A Miura-ori-inspired plano-Bennett six-link mechanism for single-degree-of-freedom ultra-large two-dimensional deployable planar antennas

With the diversification of space missions, planar antennas are facing severe challenges for larger apertures, scalability, and surface flatness. This paper proposes a plano-Bennett six-link mechanism (PBSLM) based on Miura-ori for an ultra-large two-dimensional deployable planar antenna, enabling single degree-of-freedom (DOF) deployment and a flat reflective surface. Firstly, by integrating the Miura-ori and a planar 4R mechanism, a valley-crease equivalence method is introduced to construct the PBSLM, eliminating hinges on the reflective surface and ensuring its flatness. Secondly, the kinematic characteristics of the mechanism is analyzed using screw theory. Moreover, the PBSLM is applied to longitudinal, lateral, and two-dimensional network array extensions, forming a single DOF ultra-large two-dimensional deployable planar antenna. 3D models of 2×2 and 3×3 two-dimensional deployable planar antennas are established, and kinematic simulations are conducted using ADAMS. Based on this, a 12×10 ultra-large two-dimensional deployable planar antenna is proposed, and its unfolding process is demonstrated. Finally, a 3×3 prototype model is fabricated for experimental validation. The results confirm that the proposed method enables single-DOF deployment while maintaining surface flatness, demonstrating the effectiveness and feasibility of the mechanism.