A two-pronged lunar sample collection device

Abstract

The application provides a two-claw lunar sample collection device, and belongs to the technical field of lunar sample collection. The two-claw lunar sample collection device comprises a sampling assembly, a vibration and dust removal assembly, an opening and closing assembly and a rotating assembly. The sampling assembly comprises a sampling claw, a connecting rod structure and a support seat. The sampling claw is used for collecting samples and comprises two sampling buckets. The vibration and dust removal assembly is used for vibrating and shaking off lunar dust on the surface of the samples. The opening and closing assembly drives the two sampling buckets to open or close through the connecting rod structure. The rotating assembly drives the sampling claw to rotate through the support seat. The device can realize rock block picking, lunar soil sampling, profile preparation and vibration and dust removal. In addition, the device has strong adaptability to extreme environments and can withstand high vacuum, high and low temperature alternating working conditions on the lunar surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of lunar sample collection technology, and in particular relates to a two-claw lunar sample collection device. Background Technology

[0002] Lunar rocks and regolith on the Moon's surface carry crucial scientific information about the evolution of the solar system, the evolution of the lunar magma ocean, and impact history, making them a core research object for deep space exploration. my country's lunar exploration mission plans to carry an in-situ lunar surface sample analysis laboratory. Its core objective is to conduct a detailed survey of lunar surface resources, achieving in-situ collection, processing, analysis, and storage of lunar rocks and regolith. This will allow for the acquisition of data on sample mineral composition and chemical composition to determine geological age, and the selection of valuable samples for future return missions. This mission places stringent requirements on the sampling device: it must be adaptable to the extreme environment of the Moon—high vacuum, low gravity, alternating high and low temperatures, and long-term survival during the lunar night—simultaneously achieving the collection of lunar rocks of specific sizes, the preparation of shallow lunar regolith profiles, and micro-quantitative lunar regolith sampling, while also meeting the constraints of lightweight, low-power consumption, and high reliability. Existing deep space exploration sampling technologies are mostly designed for other celestial environments, exhibiting problems such as low functional integration, insufficient adaptability to the extreme lunar environment, and inadequate quantitative sampling accuracy and clamping stability, making them difficult to meet mission requirements. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a dedicated lunar sample collection device to fill the technological gap and ensure the efficient progress of exploration missions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a two-claw lunar sample collection device that can adapt to the extreme environment of the moon, which is characterized by high vacuum, low gravity, and alternating high and low temperatures. It integrates functions such as adaptive lunar rock collection, shallow lunar soil profile preparation, micro-quantitative sampling of lunar soil, vibration dust removal, and sample transportation.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A two-claw lunar sample collection device, comprising: The sampling assembly includes a sampling claw, a connecting rod structure, and a support base. The sampling claw is used to collect samples and includes two sampling hoppers. The vibration dust removal assembly is used to vibrate and shake off the dust from the sample surface; The opening and closing assembly, through a linkage structure, drives the two sampling buckets to open or close. The rotary assembly drives the sampling claw to rotate via a support base.

[0005] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the outer wall of the sampling bucket is provided with sampling holes.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the opening and closing assembly includes an opening and closing motor, a first transmission structure, a lead screw, a first sleeve, a second sleeve, and a splined wheel. The connecting rod structure includes two first connecting rods and two second connecting rods. The opening and closing motor drives the first sleeve to rotate through the first transmission structure. One end of the lead screw is screwed into the first sleeve, and the other end passes through the second sleeve. One end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the sampling bucket, and the other end is hinged to the support base. One end of the second connecting rod is hinged to the second sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the first connecting rod. The lead screw slides through the splined wheel, and the splined wheel is used to limit the rotation of the lead screw.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the first transmission structure includes a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear. The first bevel gear is connected to an opening and closing motor, the first bevel gear meshes with the second bevel gear, and the second bevel gear is connected to a first sleeve.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, a linear bearing is provided between the lead screw and the support base.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, a double-layer polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve is provided between the lead screw and the second sleeve.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the rotary assembly includes a rotary motor, a second transmission structure, and a rotary hollow rod. The rotary motor drives the rotary hollow rod to rotate through the second transmission structure. The rotary hollow rod is fixedly connected to the support base, and the lead screw is located inside the rotary hollow rod.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the second transmission structure includes a third bevel gear and a fourth bevel gear. The third bevel gear is connected to a rotary motor, the third bevel gear meshes with the fourth bevel gear, and the fourth bevel gear is connected to a rotary hollow rod.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, the two-claw lunar sample collection device further includes a housing, and a first bearing is provided between the rotating hollow rod and the housing.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned two-claw lunar sample collection device, a second bearing is provided between the first sleeve and the rotating hollow rod.

