Liberation device

Abstract

To provide a release device that can ensure proper release even under high impact loads. [Solution] A release device for releasing a satellite has a release plunger, which can be preloaded by a release spring and is held in the preloaded position by a two-arm pivot lever that is rotatable around each pivot axis. Each pivot lever can be held in a holding position against the force of the spring by a release component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a release device for releasing a satellite. The release device has a release plunger, and the release plunger can be preloaded by a release spring and is held in a preload position by a two-arm pivot lever that can pivot about each pivot axis. Each pivot lever can be held in a holding position against the force of the spring by a release component.

Background Art

[0002] Such a release device is known, for example, from German Patent Application Publication No. 102016 108 606 A1, which functions to release the holding bolts of a cover in order to release or discharge a satellite. Another release device for releasing a satellite is known from International Publication No. 2021 / 089167A1. In the device described in this prior art, the release device releases a pivot bolt loaded by a spring, so that a satellite fixed to a ring is released with the assistance of the release device.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Release devices of the type described above are often transported into orbit by a carrier rocket, and during this transportation, they may be subject to high impact loads under certain circumstances. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a release device of the type shown at the beginning that ensures proper release in the case of high impact loads.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] This objective is satisfied by the feature of claim 1, in particular by having an additional weight on one arm of each rotating lever. With respect to this additional weight, the torques on both sides of the rotation axis of the rotating lever cancel each other out, so that the mass portions of both arms of the rotating lever can be set or distributed so that the two-arm rotating lever receives no torque or only very little torque when an impact load or shock load occurs. This prevents the release device from being accidentally released when a load such as an impact occurs.

[0005] Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the description, drawings, and dependent claims.

[0006] According to the first advantageous embodiment, the mass portion and position of the additional weight can be selected such that the center of gravity of the rotating lever, including all components connected to each rotating lever, is in the region of the rotation axis of the rotating lever. Thus, for example, a mounting portion cooperating with a release component can be attached to the rotating lever. When the mass portion of all components fixedly connected to the rotating lever, i.e., all components that rotate with the rotating lever, is considered, the mass portion and position of the additional weight on the rotating lever can be selected such that the rotating lever does not rotate undesirably and become unreleased from the release component due to an impact acting on the release device or the rotating lever.

[0007] According to other advantageous embodiments, the additional weights may be made of tungsten, and in particular, tungsten or a tungsten alloy. For high specific weights, tungsten is particularly well-suited for the manufacture of additional weights because this material has an exceptionally high density, and therefore the entire release device can have a compact design.

[0008] In another advantageous embodiment, the rotating lever can contact a retaining rocker in a holding position, and the retaining rocker is fixed to the release plunger. This retaining rocker makes it possible to achieve that after the release component is actuated, only one of the rotating levers is rotated, and thereafter the retaining rocker is no longer held by both rotating levers, so that the retaining rocker rotates, thereby allowing the release plunger to be displaced. As a result, the release plunger itself can be configured as a single-piece component.

[0009] In other advantageous embodiments, a latching component can be provided to lock, for example, a rotating rocker in a stationary or rotated position. This latching component may be loaded, for example, by a spring, to ensure that the rotating rocker is held in the rotated position after release and does not rotate back undesirably by the rocker itself, thereby preventing further locking of the release plunger under certain circumstances. Alternatively or additionally, a stop rocker may be positioned in its stationary position, in which case both rotating levers contact the rotating rocker and hold it symmetrically from two sides, so that the release plunger cannot be pushed to the released position by the release spring.

[0010] According to other advantageous embodiments, the release device may be housed in a closed housing, the housing comprising a plurality of mechanical indicators indicating the state of the release device. Thus, for example, an indicator may be provided to show whether the release plunger is in its preloaded position or whether the release spring is in the release position of the plunger that has displaced the release plunger. Furthermore, at least one indicator may be provided that shows the operator the position of the rotating lever, i.e., whether the rotating lever is in the stationary preloaded position of the lever or in the release position of the lever that has enabled the displacement of the release plunger.

