A rudder and an underwater vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater vehicles, and discloses a rudder and an underwater vehicle. The rudder includes: a steering gear installed inside the pressure-resistant cabin of the underwater vehicle; a bracket installed on the pressure-resistant cabin; a rotating shaft rotatably installed on the bracket, the rotating shaft extending along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, and the first end of the rotating shaft being in transmission connection with the steering gear; a rudder blade structure, one side of the rudder blade structure is connected to the rotating shaft, and the other side of the rudder blade structure is fixed to the bracket; the steering gear drives the rotating shaft to rotate, and the rotating shaft drives one side of the rudder blade structure to rotate synchronously. In the present invention, the rotating shaft for driving the rotation of the rudder blade structure is arranged to extend along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, so that the steering gear can be arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin of the underwater vehicle, and there is no need to additionally arrange a sealing structure for the steering gear, which simplifies the structural arrangement of the underwater vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater vehicles, and particularly to a rudder and an underwater vehicle. Background Art

[0002] A rudder is a device for changing the motion direction of a vehicle, and is widely used in fields such as airplanes, missiles, ships, autonomous underwater vehicles, torpedoes, etc. The principle of action of the rudder is that the rudder surface rotates around an axis, forming a certain angle with the oncoming flow direction, and the force acting on the rudder surface by the oncoming flow forms a moment for changing the motion direction, thereby changing the motion direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the direction of the rudder axis should be perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction.

[0003] Currently, the vertical tail rudder or the horizontal tail rudder of an underwater vehicle is set perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the vehicle. Setting the tail rudder perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle makes it necessary to install the rudder machine outside the main pressure-resistant cabin of the vehicle, and then a pressure-resistant sealing structure needs to be constructed separately for the rudder machine and its transmission system, increasing the complexity of the structure of the underwater vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a rudder and an underwater vehicle to solve the problem that the existing tail rudder is set perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, which makes it necessary to install the rudder machine outside the main pressure-resistant cabin of the vehicle, increasing the complexity of the structure of the underwater vehicle.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a rudder for installation on an underwater vehicle, including:

[0007] A rudder machine, which is installed inside the pressure-resistant cabin of the underwater vehicle;

[0008] A bracket, which is installed on the pressure-resistant cabin;

[0009] A rotating shaft, which is rotatably installed on the bracket, extends along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, and the first end of the rotating shaft is in transmission connection with the rudder machine;

[0010] A rudder blade structure, one side of which is connected to the second end of the rotating shaft, and the other side of which is fixed to the bracket;

[0011] The rudder machine drives the rotating shaft to rotate, and the rotating shaft drives one side of the rudder blade structure to rotate synchronously.

[0012] Preferably, the rudder blade structure includes a fixed rudder post, a rudder panel, and a rotating rudder post. The fixed rudder post and the rotating rudder post are respectively fixed on both sides of the rudder panel. The fixed rudder post is connected to the bracket, and the rotating rudder post is connected to the rotating shaft.

[0013] Preferably, the rudder panel is arranged parallel to or coplanar with the rotating shaft.

[0014] Preferably, one edge of the rudder panel is collinear with the rotating shaft, and the fixed rudder post and the rotating rudder post are respectively perpendicular to the rotating shaft.

[0015] Preferably, the fixed rudder post is arranged on the side of the rudder panel close to the pressure-resistant cabin body, and the rotating rudder post is arranged on the side of the rudder panel away from the pressure-resistant cabin body.

[0016] Preferably, the material of the rudder panel is an elastic material.

[0017] Preferably, the material of the rotating rudder post is an elastic material.

[0018] Preferably, the rotating rudder post is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, and the axis of rotation between the rotating rudder post and the rotating shaft is perpendicular to the connection surface of the rotating rudder post and the rotating shaft.

[0019] Preferably, the rudder panel includes a first sub-panel and a second sub-panel. One side of the first sub-panel is elastically connected to one side of the second sub-panel. The fixed rudder post is connected to the other side of the first sub-panel, and the rotating rudder post is connected to the other side of the second sub-panel.

