A vertical recovery launch vehicle tether mechanism

Abstract

The vertical recovery carrier rocket hanging rope mechanism comprises a blocking rod, a telescopic damping rod, a hook tongue and a hanging rope hook; the top of the telescopic damping rod is hinged to a rocket body; the bottom of the telescopic damping rod is hinged to the blocking rod, the bottom of the blocking rod is hinged to the rocket body; the hanging rope hook is detachably mounted on the free end of the blocking rod, the hook tongue is hinged to the hanging rope hook, the free end of the hook tongue abuts against the side wall of the blocking rod, the rope can enter the hanging rope hook and can be prevented from being pulled out after entering the hanging rope hook; the telescopic damping rod can be elongated or shortened when the blocking rod rotates around the rocket body; the telescopic damping rod is provided with a damping structure for reducing the impact force in the unfolding process of the blocking rod and the process of hooking the rope by the hanging rope hook. The present application can adapt to the attitude deviation of the rocket body, such as inclination and roll, and has the functions of reliable connection, unfolding, rope hanging and buffering.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of reusable launch vehicle technology, and in particular to a vertically recoverable launch vehicle cable mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] The cable-hanging mechanism is a key component in the vertical recovery of a launch vehicle's net system, and its success or failure is directly related to the success of the vertical recovery mission.

[0003] Currently, vertical recovery of launch vehicles generally adopts a recovery scheme using a folding-leg landing buffer mechanism. Existing patent surveys include: (1) CN212133465U "Vertical Recovery Soft Landing Buffer Device for Launch Vehicles," which consists of four circumferentially distributed support mechanisms, symmetrically installed on the outer wall of the rocket body. Each support mechanism includes a support beam, support rod, slide rail, slider, and hinge. (2) CN109911252A "A Reusable Vertical Landing Recovery Support Mechanism for Launch Vehicles," which consists of four vertical landing support structures. Each support structure includes a separating rocket shell, landing legs, telescopic rods, support feet, a hydraulic control device, a guide rail, and a locking mechanism. During the launch vehicle's ascent phase, the landing legs, telescopic rods, support feet, and hydraulic control device retract into the rocket shell. During recovery, the landing legs extend downwards under the action of the hydraulic control device, thus achieving stable support for the vertical landing of the launch vehicle. (3) CN110671977A "A reusable launch vehicle landing buffer device", which includes at least three buffer mechanisms, which are evenly distributed around the tail end of the rocket body. The buffer mechanism includes N clamping and releasing mechanisms, a main support deployment joint, an auxiliary deployment device, an outer shell deployment joint, a deployable and retractable main support, an outer shell, and a buffer. (4) CN114111462A "A reusable launch vehicle lightweight landing buffer mechanism", which includes a main leg, a support aerodynamic cover, and a rubber disc. The main leg is a rod-shaped structure, and the support aerodynamic cover is a trapezoidal structure. The upper ends of the main leg and the support aerodynamic cover are rotatably connected to the external launch vehicle body, and the lower ends of the main leg and the support aerodynamic cover are rotatably connected to the rubber disc through a rotating shaft. The main leg is a multi-section nested structure, and the deployment and retraction of the landing buffer mechanism are achieved by the extension and retraction of the main leg.

[0004] The recovery scheme using a folding-leg landing cushioning mechanism has the following drawbacks:

[0005] (1) The structure is complex, with each set of mechanisms including main support rods, auxiliary support rods, hydraulic devices, pneumatic covers and other components;

[0006] (2) The weight is too large. The main support rod of each set of mechanisms is generally set as a multi-section telescopic structure with a large pipe diameter. The auxiliary support rod is generally designed as a fixed length, resulting in a large additional weight.

