阅读说明：本技术 微阴极电弧推力器 (Micro-cathode electric arc thruster ) 是由 何振 吴建军 于 2020-04-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开一种微阴极电弧推力器,包括底座、第一电极、第二电极、绝缘体和驱动件。其中,所述第一电极的一端设于所述底座；所述第二电极呈环状设置,所述第二电极的一端设于所述底座,且所述第二电极间隔套设于所述第一电极的外侧,所述第一电极和所述第二电极中的一者为阴极,另一者为阳极,所述第一电极的另一端与所述第二电极的另一端之间形成环形放电区；所述绝缘体呈环状设置,所述绝缘体可移动地套设于所述第一电极和所述第二电极间所述绝缘体的一端设于所述环形放电区；所述驱动件设于所述底座,所述驱动件用以驱动所述绝缘体向所述环形放电区移动。本发明技术方案的微阴极电弧推力器具有使用寿命长的优点。(The invention discloses a micro-cathode arc thruster which comprises a base, a first electrode, a second electrode, an insulator and a driving piece. One end of the first electrode is arranged on the base; the second electrode is annularly arranged, one end of the second electrode is arranged on the base, the second electrode is sleeved on the outer side of the first electrode at intervals, one of the first electrode and the second electrode is a cathode, the other of the first electrode and the second electrode is an anode, and an annular discharge area is formed between the other end of the first electrode and the other end of the second electrode; the insulator is annularly arranged, and one end of the insulator, which is movably sleeved between the first electrode and the second electrode, is arranged in the annular discharge area; the driving piece is arranged on the base and used for driving the insulator to move towards the annular discharge area. The micro-cathode arc thruster has the advantage of long service life.)

1. A micro-cathodic arc thruster, comprising:

a base;

one end of the first electrode is arranged on the base;

the second electrode is annularly arranged, one end of the second electrode is arranged on the base, the second electrode is sleeved on the outer side of the first electrode at intervals, one of the first electrode and the second electrode is a cathode, the other of the first electrode and the second electrode is an anode, and an annular discharge area is formed between the other end of the first electrode and the other end of the second electrode;

the insulator is annularly arranged, the insulator is movably sleeved between the first electrode and the second electrode, and one end of the insulator is arranged in the annular discharge area; and

the driving piece is arranged on the base and used for driving the insulator to move towards the annular discharge area.

2. The micro-cathodic arc thruster of claim 1 wherein said driving member is a first resilient member configured to impart a tendency for said insulator to move toward said annular discharge area.

3. The micro-cathodic arc thruster as defined in claim 2, wherein said first elastic member is a spring having one end fixed to said base and the other end connected to said insulator.

4. The micro-cathode arc thruster of claim 2, wherein the anode is provided with a limiting portion, and one end of the insulator facing away from the base abuts against the limiting portion.

5. The micro-cathode arc thruster according to claim 4, wherein the limiting portion is disposed at an end of the anode facing away from the base, and the limiting portion is disposed in a ring shape.

6. The micro-cathodic arc thruster of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a second elastic member for driving the cathode to move away from the base.

7. The micro-cathodic arc thruster as defined in claim 6, wherein said second elastic member is a spring having one end fixed to said base and the other end connected to said cathode.

8. The micro-cathode arc thruster according to claim 6, further comprising an insulating sleeve, wherein the insulating sleeve is annularly arranged, the insulating sleeve is arranged outside the cathode, a step is arranged on the inner circumference of the insulating sleeve, and one end of the cathode facing away from the base abuts against the step.

9. The micro-cathodic arc thruster according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising magnetic elements arranged in a ring shape, wherein the magnetic elements are disposed around the outer periphery of the cathode and/or the anode.

10. The micro-cathodic arc thruster of claim 9 wherein said magnetic element is a permanent magnet; or

The magnetic element is an electromagnetic coil, one end of the electromagnetic coil is connected to a power supply of the micro-cathode arc thruster, and the other end of the electromagnetic coil is connected to the anode or the cathode, or the electromagnetic coil is powered by another independent power supply.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of thrusters, in particular to a micro-cathode arc thruster.

Background

The micro-cathode arc thruster is a novel electromagnetic propulsion mode and is expected to be used for track maintenance of various tiny satellites. It has the advantages of high specific impulse, simple structure, low power and no need of gas supply system.

