Tail module for towing linear array of underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform

Abstract

The invention discloses a tail module for an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform towed linear array, which comprises a connecting piece, a rotating ring, a guide head and a guide rod, the connecting piece is connected to the tail of the towed linear array, the guide head is rotatably connected with the connecting piece through the rotating ring, the guide rod is arranged at the tail of the guide head, and the guide rod is connected with the connecting piece through the rotating ring. The sliding block is installed on the side wall of the guide rod in a sliding mode, the resistance body is fixedly arranged at the tail end of the guide rod, and the portion, between the sliding block and the resistance body, of the guide rod is sleeved with a spring. The diameter of the guiding head and the outer diameter of the sliding block are both smaller than the inner diameter of a platform tail pipe of the unmanned platform. The tail end of the sliding block extends to be provided with an expansion part, and the outer diameter of the expansion part is larger than the inner diameter of a platform tail pipe of the unmanned platform. The tail module can assist in completing initial active release of the towed linear array, and the complexity, the space size and the energy consumption requirements of the retracting and releasing device are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of towed linear arrays, and in particular relates to a tail module for a towed linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform. Background Art

[0002] A towed linear array is a slender linear underwater acoustic detection device that has multiple sensors arranged in series and moves at a certain speed underwater. The tail module is installed at the tail of the towed linear array. It has two main functions: one is to use its own underwater movement stability to reduce the tail swing of the towed linear array and avoid obvious vibration of the tail; the other is to use the resistance generated by itself to straighten the towed linear array and maintain the straight formation of the towed linear array. The resistance of the tail module is related to factors such as speed, frontal area, and cross-sectional shape.

[0003] The towed linear array deployed on the manned platform can be released, towed and recovered manually. It is not sensitive to the complexity of the storage mechanism of the towed linear array and the drag resistance of the tail module. It can make manual decisions and interventions for emergency situations that affect the towing safety. The towed linear array deployed on the underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform is stored in the retractable device inside the platform and released and recovered by the retractable device. It is required that when the towed linear array is fully recovered, the resistance of the tail module exposed outside the platform is as small as possible to reduce the power consumption of the platform when performing other operations. When the towed linear array is working, the tail module can provide enough resistance to maintain the formation; however, the conventional tail module, because its appearance does not change, the resistance is only related to the speed. When the head is hidden in the tail tube of the platform, there is no special structure to push it out. At the initial release, its own resistance is not enough to pull out the towed linear array, and the ability to maintain the formation is also lacking. In addition, it is difficult to arrange complex mechanical traction devices due to the space limitation of the platform. How to achieve the initial active release of the towed linear array on the unmanned platform is a difficult problem.

[0004] Existing designs meet the drag requirements at different speeds by changing the drag coefficient; for example, Zhu Zhangli and Zhao Linjian's "A Design of a Drag Parachute with Adaptive Variable Characteristic Size" focuses on changing the flow area of ​​the drag parachute through a spring structure to achieve the purpose of reducing the drag coefficient of the tail module as the speed increases; another example: Zhu Zhangli, Hong Youcai, and Jiang Feihua's "A Drag Device with Adaptive Variable Flow Area" invented a tail module that changes the drag coefficient by changing the flow area of ​​the membrane. However, for unmanned platforms that mainly sail at low speeds, during the complete recovery of the towed array, the excessive drag of the tail module will increase the energy consumption of the platform, and once these tail modules with complex umbrella-like structures are damaged or entangled by underwater foreign objects, the cross-sectional deformation will destroy the lateral force balance, and the lateral lift generated will cause the towed array to move laterally, and the movement stability will drop sharply. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a tail module for towing a linear array under an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform to solve the problems raised in the background technology.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: A tail module for an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform towing a linear array, comprising a connecting piece, a rotating ring, a guide head, and a guide rod, wherein the connecting piece is connected to the tail of the towed linear array, the guide head is rotatably connected to the connecting piece via the rotating ring, the guide rod is arranged at the tail of the guide head, the slider is slidably mounted on the side wall of the guide rod, the resistance body is fixedly arranged at the tail end of the guide rod, and a spring is arranged outside the guide rod between the slider and the resistance body; the diameter of the guide head and the outer diameter of the slider are both smaller than the inner diameter of the platform tail tube of the unmanned platform; an expansion portion is extended from the tail end of the slider, and the outer diameter of the expansion portion is larger than the inner diameter of the platform tail tube of the unmanned platform.

