JP2013226886A - Article holding and separating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform control to reduce dispersion in a releasing direction, while preventing a separated and released cover member from colliding with peripheral equipment, and to reduce the size and weight of a holding and separating device.SOLUTION: A holding and separating device includes: a storage case 2 for storing an article 9; a cover member 3 for covering an opening; first biasing means for applying biasing force to the article 9 to separate and release the article 9 from the storage case 2; second biasing means for applying biasing force in a direction in which an end of the cover member 3 is separated from the storage case 2; a rotary hinge mechanism which is disposed at an opposite position facing a position where the second biasing means is disposed, connects the storage case 2 and the cover member 3, and is relatively rotated; and a coupling holding/releasing mechanism which is disposed at an opposite position facing the rotary hinge mechanism, couples and holds the storage case 2 and the cover member 3, and releases the coupling. The rotary hinge mechanism releases restraining of the cover member 3 and the storage case 2 when a cover member 3 is rotated at a prescribed angle around a rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism.

Description

  The present invention relates to a holding / separating device for holding and separating an article that cannot be directly restrained by a spacecraft such as an artificial satellite, a spacecraft, or a landing aircraft. In particular, the present invention relates to a holding / separating device that can reduce the dispersion in the separating direction of the separated body (article).

  For example, as a conventional technology, one or more items that cannot be bound directly to the spacecraft are housed inside the protective case, and the protective case is coupled to the spacecraft, and the protective case is separated from the spacecraft with only one pyrotechnic. In addition, there has been proposed an article holding / separating device capable of separating one or a plurality of articles from a protective case at a predetermined speed. (See Patent Document 1)

  In this holding / separating device, there is an opening that is connected to the spacecraft and has a size that allows an article that cannot be directly restrained to the spacecraft to be taken in and out, and the article is accommodated in the accommodation case. A cover member that covers the opening in the state, a first biasing unit that applies a biasing force to the article in a direction in which the article is separated from the storage case in a state where the article is stored in the storage case, and the cover member in the storage case A second urging means for applying an urging force to the cover member in the direction of separating the cover member, an urging force applied to the article by the first urging means in order to maintain a state where the cover member covers the opening, (2) a coupling means for coupling the cover member and the housing case against a biasing force applied to the cover member by the biasing means, and a single releasing means for releasing the coupling of the cover member and the housing case by the coupling means. Configuration with You have me.

  The biasing force applied to the cover member by the second biasing means is greater than the biasing force applied to the article by the first biasing means, the coupling means is a wire, and one end of the wire is connected to one of the cover members. By fixing the middle part through the outside of the housing case to the opposite side of the opening, and fixing the other end of the wire to the other side of the cover member, the coupling between the cover member and the housing case is maintained, A first rotating member that is rotatably fixed to one side of the cover member, and a second rotating member that is rotatably fixed to the other side of the cover member are further provided.

  Further, one end of the wire is connected to the first rotating member, and the other end of the wire is connected to the second rotating member, so that when the wire is cut by the releasing means, the first rotating member is caused by the tension energy of the wire. And the second rotating member rotates.

JP 2006-168385 A

  However, such a conventional holding / separating apparatus has the following problems.

  (1) The housing case and the cover member are fitted together, and the second urging means for applying a biasing force to the cover member is attached to both sides of the housing case, and the cover member is pushed and released from both sides. It was a structure. Further, since the wire holding the cover member is extended and fixed from both sides of the housing case to the rear part, variation in the force of the second urging means attached to both sides, variation in the tension of the wire stretched on both sides Due to the mounting position error of the second urging means, it is difficult to determine the direction in which the cover member is separated and released in a specific direction, in other words, the discharge direction is dispersed so that the cover member does not collide with surrounding equipment. There was a problem that it was difficult to control to be small.

  (2) Further, in this method, since the cover member and the article are structured to release in the same direction, even if the cover member released separately is moved first, the article is an exploration robot such as an asteroid. There is a problem that the article may collide with a cover member separated and released near the surface of an asteroid or the like.

  (3) Further, when the surface of an asteroid or the like is reached, there is a problem that it is difficult to distinguish between the separated cover member and the article because they reach a close position.

