Lunar Heliostat Subsystem

grabcad

I am hereby proposing a subsystem that is designed to reflect sunlight into the crater, in most of the relative positions of sun, heliostat subsystem and crater. Overview This design assembles two opposing reflecting surfaces that can move asynchronously to reflect sunlight from most possible relative locations as depicted above. The heliostat subsystem, has mechanism for degrees of freedom of movement in two axes.The design has a closed loop kinematic chain for achieving the first degree of rotation for reflector. A worm wheel and worm gear system is assembled to rotate the crank link of the mechanism. This system is used for stowing back or as locking mechanism to withstand dynamic loads. A rotating mechanism is designed with an extended arm for the second degree of movement of the reflector. I have added the design model of the gear train for power transfer to the arm. The main shaft is mounted inside a structural hub with the help of thrust bearing and bushing. The pinion gear transfers the power to arm base using splines that are cut on the hub of pinion gear. This power transfer system is assembled with the help of thrust ball bearings and referred the ball bearing model published by SKF. In the two reflectors assembled, the purpose of the Secondary reflector is to redirect sunlight from the Primary reflector to the rover. An expandable span link mechanism for the secondary reflector stretches up to 3.8 m. A flexible reflecting sheet shall be wrapped on the span of links. A spiral flute cut rod shall deploy the span linkages. The primary reflector is an assembly of 4 reflecting plates and a solar array in the center. The folding reflectors will deploy by the torsion spring hinges.Detail working mechanism: The rotor power is transferred to the main shafts mounted at the bottom of frame inside structure hub. The main shaft rests on a thrust roller bearing. The shaft tilt is controlled with the help of a bushing mounted in the hub. A drive gear is mounted on the main shaft with the help of a flange. The drive gear meshes with a pinion gear i.e., concentric with axis of rotation of reflector assembly. The pinion gear has a hub on which splines are machined. These splines drive the reflector assembly base component. The pinion gear is mounted on a thrust bearing. The thrust bearing is installed on a fixed plate supported on an arm attached to side face of the frame. The base component of reflector assembly is supported by thrust be...