[0007] (3) The reusable operation process is relatively complicated and the reset cycle is relatively long. After landing, the folding leg landing buffer mechanism generally needs to disassemble the main support rod or replace the buffer device and other vulnerable parts. Due to its large size and weight, the operation is relatively inconvenient and the reuse cycle is relatively long. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a vertical recovery launch vehicle cable-hanging mechanism. Compared with other existing landing buffer mechanisms, this cable-hanging mechanism has the advantages of light weight, low impact, strong adaptability, and adjustability to both the rocket and the ground. It can adapt to attitude deviations such as rocket tilt and roll, and has reliable connection, deployment, cable hanging and buffering functions.

[0009] The technical solution of this invention is:

[0010] A vertical recovery launch vehicle cable-holding mechanism includes: an arresting rod, a telescopic damping rod, a hook tongue, and a cable hook;

[0011] The top of the telescopic damping rod is hinged to the arrow body; the bottom of the telescopic damping rod is hinged to the arresting rod, and the bottom of the arresting rod is hinged to the arrow body.

[0012] The cable hook is detachably installed at the free end of the barrier bar. The hook tongue is hinged to the cable hook, and the free end of the hook tongue rests against the side wall of the barrier bar, which allows the rope to enter the cable hook and prevents the rope from coming out after entering the cable hook.

[0013] The telescopic damping rod can extend or shorten as it rotates around the arrow body with the arresting bar; the telescopic damping rod is equipped with a damping structure to reduce the impact force during the deployment of the arresting bar and the hooking of the rope.

[0014] Preferably, the cross-section of the barrier bar is I-shaped;

[0015] The cable hook includes: a plug lug, a cable tongue lug, a hook point, and a hook back;

[0016] The plug-in support has a two-piece structure, which is fixedly installed in parallel on the hook back. The plug-in support is provided with a pin hole. The two pieces of the plug-in support are plugged into the vertical line area between the middle of the I-shaped part of the barrier bar. The pin hole of the plug-in support is fixedly connected to the barrier bar by a hook pin.

[0017] The hook tip is fixedly connected to the hook back, and the cable tongue lug is fixedly installed at the end of the hook tip. The cable tongue lug is connected to the hook tongue through a torsion spring. The hook tongue can rotate relative to the cable tongue lug, so that the rope enters the hook. The free end of the hook tongue rests against the outer wall of the front rod, which can prevent the rope from coming out after entering the hook.

[0018] Preferably, the side wall facing the hook tongue serves as the rope cylindrical surface;

[0019] After entering the hook, the rope contacts the outer wall of the rope cylinder and the stop bar; the rope cylinder is cylindrical, and the diameter of the cylinder is 3 to 5 times the diameter of the rope.

[0020] Preferably, the hook tip and hook back are L-shaped, and the outer walls of both the hook tip and hook back are designed as curved surfaces.

[0021] Preferably, the radius of the hook back arc surface ranges from 0.8 rad to 1.2 rad.

[0022] Preferably, the barrier bar includes: a lower connector pin, a lower connector, a support rod, a connector, a connector pin, and a front bar;

[0023] A cable hook is fixedly connected to the top of the front pole;

[0024] The bottom of the front rod and the top of the two support rods are connected by a connector and locked with a connector pin; the front rod and the two support rods form an inverted Y-shaped configuration;

[0025] The bottom of the support rod is fixedly connected to the lower connector via a threaded joint;

[0026] The lower connector is connected to the arrow body via a pin joint.

[0027] The bottom of the telescopic damping rod and the connecting piece are hinged.

[0028] Preferably, the barrier bar further includes: a connecting lug;

[0029] The connecting lugs are fixedly installed on the connecting piece, and the bottom of the telescopic damping rod is hinged to the connecting piece via the connecting lugs.

[0030] Preferably, the telescopic damping rod includes: an upper connector, an outer cylinder, a middle cylinder, and a piston rod;

[0031] The outer cylinder, middle cylinder, and piston rod are sequentially assembled along the axis.

[0032] The outer cylinder and the middle cylinder, as well as the middle cylinder and the piston rod, can all move relative to each other along the axis.

