Extended angular range flexural pivot

• US 5,265,853 A
• Filed: 03/12/1992
• Issued: 11/30/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MacDonald Dettwiler Space and Advanced Robotics Ltd. (Galileo Parent, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SPAR Aerospace Ltd. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Szirtes, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberleitner, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Young, Lee W.
• Application Number:
  US07/850,319
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 267/150, 267/160, 267/182, 267/154, 16/365, 16/227, 403/220, 403/291, 403/121, 244/173, 244/131, 244/137.4
• US Class Current: 267/160
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/641 Interstage or payload connectors docking systems B64G1/646
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/645 Separators
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/12 incorporating flexible connections, e.g. leaf springs
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/47 Cosmonautic vehicles, i.e. bearings adapted for use in outer-space
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 1/18 Leaf springs planar springs in general F16F1/027; "Belleville"-type springs with generally radial arms F16F1/324
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/54 Flexible member is joint component

Abstract

A spring hinge between panels of a satellite panel array comprises a plurality of serially joined known flexural pivots of the type having two cylindrical members with tongues from each extending into the other joined by a flat spring. One panel has an abutment for limiting the rotation of the next panel with respect thereto such that the spring hinge remains partially stressed when the panels are deployed. In another embodiment, two pluralities of serially joined pivots act in parallel.

Claims

1. A pivot assembly comprising a plurality of pivots, each pivot comprising a first member, a second member separate from said first member, and a resilient interconnection interconnecting said first member and said second member for permitting flexing of said first member with respect to said second member along a flexing axis passing through said first member and said second member, said plurality of pivots serially joined with said first member of a given pivot, other than a pivot at one end of said plurality of pivots, joined to said second member of a next adjacent pivot such that their flexing axes are substantially coincident, said first member of said pivot at said one end for joining to a first part, said second member of a pivot at an opposite end of said plurality of pivots for joining to a second part, said first member and said second member of each pivot of said plurality of pivots, other than said first member of said pivot at said one end and said second member of said pivot at said opposite end, for being free from interconnections to said first part and said second part whereby the flexural freedom of said first member of said pivot at said one end with respect to said second member of said pivot at said opposite end is greater than the flexural freedom of a first member with respect to a second member of any given one of said plurality of pivots.

2. The pivot assembly of claim 1 wherein, for each pivot, said first member has a tongue disposed about said flexing axis protruding into said second member and said second member has a tongue disposed about said flexing axis protruding into said first member.

3. The pivot assembly of claim 2 wherein said resilient interconnection of each pivot comprises two separate flat springs positioned at right angles to each other and crossing said flexing axis.

4. The pivot assembly of claim 3 wherein each pivot further comprises abutment means on at least one of said first member and said second member for limiting flexing of said pivot in either sense about said flexing axis.

5. A spring hinge comprising a first plurality of pivots and a second plurality of pivots, each pivot comprising a first member, a second member separate from said first member, and a resilient interconnection interconnecting said first member and said second member for permitting flexing of said first member with respect to said second member along a flexing axis passing through said first member and said second member, said first plurality of pivots serially joined with the first member of a given pivot, other than a pivot extending from a first end of said first plurality of pivots, joined to the second member of a next adjacent pivot such that their flexing axes are substantially coincident and said second plurality of pivots serially joined with the first member of a given pivot, other than a pivot extending from a first end of said second plurality of pivots, joined to the second member of a next adjacent pivot such that their flexing axes are substantially coincident, said first and second plurality of pivots having a substantially common axis comprising said substantially common flexing axes of said first plurality of pivots and said substantially common flexing axes of said second plurality of pivots such that said first end of said first plurality of pivots and said first end of said second plurality of pivots are opposed, a first part joined to said first member of said pivot extending from said first end of said first plurality of pivots and to said first member of said pivot extending from said first end of said second plurality of pivots, and a second part joined to said second member of a pivot of said first plurality of pivots extending from a second end of said first plurality of pivots and to said second member of a pivot of said second plurality of pivots extending from a second end of said second plurality of pivots, said first member and said second member of each of said first plurality of pivots and said second plurality of pivots, other than said first member of said pivot at said first end of said first plurality of pivots, said first member of said pivot at said first end of said second plurality of pivots, said second member of said pivot at said second end of said first plurality of pivots, and said second member of said pivot at said second end of said second plurality of pivots, being free from interconnections to said first part and said second part.

6. The spring hinge of claim 5 including abutment means extending from said first part for abutting said second part to limit the rotation of said second part with respect to said first part to a position whereat the pivots of said first and second plurality of pivots remain partially stressed.

7. The spring hinge of claim 6 including latch means for latching said first and second parts in a position whereat said second part is not in abutment with said abutment means.

8. The spring hinge of claim 7 wherein, for each pivot, said first member has a tongue disposed about said flexing axis protruding into said second member and said second member has a tongue disposed about said flexing axis protruding into said first member.

9. The spring hinge of claim 8 wherein said resilient interconnection of each pivot comprises two separate flat springs positioned at right angles to each other and crossing said flexing axis.

10. The spring hinge of claim 9 wherein each pivot further comprises abutment means on at least one of said first member and said second member for limiting flexing of said pivot in either sense about said flexing axis.

11. A spring hinge comprising a first plurality of pivots and a second plurality of pivots, each pivot being of the type comprising a base cylindrical member and end cylindrical member means co-axial with said base cylindrical member, tongue means of said end cylindrical member means extending into said base cylindrical member and tongue means of said base cylindrical member extending into said end cylindrical member means, at resilient interconnection interconnecting said end cylindrical member means with said base cylindrical member for permitting flexing of said end cylindrical member means with respect to said base cylindrical member about a flexing axis which is the common axis of said end cylindrical member means and said base cylindrical member,

in said first plurality of pivots and in said second plurality of pivots, the base cylindrical member of one pivot, other than a pivot at one end of said first plurality of pivots and at one end of said second plurlaty of pivots, being joined to the end cylindrical member means of a next adjacent pivot such that the flexing axes of said one pivot and said next adjacent pivot are substantially coincident,

a first part joining the base cylindrical member of said pivot at said one end of said first plurality of pivots to the base cylindrical member of said pivot at said one end of said second plurality of pivots so that said first and second plurality of pivots have a substantially common axis comprising said flexing axes, a second part joining an end cylindrical member means of a pivot at an opposite end of said first plurality of pivots and an end cylindrical member means of a pivot at an opposite end of said second plulrality of pivots, all remaining base cylindrical members and end cylindrical member means of said first plurality of pivots and said second plurality of pivots being free from interconnections to said first part and said second part.

12. The spring hinge of claim 11 including abutment means extending from said first part for abutting said second part to limit the rotation of said second part with respect to said first part to a position whereat the pivots of said first and second plurality of pivots remain partially stressed.

13. The spring hinge of claim 12 including latch means for latching said first and second parts in a position whereat said second part is not in abutment with said abutment means.

14. The spring hinge of claim 13 wherein the end cylindrical member means of each pivot comprises two cylindrical end members, one spaced from each end of said base cylindrical member and wherein the means to join the base cylindrical member of one pivot to the end cylindrical member means of the adjacent pivot comprises an E-shaped sleeve having three coaxial cylindrical portions joined by a spine, one cylindrical portion of the E-shaped sleeve surrounding said base cylindrical member of one pivot and the remaining cylindrical portions of the E-shaped sleeve surrounding both cylindrical end members of the next pivot.

15. The pivot assembly of claim 14 wherein each pivot further comprises abutment means on said base cylindrical member and said end cylindrical member means for limiting flexing of said pivot in either sense about said flexing axis.