Offshore carrier rocket offshore recovery device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses an offshore recovery device and method for a near-shore carrier rocket, and belongs to the technical field of rocket recovery. The offshore recovery device for the near-shore carrier rocket comprises a recovery platform used for floating on the sea surface; the supporting stand columns are arranged in the recycling platform in a penetrating mode so that the supporting stand columns can move in the axial arrangement direction of the supporting stand columns, and a certain angle is formed between each supporting stand column and the recycling platform; and the recovery tower system is arranged on the recovery platform. The corresponding supporting stand columns are arranged on the recovery platform and can move to the seabed to support the recovery platform during use, so that the stability of the recovery platform is improved, the shaking problem during rocket recovery is solved, a stable landing environment is provided for rocket recovery, and the recovery platform can be suitable for rockets for tower type recovery, landing leg recovery and the like; the high-precision rocket recovery device has the advantages of being good in stability, high in reliability, good in safety and good in flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of rocket recovery, and particularly relates to an offshore carrier rocket sea recovery device and method. Background Art

[0002] The reusable technology of liquid carrier rockets is the most effective way to improve launch efficiency and reduce launch costs, and it is an inevitable trend in the development of carrier rocket technology. The so-called reuse of liquid carrier rockets refers to the mode of the whole first stage vertically landing and recovering to obtain a complete first stage rocket. After recovery, it can be repaired and slightly maintained and then reused. The reuse cycle can be shortened to 3-4 weeks, and the reuse cost is low. For two-stage liquid carrier rockets, the cost of the first stage accounts for 60%-70%. The reuse of the first stage of the rocket can greatly reduce the launch cost of the rocket and significantly improve the economy. After the rocket is launched and recovered, necessary maintenance and repair can be carried out, and then the launch mission can be carried out again, reducing production costs.

[0003] To achieve the reuse of carrier rockets, rocket recovery technology uses a series of technical means to make part or all of the rocket safely return to the ground for reuse. Its application can greatly reduce the cost of space launches, improve the utilization efficiency of rockets, and provide more possibilities for future commercial space activities and deep space exploration. At the same time, the development of this technology also poses new requirements and challenges to fields such as materials science, aerospace engineering, and environmental protection.

[0004] Among them, the sea recovery under the flight path of the carrier rocket can give full play to the rocket's carrying capacity. First, compared with land recovery, sea recovery has high flexibility and strong mobility. The most suitable position can be selected according to the rocket's ballistic design, flight trajectory, and recovery conditions, thereby reducing the filling amount of the propellant in the tank and then improving the rocket's carrying capacity. Second, compared with land recovery, sea recovery has better safety and can avoid damage to ground facilities and personnel caused by rocket debris. Especially when the rocket needs to fly over densely populated areas, sea recovery can provide a relatively safe solution.

[0005] At present, the offshore operation platforms used for sea recovery under the flight path of carrier rockets are basically floating platforms, which are mainly used for offshore lifting operations. They lack stable support and have the problem of shaking, and cannot solve the shaking accuracy problem during rocket recovery.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background art part of this invention is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background technology of this invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or any form of implication that this information constitutes the prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an inshore sea-based recovery device and method for a launch vehicle to solve the problem of the swaying accuracy of sea-based recovery of a rocket.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle, comprising:

[0009] A recovery platform 100 for floating on the sea surface;

[0010] A plurality of support columns 300 are disposed through the recovery platform 100, so that the support columns 300 move along the axial direction thereof, and there is a certain angle between the support columns 300 and the recovery platform 100;

[0011] A recovery tower system 500 is disposed on the recovery platform 100.

[0012] Preferably, it further comprises a connecting device 200, which is disposed on the recovery platform 100 and is used to move the support columns 300 along their axial directions and lift the recovery platform 100 away from the sea surface.

[0013] Preferably, a drive system is further disposed in the connecting device 200 for driving the support columns 300 to move along their axial directions.

[0014] Preferably, the recovery tower system 500 comprises a tower skeleton and a clamping arm system. The bottom of the tower skeleton is fixed on the recovery platform 100, and the clamping arm system is disposed on the tower skeleton for clamping the recovered rocket.

[0015] Preferably, a hydraulic buffer system is further disposed on the clamping arm system.

[0016] Preferably, a pile shoe 400 is disposed at one end of the support column 300 located at the bottom of the recovery platform 100 for inserting the support column 300 into the seabed.

