Release device
The release device provides a stable and efficient mechanism for deploying nets in space debris capture systems, addressing the challenge of maintaining structure integrity during launch vibrations and gravity.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2021103808
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-06-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-05
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-06-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing capture mechanisms for space debris lack a simple and stable structure for releasing nets in outer space, particularly during launch when gravity acceleration and vibrations occur.
A release device mounted on a space aircraft that uses a simple structure with a transmission unit, maintenance mechanism, and cancellation mechanism to release weights or nets in outer space, allowing for stable deployment despite gravitational and vibrational forces.
Enables the reliable and stable release of nets or weights in outer space, facilitating effective capture of space debris with a compact and efficient design.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge device. [Background technology]
[0002] In recent years, as a measure against space debris, there has been much research into mechanisms for capturing space debris. One of the methods being considered is to cast a net to envelop the space debris. In addition to putting up nets as a countermeasure against space debris, there is also a need to release some kind of object into space.
[0003] In order to release ejected materials in space, they need to be stably held by the spacecraft until they are transported to space. In particular, when a spacecraft is launched from the ground, large gravitational acceleration and vibrations occur, and the ejected materials need to be stably held by the spacecraft even during these times.
[0004] Incidentally, a prior document related to the present invention is Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a driven body to be positioned is held down in the direction of the center of gravity by a plurality of holding members when launching an artificial satellite, for example, to position (restrain) the driven body, and when the artificial satellite reaches orbit, the restraint of the driven body by the holding members is released, releasing the driven body to a free state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-229502 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] It is desirable to realize the operation of releasing ejected materials into space using as simple a structure as possible.
[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and provides a release device that can realize the operation of releasing objects into outer space with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided a release device that is attached to a spacecraft body and releases a release material, comprising: A release material holding portion for holding the release material; a biasing portion that biases the release material to release it from the release material holding portion; The biasing force of the biasing portion is transmitted to the discharged object. , a separate part from the release material holding part A transmission unit; a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the biasing portion in a standby state in which the biasing portion does not bias the release object; a release mechanism that releases the maintaining mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing portion biases the release object; an engagement portion that is integral with the release member and engages with the transmission portion; Equipped with The discharge device discharges a second discharge material connected to the discharge material via a connecting string together with the discharge material, The transmission portion integrally includes a second emission holding portion that holds the second emission, The release device further includes a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the transmission portion when the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves a predetermined distance, When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the engagement portion is disengaged from the transmission portion during the process in which the release object is biased and moved, and the release object is released from the release object holding portion, When the release mechanism releases the retaining mechanism and the transmission part is biased by the biasing part and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting part, the second release object is released from the second release object holding part by inertial force. A release device is provided. Effect of the Invention
[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize the operation of releasing objects into outer space with a simple structure. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the release device according to the embodiment, showing a state before the retention mechanism is released. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the release device according to the embodiment, showing a state after the retention mechanism has been released. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the release device according to the embodiment, showing a state before the retention mechanism is released. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, showing a state before the retention mechanism is released. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the same position as FIG. 4, showing the state after the retention mechanism has been released. [Figure 6] 5. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the same position as FIG. 4, showing a state after the retention mechanism has been released and after the state of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing a corner of the discharge device of the embodiment. [Figure 8] 8(a) and 8(b) are diagrams showing an exploded state of the engagement portion fixed to a weight serving as an object to be discharged, with FIG. 8(a) being a plan view and FIG. 8(c) being a perspective view. [Figure 9] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are schematic diagrams showing a series of operations of the release device, in which Figure 9(a) shows the state when the release device has reached the vicinity of the space debris, and Figure 9(b) shows the state when the release mechanism has been released and a weight as a release object and a net as a second release object have been released. [Figure 10] Figures 10(a) and 10(b) are schematic diagrams showing a series of operations of the release device, where Figure 10(a) shows the state after Figure 9(b) in which the weight and net have been released further away, and Figure 10(b) shows the state in which the net has wrapped around the space debris. [Figure 11] 10(a) is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 10(a) and shows a state seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 10(a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
[0012] 1 and 2, the net 90 and the connecting strings 95 as the second release material are omitted. In FIG. 3, the net 90 and the connecting strings 95 are shown diagrammatically by two-dot chain lines. 4 to 6, the net 90 is shown diagrammatically by a two-dot chain line. In FIG. 7, the transmission unit 30 is omitted. In the following, for convenience, the upper side in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 may be referred to as "up" and the lower side in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 may be referred to as "down". Note that the direction in which the coil spring 80, which is the biasing portion, biases the release material 10 is the upward direction. The direction perpendicular to the up-down direction is referred to as the horizontal direction. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the description of the shape and arrangement of each component is based on the state in which the biasing portion is maintained in a standby state in which it is not biasing the release material 10 by the maintaining device.
