Aerospace vehicle cabin door folding and unfolding mechanism and method based on cable folding and unfolding

Abstract

The invention discloses an aerospace vehicle cabin door folding and unfolding mechanism based on cable folding and unfolding. The aerospace vehicle cabin door folding and unfolding mechanism comprises a pulley block installed on one side of the free edge of a cabin door and a cabin door rotation driving device installed at the position of a cabin door rotating shaft. The pulley block comprises a fixed pulley block installed on a supporting structure below the free edge of the cabin door and a movable pulley block installed on the free edge of the cabin door. The supporting structure is fixedly connected with one end of the cable, and the other end of the cable penetrates through the pulley block and then is connected with the cable take-up and pay-off driving device. The cabin door rotation driving device is used for providing rotation torque in the rotating opening direction of the cabin door; when the cable take-up and pay-off driving device takes up the cable, the cabin door is rotationally closed, and when the cable take-up and pay-off driving device pays off the cable, the cabin door is rotationally opened under the action of rotating torque. The invention has the characteristics of light weight, small occupied space, simple and reliable structure and accurate opening control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of aerospace and mechanical structure technology, and in particular relates to an aerospace vehicle cabin door deployment and retraction mechanism and method based on cable retraction. Background Art

[0002] The retractable hatch (hereinafter referred to as the "hatch") serves as a passage for the space payload of an aerospace vehicle to enter and exit the vehicle, or as a bearing structure for equipment such as battery arrays and radiators. During the on-orbit operation of the vehicle, it needs to be opened conveniently and quickly, and accurately controlled to stay at any opening angle within the maximum opening angle range to ensure the smooth implementation of related space missions; when the vehicle reenters the atmosphere, the hatch needs to remain in a reliably closed state to ensure that the vehicle has a good aerodynamic shape and protect the load in the cabin. Therefore, it is necessary to design a lightweight, reliable, and accurately controllable hatch door deployment and retraction mechanism. At the same time, due to the small space of the aerospace vehicle, the hatch door deployment and retraction mechanism needs to sweep as small a space as possible. Since the entire vehicle is in an on-orbit weightless environment when the hatch door deployment and retraction mechanism is working, there is no need to consider the gravity of the hatch door structure, so the deployment and retraction mechanism has a low bearing capacity requirement, and it can realize the deployment and retraction of the hatch door structure in a space environment. The traditional four-link deployment and retraction + center seam lock mechanism layout has a large sweep space, requires multiple drive devices, has a complex mechanism, is heavy, has low reliability, and is costly. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism and method based on cable retraction. The present invention has the characteristics of light weight, small space occupation, simple and reliable structure, and precise opening control.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a mechanism for deploying and retracting the cabin door of an aerospace vehicle based on cable retraction, comprising a pulley block installed on one side of the free edge of the cabin door and a cabin door rotation drive device installed at the cabin door shaft; the pulley block comprises a fixed pulley block installed on a supporting structure below the free edge of the cabin door, and a movable pulley block installed at the free edge of the cabin door; the supporting structure is fixedly connected to one end of the cable, and the other end of the cable is connected to the cable retraction drive device after passing through the pulley block; the cabin door rotation drive device is used to provide a rotational torque in the direction of rotating the cabin door to open; when the cable retraction drive device retracts the cable, the cabin door rotates to close, and when the cable retraction drive device releases the cable, the cabin door rotates to open under the action of the rotational torque.

[0005] In the aforementioned aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism based on cable retraction, the fixed pulley group includes pulley A, pulley B, pulley C, and pulley D, and pulleys B and C are coaxially arranged along the length direction of the supporting structure; pulleys A and D are arranged along the length direction of the supporting structure, and the axes of pulleys A and D are perpendicular to the axes of pulleys B and C, and pulleys B and C are respectively located above pulleys A and D;

[0006] In the aforementioned cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism, the movable pulley group includes a pulley E, which is connected to a pulley rotatable box, and the pulley rotatable box is connected to the free edge of the door via a support ear E; the axis of pulley E is perpendicular to the axes of pulleys B and C, the axis of support ear E is parallel to the axes of pulleys B and C, and the pulley rotatable box can rotate around the axis of support ear E; the order in which the other end of the cable passes through the pulleys in the pulley group is pulley D, pulley C, pulley E, pulley B, and pulley A.

[0007] In the aforementioned cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism, the pulley A, pulley B, pulley C, and pulley D are fixed to the supporting structure through support ear A, support ear B, support ear C, and support ear D, respectively.

[0008] In the aforementioned cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism, the door rotation drive device is in the form of a passive spring or a rotary actuator.

