Novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism based on connecting rod mechanism

Abstract

The invention provides a novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism, and relates to the technical field of spacecraft structures and mechanisms. Each truss module unit comprises a left shear fork mechanism, an outer shear fork mechanism, a right shear fork mechanism and an inner shear fork mechanism which are sequentially connected to form an annular structure; the first sides of the left scissor fork mechanism and the right scissor fork mechanism are connected with a group of inner joint connecting components, and the second sides are connected with a group of outer joint connecting components; the two ends of the inner shear fork mechanism are connected with the left shear fork mechanism and the right shear fork mechanism through inner joint connecting components respectively. The two ends of the outer shear fork mechanism are connected with the left shear fork mechanism and the right shear fork mechanism through peripheral joint connecting components respectively. The double-layer truss structure has the beneficial effects that the double-layer truss structure is subjected to topological optimization, the load and rigidity are high, the modular design is large in folding-unfolding ratio, and the double-layer truss structure is suitable for large-caliber aerospace equipment; triangular units are generated through coupling design, and the structural rigidity is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of spacecraft structures and mechanisms, in particular to a novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Deployable perimeter truss structures are widely used in aerospace, temporary support for large buildings, and other fields requiring deployable structures. However, existing perimeter truss structures have exposed many problems during actual use, which seriously limit their further development and application.

[0003] The stiffness of existing single-ring annular truss structures decreases significantly as the antenna aperture increases. In the aerospace field, large-aperture antennas are crucial for improving Earth observation resolution, satellite communication distance, and data transmission and reception capacity. However, single-ring annular truss structures fail to meet the required stiffness for large apertures. This makes the antenna susceptible to deformation during operation, affecting signal reception and transmission quality and reducing the performance and reliability of the entire system.

[0004] Chinese patent document CN114784481A discloses a scissor-type satellite-borne deployable film antenna mechanism, which includes a deployable antenna skeleton and an antenna reflective film. The deployable antenna skeleton includes rods, support guides, an upper connecting block, a lower connecting block, and a drive motor. The middle portions of two front and rear rods at the same position are rotatably connected, and the multiple rods form a scissor-type connection assembly. The support guides are fixedly connected to the lower connecting block, and the support guides are slidably connected to the upper connecting block. Each upper and lower connecting block is provided with a hanging lug. Two rods are rotatably connected to the two hanging lugs. Each lower connecting block is also provided with a hanging ring. The antenna reflective film is connected to all the hooks together. The drive motor is mounted on the lower connecting block and is provided with a guide rail threadedly connected to the corresponding upper connecting block. The overall mechanism has a high degree of structural symmetry. By changing the number of scissor-type mechanism units in the overall mechanism and the length of the rods therein, deployable film antenna mechanisms of different sizes can be formed. It can be well applied to large-aperture satellite-borne antennas and small satellites.

[0005] However, the mechanism disclosed in the aforementioned patent has the problem of a complex drive mechanism. This complex drive mechanism not only increases manufacturing costs but also greatly increases the difficulty of maintenance. Furthermore, the complex drive mechanism also leads to an increase in the weight of the mechanism. In aerospace applications, every gram of weight increase means a significant increase in launch costs, and an overweight mechanism can also have an adverse effect on the overall performance of the spacecraft. Furthermore, the complex drive mechanism is prone to failure during deployment, resulting in low deployment reliability, which is a fatal flaw for equipment such as antennas that need to be accurately deployed in space.

[0006] In addition, the layout and connection method of the existing scissor-type mechanism may not be reasonable enough, resulting in the mechanism being not flexible enough in movement during expansion and contraction, prone to jamming, and may not be evenly distributed when subjected to force, causing some components to bear excessive stress, thereby reducing the service life of the mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides a novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism, which has good load and rigidity, a large modular folding and unfolding ratio, and high stability.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0009] A novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism comprises a plurality of circumferentially arranged truss module units; each of the truss module units comprises a left scissor mechanism, an outer scissor mechanism, a right scissor mechanism, and an inner scissor mechanism connected in sequence to form a ring structure; the left scissor mechanism and the right scissor mechanism are arranged symmetrically;

[0010] The first sides of the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism are connected to a group of inner joint connection components, and the second sides are connected to a group of outer joint connection components;

[0011] The two ends of the inner scissor-fork mechanism are respectively connected to the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism through inner peripheral joint connection components;

[0012] The two ends of the outer scissor-fork mechanism are respectively connected to the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism through peripheral joint connection components.

