Flexible solar wing based on extension rod mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a flexible solar wing based on an extension rod mechanism. Comprising a half-height connecting rod (101), a full-height connecting rod (102), an unfolding torsion spring (103), a middle synchronous support (104), a top-layer synchronous support (105), a synchronous support connecting ring (106), a bottom-layer synchronous support (107), a separation nut (108), a compression screw (109), a hinge shaft (110), an upper cover plate (201), a lower cover plate (202), an unfolding wing (203), a solar wing connecting block (301), a hanging rope (302), an upper connecting frame (303) and a lower connecting frame (304). The flexible solar wing is simple in structure, low in cost and high in supporting rigidity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a solar array, and more particularly to a flexible solar array based on a strut mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Foldable payloads can be deployed in orbit in various ways, such as solar panels and satellite antennas. In recent years, with the increasing power requirements of spacecraft, the area required for solar panels has become larger. The advantages of flexible solar panels in terms of light weight have become increasingly prominent, and their applications have gradually increased. Existing strut mechanisms have disadvantages such as insufficient stiffness, system complexity, and high cost, as shown in CN202111340188.0. It is necessary to develop a low-cost flexible solar panel with a simple structure and high stiffness. The flexible solar panel based on a strut mechanism of this invention can effectively improve the stiffness of the strut mechanism under the condition of a compact structure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a flexible solar wing based on a strut mechanism, which improves the structural stiffness after folding and unfolding while maintaining a low structural weight.

[0004] A flexible solar panel based on a strut mechanism is characterized by comprising a half-height connecting rod, a full-height connecting rod, a deployment torsion spring, an intermediate synchronous support, a top-level synchronous support, a synchronous support connecting ring, a bottom-level synchronous support, a separation nut, a clamping screw, a hinge shaft, an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate, a deployment wing, a solar panel connecting block, a hanging rope, an upper connecting frame, and a lower connecting frame.

[0005] The half-height connecting rod is a connecting rod with hinge holes at both ends and the end faces at both ends are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces;

[0006] The full-height connecting rod is a connecting rod with hinge holes at both ends and the middle, and the end faces at both ends are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces;

[0007] The deployed torsion spring is a torsion spring;

[0008] The intermediate synchronous support, top synchronous support, and bottom synchronous support are plate-shaped components with horizontal hinge shafts at the edges. The intermediate synchronous support is a hollow flat plate structure, and the top synchronous support and the bottom synchronous support are provided with longitudinal connecting holes in the middle.

[0009] The synchronous support connecting ring is a cylindrical body with a threaded hole at the top end face, a flange at the bottom, and a through hole in the center.

[0010] The separating nut is a split nut that can be opened by an electrical signal, and has a flange at the bottom;

[0011] The clamping screw is a screw;

[0012] The hinge shaft is a cylindrical shaft;

[0013] The upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are plate-shaped pieces, and the plate surfaces are provided with connecting holes;

[0014] The deployable wing is a foldable, flexible thin-plate structure;

[0015] The solar panel connecting block is a connecting block with a countersunk hole at one end and a through hole at the other end, and a threaded hole communicating with the through hole perpendicular to the direction of the through hole.

[0016] The hanging rope is a rope;

[0017] The upper connecting frame and the lower connecting frame are plate-shaped pieces with a through hole in the center and a connecting hole on the surface of the plate.

[0018] The hinge hole at one end of the bottom half-height link is hinged to the hinge shaft of the bottom synchronous support. The hinge hole at the other end of the bottom half-height link is hinged to the hinge hole at one end of the first full-height link via a hinge shaft. The hinge hole in the middle of the first full-height link is hinged to the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support. The hinge hole at the other end of the first full-height link is hinged to the hinge hole at one end of the second full-height link. The hinge hole in the middle of the second full-height link is hinged to the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support, and so on. The top half-height link is hinged to one end of the top full-height link via a hinge shaft, and the other end of the top half-height link is hinged to the hinge shaft of the top synchronous support. A torsion spring is fitted onto the hinge shaft, and both ends of the torsion spring abut against adjacent half-height or full-height links. This structure is composed of... The solar panel extension mechanism is constructed by connecting the threaded hole of the synchronous bracket connecting ring to the connecting hole of the top synchronous bracket with screws, and connecting the flange of the release nut to the connecting hole of the bottom synchronous bracket with screws. The screw head of the clamping screw presses on the connecting ring of the top synchronous bracket, and the screw rod of the clamping screw passes through the through hole in the center of the top synchronous bracket and the synchronous bracket connecting ring and is screwed into the release nut. When the clamping screw is tightened, the extension mechanism is in a clamped state. After the release nut is unlocked, the constraint on the clamping screw is released, and the extension mechanism unfolds under the action of the unfolding torsion spring. When the extension mechanism is fully unfolded to the maximum height, the limiting contact surfaces at both ends contact each other, and the angle between the adjacent full-height or half-height connecting rods is 180 degrees, forming a dead point structure, so that the entire extension mechanism maintains structural stability when subjected to pressure.

