A controllable lubricating oil replenishing device for spacecraft on orbit

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device for controllable on-orbit lubricant replenishment for spacecraft, comprising: conical sealing components I / II, a stainless steel metal rigid tube, a rotating support, a cover plate, and screws; one end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube serves as a lubricant inlet and is connected to an oil pipeline; a conical sealing component I is provided at the connection between the one end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube and the oil pipeline, so that the lubricant transported by the oil pipeline is sealed at conical sealing component I; the other end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube is connected to the cover plate via a rotating support; a conical sealing component II is provided at the connection between the other end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube and the rotating support, so that the lubricant transported by the stainless steel metal rigid tube is sealed at conical sealing component II; and an oil tanker is mounted on the cover plate via screws. The present invention aims to replenish a fixed amount of lubricant at the contact interface of a spacecraft's moving parts to compensate for the volatilization of lubricant at the interface of the spacecraft's moving parts, thereby achieving regular on-orbit maintenance and extending the spacecraft's life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment for spacecraft, and in particular relates to a device for controllably replenishing lubricating oil for spacecraft on-orbit. Background Art

[0002] The device for applying lubricating oil to spacecraft on-orbit is an important component for realizing the on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of spacecraft moving parts, and is also a key component to ensure that the amount of lubricating oil replenished to spacecraft is controllable.

[0003] As spacecraft operate on-orbit, the lubricant at the interfaces of moving parts continuously evaporates, causing the lubrication of these parts to deteriorate, which in turn affects their on-orbit lifespan and ultimately leads to lubrication failure. Long-life (≥12 years), high-reliability spacecraft like space stations must ensure stable and reliable operation on-orbit for extended periods. This deterioration in the lubrication of their moving parts due to lubricant evaporation is unavoidable. To achieve regular on-orbit maintenance and extend the lifespan of these spacecraft, compensating for this evaporation of lubricant at the interfaces of these moving parts is essential. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technology of the present invention solves the problem: to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology and provide a controllable lubricating oil replenishing device for spacecraft on orbit, which aims to realize the replenishment of quantitative lubricating oil to the contact interface of the spacecraft moving parts to compensate for the volatilization of the lubricating oil at the interface of the spacecraft moving parts, and realize the regular on-orbit maintenance and life extension of the spacecraft.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention discloses a device for controlling the lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft, comprising: a conical sealing component I, a stainless steel metal hard pipe, a rotating support, a cover plate, a screw, an oil tanker and a conical sealing component II;

[0006] One end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube serves as the lubricating oil inlet and is connected to the oil pipeline; a conical sealing component I is provided at the connection between the one end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube and the oil pipeline, so that the lubricating oil transported by the oil pipeline is sealed at the conical sealing component I to ensure that the lubricating oil does not leak;

[0007] The other end of the stainless steel metal hard tube is connected to the cover plate through a rotating support; a conical sealing component II is provided at the connection between the other end of the stainless steel metal hard tube and the rotating support, so that the lubricating oil transported by the stainless steel metal hard tube is sealed at the conical sealing component II to ensure that the lubricating oil does not leak;

[0008] The tanker is mounted on the cover plate by screws.

[0009] In the above-mentioned device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment for spacecraft, an outward extension shaft I and an outward extension shaft II are respectively provided at the axial ends of the rotating support; wherein, the outward extension shaft I and the outward extension shaft II serve as mounting interfaces and are connected to the fixed support; the fixed support is used for fixedly mounting the device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment for spacecraft.

[0010] In the above-mentioned device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of a spacecraft, the rotary support has one degree of rotational freedom to adapt to machining deviations and control deviations in the rotational direction.

