Space conical deployable film sail

Abstract

The invention discloses a spatial conical deployable thin-film sail which comprises a base, a thin-wall supporting rod, a thin-film sail surface, a supporting rod unfolding mechanism, a sail surface unfolding mechanism and a driving mechanism. The thin-wall supporting rods are distributed around the central axis of the thin-film sail in a rotating array mode, the roots of the thin-wall supporting rods are converged and connected with the base, the outer ends of the thin-wall supporting rods are radial, a conical force bearing structure is integrally formed, and the adjacent supporting rods form a conical face. The thin film sail surface is triangular and is positioned in a conical surface formed by the adjacent supporting rods; the supporting rod unfolding mechanism is used for winding, folding and unfolding the thin-wall supporting rod; the sail surface unfolding mechanism is used for folding, folding and unfolding the sail surface; the driving mechanism provides power for the film sail to be converted from the folded state to the unfolded state. A complex conical film structure is unfolded through a single driving source, the problem that a space film sail inflation tempering structure is insufficient in technology is solved, and the folding device has the advantages of being compact in structure, high in folding efficiency and high in reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aerospace deployment mechanism technology, specifically relating to a space conical deployable thin film sail. Background Technology

[0002] Space thin-film sails have advantages over rigid deployable structures, such as light weight, high folding efficiency, and good specific stiffness. They are a research hotspot in the field of space deployment mechanism technology and have broad application prospects in fields such as solar sails, drag-increasing sails, battery arrays, and antennas.

[0003] Currently, most researched space-deployed thin-film structures are spherical, typically employing inflatable deployment technology. However, in practical engineering applications, it is necessary to study post-deployment structural hardening techniques to prevent damage from space debris. Furthermore, in applications such as drag-enhancing sails, there is a strong technical demand for deployable thin-film structures with a three-dimensional shape after deployment to ensure a stable windward area. Currently, there is no mature and reliable inflatable hardening technology available domestically or internationally. Therefore, it is necessary to design a space-deployable conical thin-film sail to address these issues. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem addressed by this invention is that the currently researched spherical thin film structures employ inflatable deployment technology, which does not meet the requirements of practical engineering applications. There is no mature and reliable inflatable tempered structure technology at home and abroad. In order to solve the above problems, this invention provides a spatial conical deployable thin film sail, which uses a single drive source to realize the deployment of complex conical thin film structures. It has the advantages of compact structure, high folding efficiency, and high reliability.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A spatial conical deployable thin-film sail includes: a base, a thin-walled support rod, a thin-film sail surface, a support rod deployment mechanism, a sail surface deployment mechanism, and a drive mechanism;

[0007] The thin-walled support rods are arranged in a rotating array around the central axis of the thin-film sail, converge at the root and connect to the base, and radiate outwards, forming a conical load-bearing structure. Adjacent support rods form a conical surface.

[0008] The thin-film sail is triangular in shape and located within the conical surface formed by adjacent support rods;

[0009] The support rod unfolding mechanism is used for winding, retracting and unfolding the thin-walled support rod;

[0010] The sail deployment mechanism is used for folding, retracting, and deploying the sail.

[0011] The drive mechanism provides power for the membrane sail to change from a retracted state to an deployed state.

[0012] Furthermore, the thin-walled support rod has a thin-walled structure, which is rolled up around a cylindrical support rod reel and then flattened into a straight line. The cross-section of the support rod is one of the following: lens-shaped, X-shaped, Y-shaped, and C-shaped.

[0013] Furthermore, the support rod unfolding mechanism includes a support rod reel, a torsion spring, a rocker arm, and a pressure roller. The support rod reel is mounted on the base via a hinge and rotates around its own axis. Both ends of the support rod reel have bevel gears, and adjacent support rod reels transmit motion and power through the bevel gears, causing multiple reels to rotate. The pressure roller is connected to the rocker arm via a hinge and, under the pre-tensioning action of the torsion spring, radially presses the coiled support rod. The rocker arm is fixed to the base via a hinge.

[0014] Furthermore, the sail deployment mechanism includes a folding box, a box door, and a sail roll. The sail roll is supported inside the folding box by a hinge and rotates around the hinge axis. The folded film sail is rolled up on it to fold up. The box door is supported on the folding box by a hinge, physically separating the folded film sail from the outside, and is opened before the film sail is deployed.

[0015] Furthermore, the thin-film sail includes a thin-film substrate, an outer cable, and an inner cable. The inner cable is connected to the base, and the outer cables are respectively connected to the outer ends of the corresponding support rods on the cone. The thin-film substrate is the main body of the thin-film sail and is triangular in shape.

[0016] Furthermore, the folding and winding process of the thin film sail includes: folding the triangular sail in a wave-like pattern along the height direction into a long strip structure, then folding the long strip structure in half along the length direction, and finally fixing the inner cable of the sail to the sail roll, and spirally winding and winding it around the sail roll.

