Tool for detecting installation state of screw outside spaceflight cabin

Abstract

The invention relates to a spaceflight extravehicular screw mounting state detection tool, and belongs to the field of extravehicular operation and maintenance of spacecrafts and astronauts. Comprising a handle, a positioning detection assembly, an in-place indication assembly, a locking and unlocking assembly, a machine shell and an installation screw assembly. During use, an astronaut grabs the handle to make the positioning detection assembly go deep into the mounting screw assembly, and the in-place indication assembly can have three states of not stretching out completely, rebounding after stretching out and not rebounding after stretching out through the elastic force effect of a spring in the mounting screw assembly, and the three states correspond to the three states of completely tightening a screw, not completely tightening / unscrewing the screw and completely unscrewing the screw respectively. When the tool detects that the screw is completely unscrewed and locked, locking can be unlocked by operating the locking and unlocking assembly, and the next screw continues to be detected. The tool can greatly improve the operation efficiency and safety of astronauts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of the design of extravehicular maintenance equipment for spacecraft, and relates to a detection tool for the installation state of screws outside a spacecraft cabin. Background Art

[0002] To ensure the stable and long-term operation of a manned spacecraft, astronauts need to perform a large number of extravehicular operations, involving many extravehicular products, especially the repair and replacement of extravehicular equipment.

[0003] Considering the inconvenience of astronauts wearing spacesuits and the weightlessness in the extravehicular environment on orbit, as well as the installation methods of screws for different extravehicular equipment, it is impossible for astronauts to visually judge whether many screws are installed or removed. Therefore, there are situations where screws are disassembled and assembled multiple times during equipment disassembly and assembly, seriously affecting the work efficiency and safety of astronauts outside the spacecraft cabin. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by the present invention is: to provide a detection tool for the installation state of screws outside a spacecraft cabin, which adapts to the work efficiency of astronauts wearing extravehicular spacesuits, assists astronauts in judging the state of operating screws, improves work efficiency, and avoids unnecessary accidents.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a detection tool for the installation state of screws outside a spacecraft cabin, which includes a positioning and detection component, a position indication component, and a locking and unlocking component; specifically:

[0006] The positioning and detection component matches with the screw assembly installed outside the spacecraft cabin and penetrates into the screw assembly to position the installed screw.

[0007] The position indication component, under the action of the spring force in the screw assembly, adopts different mechanical states corresponding to three states of the screw being fully tightened, partially tightened or partially loosened, and fully loosened, so as to determine the screwing state of the screw.

[0008] The locking and unlocking component locks the mechanical state of the position indication component when it detects that the screw is fully tightened. After the detection is completed, the locking of the mechanical state of the position indication component is released through manual operation.

[0009] Preferably, the screw assembly installed includes an installation screw, a screw spring, an equipment base, and a plug;

[0010] During installation, a screw spring is installed in the equipment base. The installation screw is used to pass through the screw spring and be screwed into the spacecraft cabin structure to realize the connection and fixation of the equipment and the cabin. The spring is compressed by the screw and the base. A plug is installed above the screw to prevent the screw and the spring from protruding, ensuring that the screw head always compresses the spring.

[0011] Preferably, the positioning and detecting assembly includes a positioning cylinder and a detecting rod;

[0012] The front end of the positioning cylinder and the detecting rod extend into the plug, and are limited by the fitting of the end face of the positioning cylinder and the end face of the plug.

[0013] Preferably, the in-place indicating assembly includes an indicating crank, an indicating rotating shaft, and a housing;

[0014] The indicating rotating shaft is installed on the housing. The indicating crank is initially hidden inside the housing, with one end connected to the detecting rod. Through the direct movement of the detecting rod, the indicating crank is driven to rotate along the indicating rotating shaft, and the indicating crank extends out of the housing.

