A multi-modal pressure sealing device and method for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of aerospace sealing technology, and in particular to a multimodal pressure sealing device and method for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas. The device comprises a transfer sealing disk, a positioning base disk and a distributed drive actuator; a guide funnel is provided on the outer side of the transfer sealing disk, and a sample receiving station and a sealing station are provided on the inner side thereof; an interface cylinder is provided on the outer side of the positioning base disk, and a sample receiving station hole is provided on the inner side thereof; the distributed drive actuator is connected to the transfer sealing disk and the positioning base disk, and is used to time-share drive the transfer sealing disk to perform axial ascent, station switching and axial sealing relative to the positioning base disk. The present invention can effectively solve the problem of dynamic sealing failure in extreme temperature differences and high particle intrusion environments, realize zero-leakage collection of heated soil gas, significantly improve the reliability and operational efficiency of gas sample collection in deep space exploration missions, and avoid mechanical interference or positioning deviation caused by compound motion of traditional linkage mechanisms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of aerospace sealing technology, and in particular to a multi-modal pressure sealing device and method for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas. Background Art

[0002] In extraterrestrial exploration missions to Mars, the Moon, and other locations, obtaining volatile gases (such as water vapor and carbon dioxide) by heating regolith or rock debris is a key step in analyzing celestial composition and exploring in situ resource utilization. However, the extraterrestrial environment is characterized by drastic temperature fluctuations, high dust levels, and low gravity. The metal-rubber sealing structure of traditional sealing valves is prone to leakage due to differences in material thermal expansion, and dust intrusion accelerates wear on the sealing surface, causing gas escape. Gas pressure fluctuates frequently during regolith heating, making it difficult for a single sealing design (such as an O-ring) to maintain dynamic sealing stability. This significantly increases the risk of seal failure, especially in environments with high particulate matter pollution. Deep space missions require extremely high equipment reliability, but traditional sealing valves lack backup systems, and single-point failures can lead to gas sample loss or even mission interruption. Existing equipment often uses customized interfaces, resulting in poor compatibility when docking with heating modules or space station experimental systems. Disassembly and maintenance require complex tools, making it difficult to meet the engineering requirements for lightweight and rapid assembly of deep space exploration equipment.

[0003] Existing extraterrestrial regolith gas seals face numerous technical bottlenecks, including insufficient adaptability to extreme environments, low dynamic sealing reliability, a lack of redundant fault-tolerance mechanisms, and maintenance and compatibility issues. While some research has attempted to improve sealing materials (such as metal bellows seals) or add dust shields, these still face limitations such as insufficient self-cleaning capabilities and excessive redundancy design complexity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an extraterrestrial regolith gas seal that combines dynamic sealing immunity, adaptive cleaning, and modular redundancy to support the long-term reliable operation of deep space exploration missions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-modal pressure sealing device and method for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas, which are used to at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems existing in existing soil gas sealing devices.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas, the multi-modal pressure sealing device comprising: an indexing sealing disk, a positioning base disk, and a distributed drive actuator;

[0006] A flow guide funnel is provided on the outside of the transfer sealing disk, and a sample receiving station and a sealing station are provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station is coaxially arranged with the flow guide funnel; an interface cylinder is provided on the outside of the positioning base disk, and a sample receiving station hole is provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station hole is coaxially arranged with the interface cylinder; the positioning base disk is located in the transfer sealing disk, and its periphery is sealed with the side wall of the transfer sealing disk;

[0007] The distributed drive actuator is connected to the indexing sealing disk and the positioning base disk, and is used to drive the indexing sealing disk to perform axial ascent, station switching and axial sealing relative to the positioning base disk in a time-sharing manner, and to decouple the axial ascent, station switching and axial sealing.

[0008] Optionally, the axial raising is to raise the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotation position;

[0009] The station switching is to switch the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station at the rotation position;

[0010] The axial sealing is to lower the indexable sealing disk from the rotation position to the sealing position so that the sealing interface between the second station and the sample receiving station hole is pressure-sealed; in the process of receiving samples, the first station is the sealing station and the second station is the sample receiving station; in the process of sealing the device, the first station is the sample receiving station and the second station is the sealing station.

[0011] Optionally, the sample receiving station is a circular hollow structure; the sealing station is a closed structure; the sample receiving station and the sealing station are both provided with cylindrical boss structures; the sample receiving station hole is a hollow cylindrical boss structure; the sealing interface is formed between the cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station or the sealing station and the hollow cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station hole.

