Watt Linkage–Based Legged Deployable Landing Mechanism for Reusable Launch Vehicle: Principle, Prototype Design, and Experimental Validation

The reusable launch vehicle (RLV) presents a new avenue for reducing cost of space transportation. The landing mechanism, which provides landing support and impact absorption, is a vital component of the RLV at final stage of recovery. This study proposes a novel legged deployable landing mechanism (LDLM) for RLV. The Watt-II six-bar mechanism is adopted to obtain the preferred configuration via the application of the linkage variation approach. To endow the proposed LDLM with advantages of large landing support region, lightweight, and reasonable linkage internal forces, a multi-objective optimization paradigm is developed. Furthermore, the optimal scale parameters for guiding the LDLM prototype design is obtained numerically using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) evolutionary algorithm. A fully-functional scaled RLV prototype is developed by integrating the gravity-governed deploying scheme to facilitate unfolding action to avoid full-range actuation, a dual-backup locking mechanism to enhance reliability of structure stiffening as fully deployed, and a shock absorber (SA) with multistage honeycomb to offer reliable shock absorbing performance. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LDLM is capable of providing rapid and smooth deployment (duration less than 1.5 s) with mild posture disturbance to the cabin (yaw and pitch fluctuations less than 6°). In addition, it provides satisfactory impact attenuation (acceleration peak less than 10g (g is the gravitational acceleration)) in the 0.2 m freefall test, which makes the proposed LDLM a potential alternative for developing future RLV archetype.

A Shape-Memory Deployable Subsystem with a Large Folding Ratio in China’s Tianwen-1 Mars Exploration Mission

Once China’s Tianwen-1 Mars probe arrived in a Mars orbit after a seven-month flight in the deep cold space environment,it would be urgently necessary to monitor its state and the surrounding environment.To address this issue,we developed a flexible deployable subsystem based on shape memory polymer composites(SMPC-FDS)with a large folding ratio,which incorporates a camera and two temperature telemetry points for monitoring the local state of the Mars orbiter and the deep space environment.Here,we report on the development,testing,and successful application of the SMPC-FDS.Before reaching its Mars remote-sensing orbit,the SMPC-FDS is designed to be in a folded state with high stiffness;after reaching orbit,it is in a deployed state with a large envelope.The transition from the folded state to the deployed state is achieved by electrically heating the shape memory polymer composites(SMPCs);during this process,the camera on the SMPC-FDS can capture the local state of the orbiter from multiple angles.Moreover,temperature telemetry points on the SMPC-FDS provide feedback on the environment temperature and the temperature change of the SMPCs during the energization process.By simulating a Mars on-orbit space environment,the engineering reliability of the SMPC-FDS was comprehensively verified in terms of the material properties,structural dynamic performance,and thermal vacuum deployment feasibility.Since the launch of Tianwen-1 on 23 July 2020,scientific data on the temperature environment around Tianwen-1 has been successfully acquired from the telemetry points on the SMPCFDS,and the local state of the orbiter has been photographed in orbit,showing the national flag of China fixed on the orbiter.

Configuration Synthesis and Lightweight Networking of Deployable Mechanism Based on a Novel Pyramid Module

Deployable mechanism with preferable deployable performance,strong expansibility,and lightweight has attracted much attention because of their potential in aerospace.A basic deployable pyramid unit with good deployability and expandability is proposed to construct a sizeable deployable mechanism.Firstly,the basic unit folding principle and expansion method is proposed.The configuration synthesis method of adding constraint chains of spatial closed-loop mechanism is used to synthesize the basic unit.Then,the degree of freedom of the basic unit is analyzed using the screw theory and the link dismantling method.Next,the three-dimensional models of the pyramid unit,expansion unit,and array unit are established,and the folding motion simulation analysis is carried out.Based on the number of components,weight reduction rate,and deployable rate,the performance characteristics of the three types of mechanisms are described in detail.Finally,prototypes of the pyramid unit,combination unit,and expansion unit are developed to verify further the correctness of the configuration synthesis based on the pyramid.The proposed deployable mechanism provides aference for the design and application of antennas with a large aperture,high deployable rate,and lightweight.It has a good application prospect in the aerospace field.

