KR102552515B1 - Deployable antenna for satellites - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antenna for a satellite operating in outer space, and more particularly, to a deployable satellite antenna that is folded to minimize the volume when mounted on a satellite launch vehicle and deployed when separated from the satellite launch vehicle to serve as an antenna for the satellite. It's about the antenna.

Description

Deployable antenna for satellites}

The present invention relates to an antenna for a satellite operating in outer space, and more particularly, to a deployable satellite antenna that is folded to minimize the volume when mounted on a satellite launch vehicle and deployed when separated from the satellite launch vehicle to serve as an antenna for the satellite. It's about the antenna.

In general, an antenna is a wireless communication device for transmitting radio waves to the outside or receiving radio waves from the outside. In the case of a large antenna, a parabolic reflector forming a curved surface is provided for smooth and efficient reception of external radio waves.

In the antenna having the dish-shaped reflector as described above, a feedhorn is installed at a focal point of the dish-shaped reflector to receive radio waves reflected from the dish-shaped reflector and concentrated at a focal point through the feed horn.

On the other hand, antennas for artificial satellites used in the space environment are mounted on the fairing of a satellite launch vehicle where space is limited. Since the space and payload of the fairing are limited, the payload mounted on the fairing is subject to strict restrictions on volume and weight. will follow

The size of the antenna reflector may vary depending on the output and frequency band of the amplifier, but it is usually 3m to 10m in diameter, which is somewhat difficult to mount on the fairing part of the projectile. It should be.

A reflector applied to a foldable antenna can be divided into a shell type, a mesh type, and a membrane type according to a material and a deployment method. These various types of foldable reflectors are being developed in various forms of deployment, and recently, antennas of a deployment method using shape memory alloys or springbacks have also been developed.

The above deployment type antenna requires a motor or bearing as an essential component for deployment drive, but when the requirements for operation in a harsh space environment are applied, the unit cost of components rises astronomically, resulting in design constraints. There are problems with commercialization.

In addition, the conventional deployable antenna unfolds the folded reflector in a dish shape and jointly configures ribs made of metal to maintain the shape to induce and guide the unfolding of the reflector. Mesh or membrane material with weak strength In the case of the reflector of , a problem occurs in which the characteristics of the antenna are remarkably deteriorated due to a problem in that it is broken and damaged by the joint part during deployment.

Therefore, a deployable antenna technology that can implement a reliable folding mechanism using inexpensive mechanical elements is required.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to configure a lip structure for deploying a reflector in the form of a wire made of an elastic material without a joint, thereby reducing the volume during folding and the reflector due to the joint during deployment. It is to provide a deployable antenna for satellites that minimizes damage to satellites.

In addition, it is to provide a deployable antenna for satellites, including a protective cover that protects the above structure by accommodating the reflector and the lip structure when folded, and is separated into multiple stages when deployed to be used as a solar cell or a heat sink.

In addition, to provide a deployable antenna for satellites, which elastically extends from the center of the antenna in the longitudinal direction to support the sub-reflector and includes a rotary damper for maintaining the deployment speed and tension of the antenna during deployment.

A deployable antenna for satellites according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a damper support portion, the upper side of which is extended upward by elasticity during deployment; and a rib wire having one end coupled to the lower end of the damper support and the other end folded to the outer surface of the damper support, the other end extending radially outward due to elasticity during deployment, and a plurality of rib wires arranged radially around the damper; and a main reflector including a reflector coupled to the rib wire, folded to an outer surface of the damper support unit, and extending along the rib wire to form a plate shape when deployed.

In addition, the antenna is made of a cylindrical shape by combining a plurality of unit covers to surround the outer circumferences of the damper support and the reflector, and a protective cover hinged to the damper support at the lower end of the unit cover. When the protective cover is unfolded, the upper end of the unit cover is deployed outward in the radial direction so that each of the unit covers is radially separated.

In addition, the damper support part and the main reflection part maintain a folded state through the protective cover, and are deployed when the protective cover is deployed, and the protective cover is a restraint separation device connecting the unit cover and the neighboring unit cover. It maintains a coupled state through the restraining means, and is separated and deployed through the separating means.

In addition, the protective cover is provided with a heat dissipation means or a solar cell panel on the outer surface.

In addition, the damper support may include an upper body; a lower body disposed below the upper body; At least one support body provided between the upper body and the lower body; and an elastic support portion connecting the upper body and the support body, or the support body and the adjacent support body, or the support body and the lower body, wherein the elastic support portion allows the upper body, the lower body, and the support body to approach each other when folded. It is characterized in that the upper body, the lower body and the support body are separated by maintaining a bent state so as to be elastically deformed in a straight line during deployment.

In addition, the elastic support portion is characterized in that the cross section forms an arc to maintain a straight state after elastic deformation.

