Flexible support for rotary drum sail and monitoring method of flexible support

Abstract

The invention relates to a flexible support for a rotary drum sail and a monitoring method of the flexible support, and belongs to the field of ship energy-saving devices.The flexible support comprises a plurality of roller assemblies, and the roller assemblies are installed on an inner tower of the rotary drum sail to form a flexible support for an outer rotor of a rotary drum; each roller assembly comprises a roller support, a roller arranged on the roller support, pushing rod assemblies arranged on the two sides of the roller support and guiding assemblies arranged on the two sides of the roller support, the guiding assemblies achieve guiding in the pushing and recycling process of the roller assemblies, and the pushing rod assemblies and the guiding assemblies are arranged in a spatial staggered mode. The flexible supporting rolling wheel assembly is convenient to disassemble, assemble and maintain, connection and preload are controllable, meanwhile, related risks of liquid and gas leakage do not exist, and the working reliability of the propelling device is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a flexible support for a rotor sail and a monitoring method thereof, belonging to the field of ship energy-saving devices. Background Art

[0002] The rotor sail is a wind-assisted propulsion device used in the field of ship energy conservation. It relies on the Magnus aerodynamic effect to provide auxiliary power for ship propulsion, thereby achieving an average fuel saving of 5%-25%. The rotor sail is mainly composed of a rotor outer rotor and an inner tower. The operation of the rotor sail can be understood as the high-speed rotation of the rotor outer rotor around the axis of the inner tower. There are two upper and lower supports between the rotor outer rotor and the inner tower to rotate and position the rotor outer rotor. The lower support is a flexible support composed of multiple guide rollers extending from the inner tower. During the final assembly process, the rotor outer rotor is hoisted and assembled on the inner tower as a whole. During the assembly process, the guide wheels extending outward from the inner tower may affect the assembly of the outer rotor. In addition, in order to reduce the operating noise of the rotor outer rotor during operation, the guide rollers of the flexible support are all rubber-coated wheels. Due to friction and wear during the operation of the rotor outer rotor, the guide rollers need to be replaced regularly. Traditional flexible support solutions have many disadvantages:

[0003] 1. Traditional flexible support designs are bulky and lack a corresponding propulsion and recovery mechanism. The flexible support rollers and brackets are mounted directly on the inner tower sidewall. As previously mentioned, the flexible support guide wheels are rubber-coated and require regular replacement. Replacing the rollers requires removing the brackets as well, making installation and maintenance of the flexible support rollers inconvenient.

[0004] 2. Traditional flexible supports also have propulsion and recovery mechanism designs. The design usually adopts a single-point hinge, and the roller bracket rotates around the hinge point to achieve the propulsion and retraction of the roller. The propulsion and recovery mechanism needs to be locked during the operation of the outer rotor of the drum, otherwise it may lose its supporting function. Although the roller bracket with a single-point hinge can well realize the disassembly and assembly of the entire equipment and the maintenance of the roller, the locking of the moving bracket relies only on a single-point threaded fastening. Since the outer rotor may be subjected to large forces during operation, its connection reliability and the contact preload control of the roller extension are both uncontrollable.

[0005] 3. Traditional flexible supports also use hydraulic cylinders or pneumatic cylinders as propulsion and recovery mechanisms. Both hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders inevitably face the risk of seal aging over time. Furthermore, force majeure can easily cause fluid leakage, reducing the reliability of the propulsion device. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In response to the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a flexible support for a rotor sail and a monitoring system thereof. The flexible support roller assembly thereof is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, and the connection and preload are controllable. At the same time, there is no risk of liquid and gas leakage, thereby increasing the reliability of the propulsion device.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution of the present invention provides a flexible support for a rotor sail, including a plurality of roller assemblies, which are installed on the inner tower of the rotor sail to form a flexible support for the outer rotor of the rotor; each of the roller assemblies includes a roller bracket, a roller provided on the roller bracket, a propulsion rod assembly provided on both sides of the roller bracket, and a guide assembly provided on both sides of the roller bracket, the guide assembly realizes the guidance of the roller assembly during the propulsion and recovery process, and the propulsion rod assembly and the guide assembly adopt a spatially staggered layout.

[0008] Preferably, the roller is installed on the roller bracket by inserting a core shaft and fastening it with threads.

[0009] Preferably, the roller bracket is provided with a waist-shaped hole for mounting the propulsion rod assembly and a mounting seat for mounting the guide assembly.

