A deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function

Abstract

This application relates to the field of geophysical exploration technology, and particularly to a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, comprising: a shell, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the shell includes a front and a back side; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate and a coil; the transmitter plate is embedded in the front side of the shell, the coil is embedded inside the shell, and the coil is fitted to the transmitter plate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows embedded in the back side of the shell; one end of the bellows is embedded inside the shell and directly communicates with the back cavity of the transmitter plate through a channel inside the shell, the other end of the bellows is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the shell, and the end of the bellows extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater. This application provides a deep-sea transducer that uses a metal bellows instead of a rubber diaphragm and a small amount of high-performance insulating oil as the pressure transmission medium, achieving highly reliable automatic pressure compensation at all ocean depths, completely eliminating the risk of leakage, and significantly reducing temperature sensitivity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of geophysical exploration technology, and in particular to a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function. Background Technology

[0002] An electromagnetic pulse transducer generates a transient magnetic field by passing a pulsed current through a planar helical coil. This induces eddy currents in a metal transmitting plate, and the interaction between the two produces a Lorentz force that drives the transmitting plate to bend and vibrate, radiating broadband acoustic pulses into the water. This structure performs well in shallow waters, but the enormous hydrostatic pressure in deep waters suppresses the amplitude of the transmitting plate's vibration.

[0003] Existing electromagnetic pulse transducers use an oil-filled type with a flexible rubber diaphragm / bladder compensator, such as the Applied Acoustics AA301 boomer, and transducers with a back cavity filled with transformer oil or silicone oil. The external seawater pressure is transmitted to the internal oil through the rubber diaphragm to achieve pressure balance on both sides of the transmitter plate.

[0004] However, the existing technology has the following main drawbacks: (1) The rubber membrane is prone to aging, fatigue, damage or destruction by marine organisms under long-term cyclic load, resulting in seawater intrusion, coil short circuit, and high maintenance costs; (2) Dramatic temperature changes (higher temperature at sea surface - lower temperature at deep sea) cause oil to shrink, the rubber membrane compensation is delayed or insufficient, resulting in transient pressure difference; (3) The compensation response is delayed during rapid diving, and vibration suppression still occurs in the short term.

[0005] Therefore, this application provides a deep-sea transducer that uses a metal bellows instead of a rubber diaphragm and a small amount of high-performance insulating oil as the pressure transmission medium, to achieve high-reliability automatic pressure compensation at all ocean depths, completely eliminate leakage risks, and significantly reduce temperature sensitivity. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function to solve the problems of vibration suppression, sound source level reduction and low-frequency response deterioration caused by the imbalance of hydrostatic pressure on both sides of the transmitter plate in the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, which is a problem of traditional electromagnetic pulse sound source.

[0007] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, comprising: a housing, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the housing includes a front and a back side facing each other; the electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back sides of the housing, respectively; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate and a coil; the transmitter plate is embedded in the front side of the housing, the coil is embedded inside the housing, and the coil is attached to the transmitter plate; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate to bend and vibrate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows embedded in the back side of the housing; one end of the bellows is embedded inside the housing and directly communicates with the back cavity of the transmitter plate through a channel inside the housing, the other end of the bellows is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the housing, and the end of the bellows extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater.

[0008] In some exemplary embodiments, the transmitter is a metal transmitter; the metal transmitter is made of aluminum alloy or copper alloy.

[0009] In some exemplary embodiments, the coil is a planar helical coil.

[0010] In some exemplary embodiments, the housing is made of a high-strength, corrosion-resistant material.

[0011] In some exemplary embodiments, the housing is made of titanium alloy.

[0012] In some exemplary embodiments, the bellows is made of titanium alloy or 316L stainless steel.

[0013] In some exemplary embodiments, the back cavity of the housing and the bellows are filled with a pressure-transmitting medium.

[0014] In some exemplary embodiments, the pressure transmission medium is perfluoropolyether oil or an oil-gas mixture.

[0015] In some exemplary embodiments, the oil-gas mixture is formed by an emulsion or foam mixture of perfluoropolyether oil and a small amount of inert gas.

[0016] In some exemplary embodiments, the inert gas is nitrogen or helium.