[0013] The release device 100 according to this embodiment is attached to the spacecraft main body 200 (FIGS. 9(a) to 10(b)) and releases the release object 10. As shown in FIG. The release device 100 comprises an emission material holding section (e.g., a cylindrical body 20) that holds the emission material 10, a biasing section (e.g., a compression type coil spring 80) that biases the emission material 10 to release it from the emission material holding section, a transmission section 30 that transmits the biasing force from the biasing section to the emission material 10, a maintenance mechanism (e.g., a maintenance string-like body 50 (Figure 4)) that maintains the emission material 10 in a standby state in which the biasing section does not bias the emission material 10, a release mechanism (e.g., a melting device 55) that releases the maintenance mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing section biases the emission material 10, and an engagement section 70 that is formed integrally with the emission material 10 and engages with the transmission section 30. When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the biasing section transitions to a state in which it biases the release material 10 via the transmission section 30, as the release material 10 is biased and moves, the engagement state of the engagement section 70 with the transmission section 30 is released, and the release material 10 is released from the release material holding section. According to this embodiment, the biasing section, which is the driving source for biasing the release material 10, also serves as the driving source for releasing the engagement section 70 from the transmission section 30, thereby making it possible to realize a release device 100 that releases the release material 10 in outer space with a simple structure.
[0014] In this embodiment, the discharging device 100 discharges a second discharging object (eg, a net 90) connected to the discharging object 10 together with the discharging object 10. As shown in FIG. The transmission section 30 is integrally provided with a second emission holding section (eg, a container 32) for holding the second emission. The release device 100 further includes a movement regulating portion (e.g., a stopper portion 66 provided at the upper end of the slide pin 65) that regulates the movement of the transmission portion 30 when the transmission portion 30 is urged by the urging portion and moves a predetermined distance. Then, when the maintaining mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the transmission section 30 is biased by the biasing section and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting section, the second release object is released from the second release object holding section by inertial force.
[0015] This will be explained in more detail below.
[0016] In this embodiment, the second release portion is a net 90. The net 90 is a net for capturing space debris 300 such as artificial satellites in outer space. The release object 10 connected to the net 90 is a weight connected to each of four corners 91 of the net 90 via connecting string-like bodies 95, as shown in FIG. The shape of the net 90 is not particularly limited, but for example, the net 90 has a rectangular shape such as a square when unfolded. In the initial state, the net 90 is folded and stored in the container 32.
[0017] In this embodiment, the release material holding portion is a cylindrical body 20. The release material 10 is guided by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 20, moves along the axis of the cylindrical body 20, and is released from an opening 22 at one end (upper end) of the cylindrical body 20. That is, within the cylindrical body 20 , the release material 10 is urged in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 20 via the transmission part 30 by the coil spring 80 , and after running within the cylindrical body 20 , is released from the cylindrical body 20 . Therefore, the release material 10 can be stably released in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 20.
[0018] The cylindrical body 20 has, for example, a cylindrical tube main body 21 and a base 23 provided below the tube main body 21 and fixed to a bottom surface portion 61 (FIG. 4) of a housing 60 described later. The cylindrical body 21 is formed with a slit 24 and an outer slit 25 . The axial direction of the cylindrical body 20 is inclined with respect to the biasing direction (upward) of the coil spring 80 . As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end surface of the cylindrical body 20 may be inclined as shown in FIG. 4 etc., or may be disposed horizontally.
[0019] In this embodiment, the discharging device 100 includes a plurality of (for example, four) cylindrical bodies 20. These cylindrical bodies 20 are disposed at positions corresponding to the four corners of a housing 60, which will be described later (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The discharge device 100 has the same number of discharge objects 10 as the cylindrical bodies 20 (for example, four), and each cylindrical body 20 contains and holds one discharge object 10. Each of the releasable objects 10 is integrally provided with an engagement portion 70 . The present invention is not limited to this example, and the number of cylindrical bodies 20 included in the discharging device 100 may be one, two or three, or five or more. Similarly, the number of release objects 10 held by the cylindrical body 20 and discharged from the cylindrical body 20 may be one, two or three, or five or more.
[0020] The slit 24 of the cylindrical body 20 is formed in the cylindrical main body 21 at a portion on the central side of the discharging device 100 in a plan view. The slit 24 extends linearly parallel to the axis of the cylindrical body 20, and the upper end of the slit 24 reaches the opening 22. The outer slit 25 of the cylindrical body 20 is formed at a position opposite to the slit 24 by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical main body 21. The outer slit 25 extends linearly parallel to the axis of the cylindrical body 20, and the upper end of the outer slit 25 reaches the opening 22.
[0021] The releasable material 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 20 so that the releasable material 10 can move smoothly in the axial direction of the cylindrical body 20 within the cylindrical body 20. In other words, the outer diameter of the releasable material 10 is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical body 20. The outer peripheral surface 11 of the releasable material 10 is cylindrical. As an example, the top surface 13 of the emitter 10 is perpendicular to the direction of bias provided by the coil spring 80 . The lower end surface 12 of the release 10 is a portion that is pressed from below by the rod-shaped portion 313 (pressing portion) of the transmission portion 30. The lower end surface 12 is a convex curved surface that is convex downward. That is, in the release 10, the surface (lower end surface 12) that is pressed by the pressing portion (rod-shaped portion 313) is a convex curved surface that is convex toward the pressing portion side. This allows the lower end surface 12 and the rod-shaped portion 313 to be in approximate point contact, reducing the sliding resistance between the lower end surface 12 and the rod-shaped portion 313.
