A telescopic mast mechanism and a flexible solar wing comprising the same

Abstract

The application discloses a telescopic mechanism and a flexible solar wing comprising the telescopic mechanism, and belongs to the technical field of solar wings. The telescopic mechanism comprises multiple groups of longitudinally arranged C-shaped frames and hinged link sets. The C-shaped frame is composed of an end arm and an intermediate cross beam. The hinged link set is formed by staggered and inclined hinging of a half-length-width link, a narrow link and a wide link in sequence, and forms a telescopic mechanism capable of being folded and unfolded. The flexible solar wing comprises a cover plate, a flexible wing, a connecting plate and two groups of telescopic mechanisms arranged on both sides of the flexible wing. The telescopic mechanism is compact in structure when being folded, provides high supporting stiffness through the large-span C-shaped frame after being unfolded, realizes low-gap cooperation between the links, effectively improves the overall stiffness in the folded and unfolded states, maintains a relatively low structure weight, has high bearing capacity, optimizes the load distribution of the solar wing through the rigid rib plate, improves the smoothness in the unfolding process, and is suitable for large-span flexible solar wings with high unfolding and folding ratios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of solar panel technology, and more specifically relates to a strut mechanism and a flexible solar panel including the strut mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] On-orbit deployment of foldable payloads is widespread, such as solar panels and satellite antennas. Existing deployment mechanisms suffer from drawbacks such as low fold-to-spread ratio and low stiffness, as exemplified by CN202111340188.0. With the development of low-Earth orbit satellite internet in recent years, spacecraft require higher pointing accuracy during attitude adjustments. Insufficient stiffness of the solar panel can negatively impact the pointing accuracy of payloads like onboard antennas. Given the increasing application of flexible solar panels in recent years, it is necessary to develop a deployment mechanism adaptable to large-sized flexible solar panels. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a strut mechanism and a flexible solar wing including the strut mechanism. By arranging C-shaped strut mechanisms on both sides of the solar wing with a large span, the structural stiffness of the solar wing after folding and unfolding can be effectively improved while maintaining a low structural weight, under the condition of taking into account a high folding-to-spread ratio and a compact folded structure.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A telescopic mechanism includes multiple sets of longitudinally arranged frames and hinged linkage groups. The frames are C-shaped and include two sets of end arms and a central crossbeam. Both ends of the central crossbeam are fixedly connected to one end of each end arm. The multiple sets of frames are connected at the outer ends of the two sets of end arms and the middle portion of the central crossbeam via a hinged linkage group. The hinged linkage group includes multiple sets of half-length-width linkages, narrow linkages, and wide linkages. The outer ends of the end arms and the middle portion of the central crossbeam of the top and bottom layers of the frames are respectively hinged to one end of the half-length-width linkage. The remaining even-numbered layers of frames... The middle section of the intermediate crossbeam is hinged to the middle section of the narrow connecting rod; the middle sections of the intermediate crossbeams of the remaining odd-numbered frames are hinged to the middle sections of the wide connecting rods; the other end of the semi-long wide connecting rod is hinged to one end of the narrow connecting rod, and the other end of the narrow connecting rod is hinged to the wide connecting rod; the semi-long wide connecting rod, the narrow connecting rod, and the wide connecting rod are longitudinally staggered and rotatably connected, the length of the semi-long wide connecting rod is half that of the narrow connecting rod and the wide connecting rod, and the included angle between adjacent semi-long wide connecting rods, narrow connecting rods, and wide connecting rods is 180 degrees when the extension mechanism is fully extended to reach its maximum height.

[0005] Furthermore, horizontal hinge shafts are fixedly provided at the outer end of the end arm and the middle of the intermediate crossbeam; the hinge shafts are arranged in pairs at the hinge point and are T-shaped, with a limiting boss at the outer end, and the limiting boss is fixedly connected to the frame; the hinge shaft passes through the side wall of the half-length wide connecting rod, the narrow connecting rod, and the wide connecting rod and is rotatably connected to its hinge hole; the inner end of the hinge shaft is provided with a retaining spring mounting groove; a retaining spring for axial limiting is provided in the retaining spring mounting groove; the narrow connecting rod and the wide connecting rod are also provided with clearance grooves that cooperate with the limiting boss in the middle.