[0012] Optionally, the sealing interface is a Variseal sealing ring; the Variseal sealing ring includes a polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring and a spring embedded in the polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring.

[0013] Optionally, a sealing press plate is provided inside the transfer sealing disk; the periphery of the sealing press plate is sealed with the transfer sealing disk; the sample receiving station and the sealing station are provided on the sealing press plate, and there are multiple sealing stations, which constitute redundant sealing stations.

[0014] Optionally, the positioning base is also provided with a U-shaped cleaning brush and a dust exhaust groove; wherein the dust exhaust groove is arranged in the direction of the U-shaped opening; during the station switching process between the indexing sealing disk and the positioning base, the cleaning brush is used to make interference contact with the sealing interface, so as to clean the contaminated materials on the sealing interface to the dust exhaust groove through tangential force.

[0015] Optionally, the distributed drive actuator includes a box, a first drive mechanism, a second drive mechanism and a sealing rod;

[0016] One end of the box body is sealed, and the other end is sealed and fixed to the outer surface of the positioning base plate; the sealing rod is arranged inside the box body, and the sealing rod is connected to the indexing sealing plate and the positioning base plate;

[0017] The first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism are distributedly arranged and are both connected to the sealing rod; the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism are used to drive the sealing rod in a time-sharing manner so that the sealing rod drives the indexing sealing disk to perform time-sharing rotational movement and vertical movement relative to the positioning base disk.

[0018] Optionally, the first driving mechanism includes a first motor, an arc-shaped bevel gear and a helical gear; the arc-shaped bevel gear is mounted on the sealing rod; the helical gear is engaged with the arc-shaped bevel gear and is connected to the transmission shaft of the first motor through an internal key;

[0019] The second driving mechanism includes a second motor, a connecting screw and a contact gear; the connecting screw is fixed to the bottom surface of the sealing rod; the contact gear is engaged with the connecting screw and is connected to the transmission shaft of the second motor through an internal key.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling the multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas as described above, the control method comprising:

[0021] During the process of receiving extraterrestrial soil samples, the distributed drive actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch positions, and axially seal, so that the sample receiving position and the sample receiving position hole are coaxial and the sealing interface between the two is pressurized and sealed;

[0022] The extraterrestrial soil sample is received through a diversion funnel, and the extraterrestrial soil sample is transferred to a heating device connected to the interface barrel through a sample receiving station, a sample receiving station hole and an interface barrel;

[0023] After receiving the extraterrestrial soil sample, the distributed drive actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch positions, and axially seal, so that the sealing interface between the sealing position and the sample receiving position hole is pressurized and sealed, thereby sealing the device;

[0024] The axial raising includes raising the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotational position;

[0025] The station switching includes switching the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station at the rotation position;

[0026] The axial sealing includes lowering the indexable sealing disk from the rotational position to the sealing position so that the second station is pressure-sealed with the sample receiving station hole; during the sample receiving process, the first station is the sealing station and the second station is the sample receiving station; during the device sealing process, the first station is the sample receiving station and the second station is the sealing station.

[0027] Optionally, the control method further includes:

[0028] During the station switching process, a U-shaped cleaning brush provided on the positioning base plate is in interference contact with the sealing interface, so as to clean the contaminated materials on the sealing interface to the dust removal groove provided on the positioning base plate through tangential force; the sealing interface is a universal seal ring.

[0029] The present invention realizes a multimodal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas, which can effectively solve the problem of dynamic sealing failure in extreme temperature difference and high particle intrusion environment, realize zero leakage collection of extraterrestrial soil heated gas, significantly improve the reliability and operational efficiency of gas sample collection in deep space exploration missions, and provide a highly adaptable sealing solution for extraterrestrial in-situ resource utilization; it also avoids mechanical interference or positioning deviation caused by compound motion of traditional linkage mechanisms.

