Special-shaped dot-matrix type inflation structure

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of flexible aircrafts, and particularly relates to a special-shaped dot-matrix type inflatable structure. The air inflation structure comprises a skin, spacing wires and an air inflation connector. According to the inflatable structure, a preset special-shaped structure is defined by a skin, and a sealed cavity is formed in the skin; the spacing wires are distributed in the sealed cavity at intervals, and the two ends of the spacing wires are fixedly connected to the opposite inner walls of the skin. Two end points of the spacing wire are two tangent contact points of the internally tangent ball and the inner wall of the skin; the skin is of a three-layer composite structure and sequentially comprises a bearing layer, an airtight layer and a functional layer from inside to outside. And an inflation interface is fixedly arranged on the skin. According to the inflatable structure, a more complex curved surface appearance can be achieved, the appearance design flexibility and the appearance precision of the dot-matrix type inflatable structure are greatly improved, and the bearing efficiency and the performance of the inflatable structure are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of flexible body aircraft technology, specifically relating to an irregularly shaped lattice-type inflatable structure. Background Technology

[0002] Inflatable structures have advantages such as light weight, small storage volume, and convenient deployment, and are widely used in fields such as construction engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace, and shipbuilding. Examples include large rescue hospitals, inflatable tents, mechanical cushioning pads, inflatable antennas, and ship collision avoidance air cushions.

[0003] Traditional inflatable structures mainly include air-supported, air-ribbed, and air-bag membrane structures. Air-supported structures rely on direct inflation of the membrane material to generate tension and form a supporting structure. Air-ribbed and air-bag structures enhance the pressure-bearing capacity of the inflatable structure by adding air ribs and airbags to form a self-supporting structure. However, these structures have a low overall pressure-bearing capacity and cannot be used in high-load-bearing scenarios.

[0004] The dot matrix inflatable structure can effectively compensate for the shortcomings of traditional inflatable structures. By using spacer wires as the internal reinforcing skeleton of the inflatable structure and combining them with flexible skin to form a closed inflatable chamber, the tensile properties of the spacer wires are used to disperse the stress of the inflatable structure. At the same time, the spacer wires constrain the excessive expansion of the skin, thereby maintaining the preset inflatable structure shape.

[0005] Traditional dot-matrix inflatable structures are mostly used in applications requiring high load-bearing capacity, such as air mattresses and surfboards. They typically employ a flat, uniformly thick sheet structure with evenly spaced spacers. However, when applied to large-curvature, irregularly shaped inflatable structures with high load-bearing capacity and precise shape requirements, significant drawbacks emerge: First, the uniformly spaced spacers restrict the inflatable structure's shape to a uniform thickness, resulting in poor design flexibility and difficulty in achieving large-curvature, irregularly shaped surfaces. Second, it is difficult to optimize the thickness, shape, and internal spacer arrangement to accommodate varying stress distributions in actual application scenarios, leading to poor load-bearing efficiency and making it difficult to balance high load-bearing capacity with lightweight design. Third, inflatable structures are prone to plastic deformation under pressure, making it difficult to guarantee the required high shape precision.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to design an irregular dot matrix inflatable structure, and through skin design and optimization of spacer wire arrangement, effectively improve the load-bearing capacity and forming accuracy of the inflatable structure. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides an irregularly shaped dot matrix inflatable structure that can achieve more complex curved shapes, greatly improving the flexibility and accuracy of shape design, enhancing load-bearing efficiency and performance, and solving the problems of poor shape design, low load-bearing efficiency, poor pressure resistance, and low shape accuracy of previous dot matrix inflatable structures.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following specific technical solution:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an irregular dot matrix inflatable structure, the inflatable structure comprising a skin, spacer wires and an inflatable interface; The inflatable structure utilizes the skin to form a pre-designed irregular shape and creates a sealed cavity within the skin. The skin is used to achieve a stable pressure bearing capacity of more than 300 kPa between the inside and outside, and the air pressure loss within 5 hours is no more than 5%. Multiple spacer wires are spaced apart in the sealed cavity, with both ends fixedly connected to the inner walls of the skin. They are used to constrain the skin in the inflated state to form an irregular inflated shape and to ensure that the surface profile deviation of the inflated skin is ≤2mm. The two ends of the spacer wires are two tangential contact points between the inscribed sphere and the inner wall of the skin. The inflation port is sealed and installed on the skin and communicates with the sealed cavity for inflating and deflating the sealed cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, the skin is a three-layer composite structure, consisting of a load-bearing layer, an airtight layer, and a functional layer that are uniformly coated and bonded together from the inside out with adhesive. The flexible deformation, stretching, and bending characteristics of the load-bearing layer, the airtight layer, and the functional layer are matched to simultaneously achieve flexible expansion deformation and folding storage of the curved surface, reducing the risk of interlayer delamination after deformation.

