CN102837832B - Modular Spacecraft Payload Attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a modular spacecraft payload connection device. The device mainly includes a payload component 1, an installation base plate 2, a support sleeve 3, a hinged hole bolt 4, a guide pin 6, a transmission component 7, a worm gear motor component 8, and a motor mounting plate 9. The present invention uses the worm gear motor as the original moving part, and uses rack and pinion transmission, so that the overall structure is compact, the transmission efficiency is high, and it is convenient for precise control; the combination of "wine bottle"-shaped long groove and fixed joint is used to connect and disassemble the payload , is simple in structure and easy to implement. On the whole, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the advantages of compact axial size, simple structure, stable operation, and the ability to repeatedly realize the connection and disassembly of payloads, etc., and is suitable for on-orbit replacement of modular spacecraft payloads.

Description

Modular Spacecraft Payload Attachment

technical field

The invention relates to a mechanical connection device for on-orbit replacement of modular spacecraft payloads.

current technology

Modular spacecraft is a new type of spacecraft proposed and developed in recent years. Commonly used spacecraft payloads are designed as standard module units. By replacing the module units on-orbit, the spacecraft can complete tasks such as on-orbit fuel supply, component replacement, and equipment upgrades, which greatly improves the spacecraft’s on-orbit service and space survivability. . The mechanical connection between the payload and the spacecraft plays an important role in the modular design of the spacecraft.

In the existing spacecraft design, the connecting mechanism mainly adopts the rod-cone docking mechanism, and the release device mostly adopts the pyrotechnic device. The rod-cone docking mechanism is simple in structure and light in weight; however, compared with the smaller modular spacecraft, the rod-cone docking mechanism has a large axial dimension, which cannot make reasonable and effective use of the space inside the spacecraft, so it is not suitable for Attachment and replacement of modular spacecraft payloads. The pyrotechnic device is the earliest and most widely used release device on the spacecraft. It has the advantages of small size, light weight, mature technology, and reliable performance. Larger and accompanied by the generation of harmful gases, it seriously affects the normal operation of the payload inside the spacecraft. In addition, the pyrotechnic device cannot be used again after it works, and cannot meet the requirements for on-orbit replacement of payloads.

Contents of the invention

In the existing spacecraft design, there are many deficiencies in the connection and release devices, such as large axial dimension, large shock and vibration during operation, and inability to be used again after operation. These factors not only ignore the characteristics of small size and replaceability of modular spacecraft, but also greatly hinder the timely and effective completion of the replacement task of the spacecraft payload, which in turn restricts the development of spacecraft modularization.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to invent a modular mechanical connection device with small axial size, simple structure, stable and reliable operation, and the ability to repeatedly realize on-rail connection and removal of payloads.

Technical scheme of the present invention is:

Referring to Figures 1-9, the modular spacecraft payload connection device mainly includes a payload assembly 1, an installation base plate 2, a support sleeve 3, a reaming hole bolt 4, a guide pin shaft 6, a transmission assembly 7, and a worm gear reducer Motor assembly 8, motor mounting plate 9;

The installation end surface of the payload assembly 1 is connected with a fixed joint 11 and a guide positioning pin 12, and a trigger switch pressure head 10 is installed at the center of the end surface;

The installation base plate 2 is fixedly installed on the spacecraft body, and one end surface of the installation base plate 2 is adjacent to one end surface of the payload assembly 1. There are a series of penetrating round holes and long grooves distributed on the end surface, mainly including: the connection installation hole of the slewing bearing assembly , Fixed joint socket, guide positioning pin shaft socket, T-shaped slot, hinged hole bolt connection hole. The fixed joint 11, the guide positioning pin shaft 12 and the trigger switch pressure head 10 on the end face of the payload assembly 1 pass through the fixed joint jack, the guide positioning pin shaft jack and the trigger switch pressure head through hole on the installation base plate 2 respectively; It is convenient for the module to be adjusted and centered when it is installed, and chamfers can be processed on the fixed joint socket and the guide pin shaft socket.

The other end surface of the installation base plate 2 is equipped with a support sleeve 3, a hinged hole bolt 4, a guide pin shaft 6, a transmission assembly 7, a worm gear motor assembly 8, and a motor mounting plate 9;

The periphery of the hinged hole bolt 4 fixed on the installation base plate 2 is covered with a support sleeve 3 for supporting the motor mounting plate 9; the motor mounting plate 9 is used for installing the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8, and the hinged hole bolt 4 has In addition to the connection function, it also has a positioning function, which can be used to realize the connection and positioning of the motor mounting plate 9 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the transmission assembly 7 mainly includes a rack 5 , a pinion 13 and a turntable bearing assembly 14 . The pinion 13 cooperates with the output shaft of the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 through a key connection, and the axial positioning is realized with a shaft end retaining ring and a screw between the end face of the pinion 13 and the output shaft end face. The turntable bearing assembly 14 is mainly composed of the inner ring of the turntable bearing, balls and the outer ring of the turntable bearing. The thicknesses of the outer ring and the inner ring of the turntable bearing are not equal. They are all located on the outer circumference of the outer ring of the slewing bearing and meshed with it.

