Novel control surface for underwater vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel control surface for an underwater vehicle, which comprises two vertical rudders and two horizontal rudders, the two vertical rudders are arranged along the circumferential direction of a vehicle main body at an interval of 180 degrees, the two horizontal rudders are arranged along the circumferential direction of the vehicle main body at an interval of 180 degrees, and the interval angle between a single horizontal rudder and a single vertical rudder is 90 degrees; each vertical rudder structurally comprises a rigid section and a flexible section which are connected in sequence, the rigid section is connected with the output end of the driving assembly through a first connecting shaft, and the flexible section is connected with the aircraft body through a second connecting shaft. By arranging the vertical rudder with the rigid section and the flexible section, active control and passive control can be combined, and the vertical rudder is provided with a rigid rotating part and a flexible passive deformation part in the working process of the underwater vehicle, so that the rudder force of a control surface is greatly improved, and the stall angle of the rudder is greatly reduced; therefore, the maneuvering performance of the underwater vehicle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of marine engineering technology, in particular to a novel control surface for underwater vehicles. Background Art

[0002] As core equipment for ocean exploration and development, underwater vehicles (UVs) play a vital role in today's society. In the civilian sector, they are widely used in marine resource exploration, seafloor topography mapping, marine environmental monitoring, and deep-sea infrastructure maintenance. They can penetrate inaccessible waters, obtain valuable geodetic and ecological data, and contribute to the sustainable development of the marine economy.

[0003] In existing technologies, underwater vehicles still face many challenges in terms of maneuverability. Factors such as stall and lack of maneuverability have become key factors restricting their stable operation, leading to the following problems for underwater vehicles:

[0004] (1) When an underwater vehicle makes a large-angle turn at high speed or encounters a complex ocean current environment, the water flow near the control surface is likely to separate, forming vortices, which can cause a sharp decline in rudder efficiency or even complete failure.

[0005] (2) Stalling can also cause the aircraft to deviate from its planned route, affecting mission execution accuracy and even causing serious safety accidents when urgently avoiding enemy detection or obstacles.

[0006] (3) Insufficient maneuverability severely limits the maneuverability of underwater vehicles. When performing difficult maneuvers such as rapidly changing depth and making sharp turns, traditional underwater vehicles have slow response speeds and limited range of motion, making it difficult to meet the requirements of evading enemy torpedo attacks or conducting surprise attacks.

[0007] (4) Underwater vehicles performing operational tasks in complex seabed environments are unable to efficiently pass through narrow channels or bypass obstacles due to their poor maneuverability, resulting in low operational efficiency.

[0008] In summary, there is an urgent need to provide a new type of control surface to improve the steering efficiency, rudder force and maneuverability of underwater vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Based on this, in order to address the problems of low lift, easy stall and poor steering efficiency existing in the control surfaces of underwater vehicles in the prior art, the present application provides a new control surface for underwater vehicles with a reasonable structure, which can improve the flow field near the control surface, thereby improving the steering efficiency and delaying the impact of flow separation.

[0010] The technical solutions adopted in the present invention are as follows:

[0011] A novel control surface for an underwater vehicle, comprising two vertical rudders arranged 180° apart along the circumference of the vehicle body, and two horizontal rudders arranged 180° apart along the circumference of the vehicle body, wherein the angle between each horizontal rudder and each vertical rudder is 90°;

[0012] The structure of a single vertical rudder is: it includes a rigid section and a flexible section connected in sequence, the rigid section is connected to the output end of the drive assembly through a first connecting shaft, and the flexible section is connected to the aircraft body through a second connecting shaft.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution:

[0014] The rigid section is made of rigid metal.

[0015] The rigid section is cylindrical.

[0016] The flexible section is made of flexible non-metallic material.

[0017] The flexible section adopts a symmetrical airfoil structure.

[0018] The rigid section and the flexible section are connected in a smooth transition.

[0019] The two vertical rudders and the two horizontal rudders are both arranged at the stern of the aircraft body.

[0020] A single horizontal rudder is connected to the main body of the aircraft through a rudder shaft.

[0021] A hull is arranged at the bow of the aircraft body.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] The present invention has a compact and reasonable structure and is easy to operate. By introducing a "two-stage" design concept, a vertical rudder with a rigid section and a flexible section is provided, and active control and passive control can be combined. During the operation of the underwater vehicle, the vertical rudder is provided with a rigid rotating part and a flexible passive deformation part, thereby greatly improving the rudder force of the control surface and greatly reducing the stall angle of the rudder, thereby improving the maneuverability of the underwater vehicle.

