Lunar soil filling device with environmental isolation function

Abstract

The application discloses a lunar soil filling device with environment isolation function, which comprises a lunar soil temporary storage cabin, a funnel, a supporting seat, a handle, a pull rod, an upper cone, a lower cone, a compression spring and a bellows. The handle is installed on the upper end of the supporting seat, the supporting seat is installed on the upper end of the funnel, and the lower end of the funnel is communicated with the upper end inlet of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin. The lower end of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin is provided with an outlet. The upper cone, the compression spring, the bellows and the lower cone are located in the lunar soil temporary storage cabin. The compression spring presses the upper cone and the lower cone to be close to the inlet and the outlet of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin respectively, so that the inlet and the outlet are closed. The handle is pressed downward to push the upper cone to move downward, so that the inlet of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin is opened. The handle is pulled upward, the compression spring drives the upper cone to reset and close the inlet of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin, and the lower cone moves upward, so that the outlet of the lunar soil temporary storage cabin is opened. The application has the advantages of simple structure, convenient operation, realization of lunar soil filling and environment isolation, avoidance of lunar soil into the motion pair, reduction of abrasion and risk of jamming.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of lunar exploration technology and relates to a lunar surface regolith filling device with environmental isolation function. Background Technology

[0002] In the future development of lunar resources, it will be necessary to collect a certain amount of lunar regolith in situ and inject it into lunar surface processing plants or lunar surface laboratories. Lunar regolith processing plants can utilize lunar regolith to generate oxygen in situ through certain chemical processes, which can be used to support lunar life activities or as propellant for spacecraft, reducing the cost of human deep space exploration. Lunar regolith processing plants can also be used to create functional structures for lunar surface construction using lunar 3D printing technology. Lunar surface laboratories can use lunar regolith as raw material for some biological experiments. Both lunar regolith processing plants and lunar surface laboratories need to periodically obtain lunar regolith from the outside world through lunar regolith injection devices. Lunar regolith processing plants and lunar surface laboratories are also referred to as lunar regolith injection targets. In some cases, lunar regolith injection targets cannot be directly connected to the external lunar environment, which requires the lunar regolith injection device to have lunar environment isolation capabilities and the ability to periodically inject lunar regolith. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is as follows: In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function. By combining conical sealing and sequential linear action, the filling of lunar regolith and the isolation of the lunar environment are realized. Moreover, during the filling process, the moving parts with sealing requirements do not directly contact the lunar regolith, avoiding wear of the moving parts by lunar dust and reducing the risk of movement jamming.

[0004] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: a lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function, comprising: a lunar regolith storage chamber, a funnel, a support base, a handle, a pull rod, an upper cone, a compression spring, a bellows, and a lower cone; the handle is installed in the handle mounting hole on the support base and inserted into the funnel, the support base is installed at the large end of the funnel, and the small end of the funnel is connected to the inlet of the lunar regolith storage chamber; one end of the pull rod is inserted into the end of the handle that extends into the funnel, and the pull rod passes through the central hole of the upper cone, the compression spring, and the bellows in sequence, and the other end of the pull rod is connected to the lower cone; the upper cone, the compression spring, the bellows, and the lower cone are located inside the lunar regolith storage chamber; the compression spring and the bellows are located between the upper cone and the lower cone, and the compression spring is located inside the bellows.

[0005] Furthermore, the lunar soil storage chamber includes an upper conical shell, a cylinder, and a lower conical shell. The small end of the upper conical shell is the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber and is connected to the small end of the funnel via a flange. The large end of the upper conical shell is connected to one end of the cylinder via a flange. The small end of the lower conical shell is the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber, and the large end is connected to the other end of the cylinder via a flange.

[0006] Furthermore, the funnel has a flange structure at the small end outlet, 3 to 4 connecting screw holes distributed on the large end port, and a space for adding lunar soil on one side of the large end.

[0007] Furthermore, the support base is provided with several mounting claws that are connected to the funnel, and the central axis of the handle mounting hole on the support base passes through the center of the small end port of the funnel and is perpendicular to the plane of the small end port of the funnel.