[0007] Preferably, the tensile strength of the rotating ring is higher than the limiting pulling force when the towed linear array is recovered, and lower than the tensile strength of the towed linear array, the guide head, the guide rod and the resistance body.

[0008] Preferably, the resistance body comprises a rigid support head at the front part and a soft connection strip at the rear part, and the rigid support head is fixedly connected to the soft connection strip.

[0009] Preferably, the slider is cylindrical, a through hole matching with the guide rod is provided at the center axis position of the slider, and the guide rod passes through the slider through the through hole.

[0010] Preferably, the diameter of the guide rod is smaller than the diameter of the tail of the guide head.

[0011] Preferably, the slider cooperates with the spring to set a positioning installation groove.

[0012] Preferably, the connecting member and the rotating ring, the guiding head and the rotating ring are all flexibly connected via ropes, and the ropes are non-metallic fiber ropes.

[0013] Preferably, the rotating ring is made of titanium alloy or stainless steel.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1) During the initial release, the resistance body is pushed out of the platform tail tube by the spring, and the larger resistance generated by the resistance body is used to assist in the initial active release of the towed linear array, thereby reducing the complexity of the retractable device and the requirements for platform space size and energy consumption; 2) By hiding or exposing the front part of the resistance body, the resistance of the tail module can be switched autonomously, which not only meets the requirements of small resistance of the tail module in the recovery state and reduces the energy consumption of the unmanned platform, but also meets the requirements of maintaining the formation in the towing state; 3) The entire tail module, especially the drag body, is a rotating body structure with no lifting surface. Even if it is partially damaged, it will not generate lateral lift, thus ensuring the stable movement of the towed array. 4) The rotating ring can eliminate the torque generated by the rotation of the tail module during movement, and can also actively cause the tail module to fall off when excessive tension is generated by foreign objects, thereby protecting the safety of the towed array and the platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the status of the traditional tail module when the towed line array is fully played back.

[0016] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the tail module in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the tail module in a working state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the working process of the towed linear array.

[0019] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the status of the tail module when the rotating ring is broken. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0021] For the towed array deployed on the underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform, the structure of the traditional tail module 3 and the matching relationship with the towed array in the platform tail tube 2 are as follows: Figure 1As shown. The towed linear array is stored in the platform tail tube 2 of the platform, and the tail of the towed linear array is connected to the tail module 3 by a rope. The inner cavity at the tail end of the platform tail tube 2 is trumpet-shaped, and the diameter of the tail module 3 is larger than the minimum diameter of the trumpet-shaped inner cavity and smaller than the maximum diameter of the trumpet-shaped inner cavity. The platform releases and recovers the towed linear array through the retracting device: when releasing the towed linear array, the towed linear array is generally squeezed backward by a traction machine clamping method, and the resistance generated by the tail module 3 will assist in pulling the towed linear array backward; when recovering the towed linear array, when the head of the tail module 3 is stuck by the platform tail tube 2, the tension sensor can measure the tension on the towed linear array, and the recovery will stop when the tension reaches the specified value. In the recovered state, Figure 1 The size of the middle tail module 3 is set so that its head can be stuck in the platform tail tube 2, thereby reducing the exposed part and reducing the impact of the resistance of the tail module 3 on the platform movement. The appearance of the traditional tail module 3 will not change. The advantages are simple and reliable structure and stable movement; the disadvantage is that the resistance is only related to the speed. When the head is hidden in the platform tail tube 2, there is no special structure to push it out. When the towed array is initially released, its own resistance is not enough to pull out the towed array, and the ability to maintain the formation is also lacking.

[0022] The present invention improves the traditional tail module. Figure 2 As shown, a tail module for a towed linear array under an underwater autonomous unmanned platform cooperates with the platform tail tube 2 of the underwater autonomous unmanned platform to realize the release and recovery of the towed linear array; the platform tail tube 2 uses a traditional platform tail tube 2, a columnar inner cavity is arranged at the front end, and a trumpet-shaped inner cavity is arranged at the tail end connecting the columnar inner cavity; the tail module includes a connector 5, a rope 6, a rotating ring 7, a guide head 8, a guide rod 10, a slider 9, a spring 11, and a resistance body 12.

