IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0347247
(2008-12-31)
|
등록번호 |
US-8146862
(2012-04-03)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Chirivella, Jose E.
- VanderWyst, Anton
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
3 인용 특허 :
4 |
초록
▼
An active vortex control system (AVOCS) includes a set of primary injectors that inject gas into a cavity to generate a vortex in front of and possibly around components inside the cavity. The vortex interferes with an external flow field in an opening to the cavity to protect the components from th
An active vortex control system (AVOCS) includes a set of primary injectors that inject gas into a cavity to generate a vortex in front of and possibly around components inside the cavity. The vortex interferes with an external flow field in an opening to the cavity to protect the components from the external environment. Sets of secondary injectors may inject gas at a reduced mass flow into the cavity to compensate for energy losses to maintain the coherence of the vortex. The AVOCS is well suited for use in windowless endo- and exo-atmospheric interceptors to protect the electro-optical imagers and optical components from Earth atmosphere.
대표청구항
▼
1. A vehicle, comprising: a platform;a cover on the platform, said cover defining a cavity having an opening to an external environment;one or more components inside the cavity; andan active vortex control system (AVOCS) including a gas canister and one or more injectors configured to inject gas int
1. A vehicle, comprising: a platform;a cover on the platform, said cover defining a cavity having an opening to an external environment;one or more components inside the cavity; andan active vortex control system (AVOCS) including a gas canister and one or more injectors configured to inject gas into the cavity with tangential and inward radial velocity components to generate a coherent vortex and an axial velocity component that causes the vortex to advance towards the opening to interfere with an external flow field in the opening. 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the AVOCS comprises: a first set of injectors that inject gas at a first mass flow rate to create a vortex in the cavity; anda second set of injectors between said first set and said opening that inject gas at a second lower mass flow rate to maintain the coherence of the vortex. 3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said first and second sets of injectors each comprise a plurality of said injectors spaced around an inner periphery of the cover to inject gas with both tangential and inward radial velocity components. 4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the cavity includes internal structure that interferes with the vortex, said first set of injectors injecting gas along an inner periphery of the cover to create the vortex and said second set of injectors positioned on said structure to inject gas to maintain the coherence of the vortex. 5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the AVOCS includes a mass flow controller configured to inject gas at a mass flow rate such that said vortex produces a cavity pressure approximately equal to or greater than the free stream Pitot pressure of the external flow field, a linear momentum approximately equal to or greater than the momentum of the external flow field and an angular momentum to maintain coherence of the vortex. 6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least one said injector is positioned near a component to stabilize the vortex to cool said component. 7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said AVOCS further includes, a regulator that regulates the mass flow rate of gas from the canister to the injectors; anda mass flow controller that controls the regulator to deliver a constant mass flow rate that is set at or above a minimum mass flow rate required to protect the components. 8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said AVOCS further includes, a regulator that regulates the mass flow rate of gas from the canister to the injectors;one or more sensors that measure the internal cavity pressure; anda mass flow controller that controls the regulator to maintain the internal cavity pressure at a target pressure. 9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said AVOCS further includes, a regulator that regulates the mass flow rate of gas from the canister to the injectors;one or more sensors that measure the internal cavity pressure;a sensor that provides a measure of external pressure; anda mass flow controller that compares the internal cavity pressure and external pressure to control the regulator to maintain a positive pressure inside the cavity. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said components comprise sensors and the platform is mounted on the vehicle, further comprising: a propulsion system for moving the vehicle and platform through the external environment;a structure on the platform over the cover that isolates the cavity from the external flow field; anda controller configured to jettison said structure to allow said sensors to gather data through said opening,wherein said AVOCS is configured to generate the vortex to interfere with the external flow fields in said opening to protect the sensors after the structure has been jettisoned. 11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein said AVOCS establishes the vortex just prior to the controller jettisoning the structure. 