Each tooth bar 5 is connected with the guide pin shaft 6 on it, and the guide pin shaft 6 can only move linearly in the corresponding T-shaped groove on the installation base plate 2, so that the tooth bar 5 can only move linearly along the T-shaped groove. There are wine bottle-shaped long slots with different widths in the middle of the rack 5. The width of the narrower part is the same as the width of the thin neck of the fixed joint 11 in the payload module 1. The fixed joint 11 cannot pass through the narrower part of the long slot. The width of the wide part of the long slot is slightly larger than the width of the head of the fixed joint 11 in the payload assembly 1, and the fixed joint 11 can pass through the wide part of the long slot.

The worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 is mainly composed of a motor and a worm gear reducer. The helix angle of the worm is smaller than the equivalent friction angle of the meshing surface, so that the worm gear reducer has self-locking performance. Rotation occurs due to the action, so as to realize reliable locking of the payload assembly 1 .

Use process one: the connection process of the modular spacecraft payload connection device

As shown in FIG. 10 , the payload assembly 1 approaches the installation base 2 from a distance under the action of an external load, such as a mechanical arm. At this time, under the guidance and positioning of the guide positioning pin shaft 12, the fixed joint 11 passes through the fixed joint socket on the installation base plate 2 and the wide side of the wine bottle-shaped long groove on the rack 5; until the end surface of the payload assembly 1 The trigger switch pressure head 10 squeezes the worm gear reducer motor switch through the through hole on the installation base plate 2, and starts the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8. The worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 drives the pinion 13 through the key connection, and the power is transmitted to the rack 5 through the gear transmission and the rack and pinion transmission in turn, from the pinion 13 and the outer ring gear of the turntable bearing assembly 14. Under the guiding action of 6, it moves along the T-shaped groove on the mounting base plate 2, and the wine bottle-shaped slot on the rack 5 is relatively displaced with the fixed joint 11 on the payload assembly 1 and the fixed joint socket on the mounting base plate 2. The worm gear reducer motor rotates at a certain angle and stops automatically. At this time, the fixed joint socket on the mounting base plate 2 communicates with the narrow side of the wine bottle-shaped long groove on the rack 5, and the fixed joint 11 on the payload assembly 1 cannot be connected from the rack 5. Pass through the narrow side of the upper wine bottle-shaped long groove, and the relative position of the payload assembly 1 and the installation base plate 2 is fixed, completing the connection of the payload.

Use process 2: The disassembly process of the modular spacecraft payload connection device

Referring to Figure 11, through signal control, the worm gear motor assembly 8 reverses, and the worm gear motor assembly 8 drives the pinion 13 through a key connection, and the power is transmitted through the gear transmission and the rack and pinion transmission, and the pinion 13, the outer gear of the turntable bearing The ring is transmitted to the rack 5, and the long slot on the rack 5 is relatively displaced with the fixed joint socket. The relative position of the fixed joint socket on the installation base plate 2 and the wine bottle-shaped slot on the rack 5 is communicated by the narrow side to the wide side, and the fixed joint 11 can pass through the wide side. Under the action of an external load, such as a mechanical arm, the fixed joint 11 is pulled out from the installation base plate 2, and the payload assembly is separated from the installation base plate to complete the disassembly.

The effect of the present invention is: the modular spacecraft payload connection device uses a worm gear motor as a driving element, and because the worm gear motor has the advantages of mature technology, compact structure and reliable performance, the reliability of the power source is ensured And effectiveness, at the same time, the worm gear reducer motor has reverse self-locking property when it stops, which ensures the reliability of the connection device when the motor stops; the use of ball slewing bearings reduces friction loss and improves transmission efficiency; the use of gears Rack transmission makes the overall structure compact, high transmission efficiency, and convenient for precise control; using a combination of "bottle"-shaped long slots and fixed joints to connect and disassemble the payload, the structure is simple and easy to implement.