[0013] Furthermore, the external scissor mechanism includes a first A-rod and a first a-rod that are rotatably connected;

[0014] The upper end of the first A rod is rotatably connected to the first B rod, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member of the right scissor-fork mechanism;

[0015] The upper end of the first rod a is rotatably connected to the first rod b, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism;

[0016] One end of the first B rod away from the first A rod is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism;

[0017] One end of the first b-rod away from the first a-rod is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection component of the right scissor-fork mechanism.

[0018] Furthermore, the inner scissor mechanism includes a first C-rod and a first C-rod that are rotatably connected;

[0019] The upper end of the first C rod is rotatably connected to the upper inner peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner peripheral joint connection member of the right scissor-fork mechanism;

[0020] The upper end of the first C rod is rotatably connected to the upper inner peripheral joint connection component of the right scissor-fork mechanism, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner peripheral joint connection component of the left scissor-fork mechanism.

[0021] Furthermore, the left scissor-type mechanism and the right scissor-type mechanism each include a first D-rod and a first D-rod that are rotatably connected;

[0022] The upper end of the first D-bar is rotatably connected to the upper node of the peripheral joint connection member, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower node of the inner joint connection member;

[0023] The upper end of the first d-bar is rotatably connected to the upper node of the inner peripheral joint connection component, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower node of the outer peripheral joint connection component.

[0024] Furthermore, the peripheral joint connection component includes interface A, interface B and interface C, and the angle between interface A and interface B, and the angle between interface B and interface C are 60°; the inner joint connection component includes interface a, interface b and interface c, and the angle between interface a and interface b, and the angle between interface b and interface c are 120°.

[0025] Furthermore, in a top view projection, the inner scissor-fork mechanism and the outer scissor-fork mechanism are arranged in parallel; and the extension lines of the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism form an angle of 60°.

[0026] Furthermore, the inner joint connection components of the same group are connected by a first driving component and driven to move closer or farther away from each other by the first driving component; the outer joint connection components of the same group are connected by a second driving component and driven to move closer or farther away from each other by the second driving component.

[0027] Furthermore, the upper surface and the lower surface of the outer joint connection component and the inner joint connection component are both parallel planes.

[0028] Furthermore, adjacent truss module units share a left scissor-type mechanism or a right scissor-type mechanism.

[0029] Furthermore, when in a fully expanded state, the outer periphery of the novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism is limited to a circumference with a diameter of 280mm to 320mm; when in a fully contracted state, the outer periphery of the novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism is limited to a circumference with a diameter of 80mm to 120mm.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] The novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism described in the present invention adopts a double-layer truss structure. Through the optimized design of the double-layer annular topology architecture, the deployable mechanism has good load capacity and stiffness performance, and can adapt to the application requirements of the peripheral truss of large-scale deployable cable net antennas in space.

[0032] The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism described in the present invention adopts a modular design. Based on the basic unit of the connecting rod mechanism, it constructs an annular expansion structure suitable for large-scale application needs through space networking technology. It has a large folding and unfolding ratio, which has important application value for meeting the needs of large-caliber communication satellites, space stations and space probes.