[0017] The technical solution provided in this application has at least the following advantages: This application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, including: a housing, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the housing includes a front and a back side facing each other; the electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back sides of the housing, respectively; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate and a coil; the transmitter plate is embedded in the front side of the housing, the coil is embedded inside the housing, and the coil is attached to the transmitter plate; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate to bend and vibrate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows embedded in the back side of the housing; one end of the bellows is embedded inside the housing and is directly connected to the back cavity of the transmitter plate through a channel inside the housing, the other end of the bellows is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the housing, and the end of the bellows extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater.

[0018] This application addresses the problems of suppressed vibration, reduced sound source level, and deteriorated low-frequency response caused by the imbalance of hydrostatic pressure on both sides of the transmitter plate in the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, which is a problem with traditional electromagnetic pulse sound sources. When the water depth exceeds a certain depth, the external high pressure presses the transmitter plate tightly against the internal support structure, severely restricting its bending vibration mode and causing a significant attenuation of the acoustic pulse output energy, affecting the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of marine geological exploration data. This application uses a metal bellows compensator as the core actuator. One end of the bellows is directly exposed to seawater, while the other end is connected to the back cavity of the transmitter plate through an internal flow channel. The back cavity is filled with a small amount of low-compressibility, high-insulation perfluoropolyether oil (PFPE) or fluorinated oil as the pressure transmission medium. When the external hydrostatic pressure increases, the seawater compresses the bellows, and the axial deformation of the bellows transmits the pressure to the oil in the back cavity in real time and with high precision, ultimately acting on the back of the transmitter plate to achieve automatic pressure balancing on both sides. Attached Figure Description

[0019] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a view of the launch plate provided in one embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 3 A rear view provided for an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] As can be seen from the background technology, the existing technology has the following main disadvantages: (1) The rubber membrane is prone to aging, fatigue, damage or destruction by marine organisms under long-term cyclic load, resulting in seawater intrusion, coil short circuit, and high maintenance costs; (2) Dramatic temperature changes (higher temperature at sea surface - lower temperature at deep sea) cause oil to shrink, the rubber membrane compensation is delayed or insufficient, resulting in transient pressure difference; (3) The compensation response is delayed during rapid diving, and vibration suppression still occurs in the short term.

[0024] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation, comprising: a housing, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the housing includes a front and a back side facing each other; the electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back sides of the housing, respectively; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate and a coil; the transmitter plate is embedded in the front side of the housing, the coil is embedded inside the housing, and the coil is attached to the transmitter plate; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate to bend and vibrate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows embedded in the back side of the housing; one end of the bellows is embedded inside the housing and directly communicates with the back cavity of the transmitter plate through a channel inside the housing, the other end of the bellows is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the housing, and the end of the bellows extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater. This application provides a deep-sea transducer that uses a metal bellows instead of a rubber diaphragm and a small amount of high-performance insulating oil as the pressure transmission medium, achieving highly reliable automatic pressure compensation at all ocean depths, completely eliminating leakage risks, and significantly reducing temperature sensitivity.

[0025] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details have been provided in the embodiments of this application to facilitate a better understanding of the application. However, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented even without these technical details and various variations and modifications based on the following embodiments.

[0026] See Figure 1 This application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, including: a shell, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the shell includes a front and a back side; the electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back sides of the shell, respectively; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate 1 and a coil 2; the transmitter plate 1 is embedded in the front side of the shell, the coil 2 is embedded inside the shell, and the coil 2 is attached to the transmitter plate 1; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil 2, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate 1 to bend and vibrate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows 4 embedded in the back side of the shell; one end of the bellows 4 is embedded inside the shell and directly communicates with the back cavity of the transmitter plate 1 through a channel 3 inside the shell, the other end of the bellows 4 is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the shell, and the end of the bellows 4 extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater.

[0027] This application aims to address the problems of suppressed vibration, reduced sound source level, and deteriorated low-frequency response caused by the imbalance of hydrostatic pressure on both sides of the transmitter plate 1 in the high-pressure environment of the deep sea, which are problems of traditional electromagnetic pulse sound sources. When the water depth exceeds a certain depth, the external high pressure presses the transmitter plate 1 tightly against the internal support structure, which severely restricts its bending vibration mode, resulting in a significant attenuation of the acoustic pulse output energy and affecting the signal-to-noise ratio and resolution of marine geological exploration data.

[0028] This application uses a bellows 4 as the core actuator. One end of the bellows 4 is directly exposed to seawater, while the other end is connected to the back cavity of the launcher plate 1 through an internal flow channel. The back cavity is filled with a small amount of low compressibility, high insulation perfluoropolyether oil (PFPE) or fluorinated oil as the pressure transmission medium. When the external hydrostatic pressure increases, the seawater compresses the bellows 4, and the axial deformation of the bellows 4 transmits the pressure to the oil in the back cavity in real time and with high precision, ultimately acting on the back of the launcher plate 1 to achieve automatic pressure balance on both sides.

