Small-size high-integration vector hydrophone test cabin

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of underwater detection equipment technology, and in particular to a small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber, comprising a test chamber body; a sealed end cap that is sealed and fitted to the upper end of the body; an external protective frame fixed to the outer side of the top of the body and a sound-permeable cover covering it; a flow-guiding transition cone clamped to the communication power cable; an internal module located inside the chamber; a sealing hole opened at the bottom of the body, through which one end of the vector hydrophone and the scalar hydrophone are sealed and inserted, and the other end is suspended in the sound-permeable cover within the external protective frame; this application significantly reduces the volume and weight of the test chamber while ensuring pressure resistance through the design of the inner and outer bosses, grooves and integrated large arc surfaces on the top of the chamber; by integrating and installing the hydrophones at the bottom of the chamber, and combining the modular internal frame and conformal heat-conducting structure, high integration, convenient assembly and efficient heat dissipation are achieved, which is especially suitable for deep-sea microgravity platform mounting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater detection equipment technology, specifically to a small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber. Background Technology

[0002] The underwater test chamber is one of the core pieces of equipment in various underwater detection and acoustic measurement systems. Its function is to provide a normal-pressure, sealed working environment for electronic control units, signal acquisition and processing modules, etc. A conventional underwater test chamber usually consists of a cylindrical body and a sealed end cap. The internal components include control circuit boards, power modules, heat dissipation structures, etc., and it is electrically connected to external sensors through watertight connectors on the end caps. It is the hub for underwater information sensing and transmission.

[0003] Currently, when integrating vector and scalar hydrophones onto the same underwater platform, two methods are typically used: First, the hydrophones are dispersed and installed at different locations on the platform, connected to a centrally located test chamber via long-distance watertight cables. While this method reduces the integration difficulty of individual chambers, it significantly increases the platform's structural complexity, wiring difficulty, and signal transmission loss. Second, multiple hydrophones are integrated into a large test chamber, with centralized fixation achieved through multiple mounting interfaces on the bottom or side walls of the chamber. However, this large-scale integration solution often has the following drawbacks: the test chamber is heavy, placing high demands on the platform's load-bearing capacity and buoyancy balance; the internal space utilization of the chamber is low, making it difficult to achieve lightweighting and miniaturization; and the axial installation space for the hydrophones is limited, hindering the optimal arrangement of the sensor array.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a vector hydrophone test chamber that balances small size, lightweight design, and high integration to meet the stringent requirements of deep-sea exploration platforms for payload volume, weight, and maintainability has become a pressing technical problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber to solve the technical problems of large size and low integration in existing test chambers when integrating vector hydrophones and scalar hydrophones.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber, comprising: a chamber body, with an internal accommodating cavity; A sealing end cap is provided to seal the opening on one side of the cabin. A protective frame is fixedly installed on the side of the cabin facing away from the sealed end cap; The sensor assembly includes at least a vector hydrophone and a scalar hydrophone, and the sensor assembly is suspended inside the protective frame. Internal modules are integrated into the housing cavity of the cabin; A communication power cable, one end of which is electrically connected to the internal module, and the other end of which extends outwards through the sealed end cap in a sealed manner; A flow-guiding transition cone is fixedly clamped to the communication power cable on the outside of the sealing end cover; The protective frame has a hollow structure, and at least one first sealing hole and at least one second sealing hole are provided on the wall of the cabin near the protective frame. The cables of the sensor assembly are respectively sealed and passed through the corresponding sealing holes to connect with the internal module circuit.

[0007] Preferably, the protective frame includes a sound-permeable cover and a support, the support being composed of multiple ring-shaped members and multiple longitudinal beams connected between the ring-shaped members; the sound-permeable cover is fixed to the periphery of the support, and its wall surface has multiple sound-permeable holes; the top of the sound-permeable cover is provided with a lifting eye screw for connecting the buoyant material.

[0008] Preferably, the sensor assembly further includes several elastic elements; the vector hydrophone and the scalar hydrophone are suspended in the internal space of the bracket by the elastic elements.

[0009] Preferably, the internal module includes a heat-conducting plate, a first circuit board, multiple second circuit boards, and a support frame; the first circuit board is attached to the inner wall of the cabin via the heat-conducting plate; the multiple second circuit boards are integrated into the receiving cavity via the support frame, and the multiple second circuit boards are spaced apart.

[0010] Preferably, the accommodating cavity of the cabin is provided with a first boss and a second boss protruding into the cavity at positions corresponding to the first sealing hole and the second sealing hole, and the first sealing hole and the second sealing hole respectively penetrate the corresponding boss along the axial direction; on the outer surface of the cabin on the side where the sealing hole is opened, a groove structure is provided at the position corresponding to the sealing hole.

