KR102600630B1 - Submersible equipped with means for manipulating the mast - Google Patents

Abstract

A submersible of a type comprising an onboard high-pressure air supply system (2) and means (1) for manipulating one or more masts of such vehicle for hoisting and lowering the masts, wherein the manipulating means (1) are hydraulically operated for moving the masts. It is characterized in that it is connected to oleo-pneumatic means (3) comprising a first part (4) and a pneumatic second part (5) for pressurizing the first part from the high-pressure air network of the submersible.

Description

Submersible equipped with means for manipulating the mast

Strictly speaking, the present invention relates to submersible vehicles such as submarines.

Submersibles of this type are practically always equipped with a centralized hydraulic station, which produces energy that can be used for various on board applications.

In particular, this hydraulic energy is very suitable for controlling the mast of a vehicle, for example, for slaving control of a periscope, etc.

However, for various reasons, especially those related to the discretion, volume, cost, maintenance and volume of the hull, these centralized hydraulic power generation stations tend to be lost in favor of other stations using other energies, for example pneumatic or electrical energy. there is.

Electrical energy from the submersible's onboard systems is often used in electric jacks to steer this type of mast. This energy does not always have the necessary availability and discretion.

Pneumatic energy, which is reliable and available onboard and in sufficient quantities, does not make position slaving any easier to perform. This can be noisy to the crew during use of the mast.

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve these problems.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a submersible of a type comprising an onboard high-pressure air supply system and means for manipulating one or more masts of such vehicle for hoisting and lowering one or more masts, said manipulating means characterized in that it is connected to oleo-pneumatic means comprising a hydraulic first part for moving and a pneumatic second part for pressurizing said first part from the onboard high pressure air supply system of the submersible.

According to other features of the submersible according to the present invention,

- the submersible comprises an air/hydraulic separator, the pneumatic part of the air/hydraulic separator being coupled to a pneumatic second part of the oleo-pneumatic means, the hydraulic part of the air/hydraulic separator being coupled to a second pneumatic part of the oleo-pneumatic means. coupled with the hydraulic first portion;

- the air portion of the air/hydraulic separator is connected to the outlet of a distributor comprising at least one inlet connected to pressurized air supply means and an outlet connected to expansion means;

- the pressurized air supply means comprising means forming an expander and connected to an on-board high pressure air supply system;

- the inflation means comprises one or more inflation canisters coupled to an air inflation silencer of the submersible;

- the hydraulic part of the air/hydraulic separator comprises a supply source coupled to a high-pressure oleo-pneumatic accumulator and connected via a proportional valve to the large chamber of the jack of means for manipulating the mast;

- the proportional valve has a return path connected to the hydraulic part of the separator;

- The jack comprises a small chamber coupled with an oleo-pneumatic back pressure accumulator;

- The outlet and return paths of the hydraulic part of the separator are combined with check valves;

- The means for manipulating the mast include a jack with a suspended rod.

The present invention is intended by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of example only and show a block diagram illustrating the structure and operation of parts of a submersible according to the invention and including oleo-pneumatic means for manipulating the mast of the submersible. You will understand better by reading the following explanation.

Figure 1 shows a block diagram illustrating the structure and operation of an energy supply installation for means for manipulating one or more masts of a submersible in practice.

These control means allow manoeuvres, such as hoisting and lowering the mast of the submersible, for example the periscope mast of a submarine, strictly speaking.

These steering means are indicated overall in FIG. 1 by reference numeral 1 and comprise, for example, one or more steering jacks, the rod 1a of which in the case of the illustrated embodiment is stationary, the steering jack The body 1b of is movable.

Moreover, the submersible also includes an on-board high pressure air supply system, indicated overall by reference numeral 2 in this figure.

In practice, this on-board supply system 2 may, for example, be an on-board supply system with a pressure between 150 and 250 bar in the current environment.

In practice, the means for manipulating the mast (1) comprises a hydraulic first part (4) for moving the mast and a pneumatic second part for pressurizing the first part (4) from the submersible's on-board high-pressure air supply system (2). and oleo-pneumatic means, indicated overall by reference numeral 3 in the drawings including (5).

