Kinematic analysis of a deployable truss structure with flat-form storability

Abstract

There has been increasing demand for larger space structures to satisfy the requirements of astrophysics missions. However, storage space for payloads in satellites is limited, so deployable structures are used in most space missions to minimize storage space and consequently, to reduce launch costs. This work proposes a deployable truss structure which can improve the packaging efficiency of the existing truss structure. The main feature of the proposed structure is that it can be stored in a flat form. Each unit consists of Scissor-like Elements (SLEs) and the whole structure is deployed in a three-dimensional form with a simple mechanism. The detailed configurations and mechanism of the proposed structure are discussed. The geometric constraints for folding the proposed structure into a planar form were analyzed. A kinematic analysis to describe the motion of the structure was also performed. Then the packaging efficiency with respect to length, which is an important performance index of such deployable structures, was analyzed and compared with a typical truss structure.