[0019] The upper and lower ends of the deployable wing are connected to the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate respectively. The connecting hole of the upper cover plate is fixed to the connecting hole of the upper connecting frame by screws. The connecting hole of the upper connecting frame is fixed to the connecting hole of the top synchronous bracket by screws. The connecting hole of the lower cover plate is fixed to the lower connecting frame by screws. The connecting hole of the lower connecting frame is fixed to the connecting hole of the bottom synchronous bracket by screws. The solar wing connecting block is fixed to the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous bracket by screws. One end of the hanging rope passes through the through hole of the solar wing connecting block and is pressed by the screw that is screwed into the solar wing connecting block laterally. The other end of the hanging rope is fixed to the deployable wing.

[0020] The number of layers of the full-height connecting rod and intermediate synchronous support can be any natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0021] The hinge shafts of the intermediate synchronization bracket, the top synchronization bracket, and the bottom synchronization bracket can be hinge holes;

[0022] Both ends of the half-height link and the full-height link have "[" shaped cross sections. The full-height link can be further subdivided into full-height wide link and full-height narrow link. The full-height wide link and the full-height narrow link are alternately connected in series. The outer side of the end of the full-height narrow link matches the inner side of the end of the full-height wide link.

[0023] The number of upper cover plate, lower cover plate, and unfolding wings can be 2 sets, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the extension rod mechanism;

[0024] The number of the upper cover plate, lower cover plate, and unfolding wings can be one set, and two sets of extension rod mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the unfolding wings.

[0025] The advantages of this invention are:

[0026] 1. The flexible solar wing based on the extension mechanism of the present invention has a simpler structure, lighter weight, lower cost, and more compact size when folded compared to solar wings of the same size;

[0027] 2. The flexible solar array based on the extension rod mechanism of the present invention has high specific stiffness after deployment. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 A semi-deployed view of a flexible solar array based on a strut mechanism;

[0029] Figure 2 Partial view of the upper half of a flexible solar array based on a strut mechanism when it is partially deployed;

[0030] Figure 3 Partial view of the lower half of a flexible solar panel based on a strut mechanism;

[0031] Figure 4 A fully deployed view of a flexible solar array based on a strut mechanism;

[0032] Figure 5 A fully folded appearance diagram of a flexible solar array based on a strut mechanism;

[0033] Figure 6 A top view of a flexible solar array with a central connecting rod and solar arrays on both sides based on a strut mechanism, in which the solar array is partially deployed;

[0034] Figure 7 A semi-deployed top view of a flexible solar array with connecting rods on both sides of the central solar wing based on a strut mechanism;

[0035] Figure 8 A partial view of the hinge joint of a flexible solar array link based on a strut mechanism. Detailed implementation method:

[0036] like Figures 1-8 As shown, a flexible solar wing based on a strut mechanism is characterized by comprising a half-height connecting rod 101, a full-height connecting rod 102, a deployment torsion spring 103, an intermediate synchronization bracket 104, a top-level synchronization bracket 105, a synchronization bracket connecting ring 106, a bottom-level synchronization bracket 107, a separation nut 108, a clamping screw 109, a hinge shaft 110, an upper cover plate 201, a lower cover plate 202, a deployment wing 203, a solar wing connecting block 301, a hanging rope 302, an upper connecting frame 303, and a lower connecting frame 304;

[0037] The half-height connecting rod 101 is a connecting rod with hinge holes at both ends and the end faces at both ends are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces;

[0038] The full-height connecting rod 102 is a connecting rod with hinge holes at both ends and in the middle, and the end faces at both ends are mutually cooperating limiting contact surfaces;

[0039] The unfolding torsion spring 103 is a torsion spring;

[0040] The intermediate synchronous support 104, the top synchronous support 105, and the bottom synchronous support 107 are plate-shaped pieces with horizontal hinge shafts on the edges. The intermediate synchronous support 104 is a hollow flat plate structure. The top synchronous support 105 and the bottom synchronous support 107 are provided with longitudinal connecting holes in the middle.

