Adjusting mechanism for tail vane of underwater vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of underwater vehicles, in particular to an underwater vehicle tail vane adjusting mechanism which comprises four vane plates arranged on the circumferential outer wall of a vehicle shell in a cross shape, a steering engine bin and a steering engine, the steering engine bin and the steering engine are arranged in the shell, and a sealing cavity for containing the steering engine is formed in the steering engine bin. The transmission shafts are arranged in the steering engine cabins and connected with the steering engine cabins in a sealed mode, output shafts of the four steering engines are connected with the rudder plates in a one-to-one correspondence mode through the transmission shafts, and the output shafts of the steering engines can drive the rudder plates to rotate through the transmission shafts when rotating; through the arrangement of the cross-shaped rudder plates and the steering engines in one-to-one correspondence with the rudder plates, all-dimensional flexible control over the attitude of the underwater vehicle can be achieved, the four rudder plates can work independently or cooperatively, the pitching attitude, the course and the like of the vehicle can be adjusted at the same time according to needs, the maneuverability of the vehicle is remarkably improved, and the underwater vehicle is convenient to use. And due to the design of the four independently operated rudder plates, each rudder plate can compensate counter torque generated by the propellers according to needs, and the influence of the counter torque on the attitude of the aircraft is counteracted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of underwater vehicles, and in particular to a tail rudder adjustment mechanism for an underwater vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The ocean is rich in mineral resources, biological resources and space resources, and is the hope for mankind to solve resource problems. As an important tool for human exploration and development of marine resources, underwater vehicles have broad application prospects. When underwater vehicles are operating, they are often required to have high autonomy, that is, to be able to quickly and flexibly control their attitude. There are two main methods for attitude control of underwater vehicles: tail rudder control and multi-propeller joint control. Compared with multi-propeller control, tail rudder control has the advantages of simple control, low cost, and low energy consumption. In addition, since the propeller often forms a certain counter-torque in the opposite direction of the propeller rotation when working in the water, the faster the speed, the greater the counter-torque, which will affect the motion stability and reliability of the vehicle. Therefore, using a tail rudder to control the attitude of the vehicle is a relatively widespread method.

[0003] CN110733621A proposes a tail rudder adjustment mechanism based on linear transmission. The mechanism is fixed on the tail housing through the first and second chucks and is packaged as a whole. When the linear magnetic coupling motor moves axially through the telescopic rod, it will drive the first wing plate and the second wing plate to rotate and swing around the rotating shaft of the second chuck hinge. When the first wing plate and the second wing plate are in the left and right directions of the aircraft, the up and down rotation of the wing plate will cause the aircraft to swing up and down around the buoyancy center, thereby realizing the pitch attitude control of the aircraft. When the first wing plate and the second wing plate are in the upper and lower directions of the aircraft, the left and right rotation of the wing plate will cause the aircraft to swing left and right around the buoyancy center, thereby realizing the yaw attitude control of the aircraft. This mechanism can provide a large swing torque for the tail rudder, but only one pair of wing plates can rotate. When the attitude needs to be changed from pitch adjustment to yaw adjustment, the aircraft itself needs to rotate 90°, which undoubtedly increases the control difficulty and cost, and also means that the pitch and yaw attitudes of the aircraft cannot be adjusted at the same time.

[0004] CN117163272A proposes a tail rudder adjustment mechanism based on gear transmission. The mechanism uses two steering gears as power sources, which respectively drive a pair of bevel gears to perform meshing motion, so that the tail rudder rotates at a specified angle to control the posture of the underwater vehicle during movement. The mechanism has a simple structure and can achieve rapid adjustment of the tail rudder, but uses multiple sets of gears for transmission, which increases the difficulty of installation and the size of the mechanism, and is not conducive to use on some small underwater vehicles.

