High-storage-ratio inflatable deployable deorbit sail modular structure based on snowflake-shaped folded paper and implementation method of high-storage-ratio inflatable deployable deorbit sail modular structure

Abstract

The invention discloses a high-storage-ratio inflatable deployable deorbit sail modular structure based on snowflake-shaped folded paper and an implementation method, and belongs to the technical field of spacecraft space debris removal. The problems that an existing deorbit sail is low in storage ratio, poor in unfolding reliability and insufficient in modularization degree are solved. The deorbital sail module body is of a snowflake fractal geometric polygon structure, the middle of the deorbital sail module body is hollow, and the deorbital sail module body is folded in a multistage nested mode. The multiple deorbit sail modules can be combined into a combined surface with a larger area, so that different numbers of deorbit sail modules can be flexibly and adaptively mounted according to the weights and the sizes of different satellites, customization is not needed, and commercialization, modularization, batch production and low cost of the deorbit sail are achieved. The deorbital sail module which is folded through a snowflake paper folding method is in the shape of a hollow cylinder and is evenly wrapped along with increase of the thickness, deformation does not occur, and therefore the unfolding area can be infinitely enlarged. The number of required creases is small, and folding damage to the sail surface material is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of spacecraft space debris removal, and particularly relates to a modular structure and implementation method of a high-storage-ratio inflatable deployable deorbiting sail based on snowflake configuration origami. Background Art

[0002] With the frequent space activities, more and more satellite and rocket debris are left in orbit, forming a large amount of space debris. These debris not only occupy valuable orbital resources, but also pose a serious threat to the spacecraft in orbit. The deployable deorbiting sail increases the aerodynamic drag to accelerate the orbital decay of the spacecraft, enabling it to enter the atmosphere and burn up faster, thereby reducing the generation of space debris. As a passive deorbiting device, the deorbiting sail has the advantages of low cost, lightweight, no need for fuel, high reliability, etc., which can effectively reduce space debris, protect the orbital environment, meet the requirements of international norms, and promote the sustainable development of space technology. Therefore, the deorbiting sail has important application value and necessity in modern space missions.

[0003] However, the traditional deorbiting sail technology has the following defects:

[0004] 1) Low storage ratio: In the existing technology (such as NanoSail-D), the storage ratio ≤ 1:200, and the volume compression efficiency is insufficient;

[0005] 2) Poor deployment reliability: The folding stress causes the sail surface breakage rate to be as high as 25% (such as PW-Sat2);

[0006] 3) Insufficient adaptability: Lack of standardized interfaces, and customized designs are required for different satellites (such as the single set cost of Taurus nanosatellite exceeds 200,000 yuan).

[0007] In addition, in the existing folding methods of the deorbiting sail surface, there are the following problems: When folding the creases of the sail surface, misalignment deformation due to increased thickness is likely to occur. Moreover, the larger the deployment area, the longer the creases, and the more serious the misalignment deformation due to increased thickness, resulting in severely limited expandability of the deployment area of the deorbiting sail. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In order to solve the problems of the existing deorbiting sail with low storage ratio, poor deployment reliability and insufficient modularity, the present invention further provides a modular structure and implementation method of a high-storage-ratio inflatable deployable deorbiting sail based on snowflake configuration origami.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0010] The invention discloses a modular structure of an inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail with a high storage ratio based on snowflake-shaped origami, comprising an off-orbit sail module body. The off-orbit sail module body adopts a polygonal configuration of snowflake fractal geometry, and is empty in the middle. The folding method of the off-orbit sail module body is multi-level nested folding. The off-orbit sail module body is supported by an inflation pipe to be inflated and deployed to form.

[0011] The implementation method of the modular structure of the high storage ratio inflatable deployable off-orbit sail based on snowflake configuration origami comprises the following steps:

[0012] Step 1: Fix the relative positions of the deorbiting sail module bodies through the directional ejection or linkage device on the satellite;

[0013] Step 2: Each deorbit sail module body is unfolded, and the unfolding is completed within seconds through the inflation pipe;

[0014] Step 3: Under the action of the flexible spaced magnetic sheets provided on the outer frame of the deorbit sail module body, the deorbit sail module bodies are automatically spliced ​​together to form a large-area combined surface;

[0015] Step 4: After the multiple deorbit sail module bodies are deployed into place, they are rigidly locked by buckles.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The present invention is a compact folding solution with a storage ratio of ≥1:300, a high-reliability structure with an unfolded wrinkle rate of <5%, and a modular system that supports flexible adaptation of 10kg-500kg spacecraft.

[0018] The present invention can combine multiple deorbit sail modules into a larger combined surface, so different numbers of deorbit sail modules can be flexibly adapted and installed according to the weight and volume of different satellites without the need for tailor-made customization, thereby achieving commercialization, modularization, mass production and low cost of deorbit sails.

[0019] The deorbit sail module of the present invention is folded and folded by the snowflake origami method to be in a hollow cylindrical shape, and is evenly wrapped as the thickness increases without deformation, so the unfolded area can be infinitely expanded.

