Compact deep sea rotation phase change driver

Abstract

The invention provides a compact deep-sea rotary phase change driver, which realizes deep-sea rotary motion output through three stages of paraffin phase change expansion driving, hydraulic transmission and mechanical conversion: after a ceramic heating sheet is electrified, an ethylene glycol heat-conducting medium is heated, and a paraffin-expanded graphite composite material in a phase change micro-unit group is indirectly melted and expanded. Expanded graphite obviously improves paraffin heat conductivity, and rapid and uniform phase change is ensured. The micro-unit silicone tube is extruded and deformed by hydraulic pressure to push the ethylene glycol fluid to displace. The ethylene glycol fluid transmits pressure to the execution elastic body through the flow guide channel of the driver shell. The elastic body only generates axial linear motion due to winding of the radial nylon wire and drives the piston to compress the reset spring. The piston rack drives the pinion to rotate and transmits torque to the bull gear through the optical axis to output the torque. After power failure, the paraffin is cooled and contracted, the reset spring releases energy to push the piston to reset, and reverse rotation is achieved; the problems of driving stability and resetting in the deep sea high-pressure environment are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of deep-sea mechanical equipment and phase change drive technology, and more specifically, to a drive that achieves rotational motion output through the expansion and contraction of paraffin phase change material, suitable for torque output requirements in full-sea depth environments. Background Art

[0002] Deepwater drive equipment and technology are steadily developing. Rotary motors are an essential component of deepwater equipment, driving external loads to achieve rotational motion. Currently, traditional electric motors are the primary means of deepwater rotary motion. The high-pressure driving environment of the deepwater requires oil filling and sealing for proper operation. These motors are typically large in size and mass, making them difficult to effectively reduce and increasing the risk of leakage. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In response to the technical problems raised above, a driver is provided that realizes rotational motion output through the expansion and contraction of paraffin phase change material, which is suitable for torque output requirements in full sea depth environment.

[0004] The technical means adopted in the present invention are as follows:

[0005] A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive comprising:

[0006] The phase change module includes a driver housing, a phase change micro unit group, a ceramic heating plate and an actuator elastic body, wherein:

[0007] The phase change micro unit group is composed of a plurality of phase change micro units, each phase change micro unit includes a silicone tube, the silicone tube is filled with paraffin-expanded graphite composite phase change material, and both ends are sealed by sealing silicone rubber;

[0008] The driver housing is filled with ethylene glycol heat-conducting medium and is sealed and connected to the rigid end cover through internal and external threads;

[0009] The ceramic heating plate is placed on the inner wall of the cavity of the driver housing and is led out of the driver housing through a wire;

[0010] One end of the actuator elastic body is fixed on the square boss of the driver housing and is coaxially arranged with the inner cavity of the driver housing. The actuator elastic body is radially wound with nylon fiber wire to limit its radial deformation.

[0011] A motion conversion module includes a rigid sleeve, a piston, a rack, a pinion, a gear, and a return spring, wherein:

[0012] The rigid sleeve is fixedly connected to the driver housing via a fixing bolt, and the piston is sleeved inside the rigid sleeve and limited by a guide rod;

[0013] One end of the piston is connected to the actuator elastic body, and the other end is fixed to the rack, and the rack is meshed with the pinion;

[0014] The small gear is fixed in the rigid sleeve through the optical shaft, and the outer end of the optical shaft is connected to the large gear to form an output shaft structure;

[0015] The return spring is sleeved on the periphery of the guide rod to limit the movement range of the piston.

[0016] The above technical solution integrates phase change drive and motion conversion to solve the problem of rotational output in deep-sea environments. At the same time, it has a compact structure, is resistant to high pressure, has strong driving force and stable reset.

[0017] The purpose of this solution is to optimize heating uniformity, avoid local overheating, and improve phase change efficiency.

[0018] Furthermore, an annular boss is provided in the middle of the inner cavity of the rigid sleeve to position the return spring and limit the axial movement of the guide rod. The purpose of this solution is to accurately control the piston stroke and ensure the reversibility of the rotational movement.

[0019] Furthermore, the square boss end face of the driver housing is provided with four threaded holes, which are fixedly connected to the square boss at the bottom of the rigid casing by fixing bolts. This solution aims to enhance the structural sealing and prevent ethylene glycol leakage under high pressure in the deep sea.

[0020] Furthermore, the actuator is molded from silicone, and its axial deformation is limited by nylon fiber lines, allowing only linear motion. This solution aims to limit radial deformation and allow only axial linear motion, thereby improving energy conversion efficiency.

[0021] Furthermore, the piston is fixed to the rack by epoxy resin and is kept in constant meshing with the pinion. This solution aims to ensure meshing stability and avoid motion transmission failure.

[0022] Furthermore, the return spring stores energy when the piston is compressed and releases energy when the phase change material cools, causing the piston to return to its original position. This solution aims to achieve automatic return without the need for external energy, and is energy-saving and reliable.

[0023] Furthermore, the optical axis is fixed to the side wall of the rigid sleeve via a sliding bearing to ensure smooth rotation. This solution aims to reduce friction loss and extend service life.