[0011] Preferably, the inner wall of the receiving cavity is integrally formed with reinforcing ribs protruding into the cavity.

[0012] Preferably, the sealing end cap has a sealing mating part extending into the receiving cavity of the cabin, the outer peripheral surface of the sealing mating part forming a surface contact seal with the inner wall surface of the receiving cavity; at least one annular sealing groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sealing mating part, and an elastic sealing ring is embedded in the annular sealing groove.

[0013] Preferably, the sealing end cap has a mounting hole at its center for the communication cable to pass through in a sealed manner, and an annular boss protruding into the receiving cavity is provided around the mounting hole; the sealing end cap also has a through airtightness test hole.

[0014] Preferably, the flow-guiding transition cone is composed of multiple separate parts and fasteners, and the multiple separate parts are fastened to the outer periphery of the communication power supply cable by fastener clamps.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By directly integrating the vector hydrophone and the scalar hydrophone onto the top of the test chamber, and utilizing the structural features such as protrusions and grooves on the inside and outside of the chamber top, the axial dimension and overall weight of the test chamber are reduced while ensuring pressure resistance and sealing performance. This lowers the buoyancy balance requirements of the mounting platform and improves the microgravity characteristics of the system. Furthermore, the open structure combining a bracket and a sound-permeable cover suspends the vector hydrophone and the scalar hydrophone in the same sound-permeable space, effectively ensuring the fidelity of the acoustic signals received by each hydrophone. This design solves the problem of interference to the sound field caused by traditional enclosed installation structures, while the sound-permeable cover provides reliable physical protection for the internal hydrophones. The test chamber adopts a modular design, with circuit boards installed in layers and zones through grooves on the circuit board support rods and conformal heat-conducting plates. This not only improves the utilization of internal space and simplifies assembly and maintenance procedures, but also efficiently conducts the heat generated by the circuit boards, which generate a lot of heat, to the external water body through the close contact between the heat-conducting plates and the chamber walls. The excellent heat dissipation performance ensures the working stability and lifespan of electronic components under high-power conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a front view of the test chamber of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the test chamber of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cabin structure of the present invention, wherein 3(a) is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the cabin, and 3(b) is a schematic diagram of the top structure of the cabin; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing end cap structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the protective frame structure of the present invention, wherein 5(a) is a schematic diagram of the sound-permeable cover and the lifting eye screw structure, and 5(b) is a schematic diagram of the bracket and the sensor assembly installation structure; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the internal modules of the present invention installed inside the cabin. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the flow guide transition cone mounting structure of the present invention; Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board support rod structure of the present invention.

[0017] In the diagram: 1. Cabin; 11. First boss; 12. Second boss; 13. Reinforcing rib; 14. First groove; 15. Second groove. 2. Sealed end cap, 21. Inner boss, 22. Air tightness test hole, 23. Cover opening groove, 24. Sealing groove, 25. Mounting hole; 3 Protective frame, 31 Soundproof cover, 32 Lifting eye screw, 33 Bracket, 34 Vector hydrophone, 35 Scalar hydrophone, 331 Suspension boss, 332 Lifting lug, 341 Vector hydrophone elastic band, 351 Scalar hydrophone elastic band; 4. Guide transition cone, 41. Half cone, 411. Stepped countersunk hole; 5 Internal module, 51 Heat conduction plate, 52 First circuit board, 53 Mounting base, 54 Circuit board support rod, 55 Second circuit board; 6 Communication power supply cable. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand how to practice the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with its preferred embodiments, these embodiments are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0019] See Figure 1-8 In one embodiment of the present invention, a small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber includes: a chamber body 1, a sealed end cap 2, a protective frame 3, an internal module 5, a flow guiding transition cone 4, a communication power supply cable 6, and a sensor assembly. The chamber body 1 is a top-closed cylindrical structure. The sealed end cap 2 is sealed at the bottom of the chamber body 1. The internal module 5 is located inside the chamber body 1. The sensor assembly is located on the top outside of the chamber body 1 through the protective frame 3 and is electrically connected to the internal module 5. The communication power supply cable 6 extends through the flow guiding transition cone 4 and through the sealed end cap 2 into the chamber body 1 and is electrically connected to the internal module 5.

[0020] The chamber 1 is the pressure-bearing main body and mounting base of the entire device. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the interior of the cabin 1 has a cylindrical cavity, the bottom of which is completely open and the top is closed by an integrally formed base. In this embodiment, the outer surface of the top of the cabin 1 is designed as a large arc surface that bulges upward. This large arc surface configuration can effectively distribute the external water pressure load, reducing the weight of the cabin while meeting the pressure resistance requirements of the design.