In addition, a plurality of the rib wires are radially disposed on the outer surface of the damper support part in a circumferential direction, one end is fixed to the outer surface of the damper support part, and the other end is spirally folded upward along the outer surface of the damper support part. , It is characterized in that the other end is deployed outward in the radial direction by elasticity during deployment to guide the deployment of the reflector.

In addition, the rib wire is characterized in that it forms a convex arc in the circumferential direction along the radial direction when deployed.

In addition, the antenna has one end connected to the upper end of the damper support and the other end connected to the other end of the rib wire, so that the reflector maintains a dish shape by limiting the expansion distance of the reflector during deployment, It further includes a tension control wire supporting the outer circumference in the radial direction.

In addition, the antenna may include a receiving unit provided below the damper support unit to receive radio waves; and a sub-reflector disposed above the damper support and disposed at a focal point of the reflector to reflect radio waves of the reflector to the receiver.

In addition, the antenna is provided on the upper side of the damper support, and is disposed at a focal point of the reflector to receive radio waves from the reflector, and further includes a receiver.

The deployable antenna for satellites of the present invention according to the configuration described above is deployed using a rotary damper or the elasticity of a lip structure, so it does not require an expensive motor or bearing that satisfies the space environment conditions, and the configuration is simple, It has the effect of dramatically reducing the manufacturing cost.

In addition, since the unfolding of the reflector is guided and supported using a wire-type lip structure without joints, damage to the reflector due to the lip structure is prevented during deployment, and furthermore, there is an effect of preventing deterioration of antenna characteristics.

In addition, the protective cover prevents damage to the antenna during loading and flight, generates power using solar heat during deployment, and efficiently cools the heat generated when driving the antenna, improving the operating efficiency of the antenna. There is an effect.

1 is a perspective view of an antenna when folded according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a plan view when an antenna is folded according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view of an antenna in deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a perspective view of an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention when deployed in one stage;
5 and 6 are schematic front views illustrating a process of deploying a damper support of an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a perspective view of an elastic support unit of a damper support unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a perspective view of an antenna in two stages of deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a perspective view of an antenna in three stages of deployment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention as described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 shows a perspective view of a deployable antenna 100 (hereinafter referred to as 'antenna') for satellites according to an embodiment of the present invention when folded, and in FIG. 2, an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention ( 100) is shown when it is folded, and FIG. 3 shows a front view when the antenna 100 is deployed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the antenna 100 includes a damper support 10 that adjusts the deployment speed, maintains tension when the main reflector 30 is deployed, and supports the sub-reflector 50 during deployment, and the antenna 100 when folded. ) Wraps the components of the protective cover 20, which is used as a solar panel or heat sink, to protect from external impact, and folds into a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the damper support 10, which is used as a solar panel or heat sink during deployment, and forms a dish during deployment to receive radio waves It is composed of a sub-reflector 50 provided above the main reflector 30 and the damper support 10 to focus radio waves reflected from the main reflector 30 and transmit them to the receiver.

As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna 100 includes a damper support portion 10 whose upper side extends along the longitudinal direction by elasticity when deployed, and a protective cover provided to surround the radial circumference of the damper support portion 10 ( 20) included. In addition, although not shown in the drawings, the damper support 10 includes a sub-reflector 50, and between the damper support 10 and the protective cover 20, the main reflector 30 is the damper support 10 ) It is provided in a folded form to cover the outer surface of the.

The protective cover 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape through the coupling of a plurality of unit covers 21 separated along the circumferential direction, and a hinge coupling part is formed at the lower end of the unit cover 21 to lower the damper support 10. As the hinge is coupled, the upper portion is configured to be deployed outward in the radial direction by the hinge rotation during deployment. A solar cell panel or heat dissipation panel is provided on the outer surface of the protective cover 20 to generate power by solar heat or to cool heat generated when the antenna 100 is driven.