Design and dynamic analysis of a scissors hoop-rib truss deployable antenna mechanism

As the support mechanism of space-borne antennas,space deployable antenna mechanism belongs to complex multi-closed-loop coupling mechanism,configuration design and dynamic analysis are more difficult than general parallel mechanism.In this paper,an unequal-length scissors mechanism(ULSM)is proposed by changing the position of the internal rotational joint through a basic scissors mechanism.A scissors hoop-rib truss deployable antenna mechanism(SHRTDAM)is constructed by replacing the parabolic rib with the ULSM.Kinematic analysis of SHRTDAM is conducted,and the degree of freedom(DOF)of the whole antenna mechanism is analyzed based on screw theory,the result showed that it has only one DOF.Velocity and acceleration characteristics of SHRTDAM are obtained by the screw derivative and rotation transformation.Based on Lagrange equation,dynamic model of this mechanism is established,the torque required to drive the mechanism is simulated and verified by Adams and MATLAB software.In addition,a ground experiment prototype of 1.5-m diameter was fabricated and a deployment test is conducted,which demonstrated the mobility and deployment performance of the whole mechanism.The mechanism proposed in this paper can provide a good reference for the design and analysis of large aperture space deployable antennas.

An Optimization Approach of IoD Deployment for Optimal Coverage Based on Radio Frequency Model

Recently,Internet of Drones(IoD)has garnered significant attention due to its widespread applications.However,deploying IoD for area coverage poses numerous limitations and challenges.These include interference between neighboring drones,the need for directional antennas,and altitude restrictions for drones.These challenges necessitate the development of efficient solutions.This research paper presents a cooperative decision-making approach for an efficient IoDdeployment to address these challenges effectively.The primary objective of this study is to achieve an efficient IoDdeployment strategy thatmaximizes the coverage regionwhile minimizing interference between neighboring drones.In deployment problem,the interference increases as the number of deployed drones increases,resulting in bad quality of communication.On the other hand,deploying a few drones cannot satisfy the coverage demand.To accomplish this,an enhanced version of a concise population-based meta-heuristic algorithm,namely Improved Particle SwarmOptimization(IPSO),is applied.The objective function of IPSO is defined based on the coverage probability,which is primarily influenced by the characteristics of the antennas and drone altitude.A radio frequency(RF)model is derived to evaluate the coverage quality,considering both Line of Sight(LOS)and Non-Line of Sight(NLOS)down-link coverage probabilities for ground communication.It is assumed that each drone is equipped with a directional antenna to optimize coverage in a given region.Extensive simulations are conducted to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach.Results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves maximum coverage with minimum transmission power.Furthermore,a comparison is made against Collaborative Visual Area Coverage Approach(CVACA),and a game-based approach in terms of coverage quality and convergence speed.The simulation results reveal that our approach outperforms both CVACA and the gamebased schemes in terms of coverage and convergence speed.Comparisons validate the superiority of our approach over existing methods.To assess the robustness of the proposed RFmodel,we have considered two distinct ranges of noise:range1 spanning from−120 to−90 dBm,and range2 spanning from−90 to−70 dBmfor different numbers of UAVs.In summary,this research presents a cooperative decision-making approach for efficient IoD deployment to address the challenges associatedwith area coverage and achieves an optimal coveragewithminimal interference.

Full-domain collaborative deployment method of multiple interference sources and evaluation of its deployment effect

This paper realizes the full-domain collaborative deployment of multiple interference sources of the global satellite navigation system(GNSS)and evaluates the deployment effect to enhance the ability to disturb the attacker and the capability to defend the GNSS during navigation countermeasures.Key evaluation indicators for the jamming effect of GNSS suppressive and deceptive jamming sources are first created,their evaluation models are built,and their detection procedures are sorted out,as the basis for determining the deployment principles.The principles for collaboratively deploying multi-jamming sources are developed to obtain the deployment structures(including the required number,structures in demand,and corresponding positions)of three single interference sources required by collaboratively deploying.Accordingly,simulation and hardware-in-loop testing results are presented to determine a rational configuration of the collaborative deployment of multi-jamming sources in the set situation and further realize the full-domain deployment of an interference network from ground,air to space.Varied evaluation indices for the deployment effect are finally developed to evaluate the deployment effect of the proposed configuration and further verify its reliability and rationality.

Deployment of Edge Computing Nodes in IoT:Effective Implementation of Simulated Annealing Method Based on User Location

Edge computing paradigm for 5G architecture has been considered as one of the most effective ways to realize low latency and highly reliable communication,which brings computing tasks and network resources to the edge of network.The deployment of edge computing nodes is a key factor affecting the service performance of edge computing systems.In this paper,we propose a method for deploying edge computing nodes based on user location.Through the combination of Simulation of Urban Mobility(SUMO)and Network Simulator-3(NS-3),a simulation platform is built to generate data of hotspot areas in Io T scenario.By effectively using the data generated by the communication between users in Io T scenario,the location area of the user terminal can be obtained.On this basis,the deployment problem is expressed as a mixed integer linear problem,which can be solved by Simulated Annealing(SA)method.The analysis of the results shows that,compared with the traditional method,the proposed method has faster convergence speed and better performance.

