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.