[0011] The above-mentioned device for controlling the lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for a spacecraft further comprises: a sliding sleeve, a throttle valve, an oil tanker chamber and a spring;

[0012] The sliding sleeve is sleeved in the cavity of the rotating support and is installed concentrically with the rotating support;

[0013] The tanker cavity is sleeved in the sliding sleeve cavity and is installed concentrically with the sliding sleeve;

[0014] The spring is arranged between the oil tanker cavity and the sliding sleeve; wherein the spring is sleeved on the outside of the oil tanker cavity and is assembled concentrically with the oil tanker cavity;

[0015] The throttle valve is arranged between the rotating support and the conical sealing component II, located at the entrance of the tanker cavity, and is concentrically arranged with the tanker cavity; wherein, the throttle valve is sleeved on the outside of the tanker cavity, and the tanker cavity is fixedly connected to the internal thread of the throttle valve to achieve sealing between the throttle valve and the tanker cavity; the conical sealing component II is fixedly connected to the external thread of the throttle valve, and the stainless steel metal hard pipe is fixedly connected to the throttle valve under the action of the axial force applied by the conical sealing component II.

[0016] In the above-mentioned device for controlling the lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft, an elongated hole is provided at one end of the throttle valve close to the stainless steel metal hard tube; wherein, the elongated hole is used to ensure a constant oil output rate, thereby realizing controllable quantitative replenishment of the lubricating oil.

[0017] In the above-mentioned on-orbit controllable lubricating oil replenishing device for spacecraft, the internal thread size of the throttle valve is: M6×0.5; the external thread size of the throttle valve is: 7 / 16-20UNF-2A; the length of the elongated hole is 3mm and the diameter is 0.2mm.

[0018] In the above-mentioned device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of spacecraft, a boss is provided on the rotating support and a slide is provided on the tanker cavity. The axial sliding of the rotating support and the tanker cavity is realized by the "boss-slide" motion pair constraint.

[0019] In the above-mentioned device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of spacecraft, the tanker includes: shaft screws, a pair of deep groove ball bearings and a tanker shaft; wherein the pair of deep groove ball bearings and the tanker shaft are concentrically installed, and the bearings are pre-tightened and axially fixed by the shaft screws.

[0020] In the above-mentioned on-orbit controllable lubricating oil replenishing device for spacecraft, the conical sealing component I includes: a metal diaphragm box, a ferrule nut, a rear ferrule and a front ferrule;

[0021] The ferrule nut is set on the outside of the stainless steel metal hard pipe;

[0022] The metal diaphragm box, rear ferrule and front ferrule are located between the ferrule nut and the stainless steel metal hard tube. By axially tightening the ferrule nut, axial force is applied to the front ferrule and the rear ferrule, causing metal plastic deformation between the outer conical surface of the front ferrule and the inner conical surface of the metal diaphragm box, forming a sealing ring with a width of ≥0.5mm on the contact surface, ensuring reliable sealing of the connection part under the corresponding internal pressure.

[0023] In the above-mentioned device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of a spacecraft, the axial force exerted by the ferrule nut on the front ferrule and the rear ferrule is controlled by the number of rotations of the ferrule nut.

[0024] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0025] The present invention discloses a device for controllably replenishing lubricating oil for spacecraft on-orbit. When the lubrication state of the contact interface of a spacecraft movable part deteriorates due to volatilization of the lubricating oil on-orbit, the lubricating oil in a stainless steel hard tube can be controllably and quantitatively replenished to the contact interface of the movable part after passing through a throttle valve of the device, thereby achieving quantitative replenishment of the lubricating oil required for the interface of the movable part, ultimately compensating for the volatilization amount of the lubricating oil, improving the lubrication state, and realizing regular maintenance of the lubrication state of the movable part and extending its service life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment for a spacecraft according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a device for controlling on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment for a spacecraft according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a throttle valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of a conical sealing assembly in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2In this embodiment, the device for controlling on-orbit lubricant replenishment for spacecraft includes: a conical seal assembly I1, a stainless steel metal rigid tube 2, a rotating support 3, a cover plate 5, screws 7, an oil tanker 6, and a conical seal assembly II8. One end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 serves as the lubricant inlet and is connected to the oil pipeline. A conical seal assembly I1 is provided at the connection between one end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 and the oil pipeline, sealing the lubricant transported by the oil pipeline at conical seal assembly I1 and preventing leakage. The other end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 is connected to the cover plate 5 via the rotating support 3. A conical seal assembly II8 is provided at the connection between the other end of the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 and the rotating support 3, sealing the lubricant transported by the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 at conical seal assembly II8 and preventing leakage. The oil tanker 6 is mounted on the cover plate 5 via screws 7.