Joint Optimization for on-Demand Deployment of UAVs and Spectrum Allocation in UAVs-Assisted Communication

To improve the efficiency and fairness of the spectrum allocation for ground communication assisted by unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),a joint optimization method for on-demand deployment and spectrum allocation of UAVs is proposed,which is modeled as a mixed-integer non-convex optimization problem(MINCOP).An algorithm to estimate the minimum number of required UAVs is firstly proposed based on the pre-estimation and simulated annealing.The MINCOP is then decomposed into three sub-problems based on the block coordinate descent method,including the spectrum allocation of UAVs,the association between UAVs and ground users,and the deployment of UAVs.Specifically,the optimal spectrum allocation is derived based on the interference mitigation and channel reuse.The association between UAVs and ground users is optimized based on local iterated optimization.A particle-based optimization algorithm is proposed to resolve the subproblem of the UAVs deployment.Simulation results show that the proposed method could effectively improve the minimum transmission rate of UAVs as well as user fairness of spectrum allocation.

A Combined Antenna Array Deployment with High Positioning Accuracy and Low Angular Measurement Error

In this paper,an antenna array composed of circular array and orthogonal linear array is proposed by using the design of long and short baseline“orthogonal linear array”and the circular array ambiguity resolution design of multi-group baseline clustering.The effectiveness of the antenna array in this paper is verified by sufficient simulation and experiment.After the system deviation correction work,it is found that in the L/S/C/X frequency bands,the ambiguity resolution probability is high,and the phase difference system error between each channel is basically the same.The angle measurement error is less than 0.5°,and the positioning error is less than 2.5 km.Notably,as the center frequency increases,calibration consistency improves,and the calibration frequency points become applicable over a wider frequency range.At a center frequency of 11.5 GHz,the calibration frequency point bandwidth extends to 1200 MHz.This combined antenna array deployment holds significant promise for a wide range of applications in contemporary wireless communication systems.

QoS-Constrained,Reliable and Energy-Efficient Task Deployment in Cloud Computing

Reliability,QoS and energy consumption are three important concerns of cloud service providers.Most of the current research on reliable task deployment in cloud computing focuses on only one or two of the three concerns.However,these three factors have intrinsic trade-off relationships.The existing studies show that load concentration can reduce the number of servers and hence save energy.In this paper,we deal with the problem of reliable task deployment in data centers,with the goal of minimizing the number of servers used in cloud data centers under the constraint that the job execution deadline can be met upon single server failure.We propose a QoS-Constrained,Reliable and Energy-efficient task replica deployment(QSRE)algorithm for the problem by combining task replication and re-execution.For each task in a job that cannot finish executing by re-execution within deadline,we initiate two replicas for the task:main task and task replica.Each main task runs on an individual server.The associated task replica is deployed on a backup server and completes part of the whole task load before the main task failure.Different from the main tasks,multiple task replicas can be allocated to the same backup server to reduce the energy consumption of cloud data centers by minimizing the number of servers required for running the task replicas.Specifically,QSRE assigns the task replicas with the longest and the shortest execution time to the backup servers in turn,such that the task replicas can meet the QoS-specified job execution deadline under the main task failure.We conduct experiments through simulations.The experimental results show that QSRE can effectively reduce the number of servers used,while ensuring the reliability and QoS of job execution.

Topology Structure Synthesis and Analysis of Spatial Pyramid Deployable Truss Structures for Satellite SAR Antenna

Many attentions for structural synthesis are paid to planar linkages and parallel mechanisms, while design novel pyramid deployable truss structure（PDTS） of satellite SAR mainly depends on experience of designer. To design novel configuration of PDTS, a two-step topology structure synthesis and analysis approach is proposed. Firstly, a conceptual configuration of PDTS is synthesized. Weighted graph and weighted adjacency matrix are established to realize topological description for PDTS. Graph properties are then summarized to distinguish differentia between PDTS and other type structures. According to graph properties, a procedure for synthesis conceptual configuration of PDTS is presented. Secondly, join relationship of components in a PDTS is analyzed. Kinematic chain and corresponding incidence/adjacency matrix are employed to analyze join relationship of PDTS. Properties and simplified rules of kinematic chain are extracted to construct kinematic chain. A procedure for construction kinematic chain of PDTS is then established. Finally, with this two-step approach all 11 rectangular pyramid deployable structures whose folded state is planar are discovered and their kinematic chains are constructed. Based on synthesis results, a novel deployable support structure for satellite SAR is designed. The proposed research can be applied to obtain some novel PDTSs, which is of great importance to design some novel deployable support structures for satellite SAR antenna.

