An integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for manned submersibles

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible, comprising a manned submersible, a ballast tank unit, a main pumping assembly, an external circulation switch valve and a first switch valve, wherein one end of the external circulation switch valve is connected to the ballast tank unit in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is connected to the main pumping assembly, the other end of the main pumping assembly is connected to the first switch valve, and the other end of the first switch valve is communicated with an open sea environment; an internal circulation switch valve, wherein one end of the internal circulation switch valve is connected to the ballast tank unit in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is connected to a pipeline between the main pumping assembly and the first switch valve; the external circulation switch valve cooperates with the main pumping assembly and the first switch valve to inject or discharge seawater into or out of the ballast tank unit; the internal circulation switch valve cooperates with the main pumping assembly, the first switch valve and the external circulation switch valve to complete water injection and drainage between each ballast tank unit; the present invention overcomes the problems of complex design, high cost, high energy consumption, short endurance and low reliability of the buoyancy and attitude adjustment system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of submersibles, and in particular to a buoyancy and attitude adjustment integrated system for a manned submersible. Background Art

[0002] As a diving device with underwater observation and operation capabilities, manned submersibles can be used for underwater surveys, seabed exploration, seabed development and salvage, lifesaving and other tasks. As an important component of manned submersibles, the buoyancy and attitude adjustment system can achieve the diving and surfacing of manned submersibles by filling and draining water; maintain or adjust the navigation attitude of manned submersibles; and adjust the buoyancy of manned submersibles. Therefore, the buoyancy and attitude adjustment system plays an important role in the safe operation and mission completion rate of manned submersibles. At present, the buoyancy and attitude adjustment of manned submersibles at home and abroad generally requires two sets of systems to be completed independently. The two systems realize related functions through mutual cooperation, which undoubtedly increases the system volume, cost and weight, while increasing the system complexity and system integration difficulty, and reducing the system reliability. In addition, the existing buoyancy and adjustment systems need to be driven by electric energy respectively, which consumes a lot of energy and affects the operation time of manned submersibles.

[0003] A Chinese invention patent with publication number CN102774483B discloses a water hydraulic system for a submersible, including a power source, a buoyancy and attitude adjustment mechanism, and an operating mechanism. On the one hand, the power source cooperates with the buoyancy and attitude adjustment mechanism to complete the adjustment of the buoyancy, longitudinal inclination, and transverse inclination of the submersible, and on the other hand, drives the operating mechanism to complete the operation, thereby simplifying the submersible system and improving the reliability and load-to-weight ratio of the submersible. The power source is suitable for deep-sea diving operations.

[0004] However, it has the following problems: its buoyancy and attitude adjustment are both achieved by directly exchanging water with the open sea environment through the ballast tank. The internal circulation and the external circulation are two independent systems working separately. The system size is large and the cost is high. In addition, when adjusting the buoyancy, water is directly transferred with the open sea environment due to the high pressure of the open sea environment, especially when discharging water to the open sea environment, its energy consumption is large. In addition, when diving to a certain depth for operation, if the attitude is found to be unbalanced, it is easy to make it difficult to maintain the diving depth when adjusting the attitude by external water intake or drainage, resulting in ups and downs. Moreover, when diving to the limit depth and finding imbalance, the increase in the weight of the submersible by external water intake adjustment may easily cause the submersible to sink, causing the submersible to dive beyond the limit depth and cause danger. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide an integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible. By integrating the internal circulation and external circulation systems, the buoyancy and attitude adjustment of the manned submersible are integrated into a set of water hydraulic systems, thereby overcoming the problems of complex design, high cost, high energy consumption, short flight time and low system reliability of the buoyancy and attitude adjustment systems of existing submersibles.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A buoyancy and attitude adjustment integrated system for a manned submersible comprises a manned submersible, a plurality of ballast tank units installed around the manned submersible, a main pumping assembly, a plurality of external circulation switch valves and a first switch valve, one end of the external circulation switch valve is connected to the ballast tank unit in a one-to-one correspondence through a pipeline, the other end of the external circulation switch valve is connected to one end of the main pumping assembly, the other end of the main pumping assembly is connected to one end of the first switch valve, and the other end of the first switch valve is connected to an open sea environment;

[0008] It also includes a plurality of internal circulation switch valves, one end of each of which is connected to the ballast tank unit in a one-to-one correspondence through a pipeline, and the other end of each of which is connected to the pipeline between the main pumping assembly and the first switch valve;

[0009] The external circulation switch valve cooperates with the main pumping assembly and the first switch valve to complete the injection of seawater into the ballast tank unit or the discharge of water in the ballast tank unit to the open sea environment; the internal circulation switch valve cooperates with the main pumping assembly, the first switch valve and the external circulation switch valve to complete the injection and drainage between each ballast tank unit.

