Rudder shaft sealing and rigidity self-adaptive adjusting assembly for rudder system

Abstract

The invention discloses a rudder shaft sealing and rigidity self-adaptive adjusting assembly for a rudder system, and belongs to the field of rudder system design. Comprising a rudder shaft sealing self-adaptive adjusting mechanism, a rudder shaft rigidity self-adaptive adjusting mechanism and a control system. The low-pressure stacked piezoelectric ceramic, the sealing ring, the check ring and other parts are adopted to form the rudder shaft sealing self-adaptive adjusting mechanism, besides the O-shaped ring and the check ring, the low-pressure stacked piezoelectric ceramic is further arranged, the sealing self-adaptive adjusting capacity of the position of the system is improved, and meanwhile the working efficiency of the system is guaranteed. The low-pressure stacked piezoelectric ceramic, the bearing, the rudderpost and other parts are adopted to form a rudderpost rigidity self-adaptive adjusting mechanism, a traditional gasket scheme is not used for adjusting the rigidity, the low-pressure stacked piezoelectric ceramic is designed to be used for adjusting the rudderpost rigidity in real time, and the rigidity adaptive capacity of the system when the system works in different media is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of rudder system design, and specifically provides a rudder shaft sealing and rigidity self-adaptive adjustment component for a rudder system. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement and development of science and technology, the types of aircraft that can dive underwater are becoming more and more abundant, and their working performance is also increasing. Such aircraft need to fly across two media, air and water. When entering the water and moving underwater, cross-medium aircraft will encounter higher underwater pressure, and also need underwater maneuvering, which requires the aircraft to have good sealing performance; and too good sealing effect will increase the friction resistance of the rudder system, resulting in low operating efficiency of the aircraft before entering the water. The rudder system is a key component of the cross-medium aircraft. It mainly adjusts the flight attitude of the aircraft by controlling the rudder blades. The quality of its performance directly determines the quality of the aircraft. In order to meet the maneuverability of the cross-medium aircraft before entering the water and the sealing requirements after entering the water, it is necessary to design the sealing intelligent and adjustable of the rudder system. Since the rudder system is inside the aircraft, and the rudder blade is outside the aircraft, and the rudder system is connected to the rudder blade through the output shaft, and drives the rudder blade to rotate, the attitude control of the aircraft is realized. Therefore, the design of the rotary seal at the output shaft of the rudder system is a key link to ensure the effective sealing of the entire aircraft. If a leak occurs here under the action of underwater pressure or instantaneous pressure when entering water, water will flow back into the interior of the aircraft, which may affect the normal operation of the system and reduce system efficiency. In severe cases, it may cause a short circuit in the circuit board, thereby causing damage to the entire system and failure of the aircraft.

[0003] In addition, when the aircraft works across media, it will face different media characteristics, such as the buoyancy and resistance of water and the resistance of air, etc. These factors will affect its structure and performance. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the intelligent adjustable stiffness mechanism of cross-media aircraft. When performing cross-media operations, cross-media aircraft need to adapt to different working environments and pressure changes. Underwater, the rudder system will be subjected to a large water pressure, which requires its structure to have sufficient stiffness to resist external pressure and ensure the integrity and stability of the structure. At the same time, in order to perform effective operations on the water surface and in the air, the rudder system also needs to have a certain degree of flexibility and maneuverability, which requires its structure to maintain stiffness while also being able to be intelligently adjusted according to the operating requirements. The intelligent adjustable stiffness mechanism can automatically adjust its stiffness according to the environment and operating status of the rudder system to adapt to different working conditions and improve operating efficiency and safety.

[0004] Since the intelligent adjustable stiffness mechanism of the rudder system involves multiple disciplines, including materials science, mechanical engineering, control engineering, etc., its design and implementation need to comprehensively consider multiple factors. For example, the material of the mechanism needs to have good corrosion resistance and high strength to adapt to the high-pressure environment underwater; the design of the mechanism needs to take into account weight and volume restrictions to ensure its maneuverability on the water and in the air; the control algorithm needs to be able to monitor environmental changes in real time and respond quickly to achieve intelligent adjustment of the mechanism.

[0005] At present, the commonly used cross-medium rudder systems in China have various problems in sealing design. For example, only a single-layer sealing ring is set, which will not fail when a constant pressure is applied underwater, but the sealing effect is poor when entering water or encountering rapid water flow, resulting in sealing failure; or a complex sealing scheme is adopted. Although this method has a better sealing effect, it not only greatly reduces the working efficiency of the system, but also increases the complexity of the system. Problems such as sealing ring damage are prone to occur during the assembly of the whole machine.

