Space craft comprising at least one pair of supporting arms, said arm pair being equipped with a hollow mounting module, and method for employing such a craft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764861-B2
Application number	US-201414895823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	Jun 3, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Space craft comprising a body, at least one pair of supporting arms, a first device mounted on a first supporting arm and a second device mounted on a second supporting arm. The first arm is rotatably mounted on the body of the craft about an axis of rotation. The second arm is fixed to the body, and in which craft of the first device and the second device at least one is offset from the axis of rotation of the first arm. The pair of supporting arms further comprises a hollow module for the rotatable mounting of the first arm on the body. The mounting module comprising an opening through which the axis of rotation and the second supporting arm pass.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A space craft capable of being put into orbit around a planet, comprising a body, at least one pair of supporting arms, a first device mounted on a first supporting arm and a second device mounted on a second supporting arm, said first arm being rotatably mounted on said body about an axis of rotation, said second arm being fixed to said body, and at least one of said first device and second device is offset with respect to said axis of rotation of said first arm, wherein said pair of supporting arms comprises a hollow mounting module for rotatably mounting said first arm on said body, said mounting module comprising an opening through which said axis of rotation and said second supporting arm pass and comprising means for controlling a sun-synchronous rotation of said first arm about said axis of rotation, said first device being capable of being interposed between the sun and said second device throughout the orbit of the craft, so that said second device is at least partially in a shadow of said first device throughout the orbit of the craft.

2. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said first device comprises a solar panel having a front face capable of receiving rays of the sun turned away from said second device ( 8 ) and which is provided with solar cells, said mounting module being annular and comprising an electrical connection with said body.

3. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said first device comprises a blocking panel blocking rays of the sun, said blocking panel being coated with a layer of a material blocking rays of the sun.

4. The craft according claim 1 , wherein said second device comprises a radiator, said second arm being equipped with means for establishing a heat transfer between said radiator and equipment of the craft.

5. The craft according to claim 4 , wherein the means for establishing a heat transfer between said radiator and said body comprises a fluid connection for the circulation of a coolant fluid.

6. The craft according to claim 4 , wherein said radiator is in the form of a panel with two opposite radiative faces and comprises a plurality of heat pipes distributed over said radiative faces.

7. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said second device comprises an antenna, said first device being transparent to waves with wavelengths corresponding to one of emission and reception wavelengths of said antenna.

8. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said second device comprises a nozzle for a motor or a plasma thruster.

9. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said second arm comprises at least one portion flexible about any direction perpendicular to said axis of rotation of said first arm, said first device being aligned on said axis of rotation.

10. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said second arm is rigid, said second device being aligned on said axis of rotation.

11. The craft according to claim 1 , wherein said body has at least one support face, and said first arm and second arm are rotatably articulated with respect to said body about an axis of articulation perpendicular to said axis of rotation of said first arm, each arm being able to assume two extreme positions with respect to said support face:
a deployed position, in which the arm considered projects from said support face,
a stowed position, in which the arm considered is brought substantially parallel to said support face.

12. The craft according to claim 11 , wherein said two arms in said stowed position are superimposed on one another.

13. The craft according to claim 11 , wherein said second arm can assume an intermediate position in which said second arm forms a predetermined angle with said support face.

14. The craft according to claim 1 , comprising two pairs of supporting arms, a first arm of each of said pairs being rotatably mounted on said body about said axis of rotation, a first pair of supporting arms being mourned on a first support face of said body and a second pair of supporting arms being mounted on a second support face of said body, said first support face and said second support face being opposite to one another along said axis of rotation of said first arm.

15. A method for the utilization of a craft around a planet, said craft comprising, a body, at least one pair of supporting arms, a first device mounted on a first supporting arm and a second device mounted on a second supporting arm, said first arm being rotatably mounted on said body about an axis of rotation, said second arm being fixed to said body, and at least one of said first device and second device is offset with respect to said axis of rotation of said first arm, wherein said pair of supporting arms comprises a hollow mounting module for rotatably mounting said first arm on said body, said mounting module comprising an opening through which said axis of rotation and said second supporting arm pass and comprising means for controlling a sun-synchronous rotation of said first arm about said axis of rotation, said first device being capable of being interposed between the sun and said second device throughout the orbit of the craft, so that said second device is at least partially in a shadow of said first device throughout the orbit of the craft the method comprising the following operations:
putting said craft into geostationary orbit around the planet;
putting said first device into an initial position in relation to said second device in which said first device receives rays of the sun, said second device being at least partially in a shadow of said first device;
utilizing means for controlling a sun-synchronous rotation of said first arm, said second device remaining in said shadow of said first device throughout the orbit around the planet.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Sas

Inventors

• Walker Andrew Nicholas

Classifications

• B64G1/66

  Arrangements or adaptations of apparatus or instruments, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B64G1/506

  Heat pipes · CPC title

• B64G1/007

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64G1/443 Primary

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title

• B64G1/24 Primary

  Guiding or controlling apparatus, e.g. for attitude control · CPC title