Multistage ion wind propulsion device of common electrode structure

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of ionic wind propellers, and particularly relates to a multi-stage ionic wind propelling device with a common electrode structure, which comprises a plurality of ionic wind generating units which are sequentially arranged along the airflow direction, each unit consists of a conductive support structure and an ionization needle tip on the conductive support structure, and the ionic wind generating units are used for ionizing air under the action of a high-voltage electric field; the multiple units are isolated from one another through the insulation supporting structures and are connected in series, the power supply access module alternately provides positive and negative high-voltage power supplies for all the units, all the conductive supporting structures sequentially serve as ionization electrodes and receiving electrodes in a multi-stage electric field, and the electrode sharing type continuous acceleration structure is achieved. An independent receiving end does not need to be arranged for each stage, the number of electrodes and supporting parts is remarkably reduced, the ion acceleration path is prolonged, the thrust density is improved, a frame-type or non-frame-type structure can be adopted for flexible construction according to requirements, and the advantages of being light in structure, high in thrust-weight ratio and high in expansibility are achieved; the invention is suitable for the fields of micro aircrafts and directional air supply.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of ion wind propeller, and particularly relates to a multi-stage ion wind propeller device with a common electrode structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] Ion wind propulsion technology is an electrical air dynamic output method based on corona discharge effect to accelerate gas. By applying a high-voltage direct current electric field between an electrode with large curvature and an opposite electrode, the electrode tip region with high electric field strength generates ionization effect on the surrounding air molecules, forms charged ions, and under the action of electric field force, the charged particles drift towards the opposite electrode. The charged particles exchange momentum with neutral molecules during the movement to form a perceptible air flow, thereby realizing thrust output or air delivery. This technology has gradually become an important research direction in new air supply equipment, air purification modules, micro air vehicles, and electronic device cooling systems, because it has the advantages of no mechanical transmission components, low operating noise, structure miniaturization, and fast response speed. In order to further improve the thrust density and transmission distance of ion wind, the academic and industrial communities widely explore multi-stage electric field structures to realize the superposition and acceleration of ion wind. By introducing multiple electrode modules into the structure, ion acceleration or step-by-step guidance is realized, which can significantly improve the effective wind speed and thrust output in theory.

[0003] In the existing disclosed technology, multi-stage ion wind propulsion devices can be mainly divided into needle mesh type multi-stage structure ( Figure 1 ) and columnar needle wall type multi-stage structure ( Figure 2 ). The needle mesh type multi-stage structure usually uses needle electrodes as ion generation units and metal meshes as ion receiving and guiding units. By arranging and combining multiple needle mesh pairs or needle mesh arrays, a multi-stage propulsion structure is formed, such as a part-parallel or series multi-stage ion air supply module. The module connects multiple discharge modules in parallel or series in the form of electrode arrays, enhances the overall air supply volume and wind speed through multi-stage discharge superposition, and the columnar needle wall type multi-stage structure forms a discharge electric field between the needle electrode and the cylindrical or plate wall. By using multiple ring electrodes or plate electrodes to guide the ion flow layer by layer to the outlet direction, a higher outlet wind speed is obtained. This type of structure has certain stability in a specific space layout, but usually requires additional configuration of insulating supports, resistance-capacitance voltage dividing elements, and electrode fixing frames to ensure the voltage distribution and discharge stability between the electric fields of each stage.

[0004] The applicant previously proposed a Chinese patent with the publication number CN116021500A and the patent name of a multi-motion mode centimeter-level micro robot powered by ion wind. The scheme discloses a propulsion structure with a tungsten needle as a positive electrode and a main body negative electrode as a receiving end. The ground movement, take-off and jumping mode switching are realized by arranging the main and auxiliary thruster arrays on the main body frame. The scheme has a certain representativeness in the field of micro robots. In the structure material selection, carbon fiber and glass fiber are used to support the weight of the control device. In the electrode arrangement, multi-row arrangement is used to realize multi-stage pushing effect. It is suitable for short-time operation requirements of small-size platforms in open scenes. However, in the structure, the positive needle electrode and the negative main body are still arranged independently in a separated manner. The ion generation area and the ion receiving area do not share functional units in structure, resulting in a relatively dispersed internal layout of the thruster. The electrodes in each row still need to be fixed by independent supporting members. While improving the thrust output, the assembly steps and the weight of the supporting structure are increased. In order to realize the parallel control of the multi-row electrodes, additional connecting shafts and slot structures are also needed. Such connecting members occupy a certain space in small-size structures, limiting the further compression and condensation of the ion wind path, which is not conducive to realizing the ultimate compactness and higher space utilization.

