A waterproof flapping mechanism imitating manta ray's flexible pectoral fin

Abstract

The present invention discloses a waterproof flapping mechanism for a manta-like flexible pectoral fin, which belongs to the field of bionic aircraft. The mechanism comprises a main drive motor assembly, a passive waterproof flapping assembly, a flexible pectoral fin assembly and a main sealed cabin. The main drive motor assembly is arranged in the main sealed cabin of the trunk of the bionic aircraft, and the passive waterproof flapping assembly is arranged in the flexible pectoral fin assemblies on both sides of the bionic aircraft. The passive waterproof flapping assemblies on both sides are driven by the main drive motor assembly to realize the flapping of the flexible pectoral fin. The active synchronous pulley and the passive synchronous pulley of the present invention are transmitted through a synchronous belt, and the precision requirements and overall assembly requirements of the waterproof sealing shell installation are low. Through the waterproof transmission of the steering gear, the power is output from the inside of the cabin to the flexible pectoral fin outside the cabin, and a waterproof steering gear is adopted. The pectoral fin adopts a flexible material and a hollow structure, which can reduce the load of the internal resistance due to the passive deformation of the pectoral fin on the fin ray, and at the same time reduce the load of the steering gear, reduce the internal friction of the entire motion system, and improve the efficiency of power output.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of bionic aircraft, and in particular relates to a waterproof flapping mechanism imitating a manta ray's flexible pectoral fin. Background Art

[0002] Traditional underwater vehicles are mostly rotating and propulsion by propellers. They work stably and have high propulsion speed, but their navigation posture is difficult to change flexibly and their obstacle avoidance performance is poor. As a new type of underwater vehicle, the bionic ray underwater vehicle based on pectoral fin propulsion has the advantages of good movement maneuverability, high biomimetic properties, and strong concealment.

[0003] In the prior art, waterproof servos are directly used for bionic manta ray underwater vehicles, but the servos have high requirements and cannot work in seawater environments or at great depths. In addition, the way in which the servos directly drive the fins cannot adjust the transmission coefficient between the servos and the fins, and cannot give full play to the servos' performance. Because the waterproof servos are externally mounted, the servos' power cord and signal cord must enter the main cabin to connect to the control panel, and they need to be waterproofed separately, which is not conducive to disassembly and assembly. At the same time, the external connection cable connectors are easily corroded by seawater and damaged. Conventional connectors such as banana heads are not resistant to direct short circuits caused by seawater and cannot be used. Customized connectors are large in size, expensive, and occupy more space for the active pectoral fins, which is not conducive to shape preservation. The maintenance cost of the corresponding waterproof servos is also higher.

[0004] In the prior art, the pectoral fins of bionic aircraft are still supported by skeletons because there is a large amount of water inside the pectoral fins. When flapping, the water in the pectoral fin cavity hinders the pectoral fins from flapping due to inertia, and the pectoral fin skin cannot maintain its shape, resulting in insufficient bionics of the biological appearance and reduced flapping efficiency.

[0005] In the prior art, the fins and silicone are fixedly cast or integrally wrapped and inactive. When the fins move with a phase difference, the internal resistance of the overall pectoral fin deformation needs to be overcome, resulting in serious internal friction in the system. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues to be solved:

[0007] In order to avoid the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a manta ray-like flexible pectoral fin waterproof flapping mechanism, including a driving component, a flapping component and a pectoral fin. The driving module is placed in a sealed cabin, and the transmission module is placed in a waterproof sealed shell, which solves the waterproof problem of the control and driving parts of the manta ray-like vehicle; the pectoral fin is made of flexible material and hollow structure design, which can reduce the load on the fin rays due to the internal resistance caused by the passive deformation of the pectoral fin, while reducing the load on the servo, reducing the internal friction of the entire motion system, and improving the efficiency of power output.

[0008] The technical solution of the present invention is: a manta ray-like flexible pectoral fin waterproof flapping mechanism, comprising a main drive motor assembly, a passive waterproof flapping assembly, a flexible pectoral fin assembly and a main body sealed cabin, wherein the main drive motor assembly is arranged in the main body sealed cabin of the trunk of the bionic aircraft, and the passive waterproof flapping assembly is arranged in the flexible pectoral fin assemblies on both sides of the bionic aircraft;

[0009] The passive waterproof flapping components on both sides are driven by the main driving motor component to achieve the flexible pectoral fin flapping.

[0010] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the main drive motor assembly includes a power source, a bracket and an active synchronous pulley, and multiple groups of power sources are respectively installed in the main sealed cabin through the bracket; multiple active synchronous pulleys are respectively installed on the output shaft of each power source.