[0010] Preferably, a second switch valve is provided on the pipeline between the main pumping assembly and the ballast tank unit, and the second switch valve is used to prevent leakage.

[0011] As a preference, it also includes an auxiliary pumping assembly, which is connected in parallel with the main pumping assembly through a pipeline, and the auxiliary pumping assembly is used to supplement the water injection and drainage capabilities. A third switch valve is provided on the pipeline between the auxiliary pumping assembly and the ballast tank unit, and the third switch valve is used to prevent leakage.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes an overflow valve, which is used to stabilize the system pressure. One end of the overflow valve is connected to the second switch valve and the end of the third switch valve close to the external circulation switch valve, and the other end is connected to the end of the first switch valve close to the open sea environment.

[0013] As a preference, the ballast tank unit includes a ballast tank and a pressure sensor arranged on the ballast tank. The ballast tank unit in the present invention is preferably arranged in four groups. Of course, other numbers of groups can also be arranged according to actual needs, as long as they can achieve balance through mutual adjustment.

[0014] Preferably, the internal circulation switch valve and the external circulation switch valve are both connected to the bottom of the ballast tank.

[0015] As a preference, the pressure sensor is installed at the top of the ballast tank, and uses a float to measure the water level in the tank.

[0016] Preferably, the ballast tank units are evenly installed at the front, rear, left and right positions of the manned submersible.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the ballast tank units are evenly installed at the four corners of the manned submersible.

[0018] Preferably, the main pumping assembly and the auxiliary pumping assembly both include a bidirectional seawater pump and a DC motor.

[0019] In the existing buoyancy and attitude adjustment systems, components such as seawater valves, pumps and motors need to be specially designed and manufactured according to specific system requirements to achieve their related functions, which greatly increases the system cost. The submersible in the present invention is generally used in shallow waters, and its seawater valves, pumps, motors and other components are commonly available on the market at a low cost.

[0020] Beneficial effects of this embodiment:

[0021] 1. In the present invention, the internal circulation and external circulation systems are integrated together, so that the buoyancy and attitude adjustment of the manned submersible are integrated into a water hydraulic system, which effectively reduces the system complexity, integration difficulty and cost, and increases the system reliability. In addition, its attitude adjustment is carried out by injecting and discharging water inside the ballast tank, so that the attitude adjustment can be carried out while maintaining the diving depth, which has better stability and higher safety when dealing with extreme depths.

[0022] 2. The present invention connects two circulation systems and switches the circulation loops through valve switches, so that the external circulation and the internal circulation can share a pumping power source, effectively reducing the system energy consumption and increasing the underwater operation time of the manned submersible.

[0023] 3. In the present invention, an auxiliary pumping assembly is arranged to cooperate with the main pumping assembly so that under special circumstances, when the water injection and drainage flow of a single pumping assembly is insufficient, the auxiliary pumping assembly can be opened to supplement its pumping power, thereby further ensuring the operational reliability of the system; in addition, a second switch valve is arranged on the pipeline between the main pumping assembly and the ballast tank unit, and a third switch valve is arranged on the pipeline between the auxiliary pumping assembly and the ballast tank unit, thereby preventing leakage of the pumping assembly when power is off, thereby improving the safety of the system.