[0030] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are specifically listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. The same reference symbols are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas provided by an embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the indexing sealing disk and the step-by-step driving actuator provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a positioning base provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the front side of the sealing pressing piece in the indexable sealing disk provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the back side of the sealing pressing sheet in the indexable sealing disk provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a pan seal ring in an indexable sealing disk provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 8 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a cleaning brush in a positioning base provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 9 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a dust exhaust slot in a positioning base provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 10 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom flange seal of the heating interface cylinder provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 11 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 12 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a box in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 13 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a sealing rod in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 14 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a helical gear in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 15 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a motor in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 16 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of an arc-shaped bevel gear in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 17 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a lead screw in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 18 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a gear in a step-by-step drive actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0051] In the following description, suffixes such as "module," "component," or "unit" used to represent components are used solely to facilitate description of the present invention and have no specific meaning. Therefore, "module," "component," or "unit" may be used interchangeably. Expressions such as "first" and "second" are merely used to distinguish technical terms.

[0052] The multi-mode pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas provided by the embodiment of the present invention is as follows: Figures 1-18 As shown, the multi-modal pressure sealing device includes: an indexing sealing disc 2, a positioning base disc 3 and a distributed drive actuator 5;

[0053] A diversion funnel 1 is provided on the outside of the indexing sealing disk 2, and a sample receiving station 221 and sealing stations 222 and 223 are provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station 221 is coaxially arranged with the diversion funnel 1; a heating interface tube 4 (referred to as the interface tube 4 for short) is provided on the outside of the positioning base disk 2, and a sample receiving station hole 311 is provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station hole 311 is coaxially arranged with the interface tube 4; the positioning base disk 3 is located in the indexing sealing disk 2 and its periphery is sealed with the side wall of the indexing sealing disk 2; the diversion funnel 1 and the indexing sealing disk 2 adopt an integrated design, and the positioning base disk 3 and the heating interface tube 4 adopt an integrated design.

[0054] A distributed drive actuator 5 is fixedly mounted at the center of the bottom surface of the positioning base 3. The distributed drive actuator 5 is connected to the indexing sealing disk 2 and the positioning base 3. It is used to drive the indexing sealing disk 2, position switching, and axial sealing relative to the positioning base in a time-sharing manner, and decouples the axial rise, position switching, and axial sealing processes.

[0055] Briefly describe the working principle of the multimodal pressure sealing device.

[0056] In the non-working state, the transfer sealing disk is in a preset sealing position, and the sealing station 222 and the sample receiving station hole 311 are in a pressure sealing state, so that the multimodal pressure sealing device is in a pressure sealing state, preventing dust from entering the heating device (also called a heating unit) or other devices through the guide funnel through the transfer sealing disk, the positioning base plate, and the interface tube to cause mechanical jamming and other effects.

[0057] The working state includes a sample receiving mode and a sealing mode. Both the sample receiving mode and the sealing mode include three actions: axial rising, station switching and axial sealing.

[0058] In detail, the distributed drive actuator 5 drives the indexing sealing disc 2 to axially rise relative to the positioning base disc 3, switch positions and perform axial sealing in a time-sharing manner.

[0059] Among them, axial rising is to raise the indexable sealing disk from a preset sealing position to a preset rotational position; station switching is to switch the first station that is coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station in the rotational position; axial sealing is to lower the indexable sealing disk from the rotational position to the sealing position, so that the sealing interface between the second station and the sample receiving station hole 311 is pressure-sealed.

[0060] During the sample receiving process, the first station is the sealing station 222, 223, and the second station is the sample receiving station 221. During the device sealing process, the first station is the sample receiving station 221, and the second station is the sealing station 222, 223. The sealing position and rotation position are set according to actual conditions and are not specifically limited here.

[0061] Sample receiving mode: The step-by-step driving actuator 5 drives the indexing sealing disk 2 to move vertically relative to the positioning base disk 3, so that the indexing sealing disk 2 rises to the rotation position; then, the indexing sealing disk 2 is driven to rotate relative to the positioning base disk 3, so that the sealing station 222 or 223 coaxial with the position of the sample receiving station hole 311 is switched to the sample receiving station 221; then, the indexing sealing disk 2 is driven to move vertically relative to the positioning base disk 3, so that the indexing sealing disk 2 descends to the sealing position; at this time, the extraterrestrial soil poured into the diversion funnel 2 enters the heating device through the sample receiving station 221, the sample receiving station hole 311 and the interface tube 4.