As a matter of fact and as illustrated, in the submersible according to the invention an air/hydraulic separator is provided, generally indicated with reference numeral 6 in the drawing, the air portion 7 of which is provided with a pneumatically operated oleo-pneumatic means. Coupled with the second part (5), the hydraulic part of the oleo-pneumatic means is coupled with the hydraulic first part (4) of the oleo-pneumatic means (3), as explained in more detail below.

As illustrated, the air portion 7 of the air/hydraulic separator 6 is, in fact, connected to the outlet of, for example, an electrically controlled distributor, generally indicated by the numeral 8, which distributor is generally indicated by the numeral 8. It comprises at least one inlet connected to pressurized air supply means, indicated at 9 and an outlet connected to expansion means, indicated overall by reference numeral 10.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in this figure, the pressurized air supply means 9 comprise, for example, means for forming an expander, indicated overall by reference numeral 11 , and thus of the on-board high pressure air supply network 2 . From a nominal pressure of 250 bar, it is possible to transmit a pressure to the rest of the circuit of, for example, 150 bar.

This expansion means in turn comprises one or more inflation canisters, indicated generally by reference numeral 13 in this figure, which are associated with an air expansion muffler of the remainder of the submersible, which air expansion muffler is generally indicated by reference number 14.

The hydraulic part 15 of the air/hydraulic separator 6 comprises a supply source coupled to a high-pressure oleo-pneumatic accumulator, indicated overall by reference numeral 16 in this figure, through a proportional valve 17. It is connected to the large chamber of the jack of means (1) for controlling the mast of the submersible.

The proportional valve 17 comprises a return path connected to the hydraulic part 15 of the separator 6.

The steering means 1 of the mast comprises a jack, the rod of which is, for example, stationary, and the exit and return paths of the hydraulic part 15 of the separator 6 are indicated by reference numerals 18 and 19 respectively. Combined with a check valve.

Finally, the small chamber of the jack of the steering means 1 is coupled with an oleo-pneumatic back pressure accumulator or an oleo-pneumatic return accumulator, which is indicated overall by reference numeral 20 in the drawing.

As described above, the principle of the oleo-pneumatic jack is switched from a proportional valve that operates during hoisting and lowering of the mast towards a separator located upstream.

This separator supplies a reserve of pneumatic hydraulic fluid, which is carried out by an oleo-pneumatic accumulator, making it possible to store slightly more oil than is needed to carry out the entire deployment process of the mast.

These separators are supplied by an onboard compressed air supply system via a pressure expander.

Finally, the expansion volume is located downstream from the air distributor towards the drain device in the supply system, in the separator and, consequently, in the large chamber of the jack of the means for manipulating the mast when the valve 17 is in the return position. Causes rapid expansion.

This expansion volume therefore allows the mast to be lowered more quickly than an oleo-pneumatic mast, which is slowed down by a slower inflation stage.

As mentioned above, the on-board high-pressure air supply system ensures a pressure of, for example, 150 to 250 bar in the current environment.

As an example an expansion pressure of 150 bar is used.

The use of high pressures can result in a significant reduction in the volume of the jack and associated equipment, i.e. accumulators, air canisters, circuits and accessories.

The onboard air supply system is inflated at 150 bar and then connected to an electrical distributor that participates in the slaving logic.

The outlet (U) of this electrical distributor is connected to the pneumatic chamber of the separator.

In this regard, it should be noted that it is also possible to mount the distributor directly on the separator.

The return outlet (R) of the distributor is connected to an expansion canister (downstream of which is a deflector) and a muffler which slowly releases the expanded air into the rest of the supply system.

The separator 6 may consist of a conventional high pressure piston accumulator converted from conventional use.

This separator has two hydraulic outlets with check valves connected respectively to the orifices (P, R) of the proportional hydraulic valve (17).

The high-pressure oleo-pneumatic accumulator between the separator and its orifice (P) constitutes a hydraulic energy reserve, which is preloaded before commanding the hoisting of the mast to avoid the inherent slowdown in the pneumatic phase. can be pre-loaded.

