A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention provides a reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery, which is fixedly connected to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body in the form of a screw connection, and includes a support base, a drive structure, a hook structure and a transmission structure; the support base is fixed to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body; the drive structure is arranged on the support base, and the hook structure is arranged in the middle of the support base; the transmission structure is connected between the drive structure and the hook structure, and the drive structure drives the hook structure to lock and release the rocket landing leg through the transmission structure. The structure of the present invention is reasonably arranged, including a support base, a drive structure, a hook structure and a transmission structure, which can effectively and quickly realize the locking and release of the rocket landing leg, which is conducive to the connection and separation of the vertical recovery landing leg of the carrier rocket, and is stable and reliable to use. It replaces the traditional pyrotechnic device with a non-pyrotechnic device, which is conducive to reducing the production cycle and reducing the processing cost, and all components can be reused.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vertical recovery of rocket sub-stages, and in particular to a reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery. Background Art

[0002] Among the commercial aerospace companies that currently have the technology to recover liquid launch vehicles, SpaceX has the most mature technology to recover the first stage of liquid launch vehicles by vertical landing. Its Falcon 9 liquid launch vehicle can ensure the vertical landing and recovery of the first stage of the rocket in complex external environments. It has many working links that require connection and unlocking, and it uses reusable non-pyrotechnic connection and separation devices;

[0003] Although it can meet the needs of vertical recovery of rocket sub-stages, its overall structure is very complex, the cost of use is high, and it will greatly increase the production and processing cycle. At the same time, in the field of vertical recovery of reusable sub-stages of my country's launch vehicle, there is no reusable device or mechanism for the non-pyrotechnic connection and separation of the landing legs for vertical recovery of sub-stages. Research and development is carried out based on this application background. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery that has a simple structural design and is stable and reliable to use.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present invention provides a reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery, which is fixedly connected to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body in a screw connection form, and includes a support base, a driving structure, a hook structure and a transmission structure;

[0006] The support base is fixed to the outer side of the arrow body in the circumferential direction;

[0007] The driving structure is arranged on the supporting base, and the hook structure is arranged in the middle part of the supporting base;

[0008] The transmission structure is connected between the driving structure and the hook structure, and the driving structure drives the hook structure to lock or release the rocket landing legs through the transmission structure.

[0009] It is further preferred that: the hook structure comprises a first hook, a second hook, a first end shaft and a second end shaft;

[0010] The first hook is rotatably connected to the support base via the first end shaft;

[0011] The second hook is rotatably connected to the support base via the second end shaft;

[0012] The transmission structure is rotatably connected to the middle of the back side of the first hook through a first rotating shaft;

[0013] The transmission structure drives the first hook to clamp toward or away from the second hook;

[0014] The first hook and the second hook cooperate to complete the locking or releasing of the rocket landing legs.

[0015] It is further preferred that: the driving structure comprises a piston actuating mechanism bracket, a piston actuating cylinder, a driver and a crank;

[0016] The piston actuating mechanism bracket is fixed to the side edge of the supporting base, and the piston actuating mechanism bracket is vertically arranged with respect to the supporting base;

[0017] The piston actuating cylinder is fixed on the piston actuating mechanism bracket and connected to the driver;

[0018] The crank is fixed to the end of the piston cylinder, and the end of the crank is rotatably connected to the transmission structure via a second rotating shaft;

[0019] The piston actuating cylinder is retracted and drives the hook structure to actuate through the transmission structure.

[0020] It is further preferred that: the transmission structure includes a connecting rod and a return tension spring;

[0021] One end of the connecting rod is connected to the middle part of the back side of the hook structure through the first rotating shaft;

[0022] The other end of the connecting rod is connected to the driving structure through the second rotating shaft;

[0023] One end of the return tension spring is fixed on the driving structure and the other end is connected to the end of the first rotating shaft.

[0024] Further preferably, a guide slot is provided on the connecting rod, and the second rotating shaft is rotatably and translationally arranged in the guide slot.

[0025] It is further preferred that the driver is a pneumatic or hydraulic driver.