[0062] Sealing mode: The step-by-step driving actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to move vertically relative to the positioning base disk, so that the indexing sealing disk rises to the rotation position; at this time, the indexing sealing disk is driven to rotate relative to the positioning base disk, so that the sample receiving station 221 coaxial with the sample receiving station hole position is switched to the sealing station 222 or 223; at this time, the indexing sealing disk 2 is driven to move vertically relative to the positioning base disk 3, so that the indexing sealing disk 2 descends to the sealing position; at this time, the sample receiving station hole 311 is pressurized and sealed by the sealing station, so that the multimodal pressure sealing device is in a pressure sealing state.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present invention, a guide funnel is provided on the outer side of the indexing sealing disk, and a sample receiving station and a sealing station are provided on the inner side thereof, and the sample receiving station is coaxially arranged with the guide funnel; an interface cylinder is provided on the outer side of the positioning base disk, and a sample receiving station hole is provided on the inner side thereof, and the sample receiving station hole is coaxially arranged with the interface cylinder; the positioning base disk is located in the indexing sealing disk and its periphery is sealed with the indexing sealing disk, and is independently controlled by a distributed drive actuator in a time-sharing manner to realize the decoupling operation of the axial rise, station switching and axial pressurization sealing of the indexing sealing disk, thereby realizing a multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas, effectively solving the problem of dynamic sealing failure in extreme temperature difference and high particle intrusion environment, realizing zero leakage collection of heated soil gas, significantly improving the reliability and operational efficiency of gas sample collection in deep space exploration missions, and providing a highly adaptable sealing solution for the utilization of extraterrestrial in-situ resources; it also avoids mechanical interference or positioning deviation caused by compound motion of traditional linkage mechanisms.

[0064] The heating interface tube 4 is coaxial with the sample receiving hole 311 on the positioning base 3. The bottom of the heating interface tube 4 is a standard flange sealing interface containing a metal-to-metal sealing ring 411, which is fixedly connected to the heating device. The standard flange sealing interface is a standard modular interface that supports rapid assembly and disassembly and is compatible with multiple devices.

[0065] In some embodiments, in order to increase the reliability of the device, a sealing press 211 is provided inside the transfer sealing disk; the sealing press 211 is located inside the transfer sealing disk 2 and its periphery is sealed with the transfer sealing disk 2; a sample receiving station 221 and sealing stations 222 and 223 are provided on the sealing press, and there are multiple sealing stations, and the multiple sealing stations constitute redundant sealing stations.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present invention, a sealing press sheet 211 is provided inside the transfer sealing disk 2 and its periphery is sealed with the transfer sealing disk 2, and a sample receiving station 221 and sealing stations 222 and 223 are provided on the sealing press sheet 211 to avoid the invasion of high particles, and the sealing is a redundant design, thereby improving the reliability of the sealing.

[0067] In some embodiments, in order to further improve the sealing effect, the sample receiving station 221 is a circular hollow structure; the sealing stations 222 and 223 are closed structures; the sample receiving station hole 311 is a hollow cylindrical boss structure; the sealing interface is formed between the cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station or the sealing station and the hollow cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station hole.

[0068] Optionally, the sealing interface is a Variseal seal 2211, which includes a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) seal ring 2213 and a spring 2212 embedded within the PTFE seal ring. Specifically, the indexable sealing disk is lowered from the rotational position to the sealing position; the Variseal seal creates a pressurized seal between the second station and the sample receiving station aperture.

[0069] The present embodiment utilizes a pan-seal structure to achieve a strong seal with minimal sealing force. This effectively ensures a sealed connection between the indexing seal disc 2 and the positioning base disc 3 during sample handling, preventing the ingress of soil into the valve interior. It also prevents leakage of active gas generated by heating during sealing operation. Furthermore, the redundant sealing design of the primary and backup sealing holes enhances the device's sealing reliability.

[0070] In some embodiments, the positioning base 3 is further provided with a U-shaped cleaning brush 312 and a dust removal groove 313. The dust removal groove 313 is arranged in the direction of the U-shaped opening. During the station switching process, the cleaning brush is used to make interference contact with the sealing interface of the sample receiving station or the sealing station, and uses tangential force to sweep contaminated materials on the sealing interface into the dust removal groove. The dust removal groove can be rectangular. The contaminated materials can be dust, etc.

[0071] This embodiment provides a U-shaped cleaning brush 312 and a dust exhaust groove 313; wherein the dust exhaust groove 313 is arranged in the direction of the U-shaped opening, so that during the station switching process, the cleaning brush can be driven to move by interference contact with the sealing interface of the sample receiving station or the sealing station, thereby achieving self-cleaning of the sealing interface.