[0017] Furthermore, the drive mechanism includes a drive source and a drive gear; the drive source includes a motor and a spiral spring, providing rotational motion and power output; the drive gear forms a transmission engagement with any support rod shaft, used for power and motion transmission between the drive source and the support rod shaft, including gear transmission, belt transmission and chain transmission; the drive mechanism drives any support rod shaft to rotate.

[0018] Furthermore, when the drive mechanism unfolds, it drives the support rod reel to rotate synchronously. Under the constraint of the pressure roller, the thin-walled support rod wound and gathered on the reel unfolds. The outer end of the thin-walled support rod extends outward and pulls the film sail surface through the cable, pulling it out of the gathering box and restoring it to a planar unfolded state. After unfolding, the film sail is conical in shape.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0020] 1. The present invention provides a conical deployable thin film sail, which designs the specific structure of the conical thin film sail, the support rod and the retraction and deployment mechanism and driving method of the sail surface, and uses a single driving source to realize the driving and deployment of the complex three-dimensional sail configuration thin film sail;

[0021] 2. The present invention provides a conical deployable thin film sail, which features a compact layout of support rods and a sail retraction and deployment mechanism, enabling efficient retraction and deployment of complex three-dimensional sail-shaped thin film deployable structures, and facilitating product miniaturization and weight reduction. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the deployed state of the conical deployable thin film sail described in this invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the retracted state of the cone-shaped deployable thin film sail described in this invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the support rod unfolding mechanism described in this invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the retracted state of the support rod unfolding mechanism described in this invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional configuration of the thin-walled support rod described in this invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the thin film sail described in this invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the sail deployment mechanism of the present invention in its deployed state;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the film sail folding process described in this invention;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the driving principle of the driving mechanism described in this invention;

[0031] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 1. Thin-walled support rod; 2. Thin-film sail; 21. Thin-film substrate; 22. Inner cable; 23. Outer cable; 3. Base; 4. Support rod deployment mechanism; 41. Support rod reel; 42. Torsion spring; 43. Pressure roller; 44. Rocker arm; 5. Sail deployment mechanism; 51. Folding box; 52. Box door; 53. Sail reel; 6. Drive mechanism; 61. Drive source; 62. Drive gear. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0034] like Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the deployed state of the cone-shaped deployable thin film sail and Figure 2 As shown in the schematic diagram of the retracted state of the conical deployable thin film sail, an embodiment of the present invention discloses a spatial conical deployable thin film sail, including a base 3, four thin-walled support rods 1, four sets of thin film sail surfaces 2, and four sets of support rod deployment mechanisms 4, four sets of sail surface deployment mechanisms 5 and one set of drive mechanism 6 for retraction and deployment.

[0035] When deployed, the membrane sail is conical, with four thin-walled support rods 1 arranged in an array around the central axis of the membrane sail. The roots converge and connect to the base 3, and the outer ends radiate outwards, forming a conical load-bearing structure. The thin-walled support rods 1 divide the membrane sail into four quadrants. Within a single quadrant, the support rods on both sides together form a conical surface. The four sets of membrane sail surfaces 2 of the membrane sail are located in the aforementioned four quadrants.

[0036] like Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the support rod unfolding mechanism and Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the support rod unfolding mechanism in its retracted state is shown. The film sail includes four sets of support rod unfolding mechanisms 4, which are used for the winding, retraction, and unfolding of the four support rods respectively. The support rod unfolding mechanism includes a support rod reel 41, a pressure roller 43, a torsion spring 42, and a rocker arm 44. The support rod reel 41 is an I-shaped rotating body with bevel gears designed on the flanges at both ends. It is connected to the base through hinges and rotates around its own axis. The support rods are fixed on the support rod reel. The pressure roller 43 is connected to the rocker arm 44 through hinges, and the rocker arm 44 is fixed to the base through hinges. Under the preload of the torsion spring 42, the pressure roller is always pressed against the outer side of the support rod reel. When the support rod reel 41 rotates clockwise, the support rods are tightly wound and retracted onto the reel under the action of the six pressure rollers. When the support rod reel 41 rotates counterclockwise, the support rods change from the retracted state to the unfolded state.

[0037] like Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the cross-sectional configuration of the thin-walled support rod is shown. The support rod is a thin-walled structure made of metal or composite material. Its cross-section is X-shaped and can be flattened into a straight line and rolled up around a cylindrical support rod reel.

[0038] like Figure 6As shown in the schematic diagram of the unfolded state of the film sail, the film sail is triangular in shape and includes a film substrate 21, two outer cables 23 and one inner cable 22. The inner cable 22 is fixed at the root of the film sail, and the two outer cables 23 are respectively connected to the outer ends of the support rods that form corresponding conical surfaces.

[0039] like Figure 7 The diagram shows the unfolded state of the sail deployment mechanism. Before the thin film sail is retracted, it needs to be folded. The folding process is as follows: First, along the height direction of the sail, the sail is folded into a long strip structure through multiple creases parallel to the bottom edge and with alternating peaks and valleys. The width of the creases is slightly narrower than the height of the sail roll. Then, the long strip structure is folded in half along its length. After folding, the inner tension cable 22 of the sail is located on the peak fold side of the fold.

