Embedded distributed array Hall electric thruster and method for generating thrust
Through the mosaic distributed array Hall electric thrust design, the problem that Hall electric thrust products in the prior art are difficult to meet the diverse thrust performance requirements, and the effects of cost reduction, cycle shortening and reliability improvement are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411925212.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing Hall electric thrust products are difficult to meet the market's demand for diversified thrust performance, with high R&D costs, long cycles, and low product reliability.
The array-type Hall electric thrust design is adopted with a mosaic distribution. The Hall electric thrust is transformed into a modular combined structure through the array design. Each anode and cathode are of the same model, canceling the one-to-one correspondence between the cathode and the anode to realize modular combination and redundant backup.
It achieves the diversified thrust performance of Hall electric thrust, reduces R&D and production costs, shortens R&D cycle, and improves product reliability and redundancy capabilities.
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Figure CN119712476A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of spacecraft propulsion technology, and in particular to a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster and a method for generating thrust. Background Art
[0002] The use of Hall electric thrusters to undertake satellite orbit change networking / orbit maintenance / deorbit tasks can significantly reduce satellite mass, reduce networking costs, and extend the on-orbit life of the constellation. It is the unanimous choice of global networking plans. Since 2020, my country has reported a total of about 31,200 networking satellite constellation plans to the ITU, of which 90% require the use of millinewton-level Hall electric thruster products to complete networking tasks. With each satellite equipped with 4 commercial Hall electric thrusters, the demand for commercial satellite power systems in the domestic market alone in the next 5 to 8 years will exceed 100,000 units.
[0003] However, due to the differences in orbital altitudes, satellite weights, and orbit control missions of constellation satellites, different satellites have quite different performance requirements for Hall electric propulsion products. The thrust requirements range from tens to hundreds of millinewtons, and the power requirements range from hundreds to thousands of kilowatts. The corresponding Hall electric propulsion product models have a wide range, insufficient verification, high R&D costs, and long R&D cycles, making it difficult to meet the market's diverse demands for the performance of Hall electric propulsion products.
[0004] In view of this, how to provide a Hall electric thruster that can meet the market's diverse demands for Hall electric propulsion product performance has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the invention
[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster and a method for generating thrust using a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster, which is used to solve the problem that the current market cannot meet the diverse demands for the performance of Hall electric propulsion products.
[0006] In a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a mosaic distributed array type Hall electric thruster is provided, comprising:
[0007] The Hall electric thruster comprises a base, at least one anode and at least one cathode, wherein at least one anode and at least one cathode are arranged in a mosaic distribution structure on the base.
[0008] Optionally, at least one of the anodes distributed on the base corresponds to the same anode model, and at least one of the cathodes distributed on the base corresponds to the same cathode model, wherein cathodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each anode, and anodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each cathode.
[0009] The thrust of the array-type Hall electric thruster is determined by the number of anodes and the type of anodes, wherein the number of cathodes is greater than or equal to the number of anodes.
[0010] Optionally, the center distance of at least one of the anodes satisfies a first distance constraint condition, which is used to avoid gas breakdown between adjacent ignited anodes and unignited anodes, wherein the first distance constraint condition is that the center distance of at least one of the anodes is greater than a preset multiple of the anode outer diameter;
[0011] The distance between at least one of the cathodes and at least one of the anodes satisfies a second distance constraint condition, wherein the second distance constraint condition is that the cathode is located outside the anode plume range and the cathode is located within the anode magnetic field range generated by the ignition anode, so as to complete the ignition function of the anode.
[0012] Optionally, at least one of the anodes and at least one of the cathodes are insulated and mounted on the base via an insulating gasket.
[0013] Optionally, the base is a planar structure or a rotationally symmetrical structure, which is used to avoid eccentricity in array ignition.
[0014] Optionally, each cathode and each anode is independently configured with a circuit control unit and a gas circuit control unit, so as to ensure that when a single cathode or anode is damaged, the normal operation of other cathodes or anodes is not affected.
