A flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section in orbit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section along its length on track, and belongs to the technical field of light shield design for space cameras. The flexible light shield for a space camera of the present invention comprises, from top to bottom, a top flange, a light shielding skin, and a bottom flange; a locking rope and a pyrotechnic cutter are provided on the bottom flange; an extension arm is provided inside the light shielding skin; the top flange is fixed to the top end of the extension arm, and the light shielding skin is connected to the top flange. The flexible light shield for a space camera of the present invention that can be self-expanded section by section along its length on track, has an expandable mechanism that relies on the elastic strain energy stored in the material itself for passive expansion, has a light weight, a simple mechanism, and a high rigidity. In addition, the mechanism can reach tens of meters after being fully expanded, can realize long-range expansion in space, and has a high compression ratio, effectively utilizes the launch space, reduces the launch cost, and has practical value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of space camera light shield design, and in particular to a flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section along its length on track. Background Art

[0002] The design of the optical system of a space remote sensing camera needs to consider the impact of stray light on the optical system. Existing solutions include:

[0003] 1) Take technical measures on the inner surface of the optical system's light shield to reduce the internal reflectivity. This can attenuate or absorb stray light energy by directly reducing, multiple reflecting, or absorbing incident light outside the field of view. This can achieve the purpose of attenuating stray light energy. For example, a light-blocking ring can be installed on the inner surface of the optical system, and a multi-stage light shield can be designed.

[0004] 2) Suppressing stray light by extending the sunshade. Existing extended sunshade technology generally uses a deployable sunshade. Due to the unique space environment, the sunshade needs to be stowed during launch to save space and deployed after entering the planned orbit to block non-imaging light sources. Therefore, it must be lightweight and highly reliable.

[0005] Existing deployable sunshade technologies primarily include spring-type, mechanical, and pneumatic deployment. Spring-type deployable sunshades rely on pre-set spring elasticity to automatically deploy upon releasing a locking mechanism. This method is simple and reliable, but requires sufficient deployment force in a space environment. Furthermore, deployment accuracy is limited, making precise control of the deployment angle and position difficult. Particularly in a vacuum environment, excessively rapid spring release can cause the sunshade to deploy beyond the designed position.

[0006] Mechanically deployable sunshades typically use mechanical hinges as the deployment unit, with a motor providing the driving force to control deployment. While this type of mechanism has a solid technical foundation, built over many years of development, it also has a complex mechanism with multiple deployment units, a low compression ratio, and requires external driving force, resulting in significant weight.

[0007] Inflatable sunshades use low-density gases (such as helium) or shape-memory materials, deploying through inflation or heating. After deployment, inflatable sunshades typically employ material or structural rigidification techniques, which self-rigidify the structure to impart a certain degree of rigidity. While lightweight, inflatable sunshades are suitable for large-area designs. However, they suffer from low deployment precision and poor durability, carry the risk of gas leakage, and require additional gas storage devices and complex release control mechanisms, increasing system complexity and weight. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the technical problems of large structural mass and complex structure of the mechanical deployable light shield in the prior art, and provides a flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-deployed section by section in orbit.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0010] A flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit comprises, from top to bottom, a top flange, a light shielding skin, and a bottom flange; a locking rope and a pyrotechnic cutter are provided on the bottom flange; and an extension arm is provided inside the light shielding skin.

[0011] The top flange is fixed to the top of the extension arm, and the light-shielding skin is connected to the top flange;

[0012] The top flange and the bottom flange are both circular rings with bosses provided around the circumference and grooves provided on the bosses;

[0013] The pyrotechnic cutter is mounted on the boss of the bottom flange, which is provided with a rope threading hole; the locking rope passes through the rope threading hole, and the two ends are fixed in the boss grooves of the top flange and the bottom flange respectively, applying prestress to fix the retracted extension arm on the bottom flange;

