Spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10676218-B2
Application number	US-201716303776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2017
Priority date	May 23, 2016
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a spacecraft including a casing having a face, a radiator borne by the face, and a thermal insulation device borne by the radiator. The thermal insulation device includes: —a first screen device able to cover a first zone of the radiator, the first screen device including a thermally insulating and flexible sheet, and at least two springs capable of producing a constant reaction force, the springs being preformed in such a way as to wind up on themselves at rest and being fixed to the insulating sheet, the springs each having an end fixed to the radiator and a free end; and—a traction device able to pull on the free end of the springs to make the sheet cover the first zone and to release the free end in order to expose the first zone to space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spacecraft comprising a body having at least one face, at least one radiator carried by said face and at least one thermal insulation device carried by the radiator, said thermal insulation device comprising:
a first screen device able to cover a first area of said radiator, said first screen device comprising a thermally insulating and flexible sheet and
a traction device able to pull in a pulling direction so that the insulating sheet covers the first area in a mode referred to as deployed mode,
wherein said thermal insulation device comprises further at least two springs able to generate a constant reaction force, said springs being preformed so as to roll onto themselves at rest, said springs being fixed to the insulating sheet, said springs each having a first end fixed to the traction device and a second end ( 44 ) fixed to the radiator; and
wherein the traction device is configured to pull in said pulling direction on the first end of said springs of the first screen device so that the insulating sheet covers said first area in said deployed mode, said traction device being able to release the first end of said springs so that the insulating sheet exposes the first area to the space environment in a mode referred to as exposure mode.

2. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first screen device comprises at least two cables, each cable being integrally secured to said traction device and to the first end of the springs, said cables being interposed between two windings of the springs in exposure mode.

3. The spacecraft according to claim 2 ,
wherein the traction device comprises:
a traction shaft mounted so as to rotate about an axis of rotation, said traction shaft extending perpendicularly to the pulling direction, the first end of said springs being integrally secured to said traction shaft; and
a device for locking the rotation of the traction shaft about said axis of rotation; wherein the traction device is arranged between the first screen device and the second screen device and wherein, in exposure mode, the springs of the first screen device are rolled onto themselves in a first rolling direction and the springs ( 38 ) of the second screen device are rolled onto themselves in a second rolling direction, the second rolling direction being opposite to the first rolling direction; and
wherein the insulating sheet of the first screen device has a length greater than the length of the insulating sheet of the second screen device, said length being measured in the pulling direction, and wherein the traction shaft supports at least two pulleys having a diameter greater than the diameter of the traction shaft, said cables of the second screen device being wound on said pulleys.

4. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the first screen device further comprises a support rod extending in a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction and at least two first stops fixed to the radiator between the insulating sheet and the traction device, said first stops being able to wedge the support rod in place during launch of the spacecraft.

5. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the traction device comprises:
a traction shaft mounted so as to rotate about an axis of rotation, said traction shaft extending perpendicularly to the pulling direction, the first end of said springs being integrally secured to said traction shaft; and
a device for locking the rotation of the traction shaft about said axis of rotation.

6. The spacecraft according to claim 5 , wherein the traction device comprises an actuator able to rotate the traction shaft.

7. The spacecraft according to claim 5 , wherein the traction device further comprises a damping device able to damp the rotation of the traction shaft when the locking device is unlocked.

8. The spacecraft according to claim 5 , which comprises a first gear mechanism fixed to a free end of the traction shaft, a bevel gear device coupled to the first gear mechanism, an additional traction shaft having a second gear mechanism coupled to the bevel gear device, and at least one additional screen device fixed by cables to the additional traction shaft; the additional traction shaft extending along the pulling direction.

9. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation device further comprises a second screen device able to cover a second area, said second screen device being identical to the first screen device, the springs of said second screen device extending parallel to the pulling direction.

10. The spacecraft according to claim 9 , wherein the first screen device and the second screen device are arranged on the same side of the traction device, and wherein, in exposure mode, the springs ( 38 ) of the first screen device and the springs of the second screen device are rolled onto themselves in a same rolling direction.

11. The spacecraft according to claim 10 , wherein the insulating sheet of the second screen device is arranged in the extension of the insulating sheet of the first screen device, along the pulling direction.

12. The spacecraft according to claim 10 , wherein the insulating sheet of the second screen device is arranged in the extension of the insulating sheet of the first screen device, along a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction.

13. The spacecraft according to claim 9 , wherein the traction device is arranged between the first screen device and the second screen device and wherein, in exposure mode, the springs of the first screen device are rolled onto themselves in a first rolling direction and the springs ( 38 ) of the second screen device are rolled onto themselves in a second rolling direction, the second rolling direction being opposite to the first rolling direction.

14. The spacecraft according to claim 13 , wherein the insulating sheet of the first screen device has a width greater than the width of the second screen device, said width being measured in a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction.

15. The spacecraft according to claim 13 , wherein the first screen device comprises at least two ramps fixed to the radiator in a direction parallel to the pulling direction, the first screen device further comprising two support rods extending in a direction perpendicular to the pulling direction, at least one among the springs and the ends of the support rods being able to bear against said ramps in deployed mode, said ramps having ramp portions which protrude relative to the radiator.

16. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein at least one edge of the insulating sheet has at least one cutout.

17. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein said springs are flat strips of stainless steel in the form of a ribbon, said strips having a width between 5 and 30 millimeters.

18. The spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating sheet is a sheet of polyimide covered with an aluminum layer.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Sas

Inventors

• Deltour Bernard
• Leconte Sylvain
• Berend Christophe

Classifications

• B64G1/1007

  Communications satellites · CPC title

• B64G1/503 Primary

  Radiator panels · CPC title

• B64G1/222

  for deploying structures between a stowed and deployed state · CPC title

• B64G1/2229

  characterised by the deployment actuating mechanism (inflating B64G1/2227) · CPC title

• B64G1/2225

  Rolling or unfurling (B64G1/2227 takes precedence) · CPC title