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Analytical method for computing assembly errors in modular antenna during on-orbit assembly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2023

H.J. Dong ,
T.J. Li Open the ORCID record for T.J. Li [Opens in a new window] ,
S.K. Zheng ,
Z.W. Wang Open the ORCID record for Z.W. Wang [Opens in a new window] ,
Y.Q. Tang Open the ORCID record for Y.Q. Tang [Opens in a new window] ,
X.F. Ma  and
Y. Li
H.J. Dong
Affiliation:
School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
T.J. Li*
Affiliation:
School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
S.K. Zheng
Affiliation:
China Academy of Space Technology (Xi’an), 710000 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
Z.W. Wang
Affiliation:
School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
Y.Q. Tang
Affiliation:
School of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, 710071 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
X.F. Ma
Affiliation:
China Academy of Space Technology (Xi’an), 710000 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
Y. Li
Affiliation:
China Academy of Space Technology (Xi’an), 710000 Xi’an, People’s Republic of China
*
*Corresponding author. Email: tjli@mail.xidian.edu.cn
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Abstract

To meet the increasing communication demands, the satellites need to be equipped with the high-accuracy and large-aperture antennas. One of the effective methods to construct the modular antennas with ultra-high accuracy and ultra-large aperture is on-orbit assembly technology. During the on-orbit assembly missions, the assembly error is a key factor to affect the surface accuracy of the modular antennas. This paper studies the node design of each module and the assembly error analysis of the modular antennas. A design method of the module nodes is presented with consideration of the assembly gap between two modules. Meanwhile, a soft connection mechanism is designed to ensure the mobility among the assembly modules. To investigate the transmission law of the assembly errors, an analytical model of assembly error is derived based on the exponential product method. In order to establish the deformation surface with rotation and displacement assembly errors, an error ball concept is proposed by the analytical model. To decrease the assembly errors, the actuators are installed among some modules. Moreover, an adjustment method is proposed to obtain the adjustment amounts of actuators. Finally, the correctness of analytical model and the effectiveness of the adjustment method are demonstrated by the numerical simulations.

Keywords

Modular antennaAssembly errorExponential productSurface accuracyOn-orbit assembly
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 127 , Issue 1315 , September 2023 , pp. 1505 - 1522
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Aeronautical Society

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