Volume calibration method and device for auxiliary air bag of floating vehicle in different postures

Abstract

This invention proposes a method and apparatus for calibrating the volume of auxiliary airbags of an airship under different attitudes, comprising: an airbag body, an attitude adjustment mechanism, a ranging instrument, a pressure acquisition instrument, an attitude measurement instrument, a flow meter, and a data recording instrument. The airbag body includes a main airbag and several auxiliary airbags; the attitude adjustment mechanism is used to adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag; the ranging instrument measures the distance from its location to the top of the corresponding auxiliary airbag; the pressure acquisition instrument measures the pressure difference between the inside of the main airbag and the outside atmosphere; the attitude measurement instrument measures the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag; the flow meter records the inflation volume of the main airbag in real time; and the data recording instrument records and stores the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag, as well as the distance values ​​measured by the ranging instrument, in real time. This invention can accurately measure the effective volume of each auxiliary airbag under actual working conditions and quickly calibrate the relationship between the volume of each auxiliary airbag and the pitch, roll, and ranging distances.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of airship calibration technology, specifically to a method and apparatus for calibrating the volume of an airship's auxiliary airbag under different attitudes. Background Technology

[0002] As a type of aircraft that uses buoyancy to take off, airships have advantages over other aircraft, such as longer flight time, larger payload, less pollution, lower operating and maintenance costs, and lower requirements for takeoff and landing sites, and have broad application prospects.

[0003] Aerostats, such as tethered balloons and airships, typically consist of a main gasbag and multiple auxiliary gasbags located inside the main gasbag. The main gasbag is filled with a lightweight gas, while the auxiliary gasbags are filled with air. The density of the lightweight gas changes with ambient temperature and pressure, leading to changes in the volume of the lightweight gas within the main gasbag. To maintain the aerodynamic shape and rigidity of the tethered balloon or airship, the auxiliary gasbags need to allow air to enter and exit. Currently, the volume of the auxiliary gasbags is mainly calculated by measuring the distance from the bottom to the top of the auxiliary gasbag using a laser rangefinder located on the abdomen of the gasbag. However, the measured distance varies significantly at different attitude angles, resulting in a significant discrepancy between the calculated volume and the actual volume.

[0004] For airships, the volume of the auxiliary airbag affects the accurate assessment and calculation of its takeoff altitude, flight performance, and other aspects. Therefore, in order to meet the calculation and testing requirements of airship-related performance, it is necessary to accurately calibrate the volume of the auxiliary airbag to guide flight testing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems existing in the background art, this invention proposes a method and device for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an airship under different attitudes.

[0006] The present invention proposes a method for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an aerostat under different attitudes, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1. Pre-install a ranging device on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag;

[0008] S2. First, fill all the auxiliary airbags with air; then fill the main airbag with gas.

[0009] S3. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag to 0° and make the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere 0.

[0010] S4. Select one of the auxiliary airbags as the target airbag to be calibrated;

[0011] S5. Inflate the main airbag with gas, ensuring that the volume of gas inflated is less than the theoretical volume of the target airbag. Simultaneously, the target airbag adjusts the pressure inside the main airbag by discharging internal air, so that the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere is maintained at 0, and the volume of gas inflated is recorded.

[0012] S6. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag and record the adjusted pitch and roll angle values; at the same time, the distance from the ranging device inside the target airbag to the top of the target airbag is measured by the ranging device and the distance value is recorded.

[0013] S7. Repeat steps S4-S6 until no air is expelled from the target airbag or the target airbag cannot adjust the pressure inside the main airbag by expelling internal air; at this point, the total volume of gas filling recorded is the actual effective volume of the target airbag.

[0014] S8, Establish V 副 The matrix -detVj=f(αj,βj,Xj) can be used to calibrate the relationship between the target airbag volume and pitch angle, roll angle, and distance; where: V 副 denoted as the actual effective volume of the target airbag, detVj is the set of inflated volumes recorded in step S5, αj is the set of adjusted pitch angles recorded in step S6, βj is the set of adjusted roll angles recorded in step S6, and Xj is the set of distances recorded in step S6.