[0010] Preferably, the push rod assembly includes a mounting ear seat 2, a cylindrical pin, a lubricating bushing 1, a push rod and a locking nut; the push rod is connected to the mounting ear seat 2 through the cylindrical pin, and the lubricating bushing 1 is embedded in the head; the locking nut is used to enable the roller bracket together with the roller to move forward and backward, completing the extension and retraction process of the roller assembly.

[0011] Preferably, the guide assembly includes a mounting ear seat, the cylindrical pin, the slide cylinder, the lubricating bushing and a slide rod; one end of the guide assembly is connected to the roller bracket through the cylindrical pin, and the other end is connected to the mounting ear seat through the cylindrical pin; a lubricating bushing is embedded in the slide cylinder, and the slide rod can smoothly perform reciprocating linear motion in the slide cylinder.

[0012] Preferably, the lubricating bushing is embedded in the mounting hole of the mounting seat to facilitate the rotation of the guide assembly around the cylindrical pin; the lubricating bushing is also embedded in the hole of the slide rod head for mounting the cylindrical pin to enable the guide assembly to rotate around the cylindrical pin on the roller bracket; after removing the cylindrical pin on one side, the entire roller assembly can rotate around the cylindrical pin on the other side, which is convenient for the disassembly and maintenance of the roller.

[0013] Preferably, it also includes a monitoring system for monitoring the working status of each of the roller assemblies to achieve health status management of the flexible support; the monitoring system includes a sensor, a data collector, a controller and a data analysis and processing system; the sensor is installed at the core shaft position of each of the roller assemblies to collect vibration and temperature data information; the collected data is transmitted to the controller via the data collector, and then analyzed by the data analysis and processing system to determine the working status of the flexible support and perform corresponding fault diagnosis.

[0014] Preferably, the data analysis and processing system performs frequency domain transformation on the vibration data, extracts frequency domain characteristic information, and calculates the temperature difference between the temperature data and the previous moment; if the frequency characteristic amplitude or the temperature rise data exceeds the set threshold, the system will diagnose the fault mode, determine the fault location, and issue an alarm.

[0015] Preferably, the monitoring system establishes a database of the flexible support operation through real-time data monitoring, and promptly reports the position and number of the failed rollers to facilitate the maintenance and timely replacement of the rollers; at the same time, the fault information data is written into the data acquisition and analysis system to realize intelligent fault diagnosis of the outer rotor of the drum.

[0016] The technical solution of the present invention further provides a method for monitoring the flexible support of a rotor sail, comprising the following steps:

[0017] The sensor installed at the core shaft position of each roller assembly collects vibration and temperature data information in real time;

[0018] Transmit the collected data to the controller via the data collector;

[0019] The data analysis and processing system analyzes the data, including performing frequency domain transformation on the vibration data to extract frequency domain feature information and calculating the temperature difference between the temperature data and the temperature at the previous moment;

[0020] If the frequency characteristic amplitude or the temperature rise data exceeds a set threshold, the fault mode is diagnosed, the fault location is determined, and an alarm is issued;

[0021] All data information is entered into a general database to establish a database of the flexible support operation, thereby achieving health status management of the flexible support.

[0022] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] The rotor sail flexible support and monitoring system thereof of the present invention can effectively realize the advancement and retraction of the guide roller while meeting the basic functions of normal rotor outer rotor guidance and positioning, and realize the repairability and maintainability of the guide roller.

[0024] In response to the functional requirements of the rotor sail's flexible support, this invention utilizes rubber-coated wheels as the rollers for the flexible support, effectively reducing noise during the operation of the rotor's outer rotor. The rubber-coated wheel spokes are made of stainless steel, which not only meets the required bearing capacity but also improves the roller's environmental adaptability. The weight-reducing design of the spokes effectively reduces the weight of the supporting rollers.

[0025] The roller bracket of the present invention adopts a welded parts design, which effectively reduces the cost of processing and manufacturing. At the same time, it provides installation interfaces for the guide assembly, propulsion assembly, roller and core shaft, successfully integrating the functions of each component into one, and realizing modular design and manufacturing of each component.