[0072] In some embodiments, the distributed drive actuator includes a box body 511, a first drive mechanism, a second drive mechanism and a sealing rod 512; one end of the box body 511 is sealed, and the other end is sealed and fixed to the outer surface of the positioning base; the sealing rod 512 is arranged inside the box body 511, and the sealing rod 512 is connected to the transfer sealing disk 2 and the positioning base 3; wherein, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are distributedly arranged and are both connected to the sealing rod 512; the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are used to drive the sealing rod in a time-sharing manner, so that the sealing rod 512 drives the transfer sealing disk 2 to rise axially, switch positions and axially seal relative to the positioning base 3 in a time-sharing manner.

[0073] In this embodiment, the distributed arrangement of the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism, both connected to the sealing rod 512, realizes time-sharing driven rotational motion and sealing motion, and the distributed arrangement of the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism realizes time-sharing control, effectively ensuring the decoupling operation of axial lifting, station switching and axial sealing, thereby avoiding mechanical interference or positioning deviation caused by the complex motion of the traditional linkage mechanism.

[0074] During the specific implementation process, the first driving mechanism includes a first motor (rotating motor 514), an arc-shaped bevel gear 515 and a helical gear 513; the arc-shaped bevel gear 515 is installed on the sealing rod 512; the helical gear 513 is engaged with the arc-shaped bevel gear 515 and is connected to the transmission shaft of the first motor through an internal key; thereby, under the drive of the first motor, the indexing sealing disk 2 realizes rotational motion.

[0075] The second drive mechanism includes a second motor (sealing motor 518), a connecting screw 516, and a contact gear 517. Connecting screw 516 is fixed to the bottom surface of sealing rod 512. Contact gear 517 meshes with connecting screw 516 and is connected to the drive shaft of the second motor via an internal key. Driven by the second motor, the sealing disc 2 is indexed to achieve sealing motion.

[0076] In this embodiment, the first drive mechanism is composed of the first motor (rotating motor 514), the arc bevel gear 515 and the helical gear 513, and the second drive mechanism is composed of the second motor (sealing motor 518), the connecting wire 516 rod and the contact gear 517. Then, based on the sealing rod 512, the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are distributedly arranged to improve the operating reliability of the distributed drive actuator.

[0077] This embodiment provides a multi-mode pressure sealing device for selectively heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the valve assembly, which includes a flow guide funnel 1, an indexing sealing disc 2, a positioning base disc 3, a heating interface sleeve 4, and a step-by-step drive actuator 5. The flow guide funnel 1 and indexing sealing disc 2 are integrated, while the positioning base disc 3 and the heating interface sleeve 4 are also integrated. The distributed drive actuator 5 connects the indexing sealing disc 2 and the positioning base disc 3 via an internal transmission mechanism.

[0078] like Figure 3 The figure shows the internal structure of the indexing sealing disk 2 and the step-by-step driving actuator 5. The indexing sealing disk 2 includes a sealing press 211, a sample receiving station 221, a sealing station 222, and a standby sealing station 223. The indexing sealing disk 2 can realize rotational movement and vertical movement as needed, switch between the sample receiving station and the sealing station, and realize pressure sealing. The step-by-step driving actuator 5 includes a housing 511, a sealing rod 512, a bevel gear 513, a rotary motor 514, an arc-shaped bevel gear 515, a screw 516, a gear 517, and a sealing motor 518. A partial enlarged view of the step-by-step driving actuator 5 is shown in FIG. Figure 11 As shown, its function is to control the rotation of the indexing sealing disk 2 to switch the working position through the rotating motor 514, and to control the indexing sealing disk 2 to follow the vertical movement of the screw 516 through the sealing motor 518 to achieve pressure sealing.

[0079] like Figure 4 The figure shows the internal structure of the positioning base 3. The positioning base 2 includes a sample receiving hole 311, a cleaning brush 312 and a dust exhaust groove 313. The function of the positioning base 2 is to cooperate with the indexing sealing disk 2 to complete the sample receiving and sealing actions, and to clean the sealing interface and discharge dust out of the valve.

[0080] like Figure 5The figure shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the front side of the sealing pressing piece 211 of the internal structure of the indexing sealing disc 2. Figure 6 The figure shows a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the back side of the sealing pressing plate 211. The sealing pressing plate 211 is fixed to the bottom of the indexing sealing disk 2 by evenly distributed screws. The sealing pressing plate 211 includes three identical working positions, namely 2111, 2112 and 2113, and a mounting hole 2114. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The partially enlarged schematic diagrams of the front and back of the working position 2112 are given respectively. Figure 5 The mid-front seat design provides a mounting location for the pan seal.