The coaxial micro-cathode arc thruster has one cylindrical anode and one cylindrical cathode around the anode, the anode and the cathode are connected to conducting wire, the anode and the cathode are isolated with insulating layer, and the ceramic layer has coating for arc to generate. When the plasma torch is in work, high-voltage pulse current is introduced between the cathode and the anode to ablate a coating on the insulating layer and ionize the coating into plasma; with this portion of the plasma, an electric arc is generated between the cathode and the anode, which ablates the cathode, thereby generating a large amount of plasma; these plasmas can be ejected at high speed under the combined action of electric force and magnetic field force, so as to generate thrust force.

According to the traditional coaxial micro-cathode arc thruster, the insulating layer is ablated and deformed under the action of the cathode and the anode, so that the ignition reliability is poor, even the micro-cathode arc thruster cannot be started, and the service life of the micro-cathode arc thruster is limited.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a micro-cathode electric arc thruster, aiming at solving the technical problem of short service life of the micro-cathode electric arc thruster.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a micro-cathode arc thruster, comprising:

a base;

one end of the first electrode is arranged on the base;

the second electrode is annularly arranged, one end of the second electrode is arranged on the base, the second electrode is sleeved on the outer side of the first electrode at intervals, one of the first electrode and the second electrode is a cathode, the other of the first electrode and the second electrode is an anode, and an annular discharge area is formed between the other end of the first electrode and the other end of the second electrode;

the insulator is annularly arranged, the insulator is movably sleeved between the first electrode and the second electrode, and one end of the insulator is arranged in the annular discharge area; and

the driving piece is arranged on the base and used for driving the insulator to move towards the annular discharge area.

Optionally, the driving member is a first elastic member, and the first elastic member is used for enabling the insulator to have a moving trend towards the annular discharge area.

Optionally, the first elastic element is a spring with one end fixed to the base and the other end connected to the insulator.

Optionally, a limiting portion is disposed on the anode, and one end of the insulator, which faces away from the base, is abutted to the limiting portion.

Optionally, the limiting portion is disposed at an end of the anode facing away from the base, and the limiting portion is annularly disposed.

Optionally, the micro-cathode arc thruster further comprises a second elastic member, and the second elastic member is used for driving the cathode to move in a direction away from the base.

Optionally, the second elastic element is a spring with one end fixed to the base and the other end connected to the cathode.

Optionally, the micro-cathode arc thruster further includes an insulating sleeve, the insulating sleeve is annularly disposed, the insulating sleeve is disposed on the outer side of the cathode, a step is disposed on the inner periphery of the insulating sleeve, and one end, facing away from the base, of the cathode abuts against the step.

Optionally, the micro-cathode arc thruster further includes a magnetic element, the magnetic element is annularly disposed, and the magnetic element is sleeved on the periphery of the cathode and/or the anode.

Optionally, the magnetic element is a permanent magnet; or

The magnetic element is an electromagnetic coil, one end of the electromagnetic coil is connected to a power supply of the micro-cathode arc thruster, and the other end of the electromagnetic coil is connected to the anode or the cathode, or the electromagnetic coil is powered by another independent power supply.

According to the technical scheme, the insulator is movably sleeved between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the insulator is driven by the driving piece to move towards the annular discharge area between the first electrode and the second electrode. Therefore, after the insulator of the annular discharge area is ablated, the driving piece can drive the insulator positioned on the outer side of the annular discharge area to move towards the annular discharge area so as to supplement the insulator and ensure normal arcing between the cathode and the anode, thereby ensuring the working stability of the thruster, prolonging the service life of the thruster and improving the total impact of the thruster.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the structures shown in the drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a micro-cathodic arc thruster according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a sectional view of a part of the structure of the embodiment shown in fig. 1.

The reference numbers illustrate:

reference numerals	Name (R)	Reference numerals	Name (R)
				10	Base seat	20	A first electrode
21	Limiting part	30	Second electrode
				40	Insulator	50	Driving member
60	Second elastic member	70	Insulating sleeve
				71	Step	80	Magnetic element
90	Outlet end seat

The implementation, functional features and advantages of the objects of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that, if directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and back … …) are involved in the embodiment of the present invention, the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship between the components, the movement situation, and the like in a specific posture (as shown in the drawing), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indications are changed accordingly.