[0005] In addition, the Chinese patent with the publication number CN104993380A discloses a tandem large-flux electric field force air accelerator. The device is mainly aimed at air purification and high-flow wind speed enhancement scenes. It arranges multiple layers of structures such as positive and negative ion generators, positive and negative screen grids, positive and negative neutralization layers, and positive and negative acceleration grids from back to front to form multi-stage ionization and multi-stage acceleration paths. Under the driving of the power supply, high-flow ion wind is generated to push large-area air flow. The structure has high-flow advantages in output performance and is suitable for fixed air treatment devices or table-type air supply equipment. However, the ion generation unit and the guiding acceleration unit in the internal structure of the device are still arranged in a distributed manner. The screen grid, the neutralization layer, and the acceleration grid need to be independently supported and fixed in the shell by insulating bolts. Strict insulation spacing and mechanical positioning components need to be set between the electrodes. During the assembly process, multiple functional components need to be stacked and calibrated one by one. The number of components increases linearly when the layered structure is expanded, making it difficult to compress the overall volume and weight. At the same time, it is difficult to ensure the assembly consistency, increasing the processing precision requirement and production cost, which is not suitable for further development in the direction of miniaturization or integration.

[0006] From the existing disclosed multi-stage ion wind related devices, although the existing technology has a mature multi-stage electrode combination strategy in the ion wind generation and acceleration mode, there are still two common problems in the electrode layout mode and structural integration. One is that the ion generation unit and the ion receiving or acceleration unit are mostly arranged in a physically separated manner. Each electrode unit needs to be fixed by relying on independent support and insulation components, which leads to difficult reuse of structural resources, low internal space utilization, and constraints on further compression of structural size or improvement of thrust-to-weight ratio. The second is that the multi-stage structure is often accompanied by a significant increase in the number of components. Whether it is a parallel needle net module or a series multi-layer screen grid structure, multiple independent electrodes, connectors and insulation components need to be configured, which increases the complexity of assembly and limited fault tolerance, increasing the difficulty of processing and maintenance. When batch manufacturing or used in wearable devices, aircraft and other high-sensitive environments, the assembly cost and stability of the existing structure are difficult to balance.

[0007] Especially when trying to apply ion wind propulsion technology to higher integration, smaller volume or more sensitive scenarios to thrust-to-weight ratio, the limitations of traditional separated multi-stage structure are more obvious. The ion generation components and screen grid, acceleration pole and other units cannot share the structure. The mechanical isolation between the electric fields increases the overall route length, and the stacking of support components further occupies the effective airflow path, resulting in limited effective ionization area and acceleration channel area per unit volume. During assembly and debugging, each component needs to be installed and calibrated, which is not conducive to improving production efficiency and consistency.

[0008] Therefore, it is urgent to develop a multi-stage ion wind thruster that can effectively solve the above-mentioned defects of the prior art to promote the practical application and performance upgrade of this technology in more fields. SUMMARY

[0009] The existing ion wind propulsion device generally adopts an arrangement mode in which the ionization electrode and the receiving electrode are independent of each other. A support frame and an electrical connection structure need to be provided for each stage, which not only leads to an increase in the size of the device and the complexity of assembly, but also limits the continuous acceleration path of ions in the multi-stage electric field, making the propulsion efficiency limited. This application aims to solve at least one of the problems of low electrode utilization rate, limited acceleration stage number, and insufficient thrust-to-weight ratio in the multi-stage structure. A multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with shared electrode structure is proposed, which adopts a "shared electrode series structure" to make the same conductive support structure have both ionization and receiving functions, without increasing the number of electrodes, to improve the acceleration stage number and thrust output.

[0010] A multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with shared electrode structure disclosed in the present application comprises: At least two ion wind generating units are arranged in sequence along the airflow direction, each of the ion wind generating units comprises a conductive support structure and ionization needle points arranged thereon, and is used for ionizing air under the action of a high-voltage electric field; An insulating support structure is used for insulating and arranging the plurality of ion wind generating units in series. A power access module is used for alternately providing positive and negative high-voltage power sources to different ion wind generating units, forming an alternating electric field, so that the ionized air is accelerated in the electric field in stages to generate ion wind thrust. Each of the ion wind generating units simultaneously serves as an ion generator and an ion receiver, and realizes a common electrode structure.