[0011] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the power source is a steering gear or a motor.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the flexible pectoral fin assembly includes a pectoral fin fixing block and a flexible pectoral fin, and two symmetrically arranged flexible pectoral fins are respectively installed on the two side walls of the bionic aircraft trunk through the pectoral fin fixing blocks; the flexible pectoral fin is a hollow structure.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is that the spanwise airfoil of the flexible pectoral fin is a NACA airfoil, and its maximum thickness-chord ratio coefficient ranges from 2% to 10%, which can reduce the internal resistance of passive deformation when the pectoral fin flaps with a phase difference.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is that the flexible pectoral fin is cast from a flexible material such as silicone, rubber, or TPU.

[0015] A further technical solution of the present invention is: hollow microbead material is added to the flexible material to reduce the material density.

[0016] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the density of the flexible material is 1.0 g / cm 2 -1.05g / cm 2 , which is close to the density of water.

[0017] A further technical solution of the present invention is: a plurality of groups of the passive waterproof flapping components are evenly distributed on both sides of the main sealed cabin along the axial direction, corresponding one by one to a plurality of power sources of the main sealed cabin;

[0018] The passive waterproof flapping assembly includes fins, an output shaft, a passive synchronous pulley and a waterproof sealing shell, wherein the waterproof sealing shell is fixed to the side wall of the main sealed cabin; one end of the output shaft is sealed and installed in the waterproof sealing shell, and the other end is fixedly connected to the root of the fin, and the passive synchronous pulley is fixed to the output shaft;

[0019] The active synchronous pulley and the passive synchronous pulley are connected by a synchronous belt, and the power source sequentially drives the active synchronous pulley, the synchronous belt, the passive synchronous pulley and the output shaft to rotate, thereby driving the fin rays to swing, and the flexible pectoral fin flapping is achieved by the swinging of different fin rays with different phase differences.

[0020] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the waterproof sealing shell is a hollow semi-cylindrical shell, one end of which is provided with a through hole, a waterproof end cover is coaxially installed at the inner end of the through hole; the waterproof end cover is provided with a central hole;

[0021] The part of the output shaft extending into the waterproof sealing shell is rotatably connected to the waterproof sealing shell and the central hole of the waterproof end cover through a rolling bearing;

[0022] A sealing ring is arranged between the inner wall of the central hole of the waterproof end cover and the output shaft for dynamic sealing therebetween; a sealing ring is arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof end cover and the waterproof sealing shell for static sealing therebetween.

[0023] A further technical solution of the present invention is that retaining rings are arranged on both sides of the passive synchronous pulley for axial positioning thereof.

[0024] Beneficial Effects

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0026] 1. Except for the output shaft, all other parts of the present invention are in a waterproof housing, so there is no waterproof requirement for the device, it is easy to disassemble and assemble, has good interchangeability, and does not have the problem of seawater failure.

[0027] 2. The steering gear has an anisotropic shape. The manta ray has a flat shape. In the prior art, the steering gear installed externally will occupy a larger area of ​​the pectoral fin. When the pectoral fin flaps at a particularly large angle (amplitude), the steering gear cannot rotate synchronously with the pectoral fin, which will destroy the pectoral fin shape and the bionics cannot be well maintained. However, the transmission output housing of the present invention has a regular shape (semicircular), and the pectoral fin shape can still be maintained at nearly ±80° (original 45°), and the bionics is better.

[0028] 3. The present invention adopts a gap movable assembly, which is more conducive to the phase difference movement between the fins, effectively reduces the internal friction of the system, improves the power output efficiency of the steering gear, and avoids the overheating problem of the steering gear caused by long-term high power.

[0029] 4. Compared with traditional fabrics such as spandex, the physical properties of the flexible material used in the pectoral fin of the present invention are closer to real biological structures in terms of material touch and appearance, and can act as muscles, with stronger bionics. The hardness of the flexible material can be selected in the range of 0° to 70°, preferably 0° to 30°. In addition, the flexible material has lower water resistance than traditional fabrics, and the impermeable airfoil has good shape retention, which can better convert flapping power into thrust and is more efficient.

[0030] 5. Compared with the servo directly driving the fins, by changing the transmission coefficient of the pulley, the servo and the fins can be in different phases and speeds, which can be used to increase the flapping torque or flapping speed limit and reduce the demand for the servo. After placing the large-volume servo inside the cabin, the pectoral fin flapping part accounts for a larger proportion of the whole machine, the thickness of the pectoral fin root is reduced, the amplitude of a single pectoral fin flapping is larger, the power of a single flapping is increased, and it is also more conducive to the shape-preserving design of the pectoral fin appearance.

