| 摘要 |
1,215,228. Satellite deployment. SUDAVIATION SOC. NATIONALE DE CONSTRUCTIONS AERONAUTIQUES. 20 March, 1968 [31 March, 1967], No. 13386/68. Heading B7W. [Also in Division F2] A device 9 for deploying parts (e.g. solar cells) of a body (e.g. an artificial satellite) comprises deployment means (e.g. a spring 21 of copperberyllium for swinging the arm 2d from the position 2d 1 to the position 2d) damping means (e.g. a member 29 which undergoes torsional plastic deformation as the arm 2d overshoots to the position 2d 2 ) and a partial return motion means (e.g. a spring 24 to return the arm to the position 2d), the deployment means, damping means and return motion means all being contained in a housing 13 enclosing a pivot 18 which turns with the deployed part (e.g. arm 2d). In the embodiment shown the parts 13, 14, 15 are fixed to a support 7 on the satellite, the support having a low friction bearing 31 (e.g. of polytetrafluoroethylene) in which rotates the pivot 18, with the arm 2d carrying a solar cell. The deployment spring 21 is permanently coupled between the housing 13 (and therefore the satellite) at the end 21a, and the pivot 18 (and the arm 2d) at the end 22. The damping member 29 is coupled via members 13, 14, 15 to the satellite, and is not affected by the motion of the arm until it reaches the position 2d (Fig. 7) when two pegs 19 on the pivot 18 engage a pair of lugs 30 on the member 29. The partial return spring 24 is attached at its end 25 via member 14 with the satellite, its other end 26 is normally reacted by a peg 27 in the housing 13, 14 but when the arm passes beyond the position 2d towards 2d 2 a lug 20 on the pivot 18 engages the end 26. The arm is held in the position 2d by a latch comprising a spring member 10 on the support 7 engaging an adjustable peg 11 on the arm. Two alternative forms of damping means are shown. On one two radially extending pins (18c), Fig. 14 (not shown), engage two recesses (29b) in a sheet metal tube, the recesses being plastically deformed during the damping. On the other, two axially extending pins (18e), Fig. 16 (not shown), engage slots (29f, 29g) a disc (29d), the slots becoming elongated during the damping. In Fig. 1 is shown a satellite 1 having four deployable solar cells 2a ... 2d held in an undeployed position by a strap 3 tensioned by tensioners 4a and 4b. When it is desired to deploy the panels cutters 4, on panels 2a and 2c, sever the strap enabling a pair of the devices 9 on each panel to deploy that panel. To co-ordinate the deployment of the panels, each device 9 carries a bevel gear sector 34 which engages with a similar sector on the next adjacent device 9. |