Effects of Joint on Dynamics of Space Deployable Structure

Joints are necessary components in large space deployable truss structures which have significant effects on dynamic behavior of these joint dominated structures.Previous researches usually analyzed effects of one or fewer joint characters on dynamics of jointed structures.Effects of joint stiffness,damping,location,number,clearance and contact stiffness on dynamics of jointed structures are systematically analyzed.Cantilever beam model containing linear joints is developed based on finite element method,influence of joint on natural frequencies and mode shapes of the jointed system are analyzed.Analytical results show that frequencies of jointed system decrease dramatically when peak mode shapes occur at joint locations,and there are cusp shapes present in mode shapes.System frequencies increase with joint damping increasing,there are different joint damping to achieve maximum system damping for different joint stiffness.Joint nonlinear force-displacement is described by describing function method,one-DOF model containing nonlinear joints is established to analyze joints freeplay and hysteresis nonlinearities.Analysis results show that nonlinear effects of freeplay and hysteresis make dynamic responses switch from one resonance frequency to another frequency when amplitude exceed demarcation values.Joint contact stiffness determine degree of system nonlinearity,while exciting force level,clearance and slipping force affect amplitude of dynamic response.Dynamic responses of joint dominated deployable truss structure under different sinusoidal exciting force levels are tested.The test results show obvious nonlinear behaviors contributed by joints,dynamic response shifts to lower frequency and higher amplitude as exciting force increasing.The test results are further compared with analytical results,and joint nonlinearity tested is coincident with hysteresis nonlinearity.Analysis method of joint effects on dynamic characteristics of jointed system is proposed,which can be used in optimal design of joint parameters to achieve optimum dynamic performance of jointed system.

TRACTIVE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ON RADIALLY DEPLOYABLE WHEEL CONFIGURATION OF LUNAR ROVER VEHICLE BY DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD

With the consideration of volume constraint of launch vehicle and trafficability of rover vehicle on lunar regolith terrain, a new design of radially deployable wheel is presented. For the purpose of achieving the meso-mechanics and dynamical behavior of lunar soil particles as well as macro-parameters of tractive performance for radially deployable wheel, the interaction between two types of wheel configurations and lunar soil particles is analyzed by means of discrete element method. The network of contact forces, the displacement vector chart, and the deformation of lunar soil beneath wheels are plotted. The equations of soil thrust, motion resistance, drawbar pull and driven torque are derived in granular scale based on the coordinates transformation and algebraic summation. The calculated results show that there is sufficient traction for both 6-split and 12-split radially deployable wheels with 304 mm outspread diameter to negotiate lunar regolith terrain specified here; the value of drawbar pull enhances with the increase of split number of radially deployable wheel, however, the required driven torque increases simultaneously, therefore, the tractive efficiency decreases.

Novel Surface Design of Deployable Reflector Antenna Based on Polar Scissor Structures

Space-deployable mechanisms can be used as supporting structures for large-diameter antennas in space engineering.This study proposes a novel method for constructing the surface design of space reflector antennas based on polar scissor units.The concurrency and deployability equations of the space scissor unit with definite surface constraints are derived using the rod and vector methods.Constraint equations of the spatial transformation for space n-edge polar scissor units are summarized.A new closed-loop deployable structure,called the polar scissor deployable antenna(PSDA),is designed by combining planar polar scissor units with spatial polar scissor units.The overconstrained problem is solved by releasing the curve constraint that locates at the end-point of the planar scissor mechanism.Kinematics simulation and error analysis are performed.The results show that the PSDA can effectively fit the paraboloid of revolution.Finally,deployment experiments verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed design method,which provides a new idea for the construction of large space-reflector antennas.

Recent Advances in Space-Deployable Structures in China

Deployable space structure technology is an approach used in building spacecraft,especially when realizing deployment and folding functions.Once in orbit,the structures are released from the fairing,deployed,and positioned.With the development of communication,remote-sensing,and navigation satellites,space-deployable structures have become cutting-edge research topics in space science and technology.This paper summarizes the current research status and development trend of spacedeployable structures in China,including large space mesh antennas,space solar arrays,and deployable structures and mechanisms for deep-space exploration.Critical technologies of space-deployable structures are addressed from the perspectives of deployable mechanisms,cable-membrane form-finding,dynamic analysis,reliable environmental adaptability analysis,and validation.Finally,future technology developments and trends are elucidated in the fields of mesh antennas,solar arrays,deployable mechanisms,and on-orbit adjustment,assembly,and construction.