[0006] There are also many problems in the current stiffness design of cross-medium rudder systems. Traditional rudder systems mostly use gaskets to adjust stiffness, but the gaskets can only be adjusted on the ground, and cannot achieve real-time adjustment of the rudder system during flight. It also cannot meet the requirements of cross-medium flight for the stiffness of the rudder system. The rudder system is prone to vibrate when crossing the medium, resulting in poor control effect and even causing flutter and instability of the aircraft.

[0007] Therefore, in response to the above problems, how to achieve the sealing and intelligent adjustment of the stiffness of the rudder system in a limited space and design a rudder shaft sealing and intelligent adjustable stiffness rudder system are important technical issues that technical personnel in this field need to solve urgently.

[0008] The existing rudder system seal adjustable technical solutions have the problem of incomplete consideration. The patent: A seal adjustable gate (CN106192918B) describes that the seal adjustable gate includes multiple components such as door panels, side panels, vertical panels, rubber sealing strips, guide blocks, rotating shafts, nuts and screws, etc. This complexity may lead to increased manufacturing costs and increased maintenance difficulties. Although a seal adjustable valve (CN110966416A) proposes an adjustable seal structure, the adjustment process may require specific tools and expertise, which may limit its application in the absence of professional maintenance personnel.

[0009] The existing technical solutions for adjustable stiffness of rudder systems also have the problem of incomplete consideration. A device described in a device with adjustable stiffness and multi-angle compensation for high-stiffness locking (CN118361479A) includes multiple components, such as hydraulic cylinders, mounting plates, bearing seats, spherical bearings, reversing valves and pistons, etc. This complexity may lead to increased manufacturing costs and increased maintenance difficulties. A composite material with adjustable stiffness based on phase change materials (CN119078067A) mentions adjusting the state of the phase change material by means of electric heaters and power supplies, which means that the stiffness adjustment of the material depends on temperature control. In some application scenarios, changes in the external ambient temperature may affect the state of the phase change material, resulting in the inability to accurately control the stiffness. Summary of the invention

[0010] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rudder shaft sealing and stiffness adaptive adjustment component for a rudder system, so as to solve the contradiction between the working efficiency of the rudder system used in the existing cross-medium aircraft before entering the water and the sealing effect after entering the water, and the problem that the rudder system faces different flight environments when flying in different media such as air and water, and needs adaptive adjustment of the rudder shaft stiffness.

[0011] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0012] A rudder shaft seal and rigidity self-adaptive adjustment component for a rudder system comprises a rudder shaft seal self-adaptive adjustment mechanism, a rudder shaft rigidity self-adaptive adjustment mechanism and a control system.

[0013] The rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism comprises a rudder system upper shell 1, a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing, a retaining ring 3, an O-ring 4, an output shaft 5, and a large bearing 6; the O-ring 4, the retaining ring 3 and the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing are sequentially sleeved on the upper part of the output shaft 5 of the rudder system from the outside to the inside, and are all in the open mounting holes reserved in the rudder system upper shell 1; the power supply cable of the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing passes through the wire hole reserved in the rudder system upper shell 1 to be connected to the drive control board 8 of the control system; the outer ring of the large bearing 6 is fixed to the rudder system upper shell 1, and the inner ring is fixed to the output shaft 5, and is located below the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing.

[0014] The rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism includes a servo motor 7, a rudder system lower housing 9, a worm 10, a worm gear base 11, a worm wheel 12, an angular displacement sensor 13, a bearing 14, and a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness; the servo motor 7 is axially arranged perpendicularly to the output shaft 5, and the output end of the servo motor 7 is fixed to one end of the worm 10; below the large bearing 6, the worm wheel 12, the bearing 14, the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness, and the angular displacement sensor 13 are sequentially sleeved on the output shaft 5 from top to bottom, wherein the worm wheel 12 cooperates with the worm 10, the outer ring of the bearing 14 is fixed on the worm gear base 11 fixed to the rudder system lower housing 9, and the inner ring of the bearing 14 is fixed to the output shaft 5; the power supply cables of the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness and the angular displacement sensor 13 pass through the wire holes reserved in the rudder system lower housing 9 to be connected to the drive control board 8 of the control system;

[0015] The control system includes a drive control board 8, a piezoelectric sensor 16, and a piezoelectric sensor sealing ring 17; a piezoelectric sensor 16 is arranged at the rightmost end of the rudder system, and its acquisition cable is connected to the drive control board 8. The piezoelectric sensor 16 is sealed from the outside world through the piezoelectric sensor sealing ring 17, and the piezoelectric sensor 16 is used to collect external pressure signals.

