Mass measurement system and method for microgravity environment

Abstract

The invention provides a mass measurement system and method for a microgravity environment, and belongs to the technical field of mass measurement in the microgravity environment, the system comprises a weighing module, a driving device, an acceleration measurement module and a support, the weighing module is connected with the driving device and the support, and an object is arranged in the weighing module; the acceleration measurement module is fixedly connected with the support and used for measuring the acceleration of an object. The driving device is used for driving the weighing module to move at a preset acceleration, and the weighing module is used for measuring mechanical information when the weighing module moves at the preset acceleration. The method comprises the following steps: putting an object into a weighing module, and measuring stress information of the object in a static state; the driving device is controlled to enable the weighing module and the object to move at a preset acceleration, and the acceleration is measured; measuring stress information of the object when the weighing module and the object move at a preset acceleration; and calculating the mass of the object. According to the invention, the measurement precision and sensitivity of the micro mass in the microgravity environment can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of mass measurement in a microgravity environment, and in particular relates to a mass measurement system and method for use in a microgravity environment. Background Art

[0002] From the ground upwards, as the distance from the center of the earth increases, the gravity exerted on objects becomes smaller and smaller. When entering the space environment, the gravity exerted on objects is almost zero. This environment is called a microgravity environment.

[0003] Mass measurement plays a vital role in studying the characteristics and laws of matter in a microgravity environment. The existing methods for measuring tiny masses in a microgravity environment include: measuring the mass of matter by centrifugation and measuring the mass of matter by vibration. Among them, the centrifugation method takes a long time to measure the mass of matter. And the vibration method is difficult to guarantee the measurement accuracy and sensitivity. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems of the prior art, the present invention proposes a mass measurement system and method for a microgravity environment, which measures the acceleration and mechanical information of an object, fits the relationship between mass, acceleration and force, and then calculates the mass of the object.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A mass measurement system for a microgravity environment comprises: a weighing module, a driving device, an acceleration measurement module and a bracket, wherein the weighing module is connected to the driving device and the bracket respectively, and an object to be measured is mounted in the weighing module; the acceleration measurement module is fixedly connected to the bracket and is used to measure the acceleration of the object to be measured; the driving device is used to drive the weighing module to move at a preset acceleration, and the weighing module is used to measure mechanical information when the weighing module moves at the preset acceleration.

[0007] Furthermore, the weighing module includes a storage box, an electromagnetic balance weighing device, and a moving beam which are connected in sequence. The storage box is used to place the object to be measured. The moving beam is connected to the driving device, and the moving beam moves along the bracket.

[0008] Furthermore, a transmission mechanism is arranged on the bracket, one end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the driving device, and the other end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the moving beam.

[0009] Furthermore, the driving device includes a driving motor and a controller connected to each other, the rotor of the driving motor and the transmission mechanism form a rotating pair, and the moving beam is sleeved on the bracket and forms a moving pair with the transmission mechanism.

[0010] Furthermore, the controller is equipped with a control system for controlling the rotation speed of the drive motor so that the moving beam moves at a preset acceleration.

[0011] Furthermore, the acceleration measurement module includes a laser interferometer or a grating ruler, and the weighing accuracy of the electromagnetic balance weighing device is 0.01-0.1 mg.

[0012] A mass measurement method for a microgravity environment, using the mass measurement system for a microgravity environment, comprising:

[0013] Step S1: placing the object to be measured into a weighing module to measure the force information of the object to be measured in a static state;

[0014] Step S2: Control the driving device to make the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration, and measure the acceleration information;

[0015] Step S3: measuring the force information of the object to be measured when the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration;

[0016] Step S4: Calculate the mass of the object to be measured.

[0017] Furthermore, the step S2 comprises:

[0018] Step S201: controlling the driving device to drive the weighing module to move and measure the real-time acceleration of the object to be measured;

[0019] Step S202: comparing the real-time acceleration with the preset acceleration, and controlling the driving device to make the real-time acceleration converge with the preset acceleration until the real-time acceleration remains constant;

[0020] Step S203: Control the driving device to make the object to be measured move at the constant acceleration in step S202.

[0021] Furthermore, in step S202, the real-time acceleration is determined to be constant if it fluctuates within a preset range, taking the preset acceleration as an average.

