Lunar soil component and particle size grading separation equipment and method

Abstract

The invention provides lunar soil component and particle size grading separation equipment and method. The grading separation equipment comprises a box body, a grading rotary vibration sieve, an optical separation unit, an electric separation unit and an infrared separation unit, the grading rotary vibrating screen comprises a vibrating screen cylinder, at least two screens and a storage box; the storage box is connected with the discharge hole; the optical sorting unit comprises a first conveying belt, an optical recognition assembly and a first material collector. The electric separation unit comprises a drum electric separator and an ore bucket; the infrared separation unit comprises a second conveying belt, an infrared assembly and a second material collector. Lunar soil particles are conveyed from the feeding port to the discharging port through the vibrating screen cylinder, the lunar soil particles are sorted into at least three different particle size ranges through the at least two screens and conveyed to the storage box through the corresponding discharging port, the lunar soil particles in the different particle size ranges can be directly obtained, and the screening efficiency is improved; the optical recognition assembly recognizes lunar soil particles containing glass substances and removes the lunar soil particles into the first material collector, the drum electric separator removes lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into an ore bucket below the drum electric separator, and the lunar soil particles containing nanometer elemental iron are guided into the infrared separation unit; the infrared assembly is used for precisely positioning the lunar soil particles containing the nanometer zero-valent iron and removing the lunar soil particles into the second material collector, glass substances and rock minerals are further removed, and the lunar soil particles containing the nanometer zero-valent iron and higher in purity are obtained. The equipment can realize effective separation of bonded aggregate rocks and glass components, and the situation that the original properties of lunar soil are damaged and the quality of additive manufacturing is affected is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of lunar soil sorting, and particularly to a device and method for grading and separating the components and particle sizes of lunar soil. Background Art

[0002] Developing lunar resources and building a lunar base are essential parts of the lunar exploration project. Lunar soil, as the direct in-situ resource on the lunar surface, has become the best choice for building a lunar base. Due to the wide range of particle size distributions of lunar soil, different forming processes have different requirements for the particle characteristics and particle size gradation of lunar soil raw materials. The process principle of additive manufacturing leads to very high requirements for lunar soil raw materials. Therefore, exploring the pretreatment method of lunar soil and performing particle size screening and component enrichment on lunar soil is of great significance for realizing in-situ additive manufacturing on the lunar surface and also provides important support for building a lunar base by in-situ utilization of lunar resources. In lunar soil pretreatment technology, the two most important aspects are the pretreatment of particle size and composition.

[0003] In terms of particle size pretreatment, screening is mainly used, mostly focusing on the single screening of the particle size of lunar soil raw materials, without simultaneously performing classification screening on particles of different particle sizes. The screening efficiency is low, it is difficult to meet the requirements of particle size gradation for forming processes such as laser additive manufacturing, and the forming efficiency is reduced; when screening lunar soil in a ground environment, particle size classification mainly relies on the gravity of the particles themselves and the vibration of the sieve mesh. However, the lunar gravitational acceleration is small, only one-sixth of that on Earth, and the gravity of minerals decreases sharply on the moon, making it impossible to effectively achieve particle classification.

[0004] In terms of composition pretreatment, the existing pretreatment methods mainly focus on the separation and particle size classification of ilmenite, while the most important components in lunar soil are cohesive conglomerate and a large amount of glass components. Traditional wet methods, melting, chemical dissolution / extraction, etc. cannot achieve effective separation and pretreatment, and at the same time, it is easy to damage the original properties of lunar soil. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention proposes a device and method for grading and separating the components and particle sizes of lunar soil to solve the technical problems raised in the above background art, namely, the inability to simultaneously perform classification screening on particles of different particle sizes, low screening efficiency; for cohesive conglomerate and glass components, effective separation and pretreatment cannot be achieved through traditional wet methods, melting, chemical dissolution / extraction, etc., and at the same time, it is easy to damage the original properties of lunar soil.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is realized as follows:

[0007] In the first aspect, the present invention provides a device for grading and separating the components and particle sizes of lunar soil, including a box body, and a classification vibrating screen, an optical sorting unit, an electrostatic separation unit, and an infrared separation unit located inside the box body, wherein:

[0008] The grading rotary vibrating screen includes a vibrating screen cylinder, at least two screens and a storage bin; the feed inlet of the vibrating screen cylinder is located on one side of the box body, and there are at least three discharge outlets for conveying lunar soil particles from the feed inlet to the discharge outlets; at least two of the screens are coaxially installed in the vibrating screen cylinder and can rotate relative to the vibrating screen cylinder; the storage bin is connected to the discharge outlet for classifying and collecting lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges and selecting lunar soil particles in one of the particle size ranges to provide to the optical sorting unit;

[0009] The optical sorting unit includes a first conveyor belt, an optical recognition component and a first aggregator. The first conveyor belt is located below the storage bin for receiving lunar soil particles from the collection tank and conveying the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to the electrostatic separation unit; the optical recognition component is used to utilize the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify and remove the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first aggregator; the first aggregator is located on the side of the first conveyor belt;

[0010] The electrostatic separation unit includes a drum electrostatic separator and a hopper; an electric corona field is provided in the drum electrostatic separator for applying centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper below the drum electrostatic separator and introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the infrared separation unit;

[0011] The infrared separation unit includes a second conveyor belt, an infrared component and a second aggregator; the second conveyor belt is arranged on the side of the drum electrostatic separator away from the first conveyor belt to receive the lunar soil particles after being separated by the electrostatic separation unit; the infrared component is used to emit infrared light to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt, and is also used to accurately position and remove the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the second aggregator according to the difference in infrared spectrograms of different substances in the lunar soil particles.