Design of Self‑Reconfigurable Multiarm Robot Mechanism Based on Deployable Kinematic Chains

As the structures of multiarm robots are serially arranged,the packaging and transportation of these robots are often inconvenient.The ability of these robots to operate objects must also be improved.Addressing this issue,this paper presents a type of multiarm robot that can be adequately folded into a designed area.The robot can achieve different operation modes by combining different arms and objects.First,deployable kinematic chains(DKCs)are designed,which can be folded into a designated area and be used as an arm structure in the multiarm robot mechanism.The strategy of a platform for storing DKCs is proposed.Based on the restrictions in the storage area and the characteristics of parallel mechanisms,a class of DKCs,called base assembly library,is obtained.Subsequently,an assembly method for the synthesis of the multiarm robot mechanism is proposed,which can be formed by the connection of a multiarm robot mechanism with an operation object based on a parallel mechanism structure.The formed parallel mechanism can achieve a reconfigurable characteristic when different DKCs connect to the operation object.Using this method,two types of multiarm robot mechanisms with four DKCs that can switch operation modes to perform different tasks through autonomous combination and release operation is proposed.The obtained mechanisms have observable advantages when compared with the traditional mechanisms,including optimizing the occupied volume during transportation and using parallel mechanism theory to analyze the switching of operation modes.

Static analysis of synchronism deployable antenna

A 3D synchronism deployable antenna was designed, analyzed, and manufactured by our research group. This an-tenna consists of tetrahedral elements from central element. Because there are springs at the ends of some of the rods, spider joints are applied. For analysis purpose, the structure is simplified and modelled by using 2D beam elements that have no bending stiffness. Displacement vectors are defined to include two translational displacements and one torsional displacement. The stiff-ness matrix derived by this method is relatively simple and well defined. The analysis results generated by using software de-veloped by our research group agreed very well with available test data.

SDICN: A Software Defined Deployable Framework of Information Centric Networking

the Information-Centric Networking(ICN) paradigm is proved to have the advantages of decreasing data delivery latency, enhancing user mobility, etc. However, current implementations of ICN require changing the infrastructure of Internet, which hinders its deployment and development. Meanwhile, Software Defined Networking(SDN) emerges as a viable solution to facilitate the deployment of new network paradigm without disrupting production traffic by decoupling the control plane from data forwarding plane. In this paper, the essential properties which reflect ICN working principles are summarized, and a framework called SDICN is designed in accordance to the SDN philosophy. The algorithmic frameworks of SDICN which can satisfy the essential properties are designed based on the programmability and virtualization functions of SDN. Based on Open Flow and data center technology, a prototype of SDICN is implemented. By comparing the performance with the CCNx, the SDICN is proved to be feasibility and availability.

Dynamic analysis of a deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam

Deployable/retractable damped cantilever beams are a class of time-varying parametric structures which have attracted considerable research interest due to their many potential applications in the intelligent robot field and aerospace.In the present work,the dynamic characteristics of a deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam are investigated experimentally and theoretically.The time-varying damping,as a function of the beam length,is obtained by both the enveloped fitting method and the period decrement method.Furthermore,the governing equation of the deployable/retractable damped cantilever beam is derived by introducing the time-varying damping parameter,and the corresponding closed-form solution and vibration principles are investigated based on the averaged method.The theoretical predictions for transient dynamic responses are in good agreement with the experimental results.The dynamic mechanism analysis on time-varying damping offers flexible technology in mechanical and aerospace fields.

A Method for the Configuration Design of a Space Truss Deployable Mechanism and Its Application

A method based on the metamorphic principle is proposed for the analysis of the configuration design of a space truss deployable mechanism. The configuration change and correspondent topological graphs and adjacency matrixes at different work-stage of the mechanism, which is helpful to completely understand the composition and change rules of the metamorphic mechanism, are analyzed to indicate the metamorphic relationship in one working cycle. Furthermore, the static distance matrix, dynamic distance matrix and stiffness matrix of the mechanism are derived to assess the ability of the designed configuration to reveal some of the topological characteristics like compactness, dynamic sensitivity and stiffness. Using this proposed method in a space truss deployable mechanism helps the designer to evaluate its performance at the conceptual stage of design and make a rapid, reasonable selection for configuration design, which provides means for processing its type of analysis by computer.