[0022] The discharging device 100 includes a housing 60. The shape of the housing 60 is not particularly limited, but as an example, the housing 60 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a square planar shape. The housing 60 has, for example, a bottom surface portion 61 that closes the lower end of the housing 60 and a rectangular side wall 62 that surrounds the four sides of the housing 60, and the upper end of the housing 60 is entirely open 60a. The bottom surface portion 61 is disposed horizontally. The four wall surfaces of the side peripheral wall 62 are perpendicular to the bottom surface portion 61 . An insertion hole 61a is formed in the center of the bottom surface portion 61, penetrating the bottom surface portion 61 in the vertical direction. On the upper surface of the bottom surface portion 61, an annular wall portion 61b standing upward is formed in a portion surrounding the periphery of the insertion hole 61a. The coil spring 80 is disposed so that its axis extends in the vertical direction, and the lower end of the coil spring 80 is fitted over the annular wall portion 61b (the annular wall portion 61b is inserted into the lower end of the coil spring 80). This prevents the lower portion of the coil spring 80 from shifting in position in the horizontal direction relative to the bottom surface portion 61.
[0023] The transmission section 30 is configured to include, for example, a plate-like member 31 disposed parallel to the bottom surface section 61 , and a container 32 fixed to the upper surface of the plate-like member 31 . Regarding the planar shape of the plate-like member 31, the plate-like member 31 has, for example, four protruding portions 312 each protruding toward the center in the width direction of the four wall surfaces of the side peripheral wall 62 (that is, each protruding outward with the center of the plate-like member 31 as a reference) as shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the portions between adjacent protruding portions 312 in the plate-like member 31 are cut out (recessed) toward the center of the plate-like member 31. The cylindrical body 20 and the release material 10 are disposed in the recessed portions. For this reason, the release device 100 has a compact design. 1, each protruding portion 312 is formed with a slide hole 312a that vertically penetrates the protruding portion 312. A slide pin 65, which will be described later, is inserted into the slide hole 312a.
[0024] Furthermore, the plate-shaped member 31 has four rod-shaped portions 313 (pressing portions) between adjacent protrusions 312, each protruding toward the four corners of the housing 60 (i.e., each protruding horizontally in a straight line outward from the center of the plate-shaped member 31) (see Figure 7). Each rod-shaped portion 313 corresponds one-to-one to each cylindrical body 20. Each rod-shaped portion 313 is inserted through the slit 24 and the outer slit 25 of the corresponding cylindrical body 20 (see FIG. 4). In the initial state where the maintaining mechanism is not released, the lower surface of each rod-shaped portion 313 abuts against the lower edge of the corresponding slit 24 and outer slit 25 of the cylindrical body 20. The position where the lower surface of each rod-shaped portion 313 abuts against the lower edge of the slit 24 and outer slit 25 is the bottom dead center position of the plate-shaped member 31 and therefore the entire transmission portion 30.
[0025] On the lower surface of the plate-like member 31, at a portion facing the annular wall portion 61b of the bottom surface portion 61 of the housing 60, an annular wall portion 314 is formed which hangs down downward. The annular wall portion 314 and the annular wall portion 61b are disposed coaxially with each other and face each other. The upper end of the coil spring 80 is fitted onto the annular wall portion 314 (the annular wall portion 314 is inserted into the upper end of the coil spring 80). This prevents the upper portion of the coil spring 80 from shifting in position in the horizontal direction relative to the plate-shaped member 31. The coil spring 80 is disposed in a compressed state between the lower surface of the plate-shaped member 31 and the upper surface of the bottom portion 61 . At the center of the plate-shaped member 31, an insertion hole 31a is formed which passes through the plate-shaped member 31 in the vertical direction.
[0026] The container 32 is formed in a box shape. More specifically, for example, the container 32 is formed in an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape. The bottom plate portion 321 of the container 32 is formed in a flat plate shape and is disposed horizontally. For example, the bottom plate portion 321 is in surface contact with the upper surface of the plate-shaped member 31 and is fixed to the plate-shaped member 31 . Second slits 323 are formed in the side peripheral wall 322 of the container 32 at locations corresponding to the hypotenuses of the inverted quadrangular pyramid shape. An opening 32a is formed at the upper end of the container 32 (the upper end of the side peripheral wall 322). Each of the second slits 323 is disposed at a position corresponding to one of the slits 24 . An insertion hole 321a is formed in the center of the bottom plate portion 321, penetrating the bottom plate portion 321 in the vertical direction.
[0027] At each of the four corners of the bottom plate portion 321, a recess 325 is formed which is recessed upward (see FIG. 4). As a result, engaged plate-shaped parts 326 that are disposed one step higher than the bottom plate part 321 are provided at the four corners of the bottom plate part 321 (see Figs. 4, 3, etc.). The engaged plate-shaped parts 326 are disposed horizontally. The lower surface 326a (Figure 4) of the engaged plate-shaped portion 326 engages with the lower surface 72a of the cutout-shaped portion 72 (described later) of the engaging portion 70, preventing the engaging portion 70 and the releasable material 10 from unintentionally falling upward from the cylindrical body 20.
