A variable thrust vector solid rocket engine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a variable thrust vector solid rocket engine, comprising: a combustion device, the combustion device including a plurality of combustion chambers; a powder storage device, wherein a plurality of powder columns are stored in the powder storage device; a powder delivery device, the powder delivery device having a powder pusher, the powder pusher being capable of pushing the powder columns into the combustion chambers; a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism having a locking rotator, the locking rotator being capable of rotating or being fixed relative to the combustion device. The present invention enables automatic charge loading before the engine is operated, thereby realizing a multiple pulse operation function, and is capable of changing the thrust direction and magnitude by selecting different locations and different ignition numbers. Through these functions, the engine range is extended, the thrust magnitude is freely managed, and the maneuverability of the rocket in the terminal stage of its trajectory is greatly enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of aerospace technology, and specifically relates to a variable thrust vector solid rocket engine. Background Art

[0002] Solid rocket engines have a simple structure, good safety, and high reliability. However, compared to liquid rocket engines, solid rocket engines have a short operating time, high transient acceleration, which makes thrust difficult to control, and difficulty in repeated starting. These reasons have greatly limited the use and development of solid rocket engines.

[0003] Multi-pulse solid rocket engines typically utilize multiple propellant units packed into a common combustion chamber and nozzle, achieving multiple thrust control by controlling the ignition intervals of each propellant unit. However, currently developed engines utilize pulse technology by increasing the volume and free volume of the combustion chamber, which also increases the difficulty of actual ignition. The pulse units are connected to the combustion chamber, making the grain more susceptible to environmental changes. Energy distribution is not highly discrete, making it difficult to achieve higher-level distribution and management of engine energy.

[0004] Currently, variable-thrust solid rocket engines have been developed, whose thrust can be randomly adjusted within a certain range during operation. Categorized by operating principle, currently known schemes include: variable-thrust engines that adjust the nozzle throat area; variable-thrust engines that control the propellant mass and burning rate; engines with added mass; engines with colloid propellants; engines with layered propellants; and engines with flameout. Engines with adjustable throat area have the longest research history, a solid theoretical and experimental foundation, and a wide thrust adjustment range.

[0005] However, for multi-pulse solid rocket engines with a higher degree of discretization, new variable thrust vector solid rocket engines are still needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Based on the applicant's research and practical experience in this field, the following improved technical solutions are proposed here.

[0007] A variable thrust vector solid rocket engine, comprising:

[0008] A combustion device, comprising a plurality of combustion chambers;

[0009] a drug storage device, wherein a plurality of drug columns are stored in the drug storage device;

[0010] a drug delivery device having a drug pushing rod capable of pushing the drug column into the combustion chamber;

[0011] A locking mechanism comprises a locking rotary body which is rotatable or fixed relative to the combustion device.

[0012] The present invention also includes the following features which may be applied to the above solutions individually or in combination:

[0013] The locking rotating body has a plurality of through holes, the number of which corresponds to the number and positions of the combustion chambers, and the charge can be pushed into the corresponding combustion chamber through the through holes by the charge pushing rod.

[0014] - The locking mechanism further comprises:

[0015] A main rotating shaft, on which a main shaft roller and a main shaft movable block are provided;

[0016] The limiting sleeve has an opening and closing locking groove and a groove. The spindle roller moves in the opening and closing locking groove, and the spindle movable block can be engaged with the groove.

[0017] - A main roller is also provided on the main rotating shaft, and the main roller can move within a cam curve on a main shaft cam coaxial with the main rotating shaft.

[0018] - The cam curve includes a front straight segment closer to the combustion device and a rear straight segment farther from the combustion device, the front straight segment and the rear straight segment are connected by two oblique straight segments, and the front straight segment and the rear straight segment are respectively located in two planes perpendicular to the axis of the main rotating shaft

[0019] The drug delivery device further comprises a drug delivery cam arranged parallel to the drug pushing rod, and a roller connected to the drug pushing rod is capable of moving in a cam curve on the drug delivery cam.

[0020] The medicine delivery cam has a cylindrical outer surface. The cam curve is located on the outer surface and has a front straight segment, a rear straight segment, and two oblique straight segments. The front straight segment and the rear straight segment are respectively located in two planes perpendicular to the axis of the medicine pusher. The oblique straight segment is located between the front straight segment and the rear straight segment and connects the front straight segment and the rear straight segment.