[0040] like Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the membrane sail folding process shows that the sail unfolding mechanism includes a folding box 51, a box door 52, and a sail roll 53. Both the box door 52 and the sail roll 53 are connected to the folding box 51 via hinges and rotate around the hinge axis. After the membrane sail is folded, the inner cable 22 is fixed to the sail roll 53. Continuous unidirectional rotation of the sail roll winds the long strip of sail onto the roll. After folding, the two outer cables 23 of the membrane sail are exposed on the outside of the sail unfolding mechanism and are respectively connected to the ends of the support rods on both sides in the folded state. After the sail is folded, the box door 52 is closed, isolating the folded sail from the surrounding environment. The box door 52 is opened before the membrane sail is unfolded.

[0041] like Figure 9 As shown in the schematic diagram of the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism 6 includes a driving source 61 and a driving gear 62. The driving source 61 is a motor drive, which includes a motor and a reducer, providing rotational motion and power output. The driving gear 62 is a bevel gear, which forms a transmission engagement with the bevel gear on one side of any support rod reel. The bevel gears between adjacent support rod reels cooperate with each other to transmit motion and power, so as to realize the synchronous retraction and unfolding of multiple reels and corresponding support rods.

[0042] like Figures 1-9 As shown, the deployment process of the spatial conical deployable membrane sail is as follows: the drive mechanism 6 drives the rotation of any support rod spool 41 through bevel gears, and the support rod spools 41 rotate synchronously through the bevel gear cooperation; when the support rod spool 41 rotates, a single support rod is constrained by 6 pressure rollers, causing the end of the support rod to extend outward, while pulling the sail cable, pulling the sail out of the collection box and unfolding it to the plane; the unfolded membrane sail is pyramid-shaped as a whole.

[0043] The contents not described in detail in this specification are prior art known to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A spatially conical deployable thin-film sail, characterized in that, include: Base, thin-walled support rod, thin-film sail, support rod deployment mechanism, sail deployment mechanism and drive mechanism; The thin-walled support rods are arranged in a rotating array around the central axis of the thin-film sail, converge at the root and connect to the base, and radiate outwards, forming a conical load-bearing structure. Adjacent support rods form a conical surface. The thin-film sail is triangular in shape and located within the conical surface formed by adjacent support rods; The support rod unfolding mechanism is used for winding, retracting and unfolding the thin-walled support rod; The sail deployment mechanism is used for folding, retracting, and deploying the sail. The drive mechanism provides power for the membrane sail to change from a retracted state to an deployed state.

2. The spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The thin-walled support rod has a thin-walled structure. It is rolled up around a cylindrical support rod reel and then flattened into a straight line. The cross-section of the support rod is one of the following: lens-shaped, X-shaped, Y-shaped, or C-shaped.

3. The spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The support rod unfolding mechanism includes a support rod reel, a torsion spring, a rocker arm, and a pressure roller. The support rod reel is mounted on the base via a hinge and rotates around its own axis. Both ends of the support rod reel have bevel gears, and adjacent support rod reels transmit motion and power through the bevel gears, causing multiple reels to rotate. The pressure roller is connected to the rocker arm via a hinge and, under the preload of the torsion spring, radially presses the coiled support rod. The rocker arm is fixed to the base via a hinge.

4. The spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The sail deployment mechanism includes a folding box, a box door, and a sail roll. The sail roll is supported inside the folding box by a hinge and rotates around the hinge axis. The folded film sail is rolled up on it to fold up. The box door is supported on the folding box by a hinge, which physically separates the folded film sail from the outside and opens before the film sail is deployed.

5. A spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The thin-film sail comprises a thin-film substrate, outer cables, and inner cables. The inner cables are connected to the base, and the outer cables are respectively connected to the outer ends of the corresponding support rods on the cone. The thin-film substrate is the main body of the thin-film sail and is triangular in shape.

6. The spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The folding, winding, and gathering process of the thin-film sail includes: folding the triangular sail in a wave-like pattern along the height direction into a long strip structure, then folding the long strip structure in half along the length direction, and finally fixing the inner cable of the sail to the sail reel and spirally winding and gathering it around the sail reel.

7. A spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes a drive source and a drive gear; the drive source includes a motor and a spiral spring, providing rotational motion and power output; the drive gear forms a transmission engagement with any support rod shaft, used for power and motion transmission between the drive source and the support rod shaft, including gear transmission, belt transmission and chain transmission; the drive mechanism drives any support rod shaft to rotate.

8. A spatial conical deployable thin-film sail as described in claim 1, characterized in that: When the drive mechanism unfolds, it drives the support rod reel to rotate synchronously. Under the constraint of the pressure roller, the thin-walled support rod, which is wound and gathered on the reel, unfolds. The outer end of the thin-walled support rod extends outward, and the membrane sail is pulled out of the gathering box and restored to its planar unfolded state by the pull cable. After unfolding, the membrane sail is conical in shape.

Images