[0081] like Figure 7 The figure shows a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the internal structure of the indexing sealing disk 2 and the pan-seal sealing ring 2211. The pan-seal sealing ring 2211 mainly includes a spring 2212 and a polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring 2213. The spring 2212 is built into the polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring 2213. The pan-seal sealing ring 2211 is installed corresponding to the three working hole seat-type design of the sealing pressing piece 211. Its function is to seal the indexing sealing disk 2 and the positioning base disk 3 during sample connection to prevent star soil from entering the valve interior, and to prevent the effective gas generated by heating from leaking during sealing operation.

[0082] like Figure 8 Shown is a cleaning brush 312 of the internal structure of the positioning base disc 3, which is used to clean the sealing interface of the indexing sealing disc 2 during its rotation.

[0083] like Figure 9 The figure shows the dust discharge groove 313 of the internal structure of the positioning base 3, which is used to discharge the cleaned dust out of the valve in real time.

[0084] like Figure 10 The figure shows a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom flange seal of the heating interface tube 4. The metal sealing ring 411 is installed inside the flange seal, and the heating interface tube 4 is fixed above the heating device by bolt connection.

[0085] like Figure 12 The box 511 of the distributed drive actuator 5 is shown, including installation stations 5111 and 5112. The box 511 is fixed to the bottom of the positioning base 3 by bolt connection, and its function is to prevent dust from entering the transmission device and causing the mechanism to get stuck.

[0086] like Figure 13 The figure shows the sealing rod 512 of the distributed drive actuator 5. The sealing rod 512 is fixedly mounted to the indexing sealing disk 2 via a top bolt connection, and its function is to drive the indexing sealing disk 2 to rotate horizontally and move vertically.

[0087] like Figure 14The helical gear 513 of the distributed drive actuator 5 is shown. Figure 15 The rotary motor 514 (sealed motor 518) of the distributed drive actuator 5 is shown. Figure 16 The figure shows the arc bevel gear 515 of the distributed drive actuator 5, the helical gear 513 and the rotary motor 514 are installed by key connection, the helical gear 513 is in meshing contact with the arc bevel gear 515, and the bottom of the sealing rod 512 is inserted and installed inside the arc bevel gear 515; the rotary motor 514 drives the helical gear 513 to rotate, further drives the arc bevel gear 515 to rotate, further drives the sealing rod 512 to rotate, and further drives the indexing sealing disk 2 to perform horizontal rotation.

[0088] like Figure 17 The lead screw 516 of the distributed drive actuator 5 is shown. Figure 18 Shown is the gear 517 of the distributed drive actuator 5, the lead screw 516 and the sealing rod 512 are fixedly installed by bolt connection, the sealing motor 518 and the gear 517 are installed by key connection, and the gear 517 is in meshing contact with the lead screw 516; the sealing motor rotates clockwise (counterclockwise), further drives the gear 517 to rotate clockwise (counterclockwise), further drives the lead screw to move upward (downward), further drives the sealing rod 512 to move upward (downward), and further drives the indexing sealing disk 2 to move upward (downward), thereby switching between the pressure sealing state and the rotation state.

[0089] The device provided by the embodiment of the present invention can solve the problem of dynamic sealing failure in extreme temperature difference and high particle intrusion environments, realize zero-leakage collection of space soil heating gas, significantly improve the reliability and operational efficiency of gas sample collection in deep space exploration missions, and provide a highly adaptable sealing solution for the utilization of extraterrestrial in situ resources.

[0090] The embodiment of the present invention realizes the decoupling operation of the position switching of the indexing sealing disk and the axial pressurized sealing through the independent time-sharing control of the rotating motor and the sealing motor, thereby avoiding the mechanical interference or positioning deviation caused by the complex motion of the traditional linkage mechanism; the redundant sealing design of the main sealing hole and the spare sealing hole of the universal plug sealing structure is adopted to achieve a strong sealing effect under small sealing force, thereby improving the reliability of the system; the valve maintains a pre-tightened sealing state by default in the non-working state, actively blocking external dust from invading the heating unit through the guide funnel; the valve itself rotates to scrape off the lunar dust attached to the sealing surface, and the debris is discharged in real time through the dust exhaust groove to achieve self-cleaning; the interface with the heating device adopts a flange connection to achieve interface sealing, and the standard modular interface supports quick disassembly and assembly and compatibility with multiple devices.

