Distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge

Abstract

The present invention discloses a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge, comprising a nose cone shell and a spiral branch assembly. The nose cone shell comprises a plurality of sub-shells coaxially arranged in sequence from front to back; a plurality of spiral branch assemblies are arranged between two adjacent sub-shells, and the plurality of spiral branch assemblies are distributed along the circumference of the nose cone shell; each spiral branch assembly comprises a flexible hinge base, a nut base and a screw, the flexible hinge base is arranged on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell in the two adjacent sub-shells, the flexible hinge base can be bent and rotated, the nut base is arranged on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell in the two adjacent sub-shells, the rear end of the screw is connected to the flexible hinge base by a ball joint, the threaded section of the screw is adapted to rotatably pass through the nut base, and the screw is parallel to the central axis of the nose cone shell when the flexible hinge base does not bend and rotate. The variant nose cone of the present invention can undergo telescopic deformation and bending deformation, and has high motion stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of aerospace vehicles, and in particular to a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge. Background Art

[0002] Morphing aircraft need to change their external shape when facing different flight missions and complex flight environments to flexibly adapt to the requirements of different environments. At present, the research on morphing aircraft mainly focuses on wing deformation, and the nose cone is the main part of the aircraft that bears aerodynamic drag and aerodynamic heat. The design of the morphing nose cone is crucial to improving the flight performance of the aircraft. However, the nose cones of morphing aircraft currently in use are mostly fixed structures, and the existing morphing nose cone designs still have problems such as poor stability. These defects seriously restrict the practical application of aircraft morphing nose cones. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge, which can undergo telescopic deformation and bending deformation, can improve the flight performance of the variant aircraft, and has high motion stability.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a distributed drive variant head cone containing a flexible hinge includes a head cone shell and a spiral branch chain assembly; the head cone shell includes a plurality of sub-shells, and the plurality of sub-shells are coaxially arranged in sequence from front to back; a plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies are arranged between each of the adjacent sub-shells, and the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies are distributed along the circumference of the head cone shell; each of the spiral branch chain assemblies includes a flexible hinge base, a nut base and a screw rod, the flexible hinge base is arranged on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell of the two adjacent sub-shells, the flexible hinge base can be bent and rotated, the nut base is arranged on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell of the two adjacent sub-shells, the rear end of the screw rod is spherically connected to the flexible hinge base, the threaded section of the screw rod is adapted to rotatably pass through the nut base, and the screw rod is parallel to the central axis of the head cone shell when the flexible hinge base does not bend and rotate.

[0005] The distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to the embodiment of the present invention has the following advantages: first, it can be extended or shortened, and can be bent upward or downward, so that its own configuration can be adjusted in real time under different external environments. It can be used in the design of deformable spacecraft to improve the flight performance of deformable spacecraft under different flight environments. Second, the spiral branch chain assembly converts the rotational motion of the screw into the movement of the nut base to drive the sub-shell to move, with high motion accuracy and smooth motion, so that the motion stability of the variant nose cone is high. Third, the deformation amount of the variant nose cone of the present invention is large, and a small number of sub-shells can achieve sufficient deformation, thereby reducing the weight and installation cost of the variant nose cone.

[0006] In some embodiments, the flexible hinge base includes a rigid base, a flexible hinge and a rigid ball joint connector, the rigid base is fixed to the sub-shell, the flexible hinge is fixed between the rigid base and the rigid ball joint connector, the flexible hinge can bend in the front-to-back direction, and the rear end of the screw is ball-jointed to the rigid ball joint connector.

[0007] In some embodiments, the flexible hinge includes a first connection part, a second connection part and a third connection part, the first connection part is fixed to the rigid base, the second connection part is fixed to the rigid ball joint connector, the third connection part is connected between the first connection part and the second connection part, and the third connection part can bend and deform in the front-to-back direction.

[0008] In some embodiments, the flexible hinge also includes a front limiting portion and a rear limiting portion, and the front limiting portion and the rear limiting portion are respectively arranged in front of and behind the third connecting portion and have a distance between them and the third connecting portion; one end of the front limiting portion and one end of the rear limiting portion are both connected to the first connecting portion, and the other end of the front limiting portion and the other end of the rear limiting portion are both spaced from the second connecting portion.