Proportional valves 17 are useful for both hoisting and lowering to control both the speed and position of the mast in both directions.

The outlet (U) of the proportional valve is connected to the large chamber of the hoisting jack.

The small chamber of the jack of the steering means (1) is connected to an oleo-pneumatic return accumulator or an oleo-pneumatic back pressure accumulator.

Once the mask is placed in ready mode, the pressure or level of the high pressure accumulator is monitored.

If the mast is lower than the nominal operating position and the high pressure is not the nominal pressure, the air distributor 8 is operated for the predetermined time necessary to fill the accumulator.

that the maximum pressure in the accumulator 16 due to the expander 9 and therefore the filling level does not exceed a predetermined threshold, regardless of the opening time of the air distributor 8 and the initial level of the accumulator. You should pay attention.

When the air distributor returns to the idling position, the pressure in the pneumatic chamber of the separator 6 moves quickly into the expansion canister and then more slowly into the supply system.

In this condition, the mast can be used for hoisting due to the high pressure reserve, but may be slaved when lowered, and the back pressure in the small chamber pushes the separator piston in the reverse direction.

When the mast is in its nominal operating position and the pressure P falls below a predetermined threshold, the air distributor 8 is activated again to reinflate the high pressure accumulator.

When the mast receives the lowering command, the air distributor 8 receives the inflation command regardless of its previous state and the state of the compression time delay.

The proportional hydraulic valve receives commands parallel but separate from the air distribution logic.

These commands come from a battle management system based on operational needs, for example to hoist or lower the mast.

The control law of proportional valves is the traditional law for controlling position and speed. The mast operates in response to a position homing setpoint with clipping based, for example, on the mast's maximum speed threshold. The clipping rate can be set or programmed based on the measured deviation between the mast's setpoint position and its position at a given moment.

Proportional valves can be used to eliminate delays at the end of movement.

It can be seen that this structure has a certain number of advantages with regard to the hoisting and lowering conditions of the mast, being much easier to use, less bulky and quieter.

Of course, other embodiments may also be considered.

Claims (10)

A submersible comprising an on-board high-pressure air supply system (2) and means (1) for manipulating one or more masts of the submersible for hoisting and lowering, wherein the manipulating means (1) comprises means for hoisting and lowering one or more masts of the submersible. oleo-pneumatic means comprising a hydraulic first part (4) for moving and a pneumatic second part (5) for pressurizing the first part from the onboard high pressure air supply system (2) of the submersible. connected to a pneumatic means; 3), submersible. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the submersible comprises an air/hydraulic separator (6), the air portion (7) of the air/hydraulic separator being coupled with a pneumatic second portion (5) of the oleo-pneumatic means, The hydraulic part (15) of the air/hydraulic separator is coupled with the hydraulic first part (4) of the oleo-pneumatic means. 3. The submersible as claimed in claim 2, wherein the submersible comprises a distributor (8) comprising at least one inlet connected to pressurized air supply means (9) and an outlet connected to expansion means (10), the air/hydraulic separator (6) Submersible, wherein the air portion is connected to the outlet of the distributor (8). 4. Submersible according to claim 3, wherein the pressurized air supply means (9) comprises an expander (11) connected to the onboard high pressure air supply system (2). 4. Submersible according to claim 3, wherein the inflation means (10) comprises one or more inflation canisters (13) coupled with an air inflation silencer (14) of the submersible. 6. The hydraulic section (15) of the air/hydraulic separator (6) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, comprising a supply source coupled to a high pressure oleo-pneumatic accumulator (16), said supply source The submersible is connected via a proportional valve (17) to the large chamber of the jack of the means (1) for manipulating the mast. 7. Submersible as claimed in claim 6, wherein the proportional valve (17) comprises a return path connected to the hydraulic part (15) of the separator (6). 7. Submersible as claimed in claim 6, wherein the jack comprises a small chamber coupled to an oleo-pneumatic back pressure accumulator (20). 7. Submersible according to claim 6, wherein the outlet and return paths of the hydraulic part of the separator (6) are coupled with check valves (18, 19). 6. Submersible vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means (1) for manipulating the mast comprise a jack with a stationary rod.