[0033] The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism described in the present invention adopts a planar linkage mechanism coupling design to construct a scissor-fork structure with double-layer annular characteristics. When the mechanism is in the expanded working state, its internal geometric shape will automatically generate multiple stable triangular support units, making full use of its stability and further enhancing the structural stiffness of the peripheral truss. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are used to explain the present invention together with the embodiments of the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the truss module unit;

[0036] Figure 2 It is a top view of the truss module unit;

[0037] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the inner peripheral joint connection component;

[0038] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the peripheral joint connection component;

[0039] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of two truss module units combined together;

[0040] Figure 6 It is a top view of two truss module units combined together;

[0041] Figure 7 It is a structural diagram of two truss module units separated together;

[0042] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism in an deployed state;

[0043] Figure 9This is a structural diagram of a new double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism in a retracted state;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a top view of the novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism in the deployed state;

[0045] Figure 11 This is a top view of the new double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism in a retracted state;

[0046] Figure 12 This is the expanded view of the new double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss structure after installing the antenna reflective film;

[0047] Figure 13 This is a folded view of the new double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss structure after installing the antenna reflective film.

[0048] In the picture:

[0049] 1. Left scissors-fork mechanism; 2. Outer scissors-fork mechanism; 201. First A rod; 202. First a rod; 203. First B rod; 204. First b rod; 3. Right scissors-fork mechanism; 4. Inner scissors-fork mechanism; 401. First C rod; 402. First c rod; 5. Inner joint connecting member; 501. A interface; 502. B interface; 503. C interface; 6. Outer joint connecting member; 601. A interface; 602. B interface; 603. C interface; 7. First D rod; 8. First d rod; 9. First driving component; 10. Second driving component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention claims protection for a novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a linkage mechanism, comprising a plurality of circumferentially arranged truss module units. Each truss module unit is a basic component of the mechanism, and a plurality of such units are circumferentially arranged to form the entire double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism.

[0052] Each truss module unit comprises a left scissor mechanism 1, an outer scissor mechanism 2, a right scissor mechanism 3, and an inner scissor mechanism 4, which are sequentially connected to form a ring structure. The left scissor mechanism 1 and the right scissor mechanism 3 are arranged symmetrically, which helps ensure the stability of the mechanism and uniform force distribution.

[0053] The left and right scissor-fork mechanisms 1 and 3 are connected on their first sides by a set of inner joint connection members 5, and on their second sides by a set of outer joint connection members 6. The inner scissor-fork mechanism 4 is connected to the left and right scissor-fork mechanisms 1 and 3 at both ends via the inner joint connection members 5; the outer scissor-fork mechanism 2 is connected to the left and right scissor-fork mechanisms 1 and 3 at both ends via the outer joint connection members 6. Through these joint connection members, the various scissor-fork mechanisms are interconnected to form a stable ring structure.

[0054] The external scissor mechanism 2 includes a first A-rod and a first a-rod that are rotatably connected. The upper end of the first A-rod is rotatably connected to the first B-rod 203, and its lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member 6 of the right scissor mechanism 3. The upper end of the first a-rod is rotatably connected to the first b-rod 204, and its lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member 6 of the left scissor mechanism 1. The end of the first B-rod 203, remote from the first A-rod, is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection member 6 of the left scissor mechanism 1; the end of the first b-rod 204, remote from the first a-rod, is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection member 6 of the right scissor mechanism 3. This rotatable connection allows the external scissor mechanism 2 to move flexibly during expansion and contraction.

[0055] The inner scissor mechanism 4 includes a first C-rod 401 and a first C-rod 402, which are rotatably connected. The upper end of the first C-rod 401 is rotatably connected to the upper inner joint connection member 5 of the left scissor mechanism 1, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner joint connection member 5 of the right scissor mechanism 3. The upper end of the first C-rod 402 is rotatably connected to the upper inner joint connection member 5 of the right scissor mechanism 3, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner joint connection member 5 of the left scissor mechanism 1. The inner scissor mechanism 4 cooperates with the outer scissor mechanism 2 to achieve the expansion and contraction functions of the mechanism.

[0056] Both the left and right scissor-fork mechanisms 1 and 3 include a first D-bar 7 and a first D-bar 8, which are pivotally connected. The upper end of the first D-bar 7 is pivotally connected to the upper node of the peripheral joint connection member 6, and the lower end is pivotally connected to the lower node of the inner joint connection member 5. The upper end of the first D-bar 8 is pivotally connected to the upper node of the inner joint connection member 5, and the lower end is pivotally connected to the lower node of the peripheral joint connection member 6. This structural design enables the left and right scissor-fork mechanisms 1 and 3 to work together during expansion and contraction.