[0009] In some embodiments, the flexible hinge is an integrally formed part.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rigid ball joint connection is provided with a ball cavity, and one end of the screw rod is provided with a ball head, and the ball head is adaptively arranged in the ball cavity.

[0011] In some embodiments, a plurality of locking mechanisms are provided between each of the adjacent sub-shells, and the plurality of locking mechanisms are distributed alternately with the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies along the circumference of the head cone shell; the locking mechanisms are used to lock the position between each of the adjacent sub-shells.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the locking mechanisms comprises a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a ratchet device; one end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, and one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells; the ratchet device comprises a first ratchet, a second ratchet and a ratchet shaft, the first ratchet is fixed to the other end of the first connecting rod, the second ratchet is fixed to the other end of the second connecting rod, and the first ratchet and the second ratchet are rotatably sleeved on the ratchet shaft; the hinge axis between the first connecting rod and the rear sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, the hinge axis between the second connecting rod and the front sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, and the axis of the ratchet shaft are parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the central axis of the head cone shell;

[0013] When the first ratchet wheel is meshed with the second ratchet wheel, the second connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting rod; when the first ratchet wheel is disengaged from the second ratchet wheel, the second connecting rod and the first connecting rod can rotate relative to each other.

[0014] In some embodiments, the ratchet device further includes a spring and an electromagnetic switch; the spring is sleeved on the ratchet shaft and is located outside the second ratchet, one end of the spring is connected to the second ratchet, and the other end of the spring is connected to the electromagnetic switch, and the electromagnetic switch is arranged on the ratchet shaft;

[0015] When the electromagnetic switch is turned on, the spring contracts, so that the second ratchet wheel is disengaged from the first ratchet wheel; when the electromagnetic switch is turned off, the spring extends, so that the second ratchet wheel is engaged with the first ratchet wheel.

[0016] In some embodiments, there are three spiral branch chain components and three locking mechanisms between two adjacent sub-shells.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a side view of a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a cross-sectional view of a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of a distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge in an initial posture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a perspective view of the distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention when it bends downward.

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the spiral branch chain assembly in an embodiment of the present invention, which shows that the flexible hinge is not bent.

[0025] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible hinge.

[0026] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the spiral branch chain assembly in an embodiment of the present invention, which illustrates that the flexible hinge is bent.

[0027] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible hinge.

[0028] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a sub-housing in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the structure of the locking mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the locking mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] Distributed drive variant nose cone 1000 with flexible hinge; nose cone housing 1; sub-housing 101;

[0033] Spiral branch chain assembly 2; flexible hinge base 201; rigid base 2011; flexible hinge 2012;

[0034] First connecting portion 20121; second connecting portion 20122; third connecting portion 20123; front side limiting portion 20124;

[0035] Rear stopper 20125; rigid ball joint connector 2013; ball cavity 20131; through hole 20132;

[0036] Nut base 202; screw rod 203; ball head 2031; locking mechanism 3; first connecting rod 301; second connecting rod 302;

[0037] Ratchet device 303; first ratchet 3031; second ratchet 3032; ratchet shaft 3033; spring 3034;

[0038] Electromagnetic switch 3035; first hinge support 304; second hinge support 305. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "circumferential" 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 device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0041] Combine the following Figures 1 to 12 To describe the distributed drive variant nose cone 1000 with a flexible hinge of the present invention.

[0042] like Figures 1 to 12 As shown, the distributed drive variant nose cone 1000 with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a nose cone shell 1 and a spiral branch assembly 2; the nose cone shell 1 comprises a plurality of sub-shells 101, and the plurality of sub-shells 101 are coaxially arranged in sequence from front to back; a plurality of spiral branch assemblies 2 are arranged between each two adjacent sub-shells 101, and the plurality of spiral branch assemblies 2 are distributed along the circumference of the nose cone shell 1; each spiral branch assembly 2 comprises a flexible hinge base 201, a nut base 202 and a screw 203, and the flexible hinge base 2 01 is arranged on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell 101 in the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the flexible hinge base 201 can be bent and rotated, the nut base 202 is arranged on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell 101 in the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the rear end of the screw rod 203 is ball-jointed with the flexible hinge base 201, the threaded section of the screw rod 203 is adapted to rotatably pass through the nut base 202, and the screw rod 203 is parallel to the central axis of the head cone shell 1 when the flexible hinge base 201 does not bend and rotate.