[0041] The synchronous support connecting ring 106 is a cylindrical body with a threaded hole at the top end face, a flange at the bottom, and a through hole in the center.

[0042] The separating nut 108 is a split nut that can be opened by an electrical signal, and has a flange at the bottom;

[0043] The clamping screw 109 is a screw;

[0044] The hinge shaft 110 is a cylindrical shaft;

[0045] The upper cover plate 201 and the lower cover plate 202 are plate-shaped pieces, and the plate surfaces are provided with connecting holes;

[0046] The deployable wing 203 is a foldable flexible thin-plate structure;

[0047] The solar panel connecting block 301 is a connecting block with a countersunk hole at one end and a through hole at the other end, and a threaded hole communicating with the through hole perpendicular to the direction of the through hole.

[0048] The hanging rope 302 is a rope;

[0049] The upper connecting frame 303 and the lower connecting frame 304 are plate-shaped pieces with a through hole in the center and a connecting hole on the plate surface;

[0050] The hinge hole at one end of the bottom half-height link 101 is hinged to the hinge shaft of the bottom synchronous support 107. The hinge hole at the other end of the bottom half-height link 101 is hinged to the hinge hole at one end of the first full-height link 102 via hinge shaft 110. The hinge hole in the middle of the first full-height link 102 is hinged to the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support 104. The hinge hole at the other end of the first full-height link 102 is hinged to the hinge hole at one end of the second full-height link 102. Next, the hinge hole in the middle of the second-layer full-height connecting rod 102 is hinged to the hinge shaft of the intermediate synchronous support 104. Similarly, one end of the top half-height connecting rod 101 is hinged to one end of the top full-height connecting rod 102 via hinge shaft 110, and the other end of the top half-height connecting rod 101 is hinged to the hinge shaft of the top synchronous support 105. The unfolding torsion spring 103 is fitted onto the hinge shaft 110, and both ends of the unfolding torsion spring 103 abut against the adjacent half-height connecting rod 101 or full-height connecting rod 102. On 02, the above structure forms the solar wing extension mechanism. The threaded hole of the synchronous bracket connecting ring 106 is fixed to the connecting hole of the top synchronous bracket 105 by screws. The flange of the release nut 108 is fixed to the connecting hole of the bottom synchronous bracket 107 by screws. The screw head of the clamping screw 109 presses on the top synchronous bracket connecting ring 106. The screw of the clamping screw 109 passes through the through hole in the center of the top synchronous bracket 105 and the synchronous bracket connecting ring 106 and is screwed into the release nut 108. When the clamping screw 109 is tightened, the extension mechanism is in a clamped state. After the release nut is unlocked, the constraint on the clamping screw is released, and the extension mechanism unfolds under the action of the unfolding torsion spring 103. When the extension mechanism is fully unfolded to the maximum height, the limiting contact surfaces at both ends contact each other, and the angle between the adjacent full-height connecting rods 102 or half-height connecting rods 101 is 180 degrees, forming a dead point structure, so that the entire extension mechanism maintains structural stability when subjected to pressure.

[0051] The upper and lower ends of the deployable wing 203 are connected to the upper cover plate 201 and the lower cover plate 202 respectively. The connecting hole of the upper cover plate 201 is fixed to the connecting hole of the upper connecting frame 303 by screws. The connecting hole of the upper connecting frame 303 is fixed to the connecting hole of the top layer synchronous bracket 105 by screws. The connecting hole of the lower cover plate 202 is fixed to the lower connecting frame 304 by screws. The connecting hole of the lower connecting frame 304 is fixed to the connecting hole of the bottom layer synchronous bracket 107 by screws. The solar wing connecting block 301 is fixed to the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous bracket 104 by screws. One end of the hanging rope 302 passes through the through hole of the solar wing connecting block 301 and is pressed by the screw that is screwed into the solar wing connecting block 301 laterally. The other end of the hanging rope 302 is fixed to the deployable wing 203.

[0052] The number of layers of the full-height connecting rod 102 and the intermediate synchronous support 104 can be any natural number greater than or equal to 1;

[0053] The hinge shafts of the intermediate synchronous bracket 104, the top synchronous bracket 105, and the bottom synchronous bracket 107 can be hinge holes.