[0017] Preferably, at least four support columns 300 are provided.

[0018] Preferably, the support columns 300 are perpendicular to the recovery platform 100.

[0019] An inshore sea-based recovery method for a launch vehicle uses the above inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle.

[0020] Preferably, in step one, positioning is performed using a positioning device to navigate the inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle to a designated position. During the navigation process, the support columns 300 are moved along the axial direction until the support columns 300 of the required length are disposed on the top surface of the recovery platform 100;

[0021] Step 2: After the recovery platform 100 reaches the designated position, move the support column 300 downward until the recovery platform 100 is lifted above the sea surface to the required height.

[0022] In the nearshore sea-based recovery device and method for launch vehicles provided by the present invention, by arranging corresponding support columns on the recovery platform, the support columns can move to the seabed during use to provide support for the recovery platform, thereby improving the stability of the recovery platform, solving the problem of shaking during rocket recovery, providing a stable landing environment for rocket recovery, being applicable to rockets for tower-type recovery, landing leg recovery, etc., achieving high-precision rocket recovery, and having the advantages of good stability, high reliability, good safety, and good flexibility.

[0023] The nearshore sea-based recovery method for launch vehicles provided by the present invention and the nearshore sea-based recovery device for launch vehicles provided by the present invention belong to the same inventive concept. Therefore, the nearshore sea-based recovery method for launch vehicles provided by the present invention has at least all the advantages of the nearshore sea-based recovery device for launch vehicles provided by the present invention, which will not be elaborated herein. Description of the Drawings

[0024] Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the provided drawings are used to better understand the present invention and do not constitute any limitation to the scope of the present invention. Among them:

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is an execution flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the drawings:

[0028] 100 - recovery platform; 200 - connecting device; 300 - support column; 400 - pile shoe; 500 - recovery tower system. Detailed Embodiments

[0029] To make the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention clearer, the following further elaborates the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are in a very simplified form and not drawn to scale, only for facilitating and clearly assisting in explaining the objectives of the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the structures shown in the accompanying drawings are often part of the actual structures. In particular, the accompanying drawings need to show different emphases and sometimes use different scales.

[0030] As used in the present invention, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, the term "or" is generally used in the sense of including "and / or", the term "several" is generally used in the sense of including "at least one", the term "at least two" is generally used in the sense of including "two or more", in addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or at least two of such features. The term "proximal end" is usually the end close to the operator, and "one end" and "the other end" as well as "proximal end" and "distal end" usually refer to two corresponding parts, which include not only the endpoints. The terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled" shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and may be the communication inside two components or the interaction relationship between two components. In addition, as used in the present invention, one component being disposed on another component generally only means that there is a connection, coupling, cooperation or transmission relationship between the two components, and the two components may be directly or indirectly connected, coupled, cooperated or transmitted through an intermediate component, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying the spatial position relationship between the two components, that is, one component may be inside, outside, above, below or on one side of the other component in any orientation, unless otherwise expressly specified in the content. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] The inventors' research found that currently, the offshore recovery platform is floating, with a swaying problem, which affects the swaying accuracy during rocket recovery. In addition, for some leg-type offshore engineering vessels, although they can provide a stable operation platform, they lack the corresponding tower device. The accuracy requirement for rocket recovery is relatively high, and currently, the recovery accuracy can reach the centimeter level. Therefore, extremely high requirements are also put forward for the recovery operation platform. Conventional vessels not only cannot meet the centimeter-level recovery accuracy, but also the ship levelness cannot meet the rocket recovery requirements.

[0032] The core idea of the present invention is to provide a floating recovery platform, and to set corresponding support columns and a recovery tower system on the recovery platform. The support columns can move to the seabed during use to provide support for the recovery platform, thereby improving the stability of the recovery platform, solving the swaying problem during rocket recovery, and meeting the accuracy requirements for rocket recovery.

[0033] Specifically, please refer to Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1As shown, an inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle includes:

[0034] A recovery platform 100 for floating on the sea surface;

[0035] A plurality of support columns 300 are disposed through the recovery platform 100, so that the support columns 300 move along the axial direction thereof, and there is a certain angle between the support columns 300 and the recovery platform 100;

[0036] A recovery tower system 500 is disposed on the recovery platform 100.

