Design, Analysis, and Experimentation of Space Deployable Segmented Solar Concentrator

To improve the optical concentrator ratio of space solar power stations (SSPSs), this paper proposes a deployable segmented solar concentrator (DSSC) based on an afocal reflective system. First, a novel concept of an afocal reflective concentrator composed of segmented primary and secondary mirrors is introduced, and the deployable mechanism for the segmented primary mirror is described in detail. Subsequently, a model for the comprehensive error of the deployable mechanism with 3D revolute joint clearances and link length errors is established based on the “massless link” equivalent model of the clearance in revolute joints and the homogeneous transfer matrix. Sensitivity analysis evaluates the impact of various geometric errors of the deployable mechanism on the comprehensive error. Finally, a prototype experimental system is built to verify the concentration ratio of the concentrator and the pose error of the deployable mechanism. The experimental results show that the DSSC geometric concentration ratio reaches 5.36 to 6, and the optical concentration ratio reaches 24.7 to 32.2. The repeatability of the deployable mechanism is ±50 µm and ±1.2′, meeting the tolerance requirements of the optical system. The proposed afocal reflective DSSC can be used for solar energy concentration, improving the utilization of solar energy.