A new type of vehicle instrument compartment structure

Abstract

The application provides a novel carrier instrument cabin structure, and relates to the technical field of carriers.The novel carrier instrument cabin structure is integrated in a second-stage box intersegment of a carrier rocket, and comprises a front and rear end frame, an instrument cabin outer shell, an instrument mounting plate, a support frame and an inertial measurement unit support.The instrument cabin outer shell is cylindrical.The front and rear end frame comprises an upper end frame and a lower end frame, and the upper end frame and the lower end frame are connected to the two ends of the instrument cabin outer shell respectively.The instrument mounting plate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell through the support frame, and is used for mounting instrument equipment.The inertial measurement unit support is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell, and is used for mounting inertial measurement unit equipment.The application cancels the independent instrument cabin of the upper stage, integrates the instrument cabin into the second-stage box intersegment, and installs most of the instrument equipment, pipelines and gas cylinders and the like in the second-stage box intersegment through reasonable layout, so that the structure of the carrier can be simplified, the weight of the upper stage can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the carrying capacity can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of launch vehicle technology, and in particular to a novel launch vehicle instrument compartment structure. Background Technology

[0002] The instrument compartment is the "brain" of a launch vehicle (such as a launch vehicle), belonging to the upper stage structure. It houses the instruments and equipment of the control system and other systems, as well as the final stage correction system. The instrument compartment is usually located in the front part of the rocket body, which is far from the engine, resulting in less vibration and is beneficial to the instruments and equipment.

[0003] In traditional launch vehicles, the instrument compartment is typically located between the fairing and the second-stage tank. It is mostly a separate compartment, making its design relatively simple and offering ample space. A large circumferential load-bearing structure is usually arranged inside or at the end of the instrument compartment to support the loads of the launch vehicle's instruments and equipment.

[0004] Independent instrument bays are ideal for sections with smaller core stage diameters, offering a compact instrument layout, high space utilization, and relatively good load-bearing rigidity. However, when the overall design of the section involves a larger core stage diameter, space utilization decreases. For example, a large circumferential load-bearing structure, such as a grid beam, octagonal beam, or circumferential stringer, is typically placed inside or on the end face of the instrument bay. These structures are supported at their roots on the rocket wall and circumferentially cross the entire section, capable of accommodating a sufficient number of instruments. However, the instruments we need often only occupy half the volume of the section, resulting in higher design and manufacturing costs, greater structural weight, and consequently, increased launch costs.

[0005] Therefore, the urgent technical problem to be solved is: how to provide a new type of instrument compartment structure for launch vehicles that simplifies the launch vehicle structure, reduces structural weight, lowers costs, and improves carrying capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a novel instrument compartment structure for a launch vehicle, eliminating the independent instrument compartment in the upper stage and integrating it into the secondary compartment. Through a rational layout, most instruments, equipment, pipelines, and gas cylinders are installed in the secondary compartment, which simplifies the launch vehicle structure, reduces the weight of the upper stage, lowers costs, and increases carrying capacity.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a novel launch vehicle instrument compartment structure, which is integrated into the second-stage inter-component section of a launch vehicle. The novel instrument compartment structure includes: front and rear end frames, an outer instrument compartment shell, an instrument mounting plate, a support frame, and an inertial navigation system (INS) bracket. The outer instrument compartment shell is cylindrical. The front and rear end frames include an upper frame and a lower frame, which are respectively connected to both ends of the outer instrument compartment shell. The instrument mounting plate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outer instrument compartment shell via the support frame, and is used to mount instruments and equipment. The INS bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outer instrument compartment shell, and is used to mount INS equipment.

[0008] The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure described above includes an outer shell comprising: a skin, stringers, stringer corner pieces, and a middle frame. The two ends of each stringer are fixedly connected to the upper frame and the lower frame, respectively. Multiple stringers are evenly spaced along the circumference of the upper frame. The skin is formed into a cylindrical shape and fixedly connected to the stringers. The stringer corner pieces are connected at the junctions of the stringers with the upper frame or with the lower frame. The middle frame is annular and fixedly connected to the inner wall of the skin.

[0009] The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure described above includes multiple intermediate frames, which are evenly spaced apart along the centerline of the skin.

[0010] In the novel instrument compartment structure of the vehicle described above, a gas cylinder bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outer shell of the instrument compartment, and a pressurized gas cylinder is fixedly connected to the gas cylinder bracket.

