Tilted hydrophone arrays for pressure compensation

Abstract

The application discloses a tiltable drainage curved disc transducer dense array and method for depth-keeping air pressure compensation, which comprises a deep water worm gear electric elevator assembly and a plurality of upper and lower arranged curved disc transducers and two switching boxes connected with the plurality of curved disc transducers, the plurality of curved disc transducers are connected by Kevlar ropes to keep the array formation, and the deep water worm gear electric elevator assembly is connected with the uppermost curved disc transducer through the Kevlar rope. The application enables the deep water curved disc transducer to form a small angle inclination through the motor transmission mechanism to drive each array element in the transducer dense array at the depth-keeping position, when the gas cable inflates the transducer cavity and simultaneously completes the drainage process, so that the transducer array element can make the water in the transducer flow on a plane slope to collect and drain under the action of the gravity of the transducer itself without changing the original structure of the transducer, so that the transducer can work efficiently, and the operation is simple and convenient, and the safety coefficient is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of transducers, and in particular relates to a dense array of tiltable drainage curved disk transducers for constant depth air pressure compensation and a method thereof. Background Art

[0002] At present, the use of a close-packed array of curved disk transducers is mostly to arrange the transducers coaxially with the vertical line of the axis perpendicular to the ground plane. In order to solve the problem of the close-packed array of curved disk transmitting transducers for fixed depth inflation and deflation, inflating the inner cavity at a fixed depth position while discharging the water in the cavity, and finally achieving the goal of filling the inner cavity with high-pressure gas of equal pressure to the external water pressure, a close-packed array of curved disk transducers with tiltable drainage for fixed depth air pressure compensation is designed. The inner cavity of the transducer is filled with water before reaching the specified depth, in order to prevent damage to the transducer caused by imbalance of internal and external pressures due to rapid deployment; after reaching the fixed depth position, the external air source transmits air to the inner cavity of the transducer through the air pipe, while using the density difference between water and gas to drain the water in the inner cavity, so that the transducer has an efficient working state.

[0003] Inflating and deflating the transducer at a fixed depth is a safe and reliable method for quickly deploying and recovering low-frequency sound sources. Specifically, this method is to pre-fill the original internal air cavity of the transducer that has insufficient ability to resist hydrostatic pressure with liquid. After it is deployed to the specified depth, the inner cavity is inflated and the pre-filled liquid is discharged through the dry-end air source, so as to achieve the purpose of filling the transducer cavity with high-pressure gas. During the final recovery, the gas can be discharged and the external liquid can flow into the cavity, which can then be quickly recovered. This method will not cause damage to the transducer due to excessive internal and external pressure differences throughout the process. Compared with the method of full-depth real-time air pressure compensation, it is safer and more reliable. This method proposes a new design direction for the transducer. It is necessary to make the inner cavity watertight, and to reserve channels for easy entry and exit of air and water.

[0004] As is well known, to reduce operating frequency, multiple identical transmitting transducers are coaxially arranged to form a close-packed array. To facilitate underwater deployment and minimize space requirements, close-packed arrays of curved disk transducers are often stacked, with the axis perpendicular to the ground plane. However, due to the structural limitations of traditional curved disk transducers, water is dispersed on a single plane and cannot converge, making it impossible to drain all the water from the cavity using the gas-liquid density difference. This is detrimental to the establishment of the aforementioned air and water inlet and outlet channels.

[0005] Currently, there are few patents and articles on deep-water transducers for air pressure compensation. There is no content on fixed-depth air pressure compensation using densely packed arrays of transducers, and there is currently no solution. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the problem of residual water when the curved disc transducer is inflated and drained into the inner cavity at a fixed depth position underwater, the present invention provides a tiltable drainage curved disc transducer close-packed array and method for fixed-depth air pressure compensation, so that when the deep-water curved disc transducer is at a fixed depth position, the air cable inflates the inner cavity of the transducer and completes the drainage process at the same time. The motor transmission mechanism drives each array element in the transducer close-packed array to form a small angle tilt, so that the transducer array element can collect and drain the water in the transducer by its own gravity on a plane slope without changing its original structure, so that the transducer can work efficiently, be simple and convenient to operate, and have a high safety factor.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a dense array of tiltable drainage curved disc transducers for constant depth air pressure compensation, including a deep-water worm gear electric lift assembly and a plurality of curved disc transducers arranged vertically and two adapter boxes connecting the plurality of curved disc transducers. The plurality of curved disc transducers are connected by Kevlar ropes to maintain the array formation, and the deep-water worm gear electric lift assembly is connected to the uppermost curved disc transducer by Kevlar ropes.

[0008] Preferably, the inner cavity cable interfaces of the bending disk transducer are all watertight, and the side of the bending disk transducer is opened and equipped with depth and air pressure sensors for monitoring the internal air pressure and external water pressure.

[0009] Preferably, the curved disc transducer is provided with two sealed openings as gas and liquid inlet and outlet channels, with openings on the circumferential side wall. The two sealed openings are respectively an upper interface and a lower interface. The two interfaces are in the same plane and the axis of the transducer is also in the plane. The two interfaces are opposite to each other on the left and right, the upper interface is located on the right, and the lower interface is located on the left. The right hole is close to the upper plate, and the left hole is close to the lower plate.

