scholarly journals Development of Pogo Pin-Based Holding and Release Mechanism for Deployable Solar Panel of CubeSat

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Bhattarai ◽  
Hongrae Kim ◽  
Sung-Hoon Jung ◽  
Hyun-Ung Oh

CubeSats are revolutionary to the space industry and are transforming space exploration which enables the next generation of scientists and engineers to complete all phases of space missions. Deployable solar panels have been widely used for the generation of enough power in CubeSats due to their limited volume area for solar cell integration. In general, the cable cutting release mechanism have been used in 1U-3U small satellites because of its simplicity and low cost. However, this mechanism has a low constraint force and is unable to apply constraints along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions. In this study, for the improvement of the conventional cable cutting mechanism, a spring-loaded pogo pin-based nichrome burn wire holding and release mechanism (HRM) was proposed and fabricated. The pogo pin constitutes an immensely attractive function for the holding and release mechanism of solar panels because it works as an electrical interface to provide power, a separation spring to initiate the reaction force to deploy the panels, and a status switch to determine deployments. In addition, the proposed mechanism guarantees the loading capability along the in-plane and out-of-plane directions of solar panels, the synchronous release of multiple panels, and a handling simplicity that differentiates it from the conventional mechanism. The design feasibility, structural safety, and reliability of the mechanism were verified through functionality tests and launch and on-orbit environmental tests. The proposed pogo pin-based holding and release mechanism would be equally applicable for other CubeSat deployable appendages.

Author(s):  
DESTI IKA SURYANTI ◽  
SRI RAMAYANTI ◽  
MOHAMMAD MUKHAYADI

ABSTRAKDesain satelit telah berkembang ke arah miniaturisasi untuk mengurangi biaya peluncuran. Satelit kecil menyediakan platform berbiaya rendah untuk misi luar angkasa. Salah satu permasalahan utama satelit kecil adalah terbatasnya ketersediaan daya. Karena ketersediaan daya diperlukan agar subsistem satelit dapat bekerja, maka pada proses desain satelit perlu dilakukan analisis dan estimasi ketersediaan daya selama satelit mengorbit dengan tetap mempertahankan kekompakan dan volume yang diberlakukan oleh standar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kondisi iluminasi matahari pada panel surya dari berbagai alternatif desain penempatan sehingga diperoleh sebuah desain yang efisien. Iluminasi maksimum sebuah panel surya triple junction yang terpasang secara body mounted pada satelit kurang lebih sebesar 60%. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini, kombinasi pemasangan 3 body mounted panel surya dan 2 simple deploy panel surya menghasilkan persentase iluminasi dua kali lipat dibandingkan 5 body mounted panel surya.Kata kunci: panel surya triple junction, iluminasi, body mounted, simple deploy, daya ABSTRACTSatellite design has envolved towards miniaturization to reduce launch costs. Small satellites provide a low-cost platform for space missions. One of the main problems with small satellites is the limited availability of power. Because the availability of power is needed so that the satellite subsystem can work, the satellite design process needs to analyze and estimated power availability as long as the satellite orbits while maintaining the compactness and volume imposed by the standard. This study aims to determine the conditions of solar illumination on solar panels from various alternative design placements in order to obtain an efficient design. Maximum illumination of triple junction solar panel mounted on a small satellite is approximately 60%. Based on the results of this study, the combination of installing 3 body mounted solar panels and 2 simple deploy solar panels produced twice the illumination percentage compared to 5 body mounted solar panels.Keywords: solar panel triple junction, illumination, body mounted, simple deploy, power


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Shankar Bhattarai ◽  
Ji-Seong Go ◽  
Hongrae Kim ◽  
Hyun-Ung Oh

The structural safety of solar cells mounted on deployable solar panels in the launch vibration environment is a significant aspect of a successful CubeSat mission. This paper presents a novel highly damped deployable solar panel module that is effective in ensuring structural protection of solar cells under the launch environment by rapidly suppressing the vibrations transmitting through the solar panel by constrained layer damping achieved using printed circuit board (PCB)-based multilayered thin stiffeners with double-sided viscoelastic tapes. A high-damping solar panel demonstration model with a three-pogo pin-based burn wire release mechanism was fabricated and tested for application in the 6U CubeSat “STEP Cube Lab-II” developed by Chosun University, South Korea. The reliable release function and radiation hardness assurance of the mechanism in an in-orbit environment were confirmed by performing solar panel deployment tests and radiation tests, respectively. The design effectiveness and structural safety of the proposed solar panel module were validated by launch vibration and in-orbit environment tests at the qualification level.


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Shankar Bhattarai ◽  
Ji-Seong Go ◽  
Hyun-Ung Oh

In this study, we present the Diverse Holding and Release Mechanism Can Satellite (DHRM CanSat) platform developed by the Space Technology Synthesis Laboratory (STSL) at Chosun University, South Korea. This platform focuses on several types of holding and release mechanisms (HRMs) for application in deployable appendages of nanosatellites. The objectives of the DHRM CanSat mission are to demonstrate the design effectiveness and functionality of the three newly proposed HRMs based on the burn wire triggering method, i.e., the pogo pin-type HRM, separation nut-type HRM, and Velcro tape-type HRM, which were implemented on deployable dummy solar panels of the CanSat. The proposed mechanisms have many advantages, including a high holding capability, simultaneous constraints in multi-plane directions, and simplicity of handling. Additionally, each mechanism has distinctive features, such as spring-loaded pins to initiate deployment, a plate with a thread as a nut for a high holding capability, and a hook and loop fastener for easy access to subsystems of the satellite without releasing the holding constraint. The design effectiveness and functional performance of the proposed mechanisms were demonstrated through an actual flight test of the DHRM CanSat launched by a model rocket.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (51) ◽  
pp. eaaz5796
Author(s):  
I. D. Sîrbu ◽  
G. Moretti ◽  
G. Bortolotti ◽  
M. Bolignari ◽  
S. Diré ◽  
...  