[0015] In a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a method for generating thrust using an array-type Hall electric thruster distributed in a mosaic manner is provided, comprising:
[0016] Determine the thrust magnitude corresponding to the thrust work performed by the electric thruster, and determine the target anode and the target cathode based on the thrust magnitude, wherein the target anode carries the number of anodes and the type of anodes, and the target cathode carries the number of cathodes and the type of cathodes;
[0017] Injecting working gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on the corresponding power supply, executing the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster;
[0018] After the Hall electric thruster that has completed ignition has executed its working time and reached a preset time period, the injection of working fluid gas is stopped and the corresponding power supply is turned off.
[0019] Optionally, the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure includes:
[0020] When receiving an ignition command for igniting the Hall electric thruster, the cathode heating power supply is turned on to heat the current to a rated heating current, and the anode excitation coil output is turned on to output a constant current;
[0021] After a first preset time, injecting a working gas into the target cathode;
[0022] After the second preset time, the cathode ignition power supply is turned on to ignite the cathode, and a cathode power supply constant current is output, and the cathode heating power supply is turned off;
[0023] After a third preset time, injecting working gas into the target anode;
[0024] After a fourth preset time, turning on the anode ignition power supply and outputting a rated ignition voltage corresponding to the anode power supply, igniting the anode based on the rated ignition voltage, and controlling the Hall electric thruster to generate thrust;
[0025] After the fifth preset time, the injection of the working gas into the target cathode and the target anode is stopped, and the cathode ignition power supply and the anode ignition power supply are turned off.
[0026] Optionally, injecting working gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on corresponding power supplies, executing a Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster includes:
[0027] In the case that only one anode around the cathode turns on the output of the anode excitation line, the anode is used as the first target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the first target anode to ignite;
[0028] In the case that there is at least one anode around the cathode and the anode excitation line output is turned on, at least one of the anodes is used as a second target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the second target anode to ignite.
[0029] The present application provides a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster, wherein the Hall electric thruster comprises a base, at least one anode and at least one cathode, wherein at least one of the anodes and at least one of the cathodes are in a mosaic-distributed structure on the base.
[0030] The array-type Hall electric thruster with mosaic distribution provided in the embodiment of the present application is used. Through the array design scheme, the Hall electric thruster is transformed into a modular combination structure including multiple cathodes and anodes, wherein each anode and each cathode are of the same model, which is easier to achieve batch production. Through the mosaic distribution design, the one-to-one correspondence between the cathode and the cathode is cancelled, and the same cathode can ignite multiple adjacent anodes. When the same anode is working, multiple adjacent cathodes can be used for ignition. Each cathode and anode are backed up for each other to ensure that when individual modules are damaged, they can still work normally and generate thrust, thereby meeting the market's diverse needs for the performance of Hall electric propulsion products.
[0031] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, which can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be considered as limiting the present application. Also, the same reference symbols are used throughout the accompanying drawings to represent the same components. In the accompanying drawings:
[0033] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a mosaic distributed array type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the position of insulating gaskets of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0035] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the plume intersection area of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0036] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the magnetic field range of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0037] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the first position structure of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0038] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the second position structure of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply structure of a mosaic distributed array type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0040] Figure 8 This is another structural schematic diagram of a mosaic distributed array type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0041] Fig. 9 It is a flow chart of a method for generating thrust using a mosaic-distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0042] Fig.10This is a schematic diagram of cathode injection electronics of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0043] Among them, base-1;
[0044] Anode-2; first anode-21; second anode-22; third anode-23; fourth anode-24;
[0045] Cathode-3; first cathode-31; second cathode-32; third cathode-33; fourth cathode-34, fifth cathode-35. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
[0047] The Hall electric thruster is composed of a cathode, an anode, a base and other structures. When working, the working gas is introduced into the cathode and anode from an external gas source, and the power required for the anode electromagnetic field is provided by an external power supply. Among them, the cathode is the igniter and neutralizer of the Hall electric thruster, which is used to generate electrons, provide the electrons required for the breakdown of the working gas, and neutralize the high-speed ejected anode working ions. The anode provides an accelerating voltage and a magnetic field, which binds electrons to break through the working fluid to form plasma, and accelerates the ejection of cations through the accelerating voltage to generate thrust. The base structure is used to fix the cathode and anode structures and provide an installation interface with the entire satellite.
