An electro-hydraulic driving device for a deep-sea self-adaptive valve

Abstract

The present application belongs to the technical field of valve driving device, and discloses a deep-sea self-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic driving device.The driving device comprises a shell, a driving control module, an oil source module, a rotary driving module and a compensator module.The compensator module is connected to one end of the shell.The oil source module and the driving control module are arranged in the shell.The rotary driving module is also arranged in the shell and connected to the oil source module and the driving control module respectively.The shell comprises an upper shell, which forms an oil source cabin and a control cabin.The oil source module is arranged in the oil source cabin, and the driving control module is arranged in the control cabin.The present application improves the integration, greatly reduces the volume and meets the installation requirements of underwater equipment in narrow space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of valve drive devices, and more specifically, relates to a depth-adaptive electro-hydraulic drive device for valves. Background Technology

[0002] Depth-adaptive electro-hydraulic valve actuators are core actuators in marine engineering, deep-sea resource development, and subsea pipeline control systems. They are primarily used for the precise opening and closing of valves in extreme environments such as high pressure, low temperature, and strong corrosion. As deep-sea unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) technology evolves towards greater depth, longer endurance, and higher autonomy, lightweighting, modularity, and pressure resistance of outboard equipment have become key development trends. To meet the demands of deep-sea exploration and operations, the pressure chamber of the UUV needs to be miniaturized as much as possible to reduce weight and energy consumption, leading to increasingly limited space inside the dry compartment. In this context, traditional valve actuators located within the chamber (such as hydraulic stations and electric actuators) are difficult to adapt due to their large size and reliance on internal protection. There is an urgent need for new outboard drive devices that can be directly integrated into the UUV hull or pipeline exterior to directly address the challenges of the high-pressure extreme marine environment. However, existing outboard valve drive technologies still face the following bottlenecks:

[0003] The system is complex and bulky: Existing deep-sea valve actuation devices adopt a modular structure, with the electric drive and hydraulic power supply located on the surface or in the dry compartment inside the submarine, connected to the valve drive transmission part through long hydraulic pipelines. This structure involves complex piping and wiring, and cannot meet the requirements of integrated modular underwater equipment.

[0004] Unable to adapt to the deep-sea environment: Existing deep-sea equipment often relies on oil-filled pressure compensation or thick-walled pressure-resistant shells to resist external pressure. However, the former requires complex dynamic sealing and compensation mechanisms (which are prone to leakage and failure), while the latter results in bulky equipment (such as using titanium alloy integral forging), which contradicts the lightweight requirements of the external equipment of the submersible.

[0005] Currently, although some solutions attempt to offboard valve drive equipment, they either rely on multiple redundant seals (increasing the number of failure points) or have insufficient reliability due to weak resistance to instantaneous high-pressure impacts. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects or improvement needs of the existing technology, the present invention provides a depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device, which aims to solve the problem of low integration of existing valve drive equipment.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device is provided. The drive device includes a housing, a drive control module, an oil source module, a rotary drive module, and a compensator module. The compensator module is connected to one end of the housing. The oil source module and the drive control module are both disposed within the housing. The rotary drive module is also disposed within the housing and is connected to the oil source module and the drive control module, respectively.

[0008] The housing includes an upper housing, which forms an oil source compartment and a control compartment; the oil source module is disposed in the oil source compartment; and the drive control module is disposed in the control compartment.

[0009] Furthermore, the housing includes a pressure plate, a cover plate, and a main housing. One side of the main housing is connected to the upper housing. The cover plate is disposed on the side of the upper housing away from the main housing. The pressure plate is disposed on the side of the main housing adjacent to the upper housing, and is located between the main housing and the upper housing.

[0010] Furthermore, the main housing has a receiving groove that extends through one side of the main housing adjacent to the upper housing and is used to receive the rotary drive module; the pressure plate is disposed on one end of the receiving groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the pressure plate is disposed on the upper housing, covering the oil source compartment and the control compartment; the cover plate is provided with mounting holes for installing communication watertight sockets and power supply watertight sockets.