  (4) Further, in this method, the wires on both sides holding the cover member are long because they are connected to the back surface of the housing case, and when the wire is cut by the release means (pyrotechnics), Since the tension of the long wire is released, the cut wire spreads widely on both sides, and there is a possibility of colliding with peripheral equipment or the like at high speed. For this reason, the wire protection part which restrict | limits the breadth of the cut | disconnected wire is needed, and there existed a problem of inhibiting size reduction and weight reduction of an apparatus.

  (5) Further, in this method, since the wire length is long, the amount of elongation due to the tension applied to the wire is large, and the fluctuation of the wire length due to temperature change is also large. Furthermore, since the wire is rotated and fixed to both sides of the housing case in order to hold the cover member, there is a possibility that the tension of the wires on both sides may vary, and tension accuracy for fixing the cover member to the housing case is improved. There was a problem in controlling.

  That is, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and controls and holds so that the dispersion in the discharge direction is reduced so that the cover member to be separated and released does not collide with peripheral equipment. The main object is to reduce the size and weight of the separator.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the invention according to the first aspect,
In a holding / separating device for an article that can be held on an artificial satellite or spacecraft and can be separated from the artificial satellite or spacecraft.
An opening having a size that allows the article to be taken in and out, a housing case that houses the article, a cover member that covers the opening in a state where the article is housed in the housing case, and an article disposed in the housing case In the state where the first urging means for applying an urging force to the article to separate and release the container from the storage case toward the central axis direction of the storage case and the wall surface in the vicinity of the opening of the storage case and the cover member is mounted, A second urging means for applying an urging force in a direction in which one end of the cover member separates from the housing case; and an outer periphery of the opening of the housing case, at a position opposite to the position opposite to the position where the second urging means is disposed. A rotating hinge mechanism that is disposed and connects the housing case and the cover member and is relatively rotatable, and is disposed on the outer periphery of the opening of the housing case and at a position opposite to the position where the rotating hinge mechanism is disposed. The holding case and the cover member are combined and held, and the holding and releasing mechanism is configured to release the connection between the storage case and the cover member.
The rotation hinge mechanism has a state in which the cover member is mounted on the storage case as a reference posture, and the cover member moves to a state in which the cover member is rotated by a predetermined angle around the rotation center of the rotation hinge mechanism. The configuration is such that the restraint is released.

In the invention according to the second aspect, in the invention according to the first aspect,
When the article is separated and released from the storage case, the speed at which the cover member rotates away from the storage case while rotating around the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism by the second biasing means than the speed at which the article is released by the first biasing means. The urging force of the first and second urging means is set so as to increase.

Further, in the invention according to the third aspect, in the invention according to the first or second aspect,
The coupling holding / releasing mechanism includes a connecting member having one end connected to the housing case and the other end connected to the cover member, and a pyrotechnic for cutting the connecting member. It was set as the structure attached to.

Furthermore, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The rotary hinge mechanism is attached to the cover member and has a rotary shaft having a cylindrical outer surface, a rotary bearing having a curved surface attached to the housing case and engaged with the cylindrical outer surface of the rotary shaft, and attached to the rotary shaft. The rotating shaft separating member extending outwardly of the rotating shaft,
The rotating shaft integrated with the cover member is rotatable along the curved surface of the rotating bearing. When the rotating shaft integrated with the cover member rotates by a predetermined angle, the rotating shaft separating member is moved into the housing case or the rotating bearing. , The engagement between the rotary shaft and the rotary bearing is released, and the restraint between the cover member and the housing case is released.

  In the invention according to the fifth aspect, in the invention according to the third or fourth aspect, the connecting member is provided with a tension adjusting mechanism.

In the invention according to the sixth aspect, in the invention according to any one of the third to fifth aspects,
The connection member is configured to have a scattering prevention mechanism so that the connection member cut after the pyrotechnic operation is not scattered.

Further, in the invention according to the seventh aspect, in the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects,
The first urging means and the second urging means are constituted by springs.

In the invention according to the eighth aspect, in the invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects,
The storage case and the cover member have a holding member for holding the article, and the holding member can hold the article when the article is stored in the storage case and the cover member is attached to the storage case. The configuration is as follows.

