An ultrasonic removal system and method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of surface adsorbed lunar dust ultrasonic removal system and method, wherein the system includes by the controller of electric connection, ultrasonic power supply and ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer is installed on the component to be dusted, when dusting, the excitation electric signal generated by the controller, through the ultrasonic power supply amplification, excitation ultrasonic transducer generates vibration;The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is coupled by longitudinal bending, so that the component to be dusted generates bending vibration, the lunar dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component to be dusted obtain sufficient vibration energy, overcome adsorption potential energy, separate from the surface of the component to be dusted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasonic dust removal technology, and in particular to an ultrasonic removal system and method for surface-adsorbed dust. Background Technology

[0002] The Moon is the closest natural celestial body to Earth. It possesses a variety of unique resources available for development and utilization, serving as an important supplement and reserve for Earth's resources and profoundly impacting the sustainable development of human society. Simultaneously, the Moon can serve as a base for Earth observation and scientific research, as well as an outpost and transit station for deep space exploration. With the development of near-Earth and deep space exploration technologies in recent years, lunar exploration has become a hot topic in global space activities.

[0003] As lunar exploration missions become increasingly challenging, the environments they face also become more complex. The lunar surface is vastly different from Earth's, possessing a unique environment characterized by ultra-high vacuum, strong radiation, no magnetic field, and weak gravity. Lunar dust is one of the biggest obstacles to lunar surface activities, posing a serious threat and challenge to the reliability of space systems. Lunar dust particles are characterized by their small size, ease of suspension, complex morphology, high hardness, and electrical charge. Due to their strong adsorption properties, they easily adhere to and contaminate the probe surface, causing thermal control system malfunctions, seal failures, mechanical jamming, material wear, and electrical discharge interference. The biotoxicity of lunar dust can lead to respiratory difficulties, allergies, and other health problems for astronauts. With the ongoing development of my country's lunar exploration program and the ongoing manned landings on the lunar surface for scientific exploration, addressing the impact of lunar dust on lunar exploration has become an urgent priority.

[0004] Methods for protecting against lunar dust can be divided into active and passive protection. Passive protection methods include improving the resistance of mechanical components and seals to lunar dust, automatic dustproof films, nano-lotus leaf effect surfaces or coatings, electrical shielding, and conductive protective films. Active protection methods include mechanical removal, electric curtain dust removal, CO2 flushing, vacuuming, and laser, ultrasonic, plasma, gel, and adhesive methods. Many of these methods are difficult to implement effectively in the complex environment of the lunar surface. For example, brushing can only remove lunar dust adhering to the surface of spacesuits, but it is ineffective against lunar dust adhering to the inner layers of fibers and the surfaces of precision instruments. Furthermore, brushing is not only inefficient, but the sharp lunar dust can also easily damage the surfaces of functional materials. Currently, the most widely accepted dust removal method is electric curtain dust removal. However, electric curtain dust removal requires additional voltage boosting equipment, consuming additional energy from the probe's system. Moreover, its dust removal efficiency is affected by many factors, such as the voltage and frequency applied by the electric curtain, the state of the dust particles, and the surrounding environment. In reality, the particles do not all carry the same charge, and adhesion can occur in the electrode limit area, easily creating a dust removal "dead zone." Most of the demonstration experiments for these schemes are based on simulation experiments in ideal environments, and their actual application effects need further demonstration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses a series of problems caused by lunar dust adsorption during lunar surface exploration by proposing an ultrasonic removal system and method for adsorbed lunar dust. The system uses ultrasonic vibration to excite the adsorbed lunar dust particles to detach from the surface, thereby achieving the removal of lunar dust.

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides an ultrasonic removal system for adsorbed lunar dust on surfaces, comprising a controller, an ultrasonic power supply, and an ultrasonic transducer electrically connected to each other. The ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the component to be cleaned. During dust removal, the excitation electrical signal generated by the controller is amplified by the ultrasonic power supply, exciting the ultrasonic transducer to vibrate. The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer, coupled with longitudinal bending, causes the component to be cleaned to undergo bending vibration. The lunar dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component gain sufficient vibrational energy to overcome the adsorption potential energy and detach from the surface of the component.

[0007] Preferably, the ultrasonic transducer is fixedly mounted on the surface of the component to be cleaned.

[0008] Preferably, the ultrasonic transducer is a piezoelectric ceramic transducer or a magnetostrictive transducer.

[0009] The present invention also provides an ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust, wherein an ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the component to be dusted to form a vibration unit, and the ultrasonic removal method includes:

[0010] S1. Longitudinal vibration is generated through an ultrasonic transducer;

[0011] S2, Frequency Selection

[0012] The resonant frequencies of each bending vibration mode of the component to be dusted are measured, and the resonant frequencies of the bending vibration modes are selected from the resonant frequencies as the unit resonant frequencies of the vibration unit. The design operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is determined based on the unit resonant frequencies.

[0013] S3. By using longitudinal-bending coupling, the longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is converted into the bending vibration of the component to be cleaned, so as to remove the dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component.