[0024] The present invention provides a cylindrical rigid section and a flexible section that can be passively deformed under the impact of the incoming flow. The rigid section can actively rotate at a given speed. When the underwater vehicle is sailing straight, the rudder angle is zero, the rigid sections of the two vertical rudders remain stationary, and the flexible sections of the two vertical rudders will not be passively deformed due to the structural symmetry. At this time, there is no need for active flow control; when the underwater vehicle needs to carry out maneuvering, the active rotation of the rigid section can produce a Magnus effect, thereby converting the speed in the incoming flow direction into lift perpendicular to the rudder surface, effectively improving the lift and rudder effect, and thus increasing the maneuverability of the underwater vehicle; at the same time, the rotation of the rigid section produces The additional circulation will also enhance the energy of the corresponding vertical rudder surface, thereby delaying flow separation and reducing the occurrence of stall. The flexible section adopts a symmetrical airfoil structure, and its thickness decreases from the bow to the stern along the chord length of the vehicle body. Based on the "variable stiffness" design concept, the elastic modulus value at the connection between the flexible section and the rigid section is the largest (almost a rigid body). As the displacement moves backward, the corresponding elastic modulus value gradually decreases, which can effectively increase the effective arch formed by the passive deformation of the flexible section under the impact of the incoming flow, thereby further enhancing the rudder force. At the same time, the flexible section can unload part of the fluid dynamic load, thereby reducing the impact force of the incoming flow on the control surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a partial enlarged view of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 1 main view.

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Top view of .

[0029] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the vertical rudder in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical rudder in the present invention when in working state.

[0031] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the Magnus effect in the present invention.

[0032] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the change in elastic modulus of the flexible segment along the chord length direction in the present invention.

[0033] Among them: 1. Vertical rudder; 2. Horizontal rudder; 3. Vehicle body; 4. Shell;

[0034] 101. Rigid section; 102. Flexible section; 103. First connecting axis; 104. Second connecting axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] like Figures 1-6 As shown, a new control surface for an underwater vehicle includes two vertical rudders 1 arranged at 180° intervals along the circumference of the vehicle body 3, and two horizontal rudders 2 arranged at 180° intervals along the circumference of the vehicle body 3. The interval angle between a single horizontal rudder 2 and a single vertical rudder 1 is 90°. In the present invention, the two vertical rudders 1 and the two horizontal rudders 2 adopt a cross-shaped layout; the structure of the single vertical rudder 1 is: it includes a rigid section 101 and a flexible section 102 connected in sequence, the rigid section 101 is connected to the output end of the drive assembly through a first connecting shaft 103, and the flexible section 102 is connected to the vehicle body 3 through a second connecting shaft 104.

[0037] During the operation of underwater vehicles, control surfaces play a vital role, and their performance is directly related to their navigation stability, maneuverability and operational performance; precise and efficient maneuvering control can enable underwater vehicles to achieve flexible steering, adjust depth, and complete tasks such as information collection and sampling in complex sea conditions and changeable marine environments; in order to avoid the problem of poor quality of the incoming flow in front of the control surfaces due to flow separation and vortex release at the stern of the vehicle, the present invention can effectively improve the rudder efficiency and enhance the operational stability and safety of the underwater vehicle by arranging two vertical rudders 1 and two horizontal rudders 2 in a cross-shaped layout.

[0038] In addition, from the perspective of flow control, the present invention introduces a "two-stage" design concept. By providing a vertical rudder 1 with a rigid section 101 and a flexible section 102, active control and passive control can be combined. During the operation of the underwater vehicle, the vertical rudder 1 has a rigid rotating section and a flexible passive deformation section.

[0039] The rigid section 101 is made of rigid metal; the rigid section 101 is cylindrical; the rigid section 101 is connected to the output end of the drive assembly through the first connecting shaft 103. In the present invention, the drive assembly is a motor, which is placed inside the aircraft body 3. The motor drives the first connecting shaft 103 to rotate, thereby driving the rigid section 101 to actively rotate, thereby causing the fluid around the rigid section 101 to rotate (circulate), forming a Magnus effect, such as Figure 7As shown, the momentum of the incoming flow is converted into additional lift F perpendicular to the rudder surface. The incoming flow flows from left to right through the rigid section 101. If the rigid section 101 remains stationary, the flow velocity and pressure on the upper and lower surfaces of the rigid section 101 are the same. If the rigid section 101 rotates (taking counterclockwise as an example), the rotation speed and flow velocity on the lower side of the rigid section 101 are the same. At this time, streamlines accumulate, and the flow velocity on the lower side of the rigid section 101 increases, while the flow velocity on the upper side of the rigid section 101 decreases. According to Bernoulli's principle, the pressure is low in areas with fast flow velocity, and high in areas with slow flow velocity. In this way, a pressure difference is formed on both sides of the rigid section 101, thereby generating additional lift and effectively improving the rudder efficiency.

[0040] Furthermore, based on numerical simulations performed with finite element analysis software, when the rudder angle of the vertical rudder 1 is below 45° and the rotation speed of the rigid section 101 is 10 rpm, the rudder force of the control surface of the present invention can be increased by at least 40% compared with the traditional fully rigid control surface.