[0012] On the basis of the above technical solutions, preferably, the grading rotary vibrating screen further includes a screw rod and blades; the screw rod is rotationally installed on the vibrating screen cylinder along the axial direction; the blades are installed on the screw rod for pushing the lunar soil particles in a direction away from the feed inlet; the screen is cylindrical, and at least two of the screens are connected to the screw rod and are coaxial; the storage bin is provided with at least three collection tanks, the collection tanks are in one-to-one correspondence and communication with the discharge outlets, and a pull-out first baffle is provided at the bottom of the collection tank.

[0013] On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, the optical recognition component includes a halogen light source, a sensor, a receiver, a computing center and a first robotic arm; the halogen light source is used to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the first conveyor belt; the sensor is used to measure the intensity and angle of the reflected light irradiated on the lunar soil particles, convert it into an electrical signal and transmit it to the receiver; the receiver provides the electrical signal to the computing center; the computing center accurately identifies particles containing glass substances by analyzing the optical properties of different substances, and issues classification instructions to the first robotic arm based on the analysis results; a first brush is provided at the end of the first robotic arm, which is used to drive the first brush to transfer the lunar soil particles containing glass substances to the first collector according to the classification instruction; the first collector is located on the side of the first conveyor belt.

[0014] On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, the drum electrostatic separator includes a drum, an electrode and a second brush, the drum is grounded and can rotate in a clockwise direction; the electrode is arranged opposite to the drum surface of the drum, the electrode discharges toward the drum surface to generate a corona electric field, and the electrode is charged opposite to the drum; the second brush is in contact with the side of the drum electrostatic separator close to the first conveyor belt to brush the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the ore bucket below the drum electrostatic separator.

[0015] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the electrostatic selection unit includes a second baffle, which is obliquely arranged at the end of the first conveyor belt, and is used to introduce the lunar soil particles after optical preliminary screening into the drum, and is also used to introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron into the infrared separation unit after the lunar soil particles are subjected to the electric field force of the corona electric field and the centrifugal force of the drum.

[0016] On the basis of the above technical scheme, preferably, the infrared component includes an infrared light source, an interferometer, a detector, a data processor and a second robotic arm; the infrared light source and the interferometer are arranged opposite to each other and are both located above the second conveyor belt, and the interferometer is used to divide the light emitted by the infrared light source into transmitted light and reflected light and irradiate the lunar soil particles; the detector is arranged below the second conveyor belt, and is used to measure the light intensity after passing through or reflecting the lunar soil particles, convert the light signal into an electrical signal and transmit it to the data processor; the data processor is used to accurately locate the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron that darkens and redshifts the infrared spectrum by analyzing the differences in infrared spectra of different substances in the lunar soil particles, and issue screening instructions to the second robotic arm; the second robotic arm is used to transfer the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron to the second collector according to the screening instructions.

[0017] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a centrifugal unit, which includes a centrifugal tank, a hollow rotating rod, a centrifugal disk and a driving device. The centrifugal tank is supported below the ore bucket, and the bottom of the ore bucket is provided with a discharge channel leading to the centrifugal tank; the hollow rotating rod is rotatably installed on the centrifugal tank, the top end is located in the centrifugal tank, the bottom end passes through the centrifugal tank and leads to the outside of the box, and a switch is provided at the top of the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod; the centrifugal disk is installed at the top of the hollow rotating rod, and the center is connected to the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod; the driving device is drivingly connected to the hollow rotating rod.

[0018] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the driving device includes a first gear, a second gear and a driving motor, the first gear is mounted on the hollow rotating rod, the second gear is meshed with the first gear, and the driving motor is drivingly connected to the second gear.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for grading and sorting lunar soil composition and particle size, using the lunar soil composition and particle size grading and sorting device as described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0020] The lunar soil particles are transported from the feed port to the discharge port through the vibrating screen cylinder, and at least two of the screens sort the lunar soil particles into at least three different particle size ranges and transport them to the storage box through the corresponding discharge ports. The storage box selects lunar soil particles in one particle size range and provides them to the optical sorting unit;

[0021] The first conveyor belt receives lunar soil particles from the collecting tank, and the optical recognition component uses the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify lunar soil particles containing glass substances and remove them into the first collector;

[0022] The lunar soil particles that have undergone optical preliminary screening are transported to the electrical separation unit via the first conveyor belt;

[0023] Applying centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after optical primary screening by the drum electrostatic separator to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the ore bucket, and introducing the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron into the infrared separation unit;

[0024] The second conveyor belt receives the lunar soil particles that have been electrostatically selected by the electrostatic selection unit, and the infrared component emits infrared light to illuminate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt. According to the differences in the infrared spectra of different substances in the lunar soil particles, the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron are accurately located and removed into the second collector.