[0011] The novel instrument compartment structure of the launch vehicle described above, wherein, on the cross-section of the instrument compartment outer shell, with the center of the instrument compartment outer shell as the origin, the internal space of the instrument compartment outer shell is divided into four quadrants: quadrant I, quadrant II, quadrant III and quadrant IV, and the instrument mounting plates include multiple ones, and the multiple instrument mounting plates are located in different quadrants of the internal space of the instrument compartment outer shell.

[0012] In the novel vehicle instrument compartment structure described above, the support frame is a triangular brace, and the triangular brace comprises multiple braces, which are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument compartment outer shell along the circumferential direction.

[0013] In the novel vehicle instrument compartment structure described above, both the upper frame and the lower frame are structures that fold outwards along the edge of the instrument compartment outer shell. The upper frame and the lower frame are used for connection and force transmission with adjacent sections.

[0014] In the novel carrier instrument compartment structure described above, the cross-section of the stringers is a T-shaped structure.

[0015] In the novel vehicle instrument compartment structure described above, the cross-section of the intermediate frame is omega-shaped.

[0016] The novel instrument compartment structure of the launch vehicle described above, wherein the instrument mounting plate is made of composite material; and the outer shell of the instrument compartment is made of composite material and metal material.

[0017] The beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0018] (1) This application eliminates the independent instrument compartment structure of the upper stage and integrates the instrument compartment structure into the secondary compartment section. Most of the instruments, equipment, pipelines and gas cylinders are installed in the secondary compartment section, which can simplify the carrier structure, reduce the weight of the upper stage, reduce costs and improve carrying capacity.

[0019] (2) The instrument compartment structure of this application adopts a combination of composite materials and metal materials to achieve lightweighting of the main structure of the instrument compartment.

[0020] (3) This application installs the instruments and equipment and the booster cylinders in the secondary compartment. Through reasonable layout, the cables and cylinder pipelines are arranged independently, which reduces the difficulty of final assembly, effectively improves the efficiency of final assembly, and maximizes the space utilization. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 This application provides a three-dimensional representation of a novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 .

[0023] Figure 2 This application provides a three-dimensional representation of a novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 .

[0024] Reference numerals: 1-Front and rear end frames; 2-Skin; 3-Stringer; 4-Stringer corner piece; 5-Middle frame; 6-Pressure cylinder; 7-Instrument mounting plate; 8-Triangular brace; 9-Inertial navigation system bracket; 11-Upper frame; 12-Lower frame; 13-Triangular brace fixing seat. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, this application provides a novel launch vehicle instrument compartment structure, which is integrated into the second stage compartment of a launch vehicle. The novel launch vehicle instrument compartment structure includes: front and rear end frames 1, an instrument compartment outer shell, an instrument mounting plate 7, a support frame, and an inertial navigation system (INS) bracket 9. The instrument compartment outer shell is cylindrical. The front and rear end frames 1 include an upper frame 11 and a lower frame 12, which are respectively connected to both ends of the instrument compartment outer shell. The instrument mounting plate 7 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument compartment outer shell via the support frame and is used to install instruments and equipment. The INS bracket 9 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument compartment outer shell and is used to install inertial navigation system (INS) equipment.

[0027] This application presents a novel instrument compartment structure for launch vehicles, integrated into the second-stage chamber of a launch vehicle. Instruments, equipment, and pressurized gas cylinders (6) are housed within this chamber. Through a rational layout, cables and gas cylinder pipelines are routed independently, reducing assembly complexity, improving assembly efficiency, and maximizing space utilization. This application is applicable to different types of stage sub-stages, reducing sub-stage weight and increasing payload capacity.

[0028] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front and rear end frames 1 are outward-folding frame structures, whose main functions are to connect with adjacent sections and transmit force. The front and rear end frames 1 are made of 7A04 aluminum alloy forgings, and the front and rear end frames 1 are connected to the skin 2 and the stringers 3.

[0029] like Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the outer shell of the instrument compartment includes: a skin 2, stringers 3, stringer corner pieces 4, and a middle frame 5. The two ends of the stringers 3 are fixedly connected to the upper frame 11 and the lower frame 12, respectively. There are multiple stringers 3, which are evenly spaced along the circumference of the upper frame 11. The skin 2 is formed into a cylindrical shape and fixedly connected to the stringers 3. The stringer corner pieces 4 are connected at the connection between the stringers 3 and the upper frame 11 or the connection between the stringers 3 and the lower frame 12. The middle frame 5 is annular and fixedly connected to the inner wall of the skin 2.

