Compact flexible cardan joint and spacecraft comprising such a joint

摘要

A flexible cardan joint comprises a hollow central longitudinal axis, two hollow pivots mounted orthogonally relative to one another and capable of pivoting respectively about a rotation axis, three axes being mutually orthogonal and intersecting at a point of rotation situated at the center of the cardan joint. Each pivot comprises an annular outer frame extending along a plane containing the central longitudinal axis Z and orthogonal to the rotation axis, a hollow inner ring coaxial to the outer frame and a plurality of sets of flexible blades linked to the outer frame and to the inner ring, and the two pivots are linked together by rigid link parts.

主权项

1. A cardan joint that is compact and flexible, the cardan joint comprising:
a first pivot configured to pivot about a first rotation axis; a second pivot configured to pivot about a second rotation axis; and link parts that are rigid and link the first pivot and the second pivot together in a fixed manner, wherein each of the first pivot and the second pivot includes:
an annular outer frame,a hollow inner ring coaxial to the annular outer frame, anda plurality of sets of blades, each blade including a first end linked to the annular outer frame and a second end linked to the hollow inner ring, wherein the cardan joint defines a central longitudinal axis and is hollow along the central longitudinal axis, wherein the first rotation axis, the second rotation axis, and the central longitudinal axis are mutually orthogonal and intersect at a point of rotation situated at a center of the cardan joint, wherein the annular outer frame of the first pivot extends orthogonal to the first rotation axis along a first plane containing the central longitudinal axis, and wherein the annular outer frame of the second pivot extends orthogonal to the second rotation axis along a second plane containing the central longitudinal axis.