Multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflecting surfaces

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflecting surfaces. The multi-point locking mechanism is mainly used for solving the problems of high-precision positioning and reliable locking after the reflecting surfaces of a large-aperture folded antenna are unfolded and folded. The mechanism comprises a locking seat and a positioning seat which are mounted on the back of adjacent reflecting surfaces, a locking shaft capable of displacing and rotating is mounted on the positioning seat through a shaft groove, and the locking shaft is hinged to a locking rod; the locking rod is hinged to a connecting rod at the same time, and the connecting rod is connected with a single driving body composed of a driving electric cylinder, a driving connecting plate and a driving connecting rod. Through the action of the driving main body, the locking rods of the inner ring, the middle ring and the outer ring can be driven to be linked, so that the locking shaft is wedged into the locking seat in an unfolding state and compresses the positioning conical seat and the positioning ball, and unfolding locking is realized; and in the storage state, the locking hooks on the locking rods can hook the locking shafts of the adjacent reflecting surfaces, so that storage and locking are realized. The folding and unfolding dual-state locking function is integrated, the structure is compact, and the positioning precision, the overall rigidity and the integration degree of the antenna are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and mainly to foldable vehicle-mounted antenna equipment, particularly the deployment, reception, positioning, and reliable locking mechanism of large-aperture, high-dynamic foldable multi-lobe antenna equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicle-mounted antennas are mobile antenna systems installed on vehicle platforms. Compared to fixed-station antennas, they offer advantages such as higher system integration, stronger battlefield mobility, better deployment concealment, and flexible environmental adaptability. Large-aperture antennas typically achieve spatial adaptation through segmented folding designs of the reflector to meet loading, integration, and transportation requirements. With the increasing standardization of equipment for combat use, users have higher demands for the deployment and reception positioning accuracy and locking reliability of antenna systems. Due to limitations in mobile transportation, large-aperture antennas have a large number of folded segments. Existing manual or semi-automatic locking systems have significant shortcomings in multi-degree-of-freedom synchronous control, dynamic response speed, and structural rigidity maintenance, making it difficult to meet the tactical requirements for rapid deployment and relocation of antenna systems in modern battlefield environments.

[0003] To address the challenges of high-precision, high-dynamic vehicle-mounted large-aperture antenna reflector deployment, retraction, positioning, and locking technologies, this invention proposes a design method for a multi-point locking mechanism for the reflector based on spatial linkages. Compared to existing technologies, this invention, through a rational spatial structure design, improves the performance of the folding antenna in terms of deployment, retraction, positioning, and locking reliability. It ensures the positioning of the antenna after rapid deployment and retraction, enhances the overall rigidity of the antenna after deployment, retraction, and locking, and simultaneously meets the integration requirements of the antenna. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the challenges of rapid deployment, retraction, positioning, and locking of multi-folded reflectors in large-aperture antennas, this invention proposes a multi-point locking mechanism design method for reflectors based on spatial linkages. This method integrates post-deployment locking and post-retraction locking and shape preservation through a spatial linkage mechanism.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces includes a driving body, and also includes a locking seat (1), a positioning seat (4), a locking rod (16), and a connecting rod (15) installed on the back of the same reflective surface. In the same reflective surface: the positioning seat (4) is provided with a locking shaft (3), wherein the locking shaft (3) abuts against the inclined surface of the positioning seat (4) and the locking shaft (3) is located in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4), and the locking shaft (3) has the freedom of displacement and rotation in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4); one end of the locking shaft (3) is located in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4), and the other end is hinged to the locking rod (16), and the locking rod (16) is perpendicular to the central axis of the locking shaft (3); one end of the connecting rod (15) is connected to the driving body, and the other end is hinged to the locking rod (16); the locking rod (16) is also provided with a locking hook (23). When the reflective surface is unfolded, the locking shaft (3) is located in the locking groove of the locking seat (1) of the adjacent reflective surface, and the abutment of the locking shaft (3) and the top of the inclined surface of the positioning seat (4) are engaged; when the reflective surface is retracted, the locking hook (23) on the locking rod is hung on the locking shaft (3) of the adjacent reflective surface.

[0006] Furthermore, the driving body includes a driving electric cylinder (8), a driving connecting plate (9), and a driving connecting rod (10) located in the same plane, wherein the driving connecting plate (9) is provided with three hinge points; the cylinder body of the driving electric cylinder (8) is hinged to the back of the reflective surface, and the execution end is hinged to the first hinge point of the driving connecting plate (9); the second hinge point of the driving connecting plate (9) is hinged to the back of the reflective surface, and the third hinge point is hinged to one end of the driving connecting rod (10).