On the whole, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the advantages of compact axial size, simple structure, stable operation, and the ability to repeatedly realize the connection and disassembly of payloads, etc., and is suitable for on-orbit replacement of modular spacecraft payloads.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the axonometric view of the modular spacecraft payload connecting device proposed by the present invention;

Figure 2 is an axonometric view of the payload assembly;

Figure 3 is an axonometric view of the installation base;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the transmission assembly;

Figure 5 is an axonometric view of the motor mounting plate;

Figure 6 is a rack axonometric view;

Fig. 7 is axonometric view of guide pin;

Figure 8 is an axonometric view of the fixed joint;

Fig. 9 is an axonometric view of the guide pin shaft;

Fig. 10 is an axonometric view of the connecting state of the connecting device;

Fig. 11 is an axonometric view of the disassembled state of the connecting device;

Among them: 1. Payload component; 2. Mounting base plate; 3. Support sleeve; 4. Reaming hole bolt; 5. Rack; 6. Guide pin shaft; 7. Transmission component; 8. Worm gear motor component; 9. Motor mounting plate; 10. Trigger switch pressure head; 11. Fixed joint; 12. Guide positioning pin; 13. Pinion; 14 Turntable bearing assembly.

Implementation example

Referring to Fig. 1-Fig. 9, the modular spacecraft payload connection device in this embodiment mainly includes a payload assembly 1, a mounting base plate 2, a support sleeve 3, a reaming hole bolt 4, a guide pin shaft 6, and a transmission assembly 7 , worm gear reducer motor assembly 8, motor mounting plate 9;

The main body of the payload assembly 1 is a hexagonal prism structure, and three fixed joints 11 and three guide and positioning pins 12 are evenly distributed around the hexagonal center circumference on the installation end surface, and the fixed joints 11 and the guide and positioning pins 12 are installed through threaded connections On the main body of the hexagonal prism, a trigger switch pressure head 10 is installed in the center of its end face, and under the action of an applied load, the switch of the corresponding position of the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 is squeezed through the through hole on the installation base plate 2 to start the motor.

The installation base plate 2 is fixedly installed on the spacecraft body, and its shape is a hexagonal prism configuration consistent with the hexagonal prism structure of the payload assembly 1. There are a series of penetrating round holes and long grooves distributed on it, mainly including: the connection mounting holes for the turntable bearing assembly, Fixed joint socket, guide positioning pin shaft socket, T-shaped slot, hinged hole bolt connection hole. One end face of the installation base plate 2 is close to one end face of the payload assembly 1, and the fixed joint 11, the guide positioning pin shaft 12 and the trigger switch pressure head 10 on the end face of the payload assembly 1 respectively pass through the fixed joint jacks on the installation base plate 2 1. The hole of the guide pin shaft and the through hole of the pressure head of the trigger switch pass through; the hole of the fixed joint and the hole of the guide pin shaft are processed with chamfers to facilitate the adjustment and centering of the module when it is loaded.

The other end surface of the installation base plate 2 is equipped with a support sleeve 3, a hinged hole bolt 4, a guide pin shaft 6, a transmission assembly 7, a worm gear motor assembly 8, and a motor mounting plate 9;

The periphery of the hinged hole bolt 4 fixed on the installation base plate 2 is covered with a support sleeve 3 for supporting the motor mounting plate 9; the motor mounting plate 9 is used for installing the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8, and the hinged hole bolt 4 has In addition to the connection function, it also has a positioning function, which can be used to realize the connection and positioning of the motor mounting plate 9 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the transmission assembly 7 mainly includes a rack 5 , a pinion 13 and a turntable bearing assembly 14 . The pinion 13 cooperates with the output shaft of the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 through a key connection, and the axial positioning is realized with a shaft end retaining ring and a screw between the end face of the pinion 13 and the output shaft end face. The slewing bearing assembly 14 is mainly composed of the inner ring of the slewing bearing, the balls and the outer ring of the slewing bearing. The thickness of the outer ring and the inner ring of the slewing bearing is not equal. The racks 5 uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction are all located on the outer circumference of the outer ring of the slewing bearing and meshed with it.

Each rack 5 and the guide pin 6 on it are screwed together, and the guide pin 6 can only move linearly in the corresponding T-shaped slot on the installation base 2, so that the rack 5 can only move along a straight line of the T-shaped slot. sports. There are wine bottle-shaped long slots with different widths in the middle of the rack 5. The width of the narrower part is the same as the width of the thin neck of the fixed joint 11 in the payload module 1. The fixed joint 11 cannot pass through the narrower part of the long slot. The width of the wide part of the long slot is slightly larger than the width of the head of the fixed joint 11 in the payload assembly 1, and the fixed joint 11 can pass through the wide part of the long slot.

The worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 is mainly composed of a motor and a worm gear reducer. The helix angle of the worm is smaller than the equivalent friction angle of the meshing surface, so that the worm gear reducer has self-locking performance. Rotation occurs due to the action, so as to realize reliable locking of the payload assembly 1 .