[0011] Furthermore, the supporting layer is a fabric layer, formed by interweaving at least one of aramid fibers, polyester fibers, polyarylate fibers and polyethylene fibers, for bearing external mechanical loads under an internal pressure environment of 300 kPa.

[0012] Furthermore, the airtight layer is made of one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber and polyimide.

[0013] Furthermore, the functional layer is one of an anti-ultraviolet coating, a heat insulation layer, and a weather-resistant and wear-resistant coating.

[0014] Furthermore, the adhesive is selected from at least one of polyurethane adhesives, epoxy resin adhesives, chloroprene rubber adhesives, acrylate adhesives, and butyl rubber adhesives.

[0015] Furthermore, the spacer filament is made of one of the following materials: aramid fiber, polyester fiber, polyarylate fiber, and polyethylene fiber.

[0016] Furthermore, the spacer yarn is connected to the bearing layer by means of textile sewing or adhesive bonding, and the connection structure does not affect the bonding and composite between the bearing layer, the airtight layer and the functional layer.

[0017] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for arranging the spacer wires in the above-mentioned irregular dot matrix inflatable structure, the method comprising the following steps: The first step is to arrange inscribed spheres in the sealed cavity of the irregular dot matrix inflatable structure, so that the spherical surface of each inscribed sphere is tangent to the inner wall of the skin and forms two independent tangential contact points. The second step involves using two tangential contact points as two fixed points where the two ends of a single spacer wire connect with the skin, thus completing the positioning and tensioning of the single spacer wire. The third step involves adjusting the density of the spacer wires by controlling the center-to-center distance between adjacent inscribed spheres.

[0018] Furthermore, the density of the spacer wires must meet the requirement that the surface profile deviation of the skin after inflation is ≤2mm.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure of the present invention forms a preset irregular structure by forming a skin, and a sealed cavity is formed inside the skin. The skin can achieve a stable pressure bearing capacity of more than 300 kPa between the inside and outside, and the air pressure loss within 5 hours is not greater than 5%. Multiple spacer wires are distributed in the sealed cavity, and the two ends of the spacer wires are fixedly connected to the inner walls of the skin. The spacer wires constrain the skin to form an irregular inflatable shape, and the surface contour deviation of the inflated skin is ≤2 mm. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure with the above structure solves the problems of poor shape design, low load bearing efficiency, poor pressure bearing performance and low shape accuracy of the previous dot matrix inflatable structure.

[0020] 2. The method for arranging the spacer wires in the irregular dot matrix inflatable structure of the present invention determines the arrangement position of the spacer wires by using two tangent points between the inner wall of the skin and the inner tangent sphere. This breaks through the limitation of the uniform thickness of the traditional dot matrix inflatable structure, realizes a more complex curved irregular inflatable structure design, and can optimize the outer thickness, shape and internal spacer wire arrangement according to the differences in stress distribution in actual application scenarios. This significantly improves the load-bearing efficiency of the inflatable structure. Under the same inflation pressure and load-bearing capacity, compared with the traditional dot matrix inflatable structure, the mass and volume of the inflatable structure of the present invention can be reduced by more than 50%.

[0021] 3. By using skin and spacer wires with higher specific strength and specific modulus, and by designing the skin thickness, spacer wire diameter and spacer wire arrangement, the pressure-bearing performance of the inflatable structure is significantly improved to over 300 kPa. Compared with the traditional dot matrix inflatable structure, the plastic deformation under pressure can be reduced by more than 60%.