[0008] Furthermore, the upper end of the handle is provided with a disc-shaped hand-held structure, and the lower end is a circular tube structure. The circular tube structure passes through the handle mounting hole on the support base and can slide up and down in the handle mounting hole. A limiting step is provided in the inner hole of the end of the circular tube structure that is connected to the pull rod.

[0009] Furthermore, one end of the pull rod passes through the limiting step in the handle's circular tube structure and is connected to a limiting device, which is used to connect the railing and the handle.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper cone has a through hole along its central axis, and the top surface of the small end has a cylindrical step with a height between 2mm and 4mm. The diameter of the step is smaller than the inner hole of the circular tube structure of the handle. The end face of the large end is sealed to the bellows by adhesive bonding or welding.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower cone comprises two conical sections, the large ends of which are connected together. A tie rod connection interface is provided at the center of one end of the lower cone, and a sealed connection is achieved with the bellows by adhesive bonding or welding.

[0012] Furthermore, in the initial state, the upper cone closes the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber under the action of the compression spring, and the lower cone closes the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber under the action of the compression spring.

[0013] Furthermore, when the handle is pressed down, the upper cone is pushed down, opening the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber. The lunar soil falls into the lunar soil storage chamber under the action of gravity. When the handle is pulled up, the compression spring drives the upper cone to reset and close the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber. The lower cone moves upward and opens the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber. The lunar soil falls from the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber, realizing refueling.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention compared to the prior art are as follows:

[0015] 1. This invention ensures that lunar soil can be injected simply by pressing down and pulling up a single operating handle, making the operation process simple;

[0016] 2. This invention achieves a sealed isolation between the lunar soil being injected and the external lunar surface environment during the lunar soil injection process;

[0017] 3. In the process of adding lunar soil, the moving parts of this invention do not directly contact the lunar soil, thus reducing the risk of wear and jamming. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is an external structural diagram of the lunar surface refueling device with environmental isolation function described in this invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function described in this invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working steps of the lunar surface regolith filling device with environmental isolation function described in this invention;

[0021] In the diagram, 1-Lunar soil storage chamber, 2-funnel, 3-support base, 4-handle, 5-end cap, 6-limit nut, 7-pull rod, 8-upper cone, 9-compression spring, 10-bellows, 11-lower cone, 101-upper cone shell, 102-cylinder, 103-upper cone shell. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Reference Figures 1-2 As shown, a lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function includes: a lunar regolith storage chamber 1, a funnel 2, a support base 3, a handle 4, an end cap 5, a limiting nut 6, a pull rod 7, an upper cone 8, a compression spring 9, a bellows 10, and a lower cone 11. The handle 4 is installed on the upper end of the support base 3, the support base 3 is installed on the upper end of the funnel 2, and the lower outlet of the funnel 2 is connected to the inlet at the upper end of the lunar regolith storage chamber 1. The lever 7 passes through the lower end of the handle 4, the upper cone 8, the compression spring 10, and the bellows 10 from top to bottom, and its lower end is threadedly connected to the lower cone 11. The upper cone 8, the compression spring 9, the bellows 10, and the lower cone 11 are located inside the lunar soil storage chamber 1. The compression spring 9 and the bellows 10 are located between the upper cone 8 and the lower cone 11. Under the action of the compression spring 9, the upper cone 8 closes the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1, thus isolating the lunar soil storage chamber 1 from the lunar surface environment. Under the action of the compression spring 9, the lower cone 11 closes the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1, thus isolating the lunar soil refueling object from the environment of the lunar soil storage chamber 1.

[0024] The lunar soil storage chamber 1 is composed of an upper conical shell 101, a cylindrical shell 102, and a lower conical shell 103, with the axes of the upper conical shell 101, the cylindrical shell 102, and the lower conical shell 103 coinciding.