[0011] In some examples of the present application, the conductive support structure comprises at least one first conductive support rod and a plurality of second conductive support rods, and at least two ionization needle points are arranged on the second conductive support rods in the length direction of the second conductive support rods.

[0012] In some examples of the present application, the conductive support structure comprises two first conductive support rods, and a plurality of second conductive support rods are arranged in parallel between the two first conductive support rods, and the two first conductive support rods and the plurality of second conductive support rods form a frame-shaped conductive structure.

[0013] In some examples of the present application, the first conductive support rod and the second conductive support rod are made of carbon fiber material.

[0014] In some examples of the present application, a plurality of ionization needle points are arranged in an array on the second conductive support rods, and the ionization needle points are made of copper material.

[0015] In some examples of the present application, the insulating support structure comprises insulating support rods, and the insulating support rods are arranged in plurality.

[0016] In some examples of the present application, the insulating support rods are arranged in at least four, and the four insulating support rods are arranged at four azimuth angles of the ion wind generating units, and the insulating support rods are connected to a plurality of the ion wind generating units at the same time, or four insulating support rods are arranged between each two adjacent ion wind generating units.

[0017] In some examples of the present application, the insulating support rods and the ion wind generating units are fixed by at least one of clamping, gluing, mortise and tenon connection, sleeving, bolt fixing, bonding, plugging or threaded connection.

[0018] In some examples of the present application, the insulating support structure is made of glass fiber material.

[0019] In some examples of the present application, the ion wind generating units are arranged in pairs, and there are two or more pairs of ion wind generating units.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with the common electrode structure has the following advantages: 1. The present application realizes the reuse of electrode functions through the common electrode structure, combines the ionization electrode and the receiving electrode which originally need to be arranged in pairs into the same conductive support structure, fundamentally reduces the number of independent electrodes in the multi-stage propeller, expands the structure from two or three stages to five or more stages of continuous acceleration path without increasing the number of electrodes, significantly improves the number of accelerations per unit length, reduces the overall weight by reducing redundant structures, simplifies the assembly process, and can realize higher ion wind speed and greater thrust output under the same power supply conditions.

[0021] 2. The present application adopts the connection strategy of alternating positive and negative polarity in series, so that there is always an electrostatic field with opposite direction between adjacent units. The charged ions are attracted to the next unit after being generated in the first stage and collide with neutral gas again during the receiving process to transfer momentum, thereby realizing continuous kinetic energy superposition, avoiding the problem of thrust decay or acceleration interruption in traditional single-stage propellers, forming a stable and efficient propulsion airflow under the action of multiple alternating electric fields, ensuring that there is no electrical breakdown or spark discharge phenomenon during the operation process while keeping the overall structure lightweight, and ensuring long-term stable working ability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A structure diagram of a needle net type multi-stage propeller in the prior art; Figure 2 A columnar needle wall type multi-stage propeller in the prior art; Figure 3 A multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with the common electrode structure according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A Figure 3 A partial structure diagram of part A shown in FIG. 8; Figure 5 A working principle diagram of a multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with the common electrode structure according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 A physical diagram and thrust measurement example diagram of a multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with the common electrode structure according to an embodiment of the present application; The marks in the figure represent: 1. Ion wind generating unit; 2. Insulating support rod; 3. First conductive support rod; 4. Second conductive support rod; 5. Ionization needle tip; 6. Conductive support structure; 7. Insulating support structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some but not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that all the terms for indicating direction and position in the present application, such as “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “inner”, “outer”, “top”, “low”, “lateral”, “longitudinal”, “center” and the like, are only used to explain the relative position relationship, connection condition and the like between components in a certain state (as shown in the drawings), and are only for the convenience of describing the present application, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the description of “first”, “second” and the like in the present application is only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features.