[0028] Here, the release device 100 comprises a plurality of (e.g., four) cylindrical bodies 20, a plurality of release materials 10 housed one in each cylindrical body 20, a plurality of (e.g., four) engagement portions 70 integrally formed with each release material 10, and a plurality of engaged surfaces (lower surface 326a) corresponding one-to-one to the plurality of engagement portions 70. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, as multiple (e.g., four) release objects 10 are biased by the biasing portion (coil spring 80) and move within the cylindrical body 20, the distance between the multiple release objects 10 increases, and the multiple cylindrical bodies 20 are arranged at an angle to each other so that the engagement states of the engagement surfaces (lower surface 72a) of the multiple engagement portions 70 with the multiple engaged surfaces (lower surface 326a) are released at the same time. This allows each emission material 10 to be emitted from the corresponding cylindrical body 20 in the axial direction of the corresponding cylindrical body 20 at the same timing, and also allows the distance between each emission material 10 to increase even after emission. Furthermore, for example, when the second release object is a net 90, the net 90 can be deployed while being brought closer to the space debris 300, so that the capture of the space debris 300 can be performed more reliably. More specifically, the axial directions of the cylindrical bodies 20 are inclined upward so as to move away from each other, and the inclination angles of the axial centers of the cylindrical bodies 20 are the same.
[0029] In addition, a slit 24 is formed in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body 20, reaching the opening 22 at one end of the cylindrical body 20, and the engagement portion 70 protrudes outward from the cylindrical body 20 through the slit 24 and engages with the transmission portion 30 (the engaged plate-shaped portion 326) outside the cylindrical body 20. The transmission part 30 has a pressing part (rod-shaped part 313) inserted into the cylindrical body 20 through the slit 24, and when the biasing part (coil spring 80) transitions to a state in which it biases the emission material 10 through the transmission part 30, the pressing part moves along the slit 24, pressing against the emission material 10 and biasing the emission material 10.
[0030] In the case of this embodiment, the retention mechanism is constituted by a retention string 50 (fishnet). The upper end of the maintaining string-like body 50 is fixed to a fixing member 53. As shown in Fig. 4, the fixing member 53 is fixed to the center of the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 321. The fixing member 53 is formed in a size and shape such that it cannot pass through the insertion hole 321a of the bottom plate portion 321 and the insertion hole 31a of the plate-like member 31. The retaining string 50 is guided downward through the insertion hole 321a, the insertion hole 31a, the annular wall portion 314, the annular wall portion 61b, and the insertion hole 61a. The lower end of the retention string 50 is fixed to the spacecraft body 200, for example. That is, the maintenance mechanism is a maintenance string 50 that connects the transmission part 30 and the spacecraft main body 200 to each other. In the present embodiment, the release mechanism is a fusion device 55 that fuses the retention cord 50. The fusion device 55 is, for example, an electric type. The installation position of the fusion device 55 is not particularly limited, but, for example, the fusion device 55 is provided in the housing 60, and more specifically, for example, the fusion device 55 is disposed inside the annular wall portion 61b. The length of the maintaining string 50 is set so that the transmission part 30 is maintained at the bottom dead center.
[0031] In the case of this embodiment, when the maintenance string-like body 50 is melted by the melting device 55 (when the maintenance mechanism is released by the release mechanism), the coil spring 80 extends, and the coil spring 80 receives a reaction force from the bottom surface portion 61 of the housing 60 and urges the transmission unit 30 upward. As a result, the release material 10 in each cylindrical body 20 is urged upward by each rod-shaped portion 313 of the transmission unit 30, and moves obliquely upward along the axis of the cylindrical body 20, and the release material 10 is released from the cylindrical body 20. In this way, the release device 100 comprises a housing 60 to which the release material holding portion (cylindrical body 20) is fixed, and the coil spring 80 is arranged in a compressed state between the housing 60 and the transmission portion 30, and when the retention mechanism is released, the coil spring 80 obtains a reaction force from the housing 60 and biases the release material 10 via the transmission portion 30. The entire transmission section 30 including the plate-like member 31 and the container 32 is biased by the coil spring 80 to move upward as a unit.
[0032] The discharging device 100 further includes a slide pin 65 standing upright from the bottom surface portion 61 of the housing 60 and a stopper portion 66 (movement restricting portion) provided at the upper end of the slide pin 65. As an example, the discharge device 100 has four slide pins 65, and a stopper portion 66 is fixed to the upper end of each slide pin 65. The lower end of the slide pin 65 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 61. The slide pin 65 is a rod-shaped member (for example, a round rod-shaped member) and extends linearly vertically. The stopper portion 66 is a disk-shaped portion having a larger diameter than the slide pin 65. As described above, a slide hole 312a is formed in each protruding portion 312 of the plate-like member 31. One slide pin 65 is inserted into each slide hole 312a. The size and shape of the stopper portion 66 are set so that it cannot pass through the slide hole 312a. When the plate-like member 31, and therefore the entire transmission unit 30, is biased by the coil spring 80 to move, it is linearly guided by the slide pin 65 and moves upward. The upward movement of the transmission unit 30 is stopped when the peripheral edge of the slide hole 312a on the upper surface of each protrusion 312 abuts against the lower surface of the stopper portion 66. In other words, the position where the upper surface of each protrusion 312 abuts against the lower surface of each stopper portion 66 is the top dead center position of the entire transmission portion 30.
[0033] The engaging portion 70 includes a plate-shaped main body portion 71 and a fixing portion 76 fixed to the main body portion 71 by a fastening member 77, as shown in, for example, FIGS. 7, 8(a) and 8(b). The plate surface of the main body 71 faces the horizontal direction. The main body 71 is fixed to the emission 10 with a portion of the main body 71 embedded in the emission 10. The engagement portion 70 protrudes to the outside of the cylindrical main body 21 of the cylindrical body 20 through the slit 24 . The thickness dimension of the main body 71 is set to be slightly smaller than the width dimension of the slit 24, so that when the engaging portion 70 is urged together with the releasable material 10 to move upward, the engaging portion 70 slides against the slit 24. This prevents the releasable material 10 from rotating around its axis when the releasable material 10 moves inside the cylindrical body 20.
