一类基于四面体组合单元的模块化构架式可展开天线机构

针对现有基于四面体单元的构架式天线机构结构复杂、收拢率低、运动副数量多等问题，基于3RR-3RRR四面体组合单元和基于3RR-3URU四面体对称组合单元分别提出了两种新型模块化可展结构。以3个组合单元组成的模块化结构为分析对象，首先，详细介绍了模块化结构的组成及虎克铰轴线布置，并利用组合单元本身的自由度数目及性质，采用拆杆-等效-复原的思想，应用螺旋理论和G-K公式分别对提出的两种模块化结构进行了自由度分析，得到了自由度数目及性质。其次，应用Adams动力学仿真软件对两种模块化结构进行运动仿真，仿真结果验证了自由度分析的正确性。以完全展开和完全收拢时机构所占的空间体积比值表征该机构的收拢率，计算现有基于四面体单元的非模块化机构与提出的模块化机构的收拢率。最后，对比分析非模块化机构与模块化机构的自由度数目、运动副数目及收拢率。分析结果表明，基于3RR-3URU四面体对称组合单元的模块化结构既能实现较大收拢率，自由度及运动副数目也相对减少，且组成大型天线时杆件类型较少。研究结果为该类模块化构架式可展天线结构的设计与分析提供一定理论依据。     

3R-3URU可展单元机构及其在构架式可展天线中的应用

提出了一种空间单自由度(DOF)可展单元机构3R-3URU。首先,基于螺旋理论和修正的G-K公式分析了RURUR单闭环机构的自由度,建立了该机构中主动关节和被动关节速度之间的解析关系式,基于此关系式和3个RURUR机构共用首尾转动副的结构特点推导了3R-3URU单元机构的自由度,得到了3R-3URU机构具有1个自由度时各运动副的方向和位置满足的几何关系式。其次,将3R-3URU机构应用于3RR-3RRR四面体可展单元及其组成的球面构架式可展天线中,得到了具有收拢和调姿两种自由度的新型可展机构。最后,利用Adams软件对3R-3URU可展单元机构的自由度和其在四面体构架式可展天线中的应用进行了仿真验证。该3R-3URU可展单元机构具有单自由度、铰链种类少、结构简单等优点,可用于曲面构架式可展天线的支撑机构中,实现大折叠比。     

构架式可展天线机构自由度分析——拆杆等效法

针对四面体构架式可展天线机构的多环耦合特性,提出了一种空间多环耦合机构的自由度分析方法——拆杆等效法。首先拆除四面体基本可展单元机构的耦合约束链,将剩余部分视为一个并联机构,然后应用螺旋理论分析各输出节点的自由度数目及性质,进而构造各输出节点与定节点之间的等效串联运动链,最后复原拆除的耦合约束链得到四面体基本可展单元的等效机构,应用修正的G-K公式计算等效机构的自由度数目,并基于反螺旋理论分析等效机构的自由度性质,从而获得四面体基本可展单元的运动特性。根据四面体基本可展单元的等效机构及其组合方式对最小组合单元及大尺寸构架式可展天线机构的结构进行了化简,并根据其几何特征约束方程推导了最小组合单元及大尺寸构架式可展天线机构的自由度。建立了由27个四面体基本可展单元组成的构架式可展天线机构的仿真模型,对该机构的自由度进行了验证,结果表明提出的拆杆等效法求得的自由度正确,为进一步分析此类天线机构的运动学和动力学奠定了基础,同时为其他类型的空间多环耦合机构的自由度分析提供了一种新的思路。     

Type synthesis of deployable mechanisms for ring truss antenna based on constraint-synthesis method

Space deployable antenna is the key equipment in realizing the communication and data transmission between the spacecraft and the earth. In order to enrich the configurations of deployable antennas, the type synthesis of deployable mechanisms for ring truss antenna is conducted in this study. First, the principle of the constraint-synthesis method based on screw theory is briefly described, the structure of the ring truss deployable antenna and its folding principle are analyzed, and the ring truss mechanism is divided into upper edges, lower edges and linkages. Then, based on the constraint-synthesis method, the type synthesis of the basic unit edges is carried out, a series of basic unit mechanisms are obtained from combining the basic unit edge mechanisms, and five mechanism units with fewer joints and simple structures are selected. Furthermore, simulation models of the five ring truss deployable mechanisms are built in Solidworks and Matlab software, and the deploying process is verified by the movement simulation. Finally, mechanism characteristics of the five mechanisms are analyzed and discussed, and a prototype is manufactured, verifying the analysis in this paper. This research provides a new way for the type synthesis of spatial deployable mechanisms, and the ring truss deployable mechanisms obtained in this study can be well applied in the field of aerospace.     

