Thick-panel origami-inspired deployable pyramids

For specific satellites, it’s undesirable to be detected by other entities during mission execution. The Radar-Cross-Section (RCS) of pyramidal configurations is remarkably low, implying that they are difficult to be detected by radar, which suggests deployable pyramids of great potential for satellite applications. This article introduces two versatile methods for folding pyramids using thick-panel origami. The first approach emphasizes the addition of auxiliary panels to enhance the connection between adjacent slanted panels, enabling single-degree-of-freedom motion. With the inclusion of auxiliary panels, each corner unit comprises five components, resembling the construction of the Myard mechanism. The unfolding processes of multiple pyramids are demonstrated, along with the potential application of a reconfigurable spacecraft. The second method involves modifying the slanted panels and combining two mirrored slanted panels into one basic unit. Connecting the ends of multiple basic units enables the folding of pyramids. The degrees of freedom of quadrangular pyramids, hexagonal pyramids, and octagonal pyramids at non-singular points are solved to be one, one, and two, respectively. Furthermore, analytical solutions for the motion equations of the three cases are derived, and their complete motion processes are demonstrated. Finally, a potential application case of the second proposed scheme is presented.