[0010] Preferably, the array spacing of the curved disc transducers is controlled by installing pads or bundling Kevlar ropes of equal length between upper and lower adjacent transducers.

[0011] Preferably, an upper mounting plate is fixed to the bottom of the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly, and the upper mounting plate and multiple curved disc transducers are strung together by rigid guide rods to prevent position displacement or even slippage and dislocation during movement.

[0012] Preferably, the deep-water worm gear electric lift assembly realizes the up and down movement of the curved disc transducer close-packed array at a certain suspension point by controlling the power supply of the motor, and other electric drive equipment can also be used to achieve the same purpose by completing the up and down degree of freedom change.

[0013] Preferably, the two adapter boxes are respectively an upper adapter box and a lower adapter box, each upper interface is connected to the upper adapter box by an independent high-pressure hose, and the position of the upper adapter box is higher than the entire close-packed array, and each lower interface is connected to the lower adapter box by an independent high-pressure hose, and the position of the lower adapter box is lower than the entire close-packed array.

[0014] Preferably, the connection between the upper mounting plate and the uppermost curved disc transducer is located on opposite sides, one side of which is fixed by directly binding each other with Kevlar ropes, and the other side is bound to the lower end of the screw of the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly with a slightly shorter Kevlar rope.

[0015] A working method of a tiltable drainage curved disk transducer close-packed array for constant-depth air pressure compensation. When the transducer close-packed array is deployed to a specified depth, a deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly is started, pulling the right Kevlar rope to rise, while the left Kevlar rope remains unchanged. Guide rods at two symmetrical positions slide vertically upward along a preset track, and the transducer close-packed array as a whole tilts at a small angle of 10°. At this time, the lower adapter box is in an open state, and the valve at the upper end adapter box is opened. At the same time, high-pressure gas outside the adapter box is inflated to the inside through the gas cable. At this time, the liquid in the transducer cavity space will be gradually discharged due to the difference in gas-liquid density. After the transducer cavity is inflated, the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly is reversed and moved in the opposite direction, and the symmetrical rigid guide rods at both ends slide in the opposite direction, so that the close-packed array returns to its original position and is in a horizontal state.

[0016] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: when the deep-water curved disc transducer is at a fixed depth position, the air cable inflates the inner cavity of the transducer and simultaneously completes the drainage process, and the motor transmission mechanism drives each array element in the densely packed array of the transducer to form a small angle tilt, so that the transducer array element can collect and drain the water in the transducer by its own gravity on a plane slope without changing its original structure, so that the transducer can work efficiently, be simple and convenient to operate, and have a high safety factor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the tilt of a close-packed array of curved disk transducers according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the air cable connection of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0021] Example 1

[0022] like Figure 1-3 As shown, a tiltable drainage curved disk transducer dense array for constant depth air pressure compensation includes a deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly 1, four identical curved disk transducers 2, two Kevlar ropes 3, two rigid guide rods 4, an upper mounting plate 5, a depth and air pressure sensor 6, an upper interface 7, a lower interface 8, and an adapter box 9. The adapter box 9 is further divided into an upper adapter box and a lower adapter box, wherein the upper adapter box needs to be placed above the curved disk dense array, and the lower adapter box needs to be placed below the curved disk dense array.

[0023] The deep-water worm gear electric lift assembly 1 is rigidly fixed to the upper mounting plate 5, and the upper mounting plate 5 fixes the curved disc transducers 2 in series in an array up and down through four points evenly distributed around the circumference. Two opposite points are selected for the connection between the upper mounting plate 5 and the first curved disc transducer from top to bottom. One is fixed by a Kevlar rope 3 and tied to each other, and the other is connected to the lower end of the screw of the deep-water worm gear electric lift assembly through a slightly shorter Kevlar rope to tie the transducer. The other two opposite points are penetrated into the rigid guide rod through the upper mounting plate to limit the up and down movement of the densely packed array of transducers. The connections between adjacent transducers are flexibly connected by pre-cut Kevlar ropes of equal length.

[0024] The inner cavity cable interface of the curved disc transducer 2 is all watertight, and its side is opened and installed with a depth and air pressure sensor 6 to monitor the internal air pressure and external water pressure; in addition, the curved disc transducer 2 is provided with two sealed openings as gas and liquid inlet and outlet channels, with openings on the circumferential side wall. The two sealed openings are an upper interface 7 and a lower interface 8, respectively. The two interfaces are in the same plane and the axis of the transducer is also in the plane. The two interfaces are opposite to each other on the left and right, with the upper interface 7 on the right and the lower interface 8 on the left. The right hole is close to the upper plate and the left hole is close to the lower plate.