[0025] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms “mounting”, “connection” and “connection” should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixed connection, can also be detachable connection, or integrally connected; can be mechanical connection; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; can be the communication inside two elements. For a person of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] In the description of the present application, the description of the terms “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “illustrative embodiment”, “example”, “specific example” or “some examples” means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present application, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0027] As Figures 3-5 shown, the present application discloses a multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure, comprising: At least two ion wind generating units 1 are arranged in sequence along the airflow direction, each ion wind generating unit 1 comprises a conductive support structure 6 and an ionizing needle tip 5 arranged thereon, for ionizing air under the action of a high-voltage electric field; An insulating support structure 7 is used to insulate and arrange the plurality of ion wind generating units 1 in series; A power access module is used to alternately provide positive and negative high-voltage power to different ion wind generating units 1, forming an alternating electric field, so that the ionized air is accelerated in the electric field in stages, generating ion wind thrust. Wherein each ion wind generating unit 1 simultaneously acts as an ion generator and an ion receiver, realizing a common electrode structure.

[0028] The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with common electrode structure disclosed in the present application combines the traditional ion generating electrode and the ion receiving electrode into the same conductive support structure 6, and the conductive support structure 6 of each ion wind generating unit 1 is simultaneously configured as an ion generating electrode for ionizing air to generate charged particles and an ion receiving electrode for attracting charged particles from the adjacent ion wind generating unit 1, so that the same conductive support structure 6 is used as the action electrode of different levels in the multi-stage electric field, thereby forming a common electrode structure. When the power supply module alternately inputs positive and negative high voltage to the plurality of ion wind generating units 1, an electric field with alternating polarity is formed between adjacent units. When any unit is in a positive or negative state, the ionization needle tip 5 will ionize the nearby air molecules into charged ions under the action of the concentrated electric field strength at the tip. Under the driving force of the electric field, these ions drift towards the conductive support structure 6 with opposite polarity in the adjacent direction. The conductive support structure 6 acts as the receiving electrode of the ions and receives the charged particles. During the ion drift process, the neutral air molecules collide with the conductive support structure 6 and gradually transfer momentum to the surrounding gas, completing the acceleration and delivery of the gas. After the ions reach the receiving electrode, the receiving electrode is then converted into an ionization electrode to continue discharging, so that the ions are continuously attracted and accelerated in the multi-stage alternating electric field. This process forms a continuous propulsion path generated by the common electrode, realizes repeated acceleration and gathering of air, and finally forms a high-speed directional airflow and propels the device to obtain a reaction force. Through the above common method, the ionized particles are accelerated and transferred step by step without increasing the number of independent electrodes, forming a continuous and stable propulsion airflow and generating thrust output. Compared with the separate design, there is no need to arrange an independent receiving end or guiding end for each level, no need to additionally set a frame and insulation assembly for supporting the receiving electrode, and no need to independently position and adjust each level, thereby significantly reducing the number of structural parts, shortening the assembly path, and reducing the processing difficulty and hardware complexity. The ion wind propulsion device has more effective acceleration stages in the same overall size or even smaller size, realizes a longer electric field action path in a limited structural length, realizes more sufficient cumulative acceleration of ionized air, and has a higher thrust-to-weight ratio and integration density due to the use of unified materials and integrated arrangement of all conductive support structures 6, which simplifies the conductive path and makes insulation control easier. The device is convenient to integrate in a miniaturized platform, wearable equipment or aircraft system, and is convenient for subsequent expansion or increasing or decreasing the number of stages according to the use requirements.

[0029] The improved multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with common electrode structure of the application, by adopting the electrode common structure, the same conductive support structure 6 serves as ionization electrode and receiving electrode in the multi-stage propulsion path in turn, which fundamentally reduces the redundant structure caused by the separate setting of ion generation electrode and acceleration electrode in the traditional multi-stage ion wind propulsion device, makes full use of each stage electrode, effectively increases the acceleration stage number in the same structure length, improves the electric field action frequency in unit volume, compared with the existing needle net type or columnar needle wall type structure, can realize higher ion wind speed and thrust output in shorter distance, and due to the simplified structure, the number of independent electrodes and support components is reduced, the assembly difficulty is reduced, the processing consistency is improved, so that the device is easier to batch manufacture and integrated application.