[0031] 6. The active synchronous pulley and the passive synchronous pulley of the present invention are transmitted through the synchronous belt, and the precision requirements and overall assembly requirements of the waterproof sealing shell are low. Through the waterproof transmission of the steering gear, the power is output from the inside of the cabin to the flexible pectoral fin outside the cabin, so there is no need to use a waterproof steering gear, which reduces the use cost of the steering gear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 Flexible pectoral fin waterproof flapping mechanism;

[0033] Figure 2 Main drive motor assembly;

[0034] Figure 3 Passive waterproof flapping components;

[0035] Figure 4 Flexible pectoral fin assembly;

[0036] Figure 5 .Top view of the pectoral fin;

[0037] Figure 6 .Spanwise cross-section of the pectoral fin;

[0038] Figure 7 Component transmission path;

[0039] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 1. Main drive motor assembly 2. Passive waterproof flapping assembly, 3. Flexible pectoral fin assembly, 4. Main body sealed cabin; 1-1. Servo 1-2. Servo bracket 1-3. Active synchronous pulley; 2-1 Fin ray, 2-2 Fin ray connector, 2-3 Waterproof end cover, 2-4 Sealing ring, 2-5 Rolling bearing, 2-6 Sealing ring, 2-7 Output shaft, 2-8 Retaining ring, 2-9 Passive synchronous pulley, 2-10 Retaining ring, 2-11 Retaining ring for shaft, 2-12 Rolling bearing, 2-13 Waterproof sealing shell; 3-1. Pectoral fin fixing block, 3-2. Flexible pectoral fin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0042] The present embodiment provides a manta ray-like flexible pectoral fin waterproof flapping mechanism, comprising a main drive motor assembly 1, a passive waterproof flapping assembly 2, a flexible pectoral fin assembly 3 and a main body sealed cabin 4. The main drive motor assembly 1 is arranged in the main body sealed cabin 4 of the trunk of the bionic aircraft, and the passive waterproof flapping assembly 2 is arranged in the flexible pectoral fin assemblies 3 on both sides of the bionic aircraft; the passive waterproof flapping assembly 2 on both sides is driven by the main drive motor assembly 1 to realize the flapping of the flexible pectoral fin.

[0043] The main drive motor assembly 2 includes a steering gear or a motor, a bracket and an active synchronous pulley. Multiple power sources are installed in the main sealed cabin through the brackets respectively; and multiple active synchronous pulleys are installed on the output shafts of each power source respectively.

[0044] The flexible pectoral fin assembly 3 includes a pectoral fin fixing block 31 and a flexible pectoral fin 3-2. Two symmetrically arranged flexible pectoral fins 3-2 are respectively installed on the two side walls of the trunk of the bionic vehicle through the pectoral fin fixing block 3-1; the flexible pectoral fin 3-2 is a hollow structure. When different fin rays move with a phase difference, the fin rays can slide relatively inside the pectoral fin, thereby reducing the passive deformation of the pectoral fin, thereby reducing the load on the fin rays caused by the internal resistance due to the passive deformation of the pectoral fin, and at the same time reducing the load on the servo, reducing the internal friction of the entire motion system, and improving the efficiency of power output.

[0045] The flexible pectoral fin 3-2 is cast from a flexible material, such as silicone, rubber, or TPU. Hollow microbeads are added to the flexible material to reduce the material density. The density of the flexible material is 1.0 g / cm 2 -1.05g / cm 2 , close to the water density, so that the pectoral fins are in a suspended state in the water, which is beneficial to the maintenance of the aircraft's static attitude, reduces the static load of the servo, and is also more conducive to gliding.

[0046] The plurality of groups of passive waterproof flapping components 2 are evenly distributed on both sides of the main sealed cabin 4 along the axial direction, corresponding one by one to the plurality of motors or steering gears of the main sealed cabin 4;

[0047] The passive waterproof flapping assembly 2 includes a fin 2-1, an output shaft 2-7, a passive synchronous pulley 2-9 and a waterproof sealing shell 2-13. The waterproof sealing shell 2-13 is fixed to the side wall of the main sealed cabin 4; one end of the output shaft 2-7 is sealed and installed in the waterproof sealing shell 2-13, and the other end is fixedly connected to the root of the fin 2-1. The passive synchronous pulley 2-9 is fixed on the output shaft; the active synchronous pulley 1-3 and the passive synchronous pulley 2-9 are connected by a synchronous belt, and the active synchronous pulley 1-3, the synchronous belt, the passive synchronous pulley 2-9 and the output shaft 2-7 are driven to rotate in sequence by a motor or a steering gear, thereby driving the fin 2-1 to swing, and the flexible pectoral fin flapping is realized by the swinging of different fin rays 2-7 with different phase differences.