[0032] In this embodiment, the rotating support 3 is provided with an extended shaft I9 and an extended shaft II10 at either axial end. These shafts serve as mounting interfaces for connection to a fixed support, which is used to securely mount the controllable on-orbit lubrication system for spacecraft. The rotating support 3 has one degree of freedom to accommodate machining and control deviations in the rotational direction.

[0033] In this embodiment, the device for controllable on-orbit lubrication of a spacecraft further comprises: a sliding sleeve 102, a throttle valve 103, an oil tanker cavity 106, and a spring 4. The sliding sleeve 102 is mounted concentrically within the cavity of the rotating support 3. The oil tanker cavity 106 is mounted concentrically within the cavity of the sliding sleeve 102. The spring 4 is disposed between the oil tanker cavity 106 and the sliding sleeve 102, and is mounted concentrically with the oil tanker cavity 106. The throttle valve 103 is positioned between the rotating support 3 and the conical seal assembly II8, at the entrance of the tanker chamber 106 and concentrically with the tanker chamber 106. The throttle valve 103 is sleeved onto the outside of the tanker chamber 106, with the internal threads of the tanker chamber 106 and the throttle valve 103 securely connected to each other, ensuring a seal between the throttle valve 103 and the tanker chamber 106. The conical seal assembly II8 is securely connected to the external threads of the throttle valve 103, and the stainless steel metal hard pipe 2 is securely connected to the throttle valve 103 under the axial force exerted by the conical seal assembly II8. One of the functions of the throttle valve 103 is to limit the position of the rotating support 3.

[0034] Preferably, the throttle valve 103 is provided with an elongated hole at one end close to the stainless steel metal hard tube 2. The elongated hole is used to ensure a constant oil output rate, thereby achieving a controllable quantitative addition of lubricating oil.

[0035] Preferably, Figure 3As shown, the internal thread size of throttle valve 103 is M6×0.5. This M6×0.5 internal thread provides a certain degree of sealing, ensuring that the leakage rate at the contact point meets the specified specifications. The external thread size of throttle valve 103 is 7 / 16-20UNF-2A, which means an outer diameter of 7 / 16 inch, a pitch of 1 / 20 inch, and an accuracy grade of 2A. The elongated hole is 3 mm long and 0.2 mm in diameter.

[0036] Preferably, a boss is provided on the rotating support 3, and a slide groove is provided on the tanker cavity 106, and the axial sliding of the rotating support 3 and the tanker cavity 106 is realized by the "boss-slide groove" motion pair constraint.

[0037] In this embodiment, the oil tanker 6 may specifically include: a shaft screw 101, a pair of deep groove ball bearings 104 and an oil tanker shaft 105. The pair of deep groove ball bearings 104 and the oil tanker shaft 105 are concentrically installed, and the shaft screw 101 is used to preload and axially fix the bearings.

[0038] In this embodiment, reliable sealing of the conical sealing assembly needs to be achieved by correctly installing related parts, such as Figure 4 As shown, the conical sealing assembly I1 specifically includes: a metal diaphragm box 201, a ferrule nut 202, a rear ferrule 204, and a front ferrule 205, all made of 316 stainless steel. The ferrule nut 202 is sleeved on the outside of the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2. The metal diaphragm box 201, the rear ferrule 204, and the front ferrule 205 are located between the ferrule nut 202 and the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2. By axially tightening the ferrule nut 202, an axial force is applied to the front ferrule 205 and the rear ferrule 304, causing metal plastic deformation between the outer conical surface of the front ferrule 205 and the inner conical surface of the metal diaphragm box 201, forming a sealing ring with a width of ≥0.5mm on the contact surface, ensuring reliable sealing of the connection under the corresponding internal pressure, and thus ensuring that the leakage rate of this link meets the relevant indicators.

