Reinforcing ball lock for low-temperature connector and use method

Abstract

The reinforcement ball lock comprises a butt joint air cylinder and an unlocking air cylinder, the butt joint air cylinder comprises a butt joint cylinder body and a butt joint piston, an upper butt joint piston rod and a lower butt joint piston rod are correspondingly arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the butt joint piston, a socket is fixed to the upper end of the upper butt joint piston rod, and a slot is formed in the socket; a steel ball is installed on the peripheral wall of the socket through a conical hole, the socket is sleeved with a lock sleeve, a groove matched with the steel ball is formed in the inner wall of the lock sleeve, the unlocking air cylinder comprises an unlocking cylinder body and an unlocking piston, the unlocking cylinder body is fixedly connected with the lower butt joint piston rod, and an unlocking piston rod is arranged on the lower side of the unlocking piston. The unlocking piston rod is sleeved with a reset spring and a push-pull plate, the push-pull plate is fixedly connected with the lock sleeve through a pull rod, an adapter piece is fixed to the position, on the lower side of the push-pull plate, of the unlocking piston rod, and a force increasing mechanism is arranged between the adapter piece and the push-pull plate. The using method has the advantages of being easy and convenient to control, safe and reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a ball lock, in particular to a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The ball lock mechanism is a common locking device in the industrial field and is widely used in gas-liquid connectors of domestic and foreign launch vehicles. If used for cryogenic connectors for filling liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, the surface of the ball lock will continue to frost and ice because the rocket-ground interface always maintains an extremely low operating temperature. Once the movement space of the lock sleeve is covered with ice, the unlocking resistance will be greatly increased. In severe cases, the cryogenic connector will not fall off on time before the rocket is launched, affecting the safety and reliability of the rocket launch process. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector and a method for using the same. The force-enhancing ball lock has the advantages of compact structure, reliable unlocking, and strong practicality; the method for using the same has the advantages of simple operation, safety, and reliability.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, including a docking cylinder and an unlocking cylinder, the docking cylinder includes a slidably matched docking cylinder body and a docking piston, the upper and lower sides of the docking piston are correspondingly provided with an upper docking piston rod and a lower docking piston rod which are integral with it and extend out of the docking cylinder body, a socket is fixed to the upper end of the upper docking piston rod, a slot is provided at the top of the socket, steel balls distributed along the circumferential direction are installed on the peripheral wall of the socket at a position corresponding to the slot through conical holes, a lock sleeve which slidably matches with the socket is provided on the outer side of the socket, and a groove which matches with the steel ball is provided on the inner wall of the lock sleeve, the unlocking cylinder includes a slidably matched unlocking cylinder body and an unlocking piston, the unlocking cylinder body and the lower docking piston are connected The lower end of the rod is fixedly connected, and the lower side of the unlocking piston is provided with an unlocking piston rod that is integrated with it and extends out of the unlocking cylinder body. The unlocking piston rod is sleeved with a return spring whose upper and lower ends press against the unlocking piston and the unlocking cylinder body respectively, and the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the unlocking cylinder body is sleeved with a push-pull plate that slides with it, and the push-pull plate is fixedly connected to the locking sleeve through two symmetrically distributed pull rods, and an adapter is fixed on the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the push-pull plate, and a force amplifying mechanism is provided between the adapter and the push-pull plate. The force amplifying mechanism includes a pry bar and a connecting plate, the pry bar is hinged to the upper support shaft on the push-pull plate through an axial hole biased to one end, one end of the connecting plate is hinged to the long arm end of the pry bar through a rotating shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate is hinged to the lower support shaft on the adapter.

[0005] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the force-enhancing mechanism is provided with two groups, the pry bars of the two groups of force-enhancing mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the push-pull plates and are arranged in opposite directions, and the connecting plates of the two groups of force-enhancing mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the adapter and are arranged in opposite directions.