[0043] Specifically, the nose cone housing 1 includes a plurality of sub-housings 101, and the plurality of sub-housings 101 are coaxially arranged in sequence from front to back. Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the sub-shell 101 is in a truncated cone shape, and the maximum diameters of the sub-shells 101 arranged sequentially from front to back gradually increase. The sub-shell 101 at the front end is a cone head, and there are 4 sub-shells 101. The number of sub-shells 101 can be adjusted according to the deformation amount requirement of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention.

[0044] like Figures 3 to 5 As shown, a plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies 2 are provided between each two adjacent sub-shells 101, and the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies 2 are distributed along the circumference of the head cone shell 1; each spiral branch chain assembly 2 includes a flexible hinge base 201, a nut base 202 and a screw 203, the flexible hinge base 201 is arranged on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell 101 in the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the flexible hinge base 201 can be bent and rotated, the nut base 202 is arranged on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell 101 in the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the rear end of the screw 203 is ball-jointed with the flexible hinge base 201, the threaded section of the screw 203 is adapted to rotatably pass through the nut base 202, and the screw 203 is parallel to the central axis of the head cone shell 1 when the flexible hinge base 201 does not bend and rotate. It should be noted that a motor is provided in the sub-shell 101 to drive the screw 203 to rotate, and the axis of rotation of the flexible hinge base 201 for bending and rotating is perpendicular to the central axis of the head cone shell 1 and perpendicular to the vertical plane. It is understandable that when the screw 203 rotates, the nut base 202 will move relative to the screw 203, so that the distance between the nut base 202 and the flexible hinge base 201 will change, thereby causing the distance between the corresponding positions of two adjacent sub-shells 101 to change. The sizes of the multiple spiral branch chain assemblies 2 between two adjacent sub-shells 101 are the same, so as to facilitate control and assembly.

[0045] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, when the screws 203 in the multiple spiral branch chain assemblies 2 between the adjacent sub-shells 101 are rotated relative to the nut base 202, so that the distances at the corresponding positions of the adjacent sub-shells 101 are increased or decreased at the same time, that is, when the distance between two adjacent sub-shells 101 increases or decreases, the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention is extended or shortened, and at this time the flexible hinge base 201 does not bend or rotate.

[0046] Since the multiple spiral branch chain components 2 between the two adjacent sub-shells 101 are distributed along the circumference of the sub-shells 101, the height at which the central axis of the screw 203 of a part of the multiple spiral branch chain components 2 is located is greater than the height at which the central axis of the screw 203 of another part of the spiral branch chain components 2 is located. When the speed or number of revolutions of the screw 203 of a part of the spiral branch chain components 2 is different from the speed or number of revolutions of the screw 203 of another part of the spiral branch chain components 2, the flexible hinge base 201 bends and rotates, and the front sub-shell 101 rotates upward or downward relative to the rear sub-shell 101, thereby causing the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention to bend upward or downward (such as Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 ). It can be understood that the flexible hinge base 201 is configured to allow the nut base 202 to rotate, thereby allowing the front sub-housing 101 to rotate relative to the rear sub-housing 101 .

[0047] The following is a specific example to illustrate the bending deformation process of the variant head cone of the present invention. When there are three spiral branch components 2, the three spiral branch components 2 are circumferentially distributed on the inner wall of the sub-shell 101, one spiral branch component 2 is arranged at the uppermost end of the inner side of the sub-shell 101, and two spiral branch components 2 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the uppermost spiral branch component 2 and are located below the uppermost spiral branch component 2. When the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention begins to deform from an initial posture, the initial posture, that is, the posture when the distance between two adjacent sub-shells 101 is zero (such as Figure 4 As shown, first, the screws 203 in the three spiral branch chain assemblies 2 rotate synchronously at the same time, so that the distance between adjacent sub-shells 101 increases. After the distance increases for a certain distance, the screw 203 in the spiral branch chain assembly 2 at the uppermost end continues to rotate forward, and the screws 203 in the other two spiral branch assemblies 2 reverse synchronously, and the flexible hinge base 201 bends and rotates, and one of the two adjacent sub-shells 101 rotates relative to the other sub-shell 101, so that the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention is bent.