[0005] CN213566412U designs a tail rudder adjustment mechanism based on a waterproof servo. The mechanism adopts a transmission combination of a waterproof servo and a gear set, so that the tail rudder adjustment mechanism does not need to design an additional waterproof structure, reducing the assembly process and installation cost. However, the sealed cavity of the waterproof servo is relatively thin and usually has poor pressure resistance, which means that the aircraft cannot operate in deeper waters. If the sealed cavity is thickened, not only will the overall size and weight of the tail rudder adjustment mechanism be increased, but also the manufacturing cost will be increased, so the versatility is poor. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a tail rudder adjustment mechanism for an underwater vehicle, aiming to solve one or more problems in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] The tail rudder adjustment mechanism of an underwater vehicle comprises: four rudder plates arranged in a cross shape on the circumferential outer wall of the vehicle shell, a steering gear compartment and a steering gear arranged in the shell, a sealed chamber for accommodating the steering gear formed in the steering gear compartment, a transmission shaft arranged in the steering gear compartment and sealedly connected to the steering gear compartment, the output shafts of the four steering gears are connected to the rudder plates one by one through the transmission shaft, and when the output shaft of the steering gear rotates, the rudder plates can be driven to rotate through the transmission shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, the angle of rotation of the steering gear output shaft is the same as the angle of rotation of the rudder plate.

[0010] Furthermore, the steering gear compartment includes a sealing column extending outward from its circumferential side wall, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the steering gear output end, and the other end of the transmission shaft passes through the sealing column and is connected to the rudder plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the sealing column is a hollow cylindrical structure, a sealing ring sleeve is arranged inside the sealing column, the sealing ring sleeve is sleeved on the transmission shaft, the outer wall of the sealing ring sleeve is tightly fitted with the inner wall of the sealing column, and the inner wall of the sealing ring sleeve is tightly fitted with the outer wall of the transmission shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, the outer wall of the sealing ring sleeve is provided with two sealing grooves, and outer sealing rings are arranged in each of the sealing grooves.

[0013] Furthermore, three sealing grooves are provided on the inner wall of the sealing ring sleeve, an inner sealing ring is provided in the middle sealing groove, and Panset sealing rings are provided in the sealing grooves on both sides of the inner sealing ring.

[0014] Furthermore, the sealing column is detachably arranged on the steering gear compartment by means of bolts, and a sealing ring on the end face of the sealing column is arranged between the sealing column and the steering gear compartment.

[0015] Furthermore, an annular step portion is provided on the outer periphery of the transmission shaft, and a thrust ball bearing is installed on the side of the transmission shaft step portion away from the rudder plate, with one side of the thrust ball bearing in contact with the step portion and the other side in contact with the steering gear compartment.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes an output shaft connecting piece, which is arranged on the steering gear output shaft, the output shaft connecting piece is key-connected with the steering gear output shaft, and the steering gear output shaft is connected to the transmission shaft through the output shaft connecting piece.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes a cross connector, which is arranged between the output shaft connector and the transmission shaft and connects the output shaft connector and the transmission shaft. The torque generated by the rotation of the steering gear can be transmitted to the transmission shaft through the cross connector.

[0018] The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism and control method thereof described in the present invention have the beneficial effects that: through the cross-shaped rudder plates and the setting of servos corresponding to the rudder plates one by one, all-round and flexible control of the underwater vehicle's attitude can be achieved, and the four rudder plates can work independently or in coordination, and the pitch attitude, heading, etc. of the vehicle can be adjusted simultaneously as needed, which significantly improves the maneuverability of the vehicle, and the design of the four independently operating rudder plates enables each rudder plate to compensate for the counter-torque generated by the propeller as needed, thereby offsetting the influence of the counter-torque on the vehicle's attitude. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is an enlarged view of part A of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1. housing; 2. steering gear compartment; 3. steering gear; 4. front end cover of the steering gear compartment; 5. sealing column; 6. sealing ring; 7. cover plate; 8. transmission shaft; 9. rudder plate; 10. Vanset sealing ring; 11. inner sealing ring; 12. outer sealing ring; 13. sealing ring on the end face of the sealing column; 14. thrust ball bearing; 15. cross connector; 16. steering gear output shaft connector; 17. end cover sealing ring; 18. rear end cover of the steering gear compartment; 19. steering gear mounting plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Typical embodiments that embody the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various changes in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are essentially used for illustration purposes rather than for limiting the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0025] In order to further illustrate the principle and structure of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] like Figure 1-3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a tail rudder adjustment mechanism for an underwater vehicle, comprising: a rudder plate 9 arranged on a shell 1 of the vehicle, and a steering gear compartment 2 and a steering gear 3 arranged in the shell 1, wherein there are four rudder plates 9, and the four rudder plates 9 are evenly arranged in a "cross shape" on the circumferential outer wall of the shell 1 of the vehicle, and a sealed chamber for accommodating the steering gear 3 is formed in the steering gear compartment 2, and the sealed chamber effectively protects the steering gear 3 from the influence of the underwater environment, so that the vehicle can operate in a deeper underwater environment; the steering gear 3 serves as a power source, and drives the transmission shaft 8 through the rotation of its output shaft, thereby driving the rudder plate 9 to rotate.