[0054] Both ends of the half-height connecting rod 101 and the full-height connecting rod 102 have "[" shaped cross sections. The full-height connecting rod 102 can be further subdivided into full-height wide connecting rod 102-1 and full-height narrow connecting rod 102-2. The full-height wide connecting rod 102-1 and the full-height narrow connecting rod 102-2 are connected in series alternately. The outer side of the end of the full-height narrow connecting rod 102-2 is matched with the inner side of the end of the full-height wide connecting rod 102-1.

[0055] The number of upper cover plate 201, lower cover plate 202, and unfolding wings 203 can be 2 sets, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the extension rod mechanism;

[0056] The number of the upper cover plate 201, lower cover plate 202, and unfolding wing 203 can be one set, and two sets of extension rod mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the unfolding wing 203.

[0057] Work process:

[0058] like Figures 1-8 As shown, when the release nut 108 is energized and unlocked, the threads of the clamping screw 109 separate from the threads of the release nut 108, and the synchronous bracket connecting ring 106 is no longer subjected to the clamping force of the clamping screw 109. Under the action of the unfolding torsion spring 103, the flexible solar wing extension mechanism unfolds from the folded state. The top synchronous bracket 105, the middle synchronous bracket 104, and the bottom synchronous bracket 107 move away from each other. The upper cover plate 201 and the lower cover plate 202 move away from each other under the action of the top synchronous bracket 105 and the bottom synchronous bracket 107. The unfolding wing 203 moves away from each other under the action of the upper cover plate 201 and the lower cover plate 202. During the unfolding process, the unfolding wing 203 is connected to the corresponding intermediate synchronous support 104 via the hanging rope 302, thereby achieving uniform unfolding of the unfolding wing 203. The half-height link 101 and the full-height link 102 rotate around the hinge axis 110. When the flexible solar wing extension mechanism is fully unfolded to the maximum height, the limiting contact surfaces at both ends come into contact with each other, and the adjacent full-height link 102 or half-height link 101 moves to an included angle of 180 degrees and forms a dead point structure, so that the entire extension mechanism maintains structural stability when subjected to pressure, thereby tensioning the unfolding wing 203 and completing the unfolding of the flexible solar wing.