[0048] Preferably, the waterproof sealing shell 2-13 is a hollow semi-cylindrical shell with a through hole at one end, and a waterproof end cover is coaxially installed at the inner end of the through hole; the waterproof end cover has a center hole; the part of the output shaft 2-7 extending into the waterproof sealing shell is rotatably connected to the waterproof sealing shell and the center hole of the waterproof end cover through a rolling bearing; a sealing ring is provided between the inner wall of the center hole of the waterproof end cover and the output shaft for dynamic sealing therebetween; a sealing ring is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof end cover and the waterproof sealing shell for static sealing therebetween.

[0049] Preferably, retaining rings are provided on both sides of the passive synchronous pulley for axial positioning thereof.

[0050] Example:

[0051] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the overall structural connection mode is: each flexible pectoral fin 3-2 is composed of several groups of active-passive flapping mechanisms, such as Figure 1 There are three groups of flapping assemblies. Each group of main drive motor assembly 1 is fixedly installed inside the main sealed cabin 4 through the steering gear bracket 1-2, and the main drive synchronous pulley 1-3 of each group of main drive motor assembly 1 is connected to the passive synchronous pulley 2-9 of the passive waterproof flapping assembly 2 through a synchronous belt. The passive waterproof flapping assembly is fixedly installed on the side wall of the main sealed cabin through the installation hole of the waterproof sealed cabin. The flexible pectoral fin assembly 3 is covered with the passive waterproof flapping assembly and fixedly installed on the side wall of the cabin.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the connection mode of the main drive motor assembly is as follows: the steering gear or servo motor 1-1 is fixedly installed on the steering gear bracket 1-2, and the active synchronous pulley 1-3 is installed on the output shaft of the steering gear 1-1. The main drive click assembly is fixedly installed in the main sealed cabin through the steering gear bracket, and the rotation of the steering gear output shaft drives the main drive synchronous pulley to rotate.

[0053] Reference Figure 3As shown, the passive waterproof flapping assembly connection method is as follows: the fin 2-1 is fixedly mounted on the fin connector 2-2, the fin connector 2-2 is fixedly mounted on the output shaft 2-7, the sealing ring 2-6 is mounted on the output shaft 2-7 for dynamic sealing of the relative rotational movement of the output shaft 2-7 and the waterproof end cover 2-3, and the rolling bearing 2-5 and the rolling bearing 2-12 are respectively mounted on the waterproof end cover 2-3 and the waterproof sealing shell 2-13 for supporting the output shaft 2-7 for rotational movement. The waterproof end cover 2-3 is fixedly mounted on the waterproof sealing shell 2-13 through the screw holes on the end face, and the sealing ring 2-4 is mounted on the waterproof end cover 2-3 to ensure the static seal between the two. The passive synchronous wheel 2-9 is mounted on the output shaft and axially fixed by a set screw, the retaining ring 2-8 and the retaining ring 2-10 are used for axial positioning of the passive synchronous pulley 2-9, and the shaft retaining ring 2-11 is used to axially fix the retaining ring 2-10.

[0054] Reference Figure 4 As shown, connection instructions: The flexible pectoral fin is cast by flexible materials, preferably materials such as silicone, rubber, TPU and other materials. Hollow microbeads can be added to the flexible material to reduce the material density, preferably adjusted to 1.0g / cm 2 -1.05g / cm 2 The density is close to that of the water body, so that the pectoral fin is suspended in the water, which is beneficial to the attitude maintenance of the aircraft in a static state, reduces the static load of the steering gear, and is more conducive to gliding. The flexible pectoral fin is fixedly installed on the pectoral fin fixing block, and the pectoral fin fixing block passes through the fin ray 2-1 and is fixedly installed in the main body sealed cabin.

[0055] Reference Figure 5 As shown, the flexible pectoral fin 3-2 and the fin ray 2-1 are matched with a movable gap, and the pectoral fin is preferably a hollow structure at the fin ray position. When different fin rays move with a phase difference, the fin rays can slide relatively inside the pectoral fin, reducing the passive deformation of the pectoral fin, thereby reducing the load on the fin ray caused by the internal resistance force due to the passive deformation of the pectoral fin, and at the same time reducing the load on the servo, reducing the internal friction of the entire motion system, and improving the efficiency of power output.