  In this holding / separating device, the article is urged by the first urging means in a state where the housing case and the cover member are coupled by the rotating hinge mechanism and the combined holding / release mechanism, and the rotating hinge mechanism is attached to the cover member. The surrounding rotational force is urged by the second urging means. Therefore, the article and the cover member can be separated and released from the storage case only by releasing the coupling between the storage case and the cover member with a single release means (pyrotechnics), and only the single release means is used. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and reduced in weight.

  Further, the urging force of the second urging unit that applies a rotational force around the rotary hinge mechanism to the cover member is a speed at which the first urging unit moves away from the storage case by the expansion of the cover member due to the rotation of the cover member. Therefore, when the coupling between the storage case and the cover member is released, the cover member moves away from the storage case earlier than the article and does not collide with the article. Further, since the cover member rotates around the rotary hinge mechanism and is separated and released in a direction different from the separation and release direction of the article, the article and the cover member differ not only in the speed but also in the separation and release direction. There is no collision. In addition, since the separation direction of the article (exploration device) and the cover member is different, both can be easily identified on the asteroid, and erroneous recognition can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a holding / separating device 1 according to the present invention is mounted on an artificial satellite or a probe. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a holding / separating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a top view schematically showing the holding / separating device shown in FIG. 1, and is a view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4 is a bottom view schematically showing the holding / separating apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and is a view seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing in detail the holding / separating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a top view showing in detail the holding / separating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing in detail the holding and separating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the concept of separating the cover member of the holding / separating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation at the time of separation of the rotary hinge mechanism in the holding / separating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a separation / release state of the exploration device (article) and the cover member in the holding / separating device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
Further, in the following description, a case where an artificial satellite is used to hold an article as an example of a spacecraft will be described. However, the spacecraft is not limited to an artificial satellite, and includes a spacecraft, a lander, and the like. In this embodiment, the case where the article is a probe device as a probe will be described. However, the article is not limited to such a probe device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an article 9 that cannot be directly restrained by an artificial satellite or the like is held.
In the embodiment described below, a holding / separating apparatus 1 for an article 9 used in an artificial satellite (a probe) having a mission of exploring an asteroid will be described as an example.
In this embodiment, the article 9 that cannot be directly restrained by the artificial satellite corresponds to the exploration device, and the article (exploration device) 9 is held on the lower surface of the artificial satellite via the holding separation device 1 as shown in FIG. It has become so.
In this state held by the artificial satellite, the article (exploration device) 9 is mounted on the launch rocket and put into the satellite orbit of the asteroid. After the artificial satellite is inserted into the satellite orbit of the asteroid, the article (exploration device) 9 held by the artificial satellite via the holding / separating device 1 is replaced by the artificial satellite (holding / separating device 1) by the function of the holding / separating device 1. It is separated and released from the asteroid and dropped on the asteroid for various observations.

FIG. 1 shows a holding / separating device 1 attached to the lower surface of an artificial satellite, and an article (exploration device) 9 is accommodated in this device. In the figure, θ1 and θ2 indicate the separation and discharge directions of the article 9, and these angles include dispersion in the separation and discharge directions.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a side surface of the holding / separating apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which an article (exploration apparatus) 9 is accommodated. FIG. 3 is a top view of the holding / separating device 1 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the holding / separating device 1 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. is there.

The holding / separating device 1 includes a housing case 2, a cover member 3, a combined holding / releasing mechanism 4, a first urging means 6, a second urging means 5, and a rotary hinge mechanism 10.
The storage case 2 is directly fixed to the artificial satellite and has an opening on the front surface that allows the article (exploration device) 9 to be taken in and out. Can be accommodated.

  The cover member 3 can cover the opening of the housing case 2 in a state in which the article (exploring device) 9 is housed in the housing case 2, and the cover member 3 is coupled and held and released as described later. The mechanism 4 and the rotary hinge mechanism 10 can be mounted and held in the storage case 2 and can be separated and released from the storage case 2.

