RU2776960C1 - Hydroacoustic station of a submarine with a towed sonar array - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: acoustics.

SUBSTANCE: area of application: invention relates to the field of hydroacoustics and can be used in designs of hydroacoustic systems using acoustic signal sensors provided on a cable, including towed sonar arrays (TSA). Substance: proposed in the invention is the connection of the TSA and the on-board equipment being provided without electrical contact, via an acoustic field. For this purpose, the movable part of the current junction is made in the form of two emitting hydroacoustic converters placed coaxially with the rotary shaft of the coil of the deployment and retrieval apparatus (UPV) and rigidly connected thereto; the fixed part of the current junction is made in the form of two receiving hydroacoustic converters, wherein the receiving converters are installed coaxially with the rotary shaft of the UPV coil and rigidly connected to the fixed base structures. A sealed block is included in the towed part of the hydroacoustic system (HAS), accommodating a transmitting electronic module forming a phase-modulated signal transmitted to the first emitting converter, and a carrier-frequency signal transmitted to the second emitting converter; signals from the receiving converters are received at the inputs of the phase demodulator and transmitted to the data processing path of the HAS after demodulation.

EFFECT: eliminated need to seal the current junction connecting the TSA with the hardware part of the HAS, increase in the reliability of the connection of the TSA with the hardware part of the HAS.

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Description

The invention relates to the field of hydroacoustics and can be used in the construction of various hydroacoustic systems using acoustic signal sensors produced on a cable.

In modern hydroacoustic systems of submarines (submarines), as a rule, there are hydroacoustic stations (GAS) with a flexible extended towed antenna (GPBA) [Koryakin Yu.A., Smirnov S.A., Yakovlev G.V. Ship hydroacoustic equipment. SPb.: Nauka, 2004 (p. 2.1.2)], the length of which is tens and hundreds of meters. GAS with GPBA consists of towed and onboard parts. The towed part is a phased antenna array (PAA) containing a HDA with a data generation module (MF) and connected to a tug cable. The signal from the target, received by the GPBA, is transmitted through the MF and the tug cable to the on-board equipment of the GAS, where the information is processed and presented to the operator. The HAS may include a GPBA setting and hauling device (UPV), which is designed to release/lift the GPBA with a towing cable. During these operations, the released part is wound/reeled onto the UPV coil. A device that provides the transfer of information from the towed to the onboard part of the GAS is called a current junction. Since the coil rotates during release/lift, the current junction in modern HAS with GPBA is a system of contacts sliding along the lamellas [1], providing an electrical connection that must be sealed.

Known technical solutions that ensure the transmission of electrical signals between the movable and fixed contacts. The largest number of such solutions refers to electric motors in which there are a stator and a rotor [RF Patent No. 9660. Multichannel current collector. IPC H01R 39/00. Appl. 07/29/1998, publ. 04/16/1999; RF patent No. 2611566. DC motor with sliding contacts. IPC H02K 99/00. Appl. 01/12/2015, publ. 02/28/2017; RF patent No. 2667889. Multi-section DC motor with ring sliding contacts. IPC H02K 23/05, 25/00. Appl. 07/31/2017, publ. 09/25/2018]. The sliding connection is achieved by mechanical contact between the brushes and the ring electrode. For a more stable connection, the brushes are spring-loaded. In a multi-channel device [RF Patent No. 9660. Multichannel current collector. IPC H01R 39/00. Appl. 07/29/1998, publ. 04/16/1999] there are several brushes, each of which is in contact with its own ring mounted on a common shaft. Contact is made in a sealed housing. A common disadvantage of such devices is the rapid wear of brushes and contacts, sparking (which generates electromagnetic interference), contamination of the contact surfaces with wear products of brushes and rings. To eliminate these shortcomings, various wear-resistant and soft materials are offered, as well as special designs for the removal of wear products from the contact zone.

The closest in terms of functional and technical characteristics is the communication line proposed in the utility model patent [RF Patent No. 102586. Fiber-optic communication line for an active-passive hydroacoustic station with a flexible extended towed antenna. IPC B63B 21/66, G02B 6/00. Appl. October 28, 2010, publ. 03/10/2011]. The prototype device is designed to provide communication in GAS with GPBA. The GAS consists of equipment located on board the carrier and towed equipment produced with the help of the UPV. The on-board equipment includes information processing modules (MO) made on the basis of digital computer technology. The towed equipment consists of a GPBA with an MF connected to the towing cable, which ensures the formation of an array of digital data. The tug cable is connected to the GAS on-board equipment through a current junction.

When setting / hauling out the GPBA with a tow cable (towed part) is unwound / unwound from the reel UPV. The communication line between the onboard and lowered parts of the GAS is carried out using a fiber-optic communication line (FOCL), including a rotating optical transition, structurally located in the UPV. The advantage of FOCL is the ability to transmit digital data at high speed.