[0020] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an underwater vehicle, including an underwater vehicle body and the rudder as described above.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the rudder and the underwater vehicle according to the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0022] For the rudder and the underwater vehicle according to the embodiments of the present invention, the rotating shaft for driving the rotation of the rudder blade structure is arranged along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, so that the steering gear can be arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin body of the underwater vehicle, and there is no need to additionally arrange a sealing structure for the steering gear, which simplifies the structural layout of the underwater vehicle; moreover, in the present invention, one side of the rudder blade structure is connected to the rotating shaft, and the other side of the rudder blade structure is connected to the bracket. When the rotating shaft drives the rudder blade structure to rotate, one side of the rudder blade structure rotates synchronously with the rotating shaft, and the other side of the rudder blade structure remains stationary with the bracket, so that the rudder blade structure is twisted, thereby making it more convenient to change the movement direction of the underwater vehicle. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the underwater glider according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] In the figure, 1 is the main body of the underwater vehicle; 11 is the horizontal wing; 12 is the pressure-resistant cabin; 13 is the end cap; 2 is the steering gear; 3 is the rotating shaft; 4 is the rudder blade structure; 41 is the fixed rudder post; 42 is the rudder panel; 43 is the rotating rudder post; 5 is the bracket. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0027] The following will further describe in detail the specific implementation manners of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0028] The underwater vehicle of the present invention can be an autonomous underwater vehicle (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, abbreviated as AUV), a torpedo, an underwater glider, etc. The following will take an underwater glider as an example for illustration.

[0029] As Figure 1 shown, an underwater vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 1 of the underwater vehicle and a rudder. Among them, the main body 1 of the underwater vehicle is provided with a pressure-resistant cabin 12, and a horizontal wing 11 is provided on the pressure-resistant cabin 12.

[0030] The rudder is installed on an underwater vehicle. The rudder includes a steering gear 2, a rotating shaft 3, a rudder blade structure 4, and a bracket 5. Among them, the steering gear 2 is installed inside the pressure-resistant cabin 12 of the underwater vehicle; the bracket 5 is installed on the pressure-resistant cabin 12; the rotating shaft 3 extends along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle. The first end of the rotating shaft 3 is in transmission connection with the steering gear 2, and this transmission connection can be a mechanical transmission connection or a magnetic coupling transmission connection. When the first end of the rotating shaft 3 and the steering gear 2 are in mechanical transmission connection, the second end of the rotating shaft 3 passes through the end cover 13 of the pressure-resistant cabin 12 and extends to the outside of the pressure-resistant cabin 12. The central axis of the rotating shaft 3 is preferably collinear with the central axis of the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle body 1. The rudder blade structure 4 is arranged outside the pressure-resistant cabin 12. One side of the rudder blade structure 4 is connected to the second end of the rotating shaft 3; the other side of the rudder blade structure 4 is fixedly connected to the bracket 5. The steering gear 2 drives the rotating shaft 3 to rotate, the rotating shaft 3 drives one side of the rudder blade structure 4 to rotate synchronously, and the other side of the rudder blade structure 4 remains stationary with the bracket 5, so that the rudder blade structure 4 twists, making it more convenient to change the movement direction of the underwater vehicle.

[0031] In the rudder of the present invention, the rotating shaft 3 is arranged along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, so that the steering gear 2 can be arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin 12 of the underwater vehicle, and there is no need to additionally set the relevant sealing structure of the steering gear 2, which simplifies the structure of the underwater vehicle.

