FLEX-DRIVE HINGE ACTUATOR

• US 20170030441A1
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: IRWIN, BRENDAN J. D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,970,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/222 for deploying structures between a stowed and deployed state
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/02 with one pin
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/04 engaging three or more parts, e.g. sleeves, movable relatively to one another for connecting two or more wings to another member
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 5/04 Flat flaps
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/619 using flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/627 operated by flexible elongated pulling elements, e.g. belts, chains or cables using flexible elongated push-pull mechanisms E05F15/619
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/724 Flexible
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/41 Concealed
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/502 for aircraft or spacecraft
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 13/20 stiff; Push-pull chains
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 19/0636 the flexible member being a non-buckling chain

Abstract

A flex-drive actuator for a satellite boom hinge or other hinge applications. Using a motor-driven cog and a unique drive chain, the hinge can be reversibly driven between open and closed positions, thereby deploying or stowing the boom and attached payload. The chain includes links designed so that, when bent in one direction, the chain pre-buckles into a rigid circular arc form that matches the deployment path of the hinge. This pre-buckling essentially converts the chain into a rigid gear segment that can carry a moment to actuate the hinge. As the cog retracts the chain and the hinge closes, the circular shape of the chain de-buckles on the free side of the cog, where the chain can be stored as a straight section inside of a boom tube or folded into a magazine. The flex-drive actuator can accommodate any desired actuation angle by addition of links to the chain.

Claims

1. A hinge actuator for actuating a hinge, said hinge including a first hinge body and a second hinge body connected by a hinge pin, said hinge actuator comprising:

a cog mounting cartridge fixed to the first hinge body;

a drive motor mounted to the cog mounting cartridge or to the first hinge body;

a drive cog pivotably mounted to the cog mounting cartridge and coupled to an output shaft of the drive motor, where a pivot axis of the drive cog is parallel to a pivot axis of the hinge pin, and where rotation of the output shaft of the drive motor causes rotation of the drive cog;

a terminal mounting bracket fixed to the second hinge body; and

a drive chain comprising a plurality of links interconnected by pivot pins at each end, said pivot pins having a pivot axis which is parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge pin, and the links also include an abutment surface at each end where adjacent links make compressive contact,

where a link at a first end of the drive chain is pivotably attached to the terminal mounting bracket on the second hinge body, a second end of the drive chain is not attached to anything, and the drive chain passes through a channel in the cog mounting cartridge where the drive cog engages with the pivot pins on the links of the drive chain, and a rotation of the drive cog translates the drive chain and causes the hinge to open or close,

and where the pivot pins and the abutment surfaces are positioned on each of the links to cause the drive chain to form a rigid circular arc shape which matches a motion of the second hinge body relative to the first hinge body.

2. The hinge actuator of claim 1 further comprising one or more drive pins in each of the links of the drive chain, where the drive cog engages with the pivot pins and with the drive pins.

3. The hinge actuator of claim 2 wherein each of the links of the drive chain includes two of the pivot pins, and three or fewer of the drive pins.

4. The hinge actuator of claim 3 wherein the pivot pins and the drive pins are equally spaced along a length of the links.

5. The hinge actuator of claim 1 wherein the channel in the cog mounting cartridge is configured to guide the drive chain into engagement with the drove cog in an orientation which is substantially perpendicular to the first hinge body, and the channel further supports the drive chain laterally and radially relative to the drive cog.

6. The hinge actuator of claim 1 wherein the links are configured with the pivot pins at a location which is further from the hinge pin than the abutment surfaces are from the hinge pin.

7. The hinge actuator of claim 1 wherein the hinge actuator is configured such that the drive chain is positioned between the drive cog and the hinge pin.

8. The hinge actuator of claim 1 further comprising a latching device to secure the hinge in a closed position.

9. The hinge actuator of claim 8 wherein the latching device applies a force or torque to the drive cog which creates residual tension in the drive chain when the hinge is in the closed position.

10. The hinge actuator of claim 1 wherein the hinge is used on a communications satellite to connect a boom to a body of the satellite, or to connect a first boom section to a second boom section on the satellite.

11. A self-actuated satellite boom hinge, said boom hinge comprising:

a first hinge body fixed to a first section of a deployable boom;

a second hinge body connected to the first hinge body by a hinge pin, said second hinge body being fixed to a body of a communications satellite or to a second section of a deployable boom;

a cog mounting cartridge fixed to the first hinge body;

a drive motor mounted to the cog mounting cartridge or to the first hinge body;

a drive cog pivotably mounted to the cog mounting cartridge and coupled to an output shaft of the drive motor, where a pivot axis of the drive cog is parallel to a pivot axis of the hinge pin, and where rotation of the output shaft of the drive motor causes rotation of the drive cog;

a terminal mounting bracket fixed to the second hinge body; and

a drive chain comprising a plurality of links interconnected by pivot pins at each end, said pivot pins having a pivot axis which is parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge pin, and the links also include an abutment surface at each end where adjacent links make compressive contact,

where a link at a first end of the drive chain is pivotably attached to the terminal mounting bracket on the second hinge body, a second end of the drive chain is not attached to anything, and the drive chain passes through a channel in the cog mounting cartridge where the drive cog engages with the pivot pins on the links of the drive chain, and a rotation of the drive cog translates the drive chain and causes the boom hinge to open or close,

and where the pivot pins and the abutment surfaces are positioned on each of the links to cause the drive chain to form a rigid circular arc shape which matches a motion of the second hinge body relative to the first hinge body.

12. The boom hinge of claim 11 wherein the deployable boom and an attached payload are deployed when the boom hinge closes, and the deployable boom and the attached payload are stowed when the boom hinge opens.

13. The boom hinge of claim 11 further comprising a latching device to secure the boom hinge in a closed position.

14. The boom hinge of claim 13 wherein the latching device applies a force or torque to the drive cog which creates residual tension in the drive chain when the boom hinge is in the closed position.

15. The boom hinge of claim 11 further comprising one or more drive pins in each of the links of the drive chain, where the drive cog engages with the pivot pins and with the drive pins, and where the pivot pins and the drive pins are equally spaced along a length of the links.

16. The boom hinge of claim 11 wherein the channel in the cog mounting cartridge is configured to guide the drive chain into engagement with the drove cog in an orientation which is substantially perpendicular to the first hinge body, and the channel further supports the drive chain laterally and radially relative to the drive cog.

17. The boom hinge of claim 11 wherein the links are configured with the pivot pins at a location which is further from the hinge pin than the abutment surfaces are from the hinge pin, and the boom hinge is configured such that the drive chain is positioned between the drive cog and the hinge pin.

18. A flex-drive hinge actuator comprising a drive cog and a drive chain, where the drive chain buckles into a rigid circular arc shape that matches a path of two halves of a hinge, where the drive chain includes a plurality of links interconnected by pivot pins which are offset from a centerline of each of the links, the links also include an abutment surface at each end, and the pivot pins and the abutment surfaces are positioned on each of the links to cause the drive chain to form the circular arc shape when driven by the drive cog.

19. The flex-drive hinge actuator of claim 18 wherein the links are configured with the pivot pins at a location which is further from a hinge pin of the hinge than the abutment surfaces are from the hinge pin.

20. The flex-drive hinge actuator of claim 19 wherein the hinge actuator is configured such that the drive chain is positioned between the drive cog and the hinge pin.