Pressure-resistant electronic cabin structure for improving deep sea adaptability of marine instrument
By incorporating partitions and compensating airbags within the marine instrument's electronic compartment, the problems of heat dissipation and pressure effects in the deep-sea environment were solved, achieving efficient heat dissipation and pressure buffering, and improving the equipment's adaptability and reliability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- THE 715TH RES INST OF CHINA SHIPBUILDING IND CORP
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-02
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
The electronic compartments of existing marine instruments have difficulty dissipating heat effectively in the deep-sea environment, and the hydrostatic pressure directly affects the internal electronic components, resulting in insufficient equipment reliability and adaptability.
The electronic compartment is divided into an oil chamber and a dry chamber by a partition. The oil chamber is filled with oil and equipped with a compensating airbag, while the dry chamber maintains a dry environment. Efficient heat dissipation is achieved by using a heat-conducting structure and oil convection, and the airbag compensates for changes in oil volume to protect electronic components.
It achieves efficient heat dissipation in deep-sea environments, reduces the impact of hydrostatic pressure on internal circuits, improves the adaptability and reliability of the electronic compartment, and protects the safety of components with different characteristics.
Smart Images
Figure CN121865590A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of marine equipment technology, specifically relating to an improved pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for deep-sea adaptability of marine instruments. Background Technology
[0002] Ocean development relies on marine instruments and equipment. Conventional detection platforms are generally based on surface vessels, with installation methods including hull mounting or overboard mounting. With the advancement of deep-sea strategies, marine sampling is gradually expanding into the deep sea, and the platforms for carrying marine instruments have broadened to include underwater platforms such as UUVs and ROVs. For marine instruments operating at great depths, the wet-end array and the electronics compartment are currently typically separated, with each having its own independently designed pressure-bearing structure. The electronics compartment generally uses a pressure-resistant shell structure, with the shell bearing the pressure. The main heat-generating components use heat sinks or heat pipes to conduct heat to the shell wall or the interior of the electronics compartment for dissipation.
[0003] However, the above structural design has the following drawbacks: 1. Due to the need to withstand high hydrostatic pressure, the electronic compartment needs to reduce its overall deformation to ensure that the heat dissipation structure is tightly attached to the wall. This generally requires a pressure-resistant configuration such as an approximate spherical or cylindrical shape, which is difficult to match with the wet-end structure. Watertight cables are needed to connect the electronic compartment and the wet end. The transmit power signal and receive channel signal transmitted by the wet-end array are both analog signals, and their quantity corresponds to the transmit and receive arrays. The above structure is difficult to apply to equipment with a large number of transmit and receive channels. 2. For weight-constrained platforms, titanium alloy must be used instead of stainless steel for the electronic compartment. The thermal conductivity of titanium alloy is an order of magnitude lower than that of stainless steel, making it easy for heat to accumulate on the electronic compartment walls. Strict thermal design or component derating design is required to prevent overheating and burnout of electronic components. 3. For heat dissipation designs using oil-filled internal compartments, under hydrostatic pressure, the pressure-resistant shell compresses and deforms, causing changes in internal oil pressure. In effect, the pressure indirectly affects the electronic components. At greater ocean depths to full ocean depths, the pressure on electronic component packaging can reach tens of megapascals, causing abnormal component function.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure that can effectively solve the heat dissipation problem in the deep-sea environment while ensuring pressure-bearing reliability, and isolate the direct impact of external hydrostatic pressure on internal sensitive electronic components, thereby improving the adaptability and reliability of marine instruments in the extreme environment of the deep sea. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an improved pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for deep-sea adaptability of marine instruments. This structure aims to achieve efficient heat dissipation, pressure buffering, and partitioned protection for electronic components with different characteristics through innovative internal chamber partitioning and pressure compensation design.
[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is to provide a pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure that improves the deep-sea adaptability of marine instruments, including a pressure-bearing shell, a partition, a compensating airbag, an oil-resistant electrical connector, a pressure-resistant electrical connector, and a filling oil.