[0048] The distributed drive variant nose cone 1000 with a flexible hinge according to an embodiment of the present invention has the following advantages: first, it can be extended or shortened, and can be bent upward or downward, so that its own configuration can be adjusted in real time under different external environments, and can be used in the design of deformable spacecraft to improve the flight performance of deformable spacecraft under different flight environments. Second, the spiral branch chain assembly 2 converts the rotational motion of the screw 203 into the movement of the nut base 202 to drive the sub-shell 101 to move, with high motion accuracy and smooth motion, so that the variant nose cone 1000 has high motion stability. Third, the deformation amount of the variant nose cone 1000 of the present invention is large, and a small number of sub-shells 101 can achieve sufficient deformation, thereby reducing the weight and installation cost of the variant nose cone.

[0049] In some embodiments, Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, the flexible hinge base 201 includes a rigid base 2011, a flexible hinge 2012 and a rigid ball-joint connector 2013. The rigid base 2011 is fixed to the sub-shell 101, and the flexible hinge 2012 is fixed between the rigid base 2011 and the rigid ball-joint connector 2013. The flexible hinge 2012 can be bent in the front-to-back direction, and the rear end of the screw rod 203 is ball-jointed with the rigid ball-joint connector 2013. It can be understood that during the bending process of the variant head cone 1000, the rear end of the screw rod 203 will drive the rigid ball-joint connector 2013 to move, thereby causing the flexible hinge 2012 to bend in the front-to-back direction. It should be noted that the flexible hinge 2012 has the characteristics of flexible deformation, no gap, and light weight. There is no mechanical friction when the flexible hinge 2012 is deformed. The setting of the flexible hinge 2012 allows the flexible hinge base 201 to bend, thereby allowing the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention to bend. The existing solution of using a rigid mechanism to achieve the bending of the variant nose cone is that the rigid mechanism is prone to getting stuck during the bending process, the rigid mechanism is prone to impact and collision, and the rigid mechanism is easily damaged and failed after multiple bendings. The present invention uses a flexible hinge, which can not only avoid getting stuck, but also avoid impact and collision, thereby greatly improving the reliability of the variant nose cone 1000 of the present invention during deformation.

[0050] In some embodiments, Figures 6 to 9As shown, the flexible hinge 2012 includes a first connection part 20121, a second connection part 20122 and a third connection part 20123. The first connection part 20121 is fixed to the rigid base 2011, the second connection part 20122 is fixed to the rigid ball joint connector 2013, and the third connection part 20123 is connected between the first connection part 20121 and the second connection part 20122. The third connection part 20123 can be bent and deformed in the front-to-back direction. The bending deformation of the third connection part 20123 can be both elastic deformation and inelastic deformation. The third connection part 20123 can be bent and deformed in the front-to-back direction, so that the flexible hinge 2012 can be bent and deformed in the front-to-back direction.