[0015] S8. Repeat steps S3-S7 until all auxiliary airbags are calibrated.

[0016] Preferably, in step S5, the volume of gas injected is less than 30% of the theoretical volume of the target airbag.

[0017] This invention proposes a device for calibrating the volume of an airship's auxiliary gasbag under different attitudes, comprising: a gasbag body, an attitude adjustment mechanism, a ranging instrument, a pressure acquisition instrument, an attitude measurement instrument, a flow meter, and a data recording instrument, wherein:

[0018] The bladder includes a main air bladder and several auxiliary air bladders disposed inside the main air bladder;

[0019] The attitude adjustment mechanism is connected to the main airbag to adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag.

[0020] Multiple rangefinders are provided and installed one by one on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag to measure the distance from the location of the rangefinder to the top of the corresponding auxiliary airbag.

[0021] The pressure acquisition instrument is located in the abdomen of the main airbag to measure the pressure difference between the inside of the main airbag and the outside atmosphere.

[0022] The attitude measurement instrument is fixedly connected to the main airbag to measure the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag.

[0023] The flow meter is used to record the inflation volume of the main airbag in real time;

[0024] The data logging instrument is used to record and store the pitch angle and roll angle of the main airbag in real time, as well as the distance values ​​measured by the rangefinder.

[0025] Preferably, the attitude adjustment mechanism includes a lower mounting plate, an upper mounting plate located above the lower mounting plate, and a lower front electric winch, a lower rear electric winch, a lower left electric winch, and a lower right electric winch mounted on the lower mounting plate; an upper front electric winch and an upper rear electric winch mounted on the upper mounting plate; a lower front cable whose length is controlled by the lower front electric winch; a lower rear cable whose length is controlled by the lower rear electric winch; a lower left cable whose length is controlled by the lower left electric winch; a lower right cable whose length is controlled by the lower right electric winch; an upper front cable whose length is controlled by the upper front electric winch; and an upper rear cable whose length is controlled by the upper rear electric winch. The lower front cable is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag; the lower rear cable is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag; the upper front cable is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag; the upper rear cable is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag; the lower left cable is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag; and the lower right cable is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag.

[0026] Preferably, it also includes an inflation line connected to the main airbag to deliver gas into the main airbag.

[0027] Preferably, the flow meter is installed in the inflation line.

[0028] This invention can accurately measure the effective volume of each airbag under actual working conditions and quickly calibrate the relationship between the volume of each airbag and pitch angle, roll angle, and distance measurement, so as to guide flight tests. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device for calibrating the volume of an airship's auxiliary airbag under different attitudes, as proposed in this invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the attitude adjustment mechanism in the airship auxiliary airbag volume calibration device under different attitudes proposed in this invention.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the bladder in the airship auxiliary airbag volume calibration device for different attitudes proposed in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention proposes a method for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an aerostat under different attitudes, comprising the following steps:

[0033] S1. Pre-install a ranging device on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag;

[0034] S2. First, fill all the auxiliary airbags with air; then fill the main airbag with gas.

[0035] S3. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag to 0° and make the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere 0.

[0036] S4. Select one of the auxiliary airbags as the target airbag to be calibrated;

[0037] S5. Inflate the main airbag with gas, and make the volume of gas inflated, detVj1, less than the theoretical volume of the target airbag; at the same time, the target airbag adjusts the pressure inside the main airbag by discharging the air inside the airbag, so that the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere is maintained at 0, and record the volume of gas inflated as detVj1.

[0038] S6. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag and record the adjusted pitch and roll angle values ​​as αj1 and βj1, respectively; at the same time, measure the distance Xj1 from the ranging device to the top of the target airbag by the ranging device set inside the target airbag.