[0007] Furthermore, multiple positioning seats (4) are provided on the same reflective surface, and multiple locking seats (1) are provided on adjacent reflective surfaces; the positioning seats and locking seats correspond one to one.

[0008] On the same reflective surface: the locking rods (16) on adjacent positioning seats (4) are connected by an adjustment assembly; Furthermore, the adjustment assembly includes an adjustment rod (13) and an adjustment nut (14). The adjusting rod (13) is parallel to the plane of the driving body, and the connecting rod (15) is provided with a threaded head. The threaded head at one end of the adjusting rod (13) and the threaded head on the connecting rod (15) are directly opposite each other and are both connected to the adjusting nut (14). The other end of the adjusting rod is hinged to the locking rod (16) of the previous stage.

[0009] Furthermore, the threaded head on the connecting rod (15) connected to the same adjusting nut (14) and the threaded head on the adjusting rod (13) have opposite directions of rotation, and the inner side of the adjusting nut (14) is provided with a thread that is compatible with both.

[0010] Furthermore, the locking seat (1) has a positioning cone seat (2) in the slot; the positioning seat (4) has a positioning ball that cooperates with the positioning cone seat (2); the positioning ball (6) is installed on the positioning seat (4) through the positioning ball seat (5).

[0011] The beneficial effects of the above-mentioned technical solution adopted by the present invention are as follows: Unlike traditional methods that require manual locking after antenna deployment and retraction, the spatial linkage mechanism designed in this invention uses a single driving locking electric cylinder to achieve coordinated locking of the inner, middle, and outer rings of a large-diameter multi-fold unit antenna after deployment and retraction. The multi-node locking design improves the positioning accuracy and overall rigidity of the large-diameter antenna during deployment, with a main surface accuracy better than 0.25mm after deployment and a repeat positioning accuracy better than 0.3mm after multiple deployments and retractions.

[0012] On the other hand, the multi-point locking mechanism of the present invention ingeniously integrates the positioning and locking after the antenna is deployed and the positioning and locking after the antenna is retracted through the inverse kinematic solution of the linkage mechanism. Compared with the traditional dual-system configuration, it saves more than 50% of the driving components. At the same time, the dual-segment linkage layout greatly reduces the size of the locking mechanism, saves antenna space and weight, and improves the integration of the antenna. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the locking seat structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning seat structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the locking seat and the positioning seat in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the driving main structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the locking mechanism in the antenna retracted state in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall locking action of the locking mechanism in the inner, middle and outer three-ring locking state of the antenna in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the overall locking action of the locking mechanism in the antenna retracted state in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] In the diagram: 1. Outer ring locking seat, 2. Outer ring positioning cone seat, 3. Collection lock shaft, 4. Outer ring positioning seat, 5. Outer ring positioning ball seat, 6. Outer ring positioning ball, 7. Middle ring drive cylinder fixing support foot, 8. Drive cylinder, 9. Drive connecting plate, 10. Drive connecting rod, 11. Connecting plate fixing, 12. Outer ring locking rod, 13. Adjusting rod a, 14. Adjusting nut, 15. Middle ring connecting rod, 16. Middle ring locking rod, 17. Middle ring positioning seat, 18. Middle ring locking seat, 19. Adjusting rod b, 20. Inner ring locking seat, 21. Inner ring positioning seat support foot, 22. Inner ring locking rod, 23. Locking hook. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] This embodiment is applicable to large-aperture multi-lobed folding vehicle-mounted antennas. It aims to achieve multi-point linkage locking of adjacent reflective surfaces in both the unfolded and folded states of the antenna reflector through a set of spatial linkage mechanisms, thereby ensuring positioning accuracy and structural rigidity.

[0017] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 The locking mechanism's overall spatial linkage structure is divided into two sections, arranged on the underside of the antenna panel and between adjacent matching frames. The mechanism achieves lateral fixation to the frame through three positioning seats: inner ring, middle ring, and outer ring (inner ring positioning seat 21, middle ring positioning seat 17, and outer ring positioning seat 4, respectively). Both sections of the linkage feature an adjustable length design to improve assembly adaptability.

[0018] The core functional components of the mechanism include a drive body, a locking seat, a positioning seat, a locking rod, a connecting rod, and a linkage adjustment assembly, which are respectively installed on the back of two adjacent reflective surfaces (for ease of description, referred to as fixed reflective surfaces and adjacent reflective surfaces).

[0019] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown: Locking seats: On the back of the fixed reflective surface, an inner ring locking seat 20, a middle ring locking seat 18, and an outer ring locking seat 1 are installed along the inner, middle, and outer ring positions, respectively. Each locking seat is a hollow structure, and a positioning cone seat 2 is fixed to one end of its inner cavity.