[0006] Furthermore, the end faces of the half-length wide link, the narrow link, and the wide link are all mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces.

[0007] Furthermore, the hinge holes of the half-length wide connecting rod and the narrow connecting rod, and the hinge holes of the narrow connecting rod and the wide connecting rod are all hinged through connecting rod shafts; one end of the connecting rod shaft is provided with a limiting step, and the other end is provided with a retaining spring mounting groove; a retaining spring is installed in the retaining spring mounting groove for axial limiting.

[0008] Furthermore, a deployable torsion spring is sleeved on the connecting rod shaft, and the two ends of the deployable torsion spring abut against the adjacent half-length wide connecting rod and narrow connecting rod or the adjacent narrow connecting rod and wide connecting rod, respectively.

[0009] A flexible solar panel includes a cover plate, a flexible wing, a connecting plate, and two sets of extension rod mechanisms as described above; the two sets of extension rod mechanisms are respectively disposed on both sides of the flexible wing; the cover plate is provided in two sets, which are respectively connected to the upper and lower ends of the flexible wing; the flexible wing is configured as a foldable flexible thin plate structure; the connecting plate is fixedly connected to the cover plate and the top and bottom frames on the left and right sides, and is used to limit and fix the cover plate and the frames.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes multiple sets of longitudinally uniformly arranged flexible wing support components. Each flexible wing support component includes a rib plate and two sets of connecting blocks. The two sets of connecting blocks are fixedly connected to both ends of the rib plate. The two sets of connecting blocks are fixedly connected to the left and right side frames respectively. The length of the long side of the rib plate is greater than the width of the flexible wing. The rib plate is fixedly connected to the flexible wing through a foldable flexible sheet, and the middle part of the connection point folds synchronously with the folding of the flexible wing.

[0011] Furthermore, multiple sets of upper and lower paired separation seats are provided on the sides of the upper and lower cover plates; the separation seats are fixedly installed on the cover plates by mounting flanges; the separation seats include a locking device that can be unlocked by power-on, and the upper and lower separation seats are fixedly connected after docking when the solar panels are in the retracted state.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a rod support assembly for connecting the rod extension mechanism and the connecting plate. The rod support assembly includes a hinge support, a locking wide connecting rod, and a locking narrow connecting rod. The hinge support is fixedly installed on the connecting plate by screws. One end of the locking wide connecting rod is hinged to the hinge support, and the other end is hinged to one end of the locking narrow connecting rod. The other end of the locking narrow connecting rod is hinged to the middle of the half-length wide connecting rod located at the top and bottom. A deploying torsion spring is also sleeved on the connecting rod shaft where the locking wide connecting rod and the locking narrow connecting rod are hinged. The two ends of the deploying torsion spring abut against the locking wide connecting rod and the locking narrow connecting rod, respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the long side of the semi-long-width link, narrow link, wide link, locking wide link, and locking narrow link are all provided with symmetrical flanges, and the cross-section is "C"-shaped or "H"-shaped. The width of the inner side of the flange of the semi-long-width link, wide link, and locking wide link is greater than the outer width of the narrow link and locking narrow link.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. It features a low-clearance design, which effectively improves overall rigidity; 2. By configuring the strut mechanism over a large span, the bending stiffness about the direction perpendicular to the unfolding wing surface is improved; 3. The C-shaped extension rod mechanism has a large span in the vertical direction of the "C", and the rotation axes of the two sets of far apart connecting rods are parallel to the vertical direction of the "C", which makes it less prone to instability under bending loads and improves the bending stiffness of the solar wing in the direction of the wing surface fold line.

[0015] 4. Strong load-bearing capacity: This configuration can support large-span flexible solar panels, achieving a higher deployment-to-retraction ratio.