[0033] Damping structures capable of providing damping force are provided between the outer cylinder and the middle cylinder, and between the middle cylinder and the piston rod;

[0034] The outer cylinder is connected to the arrow body via the upper connector, and the piston rod is connected to the connecting piece.

[0035] Preferably, both the lower and upper connectors have built-in spherical bearings.

[0036] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0037] (1) This invention simplifies use and maintenance, and has a simple structure. It mainly consists of a stop bar, a telescopic damping bar, etc. After the arrow body is recovered, it can be directly folded and locked to the arrow body for transport with the arrow. Only the damping bar needs to be maintained, which greatly simplifies the use and maintenance process.

[0038] (2) By using the technology of the present invention, the load during the landing process of the rocket body is greatly reduced. Due to the lighter overall weight, the impact level during deployment is greatly reduced. The load during the cable hanging process can be adjusted by the adaptive damping structure, and the load during the landing process is greatly optimized.

[0039] (3) By adopting the technology of the present invention, the adaptability of the landing attitude deviation of the rocket body is improved. During the entire landing cable hanging process of the rocket body, the deviation can be adjusted between the rocket body and the ground net system, achieving bidirectional adjustment between the rocket body and the ground to adapt to a larger landing attitude deviation. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Figure 1 This is a front view schematic diagram of the cable-hanging mechanism of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cable-hanging mechanism of the present invention in its retracted state.

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cable-hanging mechanism of the present invention in its deployed state.

[0043] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cable hook assembly of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the hook structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To better describe the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to schematic diagrams and examples.

[0046] The purpose of this invention is to provide a cable-hanging mechanism for the vertical recovery of launch vehicles, so as to solve problems such as the vertical recovery of launch vehicle bodies and the generalization and modularization of vertical recovery mechanisms.

[0047] A vertical recovery cable-holding mechanism for a launch vehicle includes an arresting rod 1 and a telescopic damping rod 2. The arresting rod 1 has a main structure designed as an inverted Y-shape consisting of three rods. The bottom of the arresting rod 1 is connected to the rocket body via a lower joint pin 1-1 using two lower joints 1-2 with embedded spherical bearings. A lower joint pin nut 1-3 and a support rod screw ring 1-4-1 are also installed. The telescopic damping rod 2 has a main structure designed as a two-stage telescopic damping mechanism, which can achieve load reduction and buffering during the deployment and cable-holding process. The upper joint at the top of the telescopic damping rod 2 is connected to the rocket body, and the connecting joint at the bottom is connected to the connecting piece 1-5 using embedded spherical bearings. The use of embedded spherical bearings for all joints significantly improves the adaptability to assembly deviations.

[0048] The positions of the connection points between the telescopic damping rod 2 and the upper joint of the arrow body, and between the telescopic damping rod 2 and the arresting rod 1, are determined by the extension ratio, load optimization, and bearing capacity optimization of the telescopic damping rod 2. The upper joint connection point can be located within the reinforcing ring area of ​​the interstage section.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the barrier bar 1 includes: lower connector pin 1-1, lower connector 1-2, lower connector pin nut 1-3, support rod 1-4, support rod threaded ring 1-4-1, connector 1-5, connector lug 1-5-1, connector pin 1-6, front bar 1-7, hook tongue 1-8, hook pin 1-9, and cable hook 1-10.

[0050] The bottom of one front rod 1-7 is connected to the top of two support rods 1-4 by a connector 1-5 and locked with three connector pins 1-6.