[0015] Preferably, the locking and unlocking assembly includes a locking hook, a short compression spring, a positioning block, a locking rotating shaft, a long compression spring, and a pressing head;

[0016] The locking hook and the locking rotating shaft are installed on the housing, and part of the locking hook is located outside the housing; the positioning block is fixed on the detecting rod and is provided with a hook matching the locking hook. The long compression spring is located below the positioning block and is sleeved outside the detecting rod. The pressing head is fixed in the middle of the detecting rod and is used to press the long compression spring. One end of the short compression spring is installed on the housing, and the other end contacts the locking hook;

[0017] After the detection tool finishes detection, the detecting rod moves upward under the push of the screw spring, driving the positioning block installed on it. After reaching the position, the locking hook meshes with the positioning block under the action of the short compression spring, preventing the detecting rod from moving downward, and at the same time keeping the indicating crank in the extended state;

[0018] After the tool is used up, by pressing the part of the locking hook outside the housing, the elastic force of the short compression spring is offset, and the engagement between the locking hook and the positioning block is released. The detecting rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring, driving the indicating crank to rotate back into the housing.

[0019] Preferably, the elastic force of the screw spring is greater than that of the long compression spring.

[0020] Preferably, when the screw is in the fully tightened state, the detecting rod does not move under the action of the positioning sleeve, and at the same time the indicating crank does not move, and is completely hidden inside the housing.

[0021] Preferably, when the screw is partially tightened or partially loosened, the detecting rod moves upward under the action of the screw spring, and the indicating crank partially extends. However, at this time, the stroke of the detecting rod is insufficient to lock the locking and unlocking assembly. When the tool leaves the screw, the detecting rod moves downward under the elastic force of the long compression spring, driving the indicating crank to return to the housing.

[0022] Preferably, the detection rod moves upward under the thrust of the screw spring and has a maximum stroke under the designed state of installing the screw. At this time, the detection rod rises to the highest position. At this time, the detection rod drives the indicating crank to extend to the maximum position. At the same time, the detection rod drives the positioning block on the detection rod to move until the hook on the positioning block engages with the front part of the locking hook. At the same time, the locking hook locks the positioning block under the action of the short compression spring, so that the detection rod will not move downward after leaving the screw, thereby achieving the purpose of locking the mechanism.

[0023] Preferably, when the tool mechanism is locked and the next screw needs to be tested and unlocked, the lock hook of the locking and unlocking assembly is pressed to rotate the lock hook around the locking shaft, overcoming the elastic force of the short compression spring, separating the front end of the lock hook from the positioning block, releasing the locked state, and the clamping rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring, indicating that the crank returns to the housing.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0025] (1) In the present invention, the astronaut grasps the handle to operate the tool to move the head of the positioning detection component deep into the interior of the mounting screw component, and completes the detection by the spring force without the need for additional energy, thereby reducing the size of the equipment and the operational reliability of the spacecraft outside the spacecraft environment.

[0026] (2) The present invention detects the screw installation status by indicating the state of the handle, and there are three states: the handle is not extended, cannot be locked after being extended, and automatically locked after being extended, corresponding to the three states of the screw being fully tightened, partially tightened or partially loosened, and fully loosened.

[0027] (3) In the present invention, the indicator handle can be automatically locked after the tool is detected to be in place, and the indicator handle will not bounce back due to the tool leaving the screw. At the same time, the indicator handle will only be locked when the screw is completely loosened, which will not cause misjudgment by astronauts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of installing screws in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a detection tool in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a state of a detection tool detecting a completely loosened screw in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the use process of the detection tool in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of unlocking the detection tool mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0034] In order to overcome the current situation that astronauts cannot judge the tightened or loosened state of the installation screws of equipment outside the cabin, the present invention proposes a detection tool for the installation state of screws outside the cabin. This tool is mainly used for detecting the state of screws of equipment outside the cabin, and is also suitable for astronauts to operate while wearing extravehicular spacesuits, improving the work efficiency outside the cabin.

[0035] The present invention determines the screw installation state by detecting the relative position of the screw. For this solution, the present invention has made relevant improvements to the screw installation method. When installing the screw, a screw spring is installed in the equipment base. The spring is pressed by the screw and the base. A plug is installed above the screw to prevent the screw and the spring from protruding, and to ensure that the screw head can always press the spring, so as to ensure that the spring can provide elastic force to push the detection rod in any installation situation of the screw. As Figure 1 shown.

[0036] A detection tool for the installation state of screws outside the cabin of the present invention drives the mechanism inside the tool by the elastic force of the screw spring to push the detection rod.