[0048] Changing the working fluid supply flow rate and the accelerating voltage of the anode can change the thrust of the Hall thruster to a certain extent. However, due to the different heat consumption of Hall thruster products under different thrusts, if the thrust of the same type of Hall thruster is too large, the heat consumption will also increase, resulting in a significant increase in the thruster temperature, thereby damaging the thruster performance. Therefore, in order to meet the product requirements of different thrusts, the general international solution is to develop different types of Hall electric thrusters to meet different thrust requirements. Different types of Hall electric thrusters have different sizes, heat capacity and heat dissipation efficiency. The greater the thrust, the greater the size and weight. The electromagnetic field configuration and working fluid flow channel configuration inside the thruster are adjusted through structural design to meet the thrust requirements of this model.
[0049] However, in response to different thrust requirements in the market, different models of Hall electric propulsion products are developed, which have the following defects:
[0050] The first aspect is the long R&D time. Developing different types of Hall electric propulsion products for different thrust requirements requires a lot of time and cost, including: engineering prototype design, processing, production, performance testing, life testing of each Hall electric thruster product; design, processing, production, and testing of the prototype. The complete R&D work of a Hall electric thruster takes 1 to 3 years, which cannot meet the urgent demand for electric thruster products for satellite constellation networking;
[0051] The second aspect is the high cost of the product. Under the customized solution, different types of Hall electric propulsion products cannot be mass-produced, and the components of each model cannot be replaced; as the thrust requirements increase, the size of the Hall electric thruster increases accordingly, and the structural processing cost of large-size Hall electric thrusters increases sharply; Hall electric thruster products need to be powered on for a long time in orbit. At the same time, due to the corrosion of the anode by the working fluid, the service life of a Hall electric thruster is limited. In order to confirm the service life of different types of Hall electric thrusters and the performance stability during their entire life, at this stage, the Hall thrusters can only be verified through 1:1 life tests, which last for thousands of hours and are costly. In addition, Hall electric thrusters need to be used in a vacuum environment. Ground verification requires the use of vacuum chambers and other equipment required for Hall electric thruster tests. The larger the thrust model of the Hall electric thruster, the larger the vacuum chamber space required, and the higher the requirements for the vacuum chamber and vacuum pump, which greatly increases the thruster testing cost.
[0052] The third aspect is the low reliability of the product. Aerospace products need to be verified on-orbit for a long time for their reliability, so it is difficult to fully conduct on-orbit ignition verification for customized Hall electric thruster products of multiple models, and the on-orbit reliability is low. Compared with the solution of the present invention, the key structures (cathode and anode) of the large-thrust Hall electric thruster have no backup, and there are many single-point designs, which cannot meet the redundant design requirements of aerospace products.
[0053] In view of this, in response to the defects of current Hall electric propulsion products, this application proposes a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster. Through the array design scheme, the Hall electric thruster is transformed into a modular combination structure containing multiple cathodes and anodes, in which each anode and each cathode are of the same model, which is easier to achieve batch production. Through the mosaic distribution design, the one-to-one correspondence between the cathode and the cathode is cancelled. The same cathode can ignite multiple adjacent anodes, and the same anode can be ignited by multiple adjacent cathodes when working. Each cathode and anode are backed up for each other to ensure that when individual modules are damaged, they can still work normally and generate thrust.
[0054] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the Hall electric thruster includes a base 1, at least one anode 2 (a first anode 21, a second anode 22, a third anode 23 and a fourth anode 24) and at least one cathode 3 (a first cathode 31, a second cathode 32, a third cathode 33, a fourth cathode 34 and a fifth cathode 35), wherein at least one of the anodes 2 and at least one of the cathodes 3 are in a mosaic distribution structure on the base 1, that is, the anode structures are evenly distributed along the circumference of each cathode, and the cathode structures are evenly distributed along the circumference of each anode.