[0020] The invention requires fewer folds, which is beneficial to reducing the folding damage of the sail surface material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the radial creases of the deorbit sail module;

[0022] Figure 2 It is the Archimedean spiral of the furling trajectory of the deorbit sail module;

[0023] Figure 3It is the off-orbit sail module. When m = 6, it is the outer edge of the hexagon;

[0024] Figure 4 Under the design of hollowing out in the center, when m = 6, the hexagon folds and collapses into a cylinder;

[0025] Figure 5 It is the off-orbit sail module. When m = 6, it is the crease design drawing of the hexagon (n = 5);

[0026] Figure 6 It is the off-orbit sail module. When m = 6, it is the schematic diagram of geometric parameters (m = 6, n = 3);

[0027] Figure 7 It is the inner circumference of the cylinder after the off-orbit sail module folds and collapses;

[0028] Figure 8 It is an example of the layout design of the inflatable pipe support structure (m = 6);

[0029] Figure 9 It is the schematic diagram of the modular combination architecture of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 It is the numerical simulation (left) and the partial enlarged view of its initial part (right);

[0031] Figure 11 It is the off-orbit sail module. When m = 3, it is the schematic diagram;

[0032] Figure 12 It is the off-orbit sail module. When m = 3, it is the schematic diagram of geometric parameters;

[0033] Figure 13 It is the spiral schematic diagram when the α value of the Archimedean spiral decreases;

[0034] Among them: 1. Off-orbit sail module body; 2. Inflatable pipe; 4. Radial crease. Specific implementation manner

[0035] In order to better understand the purpose, structure and function of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The present invention provides a modular structure of a high-packing-ratio inflatable deployable off-orbit sail based on snowflake-shaped origami, which is applicable to the passive off-orbit device of near-earth orbit satellites. The modular structure of the high-packing-ratio inflatable deployable off-orbit sail is realized through biomimetic snowflake fractal geometry and origami structure.

[0037] The modular structure of the high-packing-ratio inflatable deployable off-orbit sail based on snowflake-shaped origami includes an off-orbit sail module body 1, and the off-orbit sail module body 1 is supported and inflated by an inflatable pipe 2.

[0038] The deorbit sail module body 1 of the present invention adopts a polygonal configuration of snowflake fractal geometry (with a central hole formed by a hollow design in the middle), which is achieved through multi-level nested folding: the number of sides m of the polygonal configuration of the deorbit sail module body 1 is ≥ 3, and it is a regular polygon, that is, a regular polygon.

[0039] The central hole of the deorbit sail module body 1 is a polygonal hole, and the number of sides of the polygonal hole is the same as the number of sides of the deorbit sail module body 1 . The polygonal hole is arranged non-parallel to the outer side of the corresponding deorbit sail module body 1 .

[0040] The fold of the deorbit sail module body 1 is a radial fold 4, which is an extension line of the polygonal hole edge, so that the folding trajectory of the deorbit sail module body 1 becomes an Archimedean spiral.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 4 Taking the hexagon as an example, Figure 11 , Figure 12 Take a triangle as an example;

[0042] - The radial fold 4 (the extension line of the edge of the central hole m-gon) is a folding trajectory: Archimedean spiral, which achieves "no deformation as the thickness increases";

[0043] - Regular m-gonal outer edge: conducive to modular splicing (the best effect is when m=6);

[0044] - With the design of leaving the middle empty, any m-gon (m≥3) can be folded into a cylindrical shape;

[0045] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, Figure 5 The solid lines are mountain lines, and the dotted lines are valley lines;

[0046] m: Number of edges of crease pattern ( Figure 6 is a hexagon, m = 6)θ = 360° / (2m);

[0047] h: equal to the height of the cylinder after folding and can be set freely according to needs. x = h / tanθ;

[0048] a: The side length of the central m-gon to be hollowed out can be freely set according to needs (the inner circumference 2πr of the cylinder after folding and gathering is equal to the circumference ma of the central m-gon).

[0049] d = a / cosθ; e = a·tanθ;

[0050] n: the number of crease extensions (the number of segments of x, Figure 6 is 3, Figure 5 When h and a are constant, the expansion area can be enlarged by increasing the value of n.

[0051] L: the length of the outer edge of the m-gon;

[0052] like Figure 8 As shown, the layout of the inflation pipe 2 is as follows:

[0053] - The inflation channel 2 distributed on the radial fold 4 is gathered along the Archimedean spiral trajectory: inflation and expansion are smooth

[0054] - The inflatable pipes 2 distributed on the outer edge form an outer frame: after unfolding, it has high stability and is conducive to modular splicing

[0055] -Applicable range: 10kg micro-nano satellite to 500kg spacecraft;

[0056] like Figure 9 As shown, intermittent flexible magnetic sheets and buckles are provided on the outer frame of the deorbit sail module body 1, so that multiple deorbit sail module bodies 1 can be dynamically spliced ​​through the combined interface of magnetic attraction and buckles.