[0016] The rudder shaft seal and stiffness adaptive adjustment component for the rudder system mentioned in the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, strong cross-media sealing capability, no reduction in system efficiency, adjustable cross-media stiffness, and small occupied volume. The use of cross-media rudder system sealing technology and intelligent adjustable stiffness technology in other systems also falls within the scope of protection of this patent.

[0017] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0018] (1) Design of adaptive adjustment mechanism for rudder shaft seal

[0019] The present invention adopts low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics, sealing rings, retaining rings and other parts to form a rudder shaft sealing adaptive adjustment mechanism. In addition to using O-rings and retaining rings, a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic is also provided, which improves the sealing adaptive adjustment capability of the system here and ensures the working efficiency of the system.

[0020] (2) Design of adaptive adjustment mechanism for rudder shaft stiffness

[0021] The present invention adopts low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics, bearings, rudder shafts and other parts to form a rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism. Instead of using a traditional gasket solution to adjust the stiffness, a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic is designed to adjust the rudder shaft stiffness in real time, thereby improving the stiffness adaptability of the system when working in different media.

[0022] (3) Integrated design of rudder system sealing and adaptive stiffness adjustment

[0023] In the present invention, the rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism design, the rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism design and the piezoelectric sensor are integrated, and the adaptive adjustment capability is realized through a driving controller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A rudder shaft sealing and stiffness adaptive adjustment component for a rudder system.

[0025] Figure 2 Rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism.

[0026] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the air medium operation of the rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism.

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the water medium operation of the rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism.

[0028] Figure 5 Adaptive adjustment mechanism for rudder shaft stiffness.

[0029] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the working of the rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism.

[0030] Figure 7 Integrated design of rudder system.

[0031] In the figure: 1 rudder system upper housing; 2 low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics for sealing; 3 retaining ring; 4 O-ring; 5 output shaft; 6 large bearing; 7 servo motor; 8 drive control board; 9 rudder system lower housing; 10 worm; 11 worm gear base; 12 worm gear; 13 angular displacement sensor; 14 bearing; 15 low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics for stiffness; 16 piezoelectric sensor; 17 piezoelectric sensor sealing ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The cross-medium rudder system sealing and stiffness intelligent adjustable device provided by the present invention is mainly divided into three parts, namely, a rudder shaft sealing adaptive adjustment mechanism, a rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism and a control system. Figures 1 to 7 shown.

[0033] (1) Shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism

[0034] (1) Institutional significance

[0035] The rudder system has a large impact when entering the water, and needs to maneuver underwater, which requires the rudder shaft to have a good waterproof sealing function. The output shaft 5 of the rudder system is connected to a rudder surface. When the rudder system moves underwater, the rudder shaft is the key link of sealing. If there is a gap here, water will enter the rudder system, causing corrosion of structural parts, and will also cause the circuit board of the rudder system, causing system failure. At the same time, when the rudder system is flying in the air, the design of the rudder shaft seal will increase friction, thereby reducing the system response speed and work efficiency. Therefore, the underwater sealing effect and work efficiency of the rudder shaft of the cross-medium rudder system are contradictory.

[0036] To solve this problem, the present invention adopts a rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism, including a rudder system upper shell 1, a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing, a retaining ring 3, a sealing ring 4, an output shaft 5, and a large bearing 6. It can avoid the problem of poor sealing effect of the O-ring when the rudder system enters water, improve the sealing performance of the system at this point, and at the same time ensure the working efficiency of the system.

[0037] (2) Mechanism assembly

[0038] During the installation of the rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism, first, the O-ring 4, the retaining ring 3 and the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 are installed in sequence from the outside to the inside on the output shaft 5 of the rudder system; then, the power supply cable of the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 is passed through the wire hole reserved in the rudder system upper shell 1 to the drive control board 8 of the control system; then, the large bearing 6 is installed on the rudder system upper shell 1, and finally, the assembled rudder shaft assembly is installed on the rudder system upper shell 1 from top to bottom, and the inner ring of the large bearing 6 is fixed to the output shaft 5, completing the assembly of the rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism.

