Deployable booms
AssigneeAstrium GmbH
InventorsRaymond John Brooks, Trevor Charles Baker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An articulated boom comprises a support arm with a plurality of hingedly-connected joints. The arm is adapted and arranged to carry an antenna reflector so that in use, the reflector can move between a first stowed position in which the reflector is in folded condition and a second deployed position in which the reflector is in deployed condition. A spacecraft incorporates into one or more of its sides a plurality of such articulated booms. The support arms of the booms can be advantageously positioned at the circumference of the associated reflectors when in a stowed position, so as to allow the reflectors to be neatly stacked together within a space defined by the launch vehicle fairing.
Claims18
An articulated boom for a space based antenna reflector system having an antenna reflector supported on said boom;
- wherein:
- said boom comprises a support arm having at least three hinged joints;
- said support arm is adapted and arranged to carry the antenna reflector so that in use, the antenna reflector can move between a first, stowed, position in which the reflector is nested within a predetermined volume of a spacecraft;
- and a second, deployed, position in which the reflector is deployed in space outside said predetermined volume;
- said support arm includes a dog-leg portion located between two of said hinged joints, that permits stowage of said antenna reflector in said stowed position;
- and
- said dog-leg portion is configured and positioned such that said dog-leg portion extends at least partially along a circumference of the antenna reflector when said antenna reflector is in said stowed position.
A spacecraft having an antenna reflector supported on a boom;
- wherein;
- said boom comprises a support arm having at least three hinged joints;
- said support arm is adapted and arranged to carry the antenna reflector so that in use, the antenna reflector can move between a first, stowed, position in which the reflector is nested within a predetermined volume of the spacecraft;
- and a second, deployed, position in which the reflector is deployed in space outside said predetermined volume;
- said support arm includes a dog-leg portion located between two of said hinged joints, that permits stowage of said antenna reflector in said stowed position;
- and
- said dog-leg portion is configured and positioned such that said dog-leg portion extends at least partially along a circumference of the antenna reflector when said antenna reflector is in said stowed position.
An articulated boom for a space based antenna reflector system having an antenna reflector supported on said boom, said boom comprising:
- a first hinged joint for connecting a first end of said boom to a wall of a spacecraft;
- a second hinged joint for connecting a second end of said boom to said antenna reflector;
- and
- a third hinged joint which connects a first portion of said boom to a second portion of said boom at a point intermediate said first and second ends of said boom;
- wherein
- said boom is adapted and arranged to carry the antenna reflector so that in use, the antenna reflector can move between a first, stowed, position in which the reflector is nested within a predetermined volume of said spacecraft;
- and a second, deployed, position in which the reflector is deployed in space outside said predetermined volume;
- one of said first and second portions of said boom includes a dog-leg portion that permits stowage of said antenna reflector in said stowed position;
- and
- said dog-leg portion is configured and positioned such that, when said reflector is in said stowed position, said dog-leg portion is disposed in a plane adjacent one side of said antenna reflector, and extends in said plane at least partially along a circumference of the antenna reflector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.