[0041] The flexible section 102 is made of flexible non-metallic material; the flexible section 102 adopts a symmetrical airfoil structure; Figure 8 As shown, the elastic modulus value of the flexible section 102 along the chord length direction presents a gradient change. Figure 8 It can be seen that the elastic modulus of the flexible section 102 near the first connecting axis 103 is the largest, the deformation degree of this area is small, and it is approximately rigid; the elastic modulus of the area away from the first connecting axis 103 is small, and it is extremely easy to undergo passive deformation under the impact of the incoming flow; by providing the flexible section 102, it is passively deformed under the impact of the fluid, so that the rudder surface of the corresponding vertical rudder 1 can better adapt to the changes in the water flow, and by changing the shape of the corresponding vertical rudder 1, the water flow can be more smoothly attached to the rudder surface of the vertical rudder 1, thereby delaying the separation of the boundary layer, maintaining the stability of the water flow around the vertical rudder 1, and effectively delaying the occurrence of the stall phenomenon; at the same time, after the corresponding vertical rudder 1 is passively deformed, the surface of the vertical rudder 1 produces a certain curvature, and the effective camber of the vertical rudder 1 increases. The larger camber increases the velocity difference of the water flow above and below the surface of the vertical rudder 1; according to Bernoulli's principle, the increase in the velocity difference will also increase the pressure difference, thereby generating greater lift;

[0042] Furthermore, numerical simulation based on finite element analysis software shows that the passive deformation of the vertical rudder 1 can delay the stall angle of the vertical rudder 1 from the original 25° to more than 45°, and the corresponding lift coefficient also increases by more than 50%.

[0043] The rigid section 101 and the flexible section 102 are smoothly connected, which effectively reduces the separation of the fluid at the junction of the rigid section 101 and the flexible section 102, so that the water flow can flow more smoothly along the rudder surface of the corresponding vertical rudder 1, reducing energy loss, reducing resistance, and improving the navigation efficiency of the underwater vehicle.

[0044] Two vertical rudders 1 and two horizontal rudders 2 are arranged at the stern of the vehicle body 3. The control surfaces of the present invention include two vertical rudders 1 and two horizontal rudders 2 arranged at the stern of the vehicle body 3. The stern is the area where water flow is more concentrated after passing through the vehicle body 3. The arrangement of the vertical rudders 1 and horizontal rudders 2 here can more directly utilize the power of the water flow to control the direction and attitude of the underwater vehicle.

[0045] A single horizontal rudder 2 is connected to the vehicle body 3 through a rudder shaft. The rudder shaft is made of rigid metal, and its connection performance is reliable, which can improve the stability of the underwater vehicle during operation.

[0046] The bow of the aircraft body 3 is provided with a casing 4. The casing 4 provides protection for key equipment such as periscopes, communication antennas, radars and various sensors.

[0047] The working process of the present invention is as follows:

[0048] When the underwater vehicle is sailing straight, at this time, the two first connecting shafts 103 do not need to rotate, the driving assembly stops, and the rudder angle is maintained at 0°;

[0049] When the underwater vehicle performs maneuvering movements, driven by the driving assembly, one first connecting shaft 103 and / or the other first connecting shaft 103 rotates. At the same time, the flexible sections 102 of the two vertical rudders 1 are passively deformed respectively under the impact of the incoming flow. At this time, the underwater vehicle generates a rudder angle, thereby enabling the underwater vehicle to perform corresponding maneuvering movements; and, the rotation of the rigid section 101 generates a Magnus effect, which can enhance the lift of the corresponding vertical rudder 1, thereby increasing the maneuverability of the underwater vehicle.

[0050] The above description is an explanation of the present invention, not a limitation of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined in the claims. Any modifications may be made within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A novel control surface for an underwater vehicle, characterized by: The invention comprises two vertical rudders (1) arranged at intervals of 180° along the circumference of the aircraft body (3), and two horizontal rudders (2) arranged at intervals of 180° along the circumference of the aircraft body (3), wherein the interval angle between each horizontal rudder (2) and each vertical rudder (1) is 90°; The structure of a single vertical rudder (1) comprises a rigid section (101) and a flexible section (102) connected in sequence, wherein the rigid section (101) is connected to the output end of a drive assembly via a first connecting shaft (103), and the flexible section (102) is connected to a vehicle body (3) via a second connecting shaft (104).

2. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid section (101) is made of rigid metal material.

3. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid section (101) is cylindrical.

4. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible section (102) is made of a flexible non-metallic material.

5. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible section (102) adopts a symmetrical airfoil structure.

6. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid section (101) and the flexible section (102) are connected in a smooth transition.

7. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two vertical rudders (1) and the two horizontal rudders (2) are both arranged at the stern of the aircraft body (3).

8. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A single horizontal rudder (2) is connected to the aircraft body (3) via a rudder shaft.

9. The novel control surface for an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bow of the aircraft body (3) is provided with a casing (4).

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