Propulsion generation device for marine vessel and space probe without need for screw propeller

Abstract

To provide a propulsion device that vibrates a circular diaphragm by an external force, generates a difference in amplitude between two regions divided from the center of the diaphragm, and exploits the resulting disparity in vibrational energy.SOLUTION: Provided is a propulsion generation device that includes a vibration unit composed of a rotor 1 fixed with a weight 2 and a rotor bearing 5, and that linearly connects a motor shaft 7 fitted with a bevel gear 8 to a joint 6, with the bevel gears 8 of a pair of similarly configured vibration units engaging at an acute angle and arranged within a semicircular region of a circular vibration plate 4. The vibration plate 4 is secured to a vertical shaft 3 coupled to an intermediate portion of an outer frame 9 equipped with an adjustment screw 13, and a support frame 10 having a rotation shaft 11 orthogonal to the outer frame 9 is connected to a bottom plate 12 sharing the same rotation shaft 11. By synchronously rotating the weights 2 of the rotors 1, the device generates propulsion through differences in vibration energy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a propulsion engine as a means of transportation, and to a propulsion technology that generates two amplitudes of different magnitudes within a single vibrating plate and moves using the difference in vibration energy. [Background technology]

[0002] Ships and submarines are propelled by the lift generated by the rotors when they paddle the water with a screw propeller. However, there are concerns about the danger of fish getting caught in the rotors and coming into contact with them. In addition, ion engines used in space probes have a small maximum thrust and require propellant as fuel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7087216 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7029743 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion generating device that vibrates a circular vibration plate using an external force, and propels the circular vibration plate in the direction of greater vibration energy by varying the amplitude in the two regions that divide the circular vibration plate.

[0005] Another objective is to control the phase to reduce disturbance vibrations and propel the robot in a predetermined direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The thrust generating device of the present invention comprises a vibration device consisting of a rotor 1 with a weight 2 fixed thereto, rotor bearings 5, and a motor 7 connected to a joint 6 and a bevel gear 8, and the rotor 1 is vertically installed at the end of a circular vibration plate 4 made of a flexible metal material, and a pair of bevel gears 8 of the vibration device are engaged within the semicircle of the vibration plate 4 and positioned at an acute angle, and the vibration plate 4 is fixed to a vertical shaft 3 connected to the middle of an outer frame 9.

[0007] A support frame 10 equipped with an orthogonal rotating shaft 11 and bearings 11b is fixed to the outer frame 9 equipped with adjustment screws 13 on both sides, and further, a bottom plate 12 equipped with a bearing 11b and a common rotating shaft 11 is connected to the outer frame 9, and the intermediate line 7b of the angle between the motors arranged at an acute angle coincides with the center line 9a of the outer frame, and the weight 2 of the rotor 1 rotates synchronously. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention is configured as described above and therefore has the following advantages.

[0009] The two motors are meshed by bevel gears 8, so their rotation directions are opposite. Therefore, weight 2 of rotor 1 is positioned perpendicular to diaphragm 4, aligned at the top and bottom ends, and then rotated 90 degrees to face the opposite direction when parallel to diaphragm 4. The rotation direction of motor 7 is not limited.

[0010] When the outer frame 9 is in a horizontal position, the mass of the diaphragm 4 on the vibration device side is heavy, so the adjustment screw 13 on the vibration device side is in contact with the bottom plate 12, but an arbitrary "play" gap is provided between the adjustment screw 13 on the opposite side and the bottom plate 12. This causes the support frame 10 below the outer frame 9 and the rotation axis 11 of the bottom plate 12 to work, and the natural period of the inertial mass of the outer frame 9 and other components responds with a delay compared to the period of the diaphragm 4, which is harmonized by the phase and has the effect of damping the up and down vibration of this device.

[0011] The bearings 11b of the common rotating shaft 11 provided on the support frame 10 and the bottom plate 12 are arranged at equal intervals on the left and right sides from the outer frame center line 9a.