[0014] Preferably, in step S2, the resonant frequency of a low-order bending vibration mode with a large surface amplitude is selected as the unit resonant frequency.

[0015] Preferably, in step S3, different bending vibration modes are changed to eliminate residual lunar dust particles at the nodes due to small amplitude.

[0016] Preferably, the transducer operates in a pulse mode, which imparts energy to the lunar dust particles through large-amplitude vibration during the working period so that they can detach from the surface of the component to be cleaned, and is in standby mode at other times.

[0017] Preferably, the actual pulse operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is near the designed operating frequency. The ultrasonic transducer adopts a frequency sweeping mode or uses a small signal detection system to detect the actual resonant frequency, and then uses high-power pulse dust removal.

[0018] Preferably, the frequency range of the ultrasonic transducer is 15kHz-200kHz, the instantaneous power of the ultrasonic transducer is 10-1000W, and the maximum amplitude of the surface of the component to be dusted is greater than 5nm.

[0019] Preferably, the ultrasonic transducer is integrally connected or detachably fixedly connected to the surface of the component to be dusted.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical advantages:

[0021] 1. This invention removes lunar dust particles by exciting them with ultrasonic vibration to detach them from the surface;

[0022] 2. The method of removing lunar dust particles by ultrasound in this invention can be adapted to components made of various metals, non-metals or other materials;

[0023] 3. This invention removes lunar dust through vibration, thus avoiding scratches on the surface of sensitive components;

[0024] 4. This invention uses pulse-type operation, resulting in low average power consumption;

[0025] 5. This invention is applicable to vacuum environments.

[0026] Of course, any product implementing this invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an ultrasonic removal system for surface-adsorbed lunar dust, provided as a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the longitudinal bending coupled vibration mode of the component to be dusted, which is a circular plate-shaped component, provided as a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the longitudinal bending coupled vibration mode of a rectangular plate component to be dusted, provided as a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal bending coupled vibration mode of the component to be dusted, which is a circular ring component, provided as a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following will combine Figures 1 to 4 This invention provides a detailed description of an ultrasonic removal system for adsorbed lunar dust on a surface. This embodiment is implemented based on the technical solution of this invention, and provides detailed implementation methods and specific operating procedures. However, the scope of protection of this invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Those skilled in the art can modify and refine it without changing the spirit and content of this invention.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 An ultrasonic removal system for surface-adsorbed lunar dust includes a controller 1, an ultrasonic power supply 2, and an ultrasonic transducer 3 connected electrically. The ultrasonic transducer 3 is mounted on a component 4 to be dusted. During dust removal, the controller 1 generates an excitation electrical signal, which is amplified by the ultrasonic power supply 2 to excite the ultrasonic transducer 3 to vibrate. The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 3 is coupled to the longitudinal bending, causing the component 4 to be flexurally vibrate. The lunar dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component 4 obtain sufficient vibration energy to overcome the adsorption potential energy and detach from the surface of the component 4, thus achieving dust removal.

[0034] In this embodiment, the controller 1 can output a sweep frequency signal, or measure the unit resonant frequency of the vibration unit composed of the transducer and the dust removal component 4 through a small signal, and adjust the output signal frequency to that frequency so that the vibration unit reaches the resonant state.

[0035] In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is fixedly installed on the surface of the component 4 to be cleaned. The ultrasonic transducer 3 can be integrally connected to the component 4 or it can be detachably connected. Preferably, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is perpendicular to the component 4.

[0036] As one example, please refer to Figure 2 The component 4 to be dusted is a circular plate. The bending vibration modes of the circular plate are in the form of concentric circles, and the number of concentric circles is different for each bending vibration mode. The ultrasonic transducer 3 is installed at the center of the circular plate to excite the bending vibration of the circular plate component. By changing the excitation frequency, the disc vibrates with different numbers of concentric circle modes.

[0037] As a second embodiment, please refer to Figure 3The component to be dusted, 4, is a rectangular plate component. The bending vibration mode of the rectangular plate component is controlled by the ratio of its length, width, and thickness. The figure shows the vibration mode of a thin plate with a length-to-width ratio of 3:2. The thickness is relatively small and its influence on the vibration mode is negligible. The transducer can be installed at the position with a larger amplitude of the selected mode. The longitudinal vibration direction is perpendicular to the plate surface. Through longitudinal bending coupling, the bending vibration of the rectangular plate is excited.

[0038] As a third embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The component to be dusted, 4, is a ring-shaped component. The bending vibration mode of the ring-shaped component is selected as the vibration mode with equal amplitude along the axial direction. The transducer is installed at the position with larger amplitude, and the longitudinal vibration direction is perpendicular to the ring surface, which excites the ring to achieve bending vibration.

[0039] In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 3 is a piezoelectric ceramic transducer or a magnetostrictive transducer.

[0040] The present invention also provides an ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust, wherein an ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the component to be dusted to form a vibration unit, and the ultrasonic removal method includes:

[0041] S1. Longitudinal vibration is generated through an ultrasonic transducer;

[0042] S2, Frequency Selection

[0043] The resonant frequencies of each bending vibration mode of the component to be dusted are measured. The resonant frequencies of the lower-order bending vibration modes with larger surface amplitudes are selected from the resonant frequencies as the unit resonant frequencies of the vibration unit. The design operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is determined based on the unit resonant frequencies.