[0006] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the lower end of the unlocking piston rod is provided with a thread, the adapter is installed on the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the push-pull plate through the thread, and a locking nut is installed on the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the adapter.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the docking cylinder body includes a docking cylinder barrel with an opening at the lower end and a docking cylinder cover sealed and fixed to the open end of the docking cylinder barrel, and sealing rings are provided between the docking piston and the docking cylinder barrel, between the upper docking piston rod and the docking cylinder barrel, and between the lower docking piston rod and the docking cylinder cover.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the unlocking cylinder body includes an unlocking cylinder barrel with an opening at the lower end and an unlocking cylinder cover fixed to the open end of the unlocking cylinder barrel, a sealing ring is provided between the unlocking piston and the unlocking cylinder barrel, a positioning groove is provided between the unlocking piston and the unlocking piston rod, and the unlocking piston rod extends from the through hole of the unlocking cylinder cover.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the socket is fixed to the upper end of the upper docking piston rod through a threaded hole at its bottom, and the unlocking cylinder is fixed to the lower end of the lower docking piston rod through a slot at its top and a matching pin shaft.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein a limiting sleeve is provided on the upper side of the docking cylinder barrel, the upper docking piston rod passes through the limiting sleeve, and a retaining ring is fixed on the upper docking piston rod on the upper side of the limiting sleeve.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein an anti-sticking sleeve that slidably cooperates with the socket is fixed on the inner wall of the lock sleeve.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector, wherein the lock sleeve is provided with two symmetrically distributed ear plates, the upper ends of the two pull rods pass through the two ear plates respectively and are fixed by locking nuts, and the lower ends of the two pull rods pass through push-pull plates respectively and are fixed by locking nuts.

[0013] Based on the same concept, the present invention also provides a method for using the above-mentioned force-enhancing ball lock, comprising the following steps:

[0014] S1. Fix two force-enhancing ball locks symmetrically on the cryogenic connector through their docking cylinders respectively;

[0015] S2, lift the low temperature connector until the two arrow-top ball heads are correspondingly inserted into the sockets of the two force-enhancing ball locks. At this time, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder is filled with gas, the lock sleeve is in a position where its groove is aligned with the steel ball, and the steel ball is in the limit groove of the arrow-top ball head;

[0016] S3, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder is deflated, and the unlocking piston and the unlocking piston rod move upward under the action of the return spring, and the lock sleeve is driven to move upward through the adapter, the force amplification mechanism, the push-pull plate and the pull rod. At this time, the lock sleeve restricts the steel ball from moving outward;

[0017] S4. Supply air to the upper chamber of the docking cylinder. Under the action of air pressure, the docking cylinder moves upward relative to the docking piston, and drives the cryogenic connector to be lifted as a whole and tightly squeezed on the arrow-up interface;