The main distinguishing feature of the prototype from the known technical solutions is the introduction of an additional light guide along the entire optical path, because with a single light guide, there is a risk of its breakage when setting / hauling out the GPBA, as well as when towing, i.e. when using GPBA for its main purpose. The unreliability of the optical communication line remains even with a backup light guide. In addition, the current junction block with a rotating optical junction requires tightness and special physical and chemical processing (vacuum, cleaning, etc.) to implement the transmission of information through a rotating current junction in the optical frequency range.

The main objective of the proposed technical solution is to provide communication between the towed part of the GAS, lowered from the side of the carrier, and the onboard equipment of the GAS without electrical or optical contact.

The technical results are

- no need to seal the current junction;

- increasing reliability by eliminating unreliable structural elements. To solve the problem and ensure technical results in

hydroacoustic station, consisting of a towed part and on-board equipment connected by a current junction, and the towed part contains a GPBA connected in series and the first HDA, including a digital data generation module (MF) and a tug cable, the current junction contains a movable part electrically connected to the tug cable, and a fixed part, electrically connected to the digital data processing module (MO), which is part of the onboard equipment, the sonar station also includes a setting / fetching device (UPV) of the GPBA in the form of a coil, on which, when it rotates, the tug cable is wound / wound with GPBA and HDA,

additionally introduced the following features, namely:

- a second HDA is introduced into the towed part, in which a transmitting electronic module is located, containing a carrier frequency generator (CLF), a FM modulator (FM), a first power amplifier (PA1) and a second power amplifier (PA2), while the first FM input connected to the MF output, the second FM input is connected to the first LFO output, the second LFO output is connected to the PA2 input, the FM output is connected to the PA1 input;

- the moving part of the current junction is made in the form of the first radiating hydroacoustic transducer (I1) and the second radiating hydroacoustic transducer (I2), to the inputs of which the outputs UM1 and UM2 are connected, respectively, and the radiating transducers I1 and I2 are placed coaxially with the rotating shaft of the UPV coil and rigidly associated with it;

- the fixed part of the current junction is made in the form of the first receiving hydroacoustic transducer (P1), the second receiving hydroacoustic transducer (P2), an acoustic screen and a phase demodulator (PD), moreover, the receiving transducers P1, P2 and the acoustic screen are installed coaxially with the rotating shaft of the UPV coil and rigidly associated with fixed housing structures, the acoustic screen is placed between the pairs of transducers I1-P1, I2-P2, while the first input of the PD is connected to the output of P1, the second input of the PD is connected to the output of P2, and the output of the PD is connected to the input of MO;

- I1, I2, P1, P2 and the acoustic screen are in the aquatic environment and placed in such a way as to provide acoustic communication between I1 and P1 and I2 with P2;

- communication between the GPBA and onboard equipment is carried out without electrical contact along the acoustic field between I1 and P1, I2 and P2.

Non-contact communication (lack of electrical contact), which in the proposed technical solution is carried out along the acoustic field and eliminates the need to use FOCL, increases the manufacturability and reliability of the connection. Technologies for transmitting information over an acoustic channel have long been mastered and are implemented using well-known methods and devices.

Since the GAS PL current junction is located in water, the proposed design does not require its sealing; on the contrary, acoustic signals propagate better in the aquatic environment, at a higher speed and with less absorption than in the air environment.

The essence of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows a generalized functional diagram of the HAS with the claimed device, and Fig. 2, which shows the device and the principle of operation of the acoustic part of the current junction.

The hydroacoustic station includes (Fig. 1) GPBA with a tow cable 1, the first HDA 2 with a digital data generation module (MF) 3 located in it, the second HDA 4 with electronic units located in it: a phase modulator (PM) 5, carrier frequency generator (LFG) 6 and power amplifiers (UM1, UM2) 7, 8. UM1 and UM2 are connected to acoustic emitters (I1, I2) 9, 10, which are connected by acoustic field with acoustic receivers (P1, P2) 11, 12. Acoustic transducers I1, P1 and I2, P2 are separated by an acoustic screen 13. Receivers P1, P2 are connected to a phase demodulator (PD) 14, which is connected to an onboard processing module (MO) 16. Blocks FM 5, LLF 6, UM17, UM2 8, I1 9, I2 10, P1 11, P2 12, screen 13 and PD 14 as a whole form a current junction 15. The RCD in FIG. 1 is not shown.

In FIG. 2 shows the acoustic part of the current junction in more detail. GPBA with a tug cable, which is unwound from the coil 17. Emitters I1 9 and I2 10 are fixed on the shaft 18 of the coil. The receiver P1 11 and the receiver P2 12, as well as the screen 13, are rigidly fixed on the hull structure 20. When the coil rotates, I1 and I2 rotate with it, while P1, P2 and the screen remain stationary. Rod acoustic transducers are used as acoustic transducers (P1, P2 - receivers, I1, I2 - emitters). Pairs of transducers (I1 and P1, I2 and P2) face each other with their active surfaces. The designs of rod acoustic transducers are described in [Handbook of hydroacoustics. L .: Shipbuilding, 1988 (chapters 6, 7)].