Future robotic systems will be pervasive technologies operating autonomously in unknown spaces that are shared with humans. Such complex interactions make it compulsory for them to be lightweight, soft, and efficient in a way to guarantee safety, robustness, and long-term operation. Such a set of qualities can be achieved using soft multipurpose systems that combine, integrate, and commute between conventional electromechanical and fluidic drives, as well as harvest energy during inactive actuation phases for increased energy efficiency. Here, we present an electrostatic actuator made of thin films and liquid dielectrics combined with rigid polymeric stiffening elements to form a circular electrostatic bellow muscle (EBM) unit capable of out-of-plane contraction. These units are easy to manufacture and can be arranged in arrays and stacks, which can be used as a contractile artificial muscle, as a pump for fluid-driven soft robots, or as an energy harvester. As an artificial muscle, EBMs of 20 to 40 millimeters in diameter can exert forces of up to 6 newtons, lift loads over a hundred times their own weight, and reach contractions of over 40% with strain rates over 1200% per second, with a bandwidth over 10 hertz. As a pump driver, these EBMs produce flow rates of up to 0.63 liters per minute and maximum pressure head of 6 kilopascals, whereas as generator, they reach a conversion efficiency close to 20%. The compact shape, low cost, simple assembling procedure, high reliability, and large contractions make the EBM a promising technology for high-performance robotic systems.


Author(s):  
William R. Wilson ◽  
Laura L. Jones ◽  
Mason A. Peck

In the past several years, small satellites have taken on an increasingly important role as affordable technology demonstrators and are now being viewed as viable low-cost platforms for traditional spacecraft mission objectives. As such, the CubeSat standard (1 kg in a 10 cm cube) has been widely adopted for university-led development efforts even as it is embraced by traditional spacecraft developers, such as NASA. As CubeSats begin to take on roles traditionally filled by much larger spacecraft, the infrastructure for dynamics and controls testing must also transition to accommodate the different size and cost scaling associated with CubeSats. While air-bearing-based testbeds are commonly used to enable a variety of traditional ground testing and development for spacecraft, few existing designs are suitable for development of CubeSat-scale technologies, particularly involving multibody dynamics. This work describes Cornell University's FloatCube testbed, which provides a planar reduced-friction environment for multibody dynamics and controls technology development for spacecraft less than 6 kg and a 15 cm cube. The multimodule testbed consists of four free-floating air-bearing platforms with on-board gas supplies that allow the platforms to float over a glass surface without external attachments. Each of these platforms, or FloatCubes, can host CubeSat-sized payloads at widely ranging levels of development, from prototype components to full-scale systems. The FloatCube testbed has already hosted several successful experiments, proving its ability to provide an affordable reduced-friction environment to CubeSat-scale projects. This paper provides information on the system design, cost, performance, operating procedures, and applications of this unique, and increasingly relevant, testbed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan José Jorquera-Lucerga ◽  
Juan Manuel GARCÍA-GUERRERO

<p>In tied-arch bridges, the way the arch and the deck are connected may become crucial. The deck is usually suspended from hangers made out of steel pinned cables capable of resisting axial forces only. However, a proper structural response, (both in-plane and out-of-plane) may be ensured by fixing and stiffening the hangers in order to resist, additionally, shear forces and bending moments. This paper studies the effect of different pinned and stiffened hanger arrangements on the structural behavior of the tied-arch footbridges, with the intention of providing designers with useful tools at the early steps of design. As a major conclusion, regarding the in-plane behavior, hangers composed of cables (either with vertical, Nielsen-Löhse or network arrangements) are recommended due to its low cost and ease of erection. Alternatively, longitudinally stiffened hangers, fixed at both ends, can be used. Regarding the out-of-plane behavior, and in addition to three-dimensional arrangements of cables, of limited effectiveness, transversally stiffened hangers fixed at both ends are the most efficient arrangement. A configuration almost as efficient can be achieved by locating a hinge at the end corresponding to the most flexible structural element (normally the arch). Its efficiency is further improved if the cross-section tapers from the fixed end to the pinned end.</p>


Electronics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Arroyo ◽  
Jesús Lozano ◽  
José Suárez

This study addresses the development of a wireless gas sensor network with low cost, small size, and low consumption nodes for environmental applications and air quality detection. Throughout the article, the evolution of the design and development of the system is presented, describing four designed prototypes. The final proposed prototype node has the capacity to connect up to four metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors, and has high autonomy thanks to the use of solar panels, as well as having an indirect sampling system and a small size. ZigBee protocol is used to transmit data wirelessly to a self-developed data cloud. The discrimination capacity of the device was checked with the volatile organic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). An improvement of the system was achieved to obtain optimal success rates in the classification stage with the final prototype. Data processing was carried out using techniques of pattern recognition and artificial intelligence, such as radial basis networks and principal component analysis (PCA).


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Francisco Miranda

In the last years the small satellites have played an important role in the technological development. The attractive short period of design and low cost of them and the capacity to solve problems that are usually considered as problems to big and expensive spacecrafts lead us to study the control problem of these satellites. Active three-axis magnetic attitude stabilization of a low Earth orbit satellite is considered in this work. The control is created by interaction between the magnetic moment generated by magnetorquers mounted on the satellite body and the geomagnetic field. This problem is quite complex and difficult to solve. To overcome this difficulty guidance control is considered, where we use ε-strategies introduced by Pontryagin in the frame of differential games theory. Qualitative analysis and results of numerical simulation are presented.


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