Electromagnetic lock release mechanism and method for separating satellite from rocket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11597540-B2
Application number	US-202017295047-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2020
Priority date	Jan 16, 2020
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

An electromagnetic lock release mechanism includes: a frame, an ejection unit, a satellite unit, a lock release unit, and a lock release drive unit; the ejection unit includes an ejection spring, an ejection jack, and a spring sleeve; the lock release unit includes a locking pin, a locking slider, an unlocking spring, and a base; the lock release drive unit includes an electromagnet limit nut, an electromagnet moving core, and an electromagnet. Advantages of the present invention are as follows. The present invention is a point positioning lock release mechanism that can be used to separate micro-satellites and rockets and repeatedly tested, which provides reliable locking and separating of satellites and rockets in a complex mechanical environment, and can be repeatedly tested on the ground. The separation is entirely a mechanism action without pollution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic lock release mechanism for separating a satellite from a rocket, comprising: a frame ( 1 ), an ejection unit, a satellite unit, a lock release unit, and a lock release drive unit; wherein a horizontal direction is defined as an X direction, and a vertical direction is defined as a Y direction;
the satellite unit comprises a satellite ( 7 ), a positioning pin ( 8 ), and a satellite boss ( 9 ); wherein the satellite ( 7 ) is fixed to the satellite boss ( 9 ) through the positioning pin ( 8 );
the ejection unit is arranged below the satellite unit to provide the satellite unit with an ejection force along a positive Y direction; the ejection unit comprises an ejection spring ( 2 ), an ejection jack ( 3 ) and a spring sleeve ( 4 ); the spring sleeve ( 4 ) is fixed to the frame ( 1 ); the ejection spring ( 2 ) is arranged in the spring sleeve ( 4 ); a bottom of the ejection jack ( 3 ) is located in the spring sleeve ( 4 ) and presses against the ejection spring ( 2 ); a top of the ejection jack ( 3 ) passes through the spring sleeve ( 4 ) and extends to be in contact with a bottom surface of the satellite unit; under a locked state, the ejection spring ( 2 ) is pressed by the ejection jack ( 3 ), and the ejection spring ( 2 ) provides the satellite unit with the ejection force along the positive Y direction through the ejection jack ( 3 ); under a released state, with the ejection force of the ejection spring ( 2 ), the satellite unit moves in the positive Y direction, so as to be separated from the frame ( 1 );
the lock release unit comprises a locking pin ( 10 ), a locking slider ( 11 ), an unlocking spring ( 12 ), and a base ( 13 );
the base ( 13 ) is located on a left side of the satellite unit and is fixed to the frame ( 1 ); a right side of the base ( 13 ) has a first cavity; a top surface of the satellite boss ( 9 ) is an inclined surface; under the locked state, the locking pin ( 10 ) is partially located in the first cavity, and a cylindrical surface of the locking pin ( 10 ) presses against the inclined surface of the satellite boss ( 9 ), thereby restricting movement of the satellite boss ( 9 ) in the positive Y direction; the inclined surface of the satellite boss ( 9 ) also provides the locking pin ( 10 ) with a contact elastic force along a normal direction of the inclined surface; the contact elastic force is decomposed into a contact elastic force in the positive Y direction and a contact elastic force in a negative X direction; the contact elastic force in the positive Y direction presses the locking pin ( 10 ) against the base ( 13 ); the contact elastic force in the negative X direction presses the locking pin ( 10 ) against the locking slider ( 11 ) behind the locking pin ( 10 );
a left side of the base ( 13 ) has a guide groove along the Y direction, and the locking slider ( 11 ) is arranged in the guide groove to move only in the Y direction; the unlocking spring ( 12 ) is arranged between the locking slider ( 11 ) and the base ( 13 ) to provides the locking slider ( 11 ) with a thrust along the positive Y direction;
a bottom part of the locking slider ( 11 ) has a cavity along the X direction; the locking slider ( 11 ) is located behind the locking pin ( 10 ); under the locked state, a plane part at a top part of the sliding block ( 11 ) presses against a rear surface of the locking pin ( 10 ); under the released state, the unlocking spring ( 12 ) drives the locking slider ( 11 ) to move in the positive Y direction, so that the cavity of the locking slider ( 11 ) rises; under the contact elastic force in the negative X direction provided by the satellite boss ( 9 ), the locking pin ( 10 ) moves along the negative X direction and enters the cavity of the locking slider ( 11 ), so that the locking pin ( 10 ) releases a movement restriction to the satellite unit;
the lock release drive unit comprises: an electromagnet limit nut ( 14 ), an electromagnet moving core ( 15 ), and an electromagnet ( 16 ); the electromagnet ( 16 ) is fixed to the frame ( 1 ) and has a built-in coil; the electromagnet moving core ( 15 ) is arranged along the X direction; when the built-in coil of the electromagnet ( 16 ) is de-energized, a right end of the electromagnet moving core ( 15 ) presses against a top end of the locking slider ( 11 ), so as to restrict the locking slider ( 11 ) from moving in the positive Y direction; when the built-in coil of the electromagnet ( 16 ) is energized, the electromagnet moving core ( 15 ) moves in the negative X direction to release the locking slider ( 11 ), so that the unlocking spring ( 12 ) drives the locking slider ( 11 ) to move in the positive Y direction.