[0051] In some embodiments, Figure 6 and Fig. 9 As shown, the flexible hinge 2012 also includes a front limiting portion 20124 and a rear limiting portion 20125, which are respectively arranged in front of and behind the third connecting portion 20123 and have a spacing between them; one end of the front limiting portion 20124 and one end of the rear limiting portion 20125 are both connected to the first connecting portion 20121, and the other end of the front limiting portion 20124 and the other end of the rear limiting portion 20125 are both spaced from the second connecting portion 20122. It can be understood that by providing the front limiting portion 20124 and the rear limiting portion 20125, when the flexible hinge 2012 bends forward until the second connecting portion 20122 abuts against the front limiting portion 20124, the flexible hinge 2012 cannot continue to bend, that is, the front limiting portion 20124 can limit the bending angle of the flexible hinge 2012 to bend forward (such as Fig. 9 As shown); when the flexible hinge 2012 bends backward until the second connection portion 20122 abuts against the rear limiting portion 20125, the flexible hinge 2012 cannot continue to bend, that is, the rear limiting portion 20125 can limit the bending angle of the flexible hinge 2012 bending backward. From the above, the setting of the front limiting portion 20124 and the rear limiting portion 20125 can limit the degree of bending deformation of the flexible hinge 2012, thereby limiting the maximum bending angle of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention, so as to avoid the variant head cone 1000 from presenting a singular configuration or avoiding the variant head cone 1000 from bending too much and causing the variant head cone 1000 to get stuck. It can be understood that the distance between the front limiting portion 20124 and the rear limiting portion 20125 and the second connection portion 20122 can be adjusted to make the spiral branch chain assembly 2 have different deformation amounts, thereby making the variant head cone 1000 have different maximum bending angles.

[0052] In some embodiments, the flexible hinge 2012 is an integrally formed part. This allows the entire flexible hinge 2012 to have no gap, no mechanical friction during deformation, flexible deformation, and light weight. Second, it is easy to process and has good use effect.

[0053] In some embodiments, the rigid ball joint connector 2013 is provided with a ball cavity 20131 (eg Fig.10 As shown), a ball head 2031 is provided at one end of the screw rod 203, and the ball head 2031 is adaptively arranged in the ball cavity 20131 (as shown Figure 8 As shown), the ball joint of one end of the screw rod 203 and the rigid ball joint connector 2013 is realized. Figure 8 As shown, a through hole 20132 is provided at the rear end of the ball cavity 20131 so that a motor for driving the screw rod 203 to rotate can be connected to the screw rod 203 .

[0054] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a plurality of locking mechanisms 3 are provided between each of the adjacent sub-shells 101, and the plurality of locking mechanisms 3 are alternately spaced with the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies 2 along the circumference of the head cone shell 1; the locking mechanisms 3 are used to lock the position between each of the adjacent sub-shells 101. The plurality of locking mechanisms 3 are alternately spaced with the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies 2 along the circumference of the head cone shell 1, which can achieve a good locking effect. It can be understood that when the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention is extended to the required length or bent to the required angle, the relative positions of the plurality of sub-shells 101 can be locked by the locking mechanism 3 to achieve the locking of the overall posture of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention, which can make the structure of the deformed variant head cone 1000 more stable. When the locking mechanism 3 does not lock the position between the sub-shells 101, the spiral branch chain assembly 2 is an active chain, the locking mechanism 3 is a driven chain, and the locking mechanism 3 can follow the movement of the spiral branch chain assembly 2.

[0055] In some embodiments, Fig.11 As shown, each locking mechanism 3 includes a first connecting rod 301, a second connecting rod 302 and a ratchet device 303; Figure 3 As shown, one end of the first connecting rod 301 is hinged to the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell 101 of the two adjacent sub-shells 101, and one end of the second connecting rod 302 is hinged to the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell 101 of the two adjacent sub-shells 101; Fig.12As shown, the ratchet device 303 includes a first ratchet 3031, a second ratchet 3032 and a ratchet shaft 3033, the first ratchet 3031 is fixed to the other end of the first connecting rod 301, the second ratchet 3032 is fixed to the other end of the second connecting rod 302, the first ratchet 3031 and the second ratchet 3032 are rotatably mounted on the ratchet shaft 3033, wherein the second ratchet 3032 and the second connecting rod 302 can move together along the ratchet shaft 3033, and the first ratchet 3031 cannot move along the ratchet shaft 3033. The hinge axis between the first link 301 and the rear sub-shell 101 among the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the hinge axis between the second link 302 and the front sub-shell 101 among the two adjacent sub-shells 101, and the axis of the ratchet shaft 3033 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the central axis of the head cone shell 1. That is to say, the rotation axis when the first link 301 and the second link 302 rotate relative to each other is parallel to the bending axis of the flexible hinge 2012, so that the deformation of the flexible hinge 2012 and the overall posture of the variant head cone 1000 can be locked by locking the positions of the first link 301 and the second link 302.