[0021] - The locking rotator is provided with a rectangular first recess and an arc-shaped second recess;

[0022] The drug delivery device also includes a groove wheel dial, which includes a disc-shaped structure that can cooperate with the second recess on the locking rotor. A rod-shaped portion extends radially from the disc-shaped structure of the groove wheel dial, and the rod-shaped portion can enter the first recess.

[0023] -The medicine storage device has a medicine box, which includes a storage part and a medicine dispensing part, and a pushing member is provided in the storage part.

[0024] The present invention also proposes a method for operating a variable thrust vector solid rocket engine, wherein the charge pusher pushes the charge column through the locking rotor into the combustion chamber; and the locking rotor rotates relative to the combustion device to close one end of the combustion device.

[0025] As can be seen from the above, the present invention provides a variable thrust vectoring solid rocket engine that can automatically load the propellant before the engine is activated, thereby achieving multiple pulse operation. Furthermore, because the present invention has multiple nozzles, the thrust direction can be varied by selecting different ignition locations, and the thrust magnitude can be varied by selecting different ignition locations. These functions enable engine range extension and flexible thrust management, significantly enhancing the rocket's terminal maneuverability.

[0026] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown from one perspective.

[0029] Figure 2 A stereoscopic view of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown from another perspective.

[0030] Figure 3 The internal schematic diagram of the medicine storage box of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the main rotating shaft of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown.

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a limiting sleeve of a variable thrust vector solid rocket motor according to the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the cooperation between the locking rotating body and the grooved wheel dial of the variable thrust vector solid rocket engine of the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the main shaft cam of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown.

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the drug delivery cam of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown.

[0036] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the combustion chamber of the variable thrust vectoring solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand and implement the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented without some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, it is contemplated that the present invention may be implemented with any combination of the features and elements described below, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages are intended for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as features or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0038] In the following description, references to directions, such as "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "radial," and "axial," are used for convenience only and are not intended to limit the technical solutions of the invention unless otherwise expressly stated. Furthermore, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used to describe elements of the present application, these terms are used solely to distinguish between the elements and are not intended to limit the nature, sequence, order, or number of these elements.

[0039] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,in Figure 1 A perspective view of a variable thrust vector solid rocket motor according to the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A stereoscopic image of the variable thrust vector solid rocket engine of the present invention from another perspective is shown. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine of the present invention can be divided into four parts: a drug storage device, a drug delivery device, a locking mechanism, and a combustion device. Specifically, the drug storage device includes a drug cartridge 1, which has a built-in pushing member and can store multiple drug pellets. After one drug pellet in the drug cartridge 1 is pushed into the combustion device by the drug delivery device, the remaining drug pellets can be pushed by the pushing member. The drug pellets can be transported to the combustion device by the drug delivery device and generate thrust through combustion.

[0040] Figure 3 The internal schematic diagram of the magazine 1 of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown. Figure 3As can be seen in the figure, the magazine 1 generally comprises a storage portion and a drug dispensing portion. A pusher is provided within the storage portion, which can be configured as a spring 16 and a pusher plate 20. One end of the spring 16 rests against the end of the magazine 1, while the other end is connected to the pusher plate 20. One side of the pusher plate 20 is connected to the spring 16, while the other side rests against the drug pellets 18. Consequently, under the elastic force of the spring 16, the pusher plate 20 can propel multiple drug pellets 18 toward the drug dispensing portion. The storage portion can be configured to store one, two, or multiple rows of drug pellets, while the drug pellets in the drug dispensing portion can only be arranged in a single row. The drug dispensing portion can be configured at a specific angle to the storage portion. A limiter is also provided within the storage portion, including a pusher plate limiter 19, in the form of a rod or post, located on the side of the pusher plate opposite the drug pellets to limit the pusher plate's position. The limiter also includes a limiter / guide slot 17, defined on a side wall of the magazine 1 perpendicular to the pusher plate 20. The powder column located at the drug discharge part can be pushed to the combustion device by the drug delivery device, and when a powder column leaves the magazine 1, the remaining powder columns in the magazine 1 will continue to move under the action of the pushing member to fill the space occupied by the leaving powder column.