[0039] Preferably, the axial force applied by the ferrule nut 202 to the front ferrule 205 and the rear ferrule 304 is controlled by the number of rotations of the ferrule nut 202. The structure of the conical seal assembly II8 is the same as that of the conical seal assembly I1 and will not be described in detail here.

[0040] In this embodiment, the seal between the stainless steel metal rigid tube 2 and the throttle valve 103 is achieved by a tapered seal assembly II 8, ensuring a reliable seal at a pressure of 0.2 MPa. The seal between the throttle valve 103 and the tanker chamber 106 is achieved by an M6×0.5 internal thread (fine pitch thread).

[0041] In this embodiment, the tanker serves as a lubricating module and needs to maintain a clamping force on the contact interface with the moving parts during the process of adding lubricating oil to provide the normal pressure required for the tanker to roll. The clamping force is achieved through spring deformation. Specifically, when the tanker cavity is subjected to axial pressure, the spring will be compressed through the sliding sleeve to provide a clamping force of about 40N.

[0042] In this embodiment, since the sliding sleeve, rotating support, and tanker cavity require long-term on-track contact, to prevent the risk of cold welding between components, different component materials are selected and a MoS2 solid lubricant film is applied to the contact interface to prevent cold welding. The sliding sleeve is made of stainless steel, while the rotating support and tanker cavity are both made of titanium alloy TC4. This prevents the risk of cold welding between the spring and related components.

[0043] In this embodiment, the operating principle of the on-orbit controllable lubricant replenishment device for spacecraft is as follows: An oil pipeline continuously provides a constant oil supply pressure. When lubricant is delivered to the device through an inlet, it flows along a stainless steel metal rigid tube through a throttle valve. The throttle valve's elongated hole constantly adjusts the lubricant flow rate, keeping it close to the designed value, thereby achieving quantitative controllable lubricant replenishment. The lubricant reaches the tanker at a constant flow rate and fills the tanker's peripheral cavity. Then, under the motion of the replenished interface, the tanker rolls on the contact interface, evenly and quantitatively applying the lubricant from the tanker's periphery to the contact interface. Ultimately, this compensates for the long-term evaporation loss of lubricant at the contact interface, improving its lubrication state and enabling on-orbit maintenance and life extension of the spacecraft's moving parts.

[0044] In summary, the device for controllable on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment of spacecraft described in the present invention can stably and reliably realize the controllable on-orbit lubricating oil replenishment, so that the lubricating oil required by the moving parts on orbit can be compensated; when the lubrication condition of the moving parts of the spacecraft deteriorates or requires regular maintenance, the device will controllably apply the lubricating oil in the oil pipeline to the contact interface of the tanker in a controlled and quantitative manner, thereby replenishing the lubricating oil to the moving parts and compensating for their long-term on-orbit volatilization losses, thereby laying the foundation for regular maintenance and life extension of the spacecraft.

[0045] Although the present invention has been disclosed above in terms of preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by using the methods and technical contents disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0046] The contents not described in detail in the specification of the present invention belong to the common knowledge of professionals in this field.

