Deployment mechanism with integral actuation device
AssigneeMaxar Space LLC
InventorsJillian Gorsuch, Gregory Dudder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus includes an integral, additively manufactured, actuation device having a rigid portion comprising a shaped structural member and a flexible portion comprising a helical torsion spring. In a spacecraft application, a spacecraft appendage may be coupled with a deployment mechanism, the deployment mechanism including at least one integral, additively manufactured, actuation device having a rigid portion comprising a shaped structural member and a flexible portion comprising a helical torsion spring.
Claims20
An actuation apparatus, comprising:
- a first tube;
- a first helical torsion spring connected at a first end to the first tube, the first helical torsion spring wraps around the first tube, the first helical torsion spring and the first tube together are a first integral and additively manufactured structure;
- and
- a first coupling attached to the first helical torsion spring.
A spacecraft deployment apparatus configured to deploy an appendage of a spacecraft, the apparatus comprising:
- a first shaped structural member;
- and
- a first spring connected to the first shaped structural member, the first spring wraps around the first shaped structural member, the first spring and the first shaped structural member together are an integral and additively manufactured structure;
- and
- a coupling attached to the first spring and configured to attach to the appendage of the spacecraft.
A spacecraft, comprising:
- a spacecraft appendage;
- and
- a deployment mechanism comprising:
- a first shaped structural member,
- a first spring connected to the first shaped structural member, the first spring wraps around the first shaped structural member, the first spring and the first shaped structural member together are an integral and additively manufactured structure, and
- a first coupling attached to the first spring and the spacecraft appendage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.