[0024] In summary, the device has the advantages of system simplification, high integration, low cost and energy consumption, and high reliability, and is particularly suitable for the field of manned submersible technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the front, back, left, and right arrangement of the ballast tank unit of a manned submersible;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a ballast tank unit;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a pumping assembly;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the external circulation during diving;

[0031] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the working state when the external circulation is floating

[0032] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the internal circulation working state of filling water from one ballast tank to another ballast tank;

[0033] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the internal circulation working state of filling two ballast tanks with water from another two ballast tanks;

[0034] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the diagonal arrangement of ballast tank units;

[0035] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the integrated system for buoyancy and attitude adjustment when adding auxiliary pumping components;

[0036] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of different structural designs for ballast tank units. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Embodiment 1

[0039] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present embodiment provides a buoyancy and attitude adjustment integrated system for a manned submersible, comprising a manned submersible 10, a plurality of ballast tank units 2 installed around the manned submersible 10, a main pumping assembly 11, a plurality of external circulation switch valves 15 and a first switch valve 9, one end of the external circulation switch valve 15 is connected to the ballast tank unit 2 in a one-to-one correspondence through a pipeline, and the other end thereof is connected to one end of the main pumping assembly 11, the other end of the main pumping assembly 11 is connected to one end of the first switch valve 9, and the other end of the first switch valve 9 is in communication with the open sea environment;

[0040] It also includes a plurality of internal circulation switch valves 13, one end of each of which is connected to the ballast tank unit 2 via a pipeline, and the other end of each of which is connected to the pipeline between the main pumping assembly 11 and the first switch valve 9;

[0041] The external circulation switch valve 15 cooperates with the main pumping component 11 and the first switch valve 9 to complete the injection of seawater into the ballast tank unit 2 or the discharge of water in the ballast tank unit 2 to the open sea environment; the internal circulation switch valve 13 cooperates with the main pumping component 11, the first switch valve 9 and the external circulation switch valve 15 to complete the injection and drainage between each ballast tank unit 2.

[0042] The present invention integrates the internal circulation system and the external circulation system, so that the buoyancy and attitude adjustment of the manned submersible can be achieved by a set of water hydraulic system.

[0043] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, when the manned submersible dives, water is simultaneously injected into each ballast tank unit 2, and the weight of the submersible itself is increased by the injection of water to enable it to dive; when the manned submersible floats up, each ballast tank unit 2 is simultaneously drained, and the weight of the submersible itself is reduced by the drainage to enable it to float up.

[0044] Furthermore, a second switch valve 12 is provided on the pipeline between the main pumping assembly 11 and the ballast tank unit 2, and the second switch valve 12 is used to prevent leakage.

[0045] Furthermore, it also includes an overflow valve 24, which is used to stabilize the system pressure. One end of the overflow valve 24 is connected to the second switch valve 12 and the third switch valve 21 close to the external circulation switch valve 15, and the other end is connected to the end of the first switch valve 9 close to the open sea environment.

[0046] Furthermore, the ballast tank unit 2 includes a ballast tank 20 and a pressure sensor 1 arranged on the ballast tank 20. The ballast tank 20 in this embodiment is of spherical design.

[0047] Furthermore, the internal circulation switch valve 13 and the external circulation switch valve 15 are both connected to the bottom position of the ballast tank 20.

[0048] Furthermore, the pressure sensor 1 is installed at the top of the ballast tank 20, and uses a float to measure the water level in the tank.

[0049] Furthermore, the ballast tank units 2 are evenly installed at the front, rear, left and right positions of the manned submersible 10.

[0050] Furthermore, the main pumping assembly 11 and the auxiliary pumping assembly 22 each include a bidirectional seawater pump 111 and a DC motor 112 .

[0051] a. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system can realize 8 internal circulation modes, namely, the front ballast tank 20 is filled with water to the rear ballast tank 20 (the front of the manned submersible is tilted);

[0052] b. The rear ballast tank 20 is filled with water into the front ballast tank 20 (the rear of the manned submersible is tilted);

[0053] c. The ballast tank 20 on the right is filled with water into the ballast tank 20 on the left (the right side of the manned submersible is tilted up);

[0054] d. The ballast tank 20 on the left is filled with water into the ballast tank 20 on the right (the left side of the manned submersible is tilted up);

[0055] e. The ballast tank 20 on the front and right side is filled with water to the ballast tank 20 on the rear and left side (the front and right rear of the manned submersible are tilted);

[0056] f. The rear and left ballast tanks 20 are filled with water from the front and right ballast tanks 20 (behind the manned submersible, the left rear is tilted);

[0057] g. The front and left ballast tanks 20 are filled with water to the rear and right ballast tanks 20 (the front and left rear of the manned submersible are tilted);

[0058] h. The rear and right ballast tanks 20 are filled with water from the front and left ballast tanks 20 (behind the manned submersible and tilted to the right rear);

[0059] The first four types of internal circulation are the drainage and injection water between any two ballast tanks (such as Figure 7 shown), the Figure 7 The arrow in the figure shows one of the drainage and injection paths between two ballast tanks, and the other three situations are not listed one by one; in addition, the last four of the internal circulations are drainage and injection between four ballast tanks, that is, two ballast tanks inject water into the other two ballast tanks (such as Figure 8 shown), the Figure 8 The arrow in the figure shows one of the circulation modes, and the other three cases are not listed one by one.