[0051] The cable hooks 1-10 feature a split design for easy maintenance and replacement; the specially designed hook tongue 1-8 structure reliably prevents ropes in ground netting systems from slipping off after being hooked into the cable hooks 1-10. Figure 4 As shown, the cable hook 1-10 comprises: a plug-in lug 1-10-1, a rope cylindrical surface 1-10-2, a cable tongue lug 1-10-3, a hook tip 1-10-4, and a hook back 1-10-5. The cross-section of the barrier bar 1 is I-shaped. The plug-in lug 1-10-1 is designed in two pieces, each fixedly installed on the hook back 1-10-5. The plug-in lug 1-10-1 has a pin hole, which facilitates insertion and installation with the vertical section in the middle of the I-shape of the barrier bar 1 via a hook pin 1-9. The diameter of the rope cylindrical surface 1-10-2 is designed to be 3 to 5 times the rope diameter to ensure the safety of the rope under a large bending radius. Figure 5As shown, the hook tip 1-10-4 and hook back 1-10-5 form an L-shaped configuration. The outer surfaces of both hook tip 1-10-4 and hook back 1-10-5 are designed with a "fish belly" shaped arc apex, which provides good bending impact resistance. The arc apex at hook back 1-10-5 ranges from 0.8 rad to 1.2 rad. In this embodiment of the invention, the arc apex at hook back 1-10-5 is generally greater than 1 rad.

[0052] The tongue support 1-10-3 is fixedly installed at the end of the hook point 1-10-4, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the cable tongue lug 1-10-3 is connected to the hook tongue 1-8 via a torsion spring. The hook tongue 1-8 can rotate relative to the cable tongue lug 1-10-3, allowing the rope to enter the hook. After entering the hook, the rope directly contacts both the rope cylindrical surface 1-10-2 and the outer wall of the front rod 1-7, effectively transmitting the axial tension and lateral force from the rope on the hooking mechanism. The free end of the hook tongue 1-8 rests against the outer wall of the front rod 1-7, preventing the rope from slipping out after entering the hook.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the telescopic damping rod 2 includes: an upper connector 2-1, an outer cylinder 2-2, a middle cylinder 2-3, and a piston rod 2-4. The upper connector 2-1 is connected to the rocket body via a pin-mounted structure using an embedded spherical bearing. The outer cylinder 2-2, middle cylinder 2-3, and piston rod 2-4 are sequentially mounted along the axis; each pair can move relative to the other along the axis. During telescopic movement, the outer cylinder 2-2 and middle cylinder 2-3, and the middle cylinder 2-3 and piston rod 2-4, are damped by internal slender damping structures, achieving load reduction and buffering during landing. The connecting piece 1-5 is equipped with a connecting lug 1-5-1 for connecting to the piston rod 2-4. The piston rod 2-4 and connecting piece 1-5 are also connected via a pin-mounted structure using an embedded spherical bearing. The outer cylinder 2-2 is connected to the rocket body via the upper connector 2-1 via a pin-mounted structure using an embedded spherical bearing.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the cable-hanging mechanism of the present invention includes: a stop bar 1 and a telescopic damping bar 2. The stop bar 1 and the telescopic damping bar 2 are connected by a lug and a pin. The stop bar 1 is provided with two joints and is connected to the interstage section of the rocket body by a lug and a pin. The telescopic damping bar 2 is provided with one joint and is connected to the interstage section of the rocket body by a lug and a pin.

[0055] like Figure 1As shown, the main structure of the arresting rod 1 consists of one front rod 1-7 and two support rods 1-4 connected by connectors 1-5 and three connecting pins 1-6, forming a Y-shaped design. This design provides good overall rigidity and effectively improves the adaptability to landing attitude deviation loads of the rocket body. The main structure of the telescopic damping rod 2 is a two-stage telescopic configuration. Slender damping structures (with damping holes machined on the connecting end faces) are set between the outer and middle cylinders, and between the middle cylinder and the piston rod, to buffer impact loads during deployment and cable attachment. Regarding the connection between the cable attachment mechanism and the rocket body, the support rod 1-4 and the lower connector 1-2 are screwed together, which can adaptively adjust for the cumulative error after the rocket body support lugs are assembled, eliminating the problem of the cable attachment mechanism not being able to be installed. Both lower connectors 1-2 and one upper connector 2-1 have built-in spherical bearings, which can adapt to the alignment and assembly errors of the rocket body support lugs. All of these measures effectively improve the adjustability of the mechanism installation.