[0018] S5. After the filling is completed, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder. The unlocking piston and the unlocking piston rod move downward under the action of air pressure, and the lock sleeve is driven downward through the adapter, the force amplification mechanism, the push-pull plate and the pull rod. When the groove of the lock sleeve is aligned with the steel ball, the air supply is stopped.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector and a method of using the same, which has the following advantages: the present invention provides a docking cylinder and an unlocking cylinder, wherein the docking cylinder includes a slidably matched docking cylinder body and a docking piston, and the upper and lower sides of the docking piston are correspondingly provided with an upper docking piston rod and a lower docking piston rod which are integral with the docking piston rod and extend out of the docking cylinder body, a socket is fixed at the upper end of the upper docking piston rod, a slot is provided at the top of the socket, steel balls distributed along the circumferential direction are installed through tapered holes on the peripheral wall of the socket at a position corresponding to the slot, a lock sleeve which slidably matches the socket is sleeved on the outer side of the socket, and a groove which matches the steel ball is provided on the inner wall of the lock sleeve; the unlocking cylinder includes a slidably matched unlocking cylinder body and an unlocking piston, and the unlocking cylinder body and the lower docking piston are connected to each other. The lower end of the rod is fixedly connected, and the lower side of the unlocking piston is provided with an unlocking piston rod that is integrated with it and extends out of the unlocking cylinder body. The unlocking piston rod is sleeved with a return spring whose upper and lower ends press correspondingly between the unlocking piston and the unlocking cylinder body, and a push-pull plate that slides with it is sleeved on the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the unlocking cylinder body, so that the push-pull plate is fixedly connected to the locking sleeve through two symmetrically distributed pull rods, and an adapter is fixed on the unlocking piston rod on the lower side of the push-pull plate, and a force amplifying mechanism is arranged between the adapter and the push-pull plate, and the force amplifying mechanism is provided with a pry bar and a connecting plate, wherein the pry bar is hinged to the upper support shaft on the push-pull plate through an axial hole biased to one end, one end of the connecting plate is hinged to the long arm end of the pry bar through a rotating shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate is hinged to the lower support shaft on the adapter. Thus, a force-enhancing ball lock with compact structure, reliable unlocking and strong practicality is formed. In practical application, the two force-enhancing ball locks are symmetrically fixed on the low-temperature connector through their docking cylinders. When the low-temperature connector is docked with the arrow interface, the low-temperature connector is first lifted to make the two arrow-side ball heads correspondingly inserted into the sockets of the two force-enhancing ball locks, and then the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder is deflated. The lock sleeve, pull rod, push-pull plate, force-enhancing mechanism, adapter, unlocking piston rod and unlocking piston move upward under the action of the reset spring. At this time, the groove of the lock sleeve is staggered with the steel ball. The ball head on the arrow can be clamped by radially constraining the steel ball with the lock sleeve, and then the opposite arrow head is moved to the opposite arrow head. Air is supplied to the upper chamber of the connecting cylinder, and under the action of air pressure, the connecting cylinder moves upward relative to the connecting piston and lifts the low-temperature connector as a whole so that it is tightly squeezed on the arrow interface, thus completing the docking and locking process between the low-temperature connector and the arrow interface; after the low-temperature medium is filled, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder, and the locking sleeve, pull rod, push-pull plate, force amplifying mechanism, adapter, unlocking piston rod and unlocking piston move downward under the action of air pressure. At this time, the groove of the locking sleeve is aligned with the steel ball, and under the action of external force, the arrow ball head can be pulled out of the socket of the force amplifying ball lock, and the low-temperature connector can be detached from the arrow interface, thus completing the unlocking process.The present invention improves the convenience of locking and unlocking by setting an unlocking cylinder, ensures the tight reliability of the low-temperature connector and the arrow interface by setting a docking cylinder, and enables the low-temperature connector to follow the arrow body for adaptive follow-up during the low-temperature medium filling process to meet the deformation of the arrow body caused by low temperature, thereby improving adaptability and stability. By setting a force-increasing mechanism, the unlocking force of the unlocking cylinder is effectively increased by the lever principle, thereby improving the unlocking reliability. The specific process of unlocking force-increasing is as follows: air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder, the unlocking piston, the unlocking piston rod and the adapter move downward under the action of air pressure, the adapter pulls down the long arm end of the pry bar through the connecting plate, the pry bar rotates with the upper support shaft as the fulcrum and presses the unlocking cylinder body through the short arm end, the push-pull plate moves downward with the pull rod and the lock sleeve under the action of the pry bar pressing the unlocking cylinder body, and aligns the groove of the lock sleeve with the steel ball, at this time, the lock sleeve releases the radial constraint on the steel ball, and the steel ball can be squeezed into the groove of the lock sleeve by pulling the arrow ball head, and the arrow ball head can be smoothly pulled out of the socket, thereby achieving the purpose of unlocking. The method for using the force-enhancing ball lock provided by the present invention has the advantages of being easy to operate, safe and reliable.