[0032] In this embodiment, the rudder blade structure 4 includes a fixed rudder post 41, a rudder panel 42, and a rotating rudder post 43. The fixed rudder post 41 and the rotating rudder post 43 are respectively fixed on both sides of the rudder panel 42. The fixed rudder post 41 is connected to the bracket 5, and the rotating rudder post 43 is connected to the rotating shaft 3. When the steering gear 2 drives the rotating shaft 3 to rotate, the rotating rudder post 43 rotates synchronously with the rotating shaft 3. The rotation axis of the rotating rudder post 43 rotating with the rotating shaft 3 is the central axis of the rotating shaft 3 itself. The fixed rudder post 41 and the bracket 5 are fixed and immovable. The rudder panel 42 has a twist angle under the rotation action of the rotating rudder post 43, so that the rudder of the present invention can not only meet the requirement of arranging the steering gear 2 inside the pressure-resistant cabin 12 to simplify the structure, but also meet the use requirement of the rudder blade structure 4 for changing the movement direction. As Figure 1 , after the rudder panel 42 twists, it presents the state of the dotted line frame.

[0033] In this embodiment, the rudder panel 42 is arranged parallel or coplanar with the rotating shaft 3, so that a certain angle can be formed between the rudder panel 42 and the oncoming flow direction. Preferably, the rudder panel 42 is arranged coplanar with the rotating shaft 3.

[0034] Further, one side edge of the rudder panel 42 is collinear with the rotating shaft 3, and the fixed rudder post 41 and the rotating rudder post 43 are respectively perpendicular to the rotating shaft 3. The fixed rudder post 41 and the rotating rudder post 43 are arranged in parallel at intervals on both sides of the rudder panel 42. In the initial installation state, the fixed rudder post 41, the rudder panel 42, the rotating rudder post 43, and the rotating shaft 3 are coplanar. The fixed rudder post 41 is arranged above the rotating shaft 3 so as not to interfere with the rotation of the rotating shaft 3. Further, the fixed rudder post 41 is arranged on the side of the rudder panel 42 close to the pressure-resistant cabin body 12, and the rotating rudder post 43 is arranged on the side of the rudder panel 42 away from the pressure-resistant cabin body 12.

[0035] In this embodiment, the rudder panel 42 is rectangular, the fixed rudder post 41 and the rotating rudder post 43 are respectively fixed on two long sides of the rudder panel 42, and one of the wide sides of the rudder panel 42 is collinear with the rotating shaft 3.

[0036] In this embodiment, the material of the rudder panel 42 is an elastic material, which is convenient for the torsion of the rudder panel 42. The elastic material can be rubber, nickel-titanium alloy, etc.

[0037] Further, the material of the rotating rudder post 43 is an elastic material, and the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 can be elastically connected, so that while the rotating rudder post 43 rotates synchronously with the rotating shaft 3, it has freedom in the plane where the rudder panel 42 is located, which is convenient for the torsion of the rudder panel 42.

[0038] In this embodiment, the rotating rudder post 43 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 3, and the rotation axis between the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 is perpendicular to the connection surface of the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3. For example, the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 can be connected by a rotating bearing, so that while the rotating rudder post 43 rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft 3 with the rotating shaft 3, it can have freedom in the plane where the connection surface of the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 is located, and the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 can rotate relatively, and the relative rotation axis is perpendicular to the connection surface. Among them, in the initial installation state, the connection surface of the rotating rudder post 43 and the rotating shaft 3 is coplanar with the plane where the rudder panel 42 is located.

[0039] Optionally, the rudder panel 42 includes a first sub-panel and a second sub-panel. One side of the first sub-panel and one side of the second sub-panel are elastically connected. The fixed rudder post 41 is connected to the other side of the first sub-panel, and the rotating rudder post 43 is connected to the other side of the second sub-panel. Further, both the first sub-panel and the second sub-panel are triangular, and the first sub-panel and the second sub-panel are butted to form a rectangular panel.

[0040] It should be noted that the present invention does not specifically limit the structural form of the bracket 5, and the bracket 5 only needs to play a role in fixedly connecting the underwater vehicle body 1 and the fixed rudder post 41.

[0041] Preferably, the bracket 5 may be provided with a mounting hole for the rotating shaft 3 to pass through, and the rotating shaft 3 can be installed in the mounting hole of the bracket 5 through a bearing, so that the bracket 5 can not only play a role in connecting and fixing the underwater vehicle body 1 and the fixed rudder post 41, but also serve as a mounting bracket for the rotating shaft 3.