[0057] Adaptation range: By increasing or decreasing the number of modules, it can be flexibly adapted to 10kg micro-nano satellites to 500kg-class spacecraft;

[0058] The universal interface is compatible with multiple platforms such as cubic satellites and the last stage of launch vehicles.

[0059] The snowflake origami method of the present invention avoids the rigid folds parallel to the sides caused by the central hexagon, so that the radial folds 4 drawn from the central hole are wound around the curled circle in the middle in the form of an Archimedean spiral.

[0060] From the Archimedean spiral formula, we know that r = αθ

[0061] When α decreases gradually, within a certain area, the arc length of the spiral will increase, that is, the length of the radial fold 4 will gradually increase after unfolding.

[0062] When α approaches 0, the arc length approaches infinity, and eventually the area of ​​the deorbit sail after deployment approaches infinity. Figure 13 shown.

[0063] Since the radial folds 4 are always in a spiral winding posture, no misalignment deformation will occur when the thickness increases.

[0064] Therefore, "when the storage box size is constant, as long as the off-orbit sail material is thin enough", or "when the material thickness is constant, as long as the storage box is large enough", then by increasing the value of n, it is theoretically possible to make an origami off-orbit sail with an infinitely large deployment area.

[0065] The implementation process takes the deorbiting of a 60kg satellite in a 600km orbit as an example:

[0066] Step 1: Fix the relative positions between the off-orbit sail module bodies 1 through directional ejection or link devices on the satellite.

[0067] Step 2: Each off-orbit sail module body 1 unfolds and is completed within a few seconds (generally within five seconds) through the inflation pipeline 2 (in a vacuum environment of 0.1 Pa).

[0068] Step 3: Under the action of the magnetic attraction of the flexible spacer frame magnets arranged outside the off-orbit sail module body 1, the off-orbit sail module bodies 1 are automatically spliced to form a large-area combined surface.

[0069] Step 4: After multiple off-orbit sail module bodies 1 are unfolded in place, they are rigidly locked by buckles so that the off-orbit sail module bodies 1 will not disperse.

[0070] Numerical simulation shows that the off-orbit time is less than 1 year; as Figure 10 shown.

[0071] It can be understood that the present invention is described through some embodiments. Those skilled in the art know that without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, various changes or equivalent replacements can be made to these features and embodiments. Additionally, under the teaching of the present invention, these features and embodiments can be modified to adapt to specific situations and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of this application belong to the scope protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular structure of an inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail with a high storage ratio based on snowflake-shaped origami, characterized in that: The deorbit sail module body (1) comprises a polygonal configuration of snowflake fractal geometry, with a central hole left empty in the middle, and a multi-level nested folding method for the deorbit sail module body (1); the deorbit sail module body (1) is supported by an inflation pipe (2) to be inflated and expanded to form a shape.

2. The high storage ratio inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail modular structure based on snowflake configuration origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of sides m of the polygonal configuration of the deorbit sail module body (1) is ≥3.

3. The high storage ratio inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail modular structure based on snowflake configuration origami according to claim 2, characterized in that: The central hole of the deorbit sail module body (1) is a polygonal hole, the number of sides of the polygonal hole is the same as the number of sides of the deorbit sail module body (1), and the polygonal hole is arranged non-parallel to the outer edge of the corresponding deorbit sail module body (1).

4. The high storage ratio inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail modular structure based on snowflake configuration origami according to claim 3 is characterized by: The fold of the off-orbit sail module body (1) is a radial fold (4), which is an extension line of the polygonal hole edge, so that the folding trajectory of the off-orbit sail module body (1) becomes an Archimedean spiral.

5. The high storage ratio inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail modular structure based on snowflake configuration origami according to claim 4, characterized in that: The layout of the inflation pipe (2) is as follows: the inflation pipes (2) are distributed on the radial folds (4), gathered in an Archimedean spiral trajectory, and distributed on the outer edges to form an outer frame.

6. The high storage ratio inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail modular structure based on snowflake configuration origami according to claim 1, characterized in that: An intermittent flexible magnetic sheet and buckle are arranged on the outer frame of the deorbit sail module body (1), so that a plurality of the deorbit sail module bodies (1) can be dynamically spliced ​​through a combined interface of magnetic attraction and buckle.

7. A method for implementing a modular structure of an inflatable and deployable off-orbit sail with a high storage ratio based on snowflake-shaped origami, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Fix the relative positions of the deorbiting sail module bodies (1) by means of a directional ejection or a connecting rod device on the satellite; Step 2: Each deorbit sail module body (1) is unfolded and the unfolding is completed within a few seconds through the inflation pipe (2); Step 3: Under the action of the flexible spaced magnetic sheets arranged on the outer frame of the deorbit sail module body (1), the deorbit sail module bodies (1) are automatically spliced ​​together to form a large-area combined surface; Step 4: After the multiple deorbit sail module bodies (1) are deployed in place, they are rigidly locked by buckles.

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