[0034] A cutout portion 72 that opens in the horizontal direction is formed in the main body portion 71. As shown in Fig. 4, the cutout portion 72 engages with the engaged plate-like portion 326. More specifically, the lower surface 72a of the cutout portion 72 engages with the lower surface 326a of the engaged plate-like portion 326. When the transmission part 30 is biased by the coil spring 80 and the rod-shaped part 313 biases the discharged material 10 upward, the engagement part 70 also moves upward, and the engagement between the lower surface 326a and the lower surface 72a gradually becomes shallower, and eventually the engagement of the lower surface 72a with the lower surface 326a is released (see Figure 5).
[0035] That is, the transmission section 30 has an engaged surface (lower surface 326a) facing in the opposite direction to the direction of the force applied by the biasing section (coil spring 80), and the engagement section 70 has an engaging surface (lower surface 72a) facing in the direction of the force applied by the biasing section and engaging with the engaged surface, and the direction of the axis of the cylindrical body 20 is inclined with respect to the direction of the force applied by the biasing section so that as the release material 10 moves due to the force applied by the biasing section, the engaging surface slides relative to the engaged surface, and ultimately the engagement state of the engaging surface with the engaged surface is released.
[0036] More specifically, the transmission part 30 has an engaged plate-shaped part (engaged plate-shaped part 326) perpendicular to the direction of the force applied by the biasing part (coil spring 80), the engaged plate-shaped part has an engaged surface (lower surface 326a), the engagement part 70 has a cutout-shaped part 72 which opens in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the force applied by the biasing part and engages with the engaged plate-shaped part by gripping it, and the cutout-shaped part 72 has an engagement surface (lower surface 72a).
[0037] 8(b), a disk-shaped portion 73 having a horizontal plate surface is formed on the upper portion of the main body portion 71. A recess 74 is formed on one side of the disk-shaped portion 73, so that the thickness of the disk-shaped portion 73 is thinner than the rest of the main body portion 71. In the center of the recess 74, an annular winding portion 75 is formed. The fixing portion 76 has a disk shape corresponding to the disk-shaped portion 73, and is fixed to the disk-shaped portion 73 by a fastening member 77 such as a screw. With one end of the connecting string-like body 95 (the end opposite the net 90) wound around the winding portion 75, the fixing portion 76 is fixed to the disc-shaped portion 73, so that one end of the connecting string-like body 95 is clamped between the disc-shaped portion 73 and the fixing portion 76 (see Figures 4 and 7). When the fixing portion 76 is fixed to the disc-shaped portion 73, the thickness dimension of the portion of the engagement portion 70 where the disc-shaped portion 73 and the fixing portion 76 are combined becomes the same thickness dimension as the thickness dimension of other portions of the engagement portion 70. The distance between the disk-shaped portion 73 and the fixed portion 76 around the winding portion 75 forms a guide groove 78 that guides the connecting string-like body 95, and the connecting string-like body 95 is led to the net 90 side through the guide groove 78. This positions the connecting string-like body 95 at the center in the width direction of the slit 24, and prevents the connecting string-like body 95 from being pinched between the slit 24 and the engagement portion 70.
[0038] In this way, the discharge device 100 discharges the second discharged material (net 90) connected to the discharged material 10 via the connecting string-like body 95 together with the discharged material 10, and the transmission unit 30 has a second discharged material holding unit (container 32) that holds the second discharged material as an integral part. The discharge device 100 further includes a movement restriction unit (stopper unit 66) that restricts the movement of the transmission unit 30 when the transmission unit 30 is biased by the biasing unit (coil spring 80) and moves a predetermined distance (moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center). When the maintenance mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the transmission unit 30 is biased by the biasing unit and moves until it is restricted in movement by the movement restriction unit, the second discharged material is discharged from the second discharged material holding unit by inertial force. The engaging portion 70 has a positioning portion (which is composed of a disk-shaped portion 73, a winding portion 75 and a fixing portion 76, and which forms a guide groove 78) that positions the connecting string-like body 95 at the center in the width direction of the slit 24.
[0039] More specifically, the positioning portion has a first portion (disk portion 73) and a second portion (fixing portion 76) that is detachable from the first portion. With one end of connecting string-like body 95 wound around the first portion, the second portion is attached to the first portion, whereby one end of connecting string-like body 95 is sandwiched between the first portion and the second portion.
[0040] In addition, the second release material holding portion is a box-shaped container 32 whose end in the direction of bias by the biasing portion (coil spring 80) is open, and the connecting string-like body 95 connects the second release material (coil spring 80) to the positioning portion of the engagement portion 70, thereby connecting the second release material to the release material 10. A second slit 323 reaching the opening 32 a of the container 32 is formed in the side wall 322 of the container 32 . The second release material (net 90) and the release material 10 contained in the container 32 are connected to each other by the connecting string-like body 95 and the engagement portion 70 through the second slit 323. The width dimension of second slit 323 is set to be slightly larger than the width dimension of engagement portion 70 , and engagement portion 70 is capable of moving upward within second slit 323 .