[0055] The base is a planar structure or a rotationally symmetrical structure, which is used to avoid the eccentricity of array ignition. By setting the base as a planar structure, on the one hand, the ignition thrusters can be symmetrically selected to achieve the effect of the resultant force direction along the center of mass; on the other hand, an asymmetric method can be deliberately selected to produce a certain attitude control effect on the satellite. In addition, since the thrust of the electric thruster is very small, the additional torque can be eliminated by other equipment such as the momentum wheel.
[0056] In addition, the base can also be set to a curved structure, which can make the overlapping area of all the angles passing through the center of mass and the anode plume smaller, but because the thrust vector direction is at an angle to the resultant force direction, a certain amount of thrust will be lost.
[0057] Specifically, the cathode is the igniter and neutralizer of the Hall electric thruster, which is used to generate electrons, provide the electrons required for the breakdown of the working fluid gas, and neutralize the anode working fluid ions ejected at high speed; the anode provides acceleration voltage and magnetic field, binds electrons to break down the working fluid to form plasma, and accelerates the ejection of cations through the acceleration voltage to generate thrust; the base structure is used to fix the anode and cathode structures and provide an installation interface with the satellite.
[0058] Each cathode and each anode is independently configured with a circuit control unit and a gas circuit control unit, so as to ensure that when a single cathode or anode is damaged, the normal operation of other cathodes or anodes is not affected.
[0059] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, each anode 2 and the base 1 are fixedly connected by means of mounting screws through the mounting interface; each cathode 3 and the base 1 are fixedly connected by means of mounting screws through the mounting interface; in addition, at least one of the anodes 2 and at least one of the cathodes 3 are insulated and installed with the base 1 through an insulating gasket 4. Figure 2 , Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the position of insulating gaskets of a mosaic-distributed array-type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0060] In an embodiment of the present application, at least one of the anodes distributed on the base corresponds to the same anode model, and at least one of the cathodes distributed on the base corresponds to the same cathode model, wherein the cathodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each anode, and the anodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each cathode.
[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the thrust size of the array-type Hall electric thruster is determined by the number of anodes and the anode model, wherein the number of cathodes is greater than or equal to the number of anodes.
[0062] In practical applications, the cathodes and anodes of the mosaic-distributed array Hall electric thrusters all use the same model, and a single anode and a single cathode can be combined into a certain model of Hall electric thruster product. Figure 1 For example, 4 20mN Hall electric thruster anodes and 5 20mN Hall electric thruster cathodes are used for array combination to form an array Hall electric thruster product with a total thrust of 80mN (4*20mN). Generally, the number of cathodes is not less than the number of anodes. The maximum thrust of the array Hall electric thruster is determined by the number and model of anodes.
[0063] In the embodiment of the present application, the characteristics of the installation distance between the cathode and the anode of the array thruster are:
[0064] The center distance of at least one of the anodes satisfies the first distance constraint condition, which is used to avoid gas breakdown between adjacent ignited anodes and unignited anodes, wherein the first distance constraint condition is that the center distance of at least one of the anodes is greater than a preset multiple of the anode outer diameter. In practical applications, the thruster anode center distance must not be too small to prevent gas breakdown between the ignited anode and the unignited anode. Generally speaking, the anode center distance is not less than 1.5 times the anode outer diameter. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the preset multiple can be selected as 1.5 times.
[0065] The distance between at least one of the cathodes and at least one of the anodes satisfies a second distance constraint condition, wherein the second distance constraint condition is that the cathode is located outside the anode plume range and the cathode is located within the anode magnetic field range generated by the ignition anode, so as to complete the ignition function of the anode.
[0066] It should be noted that the anode plume refers to the tail flow generated by the anode working fluid plasma when the anode is working, and the anode plume range refers to the cone angle range in which the integral of the ion current density of the anode working fluid plasma accounts for 90%.