12. A method of protecting components from an external environment, comprising: providing a vehicle;providing a platform supporting one or more components;placing a cover over the components, said cover defining a cavity having an opening to the external environment; andinjecting gas into the cavity at a plurality of locations spaced around an inner periphery of the cover to generate a coherent vortex that interferes with an external flow field in the opening;wherein said gas is injected with tangential and inward radial velocity components that generate the vortex and an axial velocity component that causes the vortex to advance towards the opening. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of injecting gas into the cavity at a plurality of locations spaced around an inner periphery of the cover comprises: injecting gas at a first plurality of said plurality of locations at a first mass flow rate to generate the vortex; andinjecting gas at a second plurality of said plurality of locations between said first plurality of locations and the opening at a second mass flow rate less than said first mass flow rate to maintain the coherence of the vortex. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said second plurality of locations are around the inner periphery of the cover. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the cavity includes internal structure that interferes with the vortex, and the gas injected at said second plurality of locations is injected on said internal structure. 16. An airborne launch vehicle, comprising: a vehicle platform;a propulsion system for propelling the vehicle platform through Earth's atmosphere;a sensor cover on the vehicle platform, said cover defining a sensor cavity having an opening;sensor components inside the sensor cavity;a structure on the platform over the sensor cover that isolates the sensor cavity from Earth's atmosphere;a controller configured to jettison said structure to allow said sensor components to gather data through the opening; andan active vortex control system (AVOCS) including a gas canister and one or more injectors configured to inject gas into the sensor cavity with tangential and inward radial velocity components to generate a coherent vortex that, once the structure has been jettisoned, interferes with an external air stream from Earth atmosphere in said opening to protect the sensors and an axial velocity component that causes the vortex to advance towards the opening to interfere that interferes with an external flow field in the opening. 17. The airborne launch vehicle of claim 16, wherein the AVOCS comprises: a first set of injectors that inject gas along an inner periphery of the cover at a first mass flow rate to create a vortex in the cavity; anda second set of injectors between said first set and said opening that inject gas at a second mass flow rate less than said first mass flow rate to maintain the coherence of the vortex. 18. The airborne launch vehicle of claim 17, wherein the AVOCS includes a mass flow controller configured to inject gas at a mass flow rate such that said vortex produces a cavity pressure approximately equal to or greater than the free stream Pitot pressure of the external flow field, a linear momentum approximately equal to or greater than the momentum of the external flow field and an angular momentum to maintain coherence of the vortex. 19. The airborne launch vehicle of claim 16, wherein the propulsion system comprises a multi-stage rocket booster and the platform comprises a kinetic energy kill vehicle. 20. The airborne launch vehicle of claim 16, wherein the platform comprises a missile. 21. A method of launching an interceptor to intercept a ballistic threat, said interceptor including a platform, a cover on the platform defining a cavity having an opening to an external environment, a passive sensor system inside the cavity and a nose cone over the cover, said method comprising: launching the interceptor on a trajectory to intercept the target;injecting gas into the cavity to generate a coherent vortex in the cavity;jettisoning the nose cone whereby said vortex interferes with the air stream in the opening allowing the passive sensor system to gather data to track said target; andaltering the trajectory of the interceptor based on the gathered data to intercept the ballistic threat;wherein the step of injecting gas into the cavity comprises injecting the gas at a plurality of locations spaced around an inner periphery of the cavity with tangential and inward radial velocity components that generate the vortex and an axial velocity component that causes the vortex to advance towards the stream. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of injecting gas into the cavity comprises: injecting gas at a first plurality of locations spaced around an inner periphery of the cover at a first mass flow rate to generate the vortex; andinjecting gas at a second plurality of locations between said first plurality of locations and the opening at a second mass flow rate less than said first mass flow rate to maintain the coherence of the vortex. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the gas is injected at a mass flow rate such that said vortex produces a cavity pressure approximately equal to or greater than the free stream Pitot pressure of the external flow field, a linear momentum approximately equal to or greater than the momentum of the external flow field and an angular momentum to maintain coherence of the vortex. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the nose cone is jettisoned at an elevation and time-to-intercept at which the air stream would otherwise enter the cavity and damage the sensors.
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