[0060] In this embodiment, taking the ballast tank 20 at the front position of the manned submersible 10 as an example of injecting water into the ballast tank 20 at the rear position (the front of the manned submersible is tilted up), the internal circulation switch valve 13 corresponding to the ballast tank 20 at the front position and the external circulation switch valve 15 corresponding to the ballast tank 20 at the rear position are powered on and opened (water can pass through), and the remaining internal circulation switch valves 13 and external circulation switch valves 15 are not powered on and closed (water cannot pass through), the first switch valve 9 is not powered on (water cannot pass through), the second switch valve 12 is powered on and opened (water can pass through), the overflow valve 24 is powered on, and the DC motor 112 is powered on and starts running; seawater is sucked into the two-way seawater pump 111 from the ballast tank 20 at the front position (the seawater pump rotates forward) and is injected into the ballast tank 20 at the rear position through the pipeline; the pressure sensor 1 is used to judge the liquid level of seawater in the ballast tank 20 and control the DC motor 112. If the liquid level reaches the required position, the DC motor 112 is powered off. If the water injection capacity needs to be increased, the DC motor 112 of the auxiliary pumping assembly 22 is energized, and the third switch valve 21 is energized.

[0061] Embodiment 2

[0062] like Fig. 9 As shown, the components identical or corresponding to those in the first embodiment are marked with the corresponding reference numerals in the first embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences from the first embodiment are described below. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the ballast tank units 2 are evenly installed at the four corners of the manned submersible 10.

[0063] The buoyancy and attitude adjustment integrated system described in this embodiment can also realize 8 kinds of internal circulation modes, namely, the left rear corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 simultaneously inject water into the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the right front corner ballast tank 20 (the rear of the manned submersible is tilted up); the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the right front corner ballast tank 20 simultaneously inject water into the left rear corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 (the front of the manned submersible is tilted up); the right front corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 simultaneously inject water into the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the left rear corner ballast tank 20 (the right side of the manned submersible is tilted up); the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the left rear corner ballast tank 20 simultaneously inject water into the left rear corner ballast tank 20 The right front corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 are filled with water (the left side of the manned submersible is tilted up); the right rear corner ballast tank 20 is filled with water to the left front corner ballast tank 20 (behind the manned submersible and tilted up to the right rear); the left front corner ballast tank 20 is filled with water to the right rear corner ballast tank 20 (in front of the manned submersible and tilted up to the left front); the right front corner ballast tank 20 is filled with water to the left rear corner ballast tank 20 (in front of the manned submersible and tilted up to the right front); the left rear corner ballast tank 20 is filled with water to the right front corner ballast tank 20 (behind the manned submersible and tilted up to the left rear); the first 4 types of the internal circulation are the drainage and injection of water between the 4 ballast tanks, and the last 4 types are the drainage and injection of water between the two diagonal ballast tanks.

[0064] In the present embodiment, taking the example of the left rear corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 of the manned submersible 10 simultaneously injecting water into the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the right front corner ballast tank 20 (the rear of the manned submersible is tilted up), the left rear corner ballast tank 20 and the right rear corner ballast tank 20 simultaneously inject water into the left front corner ballast tank 20 and the right front corner ballast tank 20, that is, the left rear and right rear ballast tanks inject water into the left front and right front ballast tanks.

[0065] Embodiment 3

[0066] like Fig.10 As shown, the components identical or corresponding to those in the first embodiment are marked with the corresponding reference numerals in the first embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences from the first embodiment are described below. The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it also includes an auxiliary pumping assembly 22, which is connected in parallel with the main pumping assembly 11 through a pipeline. The auxiliary pumping assembly 22 is used to supplement the water injection and drainage capabilities. A third switch valve 21 is provided on the pipeline between the auxiliary pumping assembly 22 and the ballast tank unit 2, and the third switch valve 21 is used to prevent leakage.