  The joint surface between the housing case 2 and the cover member 3 is tapered. For example, when the housing case 2 is configured with a 45 ° inclined surface, the cover member 3 has a 135 ° inclined surface. Constructed, both sides can fit snugly. By adopting such a fitting structure, even if a parallel shearing force acts on the joint surface between the housing case 2 and the cover member 3, the joint surface can endure without shifting.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first biasing means 6 is arranged at the center bottom of the storage case 2 and applies a biasing force that separates and discharges the article (search device) 9 from the storage case 2 toward the central axis of the storage case. Therefore, the first urging means 6 can be configured using a spring or gas pressure. Further, the first urging means 6 can be configured at a single location, or can be configured in a distributed manner at a plurality of locations.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the second urging means 5 is disposed near the opening surface of the housing case 2 and near the joint surface between the housing case 2 and the cover member 3, so that the cover member 3 is housed. For applying an urging force in a direction in which one end portion of the cover member 3 (an end portion in the vicinity where a coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 described later is disposed) is separated from the housing case 2 in a state of being attached to the case 2 The second urging means 5 can be configured using a spring or gas pressure. Further, the second urging means 5 can be configured at a single location, or can be configured in a distributed manner at a plurality of locations.
When the article is separated and released from the storage case, the cover member 3 is rotated around the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism 10 by the second urging means at a speed at which the article is released by the first urging means. The urging forces of the first and second urging means are set so that the speed of moving away from the case 2 increases.

The rotary hinge mechanism 10 is disposed on the outer periphery of the opening of the housing case 2 at a position opposite to the position 180 ° opposite to the position where the second urging means 5 and the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 described later are disposed.
The rotary hinge mechanism 10 connects the housing case 2 and the cover member 3 so as to be relatively rotatable. Then, the rotation hinge mechanism 10 shifts to a posture in which the cover member 3 is rotated by a predetermined angle around the rotation center of the rotation hinge mechanism 10 with the cover member 3 attached to the housing case 2 as a reference posture. The restraint between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 is released.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the rotary hinge mechanism 10 is attached to the cover member 3 and has a rotary shaft 12 having a cylindrical outer surface and a casing 2 attached to the cylindrical outer surface of the rotary shaft 12. The rotary shaft 11 having a curved surface to be engaged, and a rotary shaft separating member 13 attached to the rotary shaft 12 and extending outwardly of the rotary shaft 12. 11 is rotatable along the curved surface of 11, and when the rotation shaft 12 integrated with the cover member 3 rotates by a predetermined angle, the rotation shaft separating member 13 comes into contact with the housing case 2 or the rotation bearing 11 to rotate. The engagement between the shaft 12 and the rotary bearing 11 is released, and the restraint between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 is released. In order to prevent the rotating shaft separating member 13 from contacting and interfering with the rotating bearing 11 when the rotating shaft 12 and the rotating bearing 11 are disengaged, a notch portion 14 is provided in the rotating bearing 11. You may do it. (See Fig. 7)

  When the rotary shaft 12 integrated with the cover member 3 rotates by a predetermined angle, the rotary shaft separating member 13 comes into contact with the housing case 2 or the rotary bearing 11, so that the rotary shaft 12 and the rotary bearing 11 are engaged. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show the situation (sequence) in which the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 are released from the restraint.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 is disposed on the outer periphery of the opening of the housing case 2 at a position opposite to the position 180 ° opposite to the position where the rotary hinge mechanism 10 is disposed. The case 2 and the cover member 3 are coupled and held, and the coupling between the housing case 2 and the cover member 3 is released.

  The coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 has one end connected to a member protruding from the housing case 2 (metal bar fixing member 20) and the other end connected to a member protruding from the cover member 3 (wire holding portion 17). It consists of a member and a pyrotechnic (release means) 8 for cutting the connecting member, and the pyrotechnic 8 is attached to the connecting member.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member is composed of a wire 15 and a metal rod 16, and the pyrotechnic (release means) 8 is arranged corresponding to the position of the metal rod 16. FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the structure of the connecting member. In this embodiment, both ends of the wire 15 are fixed to a wire holding portion 17 disposed in the vicinity of the end face of the cover member 3, and one end face of the metal rod 16 is connected to the wire at the center position of the wire 15 via the metal rod coupling member 18. 15 are combined. Then, the other end of the metal bar 16 is fixed to a metal bar fixing member 20 disposed in the storage case, so that the connection between the cover member 3 and the storage case 2 is maintained on one side. The release means 8 is a pyrotechnic such as a wire cutter, a bolt cutter, an explosion bolt, a separation nut, etc. provided outside the housing case 2, and the metal rod 16 is cut by the explosion of this pyrotechnic. It has become.