[0025] Based on the above technical solutions, preferably, after applying centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after optical preliminary screening through the drum electrostatic separator to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper, the following steps are further included:

[0026] Drive the hollow rotating rod and the centrifugal disc to rotate through a driving device, apply centrifugal force to the lunar soil particles provided by the hopper, so that the high-density rock minerals move away from the center of the centrifugal disc and fall to the bottom of the centrifugal tank, and the low-density lunar soil particles containing vesicles approach the center of the centrifugal disc and are discharged from the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod.

[0027] The lunar soil composition and particle size grading and sorting equipment and method of the present invention have the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0028] (1) The lunar soil particles are conveyed from the feed port to the discharge port through the vibrating screen cylinder. At least two of the sieve meshes sort the lunar soil particles into at least three different particle size ranges and convey them to the storage tank through the corresponding discharge ports, so that lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges can be directly obtained, and the screening efficiency is improved; the optical recognition component identifies and removes the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first aggregator, the drum electrostatic separator removes the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper below the drum electrostatic separator, and guides the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron to the infrared separation unit. The infrared component accurately locates the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron and removes them into the second aggregator, further removing glass substances and rock minerals to obtain lunar soil particles containing nano-iron with higher purity. This equipment can effectively separate cohesive breccia and glass components, avoiding damaging the original properties of the lunar soil and affecting the quality of additive manufacturing;

[0029] (2) The screw rod is rotatably installed on the vibrating screen cylinder along the axial direction, the blades are installed on the screw rod, the sieve mesh is cylindrical, at least two of the sieve meshes are connected to and coaxial with the screw rod, the storage tank is provided with at least three collection grooves, the collection grooves are in one-to-one correspondence with the discharge ports, and the bottom of the collection groove is provided with a pull-out first baffle; the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotation of the screw rod forces lunar soil particles of different particle sizes to pass through the grading sieve mesh and then fall into the collection grooves at the corresponding particle size distribution ranges at the bottom. Pull out the first baffle of the collection groove containing lunar soil particles in the specified particle size range to select lunar soil particles in this particle size range and provide them to the optical sorting unit;

[0030] (3) The lunar soil particles on the first conveyor belt are irradiated by the halogen light source; the sensor measures the intensity and angle of the reflected light irradiated on the lunar soil particles, converts it into an electrical signal and transmits it to the receiver; the receiver provides the electrical signal to the computing center; the computing center accurately identifies the particles containing glass substances by analyzing the optical properties of different substances, and issues a classification instruction to the first robotic arm according to the analysis results; the first robotic arm transfers the lunar soil particles containing glass substances to the first collector according to the classification instruction; through the above structure, the glass substances in the lunar soil particles can be effectively removed;

[0031] (4) The drum is grounded and can rotate in a clockwise direction; the electrode is arranged opposite to the drum surface of the drum, and the electrode discharges against the drum surface to generate a corona electric field, and the electrode is charged opposite to the drum; the second brush is in contact with the side of the drum electrostatic separator close to the first conveyor belt to brush the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the ore bucket below the drum electrostatic separator; the lunar soil particles containing nano-element iron have strong electron transmission ability and good conductivity, and the negative charge obtained in the electric field will be immediately transferred away, and they will be affected by the centrifugal force and gravity component generated by the rotation of the drum, and fall in front of the drum and enter the infrared separation unit. The rock minerals with weaker conductivity are adsorbed on the drum, and the second brush forcibly brushes them down and falls into the ore bucket, completing the removal of the rock minerals with weaker conductivity;

[0032] (5) The interferometer is used to divide the light emitted by the infrared light source into transmitted light and reflected light and irradiate the light onto the lunar soil particles. The detector measures the light intensity after passing through or reflecting the lunar soil particles, converts the light signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the data processor. The data processor accurately locates the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron that darkens and redshifts the infrared spectrum by analyzing the differences in the infrared spectra of different substances in the lunar soil particles, and issues a screening instruction to the second robotic arm. The second robotic arm transfers the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron to the second collector according to the screening instruction, thereby eliminating the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0034] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the lunar soil composition and particle size classification and sorting equipment in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the grading rotary vibrating screen in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the optical sorting unit in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the electrostatic separation unit in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the infrared separation unit in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the centrifugal unit in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 It is a schematic flow chart of the lunar soil composition and particle size grading and sorting method in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Explanation of reference numerals: 1 - box body, 2 - grading rotary vibrating screen, 3 - optical sorting unit, 4 - electrostatic separation unit, 5 - infrared separation unit, 6 - centrifugal unit;

