Design and Kinematics Analysis of Solid Surface Deployable Antenna Deployment Mechanism Based on Bennett Linkages

Aiming at the problems of poor synchronicity and low reliability caused by the independent folding principle of traditional solid surface deployable antenna (SSDA), a new structure based on Bennett mechanism was designed and analyzed in this paper. Firstly, the equivalent transformation principle of the SSDA deploying along two orthogonal axes and a single axis were proposed. The rotation axis, angle and anchor point were determined using Axis-angle method. A parallel deployable mechanism was established by connecting each petal with a synchronous wheel whose axis passes through the focal point of SSDA, which significantly improve the deployment synchronization and system reliability. Based on the Bennett mechanism, a kinematics model of a 10m diameter SSDA was established. The analysis results showed that the deployment process is stable and reliable, which verifies the feasibility of the new designed scheme.