[0067] The cathode being located within the magnetic field of the anode means that cathode electrons can be bound by the magnetic field of the anode, thereby completing the ignition function of the anode.
[0068] In practical applications, the thruster cathode needs to be outside the plume range of each thruster anode, see Figure 3 , Figure 3Schematic diagram of the plume intersection area of a mosaic-distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application, so that it will not be corroded by the thruster plume; in addition, the distance between the thruster cathode and the anode that can be ignited cannot be too far, specifically, the cathode needs to be located within the magnetic field generated by the anode, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the magnetic field range of a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application, so that when a specific anode is ignited, the electrons emitted by the cathode can be captured by the magnetic field of the anode and enter the anode channel, thereby completing the ignition of the anode.
[0069] It should be noted that ions within the overlapping range of the anode plumes will collide with each other, affecting the thrust size, but will not affect the normal use of the thruster.
[0070] After selecting the cathode and anode that need to be ignited, gaseous working fluid, cathode power supply and anode power supply are introduced to them. Since the thruster without working fluid and power supply will not generate electromagnetic field or working fluid ionization, it will not interfere with the ignition of other thrusters.
[0071] In addition, for the positional relationship between each cathode and each anode, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 . See Figure 5 , Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of the first position structure of a mosaic-distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the cathodes may be on the same level as the anodes.
[0072] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram of the second position structure of a mosaic-distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, each cathode may or may not be on the same horizontal line as each anode.
[0073] In addition, in the power supply design of the Hall electric thruster provided in the embodiment of the present application, the tank does not change; the pressure flow regulation module and the power control processing unit need to expand the corresponding anode and cathode electrical and gas control modules. Each anode and cathode are independently configured with circuit and gas circuit control to ensure that when one circuit is damaged, other modules can still work normally to achieve a backup effect. Figure 7 , Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the power supply structure of a mosaic distributed array type Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0074] In another embodiment, see Figure 8 , Figure 81 is another structural schematic diagram of a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the Hall electric thrusters can be multiplied as a whole, and the array combination and thrust expansion tasks of the Hall electric thrusters can also be completed; however, under this scheme, there is still a one-to-one correspondence between the cathode and the anode. If a key module is damaged, the thruster as a whole loses its ability to work, and thus the system redundancy backup capability is poor; in addition, the space utilization rate of this embodiment is low, the space occupied and the system weight are large, which does not meet the requirements of miniaturization and lightweight of aerospace products.
[0075] This solution can greatly reduce the R&D cost, production cost and production cycle of high-thrust Hall electric propulsion products through the array combination of small-thrust Hall electric thrusters, mass-produce cathode and anode components of low-power Hall electric propulsion and combine them in arrays as needed, while meeting the market's demand for mass and differentiated electric propulsion. The effect of multiple thrusters is equivalent to the multiplication of the effect of a single thruster, so there is no need to perform performance tests on all modules. Only each module needs to be tested separately to obtain the overall working parameters, which reduces the environmental requirements for product testing. The array combination of mature products is sufficient to meet the different thrust requirements of various satellites for electric propulsion products, quickly complete the production, testing and delivery of the system, and ensure the smooth completion of space missions.
[0076] The inlaid combination design of cathode and anode modules abandons the one-to-one relationship of traditional Hall electric thrusters. Each cathode corresponds to multiple anodes, and each anode also corresponds to multiple cathodes. Each cathode and anode backs up each other, greatly improving redundancy reliability. After a single or multiple important components (cathode, anode) fail, the overall thruster can still work normally.
[0077] For the array-designed Hall electric thruster, the thrust and power parameters of each anode are consistent when working alone and when working together, so the thrust and power can be linearly superimposed.
[0078] See also Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 1 is a flow chart of a method for generating thrust using an array of Hall electric thrusters with mosaic distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 As shown, the specific steps include the following steps.