[0012] 4, the portion where the outer frame center line 9a and the center O of the circular diaphragm 4 intersect at right angles will be described by dividing it into the "vibration device side" and the "opposite side." On the vibration device side, the rotor 1, rotor bearing 5, joint 6, motor 7, and bevel gear 8 are linearly connected, and a pair of similarly configured bevel gears 8 are engaged and placed within the semicircle of the vibration plate 4. The intermediate line 7b of the included angle between the motors, which are placed at an acute angle, is set to coincide with the center line 9a of the outer frame.

[0013] The acute angle 7a between the motors is not a specified angle, as it is determined by the tip angle of the bevel gear 8 and the motor size. From the following explanation, it will be understood that if the included angle can be made as narrow as possible, the centrifugal force acts in a concentrated manner, increasing the amount of deflection of the diaphragm 4 and, accordingly, the propulsive force.

[0014] The vibration plate 4 is made of a flexible metal material, and its center is fixed to the vertical axis 3, so when an external force is applied, the amplitude at the end becomes larger. In particular, the vibration device side where the rotor 1 and other components are located tends to bend more than the opposite side due to the external force. In this case, the vibration period is the same but the amplitude is different, so the vibration energy generated on the vibration device side becomes larger, and a thrust force due to the moment difference is generated in the direction of the vibration device side.

[0015] In the above case, depending on the metal material and the amount of motor current, there may be materials for which the amplitude on the opposite side is large, in which case a force that moves in the opposite direction acts.

[0016] Since the motors are positioned at an acute angle and the intermediate line 7b of the angle between them coincides with the center line 9a of the outer frame, stress from the vibration acts evenly on the vertical shaft 3, the support frame 10, and the rotating shaft 11 and bearing 11b of the bottom plate 12, restricting the direction of movement, and the vibration device is propelled in a straight line parallel to the center line 9a of the outer frame.

[0017] The vibration energy (E) can be calculated using the following formula:

[0018] (Equation 1) E=2π 2mf 2 A 2 where m (mass), f (frequency), and A (amplitude).

[0019] As can be seen from Equation 1, vibration energy is proportional to the square of the frequency and amplitude. Therefore, it can be said that a difference in amplitude causes an energy difference within the diaphragm, generating a propulsive force.

[0020] The restoring force (F) acting on the diaphragm 4 can be calculated using the following formula:

[0021] (Equation 2) F = -mrω 2 where m (mass), r (amplitude), ω (angular velocity = 2πf)

[0022] From equation 2, the restoring force is proportional to the amplitude, so if the amplitude inside the diaphragm 4 differs, the difference in restoring force will cause it to propel in one direction or the other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the kinematics according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on experimental results as examples. [Example]

[0025] Experimental Example 1 Figures 1 to 3 show an experimental device according to the present invention, and experiments were conducted using the iron-based metal material SPCC (cold-rolled mild steel plate) and pure titanium for the diaphragm 4. The comparative data is shown in Table 1. The common conditions were: mass of weight 2: 13.4 g, radius of rotation of weight 2: 6.0 cm, voltage of motor 7: 12 V, and motor angle 7a: 59 degrees. The "play" of adjustment screw 13 attached to outer frame 9 was 1 to 2 mm.

[0026] In the case of an SPCC plate (2.3 mm thick), when the current is set to 1.5 A (amperes), the amplitude of the vibration plate 4 edge at the part perpendicular to the outer frame 9 is 7 mm on the "opposite side" and 10 mm on the "vibration device side." Therefore, the experimental device moves horizontally toward the vibration device side at a speed of 1.53 cm per second. At this time, a tractive force of 2.25 kg is required to hold back the bottom plate of the experimental device. (Traction force = thrust force)

[0027] In the case of the same SPCC plate, when the current is increased to 2.5A, the experimental device initially moves toward the vibration device, but as the vibration acceleration gradually increases, it moves in the opposite direction. Therefore, it is possible to change the direction of propulsion by adjusting the amount of current.