[0009] In the aforementioned cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism, more than one pulley block is provided along the length direction of the supporting structure, and the other end of the cable passes through each pulley block in turn and is connected to the cable retraction and retraction drive device.

[0010] In the aforementioned aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism based on cable retraction, the cables are always in a taut state during the door deployment and retraction process.

[0011] A method for using the cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism as described above, wherein when closing the door, the cable retractable drive device reels the cable and pulls the door to rotate around the shaft and close; when opening the door, the cable retractable drive device releases the cable and the door rotates open under the action of the rotational torque; during the opening / closing process of the door, the pulley block is used to adjust the movement direction of the cable and bear the cable load at the same time.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. The cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment and retraction mechanism designed by the present invention is light in weight, simple in structure, and occupies a small space. It can meet the requirements of large-angle opening and closing of the aerospace vehicle door and can achieve precise control of any opening angle.

[0013] 2. Compared with the traditional four-bar linkage and other types of rotary drive mechanisms, the hatch rotary drive device of the present invention has a simple structure, does not involve motion and sweeping space, occupies little space, and is suitable for various hatch structures with limited space.

[0014] 3. The entire mechanism of the present invention can realize precise control of any opening angle of the hatch.

[0015] 4. During the hatch door extension and retraction process of the present invention, the hatch door rotation drive device always has a rotational torque in the opening direction acting on the hatch door, and the cable retraction and release drive device also always provides reverse constraints on the hatch door through the cable. The two together provide constraints for the hatch door opening angle, which can always keep the hatch door opening angle stable and prevent the hatch door from vibrating.

[0016] 5. The whole set of mechanisms of the present invention has a simple structure, light weight, simple system operation and high reliability.

[0017] 6. The present invention has strong expansibility and can be applied to various deployment modes such as single door opening and left and right doors opening opposite to each other with a little improvement.

[0018] 7. The cable retracting and releasing driving device of the present invention only needs to realize the rotation of the retracting and releasing cable, has a single function, a simple structure, can be realized by selecting a variety of simple motor products, occupies a small space, has high reliability and low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a side view of the hatch in closed state;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a top view of the hatch closed;

[0021] Figure 3 This is the axonometric view of the hatch in the closed state;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a side view of the hatch in the deployed state;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a top view of the hatch in its unfolded state;

[0024] Figure 6 This is an axonometric view of the hatch in its unfolded state;

[0025] Figure 7 It is the pulley block and cable retracting and releasing drive device when the hatch is closed;

[0026] Figure 8 It is the fixed pulley block and cable when the hatch is in the deployed state;

[0027] Fig. 9 It is the movable pulley block and cable when the hatch is in the extended state;

[0028] Fig.10 It is a door rotation drive device (taking a spring as an example, it can be other rotation actuators). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Example 1. See Figure 1-Figure 10 , which consists of four parts: a cable retracting and releasing driving device 2, a pulley block 3, a door rotation driving device 5 and a cable 7;

[0031] The pulley block 3 is composed of a fixed pulley block 8 and a movable pulley block 9, wherein the fixed pulley block 8 includes four pulleys 11, 12, 16, and 18, which are respectively fixed to the support structure 1 below the free edge of the hatch 4 through support ears 10, 17, 18, and 20; the movable pulley block 9 is composed of a pulley 14 and a pulley rotating box 13, which are combined and fixed below the free edge of the hatch 4 by a support ear 15; when the hatch 4 is closed, the movable pulley block 9 is located above the fixed pulley block 8, and during the unfolding of the hatch 4, the movable pulley block 9 moves with the hatch, and at the same time, the pulley rotating box 13 rotates with the rotation of the hatch 4 to ensure that the movable pulley block 9 is always consistent with the direction of the cable 7;

[0032] The cable retracting and releasing driving device 2 is installed inside the machine body, next to the fixed pulley block 8, and the cable retracting and releasing device 2 can retract and release the cable 7 by rotating;

[0033] The door rotation drive device 5 is installed at the rotation shaft of the door 4, and its form can be a passive spring 23, or other devices that can realize the rotation function such as a rotary actuator. The door rotation drive device 5 always outputs a rotation torque in the opening direction, so as to cause the door 4 to rotate around the rotation shaft 24 in the opening direction;

[0034] Several fixed pulley blocks 8 and movable pulley blocks 9 of the same number and several door rotation drive devices 5 can be arranged along the length direction of the door 4 as needed. The fixed pulley blocks 8 and movable pulley blocks 9 are used to change the movement direction of the cable 7 and bear the load of the cable 7. The whole mechanism controls the length of the cable 7 and the opening angle of the door through the cable retracting drive device 2. During the retracting process of the door 4, the cable 7 is always in a taut state. When the cable 7 is retracted to the shortest, the door 4 is closed, and when the cable 7 is extended to the longest, the door 4 reaches the maximum opening angle.