[0016] 5. For the first time, rigid ribs were used to optimize the load distribution during the solar array deployment process, preventing the deployment load from being concentrated in a local area of ​​the flexible wing, improving the smoothness of the deployment process and further enhancing the overall stiffness of the solar array. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the solar array of the present invention when it is fully deployed.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the solar array of the present invention when it is fully deployed.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the central structure of the solar array of the present invention when it is fully deployed.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the solar array of the present invention when it is fully folded.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the solar array of the present invention when it is partially deployed.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a partial enlarged view of the top of the solar panel of the present invention when it is partially deployed.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a top view of the extension mechanism of the present invention when fully folded.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wide connecting rod of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a partially enlarged view of the hinge shaft of the present invention.

[0027] In the figure: 1-Cover plate; 2-Flexible wing; 3-Connecting plate; 4-Frame; 5-Half-length wide connecting rod; 6-Narrow connecting rod; 7-Wide connecting rod; 8-Expanding torsion spring; 9-Connecting rod pivot; 10-Hinge shaft; 11-Hinge support; 12-Locking wide connecting rod; 13-Locking narrow connecting rod; 14-Connecting block; 15-Rib plate; 16-Separation seat. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Please see the appendix Figure 1-9This invention provides a telescopic mechanism, comprising multiple sets of longitudinally arranged frames 4 and hinged linkage groups. The frames 4 are C-shaped and include two sets of end arms and a middle crossbeam. Both ends of the middle crossbeam are fixedly connected to one end of each end arm. The multiple sets of frames 4 are connected at the outer ends of the two sets of end arms and the middle portion of the middle crossbeam via a set of hinged linkage groups. Each hinged linkage group includes multiple sets of half-length and wide linkages 5, narrow linkages 6, and wide linkages 7. The outer ends of the end arms of the top and bottom frames 4 are... The middle section of the intermediate crossbeam is hinged to one end of the semi-length and width connecting rod 5; the middle section of the intermediate crossbeam of the remaining even-numbered frames 4 is hinged to the middle of the narrow connecting rod 6; the middle section of the intermediate crossbeam of the remaining odd-numbered frames 4 is hinged to the middle of the wide connecting rod 7; the other end of the semi-length and width connecting rod 5 is hinged to one end of the narrow connecting rod 6, and the other end of the narrow connecting rod 6 is hinged to the wide connecting rod 7; the semi-length and width connecting rod 5, the narrow connecting rod 6, and the wide connecting rod 7 are longitudinally staggered and rotatably connected.

[0030] The two sets of end arms and the middle crossbeam of the frame 4 are all set as rectangular hollow supports. The two sets of end arms and the middle crossbeam are set perpendicular to each other to form a "C"-shaped frame 4. Horizontal hinge shafts 10 are fixed at the outer ends of the end arms and the middle of the middle crossbeam.

[0031] Both ends of the semi-length and wide connecting rod 5 are provided with hinge holes, and both end faces are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces. The length of the semi-length and wide connecting rod 5 is half that of the narrow connecting rod 6 and the wide connecting rod 7. Both ends and the middle of the narrow connecting rod 6 and the wide connecting rod 7 are provided with hinge holes, and both end faces are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces.

[0032] When the extension mechanism is fully extended to its maximum height, the angle between the adjacent half-length wide link 5, narrow link 6, and wide link 7 is 180 degrees, the limiting contact surfaces at both ends are in contact with each other, and a dead point structure is formed between the links.

[0033] The hinge shafts 10 are arranged in pairs at the hinge point and are configured in a "⊥" shape. A limiting boss is provided at the outer end of each hinge shaft 10. Each hinge shaft 10 passes through the sidewalls of the semi-length wide connecting rod 5, narrow connecting rod 6, and wide connecting rod 7 and is rotatably connected to its hinge hole. The diameter of each hinge shaft 10 is smaller than the limiting boss. A retaining spring mounting groove is provided at the inner end of each hinge shaft 10; a retaining spring for axial limiting is provided in the retaining spring mounting groove. The end faces of the hinge holes of the semi-length wide connecting rod 5, narrow connecting rod 6, and wide connecting rod 7 respectively abut and limit the retaining spring and the limiting boss. The outer side of the middle portion of the narrow connecting rod 6 and wide connecting rod 7 also has a clearance groove that mates with the limiting boss.

[0034] The limiting boss has screw mounting holes on its outer end face, and is fixedly connected to the frame 4 by screws.