[0025] The upper conical shell 101 is the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1. The inner wall is a conical surface with a smaller upper end and a larger lower end. The upper and lower ends of the outer side are provided with connecting flanges. The upper end is connected to the funnel 2 and the lower end is connected to the cylinder 102.

[0026] The outer sides of both ends of the cylinder 102 are provided with connecting flanges.

[0027] The lower conical shell 103 is the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1. Its inner wall is an inverted conical surface with a larger upper end and a smaller lower end. The upper outer end is provided with a connecting flange, which is connected to the cylinder 102 and provides a flange interface for connecting with the lunar soil filling object. The lower end is provided with an outlet.

[0028] The lower outlet of the funnel 2 is connected to the upper end of the lunar soil storage chamber 1. A support base 3 is installed at the upper end, and a space for adding lunar soil is provided on one side. Lunar soil can be added into the funnel by a robot or astronaut.

[0029] The lower end of the support base 3 is provided with multiple mounting claw structures, which are connected to the funnel 2 by screws. The upper end is provided with a cylindrical through hole in the middle, and the axis of the cylindrical through hole coincides with the axis of the lunar soil storage chamber 1.

[0030] The handle 4 has a disc-shaped handheld structure at the upper end and a cylindrical structure at the lower end. The cylindrical structure passes through the cylindrical through hole in the middle of the support base 3 and can slide up and down along the cylindrical through hole of the support base 3. The upper end of the cylindrical tube has a threaded hole that connects to the end cap 5 to prevent dust from entering the cylindrical tube of the handle 4. A limiting step is provided at the lower end of the inner hole of the cylindrical tube 5mm away from the bottom surface.

[0031] The main body of the pull rod 7 is a cylindrical rod structure with external threads at the upper and lower ends. The lower end is connected to the lower cone 11, and the upper end passes through the limiting step of the inner hole of the circular tube structure of the handle 4. The upper end is connected to the limiting device, which is the limiting nut 6. The outer diameter of the limiting nut 6 is larger than the inner diameter of the limiting step, but smaller than the inner diameter of the circular tube structure of the handle 4. The pull rod 7 can be pulled vertically upward by the handle 4 to move the lower cone 11 upward and open the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1.

[0032] The outer cone surface of the upper cone 8 has the same taper as the upper cone shell 101, and can form a conical seal with the upper cone shell 101. A through hole is provided at the central axis, and a cylindrical step with a height between 2mm and 4mm is provided on the upper top surface. The diameter of the cylindrical step is smaller than the inner hole of the circular tube structure of the handle 4. When the handle 4 is not pulled up, the cylindrical step of the upper cone 8 is inserted into the inner hole of the circular tube structure of the handle 4 to prevent the moon dust in the funnel 4 from entering the sliding motion pair between the pull rod 7 and the upper cone 8. The lower bottom surface is sealed to the bellows 10 by gluing or welding.

[0033] The upper end of the bellows 10 is glued or welded to the upper cone 8, and the lower end is glued or welded to the lower cone 11. It can extend and retract longitudinally, which can prevent lunar dust in the lunar soil storage chamber 1 from entering the sliding motion pair between the tie rod 7 and the upper cone 8.

[0034] The main body of the lower cone 11 is composed of two cones with small diameters at both ends and large diameters in the middle. A threaded hole is provided at the top axis to connect with the pull rod 7. The top surface and the bellows 10 are sealed together by adhesive bonding or welding.

[0035] Reference Figure 3 As shown, the working process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0036] Initially, the upper cone 8 and lower cone 11, under the action of the compression spring 9, are pressed tightly at the inlet and outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1, respectively, to isolate the lunar soil storage chamber 1 from the lunar surface environment and from the environment of the lunar soil being refilled. The required lunar soil is then added to the funnel by astronauts or robots. Upon receiving the instruction to add lunar soil, the lower handle 4 pushes the upper cone 8 downward to open the connection channel between the funnel 2 and the lunar soil storage chamber 1. Under the action of gravity, the lunar soil enters the lunar soil storage chamber 1 from the funnel 2. After all the lunar soil has entered the lunar soil storage chamber 1, the upper handle 4 is pulled up, and the compression spring 9 drives the upper cone 8 to reset and isolate the lunar soil storage chamber 1 from the lunar surface environment. Subsequently, the handle 4 drives the pull rod 7 and the lower cone 11 to move upward, opening the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber 1. Under the action of gravity, the lunar soil falls from the lunar soil storage chamber 1 into the lunar soil being refilled. The handle 4 is then returned to its original position, and lunar soil is added to the funnel again for the next refill.