[0021] The top wall of the accommodating cavity of the chamber 1 is integrally formed with a downwardly protruding first boss 11 and a second boss 12. The height and cross-sectional area of ​​the first boss 11 and the second boss 12 are different. A through-hole with a high degree of smoothness is formed along the axial direction of the chamber 1 at the middle of the first boss 11 and the middle of the second boss 12, for the passage of the hydrophone cable. The hydrophone cable is provided with a radial sealing fit with the inner wall surface of the sealing hole. Furthermore, the top wall of the accommodating cavity of the chamber 1 is integrally formed with a downwardly protruding reinforcing rib 13, which has a C-shaped structure. The second boss 12 is located at the axial center on the inner side of the chamber 1, inside the first boss 11 and the reinforcing rib 13. 14 First groove, 15 Second groove The top outer surface of the chamber 1 is further provided with a groove structure. Specifically, a second groove 15 is provided at the center of the top of the chamber, and a first groove 14 is provided around the second groove 15. The sealing hole of the second boss 12 is opened at the bottom of the second groove 15, and the sealing hole of the first boss 11 is opened at the bottom of the first groove 14. The arrangement of these grooves not only provides space for fasteners such as mounting nuts and washers for the hydrophone, but also acts like a reinforcing rib, enhancing the local rigidity of the chamber bottom and the overall pressure resistance.

[0022] The sealing end cap 2 is used to seal the bottom opening of the chamber 1, creating an internal atmospheric pressure environment. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the sealing end cap 2 consists of a cover plate and a sealing tube. The sealing tube is coaxially fixed to the upper end of the cover plate, and the outer diameter of the sealing tube is smaller than the outer diameter of the cover plate. A mounting hole 25 is provided at the center of the upper end of the cover plate. The mounting hole 25 allows the communication cable 6 to pass through in a sealed manner. Reliable watertight isolation can be achieved in the mounting hole 25 by potting or by using a watertight connector. An upwardly protruding annular inner boss 21 is provided around the mounting hole 25. The inner boss 21 is located inside the sealing tube and is used to increase the strength of the sealing end cap 2 and the effective depth of the fixing thread of the sealing end cap 2. After assembly, the sealing end cap 2 is placed over the bottom opening of the cabin 1. The cap is fastened to the lower end of the cabin 1 with screws. The sealing tube extends into the cabin 1, and the outer circumferential surface of the sealing tube forms a surface contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cabin 1. Preferably, multiple annular sealing grooves 24 can be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the sealing tube. The multiple annular sealing grooves 24 are arranged in an array along the axial direction of the sealing tube. At the same time, O-rings are embedded in the sealing grooves 24 to form a radial seal with the inner wall of the cabin 1.

[0023] In this embodiment, two lifting grooves 23 are symmetrically arranged on the upper surface of the cover plate at the edge of the cover plate, which is located outside the sealing tube. When it is necessary to disassemble the end cover for internal maintenance, a pry bar can be inserted into the lifting groove 23 and applied upward force to easily separate the end cover. For larger diameter specifications, as an equivalent replacement, multiple lifting threaded holes can also be opened on the edge end face of the end cover for installing lifting screws to open it.

[0024] In this embodiment, the cover plate is also provided with a through airtightness test hole 22. The airtightness test hole 22 is located between the sealing tube and the inner boss 21. The hole is normally sealed with a screw plug. After the entire cabin is integrated, an airtightness tester can be connected to the cabin to inflate it with air to conduct an airtightness test to verify the reliability of the seal.

[0025] The protective frame 3 includes a sound-transparent cover 31, a lifting eye screw 32 located on the outer side of the top of the sound-transparent cover 31, and a bracket 33 fixed inside the sound-transparent cover 31. The sound-transparent cover 31 and the bracket 33 together constitute the protection and sound-transparent interface for the sensor assembly suspended outside the cabin 1.