  The end of the metal rod 16 on the side of the metal rod fixing member 20 is threaded. The metal rod 16 passes through a through hole provided in the pyrotechnic 8 and a through hole 21 provided in the metal rod fixing member 20. Are arranged. The threaded portion of the metal bar 16 is screwed with the tension adjusting nut 22 on the outside (right side in FIG. 6) of the metal bar fixing member 20, whereby the metal bar 16 is connected to the metal bar fixing member 20. It is fixed to.

  Further, the tension can be applied to the wire 15 by rotating the tension adjustment nut 22 and tightening the tension adjustment nut 22. For grasping the tension, there are a method for monitoring the tightening torque of the tension adjusting nut 22 and a method for managing the tightening length of the tension adjusting nut 22 (projection length of the metal rod 16 protruding from the tension adjusting nut 22). . Unlike the conventional method, the wire 15 is arranged on only one side surface of the holding / separating device 1, so that the length of the wire 15 can be shortened. Therefore, the wire 15 is less stretched by the tension applied to the wire 15, and the fluctuation of the wire length due to the temperature change is also small. Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of tension control that is a holding force for fixing the cover member 3 to the storage case 2. . Also, the metal rod fixing member 20 is sandwiched between the metal rod 15 on the side of the pyrotechnic 8 and the metal rod 15 is screwed into the metal rod 15 so that the pyrotechnic 8 operates and the metal rod 15 is cut. Even when it is done, it is possible to prevent the cut metal rod 15 remaining on the storage case 2 side from scattering.

  In addition, although what comprised the wire 15 and the metal stick | rod 16 was illustrated as a connection member, it is not limited to the combination of the wire 15 and the metal stick | rod 16, It is also possible to replace by another suitable means. For example, the connecting member may be constituted by only the wire 15, and the pyrotechnic (release means) 8 may be attached on the wire 15. Further, instead of the wire 15, an elastic plate may be used. Although pyrotechnics have been exemplified as the release means, the invention is not limited to processed products, and may be other appropriate means. For example, the release means may be constituted by a known appropriate separation actuator without using pyrotechnics.

  The article (exploration device) 9 is accommodated in a space defined by the cover member 3 and the housing case 2, and at this time, the article (exploration device) is provided by eight holding members 7 inside the cover member 3 and the housing case 2. ) 9 is stably held and fixed so that 9 is pressed into the space. (See FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) Therefore, it is possible to keep the article (exploration device) 9 in a predetermined position against vibrations and shocks when the rocket is launched. Further, the holding member 7 has a relay function for supplying power to the article (search device) 9. When the article (search device) 9 is held by the holding member 7, the article (search device) 9 comes into contact with the holding member 7. By this contact, electric power can be supplied from the satellite side to the article (exploration device) 9 via the holding member 7. This eliminates the need to cut the power supply wired wire cable when separating the article (exploration device) 9 from the housing case 2.

Next, an operation sequence of the holding / separating device 1 will be described.
In a state in which the article (exploration device) 9 is stored in the storage case 2 and the cover member 3 is attached to the storage case 2 (hereinafter referred to as an “initial state”), the cover member 3 includes the rotary hinge mechanism 10 and It is firmly held and coupled to the housing case 2 by the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4. The force for holding and coupling the cover member 3 to the housing case 2 by the rotary hinge mechanism 10 and the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 tries to pull the cover member 3 away from the housing case 2 by the first biasing means and the second biasing means. In addition to resisting force, it is set to resist external forces such as acceleration, vibration, and impact that occur during the flight of rockets and the flight of artificial satellites. The force for holding and coupling the cover member 3 to the housing case 2 is adjusted by the tension adjusting nut 22 described above.

  When an artificial satellite equipped with the holding / separating device 1 is inserted into a satellite orbit such as an asteroid and reaches the target point, an ignition signal is sent to the pyrotechnic (release means) 8 and the pyrotechnic is activated. To do. When the pyrotechnic 8 is activated, the metal rod 16 constituting the connecting member of the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 is cut, and the restraint between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 by the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 is released. .