[0030] As a preferred example of the application, the conductive support structure 6 includes at least one first conductive support rod 3 and a plurality of second conductive support rods 4, at least two ionization needle tips 5 are arranged on the length direction of the second conductive support rod 4, and the ionization needle tips 5 are arranged in array on the second conductive support rod 4. In the example of the application, by distributing the ionization needle tips 5 on the second conductive support rod 4 in array, the traditional single-point discharge mode is changed to multi-point parallel discharge mode, the ionization coverage area per unit length is significantly expanded without increasing the number of ion wind generation units 1, each ionization process has higher particle yield, the load pressure of single needle tip is reduced by the synchronous work of multiple ionization needle tips 5, the discharge loss and tip corrosion risk are reduced, the device maintains stable output while prolonging the service life, the conductive connection between the first conductive support rod 3 and the second conductive support rod 4 makes each row of ionization needle tips 5 obtain uniform potential, realizes consistent discharge as a whole, avoids unstable phenomenon caused by local concentrated discharge, and is conducive to maintaining stable propulsion performance of the device under different environmental conditions.

[0031] As a preferred example of the present application, the conductive support structure 6 comprises two first conductive support rods 3, and a plurality of second conductive support rods 4 arranged in parallel between the two first conductive support rods 3, the two first conductive support rods 3 and the plurality of second conductive support rods 4 forming a frame-shaped conductive structure, the first conductive support rods 3 and the second conductive support rods 4 being made of carbon fiber material. In the example of the present application, by connecting the first conductive support rods 3 and the second conductive support rods 4 in a frame-shaped manner, the originally discrete electrode support form is changed into a monolithic carrier structure, and the electric energy forms a low-impedance transmission path inside the frame, avoiding the contact failure and energy loss that may occur in the traditional cable connection mode. The selection of carbon fiber material makes the structure have good electrical conductivity and high specific strength, so that the frame can have both conductive and support functions without adding additional metal components. Through the integrated structure, the number of components is reduced, the assembly efficiency is improved, and the overall weight is also reduced, so that the ion wind propulsion device is more suitable for scenes sensitive to thrust-to-weight ratio.

[0032] As a preferred example of the present application, the ionization needle tip 5 is made of copper material or tungsten material, or other materials with high electrical conductivity and high melting point suitable for sharp end discharge, to provide stable sharp end field strength for ionizing air under high voltage electric field. In the example of the present application, by selecting copper or tungsten, a metal material with excellent electrical conductivity and heat resistance, the ionization needle tip 5 can maintain the sharp end geometry during high-voltage discharge without being quickly ablated, avoiding the decay of ionization efficiency due to needle tip blunting. At the same time, copper material has lower resistance to facilitate rapid establishment of electric field, and tungsten material has high melting point and oxidation resistance to withstand thermal shock during high-frequency discharge process, so that the ionization needle tip 5 can maintain stable output in repeated ionization cycles, so that the overall propulsion device can still maintain stable thrust output without frequent replacement of electrode materials during long-term operation. As a preferred example, the ionization needle tip 5 is made of copper material.

[0033] As a preferred example of the present application, the first conductive support rod 3 and the second conductive support rod 4 are in the form of a rod or a column, and their cross-sectional shape is circular, square or polygonal, and the copper ionization needle tip 5 is fixed to the second conductive support rod 4 by welding or threaded connection. In the example of the present application, the first conductive support rod 3 and the second conductive support rod 4 are in the form of a rod or a column, and the circular, square or polygonal cross-section is selected according to the installation position of the device and the direction of the electric field to achieve a balance between electrical energy conduction and mechanical strength. The circular cross-section can form a uniform electric field distribution and reduce the edge discharge phenomenon during operation, the square or polygonal cross-section increases the fitting area with the insulating member and the connection part to improve the structural stability, and the copper ionization needle tip 5 is directly installed on the surface of the second conductive support rod 4 by welding or threaded connection, which not only ensures the low-resistance contact between the needle tip and the conductive support rod, avoids the decrease of ionization efficiency caused by poor contact, and at the same time, the welding method is suitable for one-time fixed structure and suitable for long-term stable operation environment, the threaded connection method is suitable for later maintenance and needle tip replacement scene, so that the ionization unit has higher maintainability and modularization characteristics, so as to balance the structural strength, electric field efficiency and installation convenience.

[0034] As a preferred example of the present application, the insulating support structure 7 includes a plurality of insulating support rods 2. In the example of the present application, by using a plurality of insulating support rods 2 as the isolation structure between the ion wind generating units 1, the formation of multi-stage electric field has a structural constraint basis, so that each stage of electric field has an independent effective action area, which not only improves the stability of electric field distribution, but also reduces the invalid discharge or breakdown phenomenon caused by electrode interference, at the same time, the insulating support rod 2 has the positioning and reinforcing effect on the overall frame, so that the multi-stage structure maintains a stable form after assembly, which is suitable for application scenarios with large vibration or frequent attitude change, so that the propulsion device has higher engineering adaptability and reliability.