[0026] like Figure 5 As shown, the acoustic shield 31 is preferably made of high-strength non-metallic composite material, such as glass fiber reinforced polyurethane, and its overall structure is a hollow cylindrical structure with a conical top and cylindrical sidewalls. Numerous circular through-holes are arranged in a certain pattern on both the conical top surface and the cylindrical sidewalls of the acoustic shield 31 as acoustic holes. The total area, diameter, and distribution of the acoustic holes can be optimized according to the operating frequency to ensure that external underwater acoustic signals can pass through with low attenuation and be received by the internal sensor components. The bottom of the acoustic shield 31 is open, and its inner wall can be directly attached to the bracket 33 and fastened by radially arranged screws. A threaded hole is provided at the center of the top of the acoustic shield 31 for installing a lifting eye screw 32. A rope is attached to the upper end of the lifting eye screw 32, and the rope is connected to a floating material with positive buoyancy. During deep-sea deployment, the buoyancy generated by the floating material is transmitted to the entire test chamber through the lifting eye screw 32 and the acoustic shield 31, which helps maintain the stability of the test chamber underwater and facilitates recovery.

[0027] The bracket 33 mainly consists of an upper ring, a lower ring, and four metal cylinders connecting the two. After assembly, the lower ring is fixed to the top of the cabin 1 with bolts. The lower inner side of the bracket 33 is provided with two suspension bosses 331. The two suspension bosses 331 can be welded to two adjacent metal cylinders, and the two suspension bosses 331 are located at the same height. In addition, the upper inner side of the bracket 33 is also provided with multiple lifting lugs 332.

[0028] The sensor assembly includes a vector hydrophone 34, a scalar hydrophone 35, a plurality of vector hydrophone rubber bands 341 and a plurality of scalar hydrophone rubber bands 351.

[0029] The vector hydrophone 34 is suspended and fixed to the upper inner side of the bracket 33 by the cooperation of the vector hydrophone elastic band 341 and the lug 332; while the scalar hydrophone 35 is suspended and fixed to the lower inner side of the bracket 33 by the cooperation of the scalar hydrophone elastic band 351 and the suspension boss 331. This flexible suspension method of the vector hydrophone 34 and the scalar hydrophone 35 can effectively isolate the interference of structural vibration noise from the protective frame 3 to the hydrophone. The cables of all hydrophones are routed along the inside of the frame and enter the interior of the test chamber 1 through the sealed hole at the top of the chamber 1.

[0030] The flow-guiding transition cone 4 is mounted on the communication power cable 6 below the sealed end cover 2. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the flow-guiding transition cone 4 is formed by the mating of two perfectly symmetrical semi-cones 41, with a streamlined outer profile. Each semi-cone 41 has two stepped countersunk holes 411 machined on it. After mating, four countersunk screws are passed through the stepped countersunk holes 411 and tightened, thus firmly clamping the two semi-cones 41 to a specific position on the communication cable 6. The function of the flow-guiding transition cone 4 is to reduce the fluid resistance generated when water flows through the sealing end cap 2 and the cable connection point, suppress vortex-induced vibration, and protect the safety of the cable connection.

[0031] like Figure 6 As shown, the internal module 5 is installed inside the cabin 1 and mainly includes a heat-conducting plate 51, a first circuit board 52, a mounting base 53, and a second circuit board 55, with multiple components on the second circuit board 55.

[0032] The heat-conducting plate 51 is an arc-shaped plate made of a metal material with excellent thermal conductivity. The radius of curvature of its outer arc surface is consistent with the radius of curvature of the inner wall of the test chamber 1, thereby achieving conformal fitting. The heat-conducting plate 51 is fixed to the inner top wall of the chamber by bolts. During installation, thermal grease can be applied between the mating surfaces to reduce contact thermal resistance. The circuit board with a large heat generation, namely the first circuit board 52, such as the power amplifier board or the main processor board, is directly installed on the inner plane of the heat-conducting plate 51 by screws. The heat generated by the first circuit board 52 during operation passes through the heat-conducting plate 51 and the inner wall of the chamber 1 through an extremely short conduction path, and is finally carried away by the external flowing water, forming an efficient passive heat dissipation channel.

[0033] The mounting base 53 is a metal plate, which is fixed to the inner top wall of the cabin and the inner side of the heat-conducting plate 51 by screws. During installation, it is necessary to ensure that the fixed position of the mounting base 53 completely avoids the position of the sealing hole opened on the top wall of the cabin, so as to avoid interfering with the access of the hydrophone cable.

[0034] Three or more circuit board support rods 54 are fixed along the axial direction of the cabin 1 on the mounting base 53; for example Figure 8As shown, each circuit board support rod 54 is a slender strip-shaped metal piece. On its inward-facing surface, multiple horizontal grooves are machined at equal intervals along the height direction. Circuit boards with lower heat generation, i.e., the second circuit boards 55, such as signal preprocessing boards or communication interface boards, are directly inserted horizontally into these grooves, achieving multi-layer stacking and fixation. This modular frame design results in a compact and hierarchical layout of the internal circuit boards. Installation and removal only require pushing or pulling along the grooves, improving assembly efficiency and maintainability. Electrical connections between all circuit boards are achieved through flexible ribbon cables or connectors, with the wiring arranged neatly and orderly along the sides of the circuit board support rod 54.