[0026] It is further preferred that: the symmetrical edges of the piston actuating mechanism bracket are fixed with supporting connecting rods via screws;

[0027] The hook structure comprises a first hook and a second hook, and the middle portion of the second hook is fixed to the other end of the supporting connecting rod through a screw.

[0028] It is further preferred that: a latch limiting groove is provided on the second hook claw;

[0029] The second hook is provided with a latch which can slide into the latch limiting groove simultaneously along the contraction angle of the rocket landing leg.

[0030] More preferably, there are two return springs, and the two return springs are arranged at two ends of the first rotating shaft.

[0031] It is further preferred that: a limited telescopic rod is provided in the middle of the support base, and the limited telescopic rod abuts against the lower back side of the first hook claw;

[0032] When the first hook is away from the second hook, the back side of the first hook abuts against the upper limit of the position-limiting telescopic rod.

[0033] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] 1. The structure of the embodiment of the present invention is reasonable, including a support base, a driving structure, a hook structure and a transmission structure, which can effectively and quickly realize the locking and releasing of the rocket landing legs, which is conducive to the connection and separation of the vertical recovery landing legs of the launch vehicle, and is stable and reliable to use. It adopts non-pyrotechnic devices to replace traditional pyrotechnic devices, which is conducive to reducing the production cycle and processing costs, and all components can be reused;

[0035] 2. The hook structure includes a first hook, a second hook, a first end shaft and a second end shaft. The driving structure cooperates with the transmission structure to effectively and quickly lock and release the rocket landing legs, thereby improving the flexibility of use. Moreover, its components can be reused, which is conducive to reducing the processing cost.

[0036] 3. The driving structure includes a piston actuator bracket, a piston actuator cylinder, a driver and a crank; the driver controls the actuation of the piston actuator cylinder, and the crank drives the transmission structure to actuate, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the driving control, and ensuring that the rocket landing legs will not separate from the rocket body in a complex aerodynamic environment of flight and that the landing legs will be released smoothly during vertical landing, making it stable and reliable to use;

[0037] 4. The transmission structure includes a connecting rod and a reset spring, which can ensure the smooth transmission of the driving structure through the connecting rod, and can be reset through the reset spring, thereby improving the effectiveness and stability of clamping and separation;

[0038] 5. A guide slot is provided on the connecting rod, and the second rotating shaft is rotatably and translationally arranged in the guide slot, and can be guided and limited by the guide slot to ensure the accuracy and reliability of transmission;

[0039] 6. A latch limit groove is provided on the first hook claw; a latch is provided on the first hook claw which can slide into the latch limit groove along the contraction angle of the rocket landing leg at the same time. When in use, the reliability of clamping the rocket landing leg is ensured by the latch, and the latch slides outward when separating, thereby improving the effectiveness and stability of the separation action;

[0040] 7. A limited telescopic rod is arranged in the middle of the support base, and the limited telescopic rod abuts against the lower back of the first hook, so as to limit the opening of the first hook and prevent the first hook from colliding with the support base, which is beneficial to improve the service life and ensure subsequent reuse, and has strong applicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. The drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0042] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure when the embodiment of the present invention is combined with an arrow body;

[0043] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the embodiment of the present invention when the support base is viewed from the front side of the support base when the embodiment is in a clamping state;

[0044] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the embodiment of the present invention when it is clamped from the side;

[0045] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the support base when viewed from the front of the support base when the embodiment of the present invention is opened;

[0046] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the embodiment of the present invention when it is opened from the side;

[0047] Figure 6 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the enlarged structure in the middle.

[0048] Reference numerals:

[0049] 1. Arrow body;

[0050] 2. Support base;

[0051] 3. Driving structure; 31. Piston actuator bracket; 32. Piston actuator cylinder; 33. Crank;

[0052] 4. hook structure; 41. first hook; 42. second hook; 43. first end shaft; 44. second end shaft;

[0053] 5. Transmission structure; 51. Connecting rod; 52. Reset spring;

[0054] 6. First rotating shaft; 7. Second rotating shaft; 8. Support connecting rod; 9. Latch limiting groove; 10. Latch; 11. Limiting telescopic rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will be described in detail below. In the detailed description below, many specific details are proposed in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is only to provide a better understanding of the present invention by illustrating examples of the present invention. In the drawings and the following description, at least part of the known structures and technologies are not shown in order to avoid unnecessary ambiguity of the present invention; and, for clarity, the size of some structures may be exaggerated. In addition, the features, structures or characteristics described below may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner.