[0057] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the peripheral joint connection member 6 includes an A interface 601, a B interface 602, and a C interface 603. The angles between the A interface 601 and the B interface 602, and the angles between the B interface 602 and the C interface 603 are 60°. The inner joint connection member 5 includes an a interface 501, a b interface 502, and a c interface 503. The angles between the a interface 501 and the b interface 502, and the angles between the b interface 502 and the c interface 503 are 120°. This specific angle design helps ensure the connection angles and movement coordination between the various scissor-type mechanisms.

[0058] Combine Figure 1 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 Let's take the connection between the left scissors-type mechanism 1 and the outer scissors-type mechanism 2 as an example. For the peripheral joint connection component 6 located above, its A interface 601 is connected to the first B rod 203, the B interface 602 is connected to the upper end of the first d rod 8, and the C interface 603 is reserved for connection with the upper end of the first b rod 204 of the adjacent truss module unit; for the peripheral joint connection component 6 located below, its A interface 601 is connected to the lower end of the first a rod body 202, the B interface 602 is connected to the lower end of the first D rod 7, and the C interface 603 is reserved for connection with the lower end of the first A rod body 201 of the adjacent truss module unit.

[0059] Taking the connection between the left scissor mechanism 1 and the inner scissor mechanism 4 as an example, for the inner peripheral joint connection member 5 located at the top, its a interface 501 is connected to the upper end of the first D rod 7, the b interface 502 is connected to the upper end of the first C rod 401, and the c interface 503 is reserved for connection to the upper end of the first C rod 402 of the adjacent truss module unit;

[0060] For the inner peripheral joint connection component 5 located below, its a interface 501 is connected to the lower end of the first d rod 8, the b interface 502 is connected to the lower end of the first c rod 402, and the c interface 503 is reserved for connection with the lower end of the first C rod 401 of the adjacent truss module unit.

[0061] Other connection methods can be seen from the diagram and will not be described here.

[0062] In top view, the inner scissor mechanism 4 is arranged parallel to the outer scissor mechanism 2, and the extension lines of the left scissor mechanism 1 and the right scissor mechanism 3 form a 60° angle. This arrangement further optimizes the structure and kinematic performance of the mechanism.

[0063] The inner articulated connection members 5 in the same group are connected by a first drive component 9 and driven to move closer or farther apart. The outer articulated connection members 6 in the same group are connected by a second drive component 10 and driven to move closer or farther apart. The first and second drive components 9, 10 can be driven by a screw drive, electric push rod, hydraulic push rod, or other drive device. The expansion and contraction of the mechanism is achieved by controlling the extension and contraction of the drive components.

[0064] The upper surface and lower surface of the peripheral joint connecting member 6 and the inner joint connecting member 5 are parallel planes. This plane design helps to ensure the stability of the mechanism during installation and use, and is also convenient for connection with other components.

[0065] Combine Figures 8 to 11 As can be seen, adjacent truss module units share a left scissor mechanism 1 or a right scissor mechanism 3. This connection method can reduce the number of components of the mechanism and reduce costs, while also helping to improve the overall strength and stability of the mechanism.

[0066] When fully extended, the outer circumference of the novel double-layered annular expandable perimeter truss mechanism defines a circumference with a diameter of 280mm to 320mm; when fully retracted, the outer circumference of the novel double-layered annular expandable perimeter truss mechanism defines a circumference with a diameter of 80mm to 120mm. In this embodiment, the outer circumference of the novel double-layered annular expandable perimeter truss mechanism defines a circumference with a diameter of 300mm; when fully retracted, the outer circumference of the novel double-layered annular expandable perimeter truss mechanism defines a circumference with a diameter of 100mm.

[0067] Driven by the first driving component 9 and the second driving component 10, the mechanism can be flexibly switched between the expanded state and the contracted state to meet different usage requirements.