[0035] This technical solution integrates vector and scalar hydrophones directly onto the top of the test chamber. Utilizing the protrusions and grooves on the inner and outer sides of the chamber top, it reduces the axial dimensions and overall weight of the test chamber while ensuring pressure resistance and sealing performance. This lowers the buoyancy balance requirements of the mounting platform and improves the system's microgravity characteristics. The open structure combining a bracket and a sound-permeable enclosure suspends the vector and scalar hydrophones within the same sound-permeable space, effectively ensuring the fidelity of the acoustic signals received by each hydrophone and solving the problem of sound field interference caused by traditional enclosed installation structures. Simultaneously, the sound-permeable enclosure provides reliable physical protection for the internal hydrophones. The test chamber's interior employs a modular design. Circuit boards are installed in layers and zones via grooves on the circuit board support rods and conformal heat-conducting plates. This not only improves the utilization of internal space and simplifies assembly and maintenance procedures but also efficiently dissipates heat generated by the circuit boards through the close contact between the heat-conducting plates and the chamber walls to the external water body. This excellent heat dissipation performance ensures the stability and lifespan of electronic components under high-power conditions.

[0036] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A small-sized, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber, characterized in that, include: The cabin (1) has an internal cavity for receiving and containing. A sealing end cap (2) is sealed to one side opening of the cabin (1); The protective frame (3) is fixedly installed on the side of the cabin (1) away from the sealing end cap (2); The sensor assembly includes at least a vector hydrophone (34) and a scalar hydrophone (35), the sensor assembly being suspended inside the protective frame (3); The internal module (5) is integrated into the receiving cavity of the cabin (1); A communication power cable (6) is provided, one end of which is electrically connected to the internal module (5), and the other end extends outward through the sealed end cap (2) in a sealed manner; The flow guide transition cone (4) is fixedly clamped to the communication power supply cable (6) on the outside of the sealing end cover (2); The protective frame (3) has a hollow structure. The wall of the cabin (1) near the protective frame (3) has at least one first sealing hole and at least one second sealing hole. The cables of the sensor assembly are respectively sealed and passed through the corresponding sealing holes to connect with the internal module (5) circuit.

2. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective frame (3) includes a sound-permeable cover (31) and a support (33). The support (33) is composed of multiple ring-shaped members and multiple longitudinal beams connected between the ring-shaped members. The sound-permeable cover (31) is fixed to the periphery of the support (33), and multiple sound-permeable holes are provided on its wall surface. The top of the sound-permeable cover (31) is provided with a lifting eye screw (32) for connecting the floating material.

3. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sensor assembly also includes several elastic elements; the vector hydrophone (34) and the scalar hydrophone (35) are suspended in the internal space of the bracket (33) by the elastic elements.

4. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The internal module (5) includes a heat-conducting plate (51), a first circuit board (52), a plurality of second circuit boards (55) and a support frame; the first circuit board (52) is attached to the inner wall of the cabin (1) through the heat-conducting plate (51); the plurality of second circuit boards (55) are integrated into the cavity through the support frame and are spaced apart from each other.

5. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The accommodating cavity of the cabin (1) is provided with a first boss (11) and a second boss (12) protruding into the cavity at the positions corresponding to the first sealing hole and the second sealing hole, and the first sealing hole and the second sealing hole respectively penetrate the corresponding boss along the axial direction; on the outer surface of the cabin (1) on the side where the sealing hole is opened, a groove structure is provided at the position corresponding to the sealing hole.

6. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the cavity is integrally formed with reinforcing ribs (13) protruding into the cavity.

7. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing end cap (2) has a sealing mating part extending into the receiving cavity of the cabin (1), and the outer peripheral surface of the sealing mating part forms a surface contact seal with the inner wall surface of the receiving cavity; at least one annular sealing groove (24) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the sealing mating part, and an elastic sealing ring is embedded in the annular sealing groove (24).

8. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sealing end cap (2) has a mounting hole (25) at its center for the communication power cable (6) to pass through in a sealed manner, and an annular boss (21) protruding into the receiving cavity is provided around the mounting hole (25); the sealing end cap (2) also has a through airtightness test hole (22).

9. The small-size, highly integrated vector hydrophone test chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow guide transition cone (4) is composed of multiple separate parts and fasteners, and the multiple separate parts are fastened to the outer periphery of the communication power cable (6) by fasteners.

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