[0042] 11 - discharge port;

[0043] 21 - vibrating screen cylinder, 211 - feed port, 212 - discharge port, 22 - screen mesh, 23 - storage box, 231 - collection tank, 24 - screw rod, 25 - blade, 26 - support rod;

[0044] 31 - first conveyor belt, 32 - optical recognition component, 321 - halogen light source, 322 - sensor, 323 - receiver, 324 - calculation center, 325 - first robotic arm, 33 - first aggregator;

[0045] 41 - drum electrostatic separator, 411 - drum, 412 - electrode, 413 - second brush, 42 - ore hopper, 43 - second baffle;

[0046] 51 - second conveyor belt, 52 - infrared component, 521 - infrared light source, 522 - interferometer, 523 - detector, 524 - data processor, 525 - second robotic arm, 53 - second aggregator;

[0047] 61 - centrifugal tank, 62 - hollow rotating rod, 63 - centrifugal disk, 64 - driving device, 641 - first gear, 642 - second gear, 643 - driving motor, 65 - switch, 651 - disc, 652 - spring, 653 - buckle, 654 - limiting block. Detailed implementation manners

[0048] Next, in combination with the embodiments of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0049] Referring to Figure 1-6 As shown, in the first aspect embodiment of the present invention, a lunar soil composition and particle size classification and sorting device is proposed, including a box body 1, and a grading vibration screen 2, an optical sorting unit 3, an electrostatic separation unit 4, and an infrared separation unit 5 located inside the box body 1, where:

[0050] The grading vibration screen 2 includes a vibrating screen cylinder 21, at least two screen meshes 22, and a storage bin 23; the vibrating screen cylinder 21 is a hollow cylinder, the feed port 211 of the vibrating screen cylinder 21 is located on one side of the box body 1, and there are at least three discharge ports 212 for conveying lunar soil particles from the feed port 211 to the discharge ports 212; at least two of the screen meshes 22 are coaxially installed in the vibrating screen cylinder 21 and can rotate relative to the vibrating screen cylinder 21; the storage bin 23 is connected to the discharge port 212 for classifying and collecting lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges and selecting lunar soil particles in one of the particle size ranges to be provided to the optical sorting unit 3; for example, see Figure 1 As shown, there are three discharge ports 212 and two screen meshes 22. The first discharge port 212 is connected to the inside of the inner screen mesh 22, the second discharge port 212 is connected between the two screen meshes 22, and the third discharge port 212 is connected between the outer screen mesh 22 and the inner wall of the vibrating screen cylinder 21, so as to realize the classification screening of lunar soil particles in three different particle size ranges. The mesh number of the screen mesh 22 gradually increases from the inside to the outside, and the mesh numbers can be 100 mesh and 200 mesh respectively, and can be replaced according to actual situations. The three obtained particle size ranges are 0 - 0.075 mm, 0.075 - 0.15 mm, and above 0.15 mm;

[0051] The optical sorting unit 3 includes a first conveyor belt 31, an optical recognition component 32, and a first collector 33. The first conveyor belt 31 is located below the storage bin 23 and is used to receive lunar soil particles from the collection tank 231 and convey the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to the electrostatic separation unit 4. The optical recognition component 32 is used to utilize the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify and remove the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first collector 33. The first collector 33 is located on the side of the first conveyor belt 31, that is, the first collector 33 is located below the right channel of the first conveyor belt 31. The inclination angle of the first conveyor belt 31 is adjustable between 0-60°, and it changes from a single channel to a double channel starting from the light source irradiation area. The two channels are distinguished by protrusions. The left channel is used for the transportation of lunar soil materials, and the right channel collects the lunar soil particles containing glass substances. Other lunar soil particles are conveyed by the left channel to the electrostatic separation unit 4;

[0052] The electrostatic separation unit 4 includes a drum electrostatic separator 41 and a hopper 42. An electric corona field is provided in the drum electrostatic separator 41, which is used to apply centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper 42 below the drum electrostatic separator 41 and introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron into the infrared separation unit 5;

[0053] The infrared separation unit 5 includes a second conveyor belt 51, an infrared component 52, and a second collector 53. The second conveyor belt 51 is arranged on the side of the drum electrostatic separator 41 away from the first conveyor belt 31 to receive the lunar soil particles after being electrostatically separated by the electrostatic separation unit 4. The infrared component 52 is used to emit infrared light to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt 51, and is also used to accurately locate and remove the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron into the second collector 53 according to the difference in infrared spectrograms of different substances in the lunar soil particles.