Claims

1. A device for controlling the lubrication of spacecraft on-orbit, characterized in that: include: Conical seal assembly I (1), stainless steel metal hard pipe (2), rotary support (3), spring (4), cover plate (5), screw (7), oil tanker (6), conical seal assembly II (8), sliding sleeve (102), throttle valve (103) and oil tanker chamber (106); One end of the stainless steel metal hard pipe (2) serves as a lubricating oil inlet and is connected to the oil pipeline; a conical sealing component I (1) is provided at the connection between the one end of the stainless steel metal hard pipe (2) and the oil pipeline, so that the lubricating oil transported by the oil pipeline is sealed at the conical sealing component I (1), ensuring that the lubricating oil does not leak; The other end of the stainless steel metal hard tube (2) is connected to the cover plate (5) through the rotating support (3); a conical sealing component II (8) is provided at the connection between the other end of the stainless steel metal hard tube (2) and the rotating support (3), so that the lubricating oil transported by the stainless steel metal hard tube (2) is sealed at the conical sealing component II (8), ensuring that the lubricating oil does not leak; The oil tanker (6) is mounted on the cover plate (5) via screws (7); the oil tanker (6) comprises: shaft screws (101), a pair of deep groove ball bearings (104) and an oil tanker shaft (105); wherein the pair of deep groove ball bearings (104) and the oil tanker shaft (105) are concentrically mounted, and the bearings are preloaded and axially fixed via the shaft screws (101); The sliding sleeve (102) is sleeved in the cavity of the rotating support (3) and is installed concentrically with the rotating support (3); the tanker cavity (106) is sleeved in the cavity of the sliding sleeve (102) and is installed concentrically with the sliding sleeve (102); The spring (4) is arranged between the oil tanker cavity (106) and the sliding sleeve (102); wherein the spring (4) is sheathed outside the oil tanker cavity (106) and is assembled concentrically with the oil tanker cavity (106); The throttle valve (103) is arranged between the rotating support (3) and the conical sealing component II (8), located at the entrance of the tanker cavity (106), and is arranged concentrically with the tanker cavity (106); wherein the throttle valve (103) is sleeved on the outer side of the tanker cavity (106), and the tanker cavity (106) and the internal threads of the throttle valve (103) are fixedly connected to realize the sealing between the throttle valve (103) and the tanker cavity (106); the conical sealing component II (8) is fixedly connected to the external threads of the throttle valve (103), and the stainless steel metal hard pipe (2) is fixedly connected to the throttle valve (103) under the action of the axial force applied by the conical sealing component II (8).

2. The device for controlling lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: An outward extension shaft I (9) and an outward extension shaft II (10) are respectively provided at the axial ends of the rotating support (3); wherein the outward extension shaft I (9) and the outward extension shaft II (10) serve as mounting interfaces and are connected to the fixed support; the fixed support is used for fixedly mounting the device for controlling the lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for a spacecraft.

3. The device for controlling lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating support (3) has one degree of rotational freedom to accommodate machining deviations and control deviations in the rotational direction.

4. The device for controlling lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The throttle valve (103) is provided with an elongated hole at one end close to the stainless steel metal hard tube (2); wherein the elongated hole is used to ensure a constant oil output rate, thereby achieving controllable quantitative addition of lubricating oil.

5. The device for controlling the lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 4, characterized in that: The internal thread size of the throttle valve (103) is: M6×0.5; the external thread size of the throttle valve (103) is: 7 / 16-20UNF-2A; the length of the elongated hole is 3 mm and the diameter is 0.2 mm.

6. The device for controlling lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: A boss is provided on the rotating support (3), and a slide is provided on the oil tanker cavity (106). The axial sliding of the rotating support (3) and the oil tanker cavity (106) is achieved through the constraint of a "boss-slide" kinematic pair.

7. The on-orbit controllable lubricating oil replenishing device for spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: Conical sealing assembly I (1), comprising: a metal diaphragm box (201), a ferrule nut (202), a rear ferrule (204) and a front ferrule (205); The ferrule nut (202) is sleeved on the outside of the stainless steel metal hard tube (2); The metal diaphragm box (201), the rear ferrule (204) and the front ferrule (205) are located between the ferrule nut (202) and the stainless steel metal hard tube (2); by axially tightening the ferrule nut (202), an axial force is applied to the front ferrule (205) and the rear ferrule (204), so that metal plastic deformation occurs between the outer conical surface of the front ferrule (205) and the inner conical surface of the metal diaphragm box (201), forming a sealing ring with a width of ≥0.5 mm on the contact surface, thereby ensuring reliable sealing of the connection part under the corresponding internal pressure.

8. The device for controlling lubricating oil replenishment on-orbit for spacecraft according to claim 7, characterized in that: The axial force applied by the ferrule nut (202) to the front ferrule (205) and the rear ferrule (204) is controlled by the number of rotations of the ferrule nut (202).

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