[0037] The parts of this invention not described in detail are well-known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A lunar regolith refueling device with environmental isolation function, characterized in that, include: Lunar soil storage chamber (1), funnel (2), support base (3), handle (4), pull rod (7), upper cone (8), compression spring (9), bellows (10), lower cone (11); the handle (4) is installed in the handle mounting hole on the support base (3) and inserted into the funnel (2), the support base (3) is installed at the large end of the funnel (2), and the small end of the funnel (2) is connected to the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1); one end of the pull rod (7) is inserted into the handle (4) and extends... One end of the rod (7) enters the funnel and passes through the central hole of the upper cone (8), the compression spring (9), and the bellows (10) in sequence. The other end of the rod (7) is connected to the lower cone (11). The upper cone (8), the compression spring (9), the bellows (10), and the lower cone (11) are located inside the lunar soil storage chamber (1). The compression spring (9) and the bellows (10) are located between the upper cone (8) and the lower cone (11), and the compression spring (9) is located inside the bellows (10). In the initial state, the upper cone (8) closes the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1) under the action of the compression spring (9), and the lower cone (11) closes the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1) under the action of the compression spring (9); When the handle (4) is pressed down, the upper cone (8) is pushed down to open the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1). The lunar soil falls into the lunar soil storage chamber (1) under the action of gravity. When the handle (4) is pulled up, the compression spring (9) drives the upper cone (8) to reset and close the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1). The lower cone (11) moves up to open the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1). The lunar soil falls from the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1) to realize the filling.

2. The lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lunar soil storage chamber (1) includes an upper conical shell (101), a cylinder (102) and a lower conical shell (103). The small end of the upper conical shell (101) is the inlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1) and is connected to the small end of the funnel (2) through a flange. The large end of the upper conical shell (101) is connected to one end of the cylinder (102) through a flange. The small end of the lower conical shell (103) is the outlet of the lunar soil storage chamber (1) and the large end is connected to the other end of the cylinder (102) through a flange.

3. A lunar regolith refueling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The funnel (2) has a flange structure at the small end outlet, 3 to 4 connecting screw holes on the large end port, and a space for adding lunar soil on one side of the large end.

4. A lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support base (3) is provided with several mounting claws that are connected to the funnel (2). The central axis of the handle mounting hole on the support base (3) passes through the center of the small end port of the funnel (2) and is perpendicular to the plane of the small end port of the funnel (2).

5. A lunar regolith refueling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The handle (4) has a disc hand-held structure at the upper end and a circular tube structure at the lower end. The circular tube structure passes through the handle mounting hole on the support base (3) and can slide up and down in the handle mounting hole. A limiting step is provided in the inner hole of the end of the circular tube structure connected to the pull rod (7).

6. A lunar regolith refueling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 5, characterized in that, One end of the pull rod (7) passes through the limiting step in the circular tube structure of the handle (4) and is connected to the limiting device, which is used to connect the railing (7) and the handle (4).

7. A lunar regolith refueling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 5, characterized in that, The upper cone (8) has a through hole along the central axis. The top surface of the small end has a cylindrical step with a height between 2mm and 4mm. The diameter of the step is smaller than the inner hole of the round tube structure of the handle (4). The end face of the large end is sealed to the bellows (10) by adhesive bonding or welding.

8. A lunar regolith filling device with environmental isolation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower cone (11) includes two cone sections, with the large ends of the two cone sections connected together. A tie rod (7) connection interface is provided at the center of one end of the lower cone (11), and a sealed connection is achieved with the bellows (10) by gluing or welding.

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