Deployable support ring structure for space reflector

Abstract

The extendable support ring 1 is composed of two pantograph sections 4 and 5 connected to each other by spherical joint nodes 2 and 3 and located opposite each other, where each section is composed of joint nodes 6, crosswise arranged, with ends bent in one direction, and outer and inner rods 7 and 8. The spherical joint nodes connecting the pantograph sections are composed of rotary joints 10 connected to the adjacent ends of the spherical joint nodes of the edge rods of the sections and a connecting joint 11 of these rotary joints so that these joints have axes of rotation shifted and directed relative to each other. The connecting joints have the ability to rotate in a horizontal plane relative to the rods.