Referring to FIG. 2 , between the unit cover 21a of the protective cover 20 and the adjacent unit cover 21b, a hot wire cutting type restraining and separating device 25 is provided. The hot wire cutting type restraint separation device 25 restrains the unit cover 21a and the neighboring unit covers 21b to remain coupled, and is cut through the hot wire during deployment to release the restraints of the unit covers 21. Accordingly, each of the unit covers 21 are separated from each other so that they can be deployed. In addition, the lower end of the unit cover 21 is hinged to the lower end of the damper support 10, and a spring for applying elasticity in the unfolding direction is provided so that when the restraint of the hot wire cutting type restraint release device 25 is released, the spring Through the elasticity of the unit cover 21 is configured to be deployed.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper side of the damper support 10 is extended upward to increase in length when deployed, and is configured to maintain the extended state. The damper support 10 may be configured to deploy at a certain speed or less to prevent damage to the reflector 31 due to rapid deployment of the main reflector 30. It may include a rotary damper capable of limiting. The sub-reflector 50 is supported on the upper side of the damper support 10, and the inner side of the main reflector 30 in the radial direction is fixed to the lower end of the damper support 10 when deployed, and the outer side in the radial direction is a tension control wire It is fixed via (35). The main reflector 30 includes a dish-shaped reflector 31 and a rib wire 32 to guide the unfolding of the reflector 31 and maintain the unfolded state. The rib wire 32 may be made of a superelastic shape memory alloy wire that does not include joints and can be developed through elasticity and shape memory. A plurality of rib wires 32 are radially arranged and coupled on the reflector 31, and when folded, the inner end in the radial direction forms a shape wrapped around the outer surface of the damper support 10. It is fixed to the lower end of and is folded so as to surround the outer surface of the damper support 10 in a spiral shape as it goes upward. The upper end of the rib wire 32 expands outward in the radial direction due to elasticity and solar heat during deployment, and guides and supports the reflector 31 to form a dish shape. In addition, the rib wire 32 may be fixed in a convex arc in the circumferential direction along the radial direction so as to stably maintain the shape of the reflector 31 during deployment. The tension control wire 35 has a radially inner end fixed to the upper side of the damper support 10 and a radially outer end coupled to the radially outer end of the rib wire 32 . It is configured to support the radial circumference of the reflector 31 so as to maintain a dish shape by limiting the distance the reflector 31 is deployed through the tension control wire 35 . The reflector 31 may be a foldable and deployable mesh-type reflector or membrane reflector. In the case of a mesh-type reflector, it can be manufactured by weaving a conductive wire such as a gold-coated molybdenum wire or silver nano Teflon. The rib wire 32 may be inserted into a pocket cut in the reflector 31 and coupled with the reflector 31 .

The protective cover 20 has a cylindrical shape by combining a plurality of unit covers 21, and restrains the damper support 10 and the main reflector 30 to maintain a folded state. In addition, the protective cover 20 is deployed first through separation of the plurality of unit covers 21 when the antenna is deployed, so that the damper support 10 and the main reflector 30 can be deployed elastically. In addition, the lower end of the unit cover 21 of the protective cover 20 is hinged to the lower end of the damper support 10, and the upper end is deployed outward in the radial direction during deployment, so that each unit cover 21 is a damper support. It is configured to be radially arranged based on (10). In addition, the protective cover 20 is disposed under the main reflector 30 when deployed to generate power by solar heat or to discharge heat generated from the antenna 100 to the outside.

Hereinafter, the deployment process of the antenna of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first stage deployment of the antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams showing before and after deployment of the damper support of the antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view is shown, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the elastic support part 15 of the damper support part 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the unit covers 21 of the protective cover 20 are radially developed, the upper body 11 of the damper support 10 moves upward by the elasticity of the elastic support 15, The length of the damper support 10 is increased. In addition, as the protective cover 20 unfolds, the main reflection unit 30 also starts to unfold. The damper support 10 is provided between the upper body 11, the lower body 13, and the upper body 11 and the lower body 13, but when deployed, a plurality of them are spaced apart along the vertical direction. Ring-shaped support Body 12 and the upper body 11 and the support body 12 or the support body 12 and the support body 12 adjacent to the support body 12 and the elastic support portion 15 connecting the lower body 13 includes A plurality of elastic supports 15 may be radially disposed along the circumferential circumference of the damper support 10 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when the damper support 10 is folded, the elastic support part 15 maintains a state of bending inward so that the bodies located on the upper and lower sides come close to each other, and when deployed, it is elastically shown in FIG. 6 As described above, it is elastically deformed in a straight line so that the distance between the bodies is increased. In addition, the elastic support 15 may be configured to have an arc in cross section and maintain a straight shape after being elastically deformed into a straight line.

In addition, on the lower body 13 located at the lower end of the damper support 10, the unit cover 21 is hinged, so that the upper side of the unit cover 21 is deployed outward in the radial direction by hinge rotation during deployment. It is configured. In addition, on the lower body 13, a plurality of rib wires 32, which support the reflector 31, spiral upward in a radially arranged state and are arranged to wrap, and the upper end is formed by elasticity during deployment. It is developed outward in the radial direction to guide the reflection plate 31 to be developed in a dish shape.

On the other hand, the sub-reflector 50 is provided on the upper support body 12 of the damper support 10 so that it is finally deployed when the damper support 10 is deployed, and the sub-reflector 50 is provided on the lower body 13 ( 50) may be provided with a receiving unit for receiving radio waves reflected.