[0020] The force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector and the method of using the same are further described in detail below in conjunction with the specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a front view of a force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of a force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is an axonometric view of the unlocking cylinder and the force amplification mechanism in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] First of all, it should be explained that the directional words such as up, down, left, right, front and back described in the present invention are only described according to the drawings for the convenience of understanding, and are not intended to limit the technical solution and the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 3The specific embodiment of the force-enhancing ball lock for a low-temperature connector of the present invention is shown, comprising a docking cylinder 1 and an unlocking cylinder 2. The docking cylinder 1 is provided with a docking cylinder body 11 and a docking piston 12 that are slidably matched, and an upper docking piston rod 13 and a lower docking piston rod 14 that are integral with the docking piston 12 and extend out of the docking cylinder body 11 are correspondingly provided on the upper and lower sides of the docking piston 12, a socket 3 is fixed at the upper end of the upper docking piston rod 13, a slot 31 is provided at the top of the socket 3, a plurality of steel balls 32 distributed in the circumferential direction are installed on the peripheral wall of the socket 3 at a position corresponding to the slot 31 through a tapered hole, a lock sleeve 4 that is slidably matched with the socket 3 is sleeved on the outer side of the socket 3, and a groove 41 that is matched with the steel ball 32 is provided on the inner wall of the lock sleeve 4. The unlocking cylinder 2 is provided with an unlocking cylinder body 21 and an unlocking piston 22 that slide together, so that the unlocking cylinder body 21 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower docking piston rod 14, and an unlocking piston rod 23 that is integrated with the unlocking piston 22 and extends out of the unlocking cylinder body 21 is provided on the lower side of the unlocking piston 22, and a return spring 24 whose upper and lower ends press against the unlocking piston 22 and the unlocking cylinder body 21 correspondingly is sleeved on the unlocking piston rod 23, and a push-pull plate 5 that slides together is sleeved on the unlocking piston rod 23 on the lower side of the unlocking cylinder body 21, so that the push-pull plate 5 is fixedly connected to the locking sleeve 4 through two symmetrically distributed pull rods 6, and an adapter 7 is fixed on the unlocking piston rod 23 on the lower side of the push-pull plate 5, and a force amplification mechanism is provided between the adapter 7 and the push-pull plate 5. The force-enhancing mechanism specifically includes a pry bar 8 and a connecting plate 9, wherein the pry bar 8 is hinged to the upper support shaft 51 on the push-pull plate 5 through an axial hole biased to one end, one end of the connecting plate 9 is hinged to the long arm end of the pry bar 8 through a rotating shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate 9 is hinged to the lower support shaft 71 on the adapter 7.