空间对称型7R机构运动特性分析及组合应用

提出了一种空间对称型7R机构，可利用此机构组合构造空间可展开机构。通过旋量拓扑图分析了其整体自由度，得到了其运动副轴线方位变化时整体机构自由度数目的变化情况；基于反螺旋理论分析了运动副轴线方位不同的情况下运动输出构件的自由度数目和性质，并针对其瞬时性做了判别，发现其在不同运动副轴线方位布置情况下会出现局部自由度与瞬时自由度；分析了机构在不同驱动情况下的奇异特性，得到了机构在不同的驱动下处于奇异位形时的几何条件；最后选定自由度为1时的空间对称型7R机构组合构造了一类单自由度多棱锥型空间可展开机构，通过设置其运动副轴线方位，可以使其具有较大收拢率，同时当机构完全展开时，奇异特性使得其具有较好的力学性能。通过多个棱锥型空间可展开机构的组合，可以构造出新型大尺度空间可展开机构，在航空航天领域具有较好的应用前景。     

Design and analysis of truss deployable antenna mechanism based on a novel symmetric hexagonal profile division method

As the deployment, supporting, and stability mechanisms of satellite antennas, space-deployable mechanisms play a key role in the field of aerospace. In order to design truss deployable antenna supporting mechanisms with large folding rate, high accuracy, easy deployment and strong stability, aiming at the geometric division of the parabolic reflector, a novel method based on symmetric hexagonal division and its corresponding modular truss deployable antenna mechanism is proposed, and the original method based on asymmetric triangular division and its corresponding mechanisms are presented for comparative analysis. Then, the screw theory is employed to analyze the mobility of different mechanisms. Furthermore, the improved three-dimensional mesh method is used to divide the reflector surface of a large parabolic antenna designed by the two different methods, and the profile accuracy and the type of links are taken as the evaluation indexes to quantitatively analyze the division results. Finally, a three-dimensional model of the modular deployable mechanism based on the symmetric hexagonal design is developed, and the deployable mechanisms with different configurations based on the two design methods are compared and analyzed from the mechanical perspective. The research results provide a good theoretical reference for the design of deployable truss antenna mechanisms and their application in the aerospace field.     

Visual analysis in a deployable antenna experiment [satellite antenna]

To establish a large deployable antenna, monitoring and collimation are essential for reliable and precise deployment. We have developed an analysis method to detect shifts in several images, in which the combination of cross-correlations between images and approximations at subpixel precision enables us to detect shifts in images with a precision of up to 0.01 pixels. The LDREX mission; which was a preliminary experiment for a large deployable antenna, ETS-VIII, was performed in December 2000. During this experiment, anomalies occurred in the antenna, and deployment was aborted. To understand the cause of the anomalies, we used our visual analysis method. Using this analysis, we detected vibrating features in the antenna, which were useful for explaining the anomalies. We outline our visual analysis method and discuss its application in monitoring the deployable antenna.     

Structural design and model fabrication of cable-rib tensioned deployable parabolic cylindrical antenna

Deployable mechanisms with light weight and high storage ratio have received considerable attention for space applications. To meet the requirements of space missions, a parabolic cylindrical deployable antenna based on cable-rib tension structures is proposed and verified by a physical prototype. The parabolic cylindrical antenna adopts simple parallel four-bar mechanisms to construct the basic deployable unit, and the cylindrical direction dimension can be easily extended by modularization, which has obvious advantages in storage ratio and area density. Considering the complexity of the entire antenna structure design, including cable networks and flexible trusses, the form-finding design optimization model of a parabolic cylindrical antenna is established using the force density sensitivity method, and then the kinematics analysis of the deployable mechanism is carried out. Finally, a single-module prototype with a deployable diameter of 4 m × 2 m was designed and fabricated. The results of the ground deployment process test and surface accuracy measurements show that the antenna has good feasibility and practicability.     