[0035] The hinge holes of the half-length wide connecting rod 5 and the narrow connecting rod 6, and the hinge holes of the narrow connecting rod 6 and the wide connecting rod 7 are all hinged through the connecting rod shaft 9; one end of the connecting rod shaft 9 is provided with a limiting step, and the other end is provided with a retaining spring mounting groove; a retaining spring is installed in the retaining spring mounting groove for axial limiting.

[0036] The connecting rod shaft 9 is also fitted with a deployable torsion spring 8, the two ends of which abut against the adjacent half-length wide connecting rod 5 and narrow connecting rod 6 or the adjacent narrow connecting rod 6 and wide connecting rod 7, respectively.

[0037] The present invention also provides a flexible solar panel, including a cover plate 1, a flexible wing 2, a connecting plate 3, and two sets of extension rod mechanisms respectively disposed on both sides of the flexible wing 2; the cover plate 1 is provided in two sets, which are respectively connected to the upper and lower ends of the flexible wing 2; the flexible wing 2 is configured as a foldable flexible thin plate structure; the connecting plate 3 is fixedly connected to the cover plate 1 and the top and bottom frames 4 on the left and right sides, and is used to limit and fix the cover plate 1 and the frames 4.

[0038] The flexible solar array of the present invention also includes multiple sets of longitudinally uniformly arranged flexible wing support components. The flexible wing support components include ribs 15 and two sets of connecting blocks 14. The two sets of connecting blocks 14 are fixedly connected to both ends of the ribs 15 respectively. The two sets of connecting blocks 14 are fixedly connected to the left and right frames 4 respectively.

[0039] The rib 15 is a long strip of thin plate with a thickness of less than 1 mm, and the length of the long side of the rib 15 is greater than the width of the flexible wing 2. The rib 15 is fixedly connected to the flexible wing 2 by a foldable flexible sheet, and the middle part of the connection can be folded synchronously with the folding of the flexible wing 2.

[0040] The upper and lower cover plates 1 are also provided with multiple sets of upper and lower paired separation seats 16 on their sides; the separation seats 16 are fixedly installed on the cover plates 1 by mounting flanges; the separation seats 16 include a locking device that can be unlocked by power. The upper and lower separation seats 16 are fixedly connected after docking when the solar panels are in the retracted state, so that the solar panels are in a closed state as a whole. When the solar panels need to be deployed, the separation seats 16 can be unlocked by power, so that the extension mechanism can be deployed.

[0041] The present invention also includes an extension rod support assembly for connecting the extension rod mechanism and the connecting plate 3, wherein six extension rod support assemblies are provided; the extension rod support assembly includes a hinge support 11, a locking wide connecting rod 12, and a locking narrow connecting rod 13; the hinge support 11 is fixedly installed on the connecting plate 3 by screws, one end of the locking wide connecting rod 12 is hinged to the hinge support 11, and the other end is hinged to one end of the locking narrow connecting rod 13; the other end of the locking narrow connecting rod 13 is hinged to the middle of the half-length wide connecting rod 5 located at the top and bottom.

[0042] The hinge support 11 has a hinge seat at its upper end, and a horizontal hinge hole is provided at the center of the hinge seat; both ends of the locking wide connecting rod 12 and the locking narrow connecting rod 13 are provided with hinge holes; the middle of the semi-length wide connecting rod 5 is provided with a hinge hole; both ends of the locking wide connecting rod 12 and the locking narrow connecting rod 13 are provided with a limiting contact surface; the hinge hole of the hinge support 11 and the hinge hole at one end of the locking wide connecting rod 12 are hinged through the connecting rod shaft 9; the end of the locking narrow connecting rod 13 with the limiting contact surface is hinged to the end of the locking wide connecting rod 12 with the limiting contact surface through the connecting rod shaft 9; the hinge hole of the semi-length wide connecting rod 5 and the end of the locking narrow connecting rod 13 are hinged through the connecting rod shaft 9; the end of the locking narrow connecting rod 13 with the limiting contact surface is hinged to the end of the locking wide connecting rod 12 with the limiting contact surface through the connecting rod shaft 9. An unfolding torsion spring 8 is also fitted on the connecting shaft 9 that is hinged to the locking wide connecting rod 12 and the locking narrow connecting rod 13. The two ends of the unfolding torsion spring 8 abut against the locking wide connecting rod 12 and the locking narrow connecting rod 13 respectively.