[0041] The net 90 is connected to the spacecraft body 200, the housing 60 or the container 32 via a second connecting string 96 so that the net 90 does not fly indefinitely after being released from the container 32. As an example, the net 90 is connected to the spacecraft main body 200 via a second connecting string-like body 96. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, the fixing member 53 has an insertion hole through which the second connecting string-like body 96 is inserted, and the second connecting string-like body 96 is led to the spacecraft main body 200 via the insertion hole of the fixing member 53, the insertion hole 321a, the insertion hole 31a, the annular wall portion 314, the annular wall portion 61b and the insertion hole 61a.
[0042] Next, the operation of the discharging device 100 will be described. The release device 100 is attached to a spacecraft body 200 such as an artificial satellite and is launched from the ground into space by a rocket. Since the engagement part 70 is engaged with the transmission part 30, it is possible to prevent the release object 10 and the engagement part 70 from flying out of the cylindrical body 20 unintentionally. 9(a), when the spacecraft body 200 approaches the space debris 300 to be captured, the maintenance string 50 is cut by the cutting device 55. The space debris 300 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, an artificial satellite. As a result, the constraint on the transmission part 30 and the coil spring 80 by the retention string-like body 50 is released, so that the transmission part 30 moves upward due to the force of the coil spring 80, and each release object 10 is forced upward by each rod-like part 313, and each release object 10 moves diagonally upward along the axis of the cylindrical body 20 (see Figures 5 and 6). The upward movement of the transmission part 30 (including the container 32) stops when the movement is restricted by the stopper part 66. Therefore, after the container 32 stops moving, the net 90 contained in the container 32 is released upward from the container 32 by inertial force, as shown in FIG. 9(b). On the other hand, each release material 10 is released from each cylindrical body 20 in the extension direction of the axis of each cylindrical body 20, as shown in FIG. 9(b).
[0043] As shown in Fig. 10(a), the distance between the release objects 10 gradually increases within an allowable range according to the deployed dimensions of the net 90 and the length of the connecting strings 95. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 10(a) and Fig. 11, the net 90 approaches the space debris 300 while being deployed. As shown in Fig. 10(b), when the net 90 reaches the space debris 300, the net 90 bends along the space debris 300, but each of the ejection objects 10 still tries to move away from the ejection device 100. Therefore, the net 90 wraps around the space debris 300 and captures it. Furthermore, after the second connecting string 96 is extended to its maximum extent, for example, the space debris 300, the net 90, the connecting string 95, the engagement portion 70 and the release object 10 rotate around the release device 100, and the rotation ends when the second connecting string 96 becomes entangled with the release device 100 or the spacecraft main body 200.
[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications and improvements as long as the object of the present invention is achieved. For example, the release device 100 can be used not only for the purpose of capturing space debris 300, but also for any mechanism that releases weights or the like in outer space. For example, instead of a weight, an artificial satellite or the like may be released as the release object 10. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which, in addition to releasing the release material 10 from the cylindrical body 20, a second release material (e.g., net 90) held by the second release material holding portion (container 32) is released. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the release device 100 may be configured not to release the second release material, in which case there is no need to include a second release material holding portion. Furthermore, the various components of the release device 100 do not need to be independent entities, but rather it is permitted that multiple components are formed as a single member, that one component is formed from multiple members, that one component is a part of another component, or that part of one component overlaps with part of another component, etc.
[0045] The present embodiment encompasses the following technical ideas. (1) A release device that is attached to a spacecraft body and releases release materials, A release material holding portion for holding the release material; a biasing portion that biases the release material to release it from the release material holding portion; a transmission portion that transmits the biasing force of the biasing portion to the release material; a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the biasing portion in a standby state in which the biasing portion does not bias the release object; a release mechanism that releases the maintaining mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing portion biases the release object; an engagement portion that is integral with the release member and engages with the transmission portion; Equipped with When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the engagement portion disengages from the transmission portion as the release object is biased and moves, causing the release object to be released from the release object holding portion. (2) The release material holding portion is a cylindrical body, The discharge device described in (1), wherein the discharged material is guided by the inner surface of the cylindrical body, moves along the axis of the cylindrical body, and is discharged from an opening at one end of the cylindrical body. (3) The transmission portion has an engaged surface facing in a direction opposite to the direction of the biasing force of the biasing portion, the engaging portion has an engaging surface that faces a direction of biasing by the biasing portion and engages with the engaged surface, The discharge device described in (2) has an axial direction of the cylindrical body that is inclined with respect to the direction of force applied by the biasing portion so that as the discharged material moves due to the force applied by the biasing portion, the engaging surface slides relative to the engaged surface, and the engaging surface is ultimately disengaged from the engaged surface. (4) The transmission portion has an engaged plate-shaped portion perpendicular to the direction of the biasing force of the biasing portion, the engaged plate-shaped portion has the engaged surface, the engaging portion has a notch-shaped portion that opens in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the biasing force of the biasing portion and engages with the engaged plate-shaped portion so as to grip the engaged plate-shaped portion, The ejection device according to claim 3, wherein the cutout portion has the engagement surface. (5) A plurality of the cylindrical bodies; A plurality of the discharged objects, each of which is contained in a respective cylindrical body; A plurality of the engagement portions are provided integrally with each of the discharge objects; A plurality of the engaged surfaces corresponding one-to-one to the plurality of engaging portions; Equipped with The discharge device described in (4) in which the multiple cylindrical bodies are arranged at an incline relative to each other so that as the multiple discharge objects are forced by the force generating portion and move within the cylindrical body, the distance between the multiple