Configuration synthesis of planar folded and common overconstrained spatial rectangular pyramid deployable truss units

Compared with non-overconstrained deployable units, overconstrained deployable units are widely used in space missions for their higher stiffness characteristics. Besides the performance of a three-step topological structural analysis and design of the rectangular pyramid deployable truss unit(PDTU), conducting a structural synthesis of an overconstrained deployable unit requires the determination of the relative position and direction of each kinematic axis. The structural synthesis of an overconstrained deployable unit is investigated based on screw theory and its topological structure. The possible overconstrained cases of the rectangular PDTUs are analyzed, and corresponding screw expressions are obtained. Thus, the rectangular PDTUs, which can be folded into a plane, are synthesized systemically, and a series of overconstrained rectangular PDTUs is obtained. Furthermore, the feasibility of the folded and deployed motions under one degree of freedom for those deployable units is verified in dynamical simulation by using ADAMS 2010.     

大型可展开天线太空结构频率预测

由于空间大型可展开天线口径较大,在地面模拟太空环境难度高,使得直接在天线原型上进行性能测试非常困难或不可能。为了解决该问题,提出了一种“两步法”,利用空间大型可展开天线的缩比模型进行地面性能测试,以预测天线原型在太空中的工作性能。据此对周边桁架可展开天线太空工作的结构固有频率进行性能预测研究,首先推导了结构固有频率的相似准则,然后考虑结构参数畸变的影响,得出其相似性经验公式,最后研究了温度变化对结构频率的影响,得出了预测大型天线太空工作性能的经验公式。仿真结果验证了该方法的有效性,该方法可应用于其他空间结构的设计和性能预测。     

Deployment of SMP Miura-ori sheet and its application: Aerodynamic drag and RCS reduction

Origami, such as Miura-ori, is the art of folding two-dimensional materials into complex, elaborate, and multifunctional three-dimensional objects. In this paper, SMP MO sheet are prepared, and the accuracy of deployable process is verified by experiments. The folding and deployable process of SMP MO sheet is divided into 4 stages, and each stage is described in detail. The stiffness of smart deployable stage is characterized by an exponential decline at the beginning and a gradual decrease to 0, and this is similar to the theoretical shear equivalent modulus in the Y direction. The effects of various parameters on strain and stress are also explored. The purpose of studying these mechanical characteristics is to provide driving force reference in application; In terms of application, the flow field and electromagnetic characteristics of MO sheet in different directions are studied. The aerodynamic drag and RCS reduction of MO unit cell and graded MO sheet during the deployable process are evaluated. When the dihedral fold angle is about 45°, the RCS reduction and drag reduction characteristics of MO sheet are relatively optimal, which is most beneficial to morphing aircraft.     

Optimizing accuracy of a parabolic cylindrical deployable antenna mechanism based on stiffness analysis

Accuracy of the fitted surface is of great importance to the performance of deployable antennas utilized in space. This paper proposes a stiffness analysis based fitting accuracy optimization method for achieving the optimal parameters of the parabolic cylindrical deployable antenna mechanism. The stiffness matrix of the proposed cylindrical antenna mechanism is established by assembling the stiffness of beams and tension cables. Structural deformations of the mechanism are calculated where the tensioned cable is substituted by a 2-node truss element and an equivalent force acting on the joint. Consideration of the tensity of tension cables, namely tensioned or slack, is transformed into a typical linear complementarity problem. Comparison between structural deformations of the mechanism fixed at different points is performed. Sensitivities of the geometric and structural parameters on fitting accuracy are investigated. Influence of force of the driven cable on structural deformations of antenna operated in different orbits is conducted. A fitting optimization method is proposed to minimize the structural deformations subject to constraints on volume and mass. Simulation result shows that the fitting accuracy of the antenna mechanism is improved significantly through the optimization. The proposed method can be utilized for the optimal design of other deployable mechanisms constructed by joining rigid links.     