[0022] The aforementioned irregularly shaped lattice-type inflatable structure can be used in aviation, aerospace, and shipbuilding fields where there are special requirements for the shape and load-bearing capacity of inflatable structures, such as inflatable solar panel structures for satellites and wing designs for various aircraft. It can meet the precise forming and lightweight design requirements for satellite in-orbit inflation and deployment, while also withstanding the extreme environment of space. After forming, it can stably maintain the curved surface shape of the solar panel, meeting the applicable requirements for satellite photoelectric conversion. The inflatable wing using the irregularly shaped lattice-type inflatable structure of this invention can flexibly adapt to various airfoil surfaces such as plano-concave, concave-convex, and double-convex shapes, meeting the differentiated forming requirements of different curvature distributions at the leading edge, middle section, trailing edge, wing root, and wingtip. The wing surface profile deviation can be achieved within 2mm. Compared with traditional lattice-type inflatable structures, the lift-to-drag ratio is improved by more than 50%, and the load-bearing capacity is improved by more than 60%. During flight, it can stably withstand aerodynamic loads and aerodynamic impacts, effectively resist the aerodynamic deformation of the wing surface, and ensure the accuracy and consistency of the wing's aerodynamic shape. At the same time, the lightweight structural characteristics can effectively reduce the overall load of the aircraft, improving the aircraft's endurance and flight stability. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional overall schematic diagram of the irregular dot matrix inflatable structure of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view of a medium-sized irregular lattice inflatable structure; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of section AA in the middle; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the method for positioning a ball within a spacer wire. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control method for the positioning of the spacer wire inscribed ball.

[0024] Figure label: 1-Skin; 2-Spacer wire; 3-Inflation interface; 11-Bearing layer; 12-Airtight layer; 13-Functional layer. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0027] Example 1 This embodiment provides an irregularly shaped dot matrix inflatable structure, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the structure, the inflatable structure includes a skin 1, spacer wires 2, and an inflation port 3. The inflatable structure uses the skin 1 to form a pre-designed irregular structure and forms a sealed cavity inside the skin 1. The skin 1 is used to achieve a stable pressure bearing capacity of more than 300 kPa between the inside and outside, and the air pressure loss within 5 hours is not greater than 5%.

[0028] Multiple spacer wires 2 are spaced apart within the sealed cavity, with their ends fixedly connected to the opposing inner walls of the skin 1. They are used to constrain the skin 1 during inflation to form an irregular inflatable structure, ensuring that the surface profile deviation of the inflated skin 1 is ≤2mm. The two ends of the spacer wires 2 are the two tangential contact points between the inscribed sphere and the inner wall of the skin 1. The spacer wires 2 possess high tensile strength, low elongation, good flexibility, and fatigue resistance, enabling them to withstand inflation loads and constrain the deformation of the inflatable structure. Depending on actual needs, the spacer wires 2 can be made of materials including, but not limited to, aramid fiber, polyester fiber, polyarylate fiber, and polyethylene fiber. The two connection points between the spacer wires 2 and the skin 1 are precisely determined using the inscribed sphere positioning method. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, an inscribed sphere is arranged in the sealed cavity enclosed by the irregular curved surface of the inflatable structure. The surface of the inscribed sphere is internally tangent to the curved surface of the inflatable structure, forming two independent tangent contact points. The two tangent contact points serve as two fixed points for the single spacer wire 2 and the skin 1, respectively, to complete the positioning and tensioning of the single spacer wire 2.

[0029] The inflation port 3 is sealed and installed on the skin 1 and communicates with the sealed cavity for inflating and deflating the sealed cavity. The inflation structure is fixedly installed on the skin 1. The location and number of inflation ports 3 can be determined according to the actual usage requirements of the inflation structure; the number of inflation ports 3 is generally 1-4. The inflation port 3 penetrates the skin 1 and connects to the sealed cavity inside. The connection between the inflation port 3 and the skin 1 is sealed, allowing for the filling and deflating of the inflation medium and ensuring airtightness.