  When the restraint between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 by the combined holding / releasing mechanism 4 is released, a force is applied to pull the cover member 3 away from the housing case 2 by the first biasing means and the second biasing means. (The first biasing means directly acts as a force for separating and releasing the article (exploration device) 9), but this force acts on the cover member 3 via the holding member 7. The cover member 3 tends to be separated from the housing case 2 by this force.

  However, since the rotary hinge mechanism 10 exists at the opposite position 180 ° opposite to the position where the coupling holding / releasing mechanism 4 is disposed, the cover member 3 is the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism 10, that is, the rotary shaft 12. Begins to rotate around the axis. (See Fig. 8 and Fig. 9)

  Until the cover member 3 rotates by a predetermined angle from the initial state, the rotary shaft 12 of the rotary hinge mechanism 10 integrated with the cover member 3 rotates along the curved surface of the rotary bearing 11 of the rotary hinge mechanism 10. When the rotary shaft 12 integrated with the cover member 3 rotates by a predetermined angle, the rotary shaft separating member 13 protruding outward from the rotary shaft 12 comes into contact with the housing case 2 or the rotary bearing 11. (See FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) Then, when the rotating shaft separating member 13 comes into contact with the housing case 2 or the rotating bearing 11, the cover member 3 that has been rotating around the central axis of the rotating shaft 12 until then is separated from the rotating shaft. The movement is shifted to the rotational movement with the contact point (position (B) in FIG. 8) at the front end position of the member 13 and the contact case 2 or the rotary bearing 11 as the rotation center.

  When the cover member 3 shifts to a rotational movement with the tip position of the rotary shaft separating member 13 as the rotation center, the rotary shaft 12 of the rotary hinge mechanism 10 and the rotary bearing 11 are disengaged, and the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 The restraint is released. As a result, the cover member 3 is separated and released in a direction inclined from a direction perpendicular to the joint surface between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2.

  In order to prevent the rotating shaft separating member 13 from contacting and interfering with the rotating bearing 11 when the rotating shaft 12 and the rotating bearing 11 are disengaged, a notch portion 14 is provided in the rotating bearing 11. It has been. (See Figure 9)

  When the cover member 3 starts rotating around the axis of the rotary shaft 12 of the rotary hinge mechanism 10, the restraint of the article (exploration device) 9 held and fixed via the holding member 7 is released. The article (exploration device) 9 is separated and released from the storage case 2 by the urging force of the urging means 6. At this time, the article (exploration device) 9 is separated and released in a direction perpendicular to the joint surface of the cover member 3 and the housing case 2, and the direction different from the direction in which the cover member 3 is separated and released It has become.

  As previously described, when the article (exploration device) 9 is separated and released from the storage case 2, the second urging means is faster than the speed at which the article (exploration device) 9 is released by the first urging means. Since the urging force of the first and second urging means is set so that the speed at which the cover member 3 rotates about the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism 10 and moves away from the housing case 2 is set by the cover member 3. And the article (exploring device) 9 can be separated and released from the housing case 2 without interfering with each other.

  FIG. 10 shows a situation where the exploration device 9 is separated and released from an actual artificial satellite (explorer). In this embodiment, the joint surface between the cover member 3 and the housing case 2 is set to be inclined with respect to the exploration device separation direction 29, and the exploration device separation direction 29 and the cover member separation direction 28 are different directions. It is set to face.