[0056] When the first ratchet 3031 is engaged with the second ratchet 3032, the second connecting rod 302 is fixed to the first connecting rod 301, so that the spiral branch chain assembly 2 cannot continue to drive the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention to deform, and the overall posture of the variant head cone 1000 after deformation can be better maintained; when the first ratchet 3031 is disengaged from the second ratchet 3032, the second connecting rod 302 and the first connecting rod 301 can rotate relative to each other. At this time, the locking mechanism 3 is a driven chain, and the first connecting rod 301 and the second connecting rod 302 can rotate accordingly with the movement of the spiral branch chain assembly 2. For example, when the screw 203 in the spiral branch chain assembly 2 rotates to increase the distance between the corresponding positions of the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the angle between the first connecting rod 301 and the second connecting rod 302 at the corresponding positions increases; when the screw 203 in the spiral branch chain assembly 2 rotates to reduce the distance between the corresponding positions of the two adjacent sub-shells 101, the rotation angle between the first connecting rod 301 and the second connecting rod 302 at the corresponding positions decreases. It can be understood that the second ratchet 3032 is driven by the driving source to achieve engagement and disengagement with the first ratchet 3031.

[0057] Furthermore, a first hinge support 304 is provided on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell 101 among the adjacent sub-shells 101, and one end of the first connecting rod 301 is hinged to the first hinge support 304; a second hinge support 305 is provided on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell 101 among the adjacent sub-shells 101, and one end of the second connecting rod 302 is hinged to the second hinge support 305, wherein one end of the second connecting rod 302 can move relative to the second hinge support 305 along the hinge axis direction.

[0058] In some embodiments, Fig.12 As shown, the ratchet device 303 also includes a spring 3034 and an electromagnetic switch 3035; the spring 3034 is sleeved on the ratchet shaft 3033 and is located on the outside of the second ratchet 3032, one end of the spring 3034 is connected to the second ratchet 3032, and the other end of the spring 3034 is connected to the electromagnetic switch 3035, and the electromagnetic switch 3035 is set on the ratchet shaft 3033; the electromagnetic switch 3035 can drive the spring 3034 to contract or extend.

[0059] When the electromagnetic switch 3035 is turned on, the spring 3034 contracts. Under the pulling force of the spring 3034, the second ratchet 3032 and the second connecting rod 302 will move along the ratchet shaft 3033, so that the second ratchet 3032 is disengaged from the first ratchet 3031. At this time, the first connecting rod 301 and the second connecting rod 302 can rotate following the movement of the spiral branch chain assembly 2; when the electromagnetic switch 3035 is closed, the spring 3034 extends. Under the thrust of the spring 3034, the second ratchet 3032 and the second connecting rod 302 will move along the ratchet shaft 3033, so that the second ratchet 3032 is engaged with the first ratchet 3031. At this time, the first connecting rod 301 and the second connecting rod 302 will no longer rotate relative to each other, and the spiral branch chain assembly 2 can no longer drive the sub-shell 101 to move, thereby achieving the locking of the position between two adjacent sub-shells 101.

[0060] In some embodiments, there are three spiral branch chain components 2 and three locking mechanisms 3 between two adjacent sub-shells 101, which can make the structure of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention more stable. Preferably, the angle between the adjacent spiral branch chain components 2 and the locking mechanisms 3 is 60 degrees, and the arrangement positions of the three spiral branch chain components 2 and the arrangement positions of the three locking mechanisms 3 are symmetrical about the vertical plane where the central axis of the head cone shell 1 is located, which can make the structure of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention more stable.

[0061] In some embodiments, each set of spiral branch chain assemblies 2 includes a motor to drive the screw 203 to rotate, which can reduce the load borne by the motor and increase the service life of the motor. When some motors fail, the overall controllability of the variant head cone 1000 of the present invention can still be guaranteed.

[0062] In a specific example, the maximum diameters of the four sub-shells 101 arranged from back to front are 427 mm, 403 mm, 358 mm, and 280 mm, respectively, wherein the length of each sub-shell 101 is 150 mm, and the shell thickness of the sub-shell 101 is 10 mm.