[0012] Furthermore, the rotary drive module includes a hydraulic cylinder, a shift fork, a guide rod, a force-transmitting connector, a slider, and a force-transmitting pin. The guide rod, the shift fork, the force-transmitting connector, the slider, and the force-transmitting pin are all disposed within the receiving groove. The force-transmitting connector is sleeved on the guide rod, and both ends of the guide rod are respectively connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove. One end of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder extends into the receiving groove and is connected to the force-transmitting connector. One end of the force-transmitting pin is connected to the force-transmitting connector. One end of the shift fork has an opening groove and a first through groove, which communicates with the opening groove. The force-transmitting connector is partially received within the opening groove, and the other end of the force-transmitting pin is connected to the slider. The slider is disposed within the first through groove, and a sliding connection is formed between it and the first through groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the hydraulic oil between the oil source module and the hydraulic cylinder flows through the oil passage in the upper housing.

[0014] Furthermore, the compensator module includes a compensator housing and a piston spring assembly, the piston spring assembly being disposed in the compensator housing, and the compensator housing being connected to one end of the housing.

[0015] Furthermore, the oil source module includes an underwater immersion motor, an integrated valve block, an oil pump, and a hydraulic valve. The underwater immersion motor is mounted on the integrated valve block, and its output shaft is directly connected to the oil pump. The hydraulic valve is integrated into the integrated valve block.

[0016] In summary, compared with the prior art, the depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device provided by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] 1. The depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device of the present invention highly integrates the housing, drive control module, oil source module, rotary drive module and compensator module, greatly reducing the size and adapting to the installation requirements of underwater equipment in confined spaces.

[0018] 2. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device of the present invention can directly face the external marine environment and automatically adapt to the environmental pressure at different ocean depths.

[0019] 3. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device of the present invention integrates the motor, valve block, oil pump and hydraulic valve into the oil source module, and embeds the hydraulic flow channel in the housing (which also serves as an oil tank), completely eliminating the need for pipelines, external oil tanks and redundant valves required by the traditional split layout, thus greatly reducing the risk of external oil leakage.

[0020] 4. The upper shell adopts a cavity isolation design between the oil source tank (wet tank) and the drive control tank (dry tank), with two static seals to ensure that electronic components are protected from seawater corrosion in the high-pressure dry tank, while the hydraulic oil circuit is directly pressurized in the wet tank, avoiding the risk of seal failure due to multi-stage penetration of the tank wall.

[0021] 5. The guide rod is used to counteract the lateral force transmitted by the force transmission pin to the force transmission connector through the slider, thereby reducing the lateral force on the piston rod and greatly extending its service life.

[0022] 6. The compensator module is connected to the hydraulic oil inside the housing, using a piston-spring mechanism to dynamically counteract the effects of deep-sea pressure and the thermal expansion and contraction of the hydraulic fluid, thus adapting to changes in environmental pressure and temperature. Furthermore, the hydraulic fluid space within the equipment has no cavities, preventing the possibility of cavitation in the hydraulic system.

[0023] 7. The entire unit is equipped with standardized watertight sockets for separate power supply and communication, which are highly versatile and plug-and-play, greatly reducing system debugging time and adapting to the rapid replacement needs of different types of submarines; the speed of the oil-immersed motor can be adjusted in real time according to the deep-sea hydrostatic pressure and valve load, maintaining a high power density even under high pressure, and the overall energy consumption is better than traditional solutions. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is an exploded schematic diagram of a depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device.

[0026] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the rotary drive module of the ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device.

[0027] In all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein: 1-compensator module, 2-pressure plate, 3-upper housing, 4-drive control module, 5-cover plate, 6-power supply watertight socket, 7-communication watertight socket, 8-oil source module, 9-valve block pressure plate, 10-guide rod, 11-hydraulic cylinder, 12-shift fork, 13-main housing, 14-force transmission connector, 15-slider, 16-force transmission pin, 17-piston rod. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0029] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 This invention provides a depth-adaptive electro-hydraulic actuation device for valves. The actuation device is a highly integrated, compact rotary output electro-hydraulic actuation device for driving underwater outboard valves. It miniaturizes the compensator and integrates it with the entire unit, while the housing also serves as the oil tank, forming a complete hydraulic oil source with the oil source module 8. Simultaneously, through deep integration (mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, control, and deep-sea pressure compensation), it significantly optimizes space utilization, eliminating the need for complex external piping. The actuation device has a simple and compact structure, and its small size effectively reduces the complexity and cost of the outboard valve system for deep-sea unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0030] The drive device includes a housing, a drive control module 4, an oil source module 8, a rotary drive module, and a compensator module 1, with the compensator module 1 connected to one end of the housing. The oil source module 8 and the drive control module 4 are both housed within the housing. The rotary drive module is also housed within the housing and is connected to both the oil source module 8 and the drive control module 4.