[0026] The above arrangement forms a force-boosting ball lock with a compact structure, reliable unlocking and strong practicality. In practical applications, the two force-boosting ball locks are symmetrically fixed on the low-temperature connector through their docking cylinders 1. When the low-temperature connector is docked with the arrow interface, the low-temperature connector is first lifted to allow the two arrow ball heads to be correspondingly inserted into the sockets 3 of the two force-boosting ball locks. Then, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2 is deflated. The lock sleeve 4, the pull rod 6, the push-pull plate 5, the force-boosting mechanism, the adapter 7, the unlocking piston rod 23 and the unlocking piston 22 move upward (reset) under the action of the reset spring 24. At this time, the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 is staggered with the steel ball 32. The lock sleeve 4 is used to radially constrain the steel ball 32 to clamp the arrow ball head. Then, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the docking cylinder 1. Under the action of air pressure, the docking cylinder body 11 moves upward relative to the docking piston 12 and lifts the low-temperature connector as a whole so that it is tightly squeezed on the arrow interface, and the docking and locking process of the low-temperature connector and the arrow interface is completed; after the low-temperature medium is filled, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2, and the locking sleeve 4, the pull rod 6, the push-pull plate 5, the force amplifying mechanism, the adapter 7, the unlocking piston rod 23 and the unlocking piston 22 move downward under the action of air pressure. At this time, the groove 41 of the locking sleeve 4 is aligned with the steel ball 32. Under the action of external force, the arrow ball head can be pulled out of the socket 3 of the force amplifying ball lock, and the low-temperature connector can be detached from the arrow interface, and the unlocking process is completed. The present invention improves the convenience of locking and unlocking by providing an unlocking cylinder 2, ensures the tight reliability of the docking between the low-temperature connector and the interface on the arrow by providing a docking cylinder 1, and allows the low-temperature connector to follow the arrow body for adaptive follow-up during the low-temperature medium filling process to meet the deformation of the arrow body caused by low temperature. By providing a force-enhancing mechanism, the unlocking force of the unlocking cylinder 2 is effectively increased by utilizing the lever principle, thereby improving the unlocking reliability. The specific process of unlocking force enhancement is as follows: air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2, and the unlocking piston 22, the unlocking piston rod 23 and the adapter 7 move downward under the action of air pressure. The adapter 7 pulls down the long arm end of the pry bar 8 through the connecting plate 9, and the pry bar 8 rotates with the upper support shaft 51 as the fulcrum and presses the unlocking cylinder body 21 through the short arm end. The push-pull plate 5 moves downward with the pull rod 6 and the lock sleeve 4 under the action of the pry bar 8 pressing the unlocking cylinder body 21, and aligns the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 with the steel ball 32. At this time, the lock sleeve 4 releases the radial constraint on the steel ball 32, and the steel ball 32 can be squeezed outward into the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 by pulling the arrow ball head, and the arrow ball head can be smoothly pulled out of the socket 3, thereby achieving the purpose of unlocking. It should be noted that the long arm end of the pry bar 8 refers to the end farther from the upper support shaft 51, and the short arm end refers to the end closer to the upper support shaft 51; for ease of processing, the present invention usually sets the groove 41 at the top position of the inner wall of the lock sleeve 4, and fixes the anti-sticking sleeve 42 made of polytetrafluoroethylene and slidingly matched with the socket 3 on the inner wall of the lock sleeve 4 by pins to improve the stability of the movement of the lock sleeve 4.It should also be pointed out that the air supply for the docking cylinder 1 and the unlocking cylinder 2 is carried out through the air supply and distribution system, and the lifting of the low-temperature connector is achieved through a supporting lifting mechanism, whose structure, principle and connection relationship are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be repeated here.

[0027] As an optimization solution, this specific implementation method provides two groups of force-boosting mechanisms, and the two groups of force-boosting mechanisms are symmetrically arranged in opposite directions, that is, the pry bars 8 of the two groups of force-boosting mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the push-pull plates 5 and are arranged in opposite directions, and the connecting plates 9 of the two groups of force-boosting mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the adapter 7 and are also arranged in opposite directions. This arrangement not only improves the structural balance and stability, but also greatly improves the force-boosting effect. Practical applications have shown that by providing two groups of force-boosting mechanisms, the unlocking force of the unlocking cylinder 2 can be amplified by 3 to 4 times, thereby enhancing the unlocking reliability. It should be noted that if Figure 1 As shown, for the pry bar 8, the reverse setting means that the long arm end of one pry bar 8 faces forward, and the long arm end of the other pry bar 8 faces backward; for the connecting plate 9, the reverse setting means that the upper end of one connecting plate 9 faces forward, and the upper end of the other connecting plate 9 faces backward. As an optimization solution, this specific embodiment is provided with a thread at the lower end of the unlocking piston rod 23, and the adapter 7 is installed on the unlocking piston rod 23 on the lower side of the push-pull plate 5 through the thread to improve the convenience of disassembly and assembly operations, and a locking nut 231 is installed on the unlocking piston rod 23 on the lower side of the adapter 7 to achieve the purpose of thread locking and fixing.