[0039] It should be noted that, during initial assembly, the filling rate of the O-ring 4 is designed to be less than 80%, and the compression rate is 15% to 20%. This design parameter can ensure that the friction of the rudder shaft is small and the working efficiency is high.

[0040] (3) Working principle

[0041] Air medium operation: When the rudder system works in the air, there is no external water pressure. The output shaft 5 of the rudder system realizes rotational motion under the action of the servo motor and the reduction mechanism. The low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 for sealing works without power, the filling rate of the O-ring 4 is low, the friction between the output shaft 5 of the rudder system and the mounting hole of the rudder system upper shell 1 is small, and the working efficiency is also higher.

[0042] Water medium operation: After the rudder system enters the water, the water flow leaks from the outside of the rudder system to the inside under the action of water pressure. Due to the sealing effect of the O-ring 4, the water flow is stopped outside the rudder system. However, with the increase of the water depth, or the instantaneous water flow impact at the moment of entering the water, the sealing effect of the O-ring 4 is relatively poor. At this time, the sealing effect can be further improved by increasing the filling rate of the O-ring 4. The specific process is: with the increase of external water pressure, the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 is energized to work. The sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 can produce micro-displacement along the axial direction of the output shaft 5 under voltage excitation. The higher the voltage, the greater the deformation displacement. The sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 further compresses the retaining ring 3 upward, and the retaining ring 3 compresses the O-ring 4 to fill the space, thereby increasing the filling rate of the O-ring 4 and improving the sealing effect. When the external water pressure decreases, the external voltage of the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 2 decreases, the axial displacement decreases, and the retaining ring 3 moves downward under the pressure of the O-ring 4, thereby reducing the filling rate of the O-ring 4, ensuring the sealing effect while ensuring work efficiency.

[0043] (II) Rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism

[0044] (1) Institutional Purpose

[0045] When the rudder system moves in different media such as air and water, the changes in the external environment require the rudder system to have stronger adaptability, especially in terms of the stiffness of the system rudder shaft. In the water medium, the vibration and flutter characteristics of the rudder system are greatly affected by the stiffness of the rudder shaft, while in the air medium, the stiffness of each substructure needs to be reasonably distributed to optimize the dynamic characteristics. Therefore, when designing the rudder system, the stiffness needs to be adjusted according to its working environment to ensure performance and stability.

[0046] (2) Mechanism assembly

[0047] The rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism needs to be assembled according to the following steps: first, install the servo motor 7 and worm 10 of the rudder system in place, then install the worm wheel 12, bearing 14, low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics 15 for stiffness, and angular displacement sensor 13 on the output shaft 5 in turn, and install the rudder shaft overall assembly on the lower shell 9 of the rudder system, and pass the power supply cable of the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics 15 for stiffness into the inside of the rudder system.

[0048] (3) Working principle

[0049] By utilizing the inverse piezoelectric effect of the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness, when a voltage is applied to the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness, the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness will be deformed according to the inverse piezoelectric effect, and this deformation will cause the bearing 14 to produce an axial displacement, thereby squeezing the worm wheel 12 to increase friction and reduce the rotation speed of the worm 10, which can be used to adjust the stiffness of the output shaft 5 of the rudder system. By changing the voltage applied to the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic 15 for stiffness, the displacement of the output shaft 5 can be accurately controlled, thereby adjusting the stiffness of the rudder system.

[0050] When the rudder system works in the air and underwater respectively, the changes in the working environment require the rudder system to have different stiffness adaptability. The output shaft 5 stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism can adjust the output shaft 5 stiffness in real time to adapt to the complex environment and realize the stable operation of the rudder system.

[0051] (III) Integrated design of rudder system sealing and adaptive stiffness adjustment

[0052] (1) Institutional Purpose

[0053] After the output shaft 5 sealing adaptive adjustment mechanism and the output shaft 5 stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism of the rudder system are applied to the rudder system, in order to realize the sealing and stiffness adaptive adjustment of the output shaft 5 of the rudder system, it is necessary to collect the external pressure change of the rudder system in real time to the drive control board 8, and realize the adaptive adjustment through feedback control of the voltage value of the corresponding piezoelectric ceramic. After the output shaft 5 sealing adaptive adjustment mechanism and the output shaft 5 stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism of the rudder system and the piezoelectric sensor 16 are applied to the rudder system, the complexity of the rudder system will be increased, so the rudder system needs to be designed in an integrated manner.