[0011] In other advantageous embodiments, at least one indicator can be configured as an actuation component, so that the displacement of the release plunger or the rotation of the pivot lever can be enabled, for example, by manual activation of the indicator. Thus, the release device can be set by an operator without additional tools, the release plunger is preloaded by a release spring, and two pivot levers hold the release plunger in its preloaded position.

[0012] According to other advantageous embodiments, the release spring can be housed in an indicator, so that the release spring is housed in a way that saves space and protects it.

[0013] In another advantageous embodiment, at the preloaded position, the release plunger is subjected to the action of a spring-loaded latch oriented laterally to its longitudinal axis, which has the advantage that the spring force of the latch does not act against the spring force of the release plunger. Since the spring-loaded latch functions to release the satellite, it is often acted upon by a high spring force. However, in this embodiment, since this spring force extends laterally to the spring force of the release spring, the spring force of the release spring does not need to be overcome first when the device is released, and thus a smaller spring can be used.

[0014] In other advantageous embodiments, the release plunger can be guided by a fixed roller that absorbs the force of a spring-loaded latch in particular. As a result, it is ensured that the release plunger is not subjected to lateral forces or is susceptible to undesirable bending at its preloaded position.

[0015] In other advantageous embodiments, the longitudinal axis of the release component, such as the retaining magnet, can encompass an angle of approximately 15 to 25 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the release plunger. The relatively small acute angle between the release component and the release plunger allows for a very compact design.

[0016] According to another advantageous embodiment, the release device can be housed in a closed housing having a length parallel to the longitudinal axis of the release plunger and a width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and perpendicular to the pivot axis of the pivot lever, the width being greater than the length, particularly 1.5 to 2 times greater. As a result, a very compact parallelepiped arrangement that can thus be mounted in a satellite release device is achieved, so that all mass parts are positioned as close as possible to the mounting surface, which has a good effect against system vibrations at low frequencies.

[0017] According to other advantageous embodiments, the release device may be housed in a closed housing having an opening into which a tool for emergency release of a rotating lever can be inserted. Thus, for example, a screwdriver can be inserted between the release component and the rotating lever held by the release component, thereby allowing the rotating lever to be separated from the release component. In this respect, there is no need to open the housing or initiate an electrical or electronic release.

[0018] In other advantageous embodiments, a latch can be provided that is preloaded by a spring and moved to a released position by a release plunger, and two sensors, particularly two lead terminals, connected in parallel, can be provided so that the released position of the latch can be detected by the sensors. Due to this sensor system, redundant determinations can be made as to whether the release device has been properly released and whether the latch has moved to a released position in which the satellite can be released.

[0019] The present invention will be described below purely by examples of advantageous embodiments and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This is a plan view of a release device having an open housing and a preload release plunger. [Figure 2]This is a diagram showing the release device of FIG. 1 in a released state. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the device of FIG. 1 in another partial cross-sectional view. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the device of FIG. 2 in another partial cross-sectional view. [Figure 5] This is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of the release device.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a release device for releasing a satellite (not shown), and the release device includes a housing 10 having a generally parallelepiped shape. The housing 10 is shown open in the figure but can be closed by a cover. A linearly displaceable release plunger 12 is arranged in the housing, and this release plunger 12 is pushed to a preloaded position (FIGS. 1 and 3) by a release spring 14 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and can be displaced to the release position of the plunger (FIGS. 2 and 4) by the release spring 14.

[0022] Each release component in the form of magnets 16, 18 is arranged on both sides of the release plunger 12. The two magnets 16, 18 are configured, for example, as permanent magnets and can have a magnetic counter-field applied to the permanent magnets by a device not shown in detail, for example, an electric coil. For this reason, the holding force of the magnets is reduced.