[0044] In this embodiment, the operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is designable, and the designed operating frequency is consistent with the resonant frequency of this unit.

[0045] S3. The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is converted into the bending vibration of the component to be cleaned by longitudinal bending coupling, so as to remove the dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component to be cleaned.

[0046] In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer can excite the bending vibration of the component to be cleaned, thereby removing the dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component.

[0047] In this step S3, different bending vibration modes are changed to eliminate residual lunar dust particles at the nodes due to small amplitude.

[0048] In this embodiment, the transducer operates in a pulsed manner. During the working period, it imparts energy to the lunar dust particles through large-amplitude vibration to detach them from the surface of the component to be cleaned. At other times, it is in standby mode to reduce energy consumption.

[0049] In this embodiment, the actual pulse operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is near the designed operating frequency. The ultrasonic transducer adopts a frequency sweeping mode or a small signal detection system to detect the actual resonant frequency, and then uses high-power pulse dust removal, or other operating modes, with the aim of maximizing the vibration amplitude on the surface of the component to be dusted.

[0050] The frequency range of the ultrasonic transducer is 15kHz-200kHz, the instantaneous power of the ultrasonic transducer is 10-1000W, and the maximum amplitude of the surface of the component to be dusted is greater than 5nm.

[0051] The working principle of ultrasonic removal method:

[0052] The adsorption of lunar dust particles on the surface of the component to be dusted has a certain adsorption potential energy U. The value of U is related to the particle's charge, particle shape, and the surface energy of the adsorbed surface. This invention applies sinusoidal vibration to the surface of the component to be dusted, enabling the lunar dust particles to gain kinetic energy.

[0053] u = u0cos(ωt) = Aωcos(ωt)

[0054] Where u is the vibration velocity of the surface of the component to be dusted, u0 is the velocity amplitude, A is the amplitude, ω is the angular frequency, t is the time, and the velocity of the dust particles satisfies the condition.

[0055]

[0056] Where m is the particle mass.

[0057] When the maximum kinetic energy of the lunar dust particles is sufficient to overcome the adsorption potential energy, the particles can be detached from the surface, thus achieving the removal of lunar dust.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic removal system for surface-adsorbed lunar dust, characterized in that, The device includes a controller, an ultrasonic power supply, and an ultrasonic transducer connected by electricity. The ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the component to be cleaned. During dust removal, the excitation electrical signal generated by the controller is amplified by the ultrasonic power supply, which excites the ultrasonic transducer to vibrate. The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is coupled to the longitudinal bending, causing the component to be cleaned to bend. The dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component to be cleaned obtain sufficient vibration energy to overcome the adsorption potential energy and detach from the surface of the component. The ultrasonic transducer is fixedly installed on the surface of the component to be dusted; The ultrasonic transducer has a frequency range of 15kHz-200kHz, an instantaneous electrical power of 10-1000W, and a maximum surface amplitude of the component to be cleaned that is greater than 5nm.

2. The ultrasonic removal system for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic transducer is a piezoelectric ceramic transducer or a magnetostrictive transducer.

3. An ultrasonic method for removing lunar dust adsorbed on a surface, characterized in that, An ultrasonic transducer is mounted on the component to be dusted to form a vibration unit, and the ultrasonic removal method includes: S1. Longitudinal vibration is generated through an ultrasonic transducer; S2, Frequency Selection The resonant frequencies of each bending vibration mode of the component to be dusted are measured, and the resonant frequencies of the bending vibration modes are selected from the resonant frequencies as the unit resonant frequencies of the vibration unit. The design operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is determined based on the unit resonant frequencies. S3. The longitudinal vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is converted into the bending vibration of the component to be cleaned by longitudinal bending coupling, so as to remove the dust particles adsorbed on the surface of the component to be cleaned. The ultrasonic transducer is fixedly installed on the surface of the component to be dusted; The ultrasonic transducer has a frequency range of 15kHz-200kHz, an instantaneous electrical power of 10-1000W, and a maximum surface amplitude of the component to be cleaned that is greater than 5nm.

4. The ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In step S2, the resonant frequency of a low-order bending vibration mode with a large surface amplitude is selected as the unit resonant frequency.

5. The ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In step S3, different bending vibration modes are changed to eliminate residual lunar dust particles at the nodes due to small amplitude.

6. The ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The transducer operates in a pulse mode. During the working period, it imparts energy to the lunar dust particles through large-amplitude vibration to detach them from the surface of the component to be cleaned. It is in standby mode at other times.

7. The ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The actual pulse operating frequency of the ultrasonic transducer is near the designed operating frequency. The ultrasonic transducer adopts a frequency sweeping operation mode, or uses a small signal detection system to detect the actual resonant frequency, and then uses high-power pulse dust removal.

8. The ultrasonic removal method for surface-adsorbed lunar dust as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The ultrasonic transducer is integrally connected or detachably fixedly connected to the surface of the component to be dusted.

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