[0054] The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment proposed in this embodiment conveys lunar soil particles from the feed inlet 211 to the discharge outlet 212 through the vibrating screen cylinder 21. At least two of the screen meshes 22 classify the lunar soil particles into at least three different particle size ranges and convey them to the storage bin 23 through the corresponding discharge outlets 212, so that lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges can be directly obtained, improving the screening efficiency. The optical recognition component 32 identifies and removes the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first collector 33. The drum electrostatic separator 41 removes the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper 42 below the drum electrostatic separator 41, and introduces the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the infrared separation unit 5. The infrared component 52 accurately locates the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron and removes them into the second collector 53, further removing glass substances and rock minerals to obtain lunar soil particles with higher purity containing nano elemental iron. This equipment can effectively separate cohesive breccia and glass components, avoiding damaging the original properties of the lunar soil and affecting the quality of additive manufacturing.

[0055] In some embodiments, the grading rotary vibrating screen 2 further includes a screw rod 24 and blades 25. The screw rod 24 is rotatably installed on the vibrating screen cylinder 21 along the axial direction. The blades 25 are installed on the screw rod 24 and are used to push the lunar soil particles in the direction away from the feed inlet 211. The screen mesh 22 is a cylindrical structure centered on the screw rod 24. At least two of the screen meshes 22 are connected to and coaxial with the screw rod 24, and the screen mesh 22 is connected to the screw rod 24 through a support rod 26. The storage bin 23 is provided with at least three collection grooves 231, and the collection grooves 231 are in one-to-one correspondence and communication with the discharge outlets 212. The bottom of the collection groove 231 is provided with a pull-out first baffle. The high-speed rotating screw rod 24 drives the screen mesh 22 to move, and the generated centrifugal force enables the lunar soil particles meeting the particle size requirements to pass through the screen mesh 22 and fall into the three collection grooves 231 in the storage bin 23 at the lower end of the vibrating screen cylinder 21 respectively. The collection grooves 231 collect large, medium, and small particles from left to right in sequence, and are equipped with pull-out first baffles at the bottom, which can determine the particle size range of the particles falling into the optical sorting unit 3.

[0056] In some embodiments, the optical recognition component 32 includes a halogen light source 321, a sensor 322, a receiver 323, a calculation center 324, and a first robotic arm 325; the halogen light source 321 is used to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the first conveyor belt 31; the sensor 322 is used to measure the intensity and angle of the reflected light irradiated on the lunar soil particles, convert them into electrical signals and transmit them to the receiver 323, and the sensor 322 adopts a photodiode; the receiver 323 provides the electrical signals to the calculation center 324; the calculation center 324 accurately identifies the particles containing glass substances by analyzing the optical characteristics of different substances, and issues a classification instruction to the first robotic arm 325 according to the analysis result; a first brush is provided at the end of the first robotic arm 325, which is used to drive the first brush to transfer the lunar soil particles containing glass substances to the first aggregator 33 according to the classification instruction; the first aggregator 33 is located on the side of the first conveyor belt 31, that is, the first aggregator 33 is located below the right channel of the first conveyor belt 31. By utilizing the difference in the light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles, the reflectivity of the lunar soil particles containing glass substances is relatively high. The calculation center 324 accurately identifies the particles containing glass substances by analyzing the optical characteristics of different substances, and issues a classification instruction to the first robotic arm 325 according to the analysis result. The first robotic arm 325 drives the first brush to transfer the lunar soil particles containing glass substances to the first aggregator 33 according to the classification instruction, completing the effective removal of glass substances.

[0057] In some embodiments, the drum electrostatic separator 41 includes a drum 411, an electrode 412, and a second brush 413. The drum 411 is grounded and can rotate in the clockwise direction; the electrode 412 is disposed opposite to the drum surface of the drum 411, and the electrode 412 discharges towards the drum surface to generate a corona electric field, and the electrode 412 has an opposite charge to the drum 411; the second brush 413 is in contact with the side of the drum electrostatic separator 41 close to the first conveyor belt 31 to brush the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper 42 below the drum electrostatic separator 41. The drum surface of the drum 411 is facing the electrode 412 into which high-voltage direct current is introduced, and this electrode 412 discharges towards the drum surface to generate a corona electric field, and the drum 411 rotates in the clockwise direction to provide power for the lunar soil particles falling into the drum 411. The lunar soil particles that have undergone preliminary screening by optical separation enter the corona electric field of the drum 411. Due to the presence of charges in the space, all minerals in the lunar soil particles can obtain negative charges at this time. The electron transport capabilities of different substances in the lunar soil particles are different, and their movement trajectories are also different. Containing nano elemental iron nFe 0Because the lunar soil particles have strong electron transport ability and good electrical conductivity, the negative charges obtained in the electric field will be immediately transferred away, and under the action of the centrifugal force and the component of gravity generated by the rotation of the drum 411, they will fall in front of the drum 411 and enter the infrared separation unit 5; while the rock minerals with relatively weak electrical conductivity have poor electron transport ability, and the charges obtained cannot be immediately transferred away, and even cannot be transferred away for a long time, so they are adsorbed on the drum 411, and then the second brush 413 forcibly brushes them off and falls into the hopper 42.