discharge objects increases and the engagement states of the engaging surfaces of the multiple engaging portions with the multiple engaged surfaces are released at the same time. (6) A slit is formed in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body, the slit reaching the opening at one end of the cylindrical body, the engaging portion protrudes outwardly from the cylindrical body through the slit and engages with the transmitting portion at the outside of the cylindrical body, the transmission portion has a pressing portion inserted into the cylindrical body through the slit, An emission device described in any one of (2) to (5), wherein when the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release material via the transmission portion, the pressing portion moves along the slit and presses the release material to bias the release material. (7) The discharge device described in (6) in which the surface of the discharged object that is pressed by the pressing portion is a convex curved surface that is convex toward the pressing portion. (8) The emission device emits a second emission connected to the emission product together with the emission product, The transmission portion integrally includes a second emission holding portion that holds the second emission, The release device further includes a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the transmission portion when the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves a predetermined distance, An emission device described in any one of (1) to (7), wherein when the maintaining mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the transmission part is biased by the biasing part and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting part, the second release object is released from the second release object holding part by inertial force. (9) The discharge device discharges a second discharge material connected to the discharge material via a connecting string together with the discharge material, The transmission portion integrally includes a second emission holding portion that holds the second emission, The release device further includes a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the transmission portion when the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves a predetermined distance, When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting portion, the second release object is released from the second release object holding portion by inertial force, The discharge device according to (6) or (7), wherein the engaging portion has a positioning portion that positions the connecting string-like body at the center in the width direction of the slit. (10) The positioning portion is A first portion and a second portion detachable from the first portion, A release device as described in (9), in which one end of the connecting string is wound around the first part and the second part is attached to the first part, thereby clamping the one end of the connecting string between the first part and the second part. (11) The second release material holding portion is a box-shaped container having an open end in the direction of the biasing force of the biasing portion, the connecting string-like body connects the second release material and the positioning portion of the engagement portion to each other, thereby connecting the second release material and the release material, a second slit is formed in the side wall of the container, the second slit reaching the opening of the container; An emission device as described in (9) or (10), wherein the second emission material contained in the container is connected to the emission material by the connecting string-like body and the engaging portion through the second slit. (12) A discharge device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the biasing portion is a compression type coil spring. (13) A housing is provided to which the release holding portion is fixed, The coil spring is disposed in a compressed state between the housing and the transmission part, When the retaining mechanism is released, the coil spring receives a reaction force from the housing and biases the object to be released via the transmission section. (14) The maintenance mechanism is a maintenance string-like body that connects the transmission part and the spacecraft body to each other, The release mechanism is a melting device that melts the retaining string. [Explanation of symbols]
[0046] 10 Emissions 11 Outer surface 12 Lower end surface 13 Upper end surface 20 Cylindrical body (emitted material holding part) 21 Cylinder body 22 Aperture 23 Base 24 Slit 25 Outer slit 30 Transmission section 31 Plate-shaped members 31a Insertion hole 312 Protrusion 312a Slide hole 313 Rod-shaped part (pressing part) 314 Annular wall 32 Container (second release material holding section) 32a aperture 321 Bottom plate part 321a Insertion hole 322 Side Wall 323 Second Slit 325 Recess 326 Engaged plate-shaped part 326a Bottom surface (engaged surface) 50 Maintenance cord 53 Fixing member 55 Melting device (release mechanism) 60 Case 60a Opening 61 Bottom part 61a Insertion hole 61b Annular wall 62 Side Wall 65 Slide pin 66 Stopper section (movement restriction section) 70 Engagement part 71 Main body 72 Notched section 72a Bottom surface (engaging surface) 73 Discoid part 74 Recess 75 Winding section 76 Fixed part 77 Fastening members 78 Guide groove 80 Coil spring (biasing part) 90 Net (Second Release) 91 Corner 95 Connecting string-like body 96 Second connection string body 100 Release device 200 Spacecraft body 300 Space Debris
Claims
1. A release device that is attached to a spacecraft body and releases release materials, A release material holding portion for holding the release material; a biasing portion that biases the release material to release it from the release material holding portion; a transmission section separate from the release material holding section, the transmission section transmitting the biasing force of the biasing section to the release material; a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the biasing portion in a standby state in which the biasing portion does not bias the release object; a release mechanism that releases the maintaining mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing portion biases the release object; an engagement portion that is integral with the release member and engages with the transmission portion; Equipped with The discharge device discharges a second discharge material connected to the discharge material via a connecting string together with the discharge material, The transmission portion integrally includes a second emission holding portion that holds the second emission, The release device further includes a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the transmission portion when the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves a predetermined distance, When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the engagement portion is disengaged from the transmission portion during the process in which the release object is biased and moved, and the release object is released from the release object holding portion, The release device is configured so that when the maintaining mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the transmission part is biased by the biasing part and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting part, the second release object is released from the second release object holding part by inertial force.
2. The release material holding portion is a cylindrical body, 2. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharged material is guided by an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, moves along the axis of the cylindrical body, and is discharged from an opening at one end of the cylindrical body.