[0037] As Figure 2 shown, the detection tool for the installation state of screws outside the spacecraft cabin includes a handle, a positioning and detection component 2, a position indication component 3, and a locking and unlocking component 4; among them:

[0038] The positioning and detection component 2 is matched with the installation screw component 6 outside the spacecraft cabin and penetrates into the installation screw component to position the installation screw;

[0039] The position indication component 3, through the elastic force of the spring in the installation screw component, adopts different mechanical states corresponding to three states of the screw being completely tightened, partially tightened or partially loosened, and completely loosened, so as to judge the screwing state of the screw;

[0040] The locking and unlocking component 4 locks the mechanical state of the position indication component 3 when it detects that the screw is completely tightened. After the detection is completed, the locking of the mechanical state of the position indication component 3 is released through manual operation.

[0041] The installation screw component is installed on the operating equipment. The astronaut grasps the handle of the tool to align the positioning and detection component with the installation screw component. The elastic force of the screw spring in the installation screw component pushes the positioning and detection component to move, thereby driving the position indication component to move to judge the disassembly and assembly state of the screw.

[0042] The installation screw component 6 includes an installation screw 61, a screw spring 62, an equipment base 63, and a plug 64;

[0043] When installing, a screw spring is installed in the equipment base. The installation screw 61 is used to pass through the screw spring and be screwed into the aircraft cabin structure to realize the connection and fixation of the equipment and the cabin. The spring is compressed by the screw and the base. A plug is installed above the screw to prevent the screw and the spring from protruding, ensuring that the screw head always compresses the spring.

[0044] The positioning and detection component 2 includes a positioning cylinder 21 and a detection rod 22;

[0045] The front end of the positioning cylinder 21 and the detection rod extend into the plug, and are limited by the fitting of the end face of the positioning cylinder and the end face of the plug.

[0046] As Figure 3 shown, the in-place indication component 3 includes an indicating crank 31, an indicating rotating shaft 32, and a housing 5; the housing 5 is the main installation carrier, and all tool parts are installed on the housing.

[0047] The indicating rotating shaft 32 is installed on the housing 5. The indicating crank 31 is initially hidden inside the housing 5, with one end connected to the detection rod 22. Through the direct movement of the detection rod, the indicating crank 31 is driven to rotate along the indicating rotating shaft 32, and the indicating crank 31 extends out of the housing 5.

[0048] The locking and unlocking component 4 includes a lock hook 41, a short compression spring 42, a positioning block 43, a locking rotating shaft 44, a long compression spring 45, and a pressing head 23;

[0049] The lock hook 41 and the locking rotating shaft 44 are installed on the housing, and part of the lock hook 41 is located outside the housing; the positioning block 43 is fixed on the detection rod and is provided with a groove matching the lock hook 41. The long compression spring 45 is located below the positioning block 43 and is sleeved outside the detection rod. The pressing head 23 is fixed in the middle of the detection rod 22 and is used to compress the long compression spring 45. One end of the short compression spring 42 is installed on the housing, and the other end contacts the lock hook 41;

[0050] After the detection tool finishes detection, the detection rod 22 moves upward under the push of the screw spring 62, driving the positioning block 43 installed on it. After reaching the position, the lock hook 41 meshes with the positioning block 43 under the action of the short compression spring 42, making the detection rod 22 unable to move downward, and at the same time keeping the indicating crank 31 in the extended state;

[0051] After the tool is used up, by pressing the part of the lock hook 41 outside the housing 5, the elastic force of the short compression spring 42 is offset, and the engagement between the lock hook 41 and the positioning block 43 is released. The detection rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring 45, driving the indicating crank 31 to rotate into the housing 5.

[0052] The elastic force of the screw spring is greater than that of the long compression spring.

[0053] As Figure 4As shown, when in use, the front end of the positioning tube and the detection rod are deeply inserted into the plug, and the end face of the positioning tube is fitted with the end face of the plug to limit the position.

[0054] When the screw is in a fully tightened state, the screw is limited by the plug and cannot transmit the spring force to the detection rod. The detection rod does not move under the action of the positioning sleeve, and the indicator crank 31 does not move, and is completely hidden in the housing 5.