[0058] In some embodiments, the electrostatic separation unit 4 includes a second baffle 43, which is obliquely arranged at the end of the first conveyor belt 31 and is used to guide the lunar soil particles after optical preliminary screening into the drum 411, and is also used to guide the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron into the infrared separation unit 5 after the action of the electric field force of the corona electric field and the centrifugal force of the drum 411. The second baffle 43 is obliquely arranged with the left side higher than the right side. The left side of the second baffle 43 is higher than the first conveyor belt 31, and the second conveyor belt 51 is located below the second baffle 43. On the one hand, the second baffle 43 plays a role of enclosing, guiding the lunar soil particles after optical preliminary screening into the drum 411, avoiding the splashing of lunar soil particles, improving the utilization rate of lunar soil particles, preventing the damage of experimental equipment and prolonging the service life; on the other hand, after the lunar soil particles are acted on by the electric field force of the corona electric field and the centrifugal force of the drum 411, the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron are guided into the infrared separation unit 5, so that the lunar soil particles are further separated according to the established track.

[0059] In some embodiments, the infrared component 52 includes an infrared light source 521, an interferometer 522, a detector 523, a data processor 524 and a second robotic arm 525; the infrared light source 521 and the interferometer 522 are arranged opposite to each other and are both located above the second conveyor belt 51, and the interferometer 522 is used to divide the light emitted by the infrared light source 521 into transmitted light and reflected light and irradiate the lunar soil particles; the detector 523 is arranged below the second conveyor belt 51, and is used to measure the light intensity after passing through or reflecting the lunar soil particles, convert the light signal into an electrical signal and transmit it to the data processor 524; the data processor 524 is used to accurately locate the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron that darkens and redshifts the infrared spectrum by analyzing the differences in infrared spectra of different substances in the lunar soil particles, and issue screening instructions to the second robotic arm 525; the second robotic arm 525 is used to transfer the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron to the second collector 53 according to the screening instructions. Since lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron will cause the infrared spectrum to darken and red-shift, the detector 523 collects unabsorbed light signals, compares them with the original light source, and transmits the output spectrum to the data processor 524. The data processor 524 accurately locates the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron that cause the infrared spectrum to darken and red-shift, and issues a screening instruction to the second robotic arm 525. A third brush is provided at the end of the second robotic arm 525. The second robotic arm 525 drives the third brush to sweep the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron into the second collector 53.

[0060] In some embodiments, the lunar soil composition and particle size grading and sorting equipment also includes a centrifugal unit 6, which includes a centrifugal tank 61, a hollow rotating rod 62, a centrifugal disk 63 and a driving device 64. The centrifugal tank 61 is received under the ore bucket 42, and the bottom of the ore bucket 42 is provided with a discharge channel leading to the centrifugal tank 61; the hollow rotating rod 62 is rotatably installed on the centrifugal tank 61, the top end is located in the centrifugal tank 61, and the bottom end passes through the centrifugal tank 61 and leads to the outside of the box body 1, and a switch 65 is provided at the top of the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod 62; the centrifugal disk 63 is installed at the top of the hollow rotating rod 62, and the center is connected to the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod 62; the driving device 64 is drivingly connected to the hollow rotating rod 62. Because lunar soil particles with different densities present different movement trajectories under the action of gravity, centrifugal force and friction, high-density rock minerals move away from the center of the centrifugal disk 63 and fall into the centrifugal tank 61; low-density particles containing vesicles are close to the center of the centrifugal disk 63. When the centrifugal disk 63 reaches the specified rotation speed, the switch 65 of the hollow rotating rod 62 is turned on, and the low-density particles containing vesicles are discharged out of the box 1 through the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod 62.

[0061] In some embodiments, the switch 65 includes a wafer 651, a spring 652, a snap 653, and a limit block 654; a hidden spring 652 is provided on the inner wall of the hollow rotating rod 62 at the position where the lower end of the wafer 651 is connected; a snap 653 is provided at the same height as the upper end of the wafer 651, and a telescopic limit block 654 is designed under the snap 653. The opening and closing states of the switch 65 are both controlled by the rotation speed of the centrifugal disc 63. That is, when the rotation speed of the centrifugal disc 63 is lower than the specified rotation speed of 1000 rpm, the snap 653 clamps the wafer 651, the limit block 654 extends to restrict the wafer 651 from moving, and the top of the hollow rotating rod 62 and the annular centrifugal disc 63 form a complete disc, which can be used to separate mineral components; when the centrifugal disc 63 reaches the specified rotation speed of 1000 rpm, the connection between the centrifugal disc 63 and the hollow rotating rod 62 is in an open state, the snap 653 is loosened, the limit block 654 retracts into the inner wall, the wafer 651 is in a drooping state, and the low-density particles containing vesicles fall through the hollow rotating rod 62 into the frustum-shaped discharge port 11.