Claims

1. A flexible solar wing based on a pantograph mechanism, characterized in that, The device comprises a half-height connecting rod (101), a full-height connecting rod (102), a deployment torsion spring (103), an intermediate synchronous bracket (104), a top synchronous bracket (105), a synchronous bracket connecting ring (106), a bottom synchronous bracket (107), a separation nut (108), a compression screw (109), a hinged shaft (110), an upper cover plate (201), a lower cover plate (202), a deployment wing (203), a solar wing connecting block (301), a hanging rope (302), an upper connecting frame (303), and a lower connecting frame (304); The half-height connecting rod (101) is a connecting rod, and both ends are provided with hinged holes, and both end faces are limit contact surfaces matched with each other; The full-height connecting rod (102) is a connecting rod, and both ends and the middle part are provided with hinged holes, and both end faces are limit contact surfaces matched with each other; The deployment torsion spring (103) is a torsion spring; The intermediate synchronous bracket (104), the top synchronous bracket (105), and the bottom synchronous bracket (107) are plate-shaped parts, and edges are provided with horizontal hinged shafts, the intermediate synchronous bracket (104) is a hollow flat plate structure, the top synchronous bracket (105) is provided with a longitudinal connecting hole in the middle part, and the bottom synchronous bracket (107) is provided with a longitudinal connecting hole in the middle part; The synchronous bracket connecting ring (106) is a columnar body, and a threaded hole is arranged at a top end face, a flange is arranged at a bottom part, and a through hole is arranged at a center; The separation nut (108) is a split nut which can be controlled to be opened through an electric signal, and a flange is arranged at a bottom part; The compression screw (109) is a screw; The hinged shaft (110) is a cylindrical shaft; The upper cover plate (201) and the lower cover plate (202) are plate-shaped parts, and a plate face is provided with a connecting hole; The deployment wing (203) is a foldable flexible thin plate structure; The solar wing connecting block (301) is a connecting block, one end is provided with a countersunk hole, the other end is provided with a through hole, and a threaded hole communicated with the through hole is arranged perpendicularly to the through hole; The hanging rope (302) is a rope; The upper connecting frame (303) and the lower connecting frame (304) are plate-shaped parts, a through hole is arranged at a center, and a plate face is provided with a connecting hole; The hinge hole at one end of the lowest half-height connecting rod (101) is hinged with the hinge shaft of the bottom synchronous support (107), the hinge hole at the other end of the lowest half-height connecting rod (101) is hinged with the hinge hole at one end of the first layer full-height connecting rod (102) through the hinge shaft (110), the hinge hole in the middle of the first layer full-height connecting rod (102) is hinged with the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support (104), the hinge hole at the other end of the first layer full-height connecting rod (102) is hinged with the hinge hole at one end of the second layer full-height connecting rod (102), the hinge hole in the middle of the second layer full-height connecting rod (102) is hinged with the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support (104), and so on, one end of the highest half-height connecting rod (101) is hinged with the full-height connecting rod (102) at the top layer through the hinge shaft (110), the other end of the highest half-height connecting rod (101) is hinged with the hinge shaft of the top synchronous support (105), the unfolded torsion spring (103) is sleeved on the hinge shaft (110), and the two ends of the unfolded torsion spring (103) are abutted against the adjacent half-height connecting rod (101) or full-height connecting rod (102), and the above structure forms the solar wing stretching rod mechanism, the threaded hole of the synchronous support connecting ring (106) is fixedly connected with the connecting hole of the top synchronous support (105) through a screw, the flange of the separation nut (108) is fixedly connected with the connecting hole of the bottom synchronous support (107) through a screw, the screw head of the compression screw (109) is pressed on the top synchronous support connecting ring (106), the screw rod of the compression screw (109) passes through the through hole in the center of the top synchronous support (105) and the synchronous support connecting ring (106), and is screwed into the separation nut (108), when the compression screw (109) is tightened, the stretching rod mechanism is in a compressed state; after the separation nut is unlocked, the constraint of the compression screw is released, and the stretching rod mechanism is unfolded under the action of the unfolded torsion spring (103), when the stretching rod mechanism is completely unfolded to the maximum height, the limiting contact surfaces at both ends are in contact with each other, the adjacent full-height connecting rod (102) or half-height connecting rod (101) has an included angle of 180 degrees, and a dead point structure is formed, so that the whole stretching rod mechanism remains stable in structure when bearing pressure; The upper and lower ends of the unfolding wing (203) are connected with the upper cover plate (201) and the lower cover plate (202) respectively, the connecting hole of the upper cover plate (201) is fixedly connected with the connecting hole of the upper connecting frame (303) through a screw, the connecting hole of the upper connecting frame (303) is fixedly connected with the connecting hole of the top synchronous support (105) through a screw, the connecting hole of the lower cover plate (202) is fixedly connected with the lower connecting frame (304) through a screw, the connecting hole of the lower connecting frame (304) is fixedly connected with the connecting hole of the bottom synchronous support (107) through a screw, the solar wing connecting block (301) is fixedly connected with the hinge shaft of the middle synchronous support (104) through a screw, one end of the hanging rope (302) passes through the through hole of the solar wing connecting block (301) and is pressed by a screw transversely screwed into the solar wing connecting block (301), and the other end of the hanging rope (302) is fixedly connected with the unfolding wing (203).

2. A flexible solar wing based on a stretch-rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of layers of the full-height connecting rod (102) and the middle synchronous support (104) can be any natural number greater than or equal to 1.

3. A flexible solar wing based on a stretch-rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The hinge shafts of the intermediate synchronous support (104), the top synchronous support (105), and the bottom synchronous support (107) are replaced by hinge holes.

4. A flexible solar wing based on a stretch-rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross sections of both ends of the half-height connecting rod (101) and the full-height connecting rod (102) are "[", and the full-height connecting rod (102) can be further divided into a full-height wide connecting rod (102-1) and a full-height narrow connecting rod (102-2). The full-height wide connecting rod (102-1) and the full-height narrow connecting rod (102-2) are alternately connected in series, and the outer side of the end of the full-height narrow connecting rod (102-2) is matched with the inner side of the end of the full-height wide connecting rod (102-1).

5. A flexible solar wing based on a stretch-rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the upper cover plate (201), the lower cover plate (202), and the unfolding wing (203) can be two groups, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the telescopic rod mechanism.

6. A flexible solar wing based on a stretch-rod mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of the upper cover plate (201), the lower cover plate (202), and the unfolding wing (203) is one group, and two groups of telescopic rod mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the unfolding wing (203).

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