[0014] The extension arm includes three longitudinal rods, a multi-section articulated triangular cross frame, and multiple diagonal stiffening cables. Each section of the articulated triangular cross frame includes three titanium-nickel alloy cross rods, three transfer hinges, and three fixed hinges. The titanium-nickel alloy cross rods are inserted into the mounting holes of two adjacent transfer hinges, and the transfer hinges and fixed hinges are connected at the center of rotation. Each longitudinal rod passes through the through holes of multiple fixed hinges arranged on the same vertical line. The diagonal stiffening cables pass through the through holes of the transfer hinges and are fixed and diagonally fixed between the sections of the articulated triangular cross frame in a loading sequence of left pressing right, applying prestress to improve the shear and torsional stiffness of the extension arm.

[0015] When assembling the camera, the bottom flange is installed at the camera lens position;

[0016] When the satellite enters orbit, the pyrotechnic cutter detonates to cut the locking rope, and the extension arm drives the sunshade skin to unfold section by section to form a sunshade.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the diagonal stiffening cables are made of multiple strands of steel wire cables.

[0018] In the above technical solution, the longitudinal rod is made of titanium-nickel shape memory alloy.

[0019] In the above technical solution, the multi-section hinged triangular transverse frame is fixed at a certain pitch.

[0020] In the above technical solution, the number of the articulated triangular horizontal frames is 3.

[0021] In the above technical solution, the number of diagonal stiffening cables is 6.

[0022] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The flexible, in-orbit, self-deployable, section-by-section, space camera light shield of the present invention utilizes a deployable mechanism that passively deploys using the material's stored elastic strain energy. This mechanism features low weight, a simple structure, and high rigidity. Furthermore, when fully deployed, the light shield can reach several tens of meters, enabling long-range deployment in space. Its high compression ratio effectively utilizes launch space, reduces launch costs, and demonstrates its practical value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the extension arm of the flexible sunshade for a space camera that can self-expand section by section on-orbit.

[0027] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of an articulated triangular horizontal frame in an extending arm of a flexible sunshade for a space camera that can self-expand section by section in orbit.

[0028] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the deformation of an extension arm of a flexible light shield of a space camera that can self-expand section by section in orbit according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the deployment mode of the extension arm of the flexible sunshade of a space camera that can be self-deployed section by section in orbit according to the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagrams of the simulation (top) and experimental process (bottom) of the unfolding process of the extension arm of the flexible sunshade of a space camera that can self-expand in orbit.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of an ultra-large aperture light shield formed by synchronously unfolding the extension arms of a flexible light shield for a space camera that can self-expand section by section on-orbit.

[0032] The reference numerals in the figures indicate:

[0033] 1-top flange; 2-light-shielding skin; 3-locking rope; 4-pyrotechnic cutter; 5-bottom flange; 6-extension arm; 7-longitudinal rod; 8-articulated triangular cross frame; 9-diagonal stiffening cable; 10-titanium-nickel alloy cross bar; 11-transfer hinge; 12-fixed hinge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The inventive concept of the present invention is:

[0035] The flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit is a high-compression-ratio, long-distance-expandable flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded on-orbit. It does not require a motor to provide driving force and can be passively expanded on-orbit by relying on the elastic strain energy stored in the material itself. It has a simple structure and is light in weight.

[0036] The flexible light shield for a space camera of the present invention, which can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit, can reach several tens of meters when fully expanded, has a high compression ratio, more effectively utilizes the launch space, and has high expansion accuracy, high reliability and applicability.

[0037] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the flexible light shield for a space camera of the present invention that can be self-expanded section by section on track comprises: a top flange 1, a light shielding skin 2, a locking rope 3, a pyrotechnic cutter 4, a bottom flange 5 and an extension arm 6.