2. The electromagnetic lock release mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: a limit bracket ( 17 ) which is fixedly installed above the locking slider ( 11 ), so as to restrict a moving distance of the locking slider ( 11 ) along the positive Y direction.

3. The electromagnetic lock release mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: a pre-tensioning unit; wherein
the pre-tensioning unit comprises: a pretensioner support ( 5 ) and a pretensioner ( 6 );
the pretensioner support ( 5 ) is fixed to the frame ( 1 ); the pretensioner ( 6 ) is connected to the pretensioner support ( 5 ) by a pre-tensioning screw; the pretensioner ( 6 ) is located under the satellite boss ( 9 ); by rotating the pre-tensioning screw, the pretensioner ( 6 ) is moved in the positive Y direction until a top part of the pretensioner ( 6 ) is in contact with a bottom surface of the satellite boss ( 9 ); meanwhile, during tightening of the pre-tensioning screw, the pretensioner ( 6 ) pushes the satellite boss ( 9 ) to move in the positive Y direction, so that a contact between the satellite boss ( 9 ) and the locking pin ( 10 ) is elastically deformed to eliminate a contact gap.

4. The electromagnetic lock release method according to claim 1 , comprising steps of:
step 1, before the rocket reaches a predetermined orbit, locking the satellite with the rocket, which comprises specific steps of:
step 1.1, energizing the built-in coil of the electromagnet ( 16 ), so that the right end of the electromagnet moving core ( 15 ) presses against the top end of the locking slider ( 11 ), wherein the locking slider ( 11 ) is located at a bottom of the guide groove;
step 1.2, after the locking slider ( 11 ) is located at the bottom of the guide groove, pressing the plane part at the top part of the sliding block ( 11 ) against the rear surface of the locking pin ( 10 ) to restrict the locking pin ( 10 ) from moving along the negative X direction, so that a right end of the locking pin ( 10 ) protrudes from the first cavity of the base ( 13 ); and
step 1.3, then pressing the cylindrical surface of the locking pin ( 10 ) against the inclined surface of the satellite boss ( 9 ), thereby restricting the satellite boss ( 9 ) from moving along the positive Y direction; meanwhile, driving the ejection jack ( 3 ) with the ejection spring ( 2 ) to provide the satellite unit with the ejection force along the positive Y direction, wherein the ejection force is less than a force applied by the locking pin ( 10 ) to the satellite boss ( 9 ), so as to lock the satellite unit on the frame ( 1 ) with a combination of the locking pin ( 10 ) and ejection jack ( 3 ); and
step 2, after the rocket enters the predetermined orbit, giving a separation instruction to safely release the satellite, which comprises specific steps of:
step 2.1, after the rocket enters the predetermined orbit, giving the separation instruction to de-energizing the built-in coil of the electromagnet ( 16 );
wherein when the built-in coil of the electromagnet ( 16 ) is de-energized, the electromagnet moving core ( 15 ) moves in the negative X direction, so that the right end of

Assignees

• Univ Tsinghua

Inventors

• Wang Zhaokui
• He Yunhan

Classifications

• B64G1/005 Primary

  Air launch · CPC title

• B64G1/6457 Primary

  Springs; Shape memory actuators · CPC title

• B64G1/645 Primary

  Separators · CPC title