[0041] The drug delivery device includes a drug pushing rod 9, a drug delivery gear 10, a drug delivery cam 11 and a groove wheel dial. Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the magazine 1 is located between the combustion device and the charge push rod 9 in a direction parallel to the charge, and the last charge in the charge-discharging portion of the magazine 1 is facing the charge push rod 9, so that the charge push rod 9 can push the charge into the combustion chamber of the combustion device as needed. The magazine 1 itself is fixed, so the charge push rod 9 needs to move back and forth along the direction of the charge to push the charge into the combustion chamber. To this end, the charge push rod 9 is connected to a charge push rod driving rod 15, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown. One end of the medicine pushing rod driving rod 15 is fixedly connected to the medicine pushing rod 9, and the other end is connected to the medicine delivery cam 11 so as to be relatively movable. Figure 8 The drug delivery cam 11 is connected to the drug delivery gear 10 and has a cylindrical outer surface, on which a groove is provided, and a roller that can slide in the groove is provided on the drug pushing rod driving rod 15. The groove has a front straight line segment, a rear straight line segment, an oblique straight line segment and an intermittent line segment, wherein the front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment are respectively located in two planes perpendicular to the axial direction of the medicine column, and the oblique straight line segment is located between the front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment, and connects the front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment. There are two oblique straight line segments, and the two ends of each are respectively connected to one end of the front straight line segment and one end of the rear straight line segment. The front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment are respectively located on two different semicircular surfaces of the cylindrical outer surface of the drug delivery cam 11, as shown in FIG. Figure 8As shown, when the driving gear 2 rotates, it drives the medicine delivery gear 10 to rotate. When the medicine delivery gear 10 rotates and thus drives the medicine delivery cam 11 to rotate, the roller on the medicine push rod driving rod 15 moves in the groove of the medicine delivery cam 11, thereby driving the medicine push rod 9 to move axially.

[0042] On the charge delivery cam 11, the intermittent line segment is an annular groove located in a plane perpendicular to the grain axis. A straight line segment parallel to the grain axis is provided between the front straight line segment and the annular groove. The function of the intermittent line segment will be explained in detail later when describing the operation of the variable thrust vectoring solid rocket motor of the present invention.

[0043] The locking mechanism of the variable thrust vector solid rocket engine of the present invention comprises a main roller 3, a main shaft cam 4, a main rotating shaft 5, a locking rotating body 6 and a limiting sleeve 13. On the main rotating shaft 5, the main shaft gear 2, the main shaft cam 4, the limiting sleeve 13, the locking rotating body 6 and the combustion device 8 are arranged in sequence. The structure of the main shaft cam 4 is as follows: Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 7 As can be seen, the main shaft cam 4 has a cylindrical surface. A cam curve is provided on the main shaft cam 4. Specifically, there is a front straight segment closer to the combustion device 8 and a rear straight segment farther from the combustion device 8. The front and rear straight segments are connected by an oblique straight segment. The front and rear straight segments are located in two planes perpendicular to the axis of the main rotating shaft 5. The front straight segment extends beyond half of the cylindrical surface, while the rear straight segment does not exceed half of the cylindrical surface.

[0044] Further integration Figure 4 , the main roller 3 is fixedly set on the driving wheel 26, and the driving wheel 26 does not rotate but can move axially. The main roller 3 can move in the line segment of the main shaft cam 4. The driving gear 2 cannot move axially, and the main shaft cam 4 is fixed relative to the main shaft gear 2. That is, the driving gear 2 and the main shaft gear 4 can rotate but cannot move axially. Therefore, when the driving gear 2 rotates and thereby drives the main shaft cam 4 to rotate, the main roller 3 moves in the cam curve on the main shaft cam 4, thereby driving the driving wheel 26 to move axially, and the driving wheel 26 then drives the main rotating shaft 5 to move axially.

[0045] On the main rotating shaft 5, there are provided a main shaft roller 21, a main shaft movable block 22 and a movable block spring 23. The main shaft roller 21 and the main shaft movable block 22 cooperate with the limiting sleeve 13. The structure of the limiting sleeve is as follows: Figure 5As shown. Specifically, the limiting sleeve 13 is fixedly connected to the locking rotator 6, and an opening and closing locking groove 24 and a movable block limiting groove 25 are provided on the limiting sleeve 13. The opening and closing locking groove 24 includes an unlocking inclined surface and a locking inclined surface, the extension directions of the two intersect, and the two are connected by two parallel grooves. The main shaft roller 21 can move along a closed curve in the opening and closing locking groove 24. The main shaft movable block 22 can enter the movable block limiting groove 25 under the action of the movable block spring 23. The limiting sleeve 13 is fixed to the locking rotator 6.