[0039] S7. Repeat steps S4-S6 until no air is expelled from the target airbag or the target airbag cannot adjust the pressure inside the main airbag by expelling internal air; at this point, the recorded inflation volumes detVj1, detVj2...detVj n The sum of these values ​​is the actual effective volume of the target airbag.

[0040] S8, Establish V 副 The matrix -detVj=f(αj,βj,Xj) can be used to calibrate the relationship between the target airbag volume and pitch angle, roll angle, and distance; where: V 副 Let detVj be the actual effective volume of the target airbag; detVj is the set of main airbag inflation volumes recorded in step S5, i.e.: detVj = {detVj1, detVj2, ..., detVj...} n}; αj is the set of adjusted main airbag pitch angles recorded in step S5, that is: αj={αj1,αj2...,αj n}; βj is the set of adjusted main airbag roll angles recorded in step S5, i.e.: βj={βj1,βj2...,βj n}; Xj is the set of distances measured by the ranging instrument recorded in step S5, that is: Xj={Xj1,Xj2...,Xj n};

[0041] S8. Repeat steps S3-S7 until all auxiliary airbags are calibrated.

[0042] In a further embodiment, the volume of gas injected each time is less than 30% of the theoretical volume of the target airbag, to ensure that the calibration of the target airbag is performed at least three times, thereby increasing the reliability of the data.

[0043] Reference Figure 1-3 This invention proposes a device for calibrating the volume of an airship's auxiliary airbag under different attitudes, comprising: an airbag body, an attitude adjustment mechanism, an inflation pipeline 53, a ranging instrument 52, a pressure acquisition instrument 55, an attitude measurement instrument 54, a flow meter 51, and a data recording instrument, wherein:

[0044] The airbag includes a main airbag 11 and several auxiliary airbags 12 disposed inside the main airbag 11. An inflation line 53 is connected to the main airbag 11 for supplying gas to the main airbag 11. An attitude adjustment mechanism is connected to the main airbag 11 for adjusting the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag 11.

[0045] Multiple rangefinders 52 are installed on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag 12 to measure the distance from the location of each rangefinder 52 to the top of the corresponding auxiliary airbag 12. A pressure acquisition instrument 55 is installed on the abdomen of the main airbag 11 to measure the pressure difference between the inside of the main airbag 11 and the outside atmosphere. An attitude measurement instrument 54 is fixedly connected to the main airbag 11 to measure the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag 11. A flow meter 51 is installed in the inflation line 53 to record the volume of air inflated into the main airbag 11 in real time. A data logging instrument is used to record and store the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag 11, as well as the distance values ​​measured by the rangefinders 52, in real time.

[0046] During operation: First, all auxiliary airbags 12 are filled with air, then the main airbag 11 is filled with gas; next, the attitude adjustment mechanism starts working to adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag 11 to 0° and to make the pressure difference between the main airbag 11 and the outside atmosphere zero; then, one of the auxiliary airbags 12 is used as the target airbag to be calibrated, and the calibration process is as follows:

[0047] First, air is inflated into the main airbag 11 through the inflation line 53, and the inflated volume detVj1 is recorded in real time by the flow meter 51. DetVj1 is less than the theoretical volume of the target airbag. Simultaneously, the target airbag adjusts the pressure inside the main airbag 11 by releasing internal air to maintain a zero pressure difference between the main airbag 11 and the outside atmosphere. Then, the attitude adjustment mechanism is activated to adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag 11. Once the attitude of the main airbag 11 is stable, the attitude measuring instrument 54 records... The pitch angle αj1 and roll angle βj1 of the main airbag 11 are recorded at this time. Simultaneously, a ranging device installed inside the target airbag operates to measure the distance Xj1 from the ranging device to the top of the target airbag. This process is repeated multiple times until no air is expelled from the target airbag or the target airbag can no longer adjust the pressure inside the main airbag 11 by releasing internal air. At this point, the flow meter 51 records the cumulative volume of gas injected into the main airbag 11 (i.e., detVj1, detVj2...detVj). n The sum of these values ​​represents the actual effective volume of the target airbag. Finally, V is established. 副 The matrix -detVj=fαj,βj,Xj can be used to calibrate the relationship between the target airbag volume and pitch angle, roll angle, and distance.