[0054] (2) Mechanism assembly

[0055] After the output shaft 5 sealing adaptive adjustment mechanism of the rudder system and the output shaft 5 stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism of the rudder system are installed, the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic power supply cables of the two mechanisms are passed back to the right side of the rudder system and connected to the drive control board 8 of the rudder system. The drive control board 8 can supply power to the piezoelectric ceramics and drive the piezoelectric ceramics to move, thereby realizing the control of the two mechanisms. At the same time, a piezoelectric sensor 16 is installed at the rightmost end of the rudder system, and the acquisition cable is introduced into the drive control board 8 to realize the real-time acquisition of external pressure parameters.

[0056] (3) Working principle

[0057] The working principle of the piezoelectric sensor 16 is based on the piezoelectric effect, that is, when a piezoelectric material is subjected to mechanical stress, an electric charge is generated on two opposite surfaces of the material. The generation of this charge is proportional to the applied force, so it can be used to measure changes in external pressure. When the external pressure changes, the amount of charge generated by the piezoelectric material will also change accordingly. These charge changes can be detected by the circuit and converted into electrical signals for measurement and analysis.

[0058] After the piezoelectric sensor 16 collects the external pressure signal, it feeds it back to the drive control board 8. After processing and analysis, the drive control board 8 supplies power to the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramics to achieve adaptive adjustment of the sealing and stiffness of the output shaft 5 of the rudder system.

Claims

1. A rudder shaft seal and stiffness adaptive adjustment assembly for a rudder system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a rudder shaft seal self-adapting adjustment mechanism, a rudder shaft stiffness self-adapting adjustment mechanism and a control system.

2. A rudder shaft seal and stiffness adaptive adjustment assembly for a rudder system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rudder shaft seal adaptive adjustment mechanism comprises a rudder system upper shell (1), a sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (2), a retaining ring (3), an O-ring (4), an output shaft (5), and a large bearing (6); the O-ring (4), the retaining ring (3) and the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (2) are sequentially sleeved on the upper part of the output shaft (5) of the rudder system from the outside to the inside, and are all located in the open mounting holes reserved in the rudder system upper shell (1); the power supply cable of the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (2) passes through the wire hole reserved in the rudder system upper shell (1) and is connected to the drive control board (8) of the control system; the outer ring of the large bearing (6) is fixed to the rudder system upper shell (1), and the inner ring is fixed to the output shaft (5), and is located below the sealing low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (2).

3. A rudder shaft seal and stiffness adaptive adjustment assembly for a rudder system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rudder shaft stiffness adaptive adjustment mechanism comprises a servo motor (7), a rudder system lower housing (9), a worm (10), a worm gear base (11), a worm wheel (12), an angular displacement sensor (13), a bearing (14), and a low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (15) for stiffness; the servo motor (7) is arranged perpendicular to the axial direction of the output shaft (5), and the output end of the servo motor (7) is fixed to one end of the worm (10); below the large bearing (6), the worm wheel (12), the bearing (14), the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (15) for stiffness The piezoelectric ceramic (15) and the angular displacement sensor (13) are sequentially sleeved on the output shaft (5) from top to bottom, wherein the worm wheel (12) cooperates with the worm (10), the outer ring of the bearing (14) is fixed on the worm wheel base (11) fixed on the lower housing (9) of the rudder system, and the inner ring of the bearing (14) is fixed to the output shaft (5); the power supply cable of the low-voltage stacked piezoelectric ceramic (15) and the angular displacement sensor (13) passes through the wire hole reserved in the lower housing (9) of the rudder system to be connected to the drive control board (8) of the control system.

4. A rudder shaft seal and stiffness adaptive adjustment assembly for a rudder system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system comprises a drive control board (8), a piezoelectric sensor (16), and a piezoelectric sensor sealing ring (17); a piezoelectric sensor (16) is arranged at the rightmost end of the rudder system, a collection cable of which is connected to the drive control board (8), the piezoelectric sensor (16) is sealed from the outside world via the piezoelectric sensor sealing ring (17), and the piezoelectric sensor (16) is used to collect external pressure signals.

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