[0026] The propulsion assembly of the present invention adopts the design of a sliding pin and a mounting ear seat, and can adjust the threaded propulsion rod according to the angular deviation of the internal mounting surface of the inner tower, so that the propulsion rod is perpendicular to the mounting surface of the roller bracket, ensuring the installation reliability of the locking nut, and at the same time reducing the manufacturing accuracy requirements of the inner tower mounting plate and reducing the processing and manufacturing cost of the flexible support matching part assembly.

[0027] The guide assembly of the present invention is realized by adopting an ear seat design with a cylindrical pin hole and a design of an internal slide cylinder and a sliding bushing. The guide assembly can achieve both linear motion and rotational motion. At the same time, the solid lubrication is adopted to avoid the use of working fluids and there is no risk of working fluid leakage, thereby increasing the overall reliability of the mechanism.

[0028] In addition to monitoring data implemented by conventional sensors, the monitoring system of the present invention can also establish a corresponding database based on the fault data of equipment operation, and provide intelligent fault diagnosis for the flexible support as a whole through data learning.

[0029] The components used in the present invention are all made of mature raw materials, and each component can be independently processed and manufactured to achieve modular manufacturing, improve design and production efficiency, and at the same time be beneficial to the overall cost control and production preparation cycle of the flexible support. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the flexible support of the rotor sail of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 is an axonometric view of the roller assembly of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 A top view of the roller assembly of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation and connection of the guide assembly of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a guide assembly of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a guide assembly cover plate of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the propulsion rod assembly of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a view of the propulsion operation of the flexible support of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a disassembly and assembly working diagram of the flexible support of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the roller assembly of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the arrangement of measuring points for the flexible support monitoring system of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 12 This is the operation flow chart of the flexible support monitoring system of the present invention.

[0042] Figure numerals: 101, roller assembly; 102, rotor sail inner tower; 103, rotor outer rotor; 104, guide assembly; 105, cylindrical pin; 106, roller bracket; 107, propulsion rod assembly; 108, locking nut; 109, impact pad; 110, mounting ear seat 1; 111, roller; 112, guide assembly mounting seat; 113, lubricating bushing 1; 114, slide; 115, lubricating bushing 2; 116, slide rod; 117, cover plate; 118, propulsion rod; 119, mounting ear seat 2; 120, core shaft; 121, rolling bearing; 122, sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] The embodiment of the present invention discloses a flexible support and monitoring system for a rotor sail. The system is designed to meet the positioning requirements of the rotor outer rotor 103 while facilitating the assembly and disassembly of the support roller 111. The system also manages the health of the flexible support by monitoring the operating status in real time. The flexible support is composed of a plurality of guide roller assemblies 101, such as Figure 1As shown, these roller assemblies 101 are mounted on the rotor sail inner tower 102 to form a flexible support for the rotor outer rotor 103. The monitoring system can read the operating status and manage the health status of the flexible support.

[0045] Each roller assembly 101 includes five parts: a roller 111, a roller bracket 106, a core shaft 120, a push rod assembly 107 and a guide assembly 104. Figure 2 As shown, roller 111 consists of a rubber-coated wheel and bearings mounted within it. The spokes of the rubber-coated wheel are made of stainless steel and designed to be lightweight for marine environments. The bearings can be ball bearings or roller bearings, with single or multiple bearing arrangements available depending on the design requirements.

[0046] The roller bracket 106 is used to support the roller 111. It is designed with a waist-shaped hole for installing the propulsion rod assembly 107 and a mounting seat for installing the guide assembly 104. After the roller 111 is installed on the roller bracket 106, the roller assembly 101 is assembled by inserting the core shaft 120 and tightening it with threads. The core shaft 120 passes from top to bottom through the inner ring of the rolling bearing 121 of the roller 111, securing the roller 111 to the roller bracket 106. The rolling bearing 121 inside the roller 111 can be an angular contact ball bearing or a spherical roller bearing, and can be located in one or multiple locations. The selection and layout of the bearings can be selected based on the actual operating conditions of the roller 111.

[0047] The structure of the propulsion rod assembly 107 is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, it includes a second mounting ear seat 119, a cylindrical pin 105, a lubricating bushing 113, a threaded propulsion rod 118 with a cylindrical pin hole, a rubber buffer (spacer 109) and a locking nut 108. The propulsion rod 118 is connected to the second mounting ear seat 119 through the cylindrical pin 105, and a lubricating bushing 113 is embedded in the head so that it can rotate around the second mounting ear seat 119. The second mounting ear seat 119 is installed on the inner tower 102 of the rotor sail, and the propulsion rod 118 passes through the waist-shaped hole on the roller bracket 106. By tightening the locking nut 108, the roller bracket 106 and the roller 111 can be moved forward and backward to complete the extension and retraction process of the roller assembly 101, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 shown.