[0035] As a preferred example of the present application, the four insulating support rods 2 are arranged at the four azimuthal positions of the ion wind generating unit 1, and simultaneously connect multiple ion wind generating units 1, or four insulating support rods 2 are respectively arranged between every two adjacent ion wind generating units 1. In the example of the present application, by arranging the insulating support rods 2 at the four azimuthal positions of the ion wind generating unit 1, each unit is fixed in a symmetrical and surrounding manner in space, which not only realizes multi-point constraint in the horizontal and vertical directions, but also provides good structural stability under the premise of electrical isolation, so that multiple ion wind generating units 1 will not be damaged due to deviation or distortion when arranged in series, and the four-point insulation arrangement can form a uniform insulation barrier structure, so that the electric field will not leak in a single direction but will remain in the center area to form an effective propulsion channel, thereby enabling the overall device to maintain a consistent shape and stable discharge path under external interference.

[0036] As a preferred example of the present application, the insulating support rod 2 and the ion wind generating unit 1 are fixed by at least one of clamping, gluing, mortise and tenon connection, sleeve connection, bolt fixation, bonding, plug-in or threaded connection. In the example of the present application, the insulating support rod 2 and the ion wind generating unit 1 are fixed by any one or more of clamping, gluing, mortise and tenon connection, sleeve connection, bolt fixation, bonding, plug-in or threaded connection, so that each unit will not be displaced after assembly due to external force or slight vibration during operation, and multiple connection methods can be flexibly selected according to material properties and installation space, thereby adapting to the bonding requirements between metal and non-metal, and meeting the mechanical support requirements in different installation directions, forming a connection interface between the insulating support and the conductive unit that is not only conductive but also stable and reliable, providing a unified and repeatable assembly connection standard for multi-stage propulsion structure.

[0037] As a preferred example of the present application, the insulating support structure 7 is made of glass fiber material. In the example of the present application, the insulating support structure 7 is preferably made of glass fiber material or other insulating materials that can withstand high voltage electric field environment for a long time. Such materials have excellent insulation properties, as well as light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and good heat resistance, so that the electrical isolation between adjacent ion wind generating units 1 can be realized without significantly increasing the overall weight of the propulsion device, which is suitable for space-limited or weight-sensitive application scenarios. Meanwhile, glass fiber material can be quickly formed by pultrusion, molding or cutting, which is convenient for processing into rod or plate structure, and can form a stable mechanical frame after being combined with the conductive support structure 6, so that the insulating part has the functions of support and positioning, thereby reducing the need for additional skeletal structure.

[0038] As a preferred example of the present application, the ion wind generating units 1 are arranged in pairs, and there are two or more pairs of ion wind generating units 1. In the example of the present application, when the number of ion wind generating units 1 is set to two or more pairs, the entire propulsion structure can form a multi-stage ionization acceleration path in series in a limited volume, and different numbers of units can be flexibly combined according to the scene requirements. When the number of units is small, it can meet the needs of low-power air supply or energy-saving operation. When the number of units increases, it can significantly extend the distance of ion acceleration in the electric field and increase the number of acceleration iterations, so that the ion wind propulsion device has scalable and highly adaptable modular performance. At the same time, the multi-unit structure can be arranged in a linear array, a ring, or a matrix stack, and other ways to form a combination, further improving the flow consistency and thrust direction stability of the ion wind, so that the device can be used in scenarios such as micro air vehicles that have high requirements for thrust-to-weight ratio, and air circulation equipment that have high requirements for air supply stability, thereby realizing the reconfigurable application value of the same structure platform in different power ranges.