[0007] The pressure-bearing shell is the main external pressure-bearing structure. The partition plate is fixedly installed inside the pressure-bearing shell, dividing its interior into two independent chambers, namely the first chamber and the second chamber.
[0008] The first chamber is filled with a filling oil (such as insulating oil) and contains a compensating airbag. This chamber is specifically designed to house electronic components that can withstand oil immersion and typically generate significant heat, such as various integrated circuits and operational amplifiers. The compensating airbag is made of a flexible material (such as flexible rubber) and pre-filled with a certain amount of gas. Its core function is compensation: firstly, it compensates for changes in oil volume caused by temperature variations; secondly, and more importantly, under high hydrostatic pressure, when the pressure-bearing shell deforms and attempts to compress the oil, the airbag absorbs this volume change through its own contraction, thereby significantly suppressing the increase in hydraulic pressure within the first chamber and protecting the oil-immersed components from excessive hydrostatic pressure impact.
[0009] The second chamber is kept as a closed dry gas chamber (usually air or inert gas) to accommodate electronic components that cannot withstand oil immersion or whose packaging structure itself cannot withstand high voltage, such as large-capacity electrolytic capacitors.
[0010] The oil-resistant electrical connector is installed through and sealed on the partition plate, with its two ends located in the first chamber and the second chamber respectively, to achieve a reliable electrical connection between the circuits in the two chambers.
[0011] The pressure-resistant electrical connector is sealed and mounted on the wall of the pressure-bearing housing and communicates with the first chamber. It serves as the external electrical interface for the electronic compartment, used to connect to the external wet-end sensor array and power and communication cables.
[0012] Preferably, the pressure-bearing shell can be composed of an upper pressure-bearing shell and a lower pressure-bearing shell connected by a detachable means such as flanges and bolts, which facilitates internal assembly and maintenance.
[0013] Preferably, the pressure-bearing shell and the partition are made of the same material to ensure the reliability of the connection and the consistency of thermal expansion. Depending on the required pressure resistance depth and weight requirements, the material can be anodized aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or titanium alloy. In deep-sea applications, titanium alloy is the preferred choice due to its excellent specific strength and corrosion resistance.
[0014] Preferably, the initial gas volume of the compensation airbag can be designed and calculated based on the theoretical deformation of the pressure-bearing shell at the target operating water depth. Typically, the airbag volume is designed to be several times (e.g., 2 to 5 times) the estimated change in oil volume caused by shell deformation. According to the gas law, this ensures that at the operating depth, after the airbag is compressed, the increase in oil pressure in the first chamber is limited to a low level (e.g., approximately 1.25 to 2 atmospheres), thereby providing effective pressure protection for the internal circuitry.
[0015] Preferably, to enhance heat dissipation, a heat-conducting structure, such as a heat pipe, a heat spreader, or a heat sink fin, can be added to the first chamber for electronic components that generate a lot of heat. These heat-conducting structures can efficiently conduct the heat generated by the components to the oil in the first chamber, and then simultaneously transfer the heat to the inner wall of the entire pressure-bearing shell through thermal convection of the oil and thermal conduction of the shell, and finally dissipate it into the external seawater, forming an efficient heat dissipation path of components-heat-conducting structure-oil-shell-seawater.
[0016] Preferably, the voltage-resistant electrical connector may include multiple connectors, for example, one for connecting to the wet-end array and another for connecting to the uplink cable leading to the water surface or mother ship, to achieve independent transmission of signals and power.
[0017] Preferably, the pressure-bearing shell can be a general spherical, cylindrical, or structural form that matches the wet-end array.