[0022] Furthermore, in step S202, the driving device is a DC motor, and the input voltage of the DC motor is dynamically adjusted through iterative calculation of the control system to keep the acceleration of the object to be measured constant.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. The present invention can keep the object at a constant acceleration by precisely controlling the acceleration motion of the object, and at the same time measure the force information of the object to be measured, thereby calculating the mass of the object to be measured;

[0025] 2. When using an electromagnetic balance weighing device and a laser interferometer, since the weighing accuracy of the electromagnetic balance weighing device is 0.01-0.1mg and the maximum accuracy of the laser interferometer can reach 1nm, the acceleration and weight measurement errors are very small, thus ensuring the calculation accuracy of the final mass;

[0026] 3. In order to dynamically control the movement of the drive device, the present invention constructs a control system that can perform iterative calculations, thereby making real-time dynamic adjustments to various parameters of the drive device. The control system can also be widely used in other devices, especially DC drive motors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 The figure is a schematic diagram of the force acting on the object to be measured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] In the figure,

[0030] 1- bracket, 2- transmission mechanism, 3- driving motor, 4- moving beam, 5- electromagnetic balance weighing device, 6- storage box, 7- acceleration measurement module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are 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 are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope required by the present invention.

[0034] In order to better understand the purpose, structure and function of the present invention, a detailed description is given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a mass measurement system for a microgravity environment, comprising: a weighing module, a driving device, an acceleration measurement module 7 and a bracket 1, wherein the weighing module is connected to the driving device and the bracket 1 respectively, and the object to be measured is installed in the weighing module; the acceleration measurement module 7 is fixedly connected to the bracket 1, and is used to measure the acceleration of the object to be measured; the driving device is used to drive the weighing module to move at a preset acceleration, and the weighing module is used to measure the mechanical information when the weighing module moves at the preset acceleration.

[0037] Furthermore, the weighing module includes a storage box 6 , an electromagnetic balance weighing device 5 , and a moving beam 4 which are connected in sequence. The storage box 6 is used to place the object to be measured. The moving beam 4 is connected to the driving device, and the moving beam 4 moves along the bracket 1 .

[0038] Furthermore, a transmission mechanism 2 is provided on the bracket 1 , one end of the transmission mechanism 2 is connected to the driving device, and the other end of the transmission mechanism 2 is connected to the moving beam 4 .

[0039] Furthermore, the driving device includes a driving motor 3 and a controller connected to each other, the rotor of the driving motor 3 and the transmission mechanism 2 form a rotating pair, and the moving beam 4 is sleeved on the bracket 1 and forms a moving pair with the transmission mechanism 2.

[0040] The controller can be integrated into the drive motor or provided as a single unit. The controller is not shown in the figure.

[0041] Furthermore, the controller is equipped with a control system for controlling the rotation speed of the driving motor 3 so that the moving beam 4 moves at a preset acceleration.

[0042] In some preferred implementations of this embodiment, the acceleration measurement module 7 includes a laser interferometer or a grating ruler, and the maximum accuracy of the laser interferometer can reach 1nm; the weighing accuracy of the electromagnetic balance weighing device 5 is 0.01-0.1mg.

[0043] The measurement principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0044] Make the weighing module and the object to be measured move upward in a uniform acceleration process. The force condition of the object to be measured is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, if the object moves upward with acceleration a, the inertial force acts downward, and its magnitude is equal to the supporting force F on the object. NAt this time, the force measured by the weighing module is the inertial force ma generated by the object under acceleration. By accurately controlling the acceleration of the object, the object can maintain a constant acceleration. The mass of the object can be obtained by calculation: m = F N / a.

[0045] Although the acceleration of an object may fluctuate due to various influencing factors during its actual movement, this embodiment makes adjustments through the control system to ensure that the acceleration change is within the allowable range; because the weighing module adopts an electromagnetic balance weighing device, its measurement accuracy can reach 0.1mg-0.01mg, and the interferometer speed measurement accuracy can reach up to 1nm, so the measurement errors of acceleration and force are extremely small, thereby ensuring that the accuracy of the mass finally calculated meets the actual measurement needs.

[0046] Example 2

[0047] This embodiment provides a mass measurement method for a microgravity environment, using the mass measurement system for a microgravity environment, including:

[0048] Step S1: placing the object to be measured into a weighing module to measure the force information of the object to be measured in a static state;

[0049] Step S2: Control the driving device to make the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration, and measure the acceleration information;

[0050] Step S3: measuring the force information of the object to be measured when the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration;

[0051] Step S4: Calculate the mass of the object to be measured.