[0023] In order to hold the release plunger 12 at the preload position of the plunger, two-arm pivot levers 20, 22 are provided on both sides of the release plunger 12, and each pivot lever is rotatable about rotation axes S1, S2 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L of the release plunger 12. The contact plates 24, 26 are made of a ferromagnetic material and are attracted to and held by the associated magnets 16, 18 in the non-excited state, and the contact plates 24, 26 are attached to one arm portion A1 of each pivot lever 20, 22. Thereby, each pivot lever 20, 22 is held against the force of the springs 28, 30 in the holding position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 where the release plunger 12 is held at its preload position.

[0024] For this purpose, the respective other arm portions A2 of each pivot lever 20, 22 contact a stop rocker 32 having a substantially diamond shape, and the stop rocker 32 is rotatably fixed to the release plunger 12 and is actually rotatable about an axis extending parallel to the rotation axes S1, S2.

[0025] As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pivot bolt 36 loaded by a spring 34 contacts one end of the release plunger 12 and is disposed at the bolt locking position in FIGS. 1 and 3. When the release plunger 12 moves downward along the longitudinal axis L by the force of the spring 14 in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, the pivot bolt 36 rotates to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 by the force of the spring 34, thereby releasing the components of the satellite release unit (not shown in more detail) as described in the prior art described first.

[0026] The contact of the pivot bolt 36 with the release plunger 12 is caused by a roller 38 which is fixed to the pivot bolt 36, contacts the release plunger 12 in the non-release state, and applies a force perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. To absorb this force, the release plunger 12 is guided by a fixed roller 40 supported by the housing 10, so that a lateral force is not applied to the release plunger 12.

[0027] As shown in the comparison of Figures 1,2 or 3,4, the release plunger 12 moves (downward in the figures) when the release device is activated, and so the rotating bolt 36, which has a roller 38 on the rotating bolt, no longer contacts the release plunger 12, but can be pulled and rotated by the spring 34, thereby releasing the satellite.

[0028] During operation, the aforementioned release device is closed by a housing cover (not shown), and the electronic equipment located inside the housing 10 is connected to release the electronic equipment by the shown electrical connectors A and B. However, in order to allow recognition of the position of the release plunger 12 and the rotating arms 20 and 22 when the housing is closed, a total of three indicators 42, 44, and 46 are provided in the illustrated embodiment, and these indicators simultaneously constitute the operating components. Indicators 42 to 46 are guided through the housing 10 and are loaded by springs. When the rotating levers 20 and 22 are in the preloaded position (Figures 1 and 3) where the contact plates 24 and 26 contact the magnets 16 and 18, indicators 42 and 44 are pushed inward by the indicator springs so as not to protrude from the housing 10. However, in the released state (see Figures 2 and 4), indicator 44 is pushed out of the housing 10 by the rotating lever 22, so that it can be seen from the outside that the rotating lever 22 is in the released position. Simultaneously, the rotation lever 22 is rotated back against the force of the spring 30, thereby allowing the rotation lever 22 to re-contact the magnet 18 with its retaining plate 26, and the magnet 18 to hold it, as enabled by the operation of the indicator 44. A similar function is available for the indicator 42.

[0029] In particular, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the release spring 14 is housed in the indicator 46. Therefore, the release spring 14 can be compressed by pressure in the indicator 46, and as a result, when one end of the release spring 14 is in contact with a wall fixed to the housing, the release plunger 12 moves linearly along its longitudinal axis L (to the left in Figure 5). Here, it is possible to manually preload the release plunger 12.

[0030] The operation of the aforementioned release device is described below.

[0031] To bring the aforementioned release device into a ready state for operation, the release plunger 12 must first be moved to its preloaded position and held in this position. For this purpose, the indicator 46 is first pushed against the force of the release spring 14 from the position shown in Figure 2 inward along the longitudinal axis L, so that the release plunger 12 and the retaining rocker 32 are approximately in the position shown in Figure 1. Subsequently, the first indicator 42 and / or the second indicator 44 can also be pushed inward into the housing so that the rotating levers 20, 22 are rotated against the force of the springs 28, 30 until the contact plates 24, 26 contact the magnets 16, 18 and are held by the magnets 16, 18. This position is reached when the markings 48 on the indicators 42, 44 are no longer visible. In this state, the indicator 46 can be released so that the retaining rocker 32 is held evenly from both sides by the arms A2 of the rotating levers 20, 22. In this state, the marking 50 on indicator 46 is also no longer visible, and the release device is in the state shown in Figures 1 and 3.