[0024] The present invention realizes deep-sea rotational motion output through three stages: paraffin phase change expansion drive, hydraulic transmission, and mechanical conversion.

[0025] Phase change drive stage: Power is applied to the ceramic heater, heating the ethylene glycol thermal medium, indirectly causing the paraffin wax-expanded graphite composite material within the phase change microcells to melt and expand. Expanded graphite significantly increases the thermal conductivity of the paraffin wax by a measured 40%, ensuring a rapid and uniform phase change. The microcell silicone tubes are deformed by hydraulic pressure, pushing the ethylene glycol fluid into displacement.

[0026] During the hydraulic transmission phase, the glycol fluid transmits pressure to the actuator through the flow channel in the actuator housing. The actuator, wound with radial nylon wire, generates only axial linear motion, driving the piston to compress the return spring.

[0027] Mechanical conversion stage: The piston rack drives the small gear to rotate, which is then transmitted to the large gear through the optical axis to output torque. After power is cut off, the paraffin cools and contracts, and the return spring releases energy to push the piston back to its original position, achieving reverse rotation.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0029] 1. The present invention adopts a new phase change drive mode, which can convert the phase change expansion of paraffin into output shaft movement. The raw materials are easy to obtain and the cost is low. This drive mode is simple and has a large driving force. Compared with other phase change drives, the structure is more compact.

[0030] 2. The present invention discretizes the whole paraffin into multiple phase-change micro-units. The paraffin inside the micro-units is filled with expanded graphite to improve the thermal conductivity of the material. In addition, the micro-units are indirectly heated by a heat-conducting medium to effectively avoid the problem of residual cooling of the drive that cannot be reset.

[0031] 3. The present invention has strong deep-sea pressure resistance and can generate stable rotational motion output without the need for external protection devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0033] Figure 1 : Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 : Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 : Phase change micro unit structure diagram of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the phase change module structure of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 : Don’t buy that motion conversion module structure diagram.

[0038] In the picture:

[0039] 1. Phase change microunit

[0040] 2. Phase change module

[0041] 3. Motion conversion module

[0042] 1-1, Silicone tube

[0043] 1-2. Sealing silicone rubber

[0044] 2-1. Phase change microunit cluster

[0045] 2-2. Rigid end cap

[0046] 2-3. Ceramic heating plate

[0047] 2-4. Driver housing

[0048] 2-5. Execution Elasticity

[0049] 3-1: Rigid casing

[0050] 3-2: Small gear

[0051] 3-3: Return spring

[0052] 3-4: Guide rod

[0053] 3-5: Pistons

[0054] 3-6: Sliding bearings

[0055] 3-7: Optical axis

[0056] 3-8: Large gear

[0057] 3-9: Fixing bolts

[0058] 3-10: Rack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0060] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0062] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be clear that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The techniques, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant fields may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following figures, so once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0063] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention: the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0064] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below their position devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0065] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0066] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the present invention provides a compact deep-sea rotary phase change driver, comprising: a phase change micro unit 1, a phase change module 2, a motion conversion module 3 ( Figure 2 ). Multiple phase change micro units 1 are assembled inside the phase change module 2, and the phase change module 2 and the motion conversion module 3 are assembled into a rotation driver through a mechanical structure. Figure 3 As shown, the phase change micro unit is composed of the following components: silicone tube 1-1, sealing silicone rubber 1-2, and the inside of the silicone tube is a composite phase change material composed of paraffin and expanded graphite. Figure 4 As shown, the electromagnet module consists of the following components: a phase change microunit cluster 2-1, a rigid end cap 2-2, a ceramic heater 2-3, a driver housing 2-4, and an actuator 2-5. The rigid end cap 2-2 and the driver housing 2-4 have internal and external threads on one end, which are threaded and sealed by rotation. The other end of the rigid end cap 2-2 features a square hole and an annular boss for routing and sealing the heater's wires. The interior of the driver housing 2-4 is filled with ethylene glycol as a heat-conducting medium and has a flow channel for transferring the hydraulic fluid generated by phase change expansion. One end of the driver housing 2-4 features a square boss with a circular hole. The end face of the boss is equipped with an annular groove and four threaded holes. The actuator 2-5 is cast from silicone using a mold method. Multiple turns of nylon fiber thread are radially wrapped around the elastomer. Silicone rubber glue is used to bond the elastomer to the square boss of the driver housing 2-4, ensuring that the elastomer remains concentric with the circular hole of the boss. Figure 3This is a motion conversion module, consisting of a rigid sleeve 3-1, a small gear 3-2, a return spring 3-3, a guide rod 3-4, a piston 3-5, a sliding bearing 3-6, an optical axis 3-7, a large gear 3-8, a fixing bolt 3-9, and a rack 3-10. The bottom end of the rigid sleeve 3-1 is provided with a square boss surrounded by circular through-holes for mating with the actuator 2-5 and the driver housing 2-4, and secured by four fixing bolts 3-9. The piston 3-5 is mounted within the rigid sleeve 3-1. One end of the piston 3-5 has two circular grooves for mating with the rack 3-10 of the guide rod 3-4, secured with epoxy resin. The return spring 3-3 is sleeved around the outer periphery of the guide rod 3-4. An annular boss is located in the center of the rigid sleeve 3-1. The outer ring of the boss restricts the movement of the return spring 3-3, while the inner hole restricts the axial movement of the guide rod 3-4. An annular boss is located on the inner and outer sides of the rigid sleeve 3-1, securing the sliding bearing 3-6 and the optical shaft 3-7, respectively. A pinion 3-2 and a large gear 3-8 are secured to the inner and outer ends of the optical shaft, respectively, and secured to the optical shaft 3-7 via screws. A rack 3-10 meshes with the pinion.