[0039] As a preferred example of the present application, the multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure can also adopt a non-frame structure that meets the requirement of each electrode serving as a common electrode for ion generation and ion reception. In the example of the present application, the non-frame structure does not rely on the overall skeleton to uniformly support all ion wind generating units 1, but achieves the spacing and positioning between the ion wind generating units 1 through local insulation support components. In terms of structure, it can be a linear array, that is, multiple charged needle tips 5 are arranged in parallel and insulated sleeves are sleeved between adjacent conductive rods to maintain a fixed distance. It can also be a stacked type, that is, multiple conductive plates are stacked and insulated columns are arranged at the corners to form multiple ionization surfaces. It can also be a suspended type, that is, the conductive rods are suspended on the same horizontal plane by insulated wires to maintain uniform arrangement. It can even use a support method such as a slot, a mortise and tenon, or a module splicing to achieve the positioning of the electrodes. Regardless of the above non-frame structure, the relative fixation of the ion wind generating units 1 is achieved through fewer insulation connectors, eliminating the need for a large number of beams and connecting plates required by traditional frames, thereby significantly reducing the amount of material and the weight of the structure while maintaining the common electrode function, making the product have high integration and high flexibility.

[0040] As a preferred example of the present application, the absolute value range of the positive and negative voltage of the single-stage ion wind generating unit 1 is 3kV~10kV, and a plurality of said ion wind generating units are connected in series with said positive and negative high-voltage power supply in the order of "positive→negative→positive→negative". In the example of the present application, the high-voltage DC power supply preferably uses a small, light and stable output small switch mode high-voltage power supply, such as a positive and negative high-voltage power supply with a rated voltage value less than 25kV, which is suitable for mass-sensitive flight propulsion applications, or a stackable modular DC high-voltage power supply, which can flexibly expand the power according to the number of ion wind generating units 1, or a high-voltage power supply with overcurrent or overvoltage protection function, which can automatically cut off the power supply to avoid electrode overheating or electric field breakdown in abnormal conditions, or a digital DC high-voltage module with feedback control, which can automatically correct voltage fluctuations to improve ion release stability. Through the reasonable selection of the above high-voltage power supply, the device not only has fast response and safety protection capability, but also can balance the thrust output and energy consumption ratio by adjusting the power supply mode according to different application scenarios. After the high-voltage DC power supply is connected in series with a plurality of ion wind generating units 1 in the order of "positive→negative→positive→negative", the conductive support structure 6 of each unit forms a local strong electric field near the ionization needle tip 5 under the action of a potential of 3kV to 10kV, which is sufficient to break down air molecules, making air molecules lose electrons and become positively or negatively charged ions. The electrostatic force in opposite directions is formed between units of different polarity due to the application of different polarity voltages, so that the charged ions move from one unit to the next unit. When moving to the next unit, the unit electrode not only attracts the previous stage ion as a receiving end, but also releases ions with the same polarity as its own potential. Through this "receiving-releasing" cascade mode, the charge migration path is formed like a relay, and finally the ions are continuously accelerated in multiple electric field segments to produce directional airflow. The accelerated charged air is continuously blown downward under the action of the electric field, so that the multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure itself generates a reaction force, and the propulsion device obtains thrust. DETAILED EMBODIMENT The example discloses a multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure, which is composed of six ion wind generating units 1. The six ion wind generating units 1 are connected in series to form three pairs of electrodes with positive and negative high-voltage power supply, and each electrode is composed of carbon fiber support rod (first conductive support rod 3, second conductive support rod 4) and copper needle tip (ionization needle tip 5) to form a conductive component. Adjacent electrodes are separated by an insulating support rod 2 made of glass fiber to achieve electrical insulation and series arrangement.

[0042] When the high-voltage direct-current power supply is connected, each copper needle tip forms a strong electric field in the tip region and ionizes the surrounding air molecules. Under the action of the electric field alternately arranged in positive and negative polarities, the ions with positive or negative charges in the ionized air accelerate along the direction of the electric field and drift towards the adjacent electrode. When reaching the next electrode, the polarity of the charged ions is reversed and continues to accelerate in the subsequent electric field, thereby forming a top-down ion wind flow. The multi-stage structure in this embodiment is equivalent to the use of five single-stage ion wind propulsion units 1 in series. Compared with the traditional propulsion device without a common electrode structure (only two pairs of electrodes form two propulsion stages), the series common electrode configuration can significantly improve the cumulative acceleration effect of the ion wind under the same area condition, thereby improving the thrust output performance per unit area.