[0020] Positioning Seats: On the back of adjacent reflective surfaces, inner ring positioning seats 21, middle ring positioning seats 17, and outer ring positioning seats 4 are installed at corresponding positions. A positioning ball 6 is mounted on the upper end of each positioning seat foot via a positioning ball seat 5. A shaft groove is formed on one side of each positioning seat foot, and a storage lock shaft 3 is installed within this groove. One end of the storage lock shaft 3 can move slightly axially within the shaft groove and rotate around the axis. Its side is designed with a shaped abutment surface, forming a wedge-shaped fit with the mating inclined surface on the positioning seat foot. The other end of the storage lock shaft 3 extends out of the shaft groove.

[0021] The drive unit, serving as the sole power source for the entire mechanism, is centrally mounted on the frame at the mid-ring position of the adjacent reflector surface, as shown in the reference. Figure 4 .

[0022] The driving unit includes: Drive cylinder 8: Its cylinder body is hinged to the frame via the middle ring drive cylinder fixing support 7.

[0023] Drive connection plate 9: Designed as a triangular plate with three hinge points.

[0024] Drive link 10: One end is hinged to drive connecting plate 9.

[0025] The specific connection relationships are as follows: the actuator end (push rod) of the drive cylinder 8 is hinged to the first hinge point of the drive connecting plate 9; the second hinge point of the drive connecting plate 9 is hinged to the frame through the connecting plate fixed support 11; the third hinge point of the drive connecting plate 9 is hinged to one end of the drive connecting rod 10. The design of the triangular drive connecting plate 9 effectively avoids the dead point of the mechanism transmission.

[0026] The other end of the drive link 10 serves as the power output and is connected to the connecting rod 15 of the middle ring, thereby driving the entire multi-ring locking system.

[0027] Central locking assembly: such as Figure 6 As shown, at the middle ring position, one end of the connecting rod 15 is hinged to the drive connecting rod 10, and the other end is hinged to the middle ring locking rod 16. The other end of the middle ring locking rod 16 is hinged to the storage lock shaft 3 mounted on the middle ring positioning seat 17.

[0028] Inner and outer ring locking components and adjustment mechanism: In order to achieve synchronous operation of the inner and outer rings and the middle ring, an adjustment component is set up for connection.

[0029] Inner ring connection: The middle ring locking rod 16 is connected to the inner ring locking rod 22 via the adjusting rod b19. One end of the adjusting rod b19 is hinged to the connecting rod 15, and the other end has an external thread.

[0030] Outer ring connection: The connecting rod 15 of the middle ring is connected to the outer ring locking rod 12 via the adjusting rod a (13). Specifically, the connecting rod 15 has an external thread head, and one end of the adjusting rod a (13) also has an external thread head, with the two thread heads facing each other. An adjusting nut 14 has two internal threads with opposite left and right turns, which respectively engage with the thread heads with opposite turns on the connecting rod 15 and the adjusting rod a (13). By rotating the adjusting nut 14, the length of this connecting section can be precisely adjusted. The other end of the adjusting rod a (13) is hinged to the outer ring locking rod 12.

[0031] The other end of the outer ring locking rod 12 is hinged to the storage lock shaft 3 mounted on the outer ring positioning seat 4. In addition, the outer ring locking rod 12 is also designed with an extension end, at which a locking hook 23 is installed.

[0032] When the adjacent reflective surfaces unfold to their working positions relative to the fixed reflective surface, the positioning seats (21, 17, 4) on the adjacent reflective surfaces move accordingly. The positioning balls 6 on each positioning seat first contact the positioning cones 2 in the corresponding locking seats (20, 18, 1) on the fixed reflective surface, serving as guides and initial positioning. When fully unfolded, each retractable locking shaft 3 enters the locking groove of the corresponding locking seat.

[0033] At this time, the drive cylinder 8 pushes out the push rod, which drives the drive connecting rod 10 to move through the drive connecting plate 9. The drive connecting rod 10 pulls the middle ring connecting rod 15, which in turn drives the middle ring locking rod 16 to rotate. Through the linkage mechanism composed of the adjusting rod b (19), the adjusting rod a (13), and the adjusting nut 14, the inner ring locking rod 22 and the outer ring locking rod 12 rotate synchronously.