[0037] In one embodiment, by providing a reusable launch vehicle recovery platform 100, corresponding support columns 300 are disposed on the recovery platform 100, and the recovery platform 100 is positioned at the recovery point by a high-precision positioning device. During the navigation process, the support columns 300 are lifted upward so that most of the support columns 300 are located on the top of the recovery platform 100. After reaching the recovery point, the support columns 300 move downward until they contact the seabed to provide support for the recovery platform 100, and the recovery platform 100 can be lifted above the water surface to provide a stable landing environment for the recovery platform 100, thereby improving the stability of the recovery platform 100. Cooperating with the provided recovery tower system 500 to recover the rocket, the problem of shaking during rocket recovery is solved, and the accuracy requirements for rocket recovery are met.

[0038] Specifically, a connecting device 200 is further disposed on the recovery platform 100 for moving the support columns 300 along their axial directions and lifting the recovery platform 100 above the sea level. A drive system (not shown) is also disposed in the connecting device 200 for driving the support columns 300 to move along their axial directions. More preferably, a servo motor or a torque motor or a servo cylinder is used as the power component of the drive system.

[0039] It can be understood that the connecting device 200 is sleeved outside the support column 300, and the connecting device 200 can also control the movement of the support column 300 through a control system. The connecting device 200 and the support column 300 are connected, for example, by gear meshing or screw connection. A drive system can also be cooperatively disposed in the connecting device 200 or the recovery platform 100 for providing power for the movement of the support column 300.

[0040] Specifically, the recovery platform 100 includes a platform skeleton, a high-precision positioning device, a control system, and a ballast system. Among them, the platform skeleton is, for example, a steel structure, and the high-precision positioning device is used to accurately position the recovery platform 100 at the rocket recovery point.

[0041] In one embodiment, the recovery platform 100 is made of steel, for example, and can withstand a vertical load of up to 300 t of the rocket, a lateral load of up to 50 t, and a moment of up to 30,000 kN·m.

[0042] Exemplarily, at least four support columns 300 are provided. The recovery platform 100 is arranged in a similar rectangular shape, and the corresponding four support columns 300 are arranged at the four corners of the recovery platform 100, for example, and each support column 300 can be adjusted individually to cope with different seabed conditions, so as to be able to control the levelness of the recovery platform 100. After adjusting the levelness, a locking device can also be provided to lock the relative position between the support column 300 and the recovery platform 100 to prevent the recovery platform 100 from shaking.

[0043] In one embodiment, a pile shoe 400 is provided at one end of the support column 300 located at the bottom of the recovery platform 100 for inserting the support column 300 into the seabed.

[0044] More preferably, the support column 300 is perpendicular to the recovery platform 100. Specifically, the recovery tower system 500 includes a tower skeleton (not labeled) and a boom system (not labeled). The bottom of the tower skeleton is fixed on the recovery platform 100, and the boom system is arranged on the tower skeleton for clamping the recovered rocket. It can be understood that a hydraulic buffer system is also arranged on the boom system, and the hydraulic buffer system can be arranged at the connection between the boom system and the tower skeleton to offset the impact force during the rocket recovery process.

[0045] Exemplarily, the boom system includes several pairs of openable and closable clamping arms (not labeled) for clamping and fixing the recovered rocket.

[0046] It can be understood that the position of the recovery tower system 500 can be determined according to the weight distribution condition of the recovery platform 100. For example, when the support columns 300 are arranged at the four corners of the recovery platform 100, the recovery tower system 500 is arranged in the top central area of the recovery platform 100.

[0047] Based on the same technical concept, the present disclosure also provides an inshore sea-based recovery method for a launch vehicle, which adopts the inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle as described above, and further includes the following steps:

[0048] Step 1, use a positioning device for positioning, and navigate the inshore sea-based recovery device for a launch vehicle to a designated position. During the navigation process, move the support column 300 along the axial direction until the support column 300 with the required length is arranged on the top surface of the recovery platform 100;

[0049] Step 2: After the recovery platform 100 reaches the designated position, lower the support columns 300 until the recovery platform 100 is lifted above the sea surface to the required height.