[0039] The top flange 1 is fixed to the top of the extension arm 6, and the light-shielding skin 2 is connected to the top flange 1 by screws. The top flange 1 and the bottom flange 5 are both circular rings with bosses on the circumference and grooves on the bosses. The pyrotechnic cutter 4 is installed on the boss of the bottom flange 5 and is provided with a rope hole. The locking rope 3 passes through the rope hole, and the two ends are respectively fixed in the boss grooves of the top flange 1 and the bottom flange 5, and prestress is applied to fix the retracted extension arm 6 on the bottom flange 5. When the camera is assembled, the bottom flange 5 is installed at the camera lens position. When the satellite enters orbit, the pyrotechnic cutter 4 is detonated to cut off the locking rope 3, and the extension arm 6 drives the light-shielding skin 2 to unfold section by section to form a sunshade.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the flexible sunshade of the space camera that can self-expand section by section on track of the present invention is provided with a self-expanding extension arm 6, which mainly includes: three longitudinal rods 7, a multi-section hinged triangular cross frame 8 and a plurality of diagonal stiffening cables 9.

[0041] like Figure 3As shown, each section of the articulated triangular cross frame 8 is composed of three titanium-nickel alloy cross bars 10, three transfer hinges 11 and three fixed hinges 12, providing lateral support for the longitudinal bars 7; the titanium-nickel alloy cross bars 10 are inserted into the mounting holes of two adjacent transfer hinges 11, and the transfer hinges 11 and the fixed hinges 12 are connected by screws at the rotation center. The length of the titanium-nickel alloy cross bars 10 determines the coiling radius of the extension arm 6; there are three longitudinal bars 7 from the top flange 1 to the bottom flange 5, made of titanium-nickel shape memory alloy, which pass through the through holes of the fixed hinges 12 and are fixed by screws. Several sections of the articulated triangular cross frames 8 are fixed at a certain pitch. The number of articulated triangular cross frames 8 is 3. Figure 4 As shown, the length of the longitudinal rod 7 is That is, the fully extended length of the extension arm 6, the height of the extension arm 6 during the extension process ,in: is the rotation angle between two adjacent articulated triangular horizontal frames 8, The diagonal stiffening cables 9 are made of multiple strands of steel wire rope, with a total of 6 cables passing through the through hole of the transfer hinge 11. The loading sequence of left pressing right is strictly implemented. They are fixed with diagonal tension between the articulated triangular cross frames 8 and prestressed. , which can greatly improve the shear and torsional rigidity of the extension arm 6.

[0042] The flexible light shield for a space camera of the present invention, which can be self-expanded section by section in orbit, has two states: expanded and folded. It can be curled into a folded body during the launch phase of the spacecraft and expanded into a predetermined configuration after entering orbit. The extension arm 6 is made of a superelastic shape memory alloy material. The longitudinal rod 7 is coiled circumferentially to store strain energy when the extension arm 6 is folded, and converts the strain energy into axial kinetic energy when it is expanded. The articulated triangular cross frame 8 is composed of three transfer hinges 11, three fixed hinges 12 and three titanium-nickel alloy cross bars 10, which are orthogonal to the expansion direction and are used to limit the coiling radius of the extension arm 6 and increase the lateral stiffness.

[0043] like Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the extension arm 6 is a passive deployment mechanism, and its deployment mode is determined by the stiffness ratio of the longitudinal rod 7 and the titanium-nickel alloy cross bar 10 ( Figure 5 referred to as the longitudinal and transverse rod stiffness ratio) and pitch and coiling radius For the circular cross-section rods of the longitudinal rod 7 and the titanium-nickel alloy cross rod 10, the bending stiffness , is the radius of the longitudinal rod 7 or the titanium-nickel alloy crossbar 10, Indicates the elastic modulus of the material. When the critical state longitudinal rod 7 exerts pressure on the next section of titanium nickel alloy cross bar 10 Greater than the tension of the titanium nickel alloy crossbar 10 itself When, that is ,in: is the radial component of the tension of the diagonal stiffener 9, is the elliptic integral, is the length of the titanium-nickel alloy crossbar 10, When the parameter point falls above the curve, the extension arm 6 can be unfolded section by section, and the unfolding process is stable.