[0091] In some embodiments, a method for controlling the multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas includes:

[0092] During the process of receiving extraterrestrial soil samples, the distributed drive actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch positions, and axially seal, so that the sample receiving position and the sample receiving position hole are coaxial;

[0093] The extraterrestrial soil sample is received through the diversion funnel, and the extraterrestrial soil sample is transferred to the heating device connected to the interface barrel through the sample receiving station, the sample receiving station hole and the interface barrel;

[0094] After receiving the extraterrestrial soil sample, the distributed drive actuator is used to drive the transfer sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch the station and axially seal, so that the sealing station and the sample receiving station hole are pressurized and sealed to seal the device.

[0095] Optionally, the axial raising includes raising the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotational position;

[0096] The station switching includes switching the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station in the rotation position;

[0097] Axial sealing includes lowering the indexable sealing disk from the rotational position to the sealing position to make the sealing interface between the second station and the sample receiving station hole pressure-sealed; in the process of receiving samples, the first station is the sealing station and the second station is the sample receiving station; in the process of sealing the device, the first station is the sample receiving station and the second station is the sealing station.

[0098] In some embodiments, the distributed drive actuator includes a first drive mechanism, a second drive mechanism, and a sealing rod;

[0099] The sealing rod is connected to the indexing sealing disk and the positioning base disk; the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are distributed and both connected to the sealing rod; the first drive mechanism includes a first motor, an arc-shaped bevel gear and a helical gear; the arc-shaped bevel gear is mounted on the sealing rod; the helical gear meshes with the arc-shaped bevel gear and is connected to the transmission shaft of the first motor via an internal key;

[0100] The second driving mechanism includes a second motor, a connecting screw and a contact gear; the connecting screw is fixed to the bottom surface of the sealing rod; the contact gear is engaged with the connecting screw and is connected to the transmission shaft of the second motor through an internal key.

[0101] The step of raising the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotation position includes:

[0102] The second motor rotates clockwise, driving the contact gear to rotate clockwise; the lead screw moves axially upward under the drive of the contact gear; the sealing rod moves axially upward under the drive of the lead screw, and drives the indexing sealing disk to rise from a preset sealing position to a preset rotation position.

[0103] At the rotation position, switching the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station includes:

[0104] The first motor rotates, driving the helical gear to rotate, and the helical gear engages with the arc-shaped bevel gear 515, and the bottom of the sealing rod 512 is inserted and installed inside the arc-shaped bevel gear 515; the first motor rotates, driving the helical gear to rotate; the helical gear engages with the arc-shaped bevel gear 515, driving the arc-shaped bevel gear to rotate; the arc-shaped gear drives the positioning base to rotate, switching the first station, which is coaxial with the sample receiving station hole, to the second station.

[0105] The axial sealing comprises lowering the indexable sealing disc from a rotational position to a sealing position, comprising:

[0106] The second motor rotates counterclockwise, driving the contact gear to rotate counterclockwise; the lead screw moves axially in a sealing manner driven by the contact gear; the sealing rod descends axially driven by the lead screw, and drives the indexing sealing disc to descend from the rotating position to the sealing position.

[0107] In the specific implementation process, the control method of the embodiment of the present invention can refer to the device embodiment, which has the same technical effect and will not be repeated here.

[0108] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0109] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0110] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas, characterized in that: The multi-modal pressure sealing device includes: an indexing sealing disc, a positioning base disc and a distributed drive actuator; A flow guide funnel is provided on the outside of the transfer sealing disk, and a sample receiving station and a sealing station are provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station is coaxially arranged with the flow guide funnel; an interface cylinder is provided on the outside of the positioning base disk, and a sample receiving station hole is provided on the inside thereof, and the sample receiving station hole is coaxially arranged with the interface cylinder; the positioning base disk is located in the transfer sealing disk, and its periphery is sealed with the side wall of the transfer sealing disk; The distributed drive actuator is connected to the indexing sealing disk and the positioning base disk, and is used to drive the indexing sealing disk to perform axial ascent, station switching and axial sealing relative to the positioning base disk in a time-sharing manner, and to decouple the axial ascent, station switching and axial sealing.