[0056] Reference Figure 6 As shown, the span-wise airfoil of the pectoral fin is preferably a NACA airfoil. In order to reduce the internal resistance of passive deformation when the pectoral fin flaps with phase difference, the maximum thickness-chord ratio coefficient of the active pectoral fin is in the range of 2%-10%, preferably 3%-5%. Taking the maximum chord length of the pectoral fin of 400mm in this example, the maximum thickness of the active part at the root is 10mm.

[0057] Reference Figure 7As shown, the output shaft of the servo motor or servo motor 1-1 in the main sealed cabin rotates to drive the main drive synchronous pulley 1-3, which drives the passive synchronous pulley 2-9 in the waterproof sealed shell through the synchronous belt, drives the output shaft 2-7, and drives the fin 2-1 on the fin connector 2-2 to achieve the swing of the fin 2-1. The flexible pectoral fin flaps by swinging with different phase differences between different fins. By controlling the speed of the servo motor or servo motor 1-1, the rotation angle can achieve different flapping frame amplitudes and flapping frequencies of the fin 2-1. By controlling the phase difference between different groups of servos, the flexible pectoral fin can be flapped with different phase differences.

[0058] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and intent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A waterproof flapping mechanism imitating a manta ray's flexible pectoral fin, characterized in that: It includes a main drive motor assembly, a passive waterproof flapping assembly, a flexible pectoral fin assembly and a main body sealed cabin, wherein the main drive motor assembly is arranged in the main body sealed cabin of the trunk of the bionic aircraft, and the passive waterproof flapping assembly is arranged in the flexible pectoral fin assemblies on both sides of the bionic aircraft; The passive waterproof flapping components on both sides are driven by the main drive motor component to achieve the flapping of the flexible pectoral fins; The flexible pectoral fin assembly includes a pectoral fin fixing block and a flexible pectoral fin. Two symmetrically arranged flexible pectoral fins are respectively installed on the two side walls of the trunk of the bionic vehicle through the pectoral fin fixing blocks; the flexible pectoral fin is a hollow structure; the flexible pectoral fin is cast with flexible materials, such as silicone, rubber, and TPU; the flexible pectoral fin and the fin rays of the passive waterproof flapping assembly are matched with active gaps, and the pectoral fin is a hollow structure at the fin ray position. When different fin rays move with phase difference, the fin rays can slide relatively inside the pectoral fin.

2. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main drive motor assembly includes a power source, a bracket and an active synchronous pulley. Multiple groups of power sources are respectively installed in the main sealed cabin through the bracket; and multiple active synchronous pulleys are respectively installed on the output shaft of each power source.

3. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power source is a steering gear or a motor.

4. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spanwise airfoil of the flexible pectoral fin is a NACA airfoil, and the maximum thickness-chord ratio coefficient thereof ranges from 2% to 10%, which can reduce the internal resistance of passive deformation when the pectoral fin flaps with phase difference.

5. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 2, characterized in that: Hollow microbead material is added into the flexible material to reduce the material density.

6. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 5, characterized in that: The density of the flexible material is 1.0g / cm²-1.05g / cm², which is close to the density of water.

7. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: Multiple groups of the passive waterproof flapping components are evenly distributed on both sides of the main sealed cabin along the axial direction, corresponding one by one to the multiple power sources of the main sealed cabin; The passive waterproof flapping assembly includes fins, an output shaft, a passive synchronous pulley and a waterproof sealing shell, wherein the waterproof sealing shell is fixed to the side wall of the main sealed cabin; one end of the output shaft is sealed and installed in the waterproof sealing shell, and the other end is fixedly connected to the root of the fin, and the passive synchronous pulley is fixed to the output shaft; The active synchronous pulley and the passive synchronous pulley are connected by a synchronous belt, and the power source sequentially drives the active synchronous pulley, the synchronous belt, the passive synchronous pulley and the output shaft to rotate, thereby driving the fin rays to swing, and the flexible pectoral fin flapping is achieved by the swinging of different fin rays with different phase differences.

8. The waterproof flapping mechanism imitating the flexible pectoral fin of a manta ray according to claim 7, characterized in that: The waterproof sealing shell is a hollow semi-cylindrical shell, one end of which is provided with a through hole, and a waterproof end cover is coaxially installed at the inner end of the through hole; the waterproof end cover is provided with a central hole; The part of the output shaft extending into the waterproof sealing shell is rotatably connected to the waterproof sealing shell and the central hole of the waterproof end cover through a rolling bearing; A sealing ring is arranged between the inner wall of the central hole of the waterproof end cover and the output shaft for dynamic sealing therebetween; a sealing ring is arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof end cover and the waterproof sealing shell for static sealing therebetween.

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