[0043] The propulsion device of this embodiment has a simple overall structure and is easy to assemble. The overall weight is 270 mg, and under the drive of a high-voltage power supply, it can generate a maximum thrust of 850 mg, corresponding to a thrust-to-weight ratio of 3.1, as shown in Figure 6 The left graph is a structural schematic diagram of the multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure in this embodiment, showing a frame arrangement of six electrodes. The right graph is a test schematic diagram of the propulsion device, in which the arrows indicate the downward flow direction of the airflow and the upward thrust direction of the device. This embodiment shows that the multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure can provide higher thrust under extremely light weight conditions, and is suitable for use in the fields of micro air vehicles, attitude control systems, and silent ventilation equipment.

[0044] The improved multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a common electrode structure in this application combines the ionization electrodes and acceleration electrodes, which are independently arranged in the traditional multi-stage propulsion device, into the same conductive support structure 6, so that they act as ionization electrodes and receiving electrodes in turn in the multi-stage alternating electric field. This significantly improves the effective acceleration stage number without increasing the number of electrodes and the structure volume, forms a longer ion drift path in a limited length, realizes continuous acceleration of ion wind, and achieves series arrangement and electrical isolation of multiple units through the insulating support structure 7, avoiding ineffective discharge or electric field leakage between electrodes. The device can be flexibly configured in frame or non-frame structure according to the use scenario, reducing the additional weight and assembly complexity caused by traditional frames and connectors, making the propulsion device have a higher thrust-to-weight ratio and modular expansion capability. Under the alternating power supply of a high-voltage power supply, a stable positive and negative polarity alternating electric field is formed, so that the ionized particles always maintain an accelerated state and finally form a high-speed directional airflow, realizing high-efficiency propulsion output. The thrust size can be adjusted by adjusting the number of units, electrode arrangement, and power supply voltage range, meeting different application requirements of micro air vehicles, air circulation equipment, or directional air supply systems. The overall scheme realizes higher propulsion density and better energy utilization efficiency while simplifying the structure, making manufacturing easier and running more stable.

[0045] The embodiments of the present application are described above with reference to the drawings, and the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other without conflict, and the present application is not limited to the above-described specific embodiments, and the above-described specific embodiments are only illustrative but not restrictive, and a person of ordinary skill in the art can make many forms under the inspiration of the present application without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope protected by the claims, and all belong to the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure, characterized in that, include: At least two ion wind generating units (1) are arranged sequentially along the airflow direction. Each ion wind generating unit (1) includes a conductive support structure (6) and an ionization needle tip (5) disposed thereon, for ionizing air under the action of a high voltage electric field. An insulating support structure (7) is used to insulate multiple ion wind generating units (1) from each other and arrange them in series; The power supply module is used to alternately provide positive and negative high voltage power to different ion wind generating units (1) to form an alternating electric field, so that the ionized air is accelerated step by step in the electric field to generate ion wind thrust. Each ion wind generating unit (1) serves as both an ion generator and an ion receiver, achieving a shared electrode structure.

2. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive support structure (6) includes at least one first conductive support rod (3) and a plurality of second conductive support rods (4), with at least two ionization needle tips (5) arranged along the length of the second conductive support rods (4).

3. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conductive support structure (6) includes two first conductive support rods (3), and a plurality of second conductive support rods (4) are arranged in parallel between the two first conductive support rods (3). The two first conductive support rods (3) and the plurality of second conductive support rods (4) form a frame-type conductive structure.

4. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first conductive support rod (3) and the second conductive support rod (4) are made of carbon fiber.

5. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, Multiple ionizing needle tips (5) are arranged in an array on the second conductive support rod (4), and the ionizing needle tips (5) are made of copper.

6. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 5, characterized in that, The insulating support structure (7) includes insulating support rods (2), and multiple insulating support rods (2) are provided.

7. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, At least four insulating support rods (2) are provided, and the four insulating support rods (2) are provided at the four azimuth angles of the ion wind generating unit (1). The insulating support rods (2) are connected to multiple ion wind generating units (1) at the same time, or four insulating support rods (2) are provided between every two adjacent ion wind generating units (1).

8. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The insulating support rod (2) and the ion wind generating unit (1) are fixed by at least one of the following methods: snap-fit, adhesive, tenon and mortise connection, sleeve connection, bolt fixing, bonding, plug-in connection or threaded connection.

9. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The insulating support structure (7) is made of glass fiber.

10. The multi-stage ion wind propulsion device with a shared electrode structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ion wind generating units (1) are arranged in a logarithmic manner, and the ion wind generating units (1) are arranged in two or more pairs.

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