[0055] When the screw is in a partially loosened or partially tightened state, when the screw contacts the detection rod, the screw spring force is transmitted to the detection rod, and the detection rod moves upward under the action of the screw spring. The movement of the detection rod drives the indicator crank connected to the detection rod at one end to rotate around the indicating shaft, and the other end of the indicator crank partially extends out of the casing. However, the stroke is insufficient, and the locking and unlocking assembly 4 cannot work normally. When the tool detection rod leaves the screw, the detection rod moves downward again under the elastic force of the long compression spring, driving the indicator crank back to the casing. At the same time, to ensure that the detection rod moves upward when it contacts the screw, it is necessary to ensure that the screw spring force is greater than the long compression spring.

[0056] When the screw is in a completely loosened state, the detection rod moves upward under the thrust of the screw spring 62 and has the maximum stroke under the designed state of installing the screw. At this time, the detection rod rises to the highest position. At this time, the detection rod drives the indicating crank to extend to the maximum position 5. At the same time, the detection rod drives the positioning block on the detection rod to move until the hook on the positioning block engages with the front part of the locking hook. At the same time, the locking hook locks the positioning block under the action of the short compression spring, so that the detection rod will not move downward after leaving the screw, thereby achieving the purpose of locking the mechanism.

[0057] When the tool mechanism is locked, it is necessary to unlock after the next screw test. When the tool mechanism is locked, the lock hook of the lock unlocking component 4 is pressed to rotate the lock hook around the locking shaft, overcoming the elastic force of the short compression spring, and the front end of the lock hook is separated from the positioning block, releasing the locking state. The clamping rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring, indicating that the crank 31 returns to the housing 5, thereby releasing the tool locking state. Figure 5 shown.

[0058] In the present invention, the indicating handle can be automatically locked after the tool is detected to be in place, and the indicating handle will not bounce back due to the tool leaving the screw. At the same time, the indicating handle will only be locked when the screw is completely loosened, which will not cause misjudgment by astronauts.

[0059] At the same time, in order for astronauts to use and operate it in orbit, there is a gripping handle on the top of the tool, and astronauts use the gripping handle to perform alignment detection operations.

[0060] The above-mentioned tool for detecting the installation state of screws outside the spacecraft cabin judges the installation state of the screws through the in-place indication component. When the in-place indication component does not protrude from the casing, the screw is fully tightened; when the in-place indication component protrudes from the casing but the tool leaves the screw, under the action of the long compression spring, the indication component retracts into the casing, and at this time the screw is not fully tightened or loosened; when the in-place indication component protrudes from the casing and the tool leaves the screw, the indication handle remains in the state of protruding from the casing under the action of the locking and unlocking component, and at this time the screw is fully loosened.

[0061] For the above-mentioned tool for detecting the installation state of screws outside the spacecraft cabin, when it is detected that a screw is fully loosened, the indication component protrudes from the casing; when continuing to detect the state of the next screw, the astronaut presses the locking and unlocking component to release the lock. Under the action of the long compression spring, the indication component retracts into the casing, and the tool returns to the initial state for the next detection.

[0062] For the above-mentioned tool for detecting the installation state of screws outside the spacecraft cabin, the screw is limited and installed inside the equipment, and there is a plug above to prevent the screw from falling out. When the screw is installed, it passes through the inside of the screw spring. The elastic force of the screw spring is greater than that of the long compression spring, and the elastic force of the screw spring drives the detection rod of the tool to move to complete the detection of the screw state.

Claims

1. A tool for detecting the installation status of screws outside a spacecraft, characterized in that It comprises a positioning detection component (2), an in-position indication component (3), and a locking and unlocking component (4); wherein: A positioning detection component (2) is matched with a spacecraft cabin external mounting screw component (6), penetrates into the mounting screw component, and positions the mounting screw; The in-position indicating component (3) uses the spring force of the installation screw component to use different mechanical states to correspond to the three states of the screw being completely tightened, partially tightened or partially loosened, and completely loosened, thereby determining the screwing state of the screw; The locking and unlocking component (4) locks the mechanical state of the in-place indication component (3) when it detects that the screw is fully tightened, and releases the lock of the mechanical state of the in-place indication component (3) through manual operation after the detection is completed.

2. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting screw assembly (6) comprises a mounting screw (61), a screw spring (62), an equipment base (63), and a plug (64); During installation, a screw spring is installed in the device base, and the installation screw (61) is used to pass through the screw spring and be screwed into the aircraft cabin structure to achieve the connection and fixation between the device and the cabin. The spring is compressed by the screw and the base, and a plug is installed above the screw to prevent the screw and the spring from protruding, ensuring that the screw head always compresses the spring.

3. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning detection component (2) comprises a positioning cylinder (21) and a detection rod (22); The front end of the positioning tube (21) and the detection rod are deeply inserted into the plug, and the positioning tube end face is fitted with the plug end face to limit the position.

4. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 3, characterized in that: The in-position indicating assembly (3) comprises an indicating crank (31), an indicating rotating shaft (32), and a casing (5); The indicating shaft (32) is mounted on the casing (5). The indicating crank (31) is initially hidden in the casing (5) and one end of the indicating crank (31) is connected to the detection rod (22). The indicating crank (31) is driven to rotate along the indicating shaft (32) through direct movement of the detection rod, and the indicating crank (31) extends out of the casing (5).

5. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking and unlocking assembly (4) comprises a locking hook (41), a short compression spring (42), a positioning block (43), a locking shaft (44), a long compression spring (45), and a pressing head (23); The clavicle (41) and the locking shaft (44) are mounted on the housing, wherein the lock hook (41) is partially located outside the housing; the positioning block (43) is fixed on the detection rod and is provided with a hook matching the lock hook (41); the long compression spring (45) is located below the positioning block (43) and is sleeved outside the detection rod; the pressing head (23) is fixed to the middle of the detection rod (22) and is used to press the long compression spring (45); one end of the short compression spring (42) is mounted on the housing, and the other end is in contact with the lock hook (41); After the detection tool is detected, the detection rod (22) moves upward under the push of the screw spring (62), driving the positioning block (43) installed thereon to move. After it is in place, the lock hook (41) engages with the positioning block (43) under the action of the short compression spring (42), so that the detection rod (22) does not move downward, and at the same time keeps the indicating crank (31) in an extended state; After the tool is used, the outer part of the housing (5) is pressed by pressing the lock hook (41) to offset the elastic force of the short compression spring (42), thereby releasing the engagement between the lock hook (41) and the positioning block (43). The detection rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring (45) and rotates into the housing (5) with the indicating crank (31).

6. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: The elastic force of the screw spring is greater than that of the long compression spring.

7. A tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the screw is in a completely tightened state, the detection rod does not move under the action of the positioning sleeve, and the indicating crank (31) does not move at the same time, and is completely hidden in the casing (5).

8. The tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the screw is partially tightened or partially loosened, the detection rod moves upward under the action of the screw spring, and the indicator crank (31) is partially extended. However, at this time, the detection rod has insufficient travel to lock the locking and unlocking assembly (4). When the tool leaves the screw, the detection rod moves downward again under the elastic force of the long compression spring, driving the indicator crank to return to the housing.

9. The tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: The detection rod moves upward under the thrust of the screw spring (62) and has a maximum stroke under the design state of installing the screw. At this time, the detection rod rises to the highest position. At this time, the detection rod drives the indicating crank to extend to (5) the maximum position. At the same time, the detection rod drives the positioning block on the detection rod to move until the hook on the positioning block engages with the front part of the locking hook. At the same time, the locking hook locks the positioning block under the action of the short compression spring, so that the detection rod will not move downward after leaving the screw, thereby achieving the purpose of locking the mechanism.

10. The tool for detecting the screw installation status outside a spacecraft according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the tool mechanism is locked and the next screw needs to be tested and unlocked, the lock hook of the locking and unlocking assembly (4) is pressed to rotate the lock hook around the locking shaft, overcoming the elastic force of the short compression spring, and the front end of the lock hook is separated from the positioning block, releasing the locking state. The clamping rod moves downward under the action of the long compression spring, and the indicator crank (31) returns to the housing (5).

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