8 shows a perspective view of the antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention when it is deployed in two stages, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention when it is deployed in three stages. is shown

As shown in FIG. 8 , in the antenna 100, the main reflector 30 is deployed while the damper support 10 extends upward. The upper ends of the plurality of rib wires 32 surrounding the damper support 10 are radially developed outward, guiding the reflector 31 to form a plate shape, and the upper body 11 of the damper support 10 , the tension control wire 35 connecting the outer ends in the radial direction of the rib wires 32 supports the outer ends in the radial direction of the rib wires 32 to limit the unfolding of the reflector 31 in a plane, and in a dish shape. will keep Therefore, a plurality of tension control wires 35 are radially disposed, and may be provided as many as the number corresponding to the rib wires 32 .

Finally, as shown in FIG. 9 , in the antenna 100, the sub-reflector 50 is deployed while the damper support 10 extends upward. Although not clearly shown in the drawings, the sub-reflector 50 also includes a rib wire and a reflector to form a dish shape when deployed, and is disposed in the focus portion of the reflector 31 to transmit radio waves reflected from the main reflector. It is configured to focus and transmit to the receiving unit.

In another embodiment, the antenna 100 may be configured to receive radio waves reflected by the main reflector by directly disposing a receiver at a position corresponding to the sub-reflector 50 .

Technical ideas should not be interpreted as being limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention. Not only the scope of application is diverse, but also various modifications and implementations are possible at the level of those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Therefore, such improvements and changes fall within the protection scope of the present invention as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

100: antenna
10: damper support
11: upper body
12: support body
15: elastic support
20: protective cover
21: unit cover
22: hot wire cutting restraint separation device
30: main reflection part
31: reflector
32: rib wire
35: tension control wire
50: sub-reflector

Claims (11)

When deployed, the upper side extends upward by elasticity, the damper support; and
One end is coupled to the lower end of the damper support, the other end is folded to the outer surface of the damper support, the other end is deployed radially outward due to elasticity during deployment, and a plurality of rib wires are radially arranged around the damper; A main reflector including a reflector coupled to the rib wire, folded to the outer surface of the damper support, and extending along the rib wire to form a dish shape when deployed;
The damper support,
upper body;
a lower body disposed below the upper body;
At least one support body provided between the upper body and the lower body; and
Including an elastic support connecting the upper body and the support body or the support body and the neighboring support body or the support body and the lower body,
The elastic support unit maintains a bent state so that the upper body, the lower body and the support body come close to each other when folded, and elastically deforms in a straight line when deployed to separate the upper body, the lower body and the support body. For deployable antenna.
According to claim 1,
the antenna,
A plurality of unit covers are coupled to surround the outer circumferences of the damper support and the reflector to have a cylindrical shape, and a protective cover hinged to the damper support at the lower end of the unit cover,
The protective cover,
A deployable antenna for satellites, wherein the upper end of the unit cover is deployed radially outward during deployment so that each of the unit covers is radially separated.
According to claim 2,
The damper support part and the main reflection part,
It maintains a folded state through the protective cover and is deployed when the protective cover is unfolded,
The protective cover,
A deployable antenna for satellites, which maintains a coupled state through a restraining means of a restraining separation device connecting the unit cover and neighboring unit covers, and is separated and deployed through the separating means.
According to claim 3,
The protective cover,
A deployable antenna for satellites having a heat dissipation means or a solar cell panel on the outer surface.
delete According to claim 1,
The elastic support part,
A deployable antenna for satellites, characterized in that the cross section forms an arc to maintain a straight state after elastic deformation.
According to claim 1,
The rib wire,
A plurality of pieces are radially arranged on the outer surface of the damper support in the circumferential direction, one end is fixed to the outer surface of the damper support, and the other end is spirally folded upward along the outer surface of the damper support, but the other end is elastic during deployment A deployable antenna for artificial satellites characterized in that it is deployed outward in the radial direction to guide the deployment of the reflector.
According to claim 7,
The rib wire,
A deployable antenna for satellites, characterized in that it forms a convex arc in the circumferential direction along the radial direction when deployed.
According to claim 1,
the antenna,
One end is connected to the upper end of the damper support part, and the other end is connected to the other end of the rib wire, so that the reflector maintains a dish shape by limiting the expansion distance of the reflector during deployment, and supports the outer circumference in the radial direction of the reflector A deployable antenna for satellites, further comprising a tension control wire.
According to claim 1,
the antenna,
a receiver provided under the damper support to receive radio waves; and
a sub-reflector provided on an upper side of the damper support and disposed at a focal point of the reflector to reflect radio waves of the reflector to the receiver;
Further comprising a deployable antenna for satellites.
According to claim 1,
the antenna,
a receiving unit provided on an upper side of the damper support unit and disposed at a focal point of the reflecting plate to receive radio waves from the reflecting plate;
Further comprising a deployable antenna for satellites.

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