Modeling and analysis of deployment dynamics for a novel ring mechanism

With the development of satellite-communication and earth-observation technologies, the demands for large and light space-deployable antennas have become more and more urgent. In this paper, a deployable ring mechanism capable of supporting a large flexible cable net antenna reflector is presented. The mechanism is driven by torsion springs and controlled by cables. It is composed of multiple deployable modules and has a high deploy/fold ratio, therefore, it has good application prospects. To improve the reliability of the mechanism, a dynamic simulation must be conducted at the design stage to investigate the mechanical characteristics. First, a full kinematic model is established and the position, velocity, and acceleration of the mechanism are analyzed. Next, taking into account the influence of the flexible cable net, frictional damping and the torsion springs, the deployment dynamics of the mechanism are modeled by using a Lagrange׳s method. Finally, forward dynamics and inverse dynamics simulations are conducted to investigate the rules the governing system-energy variation, and the influence of viscous damping on the motion of the mechanism. A modified deployment motion planning method based on force-control is proposed, and the relationships between control force and motion are ascertained and verified by a prototype of the ring mechanism.