[0043] The long sides of the semi-wide connecting rod 5, narrow connecting rod 6, wide connecting rod 7, locking wide connecting rod 12, and locking narrow connecting rod 13 are all provided with symmetrical flanges, and the cross-section is "C" shaped or "H" shaped. The width of the inner side of the flange of the semi-wide connecting rod 5, wide connecting rod 7, and locking wide connecting rod 12 is greater than the outer width of the narrow connecting rod 6 and locking narrow connecting rod 13.

[0044] The working process of this invention is as follows: The bottom cover plate 1 and connecting plate 3 are fixedly connected to the spacecraft or celestial body; When the top cover plate 1 and connecting plate 3 are longitudinally constrained by the separation seat 16, the solar panels remain closed; when fully retracted, the limiting surfaces of the narrow connecting rod 6 and the wide connecting rod 7 contact the limiting boss of the hinge shaft 10; when the separation seat 16 is energized and unlocked, and the constraint is released, the extension mechanism begins to unfold under the action of the unfolding torsion spring 8. The half-length wide connecting rod 5, the narrow connecting rod 6, the wide connecting rod 7, the locking wide connecting rod 12, and the locking narrow connecting rod 13 rotate around the connecting rod pivot 9, and the frames 4 of different layers move away from each other, and the ribs 15 move away from each other under the drive of the frames 4. As the flexible wing 2 unfolds evenly under the action of the rib plate 15, the top and bottom cover plates 1 and connecting plates 3 move away from each other under the action of the extension rod mechanism. When the extension rod mechanism is fully unfolded to its maximum height, the adjacent half-length wide connecting rod 5, narrow connecting rod 6 and wide connecting rod 7 move to an angle of 180 degrees. The limiting contact surfaces of the adjacent connecting rods contact each other and form a dead point structure. At the same time, the locking wide connecting rod 12 and locking narrow connecting rod 13 move to an angle of 180 degrees, and the limiting contact surfaces contact each other and form a dead point structure. The solar wing is fully unfolded.

[0045] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0046] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A telescopic rod mechanism, characterized in that, The system includes multiple sets of longitudinally arranged frames (4) and hinged linkage groups. The frames (4) are C-shaped and include two sets of end arms and a middle crossbeam. The two ends of the middle crossbeam are fixedly connected to one end of the end arm. The multiple sets of frames (4) are connected by a set of hinged linkage groups at the outer ends of the two sets of end arms and the middle part of the middle crossbeam. The hinged linkage groups include multiple sets of half-length and wide linkages (5), narrow linkages (6), and wide linkages (7). The outer ends of the end arms and the middle part of the middle crossbeam of the frames (4) located at the top and bottom layers are respectively hinged to one end of the half-length and wide linkages (5). The middle parts of the middle crossbeams of the frames (4) of the remaining even-numbered layers are respectively connected to the narrow linkages. (6) The middle part is hinged; the middle part of the middle crossbeam of the frame (4) of the remaining odd-numbered layers is respectively hinged to the middle part of the wide connecting rod (7); the other end of the half-length wide connecting rod (5) is hinged to one end of the narrow connecting rod (6), and the other end of the narrow connecting rod (6) is hinged to the wide connecting rod (7); the half-length wide connecting rod (5), the narrow connecting rod (6) and the wide connecting rod (7) are longitudinally staggered and rotated in sequence. The length of the half-length wide connecting rod (5) is half of the narrow connecting rod (6) and the wide connecting rod (7). The included angle between adjacent half-length wide connecting rods (5), narrow connecting rods (6) and wide connecting rods (7) is 180 degrees when the extension mechanism is fully extended to reach the maximum height.