[0029] Please continue reading. Figure 1 The technical solution of this application is implemented through the following specific embodiments: The core structure of this application includes an electromagnetic drive unit, a housing, and a pressure compensation unit. Specifically, the electromagnetic drive unit consists of a transmitter plate 1 and a coil 2. The transmitter plate 1 is a metal transmitter plate (preferably aluminum alloy or copper alloy, with appropriate thickness and diameter), and the coil 2 is a planar helical coil. When a pulse of peak current is applied to the coil 2, a transient magnetic field is generated, driving the transmitter plate 1 to bend and vibrate.

[0030] The shell is a sealed shell made of high-strength corrosion-resistant materials (such as titanium alloy). The sealed space of the back cavity is designed to withstand pressure levels higher than a certain depth (leaving a margin for full ocean depth applications).

[0031] The core of the pressure compensation unit is a metal bellows compensator; the bellows 4 is made of titanium alloy or 316L stainless steel, with appropriate wall thickness, nominal diameter, and effective axial stroke, achieving extremely low pressure differential across the entire ocean depth. One end of the bellows 4 is fixed to the opening at the tail of the shell through a flange and seals and is directly exposed to seawater; the other end is a closed free end, which is directly connected to the back cavity of the launch plate 1 through the channel 3 inside the shell.

[0032] It should be noted that, in order to further reduce weight, the material of the bellows 4 can also be carbon fiber reinforced titanium matrix composite.

[0033] Pressure transmission medium: The back cavity and the inside of the bellows 4 are filled with a small amount of perfluoropolyether oil (PFPE, perfluoropolyether oil), which has a lower volume compression ratio than conventional oil, an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, and excellent insulation performance.

[0034] It should be noted that the pressure transmission medium is changed to an oil-gas mixture, consisting of an emulsion or bubble mixture of PFPE oil (perfluoropolyether oil) and a small amount of inert gas such as nitrogen or helium. This solution provides additional transient buffering capacity through gas microbubbles, making it suitable for pressure compensation in shallow seas or rapidly changing temperature environments. Specifically, a uniform oil-gas mixture is pre-formed within the back cavity through ultrasonic emulsification or high-pressure injection. When the bellows deforms, gas compression absorbs the peak pressure difference, achieving overall balance in conjunction with the low compressibility of the PFPE oil. Advantages: Enhanced thermal compensation (high gas heat capacity alleviates oil contraction caused by temperature differences). Disadvantages: Gas dissolution / precipitation under high pressure can easily lead to phase separation and pressure differential amplification, making it unsuitable for full-ocean-depth operations. An emulsifier needs to be added to maintain stability, and the gas ratio needs to be optimized through finite element simulation to avoid vibration interference.

[0035] In addition, high-end fluorinated oil or low-viscosity silicone oil can be used as the pressure transmission oil.

[0036] To further improve the response speed, a small auxiliary piston can be added in series with the bellows 4. Specifically, the small auxiliary piston is installed between the bellows 4 and the channel 3 inside the housing. When the bellows 4 deforms, it directly pushes the piston, which then compresses the oil in the back cavity, thereby improving the transient response speed of pressure transmission.

[0037] The bellows 4 in this application can be a double bellows, and its redundant structure is beneficial to improving reliability.

[0038] The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation provided in this application can be used at all ocean depths; it can also be applied to equipment that requires pressure balance, such as deep-sea hydraulic actuators, underwater robot battery compartments, and seabed observation network junction boxes.

[0039] The working mechanism of the deep-sea transducer provided in this application is as follows: As the transducer submerges and the external hydrostatic pressure increases, the seawater acts directly on the exposed end of the bellows 4, causing it to compress and deform. This deformation instantly reduces the volume of the back cavity, thereby increasing the pressure within the back cavity by an equal amount. This pressure is directly transmitted to the back of the launch plate 1. Because the oil is almost incompressible, the required stroke of the bellows 4 is extremely small, and its deformation energy always maintains a dynamic balance between the pressure in the back cavity and the external water pressure, ensuring that the pressure difference across the launch plate 1 is controlled at an extremely low level.