[0050] In one embodiment, by providing a reusable launch vehicle recovery platform 100, corresponding support columns 300 are arranged on the recovery platform 100. The high-precision positioning device positions the recovery platform 100 at the recovery point. During navigation, the support columns 300 are lifted upward so that most of the support columns 300 are located above the top of the recovery platform 100. After reaching the recovery point, the support columns 300 are moved downward until they contact the seabed to provide support for the recovery platform 100, and the recovery platform 100 can be lifted out of the water surface to provide a stable landing environment for the recovery platform 100, thereby improving the stability of the recovery platform 100. Cooperating with the provided recovery tower system 500 to recover the rocket, the problem of rocket shaking during recovery is solved.

[0051] In one embodiment, the recovery platform 100 includes a platform skeleton, a high-precision positioning device, a control system, and a ballast system. Among them, the platform skeleton is, for example, made of steel structure, and the high-precision positioning device is used to accurately position the recovery platform 100 at the rocket recovery point. The recovery platform 100 is, for example, made of steel and can withstand a vertical load of up to 300t for the rocket, a lateral load of up to 50t, and a moment of up to 30000 kN·m. The connecting device 200 is arranged on the recovery platform 100 and is used to move the support column 300 along its axial direction to support the recovery platform 100 away from the sea level. A drive system (not shown) is also arranged in the connecting device 200 and is used to drive the support column 300 to move along its axial direction.

[0052] Exemplarily, at least four support columns 300 are arranged. The recovery platform 100 is arranged in a shape similar to a rectangle, and the corresponding four support columns 300 are, for example, arranged at the four corners of the recovery platform 100, and each support column 300 can be adjusted independently to cope with different seabed conditions, so as to be able to control the levelness of the recovery platform 100. After adjusting the levelness, a locking device can be arranged to lock the relative position between the support column 300 and the recovery platform 100 to prevent the recovery platform 100 from shaking.

[0053] In one embodiment, a pile shoe 400 is arranged at one end of the support column 300 located at the bottom of the recovery platform 100 and is used to insert the support column 300 into the seabed.

[0054] The present invention provides an offshore carrier rocket sea recovery device and method. By arranging corresponding support columns 300 on the recovery platform 100, the recovery platform 100 is positioned at the recovery point by a high-precision positioning device. During the navigation process, the support columns 300 are lifted upward so that most of the support columns 300 are located on the top of the recovery platform 100. After reaching the recovery point, the support columns 300 move downward until they contact the seabed to provide support for the recovery platform 100, which can lift the recovery platform 100 out of the water and cooperate with the arranged recovery tower system 500 to recover the rocket. Especially for the situation where the rocket recovery point is close to the coast, a stable landing environment is provided for the reusable carrier rocket in the offshore area. It can be applied to rockets with tower-type recovery and landing leg recovery, realizing high-precision rocket recovery, and having the advantages of good stability, high reliability, good safety and good flexibility.

[0055] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes and modifications made by those of ordinary skill in the technical field of the present invention based on the above disclosure belong to the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A near-shore launch vehicle offshore recovery device, characterized in that: include: A recovery platform, designed to float on the sea surface; A plurality of support columns are arranged through the recovery platform so that the support columns can move along their axial arrangement direction, and a certain angle is formed between the support columns and the recovery platform; The recovery tower system is arranged on the recovery platform.

2. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting device, which is arranged on the recovery platform and is used to move the supporting column along its axial direction to support the recovery platform away from the sea level.

3. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting device is also provided with a driving system for driving the supporting column to move along its axial direction.

4. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recovery tower system includes a tower frame and an arm system. The bottom of the tower frame is fixed to the recovery platform, and the arm system is arranged on the tower frame for clamping the recovered rocket.

5. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The arm system is also provided with a hydraulic buffer system.

6. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pile shoe is provided at one end of the support column located at the bottom of the recovery platform, which is used to insert the support column into the seabed.

7. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least four supporting columns are provided.

8. The offshore recovery device for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting column is perpendicular to the recovery platform.

9. A method for recovering a near-shore launch vehicle at sea, characterized in that: A near-shore launch vehicle offshore recovery device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is used.

10. The offshore recovery method for a near-shore launch vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that: include: Step 1: Use a positioning device to position the offshore launch vehicle recovery device to a designated location, wherein during the navigation process, the support column is moved in an axial direction until the support column of a required length is set on the top surface of the recovery platform; Step 2: After the recovery platform reaches the designated position, the support pillars are moved downward until the recovery platform is lifted off the sea surface to a desired height.

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