[0046] The structure of the locking rotor 6 is as follows Figure 1 、 Figure 5 As shown. The locking rotor 6 is a disc-shaped structure and is arranged adjacent to the combustion device 8. A plurality of through holes are opened on the locking rotor 6, and these through holes are connected to the plurality of combustion chambers of the combustion device 8 in the axial direction. Figure 1 As shown, a first depression of the same structure is provided between two adjacent through holes on the outer surface of the locking rotor 6. These depressions extend from the axial surface of the locking rotor 6 adjacent to the limiting sleeve 13 to the circumferential surface. In addition, a plurality of second depressions are provided on the circumferential outer surface of the locking rotor 6 radially outside each through hole. The first depression is rectangular, while the second depression is arc-shaped. Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the drug delivery device also includes a sheave dial 12 fixedly connected to the drug delivery cam 11, which cooperates with the locking rotor 6. The sheave dial 12 is rotatable by the drug delivery gear 10 and has an L-shaped rod portion on one side of the rotation axis, the L end of which can enter the first recess. A sector portion is provided on the other side of the rotation axis of the sheave dial 12, the shape of which complements the shape of the second recess.

[0047] The combustion device 8 comprises a plurality of combustion chambers and nozzles 14 provided for the combustion chambers. A temperature sensor 7 is installed around each combustion chamber to detect the temperature of the combustion chamber. Figure 1 6 combustion chambers evenly distributed in radial direction are shown in FIG. However, the number of combustion chambers can be set as required, and accordingly, the sizes of components related to the number of combustion chambers can also be adjusted.

[0048] The working process of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is described below.

[0049] In the initial state, the main roller 3 is located in the front straight section of the main shaft cam 4. When the motor drives the main shaft gear 2 to rotate, the main shaft movable block 22 of the main rotating shaft 5 is embedded in the movable block limiting groove 25 on the limiting shaft sleeve 13. At this time, the locking rotor 6 and the combustion chamber 8 rotate together, and the entire engine is in the drug delivery state.

[0050] During the drug delivery phase, the main shaft gear 2 drives the drug delivery gear 10 and drug delivery cam 11 to rotate. At this point, the roller on the drug delivery rod drive rod 15, which is connected to the drug delivery rod 9, moves back and forth within the cam curve groove of the drug delivery cam 11 as it rotates, delivering the drug. When the drug delivery roller is in the rear straight section, the drug delivery rod exits the combustion chamber and the locking rotor. The grooved wheel dial now engages with the first recess of the locking rotor, causing the locking rotor and the combustion chamber to rotate simultaneously 360 / N degrees, where N is the number of combustion chambers. When the drug delivery roller moves between the oblique straight section and the front straight section, the fan-shaped portion of the grooved wheel dial 12 engages with the second recess of the locking rotor 6, preventing the locking rotor 6 and the combustion device 8 from rotating. If there are six combustion chambers, this cycle must be repeated six times. This process completely covers the front straight section of the main shaft cam 4.

[0051] When the motor drives the spindle gear 2 to rotate and the main roller 3 is positioned on the backward inclined straight section of the spindle cam 4, the main rotating shaft 5, driven by the driving wheel 26, moves backward. The spindle movable block 23 on it exits the movable block retaining groove 25 of the retaining sleeve 13. The spindle roller 21 moves to the locking inclined surface of the opening and closing groove 24 on the retaining sleeve 13, causing the locking rotor 6 to rotate 30 degrees. The combustion chamber is blocked by the flat surface of the locking rotor, thus locking. When the spindle roller 21 moves to the unlocking inclined surface of the opening and closing groove 24 on the retaining sleeve, the locking rotor rotates 30 degrees in the opposite direction, returning to its original position and unlocking.

[0052] When the motor drives the main shaft gear 2 to rotate and the main roller 3 is located in the forward inclined straight section of the main shaft cam 4, the main shaft roller 21 moves forward in the straight section of the opening and closing locking groove 24, and the main shaft movable block 23 is re-embedded in the movable block limiting groove 25. At this time, the rotation of the main rotating shaft 5 will simultaneously control the locking rotating body 6 and the combustion device 8.