The operation of the device is as follows.

The signals received by the GPBA channels enter the MF 3 generation module, where primary processing is performed. Depending on the GPBA construction scheme, summation, frequency multiplexing, filtering and other functions can be performed in the MF. Analogue signals from the acoustic receiving channels of the GPBA are digitized and an array of digital data is formed at the output of the MF. This array is fed to the first input of the FM phase modulator 5. The LFO generator 6 generates a high-frequency carrier signal, for example, ƒ=1 MHz. In the phase modulator FM 5, the phase of each period of the carrier frequency signal ƒ, supplied to the second input of the FM 5, takes the value 0° or 180° in accordance with the sign of the element of the digital array generated by the MF 3 module, supplied to the first input of the FM 5, i.e. . the carrier frequency is phase-shifted ƒ. At ƒ=1 MHz, the digital data rate is 10 ⁶ bit/s.

This signal is fed to the input of the power amplifier UM1 7 and further to the acoustic emitter I1 9. At the same time, the signal from the LFO, in which phase shift keying is not used, is fed to the input of the power amplifier UM2 8 and then to the acoustic emitter I2 10. The acoustic signal emitted by I1, gets through the aquatic environment to the acoustic receiver P1 11, and the signal from I2 - to the receiver P2 12. The pairs I1-P1 and I2-P2 are separated by an acoustic screen 13 to prevent the reception of signals by the receiver P1 from the emitter I2, and by the receiver P2 from the emitter I1. During operation, the emitters I1, I2 rotate together with the coil 17 UPV, and the receivers P1, P2 and the screen remain stationary. However, the active surfaces of the emitters and receivers remain facing in the desired direction and at a constant distance.

The phase shift keyed signal from the receiver P1 is fed to the first input of the phase demodulator PD 14, the carrier signal from the receiver P2 is fed to the second input of the phase demodulator PD 14. The phase demodulator PD 14 compares the phases of the signals arriving at its inputs, as a result of which a digital signal is formed at the output of the PD 14 an array identical to the array generated by the MF module. This array is fed into the processing module MO 16, where secondary and subsequent processing of the signal is performed up to presentation to the operator.

Presented in the claimed device, the introduced blocks are performed according to well-known technical solutions. Phase modulator (FM), carrier frequency generator (LFG), power amplifiers (UM1, UM2), phase detector (PD) are typical radio engineering devices; device and parameters of acoustic emitters (I1, I2), acoustic receivers (P1, P2) are presented in the Handbook [Handbook of hydroacoustics. L .: Shipbuilding, 1988 (chapters 6, 7)].

The claimed device, in comparison with the prototype, consists of known blocks and modules, the current junction does not require sealing and, in addition, provides communication between the towed part of the HAS and on-board equipment without electrical contact.

The proposed device can be used in HAS submarines using GPBA, and the design of the current junction given in the invention can be used in hydrophysical stations of the bottom type, in which there are buoys produced on a cable for transmitting / receiving information via a radio channel.

Claims (1)

Hydroacoustic station of a submarine with a flexible extended towed antenna (GPBA), containing a towed part and on-board equipment connected by a current junction, while the towed part contains GPBA connected in series, the first HDA, including a digital data generation module (MF), and a tug cable, a current junction contains a movable part electrically connected to the towing cable, and a fixed part electrically connected to the digital data processing module (MO), which is part of the onboard equipment; on which, during its rotation, a tug cable with a GPBA and a HDA is wound/reeled, characterized in that a second HDA is introduced into the towed part, which houses a transmitting electronic module containing a carrier frequency generator (CLF), an FM modulator (FM), the first power amplifier (PA1) and the second power amplifier (PA2), while the first the FM input is connected to the MF output, the second FM input is connected to the first LFO output, the second LFO output is connected to the PA2 input, the FM output is connected to the PA1 input; the moving part of the current junction is made in the form of the first radiating hydroacoustic transducer (I1) and the second radiating hydroacoustic transducer (I2), to the inputs of which the outputs of UM1 and UM2 are connected, respectively, and the radiating transducers I1 and I2 are placed coaxially with the rotating shaft of the UPV coil and are rigidly connected to it , and the fixed part of the current junction is made in the form of the first receiving hydroacoustic transducer (P1), the second receiving hydroacoustic transducer (P2), an acoustic screen and a phase demodulator (PD), moreover, the receiving transducers P1, P2 and the acoustic screen are installed coaxially with the rotating shaft of the UPV coil and rigidly connected to the fixed hull structures, the acoustic screen is placed between the pairs of transducers I1-P1, I2-P2, while the first input of the PD is connected to the output of P1, the second input of the PD is connected to the output of P2, and the output of the PD is connected to the input of the MO, and I1, I2, P1, P2 and the acoustic screen are in the aquatic environment and placed ny in such a way that I1 is turned by the active surface to the active surface P1, I2 is turned by the active surface to the active surface P2; the connection of the GPBA and the onboard equipment is carried out without electrical contact along the acoustic field between I1 and P1, I2 and P2.

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