Use process one: the connection process of the modular spacecraft payload connection device

As shown in FIG. 10 , the payload assembly 1 approaches the installation base 2 from a distance under the action of an external load, such as a mechanical arm. At this time, under the guidance and positioning of the guide positioning pin shaft 12, the fixed joint 11 passes through the fixed joint socket on the installation base plate 2 and the wide side of the wine bottle-shaped long groove on the rack 5; until the end surface of the payload assembly 1 The trigger switch pressure head 10 squeezes the worm gear reducer motor switch through the through hole on the installation base plate 2, and starts the worm gear reducer motor assembly 8. The worm gear reducer motor assembly 8 drives the pinion 13 through the key connection, and the power is transmitted to the rack 5 through the gear transmission and the rack and pinion transmission in turn, from the pinion 13 and the outer ring gear of the turntable bearing assembly 14. Under the guiding action of 6, it moves along the T-shaped groove on the mounting base plate 2, and the wine bottle-shaped slot on the rack 5 is relatively displaced with the fixed joint 11 on the payload assembly 1 and the fixed joint socket on the mounting base plate 2. The worm gear reducer motor rotates at a certain angle and stops automatically. At this time, the fixed joint socket on the mounting base plate 2 communicates with the narrow side of the wine bottle-shaped long groove on the rack 5, and the fixed joint 11 on the payload assembly 1 cannot be connected from the rack 5. Pass through the narrow side of the upper wine bottle-shaped long groove, and the relative position of the payload assembly 1 and the installation base plate 2 is fixed, completing the connection of the payload.

Use process 2: The disassembly process of the modular spacecraft payload connection device

Referring to Figure 11, through signal control, the worm gear motor assembly 8 reverses, and the worm gear motor assembly 8 drives the pinion 13 through a key connection, and the power is transmitted through the gear transmission and the rack and pinion transmission, and the pinion 13, the outer gear of the turntable bearing The ring is transmitted to the rack 5, and the long slot on the rack 5 is relatively displaced with the fixed joint socket. The relative position of the fixed joint socket on the installation base plate 2 and the wine bottle-shaped slot on the rack 5 is communicated by the narrow side to the wide side, and the fixed joint 11 can pass through the wide side. Under the action of an external load, such as a mechanical arm, the fixed joint 11 is pulled out from the installation base plate 2, and the payload assembly is separated from the installation base plate to complete the disassembly.

Claims (1)

1. A modular spacecraft payload connection device, characterized in that: it includes a payload assembly (1), an installation base plate (2), a support sleeve (3), a reaming hole bolt (4), and a guide pin (6) , transmission assembly (7), worm gear motor assembly (8), motor mounting plate (9); The mounting end surface of the payload assembly (1) is connected with a fixed joint (11) and a guide positioning pin (12), and a trigger switch pressure head (10) is installed at the center of the end surface; The installation base plate (2) is fixedly installed on the spacecraft body, one end surface of the installation base plate (2) is close to the installation end surface of the payload assembly (1), and a series of through holes and holes are distributed on the end surface of the installation base plate (2). The long slots include: connection mounting holes for the slewing bearing assembly, fixed joint sockets, guide positioning pin shaft sockets, T-shaped slots, reaming holes and bolt connection holes; fixed joints (11) on the end face of the payload assembly (1), guide The positioning pin shaft (12) and the trigger switch pressure head (10) pass through the fixed joint socket on the installation base plate (2), the guide positioning pin shaft socket and the trigger switch pressure head through hole respectively; The other end surface of the installation base plate (2) is equipped with a support sleeve (3), a hinged hole bolt (4), a guide pin (6), a transmission assembly (7), a worm gear motor assembly (8), and a motor installation plate (9); The hinged hole bolts (4) fixed on the installation base plate (2) are covered with support sleeves (3) on the periphery to support the motor mounting plate (9); the motor mounting plate (9) is used to install the worm gear reducer motor assembly (8); The transmission assembly (7) includes a plurality of racks (5), pinions (13) and a turntable bearing assembly (14); the pinion (13) is connected to the output shaft of the worm gear motor assembly (8) through a key Form fit, axial positioning is achieved between the end face of the pinion (13) and the end face of the output shaft with a shaft end retaining ring and screws; the slewing bearing assembly (14) is composed of the slewing bearing inner ring, balls and The thickness of the outer ring and the inner ring are not equal, the inner ring of the slewing bearing is connected and fixed on the installation base plate (2), the pinion (13) and the rack (5) are located on the outer circumference of the outer ring of the slewing bearing and mesh with it; Each rack (5) is connected with the guide pin (6) on it, and the guide pin (6) only moves linearly in the corresponding T-shaped slot on the installation base (2); the middle part of the rack (5) has a width Different wine bottle-shaped long slots, the width of the narrower part is the same as the width of the thin neck of the fixed joint (11) in the payload assembly (1); the width of the wider part of the long slot is wider than that of the fixed joint in the payload assembly (1) (11) has a slightly larger head width; The worm gear reducer motor assembly (8) is composed of a motor and a worm gear reducer; the helix angle of the worm is smaller than the equivalent friction angle of the meshing surface.