Deployable Tape Reflectors via Spiral Joining
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional deployable reflectors, such as RF and thermal reflectors, are often bulky and require increased spacecraft length, consuming more payload space and increasing orbital insertion costs due to their ribbed structures.
Innovation Solution
The use of pre-formed tape joined by a spool and a joining tractor to construct reflectors, allowing for the creation of lightweight, deployable structures with adjustable shape and size post-launch, using methods like spiral edge joining and various joining mechanisms like adhesives, heat melting, or snap-locking, enabling the formation of parabolic and other shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional ribbed parabolic mesh reflectors are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but the reflector becomes bulky and requires increased spacecraft length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses continuous tape or ribbon materials to form the reflector surface, replacing traditional rigid ribbed mesh structures. The tape is wrapped around a foundation ring and joined to itself, creating a flexible yet structurally sound surface that maintains strength while dramatically reducing volume and enabling compact stowage.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflector is constructed by dividing the continuous tape into manageable sections that are joined sequentially. The tape is wrapped around the foundation ring in spiral or concentric patterns, with each section joined to the previous one, allowing the large reflector to be built from smaller, stowable components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If ribbed structures are used for reflector support, then structural stability is improved, but payload space and orbital insertion cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation ring provides the primary structural support, eliminating the need for bulky ribbed structures. The flexible tape surface is tensioned over the ring, creating a stable reflector shape through geometric constraints and tension rather than rigid internal support elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the unnecessary ribbed support structures from traditional reflector designs. Only the essential foundation ring remains as the support element, with the tape surface providing both structural integrity and reflective function, thereby reducing overall volume and mass.
3Adaptability or versatility
If pre-formed tape with joining mechanisms is used, then manufacturing flexibility and adjustability are improved, but joining complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tape incorporates self-contained joining mechanisms such as interlocking edges, adhesive strips, or snap-fit features that automatically engage when the tape is wrapped and pressed together. This eliminates the need for complex external joining equipment or manual assembly operations, as the tape joins itself through the wrapping process.
Solution Approach 2:
The joining mechanisms are integrated directly into the tape structure itself, combining the structural element with the joining function. The tape edges include built-in features like tabs, slots, or adhesive layers that fuse adjacent sections together, merging the tape body and joining system into a single integrated component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the need for ribs, allows for compact stowage, and enables the construction of reflectors with adjustable focal length and diameter post-launch, providing a cost-effective and space-efficient solution for small/medium space assets and terrestrial applications.
Implementation Method 1
using methods like spiral edge joining and various joining mechanisms like adhesives, heat melting, or snap-locking
Implementation Method 2
using methods like spiral edge joining and various joining mechanisms like adhesives, heat melting, or snap-locking
Data Source
AI summary
Various components, such as radio frequency (RF) or thermal reflectors, may be constructed from joining of pre-formed tape. For reflectors, this process may reduce the number of ribs, only require partial ribs, or eliminate the use of ribs altogether. To build such a reflector, a spool of tape, a joining tractor, and a foundation ring may be employed.