[0025] Example 2

[0026] When the densely packed transducer array reaches the designated depth, the deepwater worm gear electric elevator assembly activates, pulling the right single rope upward while the left single rope remains unchanged. Two symmetrical guide rods (4) slide vertically upward along a pre-set track, causing the densely packed transducer array to tilt slightly by 10°. At this point, the lower adapter box is open, and the valve on the upper adapter box is opened. Simultaneously, high-pressure gas from outside the adapter box is pumped into the interior through the gas cable. This causes the internal space of the transducers to gradually drain due to the density difference between gas and liquid. As the transducer tilts, its own horizontal circular plate tilts with it, allowing liquid to collect at the left outlet. This drainage phenomenon also occurs in the densely packed transducers above and below. Over time, the liquid will completely drain from the internal space through the lower adapter box, and the entire water-filled space inside the transducer will be filled with gas. At this point, the inlet and outlet valves of the lower adapter box can be closed, but they can be left open for short-term operation.

[0027] After the transducer cavity is inflated, the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly is reversed and moves in the opposite direction, and the symmetrical rigid guide rods at both ends slide in the opposite direction, so that the dense array returns to its original position and is in a horizontal state.

[0028] Example 3

[0029] The present invention utilizes the original double adapter box in the fixed-depth inflation and exhaust system. Except for the deep-water worm gear electric elevator component, no other equipment is added, the structure of the transducer itself is not changed, and there is no coupling effect with the transducer. Therefore, the impact on the performance of the transducer is negligible, and the weight increase of the system is negligible. In addition, the working method is simple and efficient, there is no time waste in the drainage and inflation links, and the cost is very advantageous. There are no expensive electromechanical equipment, and mature products are used.

[0030] The present invention can be used in a deepwater fixed-depth air pressure compensation curved disk transducer close-packed array transmitting system, and the transducer cavity has the characteristic of sharing air and liquid paths.

[0031] The above description of the specific embodiments is only used to help understand and apply the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments without departing from the principles of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments in this application. Modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention should all fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A close-packed array of tiltable drainage curved disk transducers for constant depth air pressure compensation, characterized by: The deepwater worm gear electric lift assembly comprises a plurality of curved disc transducers arranged vertically and two adapter boxes connecting the plurality of curved disc transducers. The plurality of curved disc transducers are connected by Kevlar ropes to maintain the formation of an array. The deepwater worm gear electric lift assembly is connected to the uppermost curved disc transducer via the Kevlar ropes. The inner cavity cable interface of the curved disc transducer is watertight, and the side of the curved disc transducer is opened and equipped with depth and air pressure sensors for monitoring the internal air pressure and external water pressure; The curved disc transducer is provided with two sealed openings as gas and liquid inlet and outlet channels, the openings being on the circumferential side wall, the two sealed openings being an upper interface and a lower interface respectively, the two interfaces being in the same plane and the axis of the transducer also being in the same plane, the two interfaces being opposite to each other on the left and the upper interface being on the right and the lower interface being on the left, the right hole being in close contact with the upper plate and the left hole being in close contact with the lower plate; The array spacing of the curved disc transducers is controlled by installing pads or tying Kevlar ropes of equal length between upper and lower adjacent transducers; An upper mounting plate is fixed to the bottom of the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly. The upper mounting plate and multiple curved disc transducers are strung together by rigid guide rods to prevent position deviation or even slippage and dislocation during movement.

2. The close-packed array of tiltable drainage curved disk transducers for constant depth air pressure compensation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deepwater worm gear electric elevator assembly realizes the up and down movement of the curved disc transducer close-packed array at a certain hanging point by controlling the power supply of the motor, or uses other electric drive equipment to complete the up and down degree of freedom change to achieve the same purpose.

3. The tiltable drainage curved disk transducer close-packed array for constant depth air pressure compensation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two adapter boxes are the upper adapter box and the lower adapter box. Each upper interface is connected to the upper adapter box by an independent high-pressure hose. The position of the upper adapter box is higher than the entire close-packed array. Each lower interface is connected to the lower adapter box by an independent high-pressure hose. The position of the lower adapter box is lower than the entire close-packed array.

4. The tiltable drainage curved disk transducer close-packed array for constant depth air pressure compensation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connection between the upper mounting plate and the uppermost curved disc transducer is located on opposite sides, one side of which is fixed by directly binding each other with Kevlar ropes, and the other side is bound to the lower end of the screw of the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly with a slightly shorter Kevlar rope.

5. A method for operating the tiltable drainage curved disk transducer array for constant depth air pressure compensation according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the transducer close-packed array is deployed to the specified depth, the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly starts, pulling the right Kevlar rope to rise, while the left Kevlar rope remains unchanged. The guide rods at two symmetrical positions slide vertically upward along the preset track, and the transducer close-packed array as a whole tilts at a small angle of 10°. At this time, the lower adapter box is in the open state, and the valve at the upper end of the adapter box is opened. At the same time, the high-pressure gas outside the adapter box is inflated to the inside through the gas cable. At this time, the liquid in the transducer cavity space will gradually be discharged due to the difference in gas-liquid density; after the transducer cavity is inflated, the deep-water worm gear electric elevator assembly is reversed and moved in the opposite direction, and the symmetrical rigid guide rods at both ends slide in the opposite direction, so that the close-packed array returns to its original position and is in a horizontal state.

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