[0040] The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function provided in this application operates as follows: As the deep-sea transducer descends, the bellows 4 automatically compresses, and the pressure on both sides of the transmitter plate 1 is balanced in real time.

[0041] When coil 2 is energized, it generates magnetic induction, which causes the transmitting plate 1 to bend and vibrate.

[0042] The deep-sea transducer rises to the surface, and the bellows 4 automatically expands and recovers, thereby achieving system reset.

[0043] The deep-sea transducer designed in this application has the ability to automatically compensate without human intervention throughout the entire operation cycle.

[0044] Figure 2 A front view of the launcher is shown, from Figure 2 As can be seen, the transmitter plate 1 is located on the front of the housing, and the planar spiral coil 2 is embedded inside the housing.

[0045] Figure 3 A rear view of the housing is shown. Figure 3 The bellows is shown to be installed at the rear of the housing.

[0046] Compared with the existing oil-filled + rubber diaphragm solution, this application uses a metal bellows compensator, which avoids the risk of leakage caused by rubber aging and improves system life; the mechanical deformation of the bellows is less sensitive to temperature, and the pressure fluctuation in the deep-sea temperature difference environment is far better than that of the rubber diaphragm; the volume is reduced and the weight is lighter, which is convenient for towing operations; the response time is short, and the rapid descent is without transient suppression; the cost is reduced (no need to replace the rubber diaphragm frequently), which is suitable for large-scale marine exploration.

[0047] Based on the above technical solutions, this application provides a deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, including: a shell, an electromagnetic drive unit, and a pressure compensation unit; the shell includes a front and a back side; the electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back sides of the shell, respectively; the electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate 1 and a coil 2; the transmitter plate 1 is embedded in the front side of the shell, the coil 2 is embedded inside the shell, and the coil 2 is attached to the transmitter plate 1; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil 2, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate 1 to bend and vibrate; the pressure compensation unit includes a bellows 4 embedded in the back side of the shell; one end of the bellows 4 is embedded inside the shell and directly communicates with the back cavity of the transmitter plate 1 through a channel 3 inside the shell, the other end of the bellows 4 is fixedly connected to an opening on the back side of the shell, and the end of the bellows 4 extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater.

[0048] This application uses a metal bellows compensator as the core actuator. One end of the bellows 4 is directly exposed to seawater, while the other end is connected to the back cavity of the launch plate 1 through an internal flow channel. The back cavity is filled with a small amount of low compressibility, high insulation perfluoropolyether oil (PFPE) or fluorinated oil as the pressure transmission medium. When the external hydrostatic pressure increases, the seawater compresses the bellows 4, and the axial deformation of the bellows 4 transmits the pressure to the oil in the back cavity in real time and with high precision, ultimately acting on the back of the launch plate 1 to achieve automatic pressure balance on both sides.

[0049] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described embodiments are specific examples of implementing this application, and in practical applications, various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Any person skilled in the art can make their own modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of this application; therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function, characterized in that, include: Housing, electromagnetic drive unit, and pressure compensation unit; The housing includes a front and a back facing each other; The electromagnetic drive unit and the pressure compensation unit are located on the front and back of the housing, respectively. The electromagnetic drive unit includes a transmitter plate and a coil; the transmitter plate is embedded in the front of the housing, the coil is embedded inside the housing, and the coil is attached to the transmitter plate; when a peak current pulse is applied to the coil, a transient magnetic field is generated to drive the transmitter plate to bend and vibrate. The pressure compensation unit includes a bellows embedded in the back of the housing; one end of the bellows is embedded inside the housing and directly communicates with the back cavity of the launch plate through a channel inside the housing, the other end of the bellows is fixedly connected to an opening on the back of the housing, and the end of the bellows extending out of the opening is directly exposed to seawater.

2. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emitting plate is a metal emitting plate; The metal transmitter plate is made of aluminum alloy or copper alloy.

3. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coil is a planar helical coil.

4. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell is made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant material.

5. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 4, characterized in that, The shell is made of titanium alloy.

6. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bellows is made of titanium alloy or 316L stainless steel.

7. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The back cavity and bellows of the housing are filled with a pressure-transmitting medium.

8. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pressure transmission medium is perfluoropolyether oil or an oil-gas mixture.

9. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 8, characterized in that, The oil-gas mixture is composed of an emulsion or foam mixture of perfluoropolyether oil and a small amount of inert gas.

10. The deep-sea transducer with automatic pressure compensation function according to claim 9, characterized in that, The inert gas is nitrogen or helium.

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