[0056] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, a reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery is fixedly connected to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body 1 in the form of screw connection, and includes a support base 2, a drive structure 3, a hook structure 4 and a transmission structure 5. In this embodiment, the support base 2 is a square structure, on which mounting lugs are arranged. In actual application, the support base 2 is fixed to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body 1 by screw connection; it is suitable for connecting the rocket landing legs of a reusable carrier rocket to the rocket body during the vertical landing recovery of the first stage, and meets the requirements of ensuring that the rocket landing legs will not separate from the rocket body in the complex aerodynamic environment of the flight during the flight and landing of the carrier rocket, and smoothly releasing the rocket landing legs during the vertical landing.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, the support base 2 is fixed to the outer side of the rocket body 1 in the circumferential direction; and in the actual application process, the driving structure 3 is arranged on the support base 2, and the hook structure 4 is arranged in the middle of the support base 2; the transmission structure 5 is connected between the driving structure 3 and the hook structure 4, and the driving structure 3 drives the hook structure 4 to lock and / or release the rocket landing legs through the transmission structure 5. Through the above structure, it can ensure that the rocket landing legs are in the folded and compressed state, and can withstand the overload of the landing support flight environment, and can be smoothly unlocked after receiving the signal sent by the control platform, ensuring the stability and reliability of use.

[0058] like Figures 2 to 6As shown, in actual application, the hook structure 4 includes a first hook 41, a second hook 42, a first end shaft 43 and a second end shaft 44; in this embodiment, the clamping surfaces of the first hook 41 and the second hook 42 are provided with semicircular clamping grooves for clamping the rocket landing legs. When in use, the rocket landing legs are clamped and positioned in the two semicircular clamping grooves. During installation, the first hook 41 is rotatably connected to the support base 2 through the first end shaft 43; the second hook 42 is rotatably connected to the support base 2 through the second end shaft 44; in this embodiment, the back sides of the first hook 41 and the second hook 42 are V-shaped, which is a conventional setting method in the prior art, so it is not recorded in detail. At the same time, the transmission structure 5 is rotatably connected to the middle of the back side of the first hook 41 through the first rotating shaft 6; the transmission structure 5 drives the first hook 41 to clamp toward or away from the second hook 42; when in use, the first hook 41 and the second hook 42 cooperate to complete the locking and / or release of the rocket landing legs.

[0059] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, a latch stop groove 9 is provided on the second hook 42; a latch 10 is provided on the second hook 42 along the contraction angle of the rocket landing leg and can slide into the latch stop groove 9 at the same time. The latch 10 is mainly used to ensure that the rocket body 1 cannot be separated and detached under the complex aerodynamic environment of the outside world, and when in use, the latch 10 will cooperate with the second hook 42 to complete the locking of the rocket landing leg. When separation is required, the latch 10 slides outward from the second hook 42 to complete the separation action.

[0060] like Figures 2 to 6 As shown, in actual application, the driving structure 3 includes a piston actuating mechanism bracket 31, a piston actuating cylinder 32, a driver and a crank 33; wherein, during installation, the piston actuating mechanism bracket 31 is fixed to the side edge of the supporting base 2, and the piston actuating mechanism bracket 31 and the supporting base 2 are arranged vertically; the piston actuating cylinder 32 is fixed to the piston actuating mechanism bracket 31 and connected to the driver; the crank 33 is fixed to the end of the piston actuating cylinder 32, and the end of the crank 33 is rotatably connected to the transmission structure 5 through the second rotating shaft 7; the piston actuating cylinder 32 is retracted and drives the first hook 41 in the hook structure 44 to actuate through the transmission structure 5. wherein, the driver is a pneumatic or hydraulic driver, which mainly controls the first hook 41 to rotate a predetermined angle to complete the purpose of structural operation.