[0028] As a specific embodiment, the present invention makes the docking cylinder body 11 adopt the following structure: including a docking cylinder barrel 111 with an opening at the lower end and a docking cylinder cover 112 sealed and fixed at the open end of the docking cylinder barrel 111, wherein sealing rings are provided between the docking piston 12 and the docking cylinder barrel 111, between the upper docking piston rod 13 and the docking cylinder barrel 111, and between the lower docking piston rod 14 and the docking cylinder cover 112. The docking cylinder body 11 and the docking cylinder 1 of this configuration have the characteristics of simple structure, convenient disassembly and assembly, and good sealing effect. Similarly, the present invention makes the unlocking cylinder body 21 adopt the following structure: including an unlocking cylinder barrel 211 with an opening at the lower end and an unlocking cylinder cover 212 fixed at the open end of the unlocking cylinder barrel 211, wherein a sealing ring is provided between the unlocking piston 22 and the unlocking cylinder barrel 211, a positioning groove 25 is provided between the unlocking piston 22 and the unlocking piston rod 23, and the unlocking piston rod 23 extends from the through hole of the unlocking cylinder cover 212. The unlocking cylinder 21 and the unlocking cylinder 2 of this configuration also have the characteristics of simple structure, convenient disassembly and assembly, and good sealing effect, and the upper end of the reset spring 24 is arranged in the positioning groove 25, so as to improve the structural stability. As a specific embodiment, in order to improve the convenience of disassembly and assembly, the present invention allows the socket 3 to be installed and fixed on the upper end of the upper docking piston rod 13 through the threaded hole at its bottom, and allows the unlocking cylinder 211 to be fixed on the lower end of the lower docking piston rod 14 through the card slot at its top and the matching pin shaft. In order to achieve the purpose of blocking and limiting, the present specific embodiment is provided with a limiting sleeve 113 integrated with the docking cylinder 111 on the upper side, and the upper docking piston rod 13 passes through the limiting sleeve 113, and a retaining ring 131 is fixed on the upper docking piston rod 13 on the upper side of the limiting sleeve 113. In practical applications, in order to improve the convenience of disassembly, assembly and adjustment, the present invention adopts the following connection method for the pull rod 6: two symmetrically distributed ear plates 43 are set on the locking sleeve 4, and the upper ends of the two pull rods 6 are respectively passed through the two ear plates 43 and fixed by locking nuts, and the lower ends of the two pull rods 6 are respectively passed through the push-pull plates 5 and fixed by locking nuts.

[0029] Based on the same concept, the present invention also provides a method for using the above-mentioned force-enhancing ball lock, comprising the following steps:

[0030] S1. Fix two force-enhancing ball locks symmetrically on the low-temperature connector through their docking cylinders 1.

[0031] S2, lift the low temperature connector until the two arrow-top balls are correspondingly inserted into the sockets 3 of the two force-enhancing ball locks. At this time, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2 is filled with gas, the lock sleeve 4 is in a position where its groove 41 is aligned with the steel ball 32, and the steel ball 32 is in the limit groove of the arrow-top ball head. The limit groove of the arrow-top ball head refers to the thinner position of the arrow-top ball head.

[0032] S3, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2 is deflated, and the unlocking piston 22 and the unlocking piston rod 23 move upward under the action of the return spring 24, and the lock sleeve 4 is driven to move upward through the adapter 7, the force-increasing mechanism, the push-pull plate 5 and the pull rod 6. At this time, the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 is staggered with the steel ball 32 to achieve radial constraint, that is, to limit the steel ball 32 from moving outward.

[0033] S4. Supply air to the upper chamber of the docking cylinder 1. Under the action of air pressure, the docking cylinder 11 moves upward relative to the docking piston 12, and drives the cryogenic connector to be lifted as a whole and tightly pressed on the arrow interface. At this point, the docking and locking process of the cryogenic connector and the arrow interface is completed, and then the rocket can be filled with cryogenic medium (liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, etc.) through the cryogenic pipeline.