[0056] like Figure 2 As shown, each launch vehicle is equipped with four sets of cable-mounted mechanisms, which are distributed at 45-degree intervals with four sets of grid fin mechanisms. During the initial flight phase, the cable-mounted mechanisms retract and lock onto the near-wall surface of the rocket body, with an angle of less than 5 degrees to the rocket's axis. This minimizes the size of any protrusions on the rocket's exterior. In addition, the slender, streamlined design of the rods greatly reduces the impact on the launch vehicle's aerodynamic shape and forces.

[0057] like Figure 3 As shown, during the landing phase of the launch vehicle's return process, after unlocking, the arresting rod 1 of the grappling hook mechanism unfolds under its own weight to a 90-degree angle with the rocket's axis. The telescopic damping rod 2 passively extends to its longest position. The extension of the telescopic damping rod 2 provides damping force to reduce the speed of the arresting rod 1's unfolding and the impact upon reaching its final position. After the grappling hook mechanism has fully unfolded, it awaits engagement with the ropes in the ground-based netting system. Considering that the slender configuration of the arresting rod 1 will produce significant oscillations after unfolding, the telescopic damping rod 2 does not have a locking mechanism to reduce the oscillation frequency and amplitude.

[0058] Example

[0059] The specific implementation steps of the cable-hanging mechanism described in this invention are as follows:

[0060] Unfolding process:

[0061] ① After the cable-hanging mechanism is unlocked, the mechanism unfolds under its own weight, from the initial locked position to the position where the arresting rod 1 is at a 90-degree angle to the axis of the arrow body;

[0062] ② During the deployment process, the middle cylinder 2-3 and piston rod 2-4 of the telescopic damping rod 2 extend in sequence, and when they are all extended, the total length corresponds to the 90-degree angle between the arresting rod 1 and the arrow body;

[0063] ③ When the bar is fully deployed, the arresting bar 1 generates a landing impact oscillation and amplitude. After the damping performance provided by the telescopic damping bar 2 weakens the oscillation, the cable-hanging mechanism quickly maintains stability. At this point, the deployment process ends.

[0064] The process of attaching the rope:

[0065] ① After the lanyard mechanism is deployed and stabilized, the arrow continues to fall and adjusts its attitude. At the same time, the ropes of the ground net system begin to move to the arrow capture position, waiting for the lanyard hooks 1-10 to be engaged.

[0066] ② After the ropes of the ground net system encounter the barrier bar 1, they slide along the front bar 1-7 into the hanging hooks 1-10;

[0067] ③ After the ropes of the ground net system slide into the hooks 1-10, they are reliably prevented from slipping by the rope tongues 1-8;

[0068] After the rope of the ground net system is hooked into the hook 1-10, the entire rocket continues to fall. When the rope is pulled out to a certain length, the hooking mechanism stop bar 1 moves towards the rocket and rotates until it reaches the limit position. At this point, the entire hooking process is over.

[0069] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention using the disclosed methods and techniques without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention are all within the protection scope of the present invention. Where there is no conflict, the embodiments of this application and the technical features thereof can be combined with each other.