[0048] Then the next auxiliary airbag 12 is calibrated in the same way until all auxiliary airbags 12 have been calibrated.

[0049] In a further embodiment, the attitude adjustment mechanism includes a lower mounting plate 42, an upper mounting plate 41 located above the lower mounting plate 42, and a lower front electric winch 21, a lower rear electric winch 22, a lower left electric winch 25, and a lower right electric winch 26 mounted on the lower mounting plate 42; an upper front electric winch 23 and an upper rear electric winch 24 mounted on the upper mounting plate 41; a lower front cable 31 whose length is controlled by the lower front electric winch 21; a lower rear cable 32 whose length is controlled by the lower rear electric winch 22; a lower left cable 35 whose length is controlled by the lower left electric winch 25; a lower right cable 36 whose length is controlled by the lower right electric winch 26; an upper front cable 33 whose length is controlled by the upper front electric winch 23; and an upper rear cable 34 whose length is controlled by the upper rear electric winch 24. Wherein:

[0050] The lower front cable 31 is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag 11. The lower front electric winch 21 adjusts the vertical position of the head of the main airbag 11 by winding or releasing the lower front cable 31, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11. The lower rear cable 32 is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag 11. The lower rear electric winch 22 adjusts the vertical position of the tail of the main airbag 11 by winding or releasing the lower front cable 32, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11. The upper front cable 33 is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag 11. The upper front electric winch 23 adjusts the vertical position of the head of the main airbag 11 by winding or releasing the upper front cable 33, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11. The upper rear cable 34 is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag 11. The lower left electric winch 25 adjusts the left and right position of the main airbag 11, and thus adjusts the roll angle of the main airbag 11, by winding or releasing the lower left cable 35. The lower left cable 35 is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag 11; the lower right cable 36 is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag 11. The lower right electric winch 26 adjusts the left and right position of the main airbag 11, and thus adjusts the roll angle of the main airbag 11, by winding or releasing the lower right cable 36. The specific adjustment method of the attitude adjustment mechanism is as follows:

[0051] When the buoyancy of the airbag is less than the weight, the lower front electric winch 21 and the lower rear electric winch 22 release the lower front cable 31 and the lower rear cable 32 so that the lower front cable 31 and the lower rear cable 32 are no longer under stress; at this time, the main airbag 11 is fixed to a suspended state by the upper front cable 33 and the upper rear cable 34, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11.

[0052] When the buoyancy of the airbag is greater than the gravity, the upper front electric winch 23 and the upper rear electric winch 24 release the upper front cable 33 and the upper rear cable 34 so that the upper front cable 33 and the upper rear cable 34 are no longer under stress; at this time, the main airbag 11 is pulled to a suspended state by the lower front cable 31 and the lower rear cable 32, thereby adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11.