[0053] When the motor drives the main shaft gear 2 to rotate and the main roller 3 re-enters the front straight section, a cycle of the engine operation is completed.

[0054] After the engine completes a cycle, temperature sensor 7 detects ignition status within the six combustion chambers. During the next drug delivery cycle, the tail end of drug delivery cam 11 is connected to an electric cylinder, which determines whether push rod 9 needs to be activated during the next drug delivery cycle. The intermittent line segment on the drug delivery cam curve temporarily pauses the push rod 9 before delivering drugs to the combustion chamber that was unignited during the previous cycle, preventing the push rod 9 from moving back and forth to deliver drugs. When drug delivery cam 11 completes one rotation, the grooved wheel dial also causes the locking rotor 6 and the combustion device to rotate 60 degrees, and the push rod roller returns to the rear straight segment on the drug delivery roller, and operation resumes.

[0055] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the combustion chamber of the variable thrust vector solid rocket motor of the present invention is shown. Figure 9As shown, variable thrust or thrust offset can be achieved by controlling the number of combustion chambers ignited and symmetrically or asymmetrically igniting them. Variable thrust can be achieved by varying the number of combustion chambers ignited and symmetrically igniting them. Thrust offset (variable vectoring) can be achieved by igniting the same number of combustion chambers asymmetrically, changing the direction of the resultant force and thus controlling thrust offset. Of course, the number of combustion chambers can be other suitable numbers, such as 3, 5, 8, 10, or other suitable numbers.

[0056] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the spirit and principles of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications may be made to the described examples without departing from the spirit and principles, and that such modifications and their equivalents are contemplated by the inventors and fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A variable thrust vector solid rocket engine, characterized in that: include: A combustion device, comprising a plurality of combustion chambers; a drug storage device, wherein a plurality of drug columns are stored in the drug storage device; a drug delivery device having a drug pushing rod capable of pushing the drug column into the combustion chamber; A locking mechanism having a locking rotator that can be rotated or fixed relative to the combustion device, The drug delivery device further comprises a drug delivery cam arranged in parallel with the drug pushing rod, and a roller connected to the drug pushing rod is capable of moving in a cam curve on the drug delivery cam. The medicine delivery cam has a cylindrical outer surface, the cam curve is located on the outer surface and has a front straight segment, a rear straight segment, and two oblique straight segments, the front straight segment and the rear straight segment are respectively located in two planes perpendicular to the axial direction of the medicine pushing rod, the oblique straight segment is located between the front straight segment and the rear straight segment, and connects the front straight segment and the rear straight segment.

2. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking rotating body has a plurality of through holes, the number of the through holes corresponds to the number and positions of the combustion chambers, and the charge can be pushed into the corresponding combustion chamber through the through holes by the charge pushing rod.

3. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The locking mechanism further comprises: A main rotating shaft, on which a main shaft roller and a main shaft movable block are provided; The limiting sleeve has an opening and closing locking groove and a groove. The spindle roller moves in the opening and closing locking groove, and the spindle movable block can be engaged with the groove.

4. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main rotating shaft is connected to the driving wheel, and a main roller is provided on the driving wheel. The main roller can move within a cam curve on a main shaft cam coaxial with the main rotating shaft.

5. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cam curve includes a front straight line segment closer to the combustion device and a rear straight line segment farther from the combustion device. The front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment are connected by two oblique straight line segments. The front straight line segment and the rear straight line segment are respectively located in two planes perpendicular to the axis of the main rotating shaft.

6. The variable thrust vector solid rocket motor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking rotator is provided with a rectangular first recess and an arc-shaped second recess; The drug delivery device also includes a groove wheel dial, which includes a rod-shaped portion and a fan-shaped portion. The fan-shaped portion is complementary to the second recess on the locking rotor. The rod-shaped portion is L-shaped and one end of which can enter the first recess.

7. The variable thrust vector solid rocket engine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The medicine storage device comprises a medicine box, which comprises a storage part and a medicine dispensing part. A pushing member is arranged in the storage part.

8. A method for operating a variable thrust vectoring solid rocket motor according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The charge pusher pushes the charge column into the combustion chamber through the locking rotor; The locking rotator is rotated relative to the combustion device to close one end of the combustion device.

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