[0062] In some embodiments, the driving device 64 includes a first gear 641, a second gear 642, and a driving motor 643. The first gear 641 is installed on the hollow rotating rod 62, the second gear 642 meshes with the first gear 641, and the driving motor 643 is drivingly connected to the second gear 642. The first gear 641 and the second gear 642 mesh with each other. The driving motor 643 drives the second gear 642 to rotate clockwise, driving the first gear 641 to rotate counterclockwise. The first gear 641 is fixedly connected to the hollow rotating rod 6235, driving the hollow rotating rod 62 to rotate, and further driving the centrifugal disc 63 to perform a rotational motion.

[0063] Based on the same concept, in the second aspect embodiment of the present invention, in combination with Figure 7 as shown, a method for grading and sorting lunar soil components and particle sizes is provided. Using the lunar soil component and particle size grading and sorting equipment as described in the first aspect, it includes:

[0064] Step S1: The lunar soil particles are conveyed from the feed port 211 to the discharge port 212 through the vibrating sieve drum 21. At least two of the sieves 22 sort the lunar soil particles into at least three different particle size ranges and convey them to the storage tank 23 through the corresponding discharge ports 212. The storage tank 23 selects lunar soil particles in one of the particle size ranges and provides them to the optical sorting unit 3;

[0065] Step S2: Receive the lunar soil particles from the collection tank 231 through the first conveyor belt 31. The optical recognition component 32 uses the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify and remove the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first collector 33;

[0066] Step S3: Convey the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to the electrostatic separation unit 4 through the first conveyor belt 31;

[0067] Step S4: Apply centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening through the drum electrostatic separator 41 to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper 42, and introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the infrared separation unit 5;

[0068] Step S5: Receive the lunar soil particles after electrostatic separation by the electrostatic separation unit 4 through the second conveyor belt 51. The infrared component 52 emits infrared light to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt 51. According to the difference in the infrared spectrograms of different substances in the lunar soil particles, accurately locate and remove the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the second aggregator 53.

[0069] In some embodiments, in step S4, after applying centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening through the drum electrostatic separator 41 to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper 42, it further includes:

[0070] Drive the hollow rotating rod 62 and the centrifugal disk 63 to rotate through the driving device 64 to apply centrifugal force to the lunar soil particles provided by the hopper 42, so that the high-density rock minerals move away from the center of the centrifugal disk 63 and fall to the bottom of the centrifugal tank 61, and the low-density lunar soil particles containing vesicles approach the center of the centrifugal disk 63 and are discharged from the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod 62, and are discharged through the frustum-shaped discharge hole on the box body 1.

[0071] The method for grading and separating the components and particle sizes of lunar soil proposed in this embodiment can directly obtain lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges through the above steps, improving the screening efficiency; at the same time, it separates the agglomerated rock (particles containing nano elemental iron and particles containing vesicles) and glass substances in the lunar soil material, realizing the enrichment of mineral components, improving the utilization rate of the lunar soil material, and shortening the pretreatment process.

[0072] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation device, characterized in that, It includes a box body, as well as a grading vibrating screen, an optical sorting unit, an electrostatic separation unit, and an infrared separation unit located inside the box body, where: The grading vibrating screen includes a vibrating screen cylinder, at least two screens, and a storage bin; the feed inlet of the vibrating screen cylinder is located on one side of the box body, and there are at least three discharge outlets, which are used to convey lunar soil particles from the feed inlet to the discharge outlets; at least two of the screens are coaxially installed in the vibrating screen cylinder and can rotate relative to the vibrating screen cylinder; the storage bin is connected to the discharge outlet, and is used to classify and collect lunar soil particles in different particle size ranges and select lunar soil particles in one of the particle size ranges to be provided to the optical sorting unit; The optical sorting unit includes a first conveyor belt, an optical recognition component, and a first aggregator. The first conveyor belt is located below the storage bin and is used to receive lunar soil particles from the collection tank and convey the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to the electrostatic separation unit; the optical recognition component is used to utilize the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify and remove the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first aggregator; the first aggregator is located on the side of the first conveyor belt; The electrostatic separation unit includes a drum electrostatic separator and a hopper; an electric corona field is provided in the drum electrostatic separator, which is used to apply centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening, so as to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper below the drum electrostatic separator and introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the infrared separation unit; The infrared separation unit includes a second conveyor belt, an infrared component, and a second aggregator; the second conveyor belt is arranged on the side of the drum electrostatic separator away from the first conveyor belt to receive the lunar soil particles after being electrostatically separated by the electrostatic separation unit; the infrared component is used to emit infrared light to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt, and is also used to accurately position and remove the lunar soil particles containing nano elemental iron into the second aggregator according to the difference in the infrared spectrograms of different substances in the lunar soil particles.

2. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grading vibrating screen further includes a screw rod and blades; the screw rod is rotatably installed on the vibrating screen cylinder along the axial direction; the blades are installed on the screw rod and are used to push the lunar soil particles in the direction away from the feed inlet; the screen is cylindrical, and at least two of the screens are connected to the screw rod and are coaxial; the storage bin is provided with at least three collection tanks, the collection tanks are in one-to-one correspondence and communication with the discharge outlets, and a pull-out first baffle is provided at the bottom of the collection tank.