[0048] The roller bracket 106 of each roller assembly 101 is symmetrically mounted with a guide assembly 104, which guides the roller assembly 101 during the advancement and recovery process. Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, it includes a mounting ear seat 110, a cylindrical pin 105, a slide 114, a lubricating bushing 113, and a slide rod 116. One end of the guide assembly 104 is connected to the roller bracket 106 via the cylindrical pin 105, and the other end is connected to the mounting ear seat 110 installed on the inner tower 102 of the rotor sail via the cylindrical pin 105. A lubricating bushing 113 is embedded in the mounting hole of the guide assembly mounting seat 112 to facilitate the rotation of the guide assembly 104 around the cylindrical pin 105. A lubricating bushing 2 115 is embedded in the slide 114 to enable the slide rod 116 to smoothly reciprocate linearly within the slide 114. A lubricating bushing 113 is also embedded in the hole in the head of the slide rod 116 where the cylindrical pin 105 is installed to enable the guide assembly 104 to rotate around the cylindrical pin 105 on the roller bracket 106. After removing the cylindrical pin 105 on one side, the entire roller assembly 101 can rotate around the cylindrical pin 105 on the other side, which is convenient for the disassembly and maintenance of the roller 111. The cover plate 117 is designed in the form of two semicircles to facilitate the assembly of the guide assembly 104. Figure 6 The propulsion rod assembly 107 and the guide assembly 104 are arranged in a spatially staggered manner, which effectively reduces the space occupied by the roller assembly 101 .

[0049] In the operating condition of the roller assembly 101, a spacer 109 may be arranged at the front end of the locking nut 108, such as Figure 3 When disassembling and maintaining, remove the cylindrical pin 105 connecting the guide assembly 104 on one side and the mounting ear seat 110, and the roller bracket 106 can rotate around the cylindrical pin 105 on the other side, as shown. Figure 9 As shown, the roller assembly 101 can be conveniently disassembled and assembled.

[0050] The monitoring system is used to monitor the working status of each roller assembly 101 in real time. During the operation of the rotor sail, through real-time data monitoring, a database of flexible support operation is established, the working status of the roller 111 is judged, and the position and number of failed rollers 111 are reported in time to facilitate the maintenance and timely replacement of the roller 111. At the same time, the fault information data is written into the data acquisition and analysis system to realize intelligent fault diagnosis of the rotor outer rotor 103, thereby safeguarding the normal operation of the rotor sail.

[0051] The monitoring system includes a sensor 122 for measuring temperature and vibration, a data collector, a controller, and a data analysis and processing system, which facilitates monitoring of the overall working condition of the flexible support during the rotation of the outer rotor 103, collects operating data, establishes a database, and performs corresponding fault diagnosis. The sensor 122 is installed at the core shaft 120 position of each roller assembly 101 to collect vibration and temperature data information. Figure 11 The diagram shows the arrangement of measuring points of the flexible support detection system on the roller 111 support. A sensor 122 is arranged at the core shaft 120 position of each roller assembly 101 in the flexible support.

[0052] The collected data is transmitted to the controller via the data collector and then analyzed by the data analysis and processing system. The data analysis and processing system performs frequency domain transformation on the vibration data, extracts frequency domain feature information, and calculates the temperature difference between the temperature data and the previous moment, such as Figure 12 As shown. If the frequency characteristic amplitude or temperature rise data exceeds the set threshold, the system will diagnose the fault mode, determine the fault location, and issue an alarm. The fault information will be recorded and written to the fault database. At the same time, all data information is entered into the master database, realizing intelligent fault diagnosis and health status management of the flexible support. Specifically, the vibration temperature sensor 122 collects relevant data information and compares it with the vibration frequency characteristics and temperature rise variable characteristics in the experience database to analyze the working health status of the flexible support and perform health management of the flexible support.