大型网状可展开天线模态分析

利用ANSYS软件,建立了某大型网状可展开天线展开和收拢状态模态分析的有限元计算模型．给出了展开和收拢状态下天线结构所对应的固有频率和振型。     

基于降维算法和等效杆长的可展结构精度分析

考虑铰链间隙和杆件尺寸误差的不确定性并通过概率统计方法对其进行研究,提出了一种基于单变量降维算法(UDRM)和等效杆长模型的可展结构精度分析方法。利用UDRM将可展结构的精度性能函数解耦为多个杆件尺寸误差的独立作用形式,建立精度分析模型。引入等效杆长模型,等效杆件替代原杆件进行精度计算。将铰链间隙与原始杆件尺寸误差合并到等效杆件的尺寸误差中,同时证明了等效杆长尺寸误差近似服从正态分布。以某卫星可展开天线为算例,结合高斯求积公式求解展开状态下精度指标的分布期望和方差。通过与蒙特卡罗模拟(MCS)和一次二阶矩(FOSM)法计算结果的对比验证了本文精度分析方法的正确性和高效性。     

Deployment dynamic analysis of deployable antennas considering thermal effect

Dynamic analysis of flexible multibody systems is complex. Several successful methods have been demonstrated. However, few works discussed the dynamic performance of the flexible multibody under different temperatures. This paper uses the absolute nodal coordinate formulation to analyze the flexible body dynamics of deployment structures under different temperatures to simulate space environments. The dynamic equations of finite element in temperature field are developed. Then a computer-aided simulation of flexible multibody systems in temperature field is implemented. A general four-bar mechanism under different temperatures as a simulation example is demonstrated, and the deployment characteristics of a special four-bar mechanism as a basic module of the hoop truss deployable antenna is analyzed under different temperatures in order to evaluate the dynamic performance of the deployable antenna in space environments. The simulation results indicate the influence factors of deployment dynamic characteristics include the structural form, material properties, geometric parameters and deployment planning in ambient and thermal/vacuum environments.     

Deploying process modeling and attitude control of a satellite with a large deployable antenna

Modeling and attitude control methods for a satellite with a large deployable antenna are studied in the present paper. Firstly, for reducing the model dimension, three dynamic models for the deploying process are developed, which are built with the methods of multi-rigid-body dynam- ics, hybrid coordinate and substructure. Then an attitude control method suitable for the deploying process is proposed, which can keep stability under any dynamical parameter variation. Subse- quently, this attitude control is optimized to minimize attitude disturbance during the deploying process. The simulation results show that this attitude control method can keep stability and main- tain proper attitude variation during the deploying process, which indicates that this attitude con- trol method is suitable for practical applications.     

A high-capacity aeronautical mobile satellite system

A conceptual system design is described for a satellite-based aeronautical safety communications system capable of serving both general aviation (GA) aircraft and commercial aviation (CA) aircraft in the contiguous US (CONUS) in the mid-1990s. It is shown how the large system capacity that is required can be obtained using a 15-m deployable antenna onboard a high-power commercial communications satellite expected to be available in the mid-1990s     

On-board multibeam deployable antennas using Ka,C, andS frequency bands

The configuration, on-ground tests, and design verification results for the multibeam antenna flight model for Engineering Test Satellite-VI (ETS-VI) are described for onboard multibeam antennas with thirteen and five beams for the Ka- and S-bands, respectively. The antennas feature Ka-band frequency reuse in alternate beams through use of a cluster horn; shared use of a reflector for two frequency bands using a novel frequency selective surface (FSS); large, lightweight deployable main reflectors with diameters of 3.5 m and 2.5 m; and a highly accurate antenna-pointing control system consisting of RF sensors and an antenna-pointing mechanism to drive the subreflector     

一种新型双线极化BD2 B3抗干扰天线设计

设计了一种双线极化BD2B3抗干扰天线单元,采用2个幅度相等相位相差90°的馈电点,产生幅度相等相位正交的2个线极化波实现双线极化,用该天线单元进行抗干扰阵列组合,能够有效减小天线阵列的体积。     

ATS-6 Parabolic Antenna for Mounting Solar Cells

Calculations are made to obtain the raw electrical power that can be generated by using an ATS-6 type deployable parabolic dish as a surface for mounting solar cells without seriously interfering with its normal function as an antenna. A minimum of a few hundred watts to a maximum of a few kilowatts are generated during the apparent course of the Sun around the spacecraft. Academically, it seems that deployable solar cell panels along with their booms can be avoided.