[0034] The rotation of each locking rod causes the retractable locking shaft 3, which is hinged to it, to rotate slightly within the shaft groove of the positioning seat. The irregularly shaped abutment surface of the retractable locking shaft 3 creates a wedging effect with the top of the inclined surface of the positioning seat foot, thereby generating an axial tensile force on the retractable locking shaft 3. This tensile force firmly pulls the retractable locking shaft 3 to the bottom of the groove of the locking seat and forces the positioning ball 6 to press tightly against the positioning cone seat 2. At this point, the high-precision, rigid locking of the antenna in its fully deployed state is completed.

[0035] When the reflective surface is folded from the unfolded state to the retracted position, the relative positions of the components change. In the retracted state, adjacent reflective surfaces fold together. At this time, the locking hook 23 at the end of the outer ring locking rod 12 installed on the adjacent reflective surface A is exactly above the outer ring retractable locking shaft 3 of the other adjacent reflective surface B.

[0036] The drive cylinder 8 retracts the push rod, which drives the outer ring locking rod 12 to rotate in the opposite direction via the aforementioned transmission chain. The locking hook 23 then swings downward and hooks onto the outer ring storage locking shaft 3 of the reflector surface B, thereby achieving circumferential constraint and locking of the antenna in the stored (transport) state, ensuring structural stability during transportation.

[0037] To address the challenges of high-precision, high-dynamic vehicle-mounted large-aperture antenna reflector deployment, retraction, positioning, and locking technologies, this invention proposes a design method for a multi-point locking mechanism for the reflector based on spatial linkages. Compared to existing technologies, this invention, through a rational spatial structure design, improves the performance of the folding antenna in terms of deployment, retraction, positioning, and locking reliability. It ensures the positioning of the antenna after rapid deployment and retraction, enhances the overall rigidity of the antenna after deployment, retraction, and locking, and simultaneously meets the integration requirements of the antenna.

Claims

1. A multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces, comprising a driving body, characterized in that, It also includes a locking seat (1), a positioning seat (4), a locking rod (16), and a connecting rod (15) installed on the back of the same reflective surface; In the same reflective surface: the positioning seat (4) is provided with a locking shaft (3), wherein the locking shaft (3) abuts against the inclined surface of the positioning seat (4) and the locking shaft (3) is located in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4), and the locking shaft (3) has the freedom of displacement and rotation in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4); one end of the locking shaft (3) is located in the shaft groove of the positioning seat (4), and the other end is hinged to the locking rod (16), and the locking rod (16) is perpendicular to the central axis of the locking shaft (3); one end of the connecting rod (15) is connected to the driving body, and the other end is hinged to the locking rod (16); the locking rod (16) is also provided with a locking hook (23). When the reflective surface is unfolded, the locking shaft (3) is located in the locking groove of the locking seat (1) of the adjacent reflective surface, and the abutment of the locking shaft (3) and the top of the inclined surface of the positioning seat (4) are engaged; when the reflective surface is retracted, the locking hook (23) on the locking rod is hung on the locking shaft (3) of the adjacent reflective surface.

2. The multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving body includes a driving electric cylinder (8), a driving connecting plate (9), and a driving connecting rod (10) located in the same plane. The driving connecting plate (9) is provided with three hinge points. The cylinder body of the driving electric cylinder (8) is hinged to the back of the reflective surface, and the end of the actuator is hinged to the first hinge point of the driving connecting plate (9). The second hinge point of the driving connecting plate (9) is hinged to the back of the reflective surface, and the third hinge point is hinged to one end of the driving connecting rod (10).

3. The multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple positioning seats (4) are provided on the same reflective surface, and multiple locking seats (1) are provided on adjacent reflective surfaces; the positioning seats and locking seats correspond one-to-one. On the same reflective surface: the locking rods (16) on adjacent positioning seats (4) are connected by adjusting components.

4. The multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly includes an adjustment rod (13) and an adjustment nut (14). The adjusting rod (13) is parallel to the plane of the driving body, and the connecting rod (15) is provided with a threaded head. The threaded head at one end of the adjusting rod (13) and the threaded head on the connecting rod (15) are directly opposite each other and are both connected to the adjusting nut (14). The other end of the adjusting rod is hinged to the locking rod (16) of the previous stage.

5. A multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces according to claim 4, characterized in that, The threaded head on the connecting rod (15) connected to the same adjusting nut (14) and the threaded head on the adjusting rod (13) have opposite directions of rotation, and the inner side of the adjusting nut (14) is provided with a thread that is compatible with both.

6. The multi-point locking mechanism for adjacent reflective surfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking seat (1) has a slot with a positioning cone seat (2); the positioning seat (4) has a positioning ball that cooperates with the positioning cone seat (2); the positioning ball (6) is installed on the positioning seat (4) through the positioning ball seat (5).

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