3. A release device that is attached to a spacecraft body and releases release materials, A release material holding portion for holding the release material; a biasing portion that biases the release material to release it from the release material holding portion; a transmission portion that transmits the biasing force of the biasing portion to the release material; a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the biasing portion in a standby state in which the biasing portion does not bias the release object; a release mechanism that releases the maintaining mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing portion biases the release object; an engagement portion that is integral with the release member and engages with the transmission portion; Equipped with When the maintaining mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the engagement portion is disengaged from the transmission portion during the process in which the release object is biased and moved, and the release object is released from the release object holding portion, The release material holding portion is a cylindrical body, The discharged material is guided by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, moves along the axis of the cylindrical body, and is discharged from an opening at one end of the cylindrical body. the transmission portion has an engaged surface facing in a direction opposite to a direction of biasing by the biasing portion, the engaging portion has an engaging surface that faces a direction of biasing by the biasing portion and engages with the engaged surface, An emission device in which the direction of the axis of the cylindrical body is inclined with respect to the direction of force applied by the biasing portion so that as the release material moves due to the force applied by the biasing portion, the engaging surface slides relative to the engaged surface, and the engagement state of the engaging surface with the engaged surface is ultimately released.
4. the transmission portion has an engaged plate-shaped portion perpendicular to a direction of biasing by the biasing portion, the engaged plate-shaped portion has the engaged surface, the engaging portion has a notch-shaped portion that opens in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the biasing force of the biasing portion and engages with the engaged plate-shaped portion so as to grip the engaged plate-shaped portion, 4. The ejection device of claim 3, wherein said cutout feature comprises said engagement surface.
5. A plurality of the cylindrical bodies; A plurality of the discharged objects, each of which is contained in a respective cylindrical body; A plurality of the engagement portions are provided integrally with each of the discharge objects; A plurality of the engaged surfaces corresponding one-to-one to the plurality of engaging portions; Equipped with The discharge device described in claim 4, wherein the multiple cylindrical bodies are arranged at an incline relative to each other so that as the multiple release objects are forced by the force generating portion and move within the cylindrical body, the distance between the multiple release objects increases and the engagement states of the engaging surfaces of the multiple engaging portions with the multiple engaged surfaces are released at the same timing.
6. A release device attached to a spacecraft body and releasing release materials, comprising: A release material holding portion for holding the release material; a biasing portion that biases the release material to release it from the release material holding portion; a transmission portion that transmits the biasing force of the biasing portion to the release material; a maintaining mechanism for maintaining the biasing portion in a standby state in which the biasing portion does not bias the release object; a release mechanism that releases the maintaining mechanism to transition to a state in which the biasing portion biases the release object; an engagement portion that is integral with the release member and engages with the transmission portion; Equipped with When the maintaining mechanism is released by the release mechanism and the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the engagement portion is disengaged from the transmission portion during the process in which the release object is biased and moved, and the release object is released from the release object holding portion, The release material holding portion is a cylindrical body, The discharged material is guided by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, moves along the axis of the cylindrical body, and is discharged from an opening at one end of the cylindrical body. a slit is formed in a peripheral wall of the cylindrical body, the slit reaching the opening at one end of the cylindrical body; the engaging portion protrudes outwardly from the cylindrical body through the slit and engages with the transmitting portion at the outside of the cylindrical body, the transmission portion has a pressing portion inserted into the cylindrical body through the slit, When the biasing portion transitions to a state in which it biases the release object via the transmission portion, the pressing portion moves along the slit and presses the release object, thereby biasing the release object.
7. The discharging device according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the object to be discharged that is pressed by the pressing portion is a convex curved surface that is convex toward the pressing portion.
8. The discharge device discharges a second discharge material connected to the discharge material via a connecting string together with the discharge material, The transmission portion integrally includes a second emission holding portion that holds the second emission, The release device further includes a movement restriction portion that restricts movement of the transmission portion when the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves a predetermined distance, When the release mechanism releases the maintaining mechanism and the transmission portion is biased by the biasing portion and moves until its movement is restricted by the movement restricting portion, the second release object is released from the second release object holding portion by inertial force, 8. The discharging device according to claim 6, wherein the engaging portion has a positioning portion for positioning the connecting string-like body at a center portion in a width direction of the slit.
9. The positioning portion is A first portion and a second portion detachable from the first portion, The release device of claim 8, wherein one end of the connecting string is wound around the first part and the second part is attached to the first part, thereby clamping the one end of the connecting string between the first part and the second part.
10. The second release material holding portion is a box-shaped container having an open end in a direction of bias by the biasing portion, the connecting string-like body connects the second release material and the positioning portion of the engagement portion to each other, thereby connecting the second release material and the release material, a second slit is formed in the side wall of the container, the second slit reaching the opening of the container; The discharge device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the second discharge material contained in the container is connected to the discharge material by the connecting string and the engaging portion through the second slit.
11. The ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the biasing member is a compression type coil spring.
12. The release material holding portion includes a housing fixed thereto, The coil spring is disposed in a compressed state between the housing and the transmission part, The discharge device according to claim 11 , wherein when the retention mechanism is released, the coil spring receives a reaction force from the housing and biases the object to be discharged via the transmission portion.
13. the maintenance mechanism is a maintenance string-like body that connects the transmission unit and the spacecraft body to each other, The release device according to claim 1 , wherein the release mechanism is a melting device that melts the retention string.
Citation Information
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