Since the article holding / separating apparatus 1 according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, it has the following advantages.
(1) Since the structure can suppress the variation of the urging force when separating and releasing the cover member 3, the dispersion in the discharge direction is reduced so that the cover member 3 does not collide with surrounding equipment. It becomes possible to control to.
(2) The article (exploration device) 9 and the cover member 3 are separated and released in different directions, and when the article 9 is an exploration device such as an asteroid, it is separated on or near the surface of the asteroid. There is no risk of collision between the released cover member 3 and the article (exploration device) 9.
(3) Further, when the surface of an asteroid or the like is reached, the separated and released cover member 3 and the article (exploration device) 9 do not reach a close position, and both can be easily identified.
(4) Further, since the wire 15 holding the cover member 3 is arranged only on one side, the length is short, and when the wire 15 is cut by the release means (pyrotechnics) 8, the cut wire 15 is The apparatus can be reduced in size and weight without requiring a wire protector that limits the spread of the cut wire 15 without spreading greatly.
(5) Since the wire length is short, the amount of elongation due to the tension applied to the wire 15 is small, and the fluctuation of the wire length due to temperature change is also small. Furthermore, since the wire 15 is disposed only on one side of the housing case 2 in order to hold the cover member 3, it is easy to control the tension accuracy for fixing the cover member 3 to the housing case 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Holding / separating apparatus 2 Storage case 3 Cover member 4 Coupling holding / release mechanism 5 2nd biasing means (cover discharge spring)
6 First biasing means (article release spring)
7 Holding member 8 Release means (Pyrotechnics)
9 Goods (Exploration equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Rotating hinge mechanism 11 Rotating bearing 12 Rotating shaft 13 Rotating shaft separating member 14 Notch portion 15 Wire 16 Metal rod 17 Wire holding portion 18 Metal rod coupling member 19 Spring guide 20 Metal rod fixing member 21 Through hole 22 Tension adjusting nut 23 Metal rod Detachment prevention nut 24 Coupling / separating means holding force 25 Coupling means tension (coupling force)
26 cover member center of gravity 27 second biasing means spring pushing force 28 cover member separation direction 29 exploration device separation direction

Claims (8)

In a holding / separating device for an article that can be held on an artificial satellite or spacecraft and can be separated from the artificial satellite or spacecraft.
A housing case having an opening of a size that allows the article to be taken in and out, and housing the article inside;
In a state where the article is accommodated in a storage case, a cover member that covers the opening;
A first urging means that is disposed in the housing case and applies a biasing force to the article in order to separate and release the article from the housing case in the direction of the housing case central axis;
A second urging means that is disposed on a wall surface near the opening of the housing case and that exerts a urging force in a direction in which one end of the cover member separates from the housing case in a state where the cover member is mounted;
It is arranged at the outer periphery of the opening of the housing case, at a position opposite to the position where the second urging means is disposed, and connects the housing case and the cover member and is relatively rotatable. A rotating hinge mechanism;
The outer periphery of the opening of the storage case is disposed at a position opposite to the position where the rotary hinge mechanism is disposed, and the storage case and the cover member are coupled and held, and the storage case and the cover member Consists of a coupling hold / release mechanism that releases the coupling,
The rotary hinge mechanism has a state in which the cover member is mounted on the housing case as a reference posture, and the cover member moves to a posture in a state where the cover member is rotated by a predetermined angle around the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism. A holding / separating apparatus for an article, wherein the restraint between the member and the housing case is released. In the article holding and separating apparatus according to claim 1,
When separating and releasing the article from the storage case, the cover member is rotated around the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism by the second biasing means at a speed at which the article is discharged by the first biasing means. A holding / separating apparatus for an article, wherein the urging forces of the first and second urging means are set so as to increase the speed of moving away from the object. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to claim 1 or 2,
The coupling holding / releasing mechanism is
One end side is connected to the housing case, and the other end side is connected to the cover member;
Pyrotechnics for cutting the connecting member;
Consisting of
The pyrotechnic product is attached to the connecting member. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The rotary hinge mechanism is
A rotating shaft attached to the cover member and having a cylindrical outer surface;
A rotating bearing attached to the housing case and having a curved surface engaged with a cylindrical outer surface of the rotating shaft;
The rotary shaft separation member is attached to the rotary shaft and extends outward from the rotary shaft.
The rotating shaft integrated with the cover member is rotatable along the curved surface of the rotating bearing, and when the rotating shaft integrated with the cover member rotates by a predetermined angle, the rotating shaft separating member is accommodated in the housing. By holding the case or the rotating bearing, the engagement between the rotating shaft and the rotating bearing is disengaged, and the restraint between the cover member and the housing case is released. Separation device. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to claim 3 or 4,
A holding / separating apparatus for an article, wherein the connecting member is provided with a tension adjusting mechanism. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The article holding / separating device, wherein the connecting member is provided with a scattering prevention mechanism so that the connecting member cut after the pyrotechnic operation is not scattered. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The article holding / separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first urging means and the second urging means comprise springs. In the holding and separating apparatus for articles according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The holding case and the cover member have a holding member for holding the article, and the holding member in a state where the article is stored in the storage case and the cover member is attached to the storage case. Is capable of holding the article. A holding / separating apparatus for an article.

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