[0027] The number of the above-mentioned servos 3 is the same as that of the rudder plates 9, which are four. The four servos 3 can operate independently of each other. This design enables each rudder plate 9 to compensate for the counter-torque generated by the propeller as needed. When the propeller rotates to generate counter-torque, the rudder plate 9 in the corresponding direction can be controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby offsetting the influence of the counter-torque on the attitude of the aircraft. In addition, this design enables each servo 3 to independently adjust the attitude of the aircraft through the rudder plate 9. When it is necessary to adjust the pitch attitude of the aircraft, the rudder plates 9 located in the left and right directions can be controlled to rotate; when it is necessary to adjust the heading of the aircraft, the rudder plates 9 located in the up and down directions can be controlled to rotate; it is also possible to adjust the rudder plates 9 located in the up and down and left and right directions at the same time, and adjust the pitch attitude and heading of the aircraft at the same time, which can significantly improve the maneuverability of the aircraft. This enables the aircraft to respond to various complex water environments and mission requirements more flexibly.

[0028] The steering gear 3 is connected to the rudder plate 9 through a transmission shaft 8, and the transmission shaft 8 is arranged in the steering gear compartment 2 and is sealed and connected to the steering gear compartment 2. The output shaft of each steering gear 3 is connected to the corresponding rudder plate 9 through the transmission shaft 8, and the output shaft of the steering gear 3 drives the transmission shaft 8 to rotate, and the transmission shaft 8 drives the rudder plate 9 to rotate. The design of the transmission shaft 8 can avoid the use of complex gear mechanisms or connecting rod mechanisms, reduce the intermediate transmission links, and make only the steering gear 3 in the sealed chamber, thereby reducing the overall size and weight; and this design enables the rotation angle of the steering gear 3 to be directly and accurately transmitted to the rudder plate 9, and the rotation angle of the steering gear 3 is the rotation angle of the rudder plate 9. This direct transmission method reduces the energy loss and angle error in the transmission process, and improves the accuracy of attitude control.

[0029] Further, the above-mentioned steering gear compartment 2 includes a steering gear compartment 2 body, a steering gear compartment front end cover 4 arranged at the front end of the steering gear compartment 2 body, and a steering gear compartment rear end cover 18 arranged at the rear end of the steering gear compartment 2 body. The steering gear compartment front end cover 4 and the steering gear compartment rear end cover 18 are both sealed and connected to the steering gear compartment 2 body through an end cover sealing ring 17. A steering gear mounting plate 19 is arranged in the steering gear compartment 2, and the steering gear 3 is installed in the steering gear compartment 2 through the steering gear mounting plate 19; a plurality of groups of reserved bolt holes are provided on the steering gear compartment front end cover 4, and it can be installed on different vehicles or underwater robots through the bolt holes on the steering gear compartment front end cover 4, and has strong versatility.

[0030] In order to achieve a sealed connection between the transmission shaft 8 and the steering gear compartment 2, a sealing column 5 extending radially outward is provided on the circumferential side wall of the steering gear compartment 2. One end of the transmission shaft 8 is located in the steering gear compartment 2 and is connected to the output end of the steering gear 3. The other end of the transmission shaft 8 passes through the sealing column 5 and is connected to the rudder plate 9. The sealing column 5 fits tightly against the side wall of the transmission shaft 8. The sealing column 5 can be regarded as a part of the steering gear compartment 2. The setting of the sealing column 5 increases the contact area between the steering gear compartment 2 and the transmission shaft 8, which can achieve a better sealing effect, thereby providing an installation space for the sealing ring to be mentioned below.