[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:
[0019] This invention, by filling the electronic compartment with oil, utilizes the principle of convection cooling to fully leverage the inner surface of the pressure-resistant shell for heat dissipation, building upon the existing circuit heat-conducting structure, thus enhancing the heat dissipation effect. Furthermore, the air bladder inside the oil chamber compensates for changes in oil volume due to temperature variations and shell deformation under pressure, reducing the degree of pressure variation on the internal circuitry. This mitigates the impact of deep-water pressure and temperature factors on the internal circuitry, ultimately achieving pressure buffering and zoned protection for electronic components with different characteristics. Attached Figure Description
[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 3 This is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] In the diagram, 1 is the pressure-bearing shell; 2 is the partition plate; 3 is the compensating airbag; 4 is the oil-resistant electrical connector; 5 is the pressure-resistant electrical connector; 6 is the filling oil; 11 is the upper pressure-bearing shell; and 12 is the lower pressure-bearing shell. Detailed Implementation
[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:
[0026] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the present invention provides a pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for improving the deep-sea adaptability of marine instruments, which mainly includes a pressure-bearing shell 1, a partition 2, a compensating airbag 3, an oil-resistant electrical connector 4, a pressure-resistant electrical connector 5, and a filling oil 6.
[0027] The pressure-bearing housing 1 is the main pressure-bearing component of the electronic compartment. In this embodiment, it is formed by a detachable upper pressure-bearing housing 11 and a lower pressure-bearing housing 12 connected by circumferential flanges and bolts. The material of the pressure-bearing housing 1 is selected according to the design depth and weight requirements, for example, titanium alloy can be used. Its external shape can be non-standardized according to the shape of the matching wet-end sensor array to achieve compact integration.
[0028] The partition 2 is a metal plate whose outer edge is fixed to the inner wall of the pressure-bearing housing 1 by welding or sealing, for example, fixed to the inner side of the lower pressure-bearing housing 12. It completely divides the internal space of the pressure-bearing housing 1 into two independent upper and lower chambers. (Refer to...) Figure 2 , Figure 3 .
[0029] Continuing from the above, the chamber located below the partition 2 is defined as the first chamber. This chamber is pre-filled with a highly insulating, low-viscosity filling oil 6, such as silicone oil. A compensation airbag 3 made of flexible rubber is placed in this first chamber. The compensation airbag 3 is pre-filled with a certain volume of air or nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The gas volume of the compensation airbag 3 can be calculated based on the total deformation of the pressure-resistant shell under high hydrostatic pressure. Depending on the hydrostatic pressure resistance rating of the components, a volume of 2 to 5 times the total deformation can be selected, corresponding to 2 to 1.25 times the atmospheric pressure according to the known gas state equation pV=nRT.
[0030] The first chamber is used to install the main heat-generating electronic circuit boards, which integrate integrated circuits and operational amplifiers that generate significant heat, such as digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and power amplifiers. These components are themselves resistant to oil immersion. To further improve heat dissipation efficiency, copper heat sinks or miniature heat pipes can be installed on these chips to quickly transfer the heat from the chips to the surrounding oil filling fluid 6.
[0031] The chamber located above partition 2 is defined as the second chamber. This chamber is maintained as a closed, dry environment, filled with atmospheric pressure air or inert gas. This chamber is used to install components that cannot come into contact with oil or whose encapsulations are not resistant to high voltage, such as large-capacity aluminum electrolytic capacitors used for power supply filtering. These components are connected to the pins of the oil-resistant electrical connector 4 below via a circuit board.
[0032] The oil-resistant electrical connector 4 is an electrical connector capable of withstanding long-term immersion in oil while maintaining good insulation and sealing performance. It is sealed and installed in the center or a designated position of the partition 2, with its pin / socket portions located in the first and second chambers respectively, thereby reliably connecting the circuits in the two chambers.
[0033] The pressure-resistant electrical connector 5 is an electrical connector capable of withstanding the high pressure of the deep sea and ensuring watertightness. In this embodiment, two pressure-resistant electrical connectors are provided: the first pressure-resistant electrical connector is installed on the side wall or end of the pressure-bearing housing 1, and its internal contacts are connected to the circuit in the first chamber. It is used to directly connect to the external wet-end sensor array via a short-distance watertight cable to transmit the transmission drive signal and the received analog signal. The second pressure-resistant electrical connector is also installed on the pressure-bearing housing 1 and is also connected to the circuit in the first chamber. It is used to connect the upload cable to the surface control unit to transmit data, receive commands, and provide power. This design makes the signal flow clear and reduces the transmission loss of analog signals in long cables.