In addition, if there is a description of "first", "second", etc. in an embodiment of the present invention, the description of "first", "second", etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the meaning of "and/or" appearing throughout is to include three juxtapositions, exemplified by "A and/or B" including either scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme in which both A and B are satisfied. In addition, technical solutions between various embodiments may be combined with each other, but must be realized by a person skilled in the art, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be realized, such a combination should not be considered to exist, and is not within the protection scope of the present invention.

The invention provides a micro-cathode arc thruster.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the micro-cathode arc thruster includes a base 10, a first electrode 20, a second electrode 30, an insulator 40, and a driving member 50. The base 10 is a supporting member, and can provide a mounting position and support for the first electrode 20 and other elements.

One end of the first electrode 20 is disposed on the base 10, the second electrode 30 is disposed in a ring shape, one end of the second electrode 30 is disposed on the base 10, and the spacer of the second electrode 30 is disposed outside the first electrode 20. One of the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 30 is a cathode, the other is an anode, and a ring-shaped discharge region (not labeled) is formed between the other end of the first electrode 20 and the other end of the second electrode 30.

The insulator 40 is also disposed in a ring shape, the insulator 40 is movably sleeved between the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 30, and one end of the insulator 40 is located in the ring-shaped discharge region. The insulator 40 is disposed between the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 30, and can isolate the first electrode 20 from the second electrode 30.

The driving member 50 is disposed on the base 10, and the driving member 50 is used for driving the insulator 40 to move toward the annular discharge region.

It can be understood that, when the thruster is in operation, the arc after the cathode and the anode are conducted ablates the insulator 40, so that the insulator 40 is gradually worn. When the insulator 40 is ablated to a certain extent, reliability of ignition between the cathode and the anode is deteriorated, or even an arc start failure occurs, resulting in a short service life of the thruster.

In the micro-cathode arc thruster of the present application, since the insulator 40 is movably sleeved between the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 30, and the driving member 50 drives the insulator 40 to move toward the annular discharge region. Then, when the insulator 40 in the annular discharge area is ablated, the driving member 50 can drive the insulator 40 positioned outside the annular discharge area to move towards the annular discharge area so as to supplement the insulator 40 and ensure normal arcing between the cathode and the anode, thereby ensuring the working stability of the thruster and prolonging the service life of the thruster.

For example, the insulator 40 is made of ceramic, and in other embodiments, the insulator 40 may be made of other materials.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first electrode 20 is an anode, and the second electrode 30 is a cathode, that is, the cathode is disposed outside the anode in the present embodiment. In the micro-cathode arc thruster, the cathode is not only an electrode, but also a working medium, so that the cathode is sleeved outside the anode, the surface area of the cathode can be increased, and the performance of the thruster is improved. Of course, the design of the present application is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the first electrode 20 may be a cathode and the second electrode 30 may be an anode.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the driving member 50 is a first elastic member. The first elastic member is used to make the insulator 40 have a moving tendency toward the annular discharge region. The first elastic member is used as the driving member 50 to make the insulating member have a moving tendency to move towards the annular discharge area, so that after the insulating body 40 in the annular discharge area is ablated, the insulating body 40 positioned outside the annular discharge area can move towards the annular discharge area for the first time under the action of the elastic force of the first elastic member to supplement. In addition, the insulator 40 is driven by the elastic force of the first elastic member, so that the structure is simple, the implementation is convenient, the insulator is not easily affected by the outside, and the working stability is good. It can be seen that the first elastic member is adopted as the driving member 50, which has the advantages of fast response, simple structure, good stability, etc. Of course, the design of the present invention is not limited to this, and in other embodiments, the driving member 50 may be a driving device using a motor as a power source, and if the driving member 50 is a driving device using a motor as a power source, the advantages of high precision, good controllability, and the like may be obtained.