[0032] To release, an electrical release signal is transmitted to control electronic equipment located inside the housing 10 via the illustrated electrical connector A or B. Subsequently, the magnetic field of magnet 16 or magnet 18 is weakened to a certain extent by an electrical coil or the like, within which the associated contact plates 24, 26 separate from the magnet, and the associated pivot lever is rotated by the spring 28 or 30. For example, if the holding force of magnet 18 is weakened, the contact plate 26 is released from magnet 18, and the pivot lever 22 rotates clockwise around its pivot axis S2. A roller located at the end of the short arm A2 of the pivot lever 22 rolls off the side of the stop rocker 32, thereby causing the release plunger 12 to no longer be held in its position. Due to the force of spring 14, the release plunger 12 is pulled downward along its longitudinal axis L (in Figures 1 and 3), and then the locking rocker 32 is similarly rotated clockwise, moving the release plunger 12 to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4. In this position, the rotating bolt 36 is no longer held, and therefore the rotating bolt 36 is rotated counterclockwise by the force of spring 34 until it is in the position shown in Figures 2 and 4. In this position, the release unit (not shown in detail) is not locked, and the satellite can be released (mostly by the force of the spring).

[0033] If the release by one of the two magnets fails for any reason, the magnetic field of each of the other magnets can be weakened to maintain the release.

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, a magnet 52 is attached to the rotating bolt 36 so that it can be confirmed that the device has been properly released. When the rotating bolt 36 moves to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4, the magnet 52 is positioned in the area of ​​two reed sensors, which are connected in parallel and located on an electronic circuit board (not shown) in the housing. Here, redundant monitoring of the release process can occur. The two reed sensors only generate a switching signal that can be evaluated and read by the associated electronic equipment when the rotating bolt 36 is in the released position.

[0035] To prevent the stop rocker 32 from rotating on its own after the release process, and thus to obstruct the release plunger under certain circumstances before further locking, a latching device 54 (Figure 5) is provided on the release plunger 12 to lock the stop rocker in its released position (Figures 1 and 3) and its released position (Figures 2 and 4). For this purpose, a spring is housed in the release plunger 12 and acts a force on a ball which can be fitted into each recess of the stop rocker 32. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the stop rocker 32 has three defined latching positions.

[0036] As can be seen from the diagram, the magnets 16 and 18, which function as release components, are not arranged in parallel, but at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis L of the release plunger 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle between the longitudinal axis and each magnet is approximately 20 degrees, thus achieving a very compact arrangement. At the same time, this arrangement is formed so that the force acted by the release spring 14 is transmitted from the stop rocker 32 to the pivot lever, so that the force extends in the direction of the pivot axes S1 and S2 and is therefore absorbed by the associated shaft. Thus, no forced opening force is generated that could be transmitted to the contact plate 24 or 26.

[0037] Additional weights 60, 62 are provided in the region of one arm of each two-arm pivot lever 20, 22 to prevent torque that could generate undesirable opening forces from acting on the pivot levers 20, 22 when vibrations such as shocks occur. (Not visible in Figures 3 and 4, which show different cross-sectional views) The additional weights 60, 62 are screwed into each pivot lever (see Figure 5) and function to counteract forces resulting from shock-like loads, so that each pivot lever is not subjected to torque. In this regard, it is particularly preferable that the mass portion and position of the additional weights (relative to the pivot axis S1 or S2) be selected such that the center of gravity of each pivot lever 20, 22, including all components connected to the pivot levers 20, 22, such as the contact plates 24, 26, is in the region of the pivot axis S1 or S2 of the pivot levers 20, 22. Thus, the additional weights 60, 62 function as balance weights for the contact plates 24, 26. Since the center of the mass portion of each rotating lever is positioned in the region of the rotation axis S1 or S2 of the rotating lever, the rotating lever will not be undesirably rotated under impact loads such as shocks. When impact loads such as shocks are not expected, the release device described above can be used naturally without additional weights. This embodiment is considered similarly and explicitly as to conform to the present invention.