[0042] The working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0043] The fixed rudder post 41 is connected and fixed to the underwater vehicle body 1 through the bracket 5. The rotating rudder post 43 is connected to the rotating shaft 3, and the steering gear 2 drives the rotating shaft 3 to rotate. The rotating shaft 3 drives the rotating rudder post 43 to rotate synchronously, so that the rudder panel 42 has a certain torsion angle, and the rudder panel 42 forms a certain angle with the oncoming flow direction. The force of the oncoming flow acting on the rudder surface forms a moment to change the movement direction, thereby changing the movement direction of the underwater vehicle.

[0044] In summary, the embodiment of the present invention provides a rudder and an underwater vehicle. The rotating shaft 3 for driving the rudder blade structure 4 is arranged along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, so that the steering gear 2 can be arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin 12 of the underwater vehicle, and there is no need to additionally set a sealing structure for the steering gear 2, which simplifies the structural layout of the underwater vehicle; moreover, in the present invention, one side of the rudder blade structure 4 is connected to the rotating shaft 3, and the other side of the rudder blade structure 4 is connected to the bracket 5. When the rotating shaft 3 drives the rudder blade structure 4 to rotate, one side of the rudder blade structure 4 rotates synchronously with the rotating shaft 3, and the other side of the rudder blade structure 4 remains stationary with the bracket 5, so that the rudder blade structure 4 is twisted, thus making it more convenient to change the movement direction of the underwater vehicle.

[0045] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the technical principle of the present invention, several improvements and substitutions can still be made, and these improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rudder for installation on an underwater vehicle, characterized in that, it includes: a steering gear installed inside the pressure-resistant cabin of the underwater vehicle; a bracket installed on the pressure-resistant cabin; a rotating shaft rotatably installed on the bracket, the rotating shaft extending along the longitudinal axis direction of the underwater vehicle, and the first end of the rotating shaft being in transmission connection with the steering gear; a rudder blade structure, one side of the rudder blade structure being connected to the second end of the rotating shaft, and the other side of the rudder blade structure being fixed to the bracket; the rudder blade structure includes a fixed rudder post, a rudder panel, and a rotating rudder post, the fixed rudder post and the rotating rudder post being respectively fixed on both sides of the rudder panel, the fixed rudder post being connected to the bracket, and the rotating rudder post being connected to the rotating shaft; the rudder panel is arranged coplanar with the rotating shaft, one side edge of the rudder panel is collinear with the rotating shaft, and the fixed rudder post and the rotating rudder post are respectively perpendicular to the rotating shaft; the steering gear drives the rotating shaft to rotate, the rotating rudder post rotates synchronously with the rotating shaft, the fixed rudder post is fixed to the bracket and does not move, and the rudder panel has a torsion angle under the rotation of the rotating rudder post.

2. The rudder according to claim 1, characterized in that, the fixed rudder post is arranged on the side of the rudder panel close to the pressure-resistant cabin, and the rotating rudder post is arranged on the side of the rudder panel away from the pressure-resistant cabin.

3. The rudder according to claim 1, characterized in that, the material of the rudder panel is an elastic material.

4. The rudder according to claim 3, characterized in that, the material of the rotating rudder post is an elastic material.

5. The rudder according to claim 3, characterized in that, the rotating rudder post is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft, and the axis of rotation between the rotating rudder post and the rotating shaft is perpendicular to the connection surface of the rotating rudder post and the rotating shaft.

6. The rudder according to claim 1, characterized in that, the rudder panel includes a first sub-panel and a second sub-panel, one side of the first sub-panel is elastically connected to one side of the second sub-panel, the fixed rudder post is connected to the other side of the first sub-panel, and the rotating rudder post is connected to the other side of the second sub-panel.

7. An underwater vehicle, characterized in that, it includes an underwater vehicle main body and a rudder according to any one of claims 1 - 6.

Images