[0014] Compared with existing technologies, the beneficial effects of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided by this invention are: This invention provides a two-claw lunar sample collection device. In this device, the sampling component primarily collects rock fragments and micro-quantitative lunar regolith, and temporarily stores the samples. The vibration dust removal component removes dust from the collected samples. The opening and closing component controls the opening and closing of the sampling component. The rotation component controls the rotation of the sampling component. This two-claw lunar sample collection device is highly integrated, simultaneously performing rock fragment pickup, lunar regolith sampling, profile preparation, and vibration dust removal. Furthermore, the device exhibits strong adaptability to extreme environments, tolerating high vacuum and alternating high and low temperature conditions on the lunar surface. It is lightweight and low-power, meeting the constraints of robotic arm end-effector mounting. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sampling component of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the sampling component of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the opening and closing assembly of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the opening and closing assembly of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating structure of the two-claw lunar sample collection device provided in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In the picture: 1. Sampling assembly; 101. Sampling claw; 102. First connecting rod; 103. Rivet; 104. Support base; 105. Sampling hole; 106. Second connecting rod; 107. Positioning pin; 2. Vibration dust removal assembly; 3. Opening and closing assembly; 301. Second sleeve; 302. Bolt; 303. Base plate; 304. Double-layer PTFE sleeve; 305. Linear bearing; 306. Second bearing; 307. Second bevel gear; 308. First bevel gear; 309. Opening and closing motor; 310. Lead screw; 311. First sleeve; 312. Splined wheel; 4. Rotary assembly; 401. Rotary motor; 402. Third bevel gear; 403. Fourth bevel gear; 404. First bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, and the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments.

[0018] See Figure 1-6 This invention provides a two-claw lunar sample collection device, comprising: a sampling component 1, a vibration dust removal component 2, an opening and closing component 3, and a rotation component 4. The sampling component 1 includes a sampling claw 101, a connecting rod structure, and a support base 104. The sampling claw 101 is used to collect samples and includes two sampling hoppers. The vibration dust removal component 2 is used to vibrate and shake off lunar dust from the sample surface. The opening and closing component 3 drives the two sampling hoppers to open or close via the connecting rod structure. The rotation component 4 drives the sampling claw 101 to rotate via the support base 104.

[0019] In this two-claw lunar sample collection device, the sampling component 1 is mainly used to collect lunar surface rocks, sample micro-quantities of lunar soil, and temporarily store the samples; the vibration and dust removal component 2 mainly generates vibration through a vibrator to remove lunar dust adhering to the surface of the collected samples; the opening and closing component 3 mainly controls the opening and closing of the collection component to realize the gripping action of the sampling claw 101; and the rotation component 4 is mainly used to drive the sampling component 1 to rotate synchronously.

[0020] This two-claw lunar sample collection device is highly integrated, capable of picking up lunar rocks with a range of 15-45mm; it also has the functions of preparing shallow lunar soil profiles and collecting micro-quantitative lunar soil; it can dock with a robotic arm; and it has the function of shaking and dust removal from lunar rock surfaces.

[0021] In this embodiment, a sampling hole 105 is provided on the outer wall of the sampling bucket. The sampling hole 105 is used for micro-quantitative sampling.

[0022] Specifically, the opening / closing assembly 3 includes an opening / closing motor 309, a first transmission structure, a lead screw 310, a first sleeve 311, a second sleeve 301, and a splined wheel 312. The connecting rod structure includes two first connecting rods 102 and two second connecting rods 106. The opening / closing motor 309 drives the first sleeve 311 to rotate through the first transmission structure. One end of the lead screw 310 is screwed into the first sleeve 311, and the other end passes through the second sleeve 301. One end of the first connecting rod 102 is fixedly connected to the sampling hopper, and the other end is hinged to the support base 104. One end of the second connecting rod 106 is hinged to the second sleeve 301, and the other end is hinged to the first connecting rod 102. The lead screw 310 slides through the splined wheel 312, which restricts the rotation of the lead screw 310. The second sleeve 301 can rotate relative to the lead screw 310, and when the lead screw 310 moves axially, it can drive the second sleeve 301 to move axially as well.