[0038] Due to its extremely small size and available mounting space, the illustrated release device does not allow for very large additional weights or a large clearance from the pivot axis. Therefore, it is preferable that the additional weights be made of a material with a high specific density, such as tungsten or a tungsten alloy.

[0039] If the un-engaged and unlocked release mechanism is required for testing or other purposes, the contact plates 24,26 can also be manually detached from the magnets 16,18 without opening the housing 10. For this purpose, the housing has two lateral openings 64 (Figure 5) through which a tool, such as a screwdriver, can be inserted from the outside to release the contact plates 24,26 from the associated magnets 16,18. To facilitate this, tabs 66,68 are molded onto the contact plates 24,26 to facilitate the levering off of the contact plates 24,26 from the magnets 16,18.

Claims

1. A release device for releasing a satellite, the release device having a release plunger (12), the release plunger (12) can be preloaded by a release spring (14), and is held in the preloaded position by two-arm rotating levers (20, 22) that are rotatable around each pivot axis (S1, S2), and each rotating lever (20, 22) can be held in the holding position against the force of springs (28, 30) by release components (16, 18). A release device characterized in that one arm (A2) of each rotating lever (20, 22) is equipped with an additional weight (60, 62).

2. The release device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mass portion and position of the additional weights (60, 62) are selected such that the center of gravity of the rotating levers (20, 22), including all the parts (24, 26) connected to each rotating lever (20, 22), is in the region of the rotation axis (S1, S2) of the rotating levers (20, 22).

3. The release device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the additional weights (60, 62) are made of tungsten, and in particular made of tungsten or a tungsten alloy.

4. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rotating levers (20, 22) contact the stop rocker (32) in the holding position, and the stop rocker (32) is fixed to the release plunger (12).

5. In particular, the release device according to claim 4 is characterized in that a latch device (54) is provided for locking the stopper rocker (32) in the rotated position.

6. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the release device is located in a closed housing (10), and the housing (10) is provided with a plurality of mechanical indicators (42 to 46) that indicate the state of the release device.

7. The release device according to claim 6, characterized in that the indicator (46) indicates the position of the release plunger (12), and the indicators (42, 44) indicate the position of the rotating levers (20, 22).

8. The release device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that at least one indicator (42-46) is configured as an operating component.

9. The release device according to any one of 6 to 8, characterized in that the release spring (14) is housed in the indicator (62).

10. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, at the preloaded position, the release plunger (12) is subjected to the action of a spring load-applying latch (36) that is lateral to the longitudinal axis (L) of the release plunger (12).

11. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the release plunger (12) is guided by a fixed roller (40) that absorbs the force of the spring load-applying latch (36).

12. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the release component includes an angle of 15 to 25 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis (L) of the release plunger.

13. The release device is arranged in a closed housing (10), and the housing (10) has a length (l) parallel to the longitudinal axis (L) of the release plunger (12) and a width (b) that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L) and perpendicular to the pivot axis, wherein the width (b) is greater than the length (l), and in particular 1.5 to 2 times greater, as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The release device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the release device is arranged in a closed housing (10) having an opening (64), and a tool can be inserted into the opening (64) to manually release the rotating levers (20, 22) from the release components (16, 18).

15. A release device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that a latch (36) is provided which is preloaded by a spring (34) and can be moved to a released position by a release plunger (12), and two sensors, in particular two lead terminals, are provided which are connected in parallel and the sensors can detect the released position of the latch (36).

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