2. The extension rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, A horizontal hinge shaft (10) is fixedly provided at the outer end of the end arm and the middle part of the intermediate crossbeam; the hinge shaft (10) is provided in pairs at the hinge point and is set in the shape of "⊥", with a limiting boss at the outer end, and the limiting boss is fixedly connected to the frame (4); the hinge shaft (10) passes through the side wall of the half-length wide connecting rod (5), narrow connecting rod (6), and wide connecting rod (7) and is rotatably connected to its hinge hole; the inner end of the hinge shaft (10) is provided with a snap ring mounting groove; a snap ring for axial limiting is provided in the snap ring mounting groove; the middle of the narrow connecting rod (6) and the wide connecting rod (7) is also provided with a clearance groove that cooperates with the limiting boss.

3. The extension rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end faces of the half-length wide link (5), narrow link (6) and wide link (7) are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces.

4. The extension rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hinge holes of the half-length wide connecting rod (5) and the narrow connecting rod (6), and the hinge holes of the narrow connecting rod (6) and the wide connecting rod (7) are all hinged through the connecting rod shaft (9); one end of the connecting rod shaft (9) is provided with a limiting step, and the other end is provided with a snap ring mounting groove; a snap ring is installed in the snap ring mounting groove for axial limiting.

5. The extension rod mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, An unfolding torsion spring (8) is sleeved on the connecting rod shaft (9). The two ends of the unfolding torsion spring (8) abut against the adjacent half-length wide connecting rod (5) and narrow connecting rod (6) or the adjacent narrow connecting rod (6) and wide connecting rod (7), respectively.

6. A flexible solar panel, characterized in that, It includes a cover plate (1), a flexible wing (2), a connecting plate (3), and two sets of extension rod mechanisms as described in any one of claims 1-5; the two sets of extension rod mechanisms are respectively disposed on both sides of the flexible wing (2); the cover plate (1) is provided with two sets, which are respectively connected to the upper and lower ends of the flexible wing (2); the flexible wing (2) is configured as a foldable flexible thin plate structure; the connecting plate (3) is fixedly connected to the cover plate (1) and the top and bottom frames (4) on the left and right sides, and is used to limit and fix the cover plate (1) and the frames (4).

7. The flexible solar array according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes multiple sets of longitudinally uniformly arranged flexible wing support components. The flexible wing support components include ribs (15) and two sets of connecting blocks (14). The two sets of connecting blocks (14) are fixedly connected to both ends of the ribs (15). The two sets of connecting blocks (14) are fixedly connected to the left and right frames (4) respectively. The length of the long side of the ribs (15) is greater than the width of the flexible wing (2). The ribs (15) are fixedly connected to the flexible wing (2) through foldable flexible sheets, and the middle part of the connection is folded synchronously with the folding of the flexible wing (2).

8. The flexible solar array according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upper and lower cover plates (1) are also provided with multiple sets of upper and lower paired separation seats (16); the separation seats (16) are fixedly installed on the cover plates (1) by mounting flanges; the separation seats (16) include a locking device that is energized and unlocked, and the upper and lower separation seats (16) are fixedly connected after docking when the solar panels are retracted.

9. The flexible solar array according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a rod support assembly for connecting the rod extension mechanism and the connecting plate (3). The rod support assembly includes a hinge support (11), a locking wide connecting rod (12), and a locking narrow connecting rod (13). The hinge support (11) is fixedly installed on the connecting plate (3) by screws. One end of the locking wide connecting rod (12) is hinged to the hinge support (11), and the other end is hinged to one end of the locking narrow connecting rod (13). The other end of the locking narrow connecting rod (13) is hinged to the middle of the half-length wide connecting rod (5) located at the top and bottom. A deploying torsion spring (8) is also sleeved on the connecting rod shaft (9) where the locking wide connecting rod (12) and the locking narrow connecting rod (13) are hinged. The two ends of the deploying torsion spring (8) abut against the locking wide connecting rod (12) and the locking narrow connecting rod (13) respectively.

10. The flexible solar array according to claim 9, characterized in that, The long sides of the semi-long-width link (5), narrow link (6), wide link (7), locking wide link (12), and locking narrow link (13) are all provided with symmetrical flanges, and the cross-section is "C" or "H" shaped. The width of the inner side of the flange of the semi-long-width link (5), wide link (7), and locking wide link (12) is greater than the outer width of the narrow link (6) and locking narrow link (13).

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