[0023] The working principle of the opening and closing assembly 3: The opening and closing motor 309 drives the first sleeve 311 to rotate through the first transmission structure. Since the lead screw 310 and the first sleeve 311 are screwed together, and the lead screw 310 is restricted by the spline wheel 312 so that it can only slide axially, the first sleeve 311 will drive the lead screw 310 to move axially. The lead screw 310 drives the second sleeve 301 to move axially. The second sleeve 301 drives the first connecting rod 102 to move through the second connecting rod 106. The first connecting rod 102 drives the sampling bucket to move. It can be understood that there are two sets of the combination of the first connecting rod 102 and the second connecting rod 106, and the two sets of the combination of the first connecting rod 102 and the second connecting rod 106 are respectively set to correspond to the two sampling buckets. The second sleeve 301 moves along the axial direction of the lead screw 310, which can drive the first connecting rod 102 to rotate around the hinge point between the first connecting rod 102 and the support base 104 through the second connecting rod 106. The two first connecting rods 102 drive the two sampling buckets to move away from or closer to each other, thereby realizing the opening or closing of the sampling claw 101.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first connecting rod 102, the second connecting rod 106, the second sleeve 301 and the support base 104 are hinged together by rivets 103, and friction-reducing sleeves made of polytetrafluoroethylene are provided between the rivets 103 and the first connecting rod 102, the second connecting rod 106, the second sleeve 301 and the support base 104.

[0025] In this embodiment, the opening and closing assembly 3 also includes a base plate 303, and the second sleeve 301 is connected to the base plate 303 by bolts 302. The base plate 303 and the second sleeve 301 move together.

[0026] In this embodiment, the sampling bucket is connected to the first connecting rod 102 via a positioning pin 107.

[0027] In this embodiment, the first transmission structure includes a first bevel gear 308 and a second bevel gear 307. The first bevel gear 308 is connected to an opening / closing motor 309, and the first bevel gear 308 meshes with the second bevel gear 307. The second bevel gear 307 is connected to a first sleeve 311. The opening / closing motor 309 drives the first bevel gear 308 to rotate, the first bevel gear 308 drives the second bevel gear 307 to rotate, and the second bevel gear 307 drives the first sleeve 311 to rotate.

[0028] In this embodiment, a linear bearing 305 is provided between the lead screw 310 and the support base 104. This reduces friction and ensures that the lead screw 310 moves smoothly along its axial direction.

[0029] In this embodiment, a double-layer polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve 304 is provided between the lead screw 310 and the second sleeve 301. A cylindrical support block is provided at the end of the lead screw 310, and the support block of the lead screw 310 is located inside the second sleeve 301. The double-layer polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve 304 is disposed between the support block of the lead screw 310 and the second sleeve 301.

[0030] The double-layer PTFE sleeve 304 can reduce the friction between the lead screw 310 and the second sleeve 301. The double-layer design ensures that the sleeve will not fail for a long time.

[0031] Specifically, the rotary assembly 4 includes a rotary motor 401, a second transmission structure, and a rotary hollow rod. The rotary motor 401 drives the rotary hollow rod to rotate through the second transmission structure. The rotary hollow rod is fixedly connected to the support base 104, and the lead screw 310 is located inside the rotary hollow rod.

[0032] Working principle of rotary assembly 4: Rotary motor 401 drives the rotary hollow rod to rotate through the second transmission structure. The rotary hollow rod drives the support base 104 to rotate, and the support base 104 drives the sampling claw 101 to rotate, thereby adjusting the angle of the sampling claw 101 to facilitate the gripping of the rock block to be sampled. At this time, since the second sleeve 301 can rotate relative to the lead screw 310, when the rotary assembly 4 drives the sampling assembly 1 to rotate, the lead screw 310 will not rotate, ensuring that the rotary action and the axial movement of the lead screw 310 do not interfere with each other.

[0033] In this embodiment, the second transmission structure includes a third bevel gear 402 and a fourth bevel gear 403. The third bevel gear 402 is connected to the rotary motor 401, the third bevel gear 402 meshes with the fourth bevel gear 403, and the fourth bevel gear 403 is connected to the rotary hollow rod.

[0034] In this embodiment, the two-claw lunar sample collection device also includes a housing, and a first bearing 404 is provided between the rotating hollow rod and the housing.

[0035] The spline wheel 312 in the opening and closing assembly 3 is fixedly connected to the outer shell. The end of the lead screw 310 is provided with a spline. The inner wall of the spline wheel 312 is engaged with the spline of the lead screw 310 to limit the lead screw, so that the lead screw 310 can only slide along the axial direction and cannot rotate in the circumferential direction.