[0030] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the skin 2 is a plate structure of uniform thickness. The skin 2 has a certain degree of flexibility and can be wrapped into a cylindrical shape. The skin 2 is fixedly riveted to the front and rear end frames 1 by multiple stringers 3. Preferably, the material of the skin 2 is aluminum metal, which mainly serves to maintain the shape, transmit shear force, and install instrument cables.

[0031] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate frame 5 includes a plurality of intermediate frames 5, which are evenly spaced apart along the center line direction of the skin 2.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, a gas cylinder bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin shell, and a pressurized gas cylinder 6 is fixedly connected to the gas cylinder bracket.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, on the cross-section of the instrument cabin outer shell, with the center of the instrument cabin outer shell as the origin, the internal space of the instrument cabin outer shell is divided into four quadrants: quadrant I, quadrant II, quadrant III and quadrant IV. There are multiple instrument mounting plates 7, and multiple instrument mounting plates 7 are located in different quadrants of the internal space of the instrument cabin outer shell.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pressurized gas cylinder 6 is installed in the second, third and fourth quadrants of the internal space of the instrument cabin shell by means of a gas cylinder bracket in a reasonable layout. The gas cylinder bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin shell by riveting.

[0035] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the support frame is a triangular brace 8, and multiple triangular braces 8 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell along the circumferential direction. Preferably, the multiple triangular braces 8 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell by a triangular brace fixing seat 13. The triangular brace fixing seat 13 is annular and is fixed to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell along the circumferential direction. The multiple triangular braces 8 are spaced apart on the triangular brace fixing seat 13 along the circumferential direction. The triangular brace fixing seat 13 is used to fix and install the triangular braces 8.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the triangular brace 8 is mainly used to fix the instrument mounting plate 7. Preferably, the triangular brace 8 is made of composite material. The triangular brace 8 is triangular in shape. The side of the triangular brace 8 is screwed to the inner wall of the instrument compartment shell, and the upper end face of the triangular brace 8 is fixedly connected to the instrument mounting plate 7. The triangular brace 8 is used to fix and support the instrument mounting plate 7, thereby improving the stability of the instrument mounting plate 7 during installation.

[0037] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the instrument mounting plate 7 is fixed inside the instrument cabin shell in a direction perpendicular to the instrument cabin shell. The upper surface of the instrument mounting plate 7 forms a horizontal surface that supports the instrument equipment, thereby realizing the installation and fixation of the instrument equipment.

[0038] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, both the upper frame 11 and the lower frame 12 are structures that fold outward along the edge of the instrument cabin outer shell. The upper frame 11 and the lower frame 12 are used to connect with adjacent sections and transmit force.

[0039] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section of the stringer 3 is a T-shaped structure. The stringer 3 is fixed to the upper frame 11, the lower frame 12, and the skin 2 by means of bolts and rivets. Preferably, the stringer 3 is made of composite material, and its function is to achieve longitudinal load-bearing, that is, the stringer 3 is supported between the upper frame 11 and the lower frame 12.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stringer corner piece 4 is a metal plate structure. One end of the stringer corner piece 4 is fixedly connected to the stringer 3 and the other end is fixedly connected to the upper frame 11, or one end of the stringer corner piece 4 is fixedly connected to the stringer 3 and the other end is fixedly connected to the lower frame 12. The main function of the stringer corner piece 4 is to facilitate stress diffusion and prevent excessive stress concentration at the connection between the stringer 3 and the upper frame 11 or the lower frame 12.

[0041] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section of the intermediate frame 5 is omega-shaped (Ω-shaped). The intermediate frames 5 are fixed at equal intervals to the inner side of the skin 2, and the fixing method of the intermediate frames 5 is riveting. The material of the intermediate frames 5 is a composite material integrally molded from T700 grade carbon fiber. The main function of the intermediate frames 5 is to provide intermediate support for the longitudinal structural members (stringers 3), that is, lateral support.