[0079] Step S902: Determine the thrust size corresponding to the thrust work performed by the electric thruster, and determine the target anode and the target cathode based on the thrust size, wherein the target anode carries the number of anodes and the type of anodes, and the target cathode carries the number of cathodes and the type of cathodes; taking the above-mentioned 80mN (4*20mN) array Hall electric thruster product as an example, if a single work needs to generate a thrust of 40mN, 2 anodes and 2 cathodes need to be selected for work.
[0080] Step S904: injecting working gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on the corresponding power supply, executing the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster;
[0081] Step S906: After the Hall electric thruster that has completed ignition has executed a working time that reaches a preset time period, the injection of working gas is stopped and the corresponding power supply is turned off.
[0082] Specifically, the injecting of working gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on the corresponding power supply, executing the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster includes:
[0083] In the case that only one anode around the cathode turns on the output of the anode excitation line, the anode is used as the first target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the first target anode to ignite;
[0084] In the case that there is at least one anode around the cathode and the anode excitation line output is turned on, at least one of the anodes is used as a second target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the second target anode to ignite.
[0085] See also Fig.10 , Fig.10 Schematic diagram of cathode injection electronics of a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 As shown, after the cathode ejects electrons, the electrons will be bound by the magnetic field of the thruster anode. The magnetic field is generated by the excitation coil of the thruster anode, and whether the magnetic field is generated can be determined by whether the power is turned on or not. If only one anode near the cathode is turned on, the electrons will only enter this anode; if multiple anodes near the cathode are turned on, the electrons will enter multiple anodes. If a cathode with sufficient electron emission capacity is selected, the same cathode can drive multiple anodes to ignite; at the same time, the electrons ignited by the same anode can also come from multiple cathodes.
[0086] Specifically, the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure includes:
[0087] When receiving an ignition command for igniting the Hall electric thruster, the cathode heating power supply is turned on to heat the current to a rated heating current, and the anode excitation coil output is turned on to output a constant current;
[0088] After a first preset time, injecting a working gas into the target cathode;
[0089] After the second preset time, the cathode ignition power supply is turned on to ignite the cathode, and a cathode power supply constant current is output, and the cathode heating power supply is turned off;
[0090] After a third preset time, injecting working gas into the target anode;
[0091] After a fourth preset time, turning on the anode ignition power supply and outputting a rated ignition voltage corresponding to the anode power supply, igniting the anode based on the rated ignition voltage, and controlling the Hall electric thruster to generate thrust;
[0092] After the fifth preset time, the injection of the working gas into the target cathode and the target anode is stopped, and the cathode ignition power supply and the anode ignition power supply are turned off.
[0093] In actual applications, after receiving the ignition command, the cathode heating power supply is turned on, and the heating current gradually increases to the rated heating current; the anode excitation coil output is turned on, and the excitation current is output at a constant current; after t1 time, the cathode working fluid gas starts to be supplied; after t2 time, the cathode ignition power supply is turned on, the cathode ignition is completed, the cathode power supply outputs a constant current, and the cathode heating power supply is turned off at the same time; after t3 time, the anode working fluid gas starts to be supplied; after t4 time, the anode power supply is turned on, the anode power supply output voltage is the rated ignition voltage, the anode ignition is completed, and the thruster generates thrust at this time; after t5 time, the thruster power supply is turned off, the thruster working fluid gas supply stops, and the thruster no longer generates thrust.
[0094] According to the above working principle, even if the individual cathode and anode structures of the electric thruster fail, the work can still be completed through other cathode and anode structures. For example, if a single cathode of the electric thruster fails, the ignition work of the electric thruster can still be completed through other cathodes, and other cathodes and anodes can work normally, and the thrust of the electric thruster is not affected; if a single anode of the electric thruster fails, other cathodes and anodes can also work normally. Since the number of normally working anodes is reduced, the maximum thrust of the thruster will be reduced accordingly, but it can still continue to work at a lower thrust.
[0095] It should be noted that the above is a description of a specific embodiment of the present specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or continuous order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the embodiments of the present specification.