[0035] Example 2. A cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism, see Figure 1-Figure 10, including a pulley block 3 installed on one side of the free edge of the cabin door 4 and a cabin door rotation drive device 5 installed at the rotating shaft of the cabin door 4; the pulley block 3 includes a fixed pulley block 8 installed on the supporting structure 1 below the free edge of the cabin door 4, and a movable pulley block 9 installed at the free edge of the cabin door 4; the supporting structure 1 is fixedly connected to one end of the cable 7, and the other end of the cable 7 passes through the pulley block 3 and is connected to the cable retracting and releasing drive device 2; the cabin door rotation drive device 5 is used to provide a rotational torque in the rotational opening direction of the cabin door 4; when the cable retracting and releasing drive device 2 retracts the cable, the cabin door 4 rotates to close, and when the cable retracting and releasing drive device 2 releases the cable, the cabin door 4 rotates to open under the action of the rotational torque.

[0036] The aforementioned fixed pulley group 8 includes pulley A11, pulley B12, pulley C16, pulley D19, pulleys B and C are coaxially arranged along the length direction of the supporting structure 1; pulleys A and D are arranged along the length direction of the supporting structure 1, the axes of pulleys A and D are perpendicular to the axes of pulleys B and C, and pulleys B and C are located above pulleys A and D respectively.

[0037] The aforementioned movable pulley block 9 includes a pulley E14, which is connected to a pulley cassette 13, and the pulley cassette 13 is connected to the free edge of the hatch 4 via a support ear piece E15; the axis of the pulley E14 is perpendicular to the axes of the pulleys B and C, the axis of the support ear piece E15 is parallel to the axes of the pulleys B and C, and the pulley cassette 13 can rotate around the axis of the support ear piece E15; the other end of the cable 7 passes through the pulleys in the pulley block 3 in the order of pulley D19, pulley C16, pulley E14, pulley B12, and pulley A11.

[0038] The aforementioned pulley A11, pulley B12, pulley C16, and pulley D19 are fixed to the supporting structure 1 through the support ear piece A10, the support ear piece B18, the support ear piece C17, and the support ear piece D20 respectively.

[0039] The aforementioned door rotation drive device 5 is in the form of a passive spring 23 or a rotation actuator. Fig.10 Taking the passive spring 23 as an example, one or more sets of supports A21, supports B22 and shafts 24 for connecting the door 4 and the body are designed along the length direction on the rotating support structure 6 on the body, and then the passive spring 23 is put on the shaft 24 to provide a rotational torque in the opening direction.

[0040] The aforementioned pulley block 3 is provided with more than one group along the length direction of the supporting structure 1 , and the other end of the cable 7 passes through each group of pulley blocks 3 in sequence and is connected to the cable retracting and releasing driving device 2 .

[0041] The aforementioned cable 7 is always in a taut state during the process of the hatch 4 being extended or retracted.

[0042] The method of using the above-mentioned cable-retractable aerospace vehicle hatch door deployment mechanism is as follows: when closing the hatch 4, the cable retractable drive device 2 reels the cable 7 and pulls the hatch 4 to rotate around the rotating axis and close; when opening the hatch 4, the cable retractable drive device 2 releases the cable and the hatch 4 rotates open under the action of the rotational torque; during the opening / closing process of the hatch 4, the pulley block 3 is used to adjust the movement direction of the cable 7 and bear the load of the cable 7 at the same time.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the aerospace vehicle door extension and retraction mechanism based on cable retraction is composed of four parts: a cable retraction drive device 2, a pulley block 3, a door rotation drive device 5 and a cable 7. According to actual needs, several pulley blocks 3 and several door rotation drive devices 5 can be arranged along the length direction of the door 4. Figure 5 , showing the situation of four sets of pulley blocks; in addition, in order to increase the channel space for the space load of the aerospace vehicle to enter and exit the aircraft, pulley blocks can also be set at only two ends or one end of the cabin door.

[0044] like Figure 7 The pulley block 3 is composed of a fixed pulley block 8 and a movable pulley block 9. Figure 8 , comprising four pulleys 11, 12, 16, 18, which are respectively fixed to the support structure 1 below the free edge of the hatch 4 through support ears 10, 17, 18, 20; the movable pulley group 9 is as shown Fig. 9 , which is composed of a pulley 14 and a pulley rotating box 13, which are combined and fixed to the lower free edge of the hatch 4 by a support ear piece 15; when the hatch 4 is closed, the movable pulley block 9 is located above the fixed pulley block 8, such as Figure 3 and Figure 7 During the unfolding of the door 4, the movable pulley block 9 moves with the door, and at the same time, the pulley box 13 rotates with the rotation of the door 4 to ensure that the movable pulley block 9 is always consistent with the direction of the cable 7, such as Figure 6 and Fig. 9 .