[0053] After adjusting the pitch angle of the main airbag 11, the roll angle of the main airbag 11 is adjusted by controlling the lengths of the lower left cable 35 and the lower right cable 36 through the lower left electric winch 25 and the lower right electric winch 26.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating the volume of an airship's auxiliary gasbag under different attitudes, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Pre-install a ranging device on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag; S2. First, fill all the auxiliary airbags with air; then fill the main airbag with gas. S3. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag to 0° and make the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere 0. S4. Select one of the auxiliary airbags as the target airbag to be calibrated; S5. Inflate the main airbag with gas, ensuring that the volume of gas inflated is less than the theoretical volume of the target airbag. Simultaneously, the target airbag adjusts the pressure inside the main airbag by discharging internal air, so that the pressure difference between the main airbag and the outside atmosphere is maintained at 0, and the volume of gas inflated is recorded. S6. Adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag and record the adjusted pitch and roll angle values; at the same time, the distance from the ranging device inside the target airbag to the top of the target airbag is measured by the ranging device and the distance value is recorded. S7. Repeat steps S4-S6 until no air is expelled from the target airbag or the target airbag cannot adjust the pressure inside the main airbag by expelling internal air; at this point, the total volume of gas filling recorded is the actual effective volume of the target airbag. S8, Establish V 副 The matrix -detVj=f(αj,βj,Xj) can be used to calibrate the relationship between the target airbag volume and pitch angle, roll angle, and distance; where: V 副 denoted as the actual effective volume of the target airbag, detVj is the set of inflated volumes recorded in step S5, αj is the set of adjusted pitch angles recorded in step S6, βj is the set of adjusted roll angles recorded in step S6, and Xj is the set of distances recorded in step S6. S8. Repeat steps S3-S7 until all auxiliary airbags are calibrated.

2. The method for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an aerostat under different attitudes according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S5, the volume of gas injected each time is less than 30% of the theoretical volume of the target airbag.

3. A device for calibrating the volume of an aerostat's auxiliary airbag under different attitudes, used to implement the method described in any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, include: The apparatus includes a capsule, an attitude adjustment mechanism, a distance measuring instrument (52), a pressure acquisition instrument (55), an attitude measurement instrument (54), a flow meter (51), and a data recording instrument, wherein: The bladder includes a main air bladder (11) and several auxiliary air bladders (12) disposed inside the main air bladder (11); The attitude adjustment mechanism is connected to the main airbag (11) to adjust the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag (11); Multiple rangefinders (52) are provided and installed one by one on the abdomen of each auxiliary airbag (12) to measure the distance from the location of the rangefinder (52) to the top of the corresponding auxiliary airbag (12); The pressure acquisition instrument (55) is set in the abdomen of the main airbag (11) to measure the pressure difference between the inside of the main airbag (11) and the outside atmosphere; The attitude measurement instrument (54) is fixedly connected to the main airbag (11) for measuring the pitch and roll angles of the main airbag (11); The flow meter (51) is used to record the inflation volume of the main airbag (11) in real time; The data logging instrument is used to record and store the pitch angle and roll angle of the main airbag (11) and the distance value measured by the distance measuring instrument (52) in real time.

4. The device for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an airship under different attitudes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The attitude adjustment mechanism includes a lower mounting plate (42), an upper mounting plate (41) located above the lower mounting plate (42), and a lower front electric winch (21), a lower rear electric winch (22), a lower left electric winch (25), and a lower right electric winch (26) mounted on the lower mounting plate (42). An upper front electric winch (23) and an upper rear electric winch (24) are mounted on the upper mounting plate (41). A lower front cable (31) with its length controlled by the lower front electric winch (21), a lower rear cable (32) with its length controlled by the lower rear electric winch (22), a lower left cable (35) with its length controlled by the lower left electric winch (25), and a lower right electric winch (26). The right lower cable (36) is controlled by the moving winch (26) for its length of extension and retraction; the upper front cable (33) is controlled by the upper front electric winch (23) for its length of extension and retraction; and the upper rear cable (34) is controlled by the upper rear electric winch (24) for its length of extension and retraction. Among them: the lower front cable (31) is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag (11); the lower rear cable (32) is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag (11); the upper front cable (33) is fixedly connected to the head of the main airbag (11); the upper rear cable (34) is fixedly connected to the tail of the main airbag (11); the left lower cable (35) is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag (11); and the right lower cable (36) is fixedly connected to the left side of the main airbag (11).

5. The device for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an airship under different attitudes according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes an inflation line (53) connected to the main airbag (11) to deliver gas into the main airbag (11).

6. The device for calibrating the volume of the auxiliary airbag of an airship under different attitudes according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flow meter (51) is installed in the air filling line (53).

Images