[0034] The assembly and operation process of this invention is as follows:
[0035] First, the partition plate 2 is fixed inside the lower pressure housing 12; the compensation airbag 3 is placed in the first chamber formed by the lower pressure housing 12 and the partition plate 2, and the main circuit board with the assembled heating element is installed inside the lower pressure housing 12 and connected to it via the lower half of the oil-resistant electrical connector 4. Then, the upper circuit board containing components such as electrolytic capacitors is installed inside the upper pressure housing 11 and connected to the upper half of the oil-resistant electrical connector 4. Next, the upper pressure housing 11 and the lower pressure housing 12 are aligned and tightened with bolts to form a sealed assembly. Afterward, sufficient filling oil 6 is injected into the first chamber through the reserved oil inlet, ensuring that all gas is exhausted from the exhaust port. Finally, the sealing caps or mating plugs of all pressure-resistant electrical connectors 5 are installed.
[0036] As the electronic chamber descends with the equipment, the external hydrostatic pressure is borne by the pressure-bearing shell 1. Minor deformations of the shell may compress the oil chamber, but this is primarily absorbed by the contraction of the compensating airbag 3, ensuring minimal pressure changes for the oil and immersed components. Heat generated by the heating components is rapidly transferred to the inner wall of the entire pressure-bearing shell 1 via convection through the filling oil 6, and ultimately dissipated into the seawater. The sensitive components located in the second chamber remain in a mild, atmospheric pressure environment, protected from the effects of high pressure and the oil.
[0037] The above description only illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Any equivalent procedural modifications made using this specification are included within the patent protection scope of this invention.
Claims
1. A pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for improving the deep-sea adaptability of marine instruments, characterized in that: It includes a pressure-bearing housing (1), a partition plate (2), a compensating airbag (3), an oil-resistant electrical connector (4), a pressure-resistant electrical connector (5), and a filling oil (6); The partition plate (2) is fixedly installed inside the pressure-bearing shell (1) to divide the internal space of the pressure-bearing shell (1) into a first chamber and a second chamber; The first chamber is filled with the filling oil (6) and the compensation airbag (3) is provided inside. The first chamber is used to accommodate electronic components that can withstand the filling oil and have heat dissipation requirements. The second chamber is a closed air chamber used to house electronic components that cannot withstand the filling oil. The oil-resistant electrical connector (4) is installed on the partition plate (2) to realize the electrical connection between the first chamber and the second chamber; At least one of the pressure-resistant electrical connectors (5) is mounted on the pressure-bearing housing (1) and communicates with the first chamber to realize the electrical connection between the electronic components inside the first chamber and the external wet end sensor.
2. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure-bearing housing (1) includes an upper pressure-bearing housing (11) and a lower pressure-bearing housing (12) that are detachably connected.
3. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The partition plate (2) and the pressure-bearing shell (1) are made of the same material, which is selected from anodized aluminum alloy, stainless steel or titanium alloy.
4. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The compensation airbag (3) is made of flexible material and filled with gas. The initial gas volume of the compensation airbag (3) is determined according to the estimated deformation of the pressure-bearing shell (1) at the target working water depth, so that the rise in hydraulic pressure in the first chamber is limited to a preset range at the target working water depth.
5. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first chamber is also provided with a heat-conducting structure, which is selected from one or more of heat pipes, heat spreaders or heat dissipation fins, and is used to conduct the heat of electronic components placed in the first chamber to the shell wall of the pressure-bearing housing (1).
6. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The voltage-resistant electrical connector (5) includes a first voltage-resistant electrical connector and a second voltage-resistant electrical connector; the first voltage-resistant electrical connector is used to connect to an external wet-end array, and the second voltage-resistant electrical connector is used to connect to an uplink cable.
7. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The electronic components placed in the first chamber include integrated circuits and integrated operational amplifiers; the electronic components placed in the second chamber include electrolytic capacitors.
8. The improved deep-sea adaptability and pressure-resistant electronic compartment structure for marine instruments according to claim 6, characterized in that: The external shape of the pressure-bearing shell (1) is any one of spherical, cylindrical, or structure that matches the wet-end array.