[0023] The connector 5 is located at the head of the tail module, and is fixedly connected to the tail of the towed linear array at the front, and is connected to the front end of the rotating ring 7 via a rope 6 at the rear.

[0024] The rotating ring 7 uses an 8-shaped rotating ring and is made of metal materials resistant to seawater corrosion, such as titanium alloy and stainless steel. The rear end of the rotating ring 7 is connected to the guide head 8 through a rope 6. The rotating ring 7 is used to connect the connecting piece 5 to the guide head 8. At the same time, the connecting piece 5 and the guide head 8 can rotate with each other to eliminate the torque generated by the rotation of the tail module.

[0025] In the present invention, the tail module may rotate around the axis under the impact of water flow, and its torque will be transmitted to the towing linear array to rotate it, affecting the performance. The problem that the torque of the tail module generated by water flow impact cannot be eliminated can be eliminated by the rotating ring 7.

[0026] The guide head 8 is streamlined, and its diameter increases as it goes further back, which can reduce fluid resistance. The maximum diameter of the guide head 8 is smaller than the inner diameter of the platform tail pipe 2, so that the guide head 8 can move in the platform tail pipe 2.

[0027] The guide rod 10 has a circular cross section, is fixedly mounted at the tail of the guide head 8, and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the tail of the guide head 8. The slider 9 is cylindrical, and a through hole for mounting the guide rod 10 is provided at the center axis of the slider 9. The slider 9 is sleeved on the outside of the guide rod 10 through the through hole, so that the slider 9 can slide forward and backward on the guide rod 10. The outer diameter of the cylindrical slider 9 is smaller than the inner diameter of the platform tail pipe 2, and an expansion portion is extended at the rear of the slider 9. The cross section of the expansion portion is step-shaped, and the outer diameter of the expansion portion is larger than the inner diameter of the platform tail pipe 2, so as to ensure the positioning of the slider 9 in the platform tail pipe 2. The spring 11 is sleeved on the guide rod 10, and the slider 9 is provided with a spring installation groove in cooperation with the spring 11. The front end of the spring 11 is arranged in the spring installation groove with the slider 9 and contacts with the front end of the installation groove, and the rear end contacts with the rigid support head at the head of the resistance body 12, and is usually in a slightly compressed state. The tail of the guide rod 10 is connected to a resistance body 12, and the diameter of the resistance body 12 is larger than the diameter of the spring 11 to achieve the positioning of the spring 11 on the guide rod 10. When the slider 9 is fixed relative to the platform tail pipe 2 through the expansion portion, the resistance body 12 can be moved backward relative to the platform tail pipe 2 through the spring 11, thereby achieving the autonomous release of the towed linear array.

[0028] The resistance body 12 serves as the main source of resistance for the tail module. It has the appearance of a rotating body and has no lateral lift. It includes a rigid support head 121 at the bow and a soft connecting strip 122 fixedly connected to the rigid support head and fixedly connected to the tail. The rigid support head is made of rigid material and has the supporting force required to contact the spring 11 and the slider 9. The soft connecting strip is made of soft materials such as fiber ropes.

[0029] Reference Figure 3 , the release of the towed array includes the following steps: Step I: When the towed array is in a fully recovered state, the connector 5 is connected to the tail 1 of the towed array, the expansion portion of the slider 9 at the rear is stuck on the platform tail tube 2, the spring 11 is in a maximum compression state, the rope 6 is in a tensioned state, and the head of the resistance body 12 is close to the slider 9; at this time, the front part of the resistance body 12 completely enters the platform tail tube 2, and only the rear part is exposed outside the platform tail tube 2. The overall resistance is small, and it will not bring excessive energy consumption to the unmanned platform.

[0030] Step II: When the towing array is initially released, the retracting mechanism in the unmanned platform begins to release the towing array. Once the rope 6 is slightly loosened, the spring 11 will immediately expand and push the resistance body 12 out of the platform tail tube 2. As the exposed part of the resistance body 12 increases, the resistance gradually increases.

[0031] Step III: As the spring 11 expands, the head of the slider 9 will eventually contact the guide head 8, and the spring 11 is fully expanded; at this time, the resistance body 12 is completely exposed to the fluid, the resistance is significantly increased and is sufficient to pull the towed linear array out of the platform tail pipe 2.