[0031] The housing includes a pressure plate 2, an upper housing 3, a cover plate 5, and a main housing 13, with one side of the main housing 13 connected to the upper housing 3. The cover plate 5 is disposed on the side of the upper housing 3 away from the main housing 13. The pressure plate 2 is disposed on the side of the main housing 13 adjacent to the upper housing 3, located between the main housing 13 and the upper housing 3.

[0032] The rotary drive module is disposed within the main housing 13. The oil source module 8 and the drive control module 4 are respectively disposed within the upper housing 3. The main housing 13 has a receiving groove that extends through one side of the main housing 13 adjacent to the upper housing 3, and is used to receive the rotary drive module. The pressure plate 2 is disposed at one end of the receiving groove.

[0033] The upper housing 3 forms an oil source compartment and a control compartment. A pressure plate 2 is mounted on the upper housing 3, covering the oil source compartment and the control compartment. The oil source module 8 is located within the oil source compartment. The drive control module 4 is located within the control compartment. The oil source compartment serves as the mounting compartment for the oil source module 8, filled with hydraulic oil, and also functions as a hydraulic system reservoir. The control compartment serves as the mounting compartment for the drive control module 4. Due to the special nature of electronic components, the control compartment is designed as a dry air chamber environment, requiring resistance to underwater high pressure. To ensure reliable sealing, two seals are provided at the connection between the cover plate 5 and the control compartment. The cover plate 5 has mounting holes for installing a communication watertight socket 7 and a power supply watertight socket 6 for external power supply and communication. The power supply and communication watertight sockets 7 are used for external electrical connections.

[0034] The hydraulic power module 8 is directly mounted in the upper housing 3 via a valve block pressure plate 9, and is used to convert electrical energy into hydraulic energy to provide power for the overall operation. The hydraulic power module 8 includes an underwater immersion motor, an integrated valve block, an oil pump, and hydraulic valves. The underwater immersion motor is mounted on the integrated valve block, and its output shaft is directly connected to the oil pump, which can drive the oil pump to rotate in both directions. The hydraulic valves are integrated into the integrated valve block, thereby greatly reducing the size of the hydraulic power module 8.

[0035] The speed of the underwater oil-immersed motor can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the hydraulic oil output by the oil source module 8, so as to adjust the operating speed of the valve electro-hydraulic drive device. At the same time, the power can be adaptively adjusted according to different sea depth conditions.

[0036] The drive control module 4 includes a whole-machine control component, a motor drive control component, and a filter. The filter is separately mounted on the mounting plate of the drive control module 4, and performs functions such as signal frequency separation, noise suppression, and enhanced system stability, providing strong protection for the electromagnetic compatibility of the whole machine. The drive control module 4 integrates a water leakage detection component, which can monitor water leakage in the control compartment in real time.

[0037] The compensator module 1 includes a compensator housing and a piston spring assembly. The piston spring assembly is disposed in the compensator housing, which is connected to one end of the housing. The oil inside the compensator module 1 communicates with the oil inside the main housing 13 through a flow channel. The oil in the oil source tank of the main housing 13 and the upper housing 3 are in communication, so that the oil filling space inside the valve electro-hydraulic drive device is balanced with the pressure of the marine environment, ensuring normal operation of the equipment in deep-water high-pressure environments and preventing mechanical deformation, sealing aging, or component damage caused by water pressure.

[0038] The compensator module 1 is mainly used to balance the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the equipment, ensuring the normal operation of the equipment in deep water and high pressure environments, and preventing mechanical deformation, seal failure, or component damage caused by water pressure. The compensator module 1 can also compensate for changes in the internal oil volume caused by temperature changes. When the oil contracts, the compensator module 1 replenishes the volume to prevent negative pressure from drawing in water; when the oil expands, it releases pressure to avoid seal rupture.

