JPH0156040B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an unfolding mechanism for a panel that is unfolded during use, such as a solar battery panel having solar cells pasted on its surface or an antenna panel having an antenna pattern on its surface.

Conventionally, this type of mechanism has been as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the figure, 1 and 2 are panels, 3 is a crevice metal fitting attached to the corner of the panel 1, and 4 is a hinge pin that is integrated with the crevice metal fitting 3;
A spiral spring 5 is wound around the shaft end of the hinge pin 4 having a rectangular cross section, and the end of the spiral spring 5 is fixed to the other crevice fitting 6 via a sleeve 7 and a sleeve fixing screw 8.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a bearing integrated with the crevice fitting 6, and the hinge pin 4 and the bearing 9 are rotatably connected to each other, so that the panel 1,
2 is in a folded state before use, and is in an unfolded state when used.

Next, the operation will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the holding mechanism (not shown) of the panel is released from the folded state before use, the panel is wrapped around the shaft end having a rectangular cross section of the hinge pin 4, and the end thereof is The other clevis fitting 6 is attached via the sleeve 7 and the sleeve fixing screw 8.
The panels 1 and 2 are unfolded by the rotational torque of the spiral spring 5 fixed to the panel.

However, in the conventional deployment mechanism described above, when trying to change the pretorque of the same spiral spring, the coiling angle of the spring can only be changed in 90° increments, making it impossible to make small changes or fine adjustments to the pretorque. There were drawbacks, and it was difficult to set the desired pre-torque.

This invention was made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and provides a panel expansion mechanism that can change the pretorque in small increments when setting the pretorque of the spiral spring.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the so-called hinge structure, in which the crevice fittings 3 and 6 attached to the panels 1 and 2 are rotatably connected via the hinge pin 4 and the bearing 9, is a spiral spring. 5 is used, and its end is fixed to the Clevis fitting 6 via the sleeve 7 and the sleeve fixing screw 8. However, in this embodiment, the hinge pin 4
A male serration S shown in FIG. 6 is provided in a part of the shaft, and a shaft 10 (see FIG. 7) having a female serration S' that is combined with the male serration is fixed in combination with the hinge pin 4, and the shaft 10 is fixed in combination with the hinge pin 4. The spiral spring 5 is wound around the end portion having a rectangular cross section of 10.

Further, in order to securely fix the spiral spring 5 and the shaft 10 to the hinge pin 4, a nut 1 is attached.
Tighten with 1.

Next, the operation will be explained.

Panels 1 and 2 in the folded state before use are
Once the panel retention mechanism (not shown) is released,
It is wound around the shaft end having a rectangular cross section of a shaft 10 fixed to a hinge pin 4 integrated with one crevice fitting 3, and the end is attached to the other crevice fitting 6 via a sleeve 7 and a sleeve fixing screw 8. It is expanded by the torque of the fixed spiral spring 5.

Here, the hinge pins 4 that come together as a pair,
Since the shaft 10 has a structure having serrations S and S' as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the shaft 10
can be set at any angle with respect to the hinge pin 4 within the range where the teeth interlock with each other.

Therefore, the spiral spring 5 wound around the shaft 10
can also be set at any angle with respect to the hinge pin 4.

This setting angle is determined by the number of teeth of the serrations S, S', and can be set every 30 degrees for the serrations S, S' having 12 teeth, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example.

If you want to make the increments of the set angle smaller, just increase the number of teeth of the serrations S and S'. Although the serrations S and S' in FIGS. 6 and 7 are triangular tooth serrations, involute serrations may also be used.

As described above, according to the present invention, the pre-torque of the spiral spring can be changed in small increments by using a combination of serrations on the hinge pin that is integrated with the crevice fitting and the shaft around which the spiral spring is wound. This has the advantage that the desired pre-torque can be set without changing the spring.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 are diagrams showing a conventional panel deployment mechanism; Figures 1 and 2 are a plan view and a front view after the deployment is completed; Figure 3 is a front view of the panel in its retracted state;
4 to 7 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a front view after the expansion is completed, and FIGS. 6 a and 6 are a front view and a front view of the hinge pin 4. The right side view and FIGS. 7a, b, and c are a left side view, a front sectional view, and a right side view of the shaft 10. In the figure, 1 and 2 are panel holes, 3 and 6 are Clevis metal fittings, 4 is a hinge pin, 5 is a spiral spring, 7 is a sleeve, 8 is a sleeve fixing screw, 9 is a bearing, 1
0 indicates a shaft, and 11 indicates a nut.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A hinge that connects adjacent panels, a hinge pin that is integrated with one of the crevice fittings of this hinge and has a serration at its end, and a serration that combines with the serration of this hinge pin, and is fixed by combining with the hinge pin. a spiral spring wound around the shaft end of the shaft; a sleeve for fixing the end of the spiral spring to the other crevice fitting of the hinge; and a sleeve fixing screw. Deployment mechanism.