[0032] Step IV: After the dragging array is released, enter the dragging working mode, refer to Figure 4 As shown, the underwater autonomous unmanned platform is connected to the towed linear array through a tow cable, and the rear end of the towed linear array is connected to the tail module.

[0033] In the present invention, the working steps of the recovery process are opposite to those of the release process. The retracting mechanism retracts the dragging array until the slider 9 is stuck in the platform tail pipe 2. Figure 3 In step III, the spring 11 is gradually compressed, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 Step II in the figure. When the slider 9 contacts the resistance body 12, the spring 11 reaches the maximum compression state, the tail module stops moving, and the front part of the resistance body 12 completely enters the platform tail pipe 2. Figure 3 Step I in the above process, after which the tension on the towing array and the rope 6 increases rapidly. When the tension setting value is reached, the retracting and releasing mechanism stops working and the recovery operation is completed.

[0034] In the present invention, the tail module can assist the retractable mechanism to complete the initial active release of the towing array; it can realize the autonomous switching of the resistance size in the two states of recovery and towing. Specifically, in the fully recovered state, the spring 11 is fully compressed, the front part of the resistance body 12 is hidden in the platform tail pipe 2, the exposed part is small, the tail module has low resistance, and can effectively reduce the power consumption of the unmanned platform. In the towing state, the entire resistance body 12 is completely exposed in the water, the tail module has high resistance, and can maintain a good formation of the towing array; and the tail module of the present invention is different from the umbrella-shaped structure, has no lift surface, and will not produce unstable movement even if it is partially damaged.

[0035] Furthermore, the rotating ring 7 is a low-strength rotating ring 7. The low strength here is relative, which is used to indicate that the strength of the rotating ring 7 is less than the strength of each part in the towed linear array and the tail module. Figure 5 As shown, when the pulling force is too large, it will break actively, causing the rest of the tail module to fall off, ensuring the safety of the towed array and the unmanned navigation platform and releasing the risk; however, the strength of the low-strength rotating ring 7 is higher than the limiting pulling force when the retracting device is recovered, and can withstand the locking pulling force when the towed array is recovered into place.

[0036] The existing tail module is easy to get entangled with foreign objects due to its appearance when moving underwater. If it cannot get rid of the entanglement, it will bring direct harm to the movement stability and safety of the towed array and even the platform. In the present invention, a low-strength rotating ring 7 is provided. When the tail module is entangled by foreign objects and generates excessive tension, the low-strength rotating ring 7 will actively break, causing the tail module to fall off, thereby protecting the safety of the towed array and the platform.

[0037] The tail module may rotate under the impact of water flow during towing. The front and rear parts of the rotating ring 7 can rotate relative to each other, which can eliminate the torque transmitted to the towing array by the tail module due to rotation and protect the safety of the towing array.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform, characterized in that: It includes a connecting piece, a rotating ring, a guide head, and a guide rod, wherein the connecting piece is connected to the tail of the towed linear array, the guide head is rotatably connected to the connecting piece through the rotating ring, the guide rod is arranged at the tail of the guide head, the slider is slidably installed on the side wall of the guide rod, the resistance body is fixedly arranged at the tail end of the guide rod, and a spring is arranged outside the guide rod between the slider and the resistance body; the diameter of the guide head and the outer diameter of the slider are both smaller than the inner diameter of the platform tail tube of the unmanned platform; the tail end of the slider is extended with an expansion part, and the outer diameter of the expansion part is larger than the inner diameter of the platform tail tube of the unmanned platform.

2. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The tensile strength of the rotating ring is higher than the limiting tension when the towed linear array is recovered, and is lower than the tensile strength of the towed linear array, the guide head, the guide rod and the resistance body.

3. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The resistance body comprises a rigid support head at the front part and a soft connection strip at the rear part, and the rigid support head is fixedly connected to the soft connection strip.

4. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The slider is cylindrical, and a through hole matching with the guide rod is provided at the center axis position of the slider, and the guide rod passes through the slider through the through hole.

5. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of the guide rod is smaller than the diameter of the tail of the guide head.

6. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The sliding block cooperates with the spring to set a positioning installation groove.

7. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting piece and the rotating ring, the guiding head and the rotating ring are all flexibly connected through ropes, and the ropes are non-metallic fiber ropes.

8. The tail module for towing a linear array of an underwater autonomous navigation unmanned platform as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating ring is made of titanium alloy or stainless steel.

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