[0042] As a specific embodiment of the present invention, the instrument mounting plate 7 is made of composite material; the outer shell of the instrument compartment is made of composite material and metal material. The instrument compartment structure of this application adopts a combination of composite material and metal material to achieve lightweighting of the main structure of the instrument compartment, thus reducing its weight.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the instrument mounting plate 7 is mainly used to mount instruments and equipment. The instrument mounting plate 7 overlaps the triangular support 8 and the intermediate frame 5. The instrument mounting plate 7 adopts a sandwich structure of carbon fiber panel and honeycomb core. The instrument mounting plate 7 is fan-shaped and is distributed in an independent area in the first quadrant of the internal space of the instrument cabin, ensuring that the instruments and equipment and the piping system are set up separately and do not interfere with each other.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inertial navigation system (INS) bracket 9 is mainly used to install the INS device. The INS bracket 9 is made of metal. Due to the high precision installation requirements of the INS device, the INS bracket 9 needs to be independent of other equipment and fixed separately to a region on the inner wall of the instrument compartment shell to separate it from other instruments and equipment. An access port is provided on the top of the INS bracket 9 to facilitate the disassembly or installation of the INS device during INS testing.

[0045] The beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0046] (1) This application eliminates the independent instrument cabin structure of the upper stage and integrates the instrument cabin structure into the secondary compartment section. Through reasonable layout, most instruments, equipment, pipelines and gas cylinders are installed in the secondary compartment section, which can simplify the carrier structure, reduce the weight of the upper stage, reduce costs and improve carrying capacity.

[0047] (2) The instrument compartment structure of this application adopts a combination of composite materials and metal materials to achieve lightweighting of the main structure of the instrument compartment.

[0048] (3) This application installs the instruments and equipment and the booster cylinders in the secondary compartment. Through reasonable layout, the cables and cylinder pipelines are arranged independently, which reduces the difficulty of final assembly, effectively improves the efficiency of final assembly, and maximizes the space utilization.

[0049] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0050] In the description of this application, the word "for example" is used to mean "used as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "for example" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. Details are set forth in the following description for purposes of explanation. It should be understood that those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be made without using these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes will not be described in detail to avoid obscuring the description of the invention with unnecessary detail. Therefore, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is consistent with the broadest scope of the principles and features disclosed in this application.

[0051] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A novel instrument compartment structure for a launch vehicle, characterized in that, The instrument compartment of this new launch vehicle is integrated into the second stage compartment of the launch vehicle, eliminating the need for a separate instrument compartment in the upper stage. The instrument compartment structure of the new launch vehicle includes: front and rear end frames, instrument compartment outer shell, instrument mounting plate, support frame and inertial navigation system support; The outer shell of the instrument compartment is cylindrical; The front and rear end frames include an upper end frame and a lower end frame, which are respectively connected to both ends of the instrument cabin outer shell; The instrument mounting plate is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin shell via the support frame, and the instrument mounting plate is used to install instruments and equipment. The inertial navigation system bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell, and the inertial navigation system bracket is used to install the inertial navigation system equipment. The inertial navigation system (INS) support is independent of other equipment and is fixed to a specific area on the inner wall of the instrument cabin to separate it from other instruments and equipment. An access port is provided on the top of the INS support to facilitate the disassembly or installation of the INS equipment during INS testing. Specifically, on the cross-section of the instrument cabin outer shell, with the center of the outer shell as the origin, the internal space of the instrument cabin outer shell is divided into four quadrants: Quadrant I, Quadrant II, Quadrant III, and Quadrant IV. The instrument mounting plate comprises multiple components. Multiple instrument mounting plates are located in different quadrants of the internal space of the instrument cabin exterior. The support frame is a triangular brace. The triangular brace includes multiple braces, which are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin outer shell along the circumferential direction.

2. The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The instrument cabin outer shell includes: skin, stringers, stringer corner pieces, and intermediate frame. The two ends of the stringer are fixedly connected to the upper frame and the lower frame, respectively; The stringers include a plurality of them, and the plurality of stringers are evenly spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the upper frame; The skin is wrapped into a cylindrical shape and fixedly connected to the stringers; The stringer corner piece is connected at the connection between the stringer and the upper frame or at the connection between the stringer and the lower frame; The middle frame is circular and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the skin.

3. The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The intermediate frame comprises multiple frames, which are evenly spaced apart along the centerline of the skin.

4. The novel instrument compartment structure of the launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, A gas cylinder bracket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the instrument cabin shell, and a pressurized gas cylinder is fixedly connected to the gas cylinder bracket.

5. The novel instrument compartment structure of a launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the upper frame and the lower frame are structures that fold outwards along the edge of the instrument cabin outer shell. The upper frame and the lower frame are used to connect with adjacent sections and transmit force.

6. The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cross-section of the stringer is T-shaped.

7. The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cross-section of the middle frame is omega-shaped.

8. The novel vehicle instrument compartment structure according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The instrument mounting plate is made of composite material; The outer shell of the instrument compartment is made of composite materials and metal materials.

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