[0068] When the mechanism needs to be deployed, the first and second drive components 9 and 10 are controlled to extend, causing the inner and outer articulated connecting members 5 and 6 in the same group to move relatively apart. As the articulated connecting members move, the left scissor mechanism 1, the outer scissor mechanism 2, the right scissor mechanism 3, and the inner scissor mechanism 4 begin to deploy, and the entire mechanism gradually expands until it reaches a fully deployed state.

[0069] The working principle of the present invention is that when the mechanism needs to be retracted, the first and second drive components 9, 10 are controlled to shorten, bringing the inner and outer articulated connecting members 5, 6 of the same group closer together. As the articulated connecting members move, the individual scissor-type mechanisms begin to retract, and the entire mechanism gradually shrinks until it reaches a fully retracted state.

[0070] Combine Figure 12 as well as Figure 13It can be seen that the antenna reflective film is installed on the upper surface of the new double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism. The expansion and contraction of the new double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism can ultimately control the expansion and contraction of the antenna reflective film.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A novel double-layer annular deployable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism, characterized by: It comprises a plurality of circumferentially arranged truss module units; each of the truss module units comprises a left scissor mechanism, an outer scissor mechanism, a right scissor mechanism and an inner scissor mechanism which are sequentially connected to form a ring structure; the left scissor mechanism and the right scissor mechanism are arranged symmetrically; The first sides of the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism are connected to a group of inner joint connection components, and the second sides are connected to a group of outer joint connection components; The two ends of the inner scissor-fork mechanism are respectively connected to the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism through inner peripheral joint connection components; The two ends of the outer scissor-fork mechanism are respectively connected to the left scissor-fork mechanism and the right scissor-fork mechanism through peripheral joint connection components.

2. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The external scissor mechanism includes a first A rod and a first a rod that are rotatably connected; The upper end of the first A rod is rotatably connected to the first B rod, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member of the right scissor-fork mechanism; The upper end of the first rod a is rotatably connected to the first rod b, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism; One end of the first B rod away from the first A rod is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism; One end of the first b-rod away from the first a-rod is rotatably connected to the upper peripheral joint connection component of the right scissor-fork mechanism.

3. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The inner scissor mechanism includes a first C rod and a first C rod that are rotatably connected; The upper end of the first C rod is rotatably connected to the upper inner peripheral joint connection member of the left scissor-fork mechanism, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner peripheral joint connection member of the right scissor-fork mechanism; The upper end of the first C rod is rotatably connected to the upper inner peripheral joint connection component of the right scissor-fork mechanism, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower inner peripheral joint connection component of the left scissor-fork mechanism.

4. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The left scissor-type mechanism and the right scissor-type mechanism both include a first D-rod and a first D-rod that are rotatably connected; The upper end of the first D-bar is rotatably connected to the upper node of the peripheral joint connection member, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower node of the inner joint connection member; The upper end of the first d-bar is rotatably connected to the upper node of the inner peripheral joint connection component, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the lower node of the outer peripheral joint connection component.

5. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The peripheral joint connection component includes interface A, interface B and interface C, and the angle between interface A and interface B, and the angle between interface B and interface C are 60°; the inner joint connection component includes interface a, interface b and interface c, and the angle between interface a and interface b, and the angle between interface b and interface c are 120°.

6. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 5 is characterized in that: In a top view projection, the inner scissor mechanism and the outer scissor mechanism are arranged in parallel; the extension lines of the left scissor mechanism and the right scissor mechanism form an angle of 60°.

7. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The inner joint connection components of the same group are connected by a first driving component and driven to move closer or farther away from each other; the outer joint connection components of the same group are connected by a second driving component and driven to move closer or farther away from each other.

8. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The upper surface and the lower surface of the peripheral joint connection component and the inner joint connection component are both parallel planes.

9. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 5 is characterized in that: Adjacent truss module units share a left scissor-type mechanism or a right scissor-type mechanism.

10. The novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism based on a connecting rod mechanism according to claim 1 is characterized in that: When in a fully expanded state, the outer periphery of the novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism is limited to a circumference with a diameter of 280mm to 320mm; when in a fully contracted state, the outer periphery of the novel double-layer annular expandable peripheral truss mechanism is limited to a circumference with a diameter of 80mm to 120mm.

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