third group of rolling bearing assemblies is arranged at the bottom of the slide groove, and the three groups of rolling bearing assemblies are all in rolling contact with the guide rail (1).

3. The flexible solar wing ground deployment gravity unloading mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The rolling bearing assembly comprises a rolling bearing (22) and a pin shaft (23), wherein the pin shaft (23) is connected to the pulley joint (21), and the rolling bearing (22) is mounted on the pin shaft (23).

4. The flexible solar wing ground deployment gravity unloading mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The support beam (3) and the guide rail (1) are in a non-vertical state.

5. The flexible solar wing ground deployment gravity unloading mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The lengths of the swing rods (5) and the counterweights (6) in the plurality of gravity unloading units increase successively, and the heights of the suspension points (8) at the ends of the swing rods (5) decrease successively, and the lengths of the corresponding support rods (7) decrease successively.

6. The flexible solar wing ground deployment gravity unloading mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: An oblique rib is provided between the swing rod (5) and the rotating shaft (4).

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