[0061] like Figures 2 to 6As shown, in actual application, the transmission structure 5 includes a connecting rod 51 and a reset spring 52; wherein one end of the connecting rod 51 is connected to the middle of the back side of the first hook 41 in the hook structure 4 through the first rotating shaft 6; the other end of the connecting rod 51 is connected to the crank 33 in the driving structure 3 through the second rotating shaft 7; one end of the reset spring 52 is fixed to the piston actuator bracket 31 in the driving structure 3 and the other end is connected to the end of the first rotating shaft 6. In this embodiment, there are two reset springs 52, which are symmetrically arranged. When resetting, the working state is that the landing legs of the recovered rocket are retracted to one side of the rocket body 1, and the latch 10 slides into the latch limit groove 9 of the second hook 42 along the contraction angle of the landing legs of the recovered rocket. After the air pressure in the inner cavity of the piston actuator cylinder 32 is extracted, the first hook 41 completes the reset and clamping action through the reset spring 52. The reset function is ensured by the reset spring 52.

[0062] In actual application, a guide slot is provided on the connecting rod 51, and the second rotating shaft 7 is rotatably and translationally arranged in the guide slot. Through the guide slot, the crank 33 can be matched to change from a single rotation operation to a sliding rotation operation, and the torque of the first hook 41 can be increased or decreased by the length of the guide slot, thereby better ensuring its stability in use.

[0063] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in actual application, the symmetrical edges of the piston actuating mechanism bracket 31 are fixed with a supporting connecting rod 8 by screws; there are two reset tension springs 52, and the two reset tension springs 52 are arranged at both ends of the first rotating shaft 6. The supporting connecting rod 8 and the reset tension spring 52 are both symmetrically arranged, and during installation, the middle part of the second hook 42 is fixed to the other end of the supporting connecting rod 8 by screws, which can ensure the stability and reliability of the overall structure.

[0064] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, in actual application, a limited telescopic rod 11 is provided in the middle of the support base 2, and the limited telescopic rod 11 abuts against the lower back of the first hook 41; when the first hook 41 is away from the second hook 42, the back abuts against the upper limit of the limited telescopic rod 11. In this embodiment, through the above structure, during the movement, it has a limited function, ensuring that the sub-stage arrow body does not collide during the operation, ensuring the stability and reliability of use, and can also achieve the purpose of repeated use.

[0065] The above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0066] 1. The structure of the embodiment of the present invention is reasonably arranged, including a support base, a driving structure, a hook structure and a transmission structure, which can effectively and quickly realize the locking and releasing of the rocket landing legs, is conducive to the connection and separation of the vertical recovery landing legs of the launch vehicle, and is stable and reliable to use. It replaces the traditional pyrotechnic device with a non-pyrotechnic device, which is conducive to reducing the production cycle and processing costs, and all components can be reused;

[0067] 2. The hook structure includes a first hook, a second hook, a first end shaft and a second end shaft. The driving structure cooperates with the transmission structure to effectively and quickly lock and release the rocket landing legs, thereby improving the flexibility of use. At the same time, its components can also be reused, which is conducive to reducing processing costs;

[0068] 3. The driving structure includes a piston actuator bracket, a piston actuator cylinder, a driver and a crank; the driver controls the actuation of the piston actuator cylinder, and the crank drives the transmission structure to actuate, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the driving control, and ensuring that the rocket landing legs will not separate from the rocket body in a complex aerodynamic environment of flight and that the landing legs will be released smoothly during vertical landing, making it stable and reliable to use;

[0069] 4. The transmission structure includes a connecting rod and a reset spring; the connecting rod can ensure the smooth transmission of the driving structure, and can be reset by the reset spring, thereby improving the effectiveness and stability of locking and separation;

[0070] 5. A guide slot is provided on the connecting rod, and the second rotating shaft is rotatably and translationally arranged in the guide slot, and can be guided and limited by the guide slot to ensure the accuracy and reliability of transmission;

[0071] 6. A latch limit groove is provided on the first hook claw; a latch is provided on the first hook claw which can slide into the latch limit groove along the contraction angle of the rocket landing leg at the same time. When in use, the reliability of locking the rocket landing leg is ensured by the latch, and the latch slides outward when separating, thereby improving the effectiveness and stability of the separation action;

[0072] 7. A limited telescopic rod is arranged in the middle of the support base, and the limited telescopic rod abuts against the lower back of the first hook claw; the opening of the first hook claw can be limited to prevent the first hook claw from colliding with the support base, which is beneficial to improve the service life and ensure subsequent reuse, and has strong applicability.