[0063] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0064] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge, characterized in that: It comprises a head cone shell and a spiral branch chain assembly; the head cone shell comprises a plurality of sub-shells, and the plurality of sub-shells are coaxially arranged in sequence from front to back; a plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies are arranged between each of the adjacent sub-shells, and the plurality of spiral branch chain assemblies are distributed along the circumference of the head cone shell; each of the spiral branch chain assemblies comprises a flexible hinge base, a nut base and a screw rod, the flexible hinge base is arranged on the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell of the two adjacent sub-shells, the flexible hinge base can be bent and rotated, the nut base is arranged on the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell of the two adjacent sub-shells, the rear end of the screw rod is ball-jointed with the flexible hinge base, the threaded section of the screw rod is adapted to rotatably pass through the nut base, and the screw rod is parallel to the central axis of the head cone shell when the flexible hinge base does not bend and rotate; The flexible hinge base includes a rigid base, a flexible hinge and a rigid ball joint connector, the rigid base is fixed to the sub-shell, the flexible hinge is fixed between the rigid base and the rigid ball joint connector, the flexible hinge can bend in the front-back direction, and the rear end of the screw rod is ball-jointed to the rigid ball joint connector; The flexible hinge comprises a first connection part, a second connection part and a third connection part, wherein the first connection part is fixed to the rigid base, the second connection part is fixed to the rigid ball joint connector, and the third connection part is connected between the first connection part and the second connection part, and the third connection part can be bent and deformed in the front-back direction; The flexible hinge also includes a front limiting portion and a rear limiting portion, and the front limiting portion and the rear limiting portion are respectively arranged in front of and behind the third connecting portion and have a distance between them and the third connecting portion; one end of the front limiting portion and one end of the rear limiting portion are both connected to the first connecting portion, and the other end of the front limiting portion and the other end of the rear limiting portion are both spaced from the second connecting portion.

2. The distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible hinge is an integrally formed part.

3. The distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid ball joint connection is provided with a ball cavity, one end of the screw rod is provided with a ball head, and the ball head is adaptively arranged in the ball cavity.

4. The distributed drive variant nose cone with a flexible hinge according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: A plurality of locking mechanisms are also provided between the two adjacent sub-shells, and the plurality of locking mechanisms are distributed alternately with the plurality of spiral branch chain components along the circumference of the head cone shell; the locking mechanisms are used to lock the positions between the two adjacent sub-shells.

5. The distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each of the locking mechanisms comprises a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a ratchet device; one end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the inner side of the front end of the rear sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, and one end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the inner side of the rear end of the front sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells; the ratchet device comprises a first ratchet, a second ratchet and a ratchet shaft, the first ratchet is fixed to the other end of the first connecting rod, the second ratchet is fixed to the other end of the second connecting rod, and the first ratchet and the second ratchet are rotatably sleeved on the ratchet shaft; the hinge axis between the first connecting rod and the rear sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, the hinge axis between the second connecting rod and the front sub-shell among the two adjacent sub-shells, and the axis of the ratchet shaft are parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the central axis of the head cone shell; When the first ratchet wheel is meshed with the second ratchet wheel, the second connecting rod is fixed to the first connecting rod; when the first ratchet wheel is disengaged from the second ratchet wheel, the second connecting rod and the first connecting rod can rotate relative to each other.

6. The distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ratchet device further comprises a spring and an electromagnetic switch; the spring is sleeved on the ratchet shaft and is located outside the second ratchet, one end of the spring is connected to the second ratchet, and the other end of the spring is connected to the electromagnetic switch, and the electromagnetic switch is arranged on the ratchet shaft; When the electromagnetic switch is turned on, the spring contracts, so that the second ratchet wheel is disengaged from the first ratchet wheel; when the electromagnetic switch is turned off, the spring extends, so that the second ratchet wheel is engaged with the first ratchet wheel.

7. The distributed drive variant nose cone with flexible hinge according to claim 6, characterized in that: There are three spiral branch chain components and three locking mechanisms between two adjacent sub-shells.

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