[0096] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.
[0097] The preferred embodiments of this specification disclosed above are only used to help explain this specification. The optional embodiments do not describe all the details in detail, nor do they limit the invention to only the specific implementation methods described. Obviously, many modifications and changes can be made according to the content of the embodiments of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments in order to better explain the principles and practical applications of the embodiments of this specification, so that technicians in the relevant technical field can well understand and use this specification. This specification is only limited by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.
Claims
1. A mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster, characterized in that: include: The Hall electric thruster comprises a base, at least one anode and at least one cathode, wherein at least one anode and at least one cathode are arranged in a mosaic distribution structure on the base.
2. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The anode model corresponding to at least one of the anodes distributed on the base is the same, and the cathode model corresponding to at least one of the cathodes distributed on the base is the same, wherein the cathodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each anode, and the anodes are evenly distributed around the outer edge of each cathode.
3. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The thrust of the array-type Hall electric thruster is determined by the number of anodes and the type of anodes, wherein the number of cathodes is greater than or equal to the number of anodes.
4. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The center distance of at least one of the anodes satisfies a first distance constraint condition, which is used to avoid gas breakdown between adjacent ignited anodes and unignited anodes, wherein the first distance constraint condition is that the center distance of at least one of the anodes is greater than a preset multiple of the anode outer diameter; The distance between at least one of the cathodes and at least one of the anodes satisfies a second distance constraint condition, wherein the second distance constraint condition is that the cathode is located outside the anode plume range and the cathode is located within the anode magnetic field range generated by the ignition anode, so as to complete the ignition function of the anode.
5. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that: At least one of the anodes and at least one of the cathodes are insulated and installed on the base via insulating gaskets.
6. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The base is a planar structure or a rotationally symmetrical structure, and is used to avoid the eccentricity that occurs in array-type ignition.
7. The inlaid distributed array Hall electric thruster according to claim 1 is characterized in that: Each cathode and each anode is independently configured with a circuit control unit and a gas circuit control unit, so as to ensure that when a single cathode or anode is damaged, the normal operation of other cathodes or anodes is not affected.
8. A method for generating thrust using a mosaic distributed array Hall electric thruster as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: Determine the thrust magnitude corresponding to the thrust work performed by the electric thruster, and determine the target anode and the target cathode based on the thrust magnitude, wherein the target anode carries the number of anodes and the type of anodes, and the target cathode carries the number of cathodes and the type of cathodes; Injecting working gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on the corresponding power supply, executing the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster; After the Hall electric thruster that has completed ignition has executed its working time and reached a preset time period, the injection of working fluid gas is stopped and the corresponding power supply is turned off.
9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The Hall electric thruster ignition procedure includes: When receiving an ignition command for igniting the Hall electric thruster, the cathode heating power supply is turned on to heat the current to a rated heating current, and the anode excitation coil output is turned on to output a constant current; After a first preset time, injecting a working gas into the target cathode; After the second preset time, the cathode ignition power supply is turned on to ignite the cathode, and a cathode power supply constant current is output, and the cathode heating power supply is turned off; After a third preset time, injecting working gas into the target anode; After a fourth preset time, turning on the anode ignition power supply and outputting a rated ignition voltage corresponding to the anode power supply, igniting the anode based on the rated ignition voltage, and controlling the Hall electric thruster to generate thrust; After the fifth preset time, the injection of the working gas into the target cathode and the target anode is stopped, and the cathode ignition power supply and the anode ignition power supply are turned off.
10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of injecting working fluid gas into the target anode and the target cathode, turning on the corresponding power supply, executing the Hall electric thruster ignition procedure, and igniting the Hall electric thruster includes: In the case that only one anode around the cathode turns on the output of the anode excitation line, the anode is used as the first target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the first target anode to ignite; In the case where there is at least one anode around the cathode and the anode excitation line output is turned on, at least one of the anodes is used as a second target anode, and the electrons generated by the cathode drive the second target anode to ignite.