[0073] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper, lower, inner and outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the 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 direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first, second or third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0074] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install, connect, connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example: it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an integral connection; it can also be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0075] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications may be made thereto and parts thereof may be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there are no structural conflicts. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A reusable connecting and disconnecting device for rocket recovery, which is fixedly connected to the outer circumferential side of the rocket body (1) in a screw connection, characterized in that: It comprises a supporting base (2), a driving structure (3), a hook structure (4) and a transmission structure (5); The support base (2) is fixed on the circumferential outer side of the arrow body (1); The driving structure (3) is arranged on the supporting base (2), and the hook structure (4) is arranged in the middle of the supporting base (2); The transmission structure (5) is connected between the drive structure (3) and the hook structure (4), and the drive structure (3) drives the hook structure (4) to lock or release the rocket landing legs through the transmission structure (5); The driving structure (3) comprises a piston actuating mechanism bracket (31), a piston actuating cylinder (32), a driver and a crank (33); The piston actuating mechanism bracket (31) is fixed to the side edge of the supporting base (2), and the piston actuating mechanism bracket (31) and the supporting base (2) are arranged vertically; The piston actuating cylinder (32) is fixed on the piston actuating mechanism bracket (31) and connected to the driver; The crank (33) is fixed to the end of the piston cylinder (32), and the end of the crank (33) is rotatably connected to the transmission structure (5) via a second rotating shaft (7); The piston actuator (32) is retracted and drives the hook structure (4) to actuate through the transmission structure (5); The hook structure (4) comprises a first hook (41), a second hook (42), a first end shaft (43) and a second end shaft (44); The first hook (41) is rotatably connected to the support base (2) via the first end shaft (43); The second hook (42) is rotatably connected to the support base (2) via the second end shaft (44); The transmission structure (5) is rotatably connected to the middle of the back side of the first hook claw (41) via a first rotating shaft (6); The transmission structure (5) drives the first hook (41) to clamp toward or away from the second hook (42); The first hook (41) and the second hook (42) cooperate to complete the locking or releasing of the rocket landing legs; The second hook claw (42) is provided with a latch limiting groove (9); The second hook (42) is provided with a latch (10) which can slide into the latch limit groove (9) along the contraction angle of the rocket landing leg; when in use, the latch (10) cooperates with the second hook (42) to complete the locking of the rocket landing leg, and when separation is required, the latch (10) slides outward from the second hook (42) to complete the separation action; A limited telescopic rod (11) is provided in the middle of the support base (2), and the limited telescopic rod (11) abuts against the lower back of the first hook (41) to limit the opening of the first hook (41) and prevent the first hook (41) from colliding with the support base; When the first hook (41) is away from the second hook (42), the back surface thereof abuts against the upper limit position of the position-limiting telescopic rod (11); The clamping surfaces of the first hook (41) and the second hook (42) are provided with semicircular clamping grooves for clamping the rocket landing legs. When in use, the rocket landing legs are clamped and positioned in the two semicircular clamping grooves.

2. A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission structure (5) comprises a connecting rod (51) and a return tension spring (52); One end of the connecting rod (51) is connected to the hook structure (4) via a first rotating shaft (6); The other end of the connecting rod (51) is connected to the driving structure (3) via a second rotating shaft (7); One end of the return tension spring (52) is fixed on the driving structure (3) and the other end is connected to the end of the first rotating shaft (6).

3. A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connecting rod (51) is provided with a guide slot, and the second rotating shaft (7) is rotatably and translationally arranged in the guide slot.

4. A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driver is a pneumatic or hydraulic driver.

5. A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The symmetrical edges of the piston actuating mechanism bracket (31) are fixed with supporting connecting rods (8) via screws; The middle part of the second hook claw (42) is fixed to the other end of the supporting connecting rod (8) via a screw rod.

6. A reusable connection and separation device for rocket recovery according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are two return tension springs (52), and the two return tension springs (52) are arranged at two ends of the first rotating shaft (6).

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