Illustratively, in the present embodiment, the first elastic member is a spring having one end fixed to the base 10 and the other end connected to the insulator 40. In this way, the insulator 40 can be pushed to move toward the annular discharge region by the elastic force of the spring, so that the insulator 40 can be replenished. Since the insulator 40 is annularly disposed and the spring is substantially of a solenoid structure, the spring is selected as the first elastic member and can be adapted to the structure of the insulator 40, so that the insulator 40 is uniformly stressed everywhere, thereby ensuring uniform and stable supply of the insulator 40. Meanwhile, one end of the first elastic member is fixed to the base 10, and the other end is connected to the insulator 40, that is, the first elastic member is disposed at an end of the insulator 40 opposite to the annular discharge region, so that the first elastic member can avoid the annular discharge region without interfering with the annular discharge region. Of course, the design of the present application is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the first elastic element may also be a spring plate, an elastic column, or the like. And, the first elastic member may also be disposed outside the insulator 40, or at an end of the insulator 40 facing the annular discharge region.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the first elastic member abuts against an end of the insulator 40 facing the base 10, but in other embodiments, the first elastic member may also be connected to an outer periphery of the insulator 40.

Optionally, the first resilient member is a constant force supply spring. The constant force supply spring ensures consistent feed of the insulator 40 each time, which is beneficial for accurately controlling the replenishment of the insulator 40.

Since the insulator 40 is driven by the elastic force of the first elastic member to move toward the annular discharge region, the anode of the present embodiment is further provided with a limiting portion 21, and one end of the insulator 40 facing the annular discharge region abuts against the limiting portion 21. In this way, the insulator 40 can be restrained by the restraining part 21 to prevent the insulator 40 from being separated from the annular discharge region by the elastic force of the first elastic member. In addition, because the annular discharge area is formed at one end of the anode and the cathode back to the base 10, the limiting part 21 is arranged on the anode plate, so that no additional part is added in the annular discharge area, and the influence on the generation and the injection of the plasma in the annular discharge area is avoided, thereby avoiding the influence of the limiting part 21 on the thrust generated by the thruster, and ensuring the generation of the thrust. Of course, the design of the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the limiting portion 21 or other limiting structure for limiting the insulator 40 may also be disposed on the base 10.

Specifically, the stopper 21 is provided at an end of the anode facing away from the base 10, and the stopper 21 is provided in a ring shape. It can be understood that the limiting portion 21 is disposed at an end of the anode opposite to the base 10, so that the insulator 40 can enter the annular discharge region to the maximum extent, which is beneficial to the generation of the arc in the annular discharge region. Meanwhile, the limiting portion 21 is annularly disposed, so that the structure of the insulator 40 can be adapted to sufficiently limit the insulator 40. In the present embodiment, since the first electrode 20 is an anode, the stopper portion 21 has an annular structure that is circumferentially provided on the outer periphery of the first electrode 20, and if the second electrode 30 is an anode, the stopper portion 21 has an annular structure that is circumferentially provided on the inner periphery of the second electrode 30. Further, the stopper portion 21 may have a continuous annular structure or may have an annular structure with a gap therebetween.

In the micro-cathode electric arc thruster, the cathode needs to be used as a working medium for ionization while providing polarity, so that the cathode is continuously worn in the working process of the micro-cathode electric arc thruster. In order to prolong the service life of the thruster, the cathode needs to be supplied so that the thruster can work for a long time. In this regard, the micro-cathode arc thruster of the present embodiment further includes a second elastic member 60, where the second elastic member 60 is used to drive the cathode to move in a direction away from the base 10. It can be understood that the cathode is driven to move away from the base 10 by the second elastic member 60, so that when the cathode in the annular discharge area is ablated, the cathode located outside the annular discharge area can move towards the annular discharge area for the first time under the elastic force of the second elastic member 60 to supplement. In addition, the second elastic member 60 drives the insulator 40 by its own elastic force, which is simple in structure, convenient to implement, less susceptible to external interference, and good in stability. It can be seen that the second elastic member 60 is adopted to drive the cathode, which has the advantages of fast response, simple structure, good stability, etc. Of course, the design of the present application is not limited to this, and the cathode may be driven to move by a power member such as a motor in other embodiments.