[0044] like Figure 6 As shown, simulations and experiments demonstrate that after unlocking, the extended arms 6, relying on the strain energy stored in the elastic material, elastically recover from the base of the coiled and retracted longitudinal rods 7, driving the overall structure to unfold section by section, and the light-shielding skin 2 to simultaneously unfold to form the light-shield structure. The present invention's flexible, self-deployable, on-orbit light-shield for space cameras is practical and effective.

[0045] like Figure 7 As shown, controlling the synchronous deployment of multiple extension arms 6 can form an ultra-large aperture light shield. Controlling the pyrotechnic cutter 4 to simultaneously detonate and sever the locking ropes 3 of multiple extension arms 6 causes the multiple extension arms 6 to deploy synchronously, simultaneously driving the light shielding skins 2 connected between adjacent extension arms 6 to deploy synchronously, forming an ultra-large aperture light shield.

[0046] The flexible, in-orbit, self-deployable, section-by-section, space camera light shield of the present invention utilizes a deployable mechanism that passively deploys using the material's stored elastic strain energy. This mechanism features low weight, a simple structure, and high rigidity. Furthermore, when fully deployed, the light shield can reach several tens of meters, enabling long-range deployment in space. Its high compression ratio effectively utilizes launch space, reduces launch costs, and demonstrates its practical value.

[0047] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other variations or modifications based on the above descriptions are possible. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Obvious variations or modifications arising therefrom remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible light shield for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on track, characterized in that: From top to bottom, it comprises: a top flange (1), a light shielding skin (2) and a bottom flange (5); a locking rope (3) and a pyrotechnic cutter (4) are provided on the bottom flange (5); an extension arm (6) is provided inside the light shielding skin (2); The top flange (1) is fixed to the top of the extension arm (6), and the light shielding skin (2) is connected to the top flange (1); The top flange (1) and the bottom flange (5) are both circular rings, with bosses provided in the circumference and grooves provided on the bosses; The pyrotechnic cutter (4) is mounted on a boss of the bottom flange (5) and is provided with a rope threading hole; the locking rope (3) passes through the rope threading hole, and its two ends are respectively fixed in the boss grooves of the top flange (1) and the bottom flange (5), and prestress is applied to fix the extension arm (6) in the retracted state on the bottom flange (5); The extension arm (6) comprises: three longitudinal rods (7), a multi-section articulated triangular cross frame (8) and a plurality of diagonal stiffening cables (9); each section of the articulated triangular cross frame (8) comprises: three titanium-nickel alloy cross rods (10), three transfer hinges (11) and three fixed hinges (12); the titanium-nickel alloy cross rod (10) is inserted into the mounting holes of two adjacent transfer hinges (11), and the transfer hinges (11) and the fixed hinges (12) are connected at the rotation center; each longitudinal rod (7) is respectively passed through the through holes of a plurality of fixed hinges (12) arranged on the same vertical straight line; the diagonal stiffening cables (9) pass through the through holes of the transfer hinges (11), and are fixed in an oblique manner between the sections of the articulated triangular cross frame (8) in a loading order of left pressing right, thereby applying prestress and improving the shear and torsional stiffness of the extension arm (6); When the camera is assembled, the bottom flange (5) is installed at the camera lens position; When the satellite enters orbit, the pyrotechnic cutter (4) is detonated to cut the locking rope (3), and the extension arm (6) drives the light shielding skin (2) to unfold section by section to form a light shield.

2. The flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diagonal stiffening cables (9) are made of multiple strands of steel wire rope.

3. The flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the longitudinal rod (7) is titanium-nickel shape memory alloy.

4. The flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-section hinged triangular transverse frame (8) is fixed at a certain pitch.

5. The flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the articulated triangular cross frames (8) is 3.

6. The flexible sunshade for a space camera that can be self-expanded section by section on-orbit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of diagonal stiffening cables (9) is 6.

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