3. The lunar soil component and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The optical recognition component includes a halogen light source, a sensor, a receiver, a computing center and a first robotic arm; the halogen light source is used to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the first conveyor belt; the sensor is used to measure the intensity and angle of the reflected light irradiated on the lunar soil particles, convert it into an electrical signal and transmit it to the receiver; the receiver provides the electrical signal to the computing center; the computing center accurately identifies particles containing glass substances by analyzing the optical properties of different substances, and issues classification instructions to the first robotic arm based on the analysis results; a first brush is provided at the end of the first robotic arm, which is used to drive the first brush to transfer the lunar soil particles containing glass substances to the first collector according to the classification instruction; the first collector is located on the side of the first conveyor belt.

4. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drum electrostatic separator includes a drum, an electrode and a second brush. The drum is grounded and can rotate in a clockwise direction. The electrode is arranged opposite to the drum surface of the drum. The electrode discharges toward the drum surface to generate a corona electric field. The electrode and the drum are charged oppositely. The second brush is in contact with a side of the drum electrostatic separator close to the first conveyor belt to brush lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the ore bucket below the drum electrostatic separator.

5. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The electrostatic selection unit includes a second baffle, which is obliquely arranged at the end of the first conveyor belt and is used to introduce the lunar soil particles that have passed the initial optical screening into the drum. It is also used to introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron into the infrared separation unit after the lunar soil particles have passed through the electric field force of the corona electric field and the centrifugal force of the drum.

6. The lunar soil composition and particle size grading and sorting equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The infrared component includes an infrared light source, an interferometer, a detector, a data processor and a second robotic arm; the infrared light source and the interferometer are arranged opposite to each other and are both located above the second conveyor belt, and the interferometer is used to divide the light emitted by the infrared light source into transmitted light and reflected light and irradiate the lunar soil particles; the detector is arranged below the second conveyor belt, and is used to measure the light intensity after passing through or reflecting the lunar soil particles, convert the light signal into an electrical signal and transmit it to the data processor; the data processor is used to accurately locate the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron that darkens and redshifts the infrared spectrum by analyzing the differences in infrared spectra of different substances in the lunar soil particles, and issue screening instructions to the second robotic arm; the second robotic arm is used to transfer the lunar soil particles containing nano-elemental iron to the second collector according to the screening instructions.

7. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a centrifugal unit, which includes a centrifugal tank, a hollow rotating rod, a centrifugal disk and a driving device. The centrifugal tank is supported below the ore bucket, and the bottom of the ore bucket is provided with a discharge channel leading to the centrifugal tank; the hollow rotating rod is rotatably installed on the centrifugal tank, the top end is located in the centrifugal tank, the bottom end passes through the centrifugal tank and leads to the outside of the box, and a switch is provided on the top of the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod; the centrifugal disk is installed on the top of the hollow rotating rod, and the center is connected to the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod; the driving device is drivingly connected to the hollow rotating rod.

8. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that The driving device includes a first gear, a second gear and a driving motor. The first gear is mounted on the hollow rotating rod, the second gear meshes with the first gear, and the driving motor is drivingly connected to the second gear.

9. A method for classifying and separating lunar soil components and particle sizes, using the lunar soil component and particle size classification and separation equipment described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Comprising: The lunar soil particles are conveyed from the feed port to the discharge port through the vibrating sieve cylinder. At least two of the sieves sort the lunar soil particles into at least three different particle size ranges and convey them to the storage tank through the corresponding discharge ports. The storage tank selects the lunar soil particles in one of the particle size ranges and supplies them to the optical sorting unit; Receive the lunar soil particles from the collection tank through the first conveyor belt. The optical recognition component uses the difference in light reflection of different substances in the lunar soil particles to identify and remove the lunar soil particles containing glass substances into the first aggregator; Convey the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening to the electrostatic separation unit through the first conveyor belt; Apply centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening through the drum electrostatic separator to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper and introduce the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron into the infrared separation unit; Receive the lunar soil particles after electrostatic separation by the electrostatic separation unit through the second conveyor belt. The infrared component emits infrared light to irradiate the lunar soil particles on the second conveyor belt. According to the difference in the infrared spectrograms of different substances in the lunar soil particles, accurately locate and remove the lunar soil particles containing nano-iron into the second aggregator.

10. The lunar soil composition and particle size classification and separation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, After applying centrifugal force and electric field force to the lunar soil particles after preliminary optical screening through the drum electrostatic separator to remove the lunar soil particles containing rock minerals into the hopper, it further includes: Drive the hollow rotating rod and the centrifugal disc to rotate through the driving device, apply centrifugal force to the lunar soil particles provided by the hopper, so that the high-density rock minerals move away from the center of the centrifugal disc and fall to the bottom of the centrifugal tank, and the low-density lunar soil particles containing vesicles approach the center of the centrifugal disc and are discharged from the inner hole of the hollow rotating rod.

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