2. The multimodal pressure sealing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axial lifting is to lift the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotational position; The station switching is to switch the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station at the rotation position; The axial sealing is to lower the indexable sealing disk from the rotation position to the sealing position so that the sealing interface between the second station and the sample receiving station hole is pressure-sealed; in the process of receiving samples, the first station is the sealing station and the second station is the sample receiving station; in the process of sealing the device, the first station is the sample receiving station and the second station is the sealing station.

3. The multimodal pressure sealing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sample receiving station is a circular hollow structure; the sealing station is a closed structure; both the sample receiving station and the sealing station are provided with cylindrical boss structures; the sample receiving station hole is a hollow cylindrical boss structure; the sealing interface is formed between the cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station or the sealing station and the hollow cylindrical boss structure of the sample receiving station hole.

4. The multimodal pressure sealing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sealing interface is a Variseal sealing ring; the Variseal sealing ring includes a polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring and a spring embedded in the polytetrafluoroethylene sealing ring.

5. The multi-modal pressure sealing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A sealing press plate is provided inside the transfer sealing disk; the periphery of the sealing press plate is sealed with the transfer sealing disk; the sample receiving station and the sealing station are provided on the sealing press plate, and there are multiple sealing stations, which constitute redundant sealing stations.

6. The multi-modal pressure sealing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The positioning base is also provided with a U-shaped cleaning brush and a dust exhaust groove; wherein the dust exhaust groove is arranged in the direction of the U-shaped opening; during the work station switching process, the cleaning brush is used to make interference contact with the sealing interface to clean the materials contaminated on the sealing interface to the dust exhaust groove through tangential force.

7. The multimodal pressure sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The distributed drive actuator includes a box, a first drive mechanism, a second drive mechanism and a sealing rod; One end of the box body is sealed, and the other end is sealed and fixed to the outer surface of the positioning base plate; the sealing rod is arranged inside the box body, and the sealing rod is connected to the indexing sealing plate and the positioning base plate; The first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism are distributedly arranged and are both connected to the sealing rod; the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism are used to drive the sealing rod in a time-sharing manner, so that the sealing rod drives the indexing sealing disk to rise axially, switch positions and axially seal relative to the positioning base disk in a time-sharing manner.

8. The multi-modal pressure sealing device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first driving mechanism includes a first motor, an arc-shaped bevel gear and a helical gear; the arc-shaped bevel gear is mounted on the sealing rod; the helical gear is engaged with the arc-shaped bevel gear and is connected to the transmission shaft of the first motor through an internal key; The second driving mechanism includes a second motor, a connecting screw and a contact gear; the connecting screw is fixed to the bottom surface of the sealing rod; the contact gear is engaged with the connecting screw and is connected to the transmission shaft of the second motor through an internal key.

9. A control method for the multi-modal pressure sealing device for heating and extracting extraterrestrial soil gas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control method includes: During the process of receiving extraterrestrial soil samples, the distributed drive actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch positions, and axially seal, so that the sample receiving position and the sample receiving position hole are coaxial and the sealing interface between the two is pressurized and sealed; The extraterrestrial soil sample is received through a diversion funnel, and the extraterrestrial soil sample is transferred to a heating device connected to the interface barrel through a sample receiving station, a sample receiving station hole and an interface barrel; After receiving the extraterrestrial soil sample, the distributed drive actuator drives the indexing sealing disk to axially rise relative to the positioning base disk, switch positions, and axially seal, so that the sealing interface between the sealing position and the sample receiving position hole is pressurized and sealed, thereby sealing the device; The axial raising includes raising the indexable sealing disc from a preset sealing position to a preset rotational position; The station switching includes switching the first station coaxial with the sample receiving station hole to the second station at the rotation position; The axial sealing includes lowering the indexable sealing disk from the rotational position to the sealing position so that the second station is pressure-sealed with the sample receiving station hole; during the sample receiving process, the first station is the sealing station and the second station is the sample receiving station; during the device sealing process, the first station is the sample receiving station and the second station is the sealing station.

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The control method further includes: During the station switching process, a U-shaped cleaning brush provided on the positioning base plate is in interference contact with the sealing interface, so as to clean the contaminated materials on the sealing interface to the dust removal groove provided on the positioning base plate through tangential force; the sealing interface is a universal seal ring.

Images