Novel Scissors Double-Pyramid Deployable Mechanism and Constructed Deployable Ring Truss for Satellite Mesh Reflector Antennas

With the increasing demand for large deployable structures in space exploration missions, the design of deployable mechanisms has become a research hotspot in aerospace technology. This article proposes ring truss mechanisms based on novel scissors double-pyramid (SDP) deployable units. The unit innovatively integrates pyramid configuration with scissor-like mechanisms to form a modular prismatic structure featuring circumcircle characteristics. This configuration possessing a single DOF deployment characteristic is demonstrated through screw theory and symmetry principles. Three types of ring deployable mechanisms with distinct topological features were constructed through modular strategies involving shared nodes or edges. A systematic comparative analysis of their static performance was subsequently conducted using finite element analysis. Kinematic analyses were performed for both the SDP unit and its assembled ring mechanisms. The previous kinematic and dynamic analyses were validated through ADAMS software simulations and a functional prototype was produced to verify the mobility of the SDP ring deployable mechanism. This research presents a new deployable mechanism that combines geometric scalability with high stability, offering an innovative solution for constructing large-scale deployable structures.