[0030] In the above-mentioned inflatable structure, the skin 1 is a three-layer composite structure, consisting of a load-bearing layer 11, an airtight layer 12, and a functional layer 13 from the inside out. The layers are bonded together by uniformly coating with adhesive. The flexible deformation, stretching, and bending characteristics of the load-bearing layer 11, the airtight layer 12, and the functional layer 13 are matched to simultaneously realize the flexible inflation deformation and folding storage of the curved surface, reducing the risk of interlayer delamination after deformation, and ensuring that there is no risk of plastic deformation or interlayer delamination after deformation.

[0031] The adhesive exhibits good interfacial compatibility and adhesion with the load-bearing layer 11, the airtight layer 12, and the functional layer 13. After curing, it demonstrates high bonding strength, excellent flexibility, and also possesses weather resistance, high and low temperature resistance, and anti-aging properties. The adhesive is selected from one or more of the following: polyurethane adhesives, epoxy resin adhesives, chloroprene rubber adhesives, acrylic adhesives, and butyl rubber adhesives.

[0032] The supporting layer 11 is a fabric layer formed by interweaving at least one of aramid fibers, polyester fibers, polyarylate fibers, and polyethylene fibers, and is used to withstand external mechanical loads under an internal pressure environment of 300 kPa. The supporting layer 11 has high tensile strength, high modulus, and tear resistance, and can withstand the internal pressure load and external mechanical load of the inflatable structure. The spacer yarn 2 is connected to the supporting layer 11 by textile sewing or adhesive fixing, and the connection structure does not affect the adhesive bonding between the supporting layer 11, the airtight layer 12, and the functional layer 13.

[0033] The airtight layer 12 is made of one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, and polyimide, and is a thin film material layer. The airtight layer 12 has excellent gas barrier properties and structural adaptability, and can meet the airtight pressure maintenance requirements of the inflatable structure under working inflation pressure, operating environment, and load conditions.

[0034] Functional layer 13 is one of the following: UV-resistant coating, thermal insulation layer, and weather-resistant and wear-resistant coating. Functional layer 13 can be selected from material layers with corresponding functional properties according to actual needs; functional layer 13 is a thin film material layer.

[0035] The aforementioned irregular dot matrix inflatable structure forms a closed dot matrix inflatable structure through the combination of skin 1, spacer wire 2 and inflation interface 3. Under the constraint of non-parallel spacer wire 2, it maintains the preset irregular inflatable shape, achieves a stable pressure bearing capacity of more than 300 kPa between internal and external pressure difference, and the air pressure loss within 5 hours is no more than 5%.

[0036] Example 2 This embodiment provides a method for arranging the spacer wires 2 in the irregular dot matrix inflatable structure described in the above embodiment. The method includes the following steps: The first step, as Figure 3 As shown, inscribed spheres are arranged in the sealed cavity of the irregular lattice inflatable structure, such that the spherical surface of each inscribed sphere is tangent to the inner wall of the skin 1 and forms two independent tangential contact points.

[0037] The second step, as follows Figure 4 As shown, the two tangential contact points serve as two fixed points where the two ends of the single spacer wire 2 connect with the skin 1, thus completing the positioning and tensioning of the single spacer wire 2.

[0038] The third step, as Figure 5 As shown, the density of the spacer wires 2 is adjusted by the center-to-center distance between adjacent inscribed spheres. The density of the spacer wires 2 must ensure that the surface profile deviation of the skin 1 after inflation is ≤2mm.

[0039] The overall density of the spacer wires 2 is adjusted according to the distance O1O2 between the centers of two adjacent inscribed spheres, and can also be adjusted by the two included angles formed by the tangents of the two inscribed spheres and the inner wall of the skin 1, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the two included angles are the first angle α1 and the second angle α2, respectively. The first angle α1 is formed by the intersection of the upper spherical surfaces of the two inscribed spheres and the tangents of the inner wall of the skin 1. The second angle α2 is formed by the intersection of the upper spherical surfaces of the two inscribed spheres and the tangents of the inner wall of the skin 1. The smaller the distance between the centers of the spheres O1O2, the closer the first angle α1 and the second angle α2 are to 180 degrees, and the greater the density of the spacer wires 2.