[0031] The sealing column 5 is a hollow columnar structure, in which a cylindrical sealing ring 6 is arranged. The sealing ring 6 is sleeved on the transmission shaft 8. The outer wall of the sealing ring 6 is tightly fitted with the inner wall of the sealing column 5, and the inner wall is tightly fitted with the outer wall of the transmission shaft 8.

[0032] Furthermore, the upper end of the sealing column 5 is a detachable cover plate 7 to facilitate an operator to install the sealing ring 6 in the sealing column 5 .

[0033] Furthermore, it also includes an outer sealing ring 12. Two sealing grooves are provided on the outer circumference of the sealing ring sleeve 6. The outer sealing ring 12 has two parts. The two outer sealing rings 12 are arranged on the sealing ring sleeve 6 through the sealing grooves. The outer sealing ring 12 is located between the inner circumference of the sealing column 5 and the outer circumference of the outer sealing ring 12. The main function of the outer sealing ring 12 is to provide radial static sealing to prevent moisture from entering the sealing chamber from the gap between the sealing ring sleeve 6 and the sealing column 5, thereby further improving the sealing effect. The outer sealing ring 12 not only further improves the sealing effect, but also enhances the connection strength between the sealing ring sleeve 6 and adjacent components through its elasticity and compressibility, thereby helping to improve the structural integrity and stability of the entire rudder adjustment mechanism.

[0034] Furthermore, it also includes an inner sealing ring 11 and a Vanset sealing ring 10. The inner wall of the sealing ring sleeve 6 is provided with three sealing grooves. The inner sealing ring 11 is arranged in the sealing groove located in the middle, and the Vanset sealing ring 10 is arranged in the sealing grooves on both sides of the inner sealing ring 11.

[0035] Specifically, the Panset seal ring 10 is a high-performance dynamic sealing element, which is used in the present solution to prevent leakage between the shaft and the sealing cavity during rotation. It can adapt to slight eccentricity and axial movement of the shaft and maintain a stable sealing effect. By being used in conjunction with the inner seal ring 11 and the outer seal ring 12, the Panset seal ring 10 can significantly improve the sealing reliability of the rudder adjustment mechanism, prevent moisture and other impurities from entering the sealing cavity, and ensure the normal operation of the mechanism; the inner seal ring 11 and the Panset seal ring 10 form a dynamic seal together to further enhance the sealing effect. By adding the inner seal ring 11, a multi-layer sealing structure is formed. Even if one layer of the seal fails, the other layers of the seal can still function, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the overall seal.

[0036] Furthermore, the sealing column 5 is detachably arranged on the steering gear compartment 2 by bolts to facilitate assembly by operators. In order to prevent leakage at the connection between the detachably designed sealing column 5 and the steering gear compartment 2, a sealing column end face sealing ring 13 is arranged between the lower end of the sealing column 5 and the steering gear compartment 2.

[0037] Furthermore, it also includes an output shaft connecting member 16, on which a gear keyway is provided. The output shaft connecting member 16 is arranged on the output shaft of the steering gear 3, and the output shaft connecting member 16 is connected to the output shaft of the steering gear 3. The output shaft of the steering gear 3 is connected to the transmission shaft 8 through the output shaft connecting member 16. The output shaft of the steering gear 3 is generally a gear key. If the gear keyway is directly processed on the transmission shaft 8, the processing difficulty and cost are relatively large. The setting of the output shaft connecting member 16 does not require a gear keyway to be provided on the transmission shaft 8, so that the output shaft of the steering gear 3 can be connected to the transmission shaft 8, thereby saving costs.

[0038] Furthermore, it also includes a cross connector 15, which is arranged between the output shaft connector 16 and the transmission shaft 8 and connects the output shaft connector 16 and the transmission shaft 8. The torque generated by the rotation of the servo 3 can be transmitted to the transmission shaft 8 through the cross connector 15. The cross connector 15, the output shaft connector 16 and the transmission shaft 8 mentioned above together constitute a three-section connection structure. This design allows the axis of the shaft to be not completely colinear with the axis of the output shaft of the servo 3, thereby reducing the difficulty of installation and avoiding the problem of the servo 3 being blocked due to the stagnation of the shaft when rotating.