[0070] The contents not described in detail in this specification are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A vertically recoverable launch vehicle cable mechanism, characterized in that, include: Barrier bar (1), telescopic damping bar (2), hook tongue (1-8) and cable hook (1-10); The top of the telescopic damping rod (2) is hinged to the arrow body; the bottom of the telescopic damping rod (2) is hinged to the arresting rod (1), and the bottom of the arresting rod (1) is hinged to the arrow body. The cable hook (1-10) is detachably installed on the free end of the barrier bar (1). The hook tongue (1-8) is hinged to the cable hook (1-10). The free end of the hook tongue (1-8) abuts against the side wall of the barrier bar (1), which allows the rope to enter the cable hook (1-10) and prevents the rope from coming out after entering the cable hook (1-10). The telescopic damping rod (2) can be extended or shortened when the arresting rod (1) rotates around the arrow body; the telescopic damping rod (2) is provided with a damping structure to reduce the impact force during the deployment of the arresting rod (1) and during the hooking of the rope by the hook (1-10); The cross-section of the barrier bar (1) is I-shaped; The cable hook (1-10) includes: insert lug (1-10-1), cable tongue lug (1-10-3), hook point (1-10-4), and hook back (1-10-5). The plug-in support (1-10-1) is a two-piece structure, which is fixedly installed on the hook back (1-10-5) in parallel. The plug-in support (1-10-1) is provided with a pin hole. The two pieces of the plug-in support (1-10-1) are plugged into the vertical line area in the middle of the I-shaped barrier bar (1). The pin hole of the plug-in support (1-10-1) is fixedly connected to the barrier bar (1) by a hook pin (1-9). The hook tip (1-10-4) is fixedly connected to the hook back (1-10-5), and the cable tongue lug (1-10-3) is fixedly installed at the end of the hook tip (1-10-4). The cable tongue lug (1-10-3) is connected to the hook tongue (1-8) through a torsion spring. The hook tongue (1-8) can rotate relative to the cable tongue lug (1-10-3) so that the rope enters the hook. The free end of the hook tongue (1-8) abuts against the outer wall of the front rod (1-7) to prevent the rope from coming out after entering the hook. The barrier bar (1) includes: a lower connector pin (1-1), a lower connector (1-2), a support rod (1-4), a connector (1-5), a connector pin (1-6), and a front bar (1-7). The top of the front bar (1-7) is fixedly connected to the hanging hook (1-10); The bottom of the front rod (1-7) and the top of the two support rods (1-4) are connected by a connector (1-5) and locked with a connector pin (1-6); the front rod (1-7) and the two support rods (1-4) form an inverted Y-shaped configuration; The bottom of the support rod (1-4) is fixedly connected to the lower connector (1-2) by a threaded pair; The lower connector (1-2) is connected to the arrow body by a pin (1-1); The bottom of the telescopic damping rod (2) and the connecting piece (1-5) are hinged; The telescopic damping rod (2) includes: an upper connector (2-1), an outer cylinder (2-2), a middle cylinder (2-3), and a piston rod (2-4). The outer cylinder (2-2), the middle cylinder (2-3), and the piston rod (2-4) are sequentially assembled along the axis; The outer cylinder (2-2) and the middle cylinder (2-3), and the middle cylinder (2-3) and the piston rod (2-4) can all move relative to each other along the axis; Damping structures capable of providing damping force are provided between the outer cylinder (2-2) and the middle cylinder (2-3), and between the middle cylinder (2-3) and the piston rod (2-4); The outer tube (2-2) is connected to the arrow body via the upper connector (2-1), and the piston rod (2-4) is connected to the connector (1-5).

2. The vertical recovery launch vehicle cable mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side wall of the hook back (1-10-5) facing the hook tongue (1-8) serves as the rope cylinder (1-10-2). After entering the hook, the rope contacts the outer wall of the rope cylinder (1-10-2) and the stop bar (1); the rope cylinder (1-10-2) is a cylindrical surface, and the diameter of the cylindrical surface is 3 to 5 times the diameter of the rope.

3. The vertical recovery launch vehicle cable mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hook point (1-10-4) and hook back (1-10-5) are L-shaped, and the outer walls of the hook point (1-10-4) and hook back (1-10-5) are both designed as curved surfaces.

4. The vertical recovery launch vehicle cable mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The radian value of the hook back (1-10-5) arc surface ranges from 0.8 rad to 1.2 rad.

5. A vertically recoverable launch vehicle cable mechanism according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The barrier bar (1) also includes: connecting lugs (1-5-1); The connecting lug (1-5-1) is fixedly installed on the connecting piece (1-5), and the bottom of the telescopic damping rod (2) is hinged to the connecting piece (1-5) through the connecting lug (1-5-1).

6. A vertically recoverable launch vehicle cable mechanism according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Both the lower connector (1-2) and the upper connector (2-1) have built-in spherical bearings.

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