[0067] In this embodiment, an auxiliary pumping component is provided to cooperate with the main pumping component so that under special circumstances, when the injection and drainage flow of a single pumping component is insufficient, the auxiliary pumping component can be opened to supplement its pumping power, thereby further ensuring the operational reliability of the system.

[0068] Embodiment 4

[0069] like Fig.11 As shown, the components identical or corresponding to those in the first embodiment are marked with the corresponding reference numerals in the first embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences from the first embodiment are described below. The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the ballast tanks 30 on the left and right sides of the manned submersible are arranged in a straight cylindrical shape, and the ballast tanks 30 on the front and rear sides are arranged in a semi-circular cylindrical shape.

[0070] In order to accurately measure the liquid level in the ballast tank to achieve the buoyancy and attitude adjustment of the manned submersible, the ballast tanks of the existing system are all spherical in shape, which is difficult to achieve any shape, increasing the difficulty of product appearance and structural design. In this embodiment, the traditional spherical ballast tank is abandoned, and a cylindrical ballast tank with an arc segment is adopted, which expands the product structure and appearance design of the manned submersible;

[0071] The ballast tank of this scheme has an irregular shape, and its diving posture is precisely controlled and adjusted through comprehensive detection by azimuth sensors, liquid level sensors, and horizontal sensors.

[0072] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A buoyancy and attitude adjustment integrated system for a manned submersible, comprising a manned submersible (10), and a plurality of ballast tank units (2) installed around the manned submersible (10), characterized in that: It also includes a main pumping assembly (11), a plurality of external circulation switch valves (15) and a first switch valve (9), one end of the external circulation switch valve (15) is connected to the ballast tank unit (2) through a pipeline in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end is connected to one end of the main pumping assembly (11), the other end of the main pumping assembly (11) is connected to one end of the first switch valve (9), and the other end of the first switch valve (9) is in communication with the open sea environment; It also includes a plurality of internal circulation switch valves (13), one end of each of which is connected to the ballast tank unit (2) in a one-to-one correspondence through a pipeline, and the other end of each of which is connected to the pipeline between the main pumping assembly (11) and the first switch valve (9); The external circulation switch valve (15) cooperates with the main pumping assembly (11) and the first switch valve (9) to complete the injection of seawater into the ballast tank unit (2) or the discharge of water in the ballast tank unit (2) to the open sea environment; the internal circulation switch valve (13) cooperates with the main pumping assembly (11), the first switch valve (9) and the external circulation switch valve (15) to complete the injection and discharge of water between the ballast tank units (2); A second switch valve (12) is provided on the pipeline between the main pumping assembly (11) and the ballast tank unit (2), and the second switch valve (12) is used to prevent leakage; The invention also comprises an auxiliary pumping assembly (22), wherein the auxiliary pumping assembly (22) is connected in parallel with the main pumping assembly (11) via a pipeline, and the auxiliary pumping assembly (22) is used to supplement the water injection and drainage capabilities. A third switch valve (21) is provided on the pipeline between the auxiliary pumping assembly (22) and the ballast tank unit (2), and the third switch valve (21) is used to prevent leakage.

2. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an overflow valve (24) for stabilizing the system pressure, one end of which is connected to the second switch valve (12) and the third switch valve (21) close to the external circulation switch valve (15), and the other end of which is connected to the end of the first switch valve (9) close to the open sea environment.

3. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ballast tank unit (2) comprises a ballast tank (20) and a pressure sensor (1) arranged on the ballast tank (20).

4. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 3, characterized in that: The internal circulation switch valve (13) and the external circulation switch valve (15) are both in communication with the bottom of the ballast tank (20).

5. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pressure sensor (1) is installed at the top of the ballast tank (20) and uses a float to measure the water level in the tank.

6. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ballast tank units (2) are evenly installed at the front, rear, left and right positions of the manned submersible (10).

7. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ballast tank units (2) are evenly installed at the four corners of the manned submersible (10).

8. The integrated buoyancy and attitude adjustment system for a manned submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main pumping assembly (11) and the auxiliary pumping assembly (22) both comprise a bidirectional seawater pump (111) and a DC motor (112).

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