[0039] When the steering gear 3 rotates, the output shaft of the steering gear 3 rotates, driving the output shaft connector 16 of the steering gear 3 to rotate, so that the cross connector 15 is subjected to torque and also rotates. When the cross connector 15 rotates, the torque will be transmitted to the transmission shaft 8. The other end of the transmission shaft 8 is connected to the rudder plate 9. When the transmission shaft 8 rotates under torque, it will drive the rudder plate 9 to rotate around the axis direction of the transmission shaft 8, thereby realizing the rotation of the rudder plate 9 at any angle. The torque output by the steering gear 3 can be transmitted to the transmission shaft 8 to the greatest extent, and then converted into the rotation of the rudder plate 9. The rotation angle of the steering gear 3 is the rotation angle of the rudder plate 9, which is simple to control and accurate in transmission angle.

[0040] Furthermore, an annular step portion is provided on the outer periphery of the transmission shaft 8, and a thrust ball bearing 14 is installed on the side of the step portion of the transmission shaft 8 away from the rudder plate 9. One side of the thrust ball bearing 14 is in contact with the step portion, and the other side is in contact with the steering gear compartment 2. Under the action of water pressure, the step portion of the transmission shaft 8 can be tightly pressed against the thrust ball bearing 14, reducing the resistance to the rotation of the transmission shaft 8.

[0041] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, any slight modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism, characterized in that: include: Four rudder plates arranged in a cross shape on the circumferential outer wall of the aircraft shell; A steering gear compartment and a steering gear are arranged in the housing, wherein a sealed chamber for accommodating the steering gear is formed in the steering gear compartment; The transmission shaft is arranged in the steering gear compartment and is sealed with the steering gear compartment. The output shafts of the four steering gears are connected to the rudder plates one by one through the transmission shaft. When the output shafts of the steering gears rotate, the rudder plates can be driven to rotate through the transmission shaft.

2. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle of rotation of the servo output shaft is the same as the angle of rotation of the rudder plate.

3. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The steering gear compartment comprises a sealing column extending outward from a circumferential side wall thereof, one end of the transmission shaft is connected with the steering gear output end, and the other end of the transmission shaft passes through the sealing column and is connected with the steering plate.

4. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sealing column is a hollow cylindrical structure, in which a sealing ring sleeve is arranged. The sealing ring sleeve is sleeved on the transmission shaft, and the outer wall of the sealing ring sleeve is tightly fitted with the inner wall of the sealing column, and the inner wall of the sealing ring sleeve is tightly fitted with the outer wall of the transmission shaft.

5. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer wall of the sealing ring sleeve is provided with two sealing grooves, and outer sealing rings are arranged in the sealing grooves.

6. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the sealing ring sleeve is provided with three sealing grooves, an inner sealing ring is arranged in the middle sealing groove, and Panset sealing rings are arranged in the sealing grooves on both sides of the inner sealing ring.

7. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sealing column is detachably arranged on the steering gear compartment by means of bolts, and a sealing column end face sealing ring is arranged between the sealing column and the steering gear compartment.

8. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: An annular step portion is arranged on the outer periphery of the transmission shaft, and a thrust ball bearing is installed on the side of the transmission shaft step portion away from the rudder plate, one side of the thrust ball bearing contacts with the step portion, and the other side contacts with the steering gear compartment.

9. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an output shaft connecting piece, which is arranged on the steering gear output shaft, the output shaft connecting piece is key-connected with the steering gear output shaft, and the steering gear output shaft is connected with the transmission shaft through the output shaft connecting piece.

10. The underwater vehicle tail rudder adjustment mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a cross connector, which is arranged between the output shaft connector and the transmission shaft and connects the output shaft connector and the transmission shaft. The torque generated by the rotation of the steering gear can be transmitted to the transmission shaft through the cross connector.

Images