Illustratively, in the present embodiment, the second elastic member 60 is a spring having one end fixed to the base 10 and the other end connected to the cathode. Therefore, the cathode can be pushed to move towards the annular discharge area by the elastic force of the spring so as to realize the replenishment of the cathode. Since the cathode is annularly arranged and the spring is basically of a solenoid structure, the spring is selected as the second elastic member 60 and can be adapted to the structure of the cathode, so that all parts of the cathode are uniformly stressed, and the cathode is uniformly and stably supplied. Meanwhile, one end of the second elastic member 60 is fixed to the base 10, and the other end is connected to the cathode, that is, the second elastic member 60 is disposed at an end of the cathode opposite to the annular discharge region, so that the second elastic member 60 can avoid the annular discharge region without causing interference to the annular discharge region. Of course, the design of the present application is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the second elastic element 60 may also be a spring, an elastic column, or the like. And, the second elastic member 60 may also be disposed outside the cathode, or at an end of the cathode facing the annular discharge region.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the second elastic member 60 abuts against one end of the cathode facing the base 10, but in other embodiments, the second elastic member may also be connected to the outer periphery of the cathode.

Optionally, the second elastic member 60 is a constant force supply spring. The constant force supply spring can ensure that the feeding amount of the cathode is consistent every time, thereby being beneficial to accurately controlling the supply of the cathode.

Further, the micro-cathode arc thruster of the present embodiment further includes an insulating sleeve 70, the insulating sleeve 70 is disposed annularly, the insulating sleeve 70 is sleeved outside the cathode, a step 71 is disposed on an inner circumference of the insulating sleeve 70, and one end of the cathode facing away from the base 10 abuts against the step 71. It will be appreciated that the cathode can be restrained by the insulating sleeve 70 to prevent the cathode from being separated from the annular discharge region by the elastic force of the second elastic member 60. Moreover, since the annular discharge area is formed at one end of the anode and the cathode opposite to the base 10, and the insulating sleeve 70 is arranged outside the cathode, the insulating sleeve 70 can be prevented from influencing the annular discharge area, so that the insulating sleeve 70 can be prevented from interfering with the injection orifice of the plasma, and the generation of the thrust is ensured. Of course, the design of the present application is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the insulating sleeve 70 or other limiting structure for limiting the cathode may be disposed on the base 10.

Further, the micro-cathode arc thruster of the present embodiment further includes a magnetic element 80, wherein the magnetic element 80 is annularly disposed, and the magnetic element 80 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the cathode and/or the anode. Due to the fact that the generation and movement of the cathode spot are random, the magnetic element 80 is additionally arranged on the thruster and can generate magnetic fields along the axial direction and the radial direction, the cathode spot can move along the circumferential direction of the cathode due to the circumferential force generated by the interaction of the ion current and the electromagnetic field, and the uniform ablation of cathode materials is promoted, so that the service life of the thruster is prolonged.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the magnetic element 80 is a permanent magnet. The permanent magnet is sleeved on the periphery of the anode. It can be understood that the permanent magnet is sleeved on the outer periphery of the anode, so that the strength of a magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet can be increased, and the cathode spot can be driven to move along the circumferential direction of the cathode. In some embodiments, the permanent magnet may be sleeved only on the cathode, or both the peripheries of the cathode and the anode may be sleeved with the permanent magnet.

Of course, the design of the present application is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, the magnetic element 80 may also be a solenoid coil having one end connected to a power supply that is a cathode arc thruster and the other end connected to a cathode or an anode. Because the electromagnetic coil generates the magnetic field after being electrified, the electromagnetic coil is continuously arranged between the power supply and the cathode or the anode, so that the wire connection between the power supply and the cathode or between the power supply and the anode can be realized, the electromagnetic field can be generated, the cathode can be uniformly ablated, and the two purposes are achieved. It should be noted that the magnetic coil connecting the power source and the cathode can be sleeved outside the cathode or the anode. Correspondingly, the magnetic coil connecting the power supply and the anode can be sleeved outside the cathode or the anode. It should also be noted that in other embodiments, the solenoid may be powered by another independent power source.

Further, the micro-cathode arc thruster of the present embodiment further includes an outlet end seat 90, the outlet end seat 90 has an opening, the outlet end seat 90 is sleeved on the periphery of the insulating sleeve 70, and one ends of the anode and the cathode facing away from the base 10 are disposed toward the opening of the outlet end seat 90. The outlet end seat 90 can hold the insulating sleeve 70 and provide a mounting slot for the magnet that is sleeved outside the second electrode 30. Moreover, the outlet end seat 90 can also be extended to form a spray pipe to restrict the spraying direction of the large particle clusters.

The above description is only an alternative embodiment of the present invention, and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and all modifications and equivalents made by the contents of the present specification and drawings, or directly/indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present invention.