[0045] The door rotation drive device 5 is installed at the door 4 rotation shaft. Figure 1 and Figure 3 The form of the passive spring 23 can be a rotary actuator or other devices that can realize the rotation function. The door rotation drive device 5 always outputs a rotation torque in the opening direction, which causes the door 4 to rotate in the opening direction around the rotating shaft 24. The cable retracting and releasing drive device 2 is installed inside the machine body, next to the fixed pulley block 8, such as Figure 8 The cable retracting device 2 can retract the cable 7 by rotating.

[0046] During the operation of the entire mechanism, the fixed pulley block 8 and the movable pulley block 9 change the direction of movement of the cable 7 and bear the load of the cable 7. The cable retracting and releasing driving device 2 controls the retracted length of the cable 7 and the opening angle of the hatch. The cable retracting and releasing driving device 2 releases the cable, and the hatch 4 is unfolded under the action of the rotating driving device 5. The cable retracting and releasing driving device 2 retracts the cable, and the unfolding angle of the hatch 4 is reduced until it is closed. During the unfolding and retracting process of the hatch 4, the cable 7 is always in a taut state, which can always keep the opening angle of the hatch 4 stable and prevent the hatch 4 from vibrating.

[0047] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is described in detail. The unexplained part is a conventional technology. However, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cable-based aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism, characterized in that: The invention comprises a pulley block (3) installed on one side of the free edge of the cabin door (4) and a cabin door rotation drive device (5) installed at the rotating shaft of the cabin door (4); the pulley block (3) comprises a fixed pulley block (8) installed on a supporting structure (1) below the free edge of the cabin door (4), and a movable pulley block (9) installed at the free edge of the cabin door (4); the supporting structure (1) is fixedly connected to one end of a cable (7), and the other end of the cable (7) passes through the pulley block (3) and is connected to a cable retracting and releasing drive device (2); the cabin door rotation drive device (5) is used to provide a rotation torque in the direction of rotation and opening of the cabin door (4); When the cable retracting and releasing driving device (2) retracts the wire, the hatch (4) rotates and closes; when the cable retracting and releasing driving device (2) releases the wire, the hatch (4) rotates and opens under the action of the rotation torque.

2. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed pulley assembly (8) comprises a pulley A (11), a pulley B (12), a pulley C (16), and a pulley D (19), wherein the pulleys B and C are coaxially arranged along the length direction of the support structure (1); the pulleys A and D are arranged along the length direction of the support structure (1), the axes of the pulleys A and D are perpendicular to the axes of the pulleys B and C, and the pulleys B and C are respectively located above the pulleys A and D.

3. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable pulley block (9) comprises a pulley E (14), the pulley E (14) is connected to a pulley rotating box (13), the pulley rotating box (13) is connected to a free edge of a cabin door (4) via a support ear piece E (15); the axis of the pulley E (14) is perpendicular to the axis of pulleys B and C, the axis of the support ear piece E (15) is parallel to the axis of pulleys B and C, and the pulley rotating box (13) can rotate around the axis of the support ear piece E (15); the other end of the cable (7) passes through the pulleys in the pulley block (3) in the order of pulley D (19), pulley C (16), pulley E (14), pulley B (12), and pulley A (11).

4. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pulley A (11), pulley B (12), pulley C (16), and pulley D (19) are fixed to the supporting structure (1) through the support ear piece A (10), the support ear piece B (18), the support ear piece C (17), and the support ear piece D (20), respectively.

5. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The door rotation drive device (5) is in the form of a passive spring (23) or a rotation actuator.

6. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: More than one pulley block (3) is provided along the length direction of the support structure (1), and the other end of the cable (7) passes through each pulley block (3) in sequence and is connected to the cable retracting and releasing driving device (2).

7. The cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable (7) is always in a taut state during the process of extending and retracting the hatch (4).

8. A method for using the cable-retractable aerospace vehicle door deployment mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: When the cabin door (4) is closed, the cable retracting and releasing driving device (2) reels in the cable (7) and pulls the cabin door (4) to rotate around the rotating shaft and close; When the hatch (4) is opened, the cable retracting and releasing driving device (2) rotates the cable release hatch (4) open under the action of the rotational torque; during the opening / closing process of the hatch (4), the pulley block (3) is used to adjust the movement direction of the cable (7) and bear the load of the cable (7) at the same time.

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