[0039] The rotary drive module includes a hydraulic cylinder 11, a shift fork 12, a guide rod 10, a force-transmitting connector 14, a slider 15, and a force-transmitting pin 16. The guide rod 10, the shift fork 12, the force-transmitting connector 14, the slider 15, and the force-transmitting pin 16 are all disposed within the receiving groove. The force-transmitting connector 14 is sleeved on the guide rod 10, and both ends of the guide rod 10 are connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove. One end of the piston rod 17 of the hydraulic cylinder 11 extends into the receiving groove and is connected to the force-transmitting connector 14. One end of the force-transmitting pin 16 is connected to the force-transmitting connector 14. One end of the shift fork 12 has an opening groove and a first through groove, which communicates with the opening groove. The force-transmitting connector 14 is partially received within the opening groove, and the other end of the force-transmitting pin 16 is connected to the slider 15. The slider 15 is disposed within the first through groove, and a sliding connection is formed between it and the first through groove.

[0040] The hydraulic cylinder 11 extends or retracts, causing its output force to be transmitted to the force transmission pin 16 via the force transmission connector 14, and further to the shift fork 12 via the slider 15. The shift fork 12 rotates under this force, thereby driving the valve to rotate.

[0041] The hydraulic oil between the oil source module 8 and the hydraulic cylinder 11 flows directly within the oil passage in the upper housing 3, eliminating the need for external piping and significantly reducing the risk of hydraulic oil leakage. The oil from the oil source module 8 enters the hydraulic cylinder 11 through the built-in flow channel in the upper housing 3, driving the piston rod 17 to extend or retract. The piston rod 17 is connected to the force transmission connector 14, which transmits force to the force transmission pin 16. The force transmission pin 16 then transmits force to the shift fork 12 via the slider 15. Under the action of the lever arm, the shift fork 12 rotates, ultimately driving the valve to move. The guide rod 10 counteracts the lateral force transmitted by the force transmission pin 16 to the force transmission connector 14 via the slider 15, thereby reducing the lateral force on the piston rod 17 and significantly extending its service life.

[0042] The present invention also provides a deep-sea unmanned vehicle, which includes a depth-adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device and a cabin as described above, wherein the drive device is connected to the cabin.

[0043] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A depth-adaptive electro-hydraulic drive device for a valve, characterized in that: The drive device includes a housing, a drive control module, an oil source module, a rotary drive module, and a compensator module. The compensator module is connected to one end of the housing. The oil source module and the drive control module are both disposed within the housing. The rotary drive module is also disposed within the housing and is connected to the oil source module and the drive control module, respectively. The housing includes an upper housing, which forms an oil source compartment and a control compartment; the oil source module is disposed in the oil source compartment; the drive control module is disposed in the control compartment; the compensator module includes a compensator housing and a piston spring assembly, the piston spring assembly is disposed in the compensator housing, and the compensator housing is connected to one end of the housing; the oil source module includes an underwater immersion motor, an integrated valve block, an oil pump, and a hydraulic valve, the underwater immersion motor is mounted on the integrated valve block, and its output shaft is directly connected to the oil pump; the hydraulic valve is integrated in the integrated valve block.

2. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The housing includes a pressure plate, a cover plate, and a main housing. One side of the main housing is connected to the upper housing. The cover plate is disposed on the side of the upper housing away from the main housing. The pressure plate is disposed on the side of the main housing adjacent to the upper housing, and is located between the main housing and the upper housing.

3. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The main housing has a receiving groove that extends through the main housing to the side adjacent to the upper housing and is used to receive the rotary drive module; the pressure plate is disposed on one end of the receiving groove.

4. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The pressure plate is disposed on the upper shell and covers the oil source compartment and the control compartment; the cover plate is provided with mounting holes for installing communication watertight sockets and power supply watertight sockets.

5. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The rotary drive module includes a hydraulic cylinder, a shift fork, a guide rod, a force-transmitting connector, a slider, and a force-transmitting pin. The guide rod, the shift fork, the force-transmitting connector, the slider, and the force-transmitting pin are all disposed within the receiving groove. The force-transmitting connector is sleeved on the guide rod, with both ends of the guide rod connected to the groove wall of the receiving groove. One end of the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder extends into the receiving groove and is connected to the force-transmitting connector. One end of the force-transmitting pin is connected to the force-transmitting connector. One end of the shift fork has an opening groove and a first through groove, which communicates with the opening groove. The force-transmitting connector is partially received within the opening groove, and the other end of the force-transmitting pin is connected to the slider. The slider is disposed within the first through groove, forming a sliding connection with the first through groove.

6. The ocean depth adaptive valve electro-hydraulic drive device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The hydraulic oil between the oil source module and the hydraulic cylinder flows through the oil passage in the upper housing.

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