[0053] Through reasonable structural design and advanced monitoring system, the present invention not only meets the positioning requirements of the rotor outer rotor 103, but also facilitates the disassembly and maintenance of the roller assembly 101, and at the same time realizes real-time monitoring and intelligent management of the flexible support operating status, ensuring the normal operation of the rotor sail.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible support for a rotor sail, characterized in that: The invention comprises a plurality of roller assemblies (101), wherein the roller assemblies (101) are mounted on an inner tower (102) of a rotor sail to form a flexible support for an outer rotor (103) of the rotor; each roller assembly (101) comprises a roller bracket (106), a roller (111) arranged on the roller bracket (106), a propulsion rod assembly (107) arranged on both sides of the roller bracket (106), and a guide assembly (104) arranged on both sides of the roller bracket (106); the guide assembly (104) realizes the guidance of the roller assembly (101) during the propulsion and recovery process; the propulsion rod assembly (107) and the guide assembly (104) adopt a spatially staggered layout.

2. A flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roller (111) is installed on the roller bracket (106) by inserting the core shaft (120) and screw-fastening it.

3. The flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 2, characterized in that: The roller bracket (106) is provided with a waist-shaped hole for installing the propulsion rod assembly (107) and a mounting seat for installing the guide assembly (104).

4. A flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 3, characterized in that: The propulsion rod assembly (107) includes a second mounting ear seat (119), a cylindrical pin (105), a lubricating bushing (113), a propulsion rod (118) and a locking nut (108); the propulsion rod (118) is connected to the second mounting ear seat (119) through the cylindrical pin (105), and the lubricating bushing (113) is embedded in the head; the locking nut (108) is used to enable the roller bracket (106) and the roller (111) to move forward and backward, thereby completing the extension and retraction process of the roller assembly (101).

5. The flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide assembly (104) includes a mounting ear seat (110), a cylindrical pin (105), a slide (114), a lubricating bushing (113) and a slide rod (116); one end of the guide assembly (104) is connected to the roller bracket (106) through the cylindrical pin (105), and the other end is connected to the mounting ear seat (110) through the cylindrical pin (105); a lubricating bushing (115) is embedded in the slide (114), and the slide rod (116) can smoothly perform reciprocating linear motion in the slide (114).

6. The flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lubricating bushing (113) is embedded in the mounting hole of the mounting seat to facilitate the guide assembly (104) to rotate around the cylindrical pin (105); the lubricating bushing (113) is also embedded in the hole of the head of the slide rod (116) for mounting the cylindrical pin (105) to enable the guide assembly (104) to rotate around the cylindrical pin (105) on the roller bracket (106); after removing the cylindrical pin (105) on one side, the entire roller assembly (101) can rotate around the cylindrical pin (105) on the other side, which facilitates the disassembly and maintenance of the roller (111).

7. A flexible support for a rotor sail according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The invention also includes a monitoring system for monitoring the working state of each roller assembly (101) to achieve health status management of the flexible support; the monitoring system includes a sensor (122), a data collector, a controller and a data analysis and processing system; the sensor (122) is installed at the core shaft (120) position of each roller assembly (101) to collect vibration and temperature data information; the collected data is transmitted to the controller via the data collector, and then analyzed by the data analysis and processing system to determine the working state of the flexible support and perform corresponding fault diagnosis.

8. The flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 7, characterized in that: The data analysis and processing system performs frequency domain transformation on the vibration data, extracts frequency domain characteristic information, and calculates the temperature difference between the temperature data and the previous moment; if the frequency characteristic amplitude or the temperature rise data exceeds the set threshold, the system will diagnose the fault mode, determine the fault location, and issue an alarm prompt.

9. The flexible support for a rotor sail according to claim 8, characterized in that: The monitoring system establishes a database of the flexible support operation through real-time data monitoring, and promptly reports the position and number of the failed rollers (111), thereby facilitating the maintenance and timely replacement of the rollers (111); and simultaneously writes fault information data into a data acquisition and analysis system, thereby realizing intelligent fault diagnosis of the drum outer rotor (103).

10. A monitoring method for flexible support of a rotor sail according to claim 7, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Real-time collection of vibration and temperature data information via the sensor (122) installed at the core shaft (120) position of each roller assembly (101); Transmit the collected data to the controller via the data collector; The data analysis and processing system analyzes the data, including performing frequency domain transformation on the vibration data to extract frequency domain feature information and calculating the temperature difference between the temperature data and the temperature at the previous moment; If the frequency characteristic amplitude or the temperature rise data exceeds a set threshold, the fault mode is diagnosed, the fault location is determined, and an alarm is issued; All data information is entered into a general database to establish a database of the flexible support operation, thereby achieving health status management of the flexible support.

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