[0067] The specific operation mode of the present invention is as follows:

[0068] 1. Figure 3 As shown, first, one end of the silicone tube 1-1 is glued with a sealing silicone rubber 1-2, and after solidification, liquid paraffin-expanded graphite composite phase change material is injected. After the composite phase change material solidifies, the insufficiently solidified part is trimmed off, and the other end is sealed with a sealing silicone rubber 1-2.

[0069] 2. Follow Figure 4 In order, with the driver housing 2-4 as the main component, install the following components from left to right: the rigid end cap 2-2, the phase change micro-unit cluster 2-1, the ceramic heater plate 2-3, and the actuator elastic body 2-5. The rigid end cap 2-2 and the driver housing 2-4 are sealed with threads, and the square hole of the rigid end cap 2-2 is sealed with epoxy resin. The actuator elastic body 2-5 is bonded to the square boss of the driver housing 2-4 with silicone rubber.

[0070] according to Figure 5 In order, with the rigid sleeve 3-1 as the main body, install the guide rod 3-4, return spring 3-3, rack 3-10, piston 3-5, fixing bolt 3-9, sliding bearing 3-6, optical axis 3-7, small gear 3-2 and large gear 3-8 in sequence from the bottom to the top of the figure, match the executive elastomer 2-5 with the rigid sleeve 3-1, and fix the square boss of the rigid sleeve 3-1 and the square boss of the driver housing 2-4 with four fixing bolts 3-9, which together with the structure assembled in step 2 constitute a rotary phase change driver.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive, characterized in that: include: The phase change module (2) comprises a driver housing (2-4), a phase change micro unit group (2-1), a ceramic heating plate (2-3) and an actuator elastic body (2-5), wherein: The phase change micro unit group (2-1) is composed of a plurality of phase change micro units (1), each phase change micro unit comprising a silicone tube (1-1), the silicone tube being filled with a paraffin-expanded graphite composite phase change material, and both ends of the silicone tube being sealed by sealing silicone rubber (1-2); The driver housing (2-4) is filled with ethylene glycol heat-conducting medium and is sealed and connected to the rigid end cover (2-2) via internal and external threads; The ceramic heating plate (2-3) is placed on the inner wall of the cavity of the driver housing (2-4) and is led out of the driver housing (2-4) through a wire; One end of the executive elastic body (2-5) is fixed on the square boss of the driver housing (2-4) and is coaxially arranged with the inner cavity of the driver housing (2-4). The executive elastic body (2-5) is radially wound with a nylon fiber line to limit its radial deformation. The motion conversion module (3) includes a rigid sleeve (3-1), a piston (3-5), a rack (3-10), a small gear (3-2), a large gear (3-8) and a return spring (3-3), wherein: The rigid sleeve (3-1) is fixedly connected to the driver housing (2-4) via a fixing bolt (3-9); the piston (3-5) is sleeved inside the rigid sleeve (3-1) and is limited in position by a guide rod (3-4); One end of the piston (3-5) is connected to the executive elastic body (2-5), and the other end is fixed to the rack (3-10), and the rack (3-10) is meshed with the pinion (3-2); The small gear (3-2) is fixed in the rigid sleeve (3-1) through the optical shaft (3-7), and the outer end of the optical shaft (3-7) is connected to the large gear (3-8) to form an output shaft structure; The return spring (3-3) is sleeved on the periphery of the guide rod (3-4) to limit the movement range of the piston (3-5).

2. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: An annular boss is provided in the middle of the inner cavity of the rigid sleeve (3-1) for positioning the return spring (3-3) and limiting the axial movement of the guide rod (3-4).

3. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: The square boss end face of the driver housing (2-4) is provided with four threaded holes, which are fixedly connected to the square boss at the bottom of the rigid sleeve (3-1) via fixing bolts (3-9).

4. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to claim 1, characterized in that: The executive elastic body (2-5) is molded by silicone, and its axial deformation is limited by nylon fiber lines, allowing only linear movement.

5. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The piston (3-5) is fixed to the rack (3-10) by epoxy resin bonding, and maintains a constant meshing state with the pinion (3-2).

6. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to claim 5, characterized in that: The return spring (3-3) stores energy when the piston (3-5) is compressed, and releases energy when the phase change material cools, thereby returning the piston to its original position.

7. A compact deep-sea rotary phase change drive according to claim 6, characterized in that: The optical axis (3-7) is fixed to the side wall of the rigid sleeve (3-1) via a sliding bearing (3-6), ensuring smooth rotation.

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