[0034] S5, after the filling is completed, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2, the unlocking piston 22 and the unlocking piston rod 23 move downward under the action of air pressure, and the lock sleeve 4 is driven to move downward through the adapter 7, the force-enhancing mechanism, the push-pull plate 5 and the pull rod 6, and the air supply is stopped when the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 is aligned with the steel ball 32. At this point, the unlocking process is completed, and the arrow-up ball head can be pulled out of the socket 3 of the force-enhancing ball lock by external force, and the low-temperature connector is separated from the arrow-up interface.

[0035] During the unlocking process, the force-enhancing mechanism based on the lever principle effectively increases the unlocking force of the unlocking cylinder 2. The specific process of unlocking force transmission is as follows: air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder 2, and the unlocking piston 22, the unlocking piston rod 23 and the adapter 7 move downward under the action of air pressure. The adapter 7 pulls down the long arm end of the pry bar 8 through the connecting plate 9. The pry bar 8 rotates with the upper support shaft 51 as the fulcrum and presses the unlocking cylinder body 21 through the short arm end. Under the action of the pry bar 8 pressing the unlocking cylinder body 21, the push-pull plate 5 moves downward with the pull rod 6 and the lock sleeve 4, and aligns the groove 41 of the lock sleeve 4 with the steel ball 32.

[0036] The method for using the force-enhancing ball lock provided by the present invention has the advantages of being easy to operate, safe and reliable.

[0037] The above embodiments are only descriptions of the preferred implementation modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design concept of the present invention, various modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the technical solution of the present invention should fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector, characterized in that: The invention comprises a docking cylinder (1) and an unlocking cylinder (2), wherein the docking cylinder (1) comprises a docking cylinder body (11) and a docking piston (12) which are slidably matched, and an upper docking piston rod (13) and a lower docking piston rod (14) which are integral with the docking cylinder body (11) and extend out of the docking cylinder body (11) are provided on the upper and lower sides of the docking piston (12), respectively, and a socket (3) is fixed on the upper end of the upper docking piston rod (13), and a slot (31) is provided on the top of the socket (3) and corresponds to the slot (31). The socket (3) is provided with steel balls (32) distributed in the circumferential direction through conical holes on the peripheral wall of the socket (3), the socket (3) is provided with a lock sleeve (4) which is slidably matched with the lock sleeve (4), the inner wall of the lock sleeve (4) is provided with a groove (41) which is matched with the steel balls (32), the unlocking cylinder (2) comprises an unlocking cylinder body (21) and an unlocking piston (22) which are slidably matched, the unlocking cylinder body (21) is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower docking piston rod (14), and the lower side of the unlocking piston (22) is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower docking piston rod (14). An unlocking piston rod (23) is provided which is integral with the unlocking cylinder (21) and extends out of the unlocking cylinder (21). A return spring (24) is sleeved on the unlocking piston rod (23) and has upper and lower ends correspondingly pressed against the unlocking piston (22) and the unlocking cylinder (21). A push-pull plate (5) which is slidably matched with the unlocking piston rod (23) is sleeved on the lower side of the unlocking cylinder (21). The push-pull plate (5) is fixedly connected to the lock sleeve (4) through two symmetrically distributed pull rods (6). An adapter (7) is fixed on the unlocking piston rod (23), and a force-increasing mechanism is provided between the adapter (7) and the push-pull plate (5), wherein the force-increasing mechanism comprises a pry bar (8) and a connecting plate (9), wherein the pry bar (8) is hinged to an upper supporting shaft (51) on the push-pull plate (5) through an axial hole biased toward one end, one end of the connecting plate (9) is hinged to a long arm end of the pry bar (8) through a rotating shaft, and the other end of the connecting plate (9) is hinged to a lower supporting shaft (71) on the adapter (7).

2. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The force amplifying mechanism is provided with two groups, the pry bars (8) of the two groups of force amplifying mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the push-pull plate (5) and are arranged in opposite directions, and the connecting plates (9) of the two groups of force amplifying mechanisms are correspondingly hinged on both sides of the adapter (7) and are arranged in opposite directions.

3. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower end of the unlocking piston rod (23) is provided with a thread, and the adapter (7) is installed on the unlocking piston rod (23) on the lower side of the push-pull plate (5) through the thread, and a fixing nut (231) is installed on the unlocking piston rod (23) on the lower side of the adapter (7).

4. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The docking cylinder body (11) comprises a docking cylinder barrel (111) with an opening at the lower end and a docking cylinder cover (112) sealed and fixed to the open end of the docking cylinder barrel (111); sealing rings are provided between the docking piston (12) and the docking cylinder barrel (111), between the upper docking piston rod (13) and the docking cylinder barrel (111), and between the lower docking piston rod (14) and the docking cylinder cover (112).

5. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The unlocking cylinder body (21) comprises an unlocking cylinder barrel (211) with an opening at the lower end and an unlocking cylinder cover (212) fixed to the open end of the unlocking cylinder barrel (211); a sealing ring is provided between the unlocking piston (22) and the unlocking cylinder barrel (211); a positioning groove (25) is provided between the unlocking piston (22) and the unlocking piston rod (23); and the unlocking piston rod (23) extends from a through hole of the unlocking cylinder cover (212).

6. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The socket (3) is fixed to the upper end of the upper docking piston rod (13) through the threaded hole at the bottom thereof, and the unlocking cylinder (211) is fixed to the lower end of the lower docking piston rod (14) through the slot at the top thereof and the matching pin shaft.

7. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiting sleeve (113) is provided on the upper side of the docking cylinder (111) and is integral with the cylinder; the upper docking piston rod (13) passes through the limiting sleeve (113); and a retaining ring (131) is fixed on the upper docking piston rod (13) on the upper side of the limiting sleeve (113).

8. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: An anti-sticking sleeve (42) is fixed on the inner wall of the lock sleeve (4) and is slidably matched with the socket (3).

9. A force-enhancing ball lock for a cryogenic connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The locking sleeve (4) is provided with two symmetrically distributed ear plates (43), the upper ends of the two pull rods (6) pass through the two ear plates (43) respectively and are fixed by locking nuts, and the lower ends of the two pull rods (6) pass through the push-pull plates (5) respectively and are fixed by locking nuts.

10. A method for using the force-enhancing ball lock according to claim 3, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Two force-enhancing ball locks are symmetrically fixed on the cryogenic connector through their docking cylinders (1); S2, lift the low temperature connector until the two arrow-shaped ball heads are correspondingly inserted into the sockets (3) of the two force-enhancing ball locks. At this time, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder (2) is filled with gas, the lock sleeve (4) is in a position where its groove (41) is aligned with the steel ball (32), and the steel ball (32) is in the limit groove of the arrow-shaped ball head; S3, the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder (2) is deflated, and the unlocking piston (22) and the unlocking piston rod (23) move upward under the action of the return spring (24), and the lock sleeve (4) is driven to move upward through the adapter (7), the force amplification mechanism, the push-pull plate (5) and the pull rod (6). At this time, the lock sleeve (4) restricts the steel ball (32) from moving outward; S4, supplying air into the upper chamber of the docking cylinder (1), so that under the action of air pressure, the docking cylinder body (11) moves upward relative to the docking piston (12), and drives the cryogenic connector to be lifted as a whole and tightly pressed against the arrow-up interface; S5. After the filling is completed, air is supplied to the upper chamber of the unlocking cylinder (2), and the unlocking piston (22) and the unlocking piston rod (23) move downward under the action of air pressure, and the lock sleeve (4) is driven to move downward through the adapter (7), the force amplification mechanism, the push-pull plate (5) and the pull rod (6). When the groove (41) of the lock sleeve (4) is aligned with the steel ball (32), the air supply is stopped.

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