[0028] Although the SPCC plate has a high Young's modulus, it has a low yield point or strength. Therefore, when a strong centrifugal force acts on it, the springback is slowed down and the amount of deflection of the diaphragm 4 tends to increase.

[0029] Experimental Example 2 In the case of a pure titanium plate (5.0 mm thick), even if the current is changed from 1.5 A to 3.0 A, the direction of movement remains toward the vibrator. This is thought to be due to the fact that the yield point or strength is higher than that of SPCC. However, this may vary depending on the plate thickness. It vibrates less than an SPCC plate and moves forward more smoothly.

[0030] The rated current of the motor 7 used is 4A, but the propulsion force is generated with less than half that current, so it can be said to be energy-efficient.

[0031] Alternatively, instead of using the bevel gear 8 according to the present invention, it is already known to rotate the weight 2 synchronously by online commands using a position control unit.

[0032] The shape of the diaphragm 4 is not limited to the circular shape, since it is believed that similar effects can be obtained even with an elliptical or polygonal shape.

[0033] Furthermore, the rotation axis 11 provided on the support frame 10 and the vertical axis 3 of the outer frame 9 do not necessarily need to intersect in a perpendicular positional relationship, and the same effect can be achieved even if their positions are slightly different.

[0034] In another experiment, an experimental device was placed on a four-wheeled hand-pushed cart (weight 8.4 kg) and operated, but it did not move forward. The space between the bottom plate 12 of the device and the foundation ground was hollow, and the vibrations were one-sided, so no reaction force was obtained from the foundation ground, and therefore no propulsion occurred. It is thought that if the device is attached to an object with inertial mass that can withstand the vibrations, a propulsive force will be generated.

[0035] The experimental results of the experimental device are shown in Table 1.

[0036] [Table 1] [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1: Rotor 2: Weight 3: Vertical shaft 4: Diaphragm 5: Rotor bearing 6: Joint 7: Motor 7a: Motor angle 7b: Midline of the angle between motors 8: Bevel gear 9: Outer frame 9a: Outer frame center line 10: Support frame 11: Rotating shaft 11a: Rotating shaft center line 11b: Bearing 12: Bottom plate 13: Adjustment screw 14: Amplitude

Claims

1. The thrust generating device comprises a vibration device comprising a rotor (1) and rotor bearing (5) to which a weight (2) is fixed, and a motor (7) connected with a joint (6) and a bevel gear (8); the rotor (1) is vertically installed at the end of a circular vibration plate (4) made of a flexible metal material, and a pair of bevel gears (8) of the vibration device are engaged with each other within the semicircle of the vibration plate (4) and arranged at an acute angle; the center of the vibration plate (4) is fixed to a vertical shaft (3) connected to the middle of an outer frame (9); a support frame (10) equipped with a rotating shaft (11) and bearings (11b) orthogonal to the outer frame (9) is fixed to the outer frame (9) equipped with adjustment screws (13) on both sides; and the rotation shaft (11) is connected to a bottom plate (12) equipped with a bearing (11b) that shares the rotating shaft (11); the weight (2) of the rotor (1) rotates synchronously, generating a vibration energy difference or a restoring force difference on the vibration device side and the opposite side of the vibration plate (4), thereby generating thrust.

2. 2. The thrust generating device according to claim 1, wherein the motors are arranged at an acute angle such that the intermediate line (7b) of the angle between the motors coincides with the center line (9a) of the outer frame, thereby propelling the motor in a direction parallel to the center line (9a) of the outer frame.

3. 2. A thrust generating device according to claim 1, wherein the outer frame (9) is provided with a support frame (10) having a rotation axis (11) perpendicular to the outer frame (9), and the rotation axis (11) of the bottom plate (12) acts to dampen the up and down vibration of the vibration plate (4) by phase.

4. 2. A thrust generating device according to claim 1, wherein the bearings (11b) provided on the support frame (10) and the bottom plate (12) are installed at equal intervals on the left and right sides from the center line (9a) of the outer frame.

5. 2. The thrust generating device according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the vibration plate (4) is elliptical or polygonal.

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