[0052] Preferably, the step S2 comprises:

[0053] Step S201: controlling the driving device to drive the weighing module to move and measure the real-time acceleration of the object to be measured;

[0054] Step S202: comparing the real-time acceleration with the preset acceleration, and controlling the driving device to make the real-time acceleration converge with the preset acceleration until the real-time acceleration remains constant;

[0055] Step S203: Control the driving device to make the object to be measured move at the constant acceleration in step S202.

[0056] In order to accurately reflect the actual running acceleration a of the object to be measured, this embodiment uses a laser interferometer or a grating ruler for measurement. The measured acceleration can be compared with the preset value. With the help of the control system / control algorithm, the object can maintain a constant acceleration during operation. This process relies on the control algorithm, optimization program, motor control, and laser ranging.

[0057] Preferably, in step S202, the real-time acceleration takes a preset acceleration as an average value, and is judged to be constant if it fluctuates within a preset range.

[0058] That is, when the running acceleration cannot be kept constant, iterative calculations are performed according to the algorithm, and the optimal control mode of the motor is finally obtained with the help of the PID algorithm to ensure that the acceleration change is within the allowable range, so that a constant acceleration process can be generated each time different weights are placed. The mass of the object is calculated and converted based on the measured acceleration and the pressure reading of the weighing module.

[0059] Preferably, in step S202, the driving device is a DC motor, and the input voltage of the DC motor is dynamically adjusted through iterative calculation of the control system to keep the acceleration of the object to be measured constant.

[0060] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mass measurement system for a microgravity environment, characterized in that: include: A weighing module, a driving device, an acceleration measurement module and a bracket, wherein the weighing module is connected to the driving device and the bracket respectively, and the object to be measured is installed in the weighing module; The acceleration measurement module is fixedly connected to the bracket and is used to measure the acceleration of the object to be measured; the driving device is used to drive the weighing module to move at a preset acceleration, and the weighing module is used to measure the mechanical information when the weighing module moves at the preset acceleration.

2. The mass measurement system for microgravity environment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The weighing module comprises a storage box, an electromagnetic balance weighing device and a moving beam which are connected in sequence. The storage box is used to place the object to be measured. The moving beam is connected to the driving device and moves along the bracket.

3. The mass measurement system for microgravity environment according to claim 2, characterized in that: A transmission mechanism is arranged on the bracket, one end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the driving device, and the other end of the transmission mechanism is connected to the moving beam.

4. The mass measurement system for a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The driving device comprises a driving motor and a controller which are connected to each other. The rotor of the driving motor and the transmission mechanism form a rotating pair. The moving beam is sleeved on the bracket and forms a moving pair with the transmission mechanism.

5. The mass measurement system for a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The controller is equipped with a control system for controlling the rotation speed of the driving motor so that the moving beam moves at a preset acceleration.

6. The mass measurement system for a microgravity environment as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The acceleration measurement module includes a laser interferometer or a grating ruler, and the weighing accuracy of the electromagnetic balance weighing device is 0.01-0.1 mg.

7. A mass measurement method for a microgravity environment, using the mass measurement system for a microgravity environment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: Step S1: placing the object to be measured into a weighing module to measure the force information of the object to be measured in a static state; Step S2: Control the driving device to make the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration, and measure the acceleration information; Step S3: measuring the force information of the object to be measured when the weighing module and the object to be measured move at a preset acceleration; Step S4: Calculate the mass of the object to be measured.

8. The mass measurement method for a microgravity environment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The step S2 comprises: Step S201: controlling the driving device to drive the weighing module to move and measure the real-time acceleration of the object to be measured; Step S202: comparing the real-time acceleration with the preset acceleration, and controlling the driving device to make the real-time acceleration converge with the preset acceleration until the real-time acceleration remains constant; Step S203: Control the driving device to make the object to be measured move at the constant acceleration in step S202.

9. The mass measurement method for a microgravity environment according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step S202, the real-time acceleration is determined to be constant if it fluctuates within a preset range, taking the preset acceleration as an average.

10. The mass measurement method for a microgravity environment according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step S202, the driving device is a DC motor, and the input voltage of the DC motor is dynamically adjusted through iterative calculation of the control system to keep the acceleration of the object to be measured constant.

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