[0036] Understandably, some areas of the lead screw 310 are threaded and screwed into the first sleeve 311. The remaining parts do not require threads.

[0037] In this embodiment, a second bearing 306 is provided between the first sleeve 311 and the rotary hollow rod.

[0038] How this two-claw lunar sample collection device works: Before sampling, the sampling claw 101 is in a completely closed state. After being positioned by the robotic arm, it is vertically inserted into the shallow lunar soil on the lunar surface. Then, the robotic arm drives the two-claw lunar sample collection device to move back and forth horizontally, shaping a regular lunar soil profile and providing a unified working area for subsequent sampling.

[0039] During lunar rock collection, the robotic arm aligns the sampling claw 101 with the target rock block. The rotary component 4 drives the sampling component 1 to adjust to the appropriate clamping angle. Then, the opening and closing component 3 is activated, driving the sampling claw 101 to open and close, forming a full-envelope clamping of the rock block. After clamping, the loose lunar dust on the surface is removed by the vibration dust removal component 2. Then, the rotary component 4 and the robotic arm work together to transfer the rock block to the grinding and conveying unit.

[0040] During micro-quantitative sampling, lunar soil samples are collected using the sampling holes 105 on the outer wall of the sampling hopper. After returning to the designated work station, the samples are assisted in being sent to the screening component by the vibration dust removal component 2.

[0041] The main performance indicators of this two-claw lunar sample collection device are as follows: rock picking range of 15~45mm; rock holding force of ≥50N; shallow lunar soil digging depth of ≥30mm; rock dust content of ≤500mg; and average system power consumption of ≤100W.

[0042] Obviously, the above-disclosed embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative of the invention. The embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor do they limit the invention to the specific implementations described. Many modifications and variations can be made based on the content of this specification. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and utilize the invention. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively describe all embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A two-claw lunar sample collection device, characterized in that, include: The sampling assembly (1) includes a sampling claw (101), a linkage structure and a support base (104). The sampling claw (101) is used to collect samples and includes two sampling hoppers. Vibration dust removal assembly (2) is used to vibrate and shake off the dust on the sample surface; The opening and closing assembly (3) drives the two sampling buckets to open or close through a linkage structure; Rotary component (4) drives sampling claw (101) to rotate via support base (104).

2. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the sampling bucket is provided with a sampling hole (105).

3. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening and closing assembly (3) includes an opening and closing motor (309), a first transmission structure, a lead screw (310), a first sleeve (311), a second sleeve (301), and a spline wheel (312). The connecting rod structure includes two first connecting rods (102) and two second connecting rods (106). The opening and closing motor (309) drives the first sleeve (311) to rotate through the first transmission structure. One end of the lead screw (310) is screwed into the first sleeve (311), and the other end passes through the second sleeve (301). One end of the first connecting rod (102) is fixedly connected to the sampling bucket, and the other end is hinged to the support base (104). One end of the second connecting rod (106) is hinged to the second sleeve (301), and the other end is hinged to the first connecting rod (102). The lead screw (310) slides through the spline wheel (312), and the spline wheel (312) is used to limit the rotation of the lead screw (310).

4. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first transmission structure includes a first bevel gear (308) and a second bevel gear (307). The first bevel gear (308) is connected to the opening and closing motor (309), the first bevel gear (308) meshes with the second bevel gear (307), and the second bevel gear (307) is connected to the first sleeve (311).

5. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A linear bearing (305) is provided between the lead screw (310) and the support base (104).

6. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A double-layer polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve (304) is provided between the lead screw (310) and the second sleeve (301).

7. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotary assembly (4) includes a rotary motor (401), a second transmission structure, and a rotary hollow rod. The rotary motor (401) drives the rotary hollow rod to rotate through the second transmission structure. The rotary hollow rod is fixedly connected to the support base (104), and the lead screw (310) is located inside the rotary hollow rod.

8. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second transmission structure includes a third bevel gear (402) and a fourth bevel gear (403). The third bevel gear (402) is connected to the rotary motor (401), the third bevel gear (402) meshes with the fourth bevel gear (403), and the fourth bevel gear (403) is connected to the rotary hollow rod.

9. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a housing, and a first bearing (404) is provided between the rotating hollow rod and the housing.

10. The two-claw lunar sample collection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: A second bearing (306) is provided between the first sleeve (311) and the rotating hollow rod.

Images