[0040] The density and placement of the spacer wires 2 are adapted to the load-bearing requirements and shape accuracy requirements of the inflatable structure. In areas where the curvature of the sealed cavity changes significantly, the shape accuracy requirements are high, and the load-bearing stress is concentrated, the center-to-center spacing of the inscribed spheres is reduced, correspondingly increasing the density of the spacer wires 2. In areas where the curvature of the sealed cavity changes less significantly, the load-bearing stress is dispersed, and the shape accuracy requirements are lower, the center-to-center spacing of the inscribed spheres is increased, correspondingly decreasing the density of the spacer wires 2. The placement of the spacer wires 2 must avoid the location of the inflation interface 3. The spacer wires 2 are connected to the load-bearing layer 11 of the skin 1 by textile stitching or adhesive bonding. The connection method must meet the load-bearing stress transmission requirements and connection reliability requirements of the inflatable structure, and the connection structure must not affect the adhesive bonding between the load-bearing layer 11, the airtight layer 12, and the functional layer 13, and there should be no adhesive interference issues.

[0041] The arrangement of the spacer wires 2 described above can effectively share the load-bearing stress of the inflatable structure, constrain the deformation of the curved surface during inflation, and accurately control the overall shape and contour accuracy of the inflatable structure, achieving a surface contour deviation of ≤2mm.

[0042] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

[0043] In summary, the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An irregularly shaped dot matrix inflatable structure, characterized in that, Includes skin (1), spacer wire (2) and inflation interface (3); The inflatable structure utilizes the skin to form a pre-designed irregular shape and creates a sealed cavity within the skin. The skin is used to achieve a stable pressure bearing capacity of more than 300 kPa between the inside and outside, and the air pressure loss within 5 hours is no more than 5%. Multiple spacer wires are spaced apart in the sealed cavity, with both ends fixedly connected to the inner walls of the skin. They are used to constrain the skin in the inflated state to form an irregular inflated shape and to ensure that the surface profile deviation of the inflated skin is ≤2mm. The two ends of the spacer wires are two tangential contact points between the inscribed sphere and the inner wall of the skin. The inflation port is sealed and installed on the skin and communicates with the sealed cavity for inflating and deflating the sealed cavity.

2. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The skin is a three-layer composite structure, consisting of a load-bearing layer, an airtight layer, and a functional layer that are uniformly coated and bonded together from the inside out with adhesive. The flexible deformation, stretching, and bending characteristics of the load-bearing layer, the airtight layer, and the functional layer are matched to simultaneously achieve flexible expansion deformation and folding storage of the curved surface, reducing the risk of interlayer delamination after deformation.

3. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The supporting layer is a fabric layer, formed by interweaving at least one of aramid fiber, polyester fiber, polyarylate fiber and polyethylene fiber, and is used to withstand external mechanical loads under an internal pressure environment of 300 kPa.

4. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The airtight layer is made of one of thermoplastic polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber and polyimide.

5. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The functional layer is one of the following: an anti-ultraviolet coating, a heat insulation layer, and a weather-resistant and wear-resistant coating.

6. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The adhesive is selected from at least one of polyurethane adhesives, epoxy resin adhesives, chloroprene rubber adhesives, acrylate adhesives and butyl rubber adhesives.

7. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The spacer filament is made of one of the following materials: aramid fiber, polyester fiber, polyaramid fiber, and polyethylene fiber.

8. The irregular dot matrix inflatable structure as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The spacer yarn is connected to the carrier layer by textile sewing or adhesive bonding, and the connection structure does not affect the bonding and composite between the carrier layer, the airtight layer and the functional layer.

9. A method for arranging spacer wires in an irregularly shaped lattice inflatable structure as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The first step is to arrange inscribed spheres in the sealed cavity of the irregular dot matrix inflatable structure, so that the spherical surface of each inscribed sphere is tangent to the inner wall of the skin and forms two independent tangential contact points. The second step involves using two tangential contact points as two fixed points where the two ends of a single spacer wire connect with the skin, thus completing the positioning and tensioning of the single spacer wire. The third step involves adjusting the density of the spacer wires by controlling the center-to-center distance between adjacent inscribed spheres.

10. The deployment method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The density of the spacer wires must meet the requirement that the surface profile deviation of the skin after inflation is ≤2mm.

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