JPH09193900A - Variable gravity generating method and variable gravity generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To generate an arbitrary high-quality gravitational state in a falling capsule. SOLUTION: A pair of guide rails 2 are arranged in parallel with a falling path P. The capsule 1 is dropped by being guided by the guide rail 2. The wing 6 of the capsule 1 is a linear motor 2
Configure the next conductor. In the variable gravity generation zone B, a pair of stators 17 forming a speed control linear motor are arranged coaxially with the braking stator 13. Stator 13,17
Generates a magnetic field according to the power supplied from the power supply device, and the power supply device supplies a power supply amount according to a command from the controller. In the braking area A1 and the variable gravity generation zone B, a position detection sensor 18 is provided along the fall path P and supplies the detected position of the capsule 1 to the controller.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable gravity generating method and a variable gravity generating device capable of generating an arbitrary gravity state such as low gravity in a falling capsule.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a device for generating weightlessness, a drop tower is used to freely drop a capsule along a predetermined drop path to generate a weightless state in the falling capsule. There is. However, in recent years, experiments that correspond to finite and low gravity environments such as the moon have become necessary.
There is a growing need for devices that generate arbitrary low gravity conditions between 0G (weightless) and 1G (ground gravity).

At present, there is only a laboratory level device as a device for generating an arbitrary gravitational state as described above. The conventional device controls the falling speed of the capsule by applying a constant braking force to the capsule to generate a predetermined low gravity state in the capsule. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the configuration of the conventional device is such that the descending side of the fiber rope 51 stretched endlessly through a pulley so that the descending side 51a extends along the drop path of the capsule 50. An acrylic capsule 50 is attached to 51a, and a weight 52 is attached to the rising side 51b of the rope 51.

Then, a weight 52 is attached to the capsule 50 that freely falls from the top dead center of the fall path via the rope 51.
The falling speed of the capsule 50 is controlled by applying the braking force according to the weight of the capsule 50. In this device, the falling speed of the capsule 50 is adjusted by changing the weight of the weight 52 attached to the rope 51. The dropped capsule 50 is stopped by causing it to enter the cushioning material 53 provided at the lower part of the dropping path.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, instead of the fiber rope 51, an endless annular timing belt 55 is used, and instead of the weight 52, a drive shaft of a DC servo motor 56 is used. There is also an apparatus configured to be connected to the timing belt 55. In this device, the falling speed of the capsule 50 is controlled by controlling the speed of the motor 56, and the braking for stopping the capsule 50 is also performed. In addition, 57 is a wind shield which covers the capsule 50,
Reference numeral 58 denotes a piano wire that guides the capsule 50.

[0006]

However, in the device using the fiber rope 51 and the weight 52, the expansion and contraction vibration of the rope 51 due to the impact at the start of falling is large, and the vibration is transmitted to the falling capsule 50. Capsule 50
Reduce the quality of gravity inside. Further, the weight 52 having a constant weight only slows down the falling speed of the capsule 50 and cannot compensate for the air resistance or the like received by the capsule 50 during the falling. From this point as well, the quality of the weight state is deteriorated. There is a possibility that a precise experiment cannot be performed.

Further, in the device using the DC servo motor 56, it is possible to generate an arbitrary low gravity for the falling capsule 50 by controlling the speed of the motor 56, but similarly to the above, via the timing belt 55. Te capsule 5
Timing belt 55 to adjust the falling speed of 0
Of the capsule 50 or the vibration of the motor 56 itself
And the quality of the gravitational state within the capsule 50 is degraded.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a variable gravity generating method and a variable gravity generating apparatus capable of generating an arbitrary high-quality gravity state in a falling capsule. The task is to do.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a variable gravity generating method according to a first aspect of the present invention uses a linear motor for a capsule that drops along a predetermined drop path. The capsule is characterized in that the capsule is dropped at an arbitrary acceleration by inputting a thrust force along the falling direction.

In the present invention, since the thrust force along the falling direction is input to the falling capsule by the linear motor, the braking force or acceleration force along the falling path is input to the capsule in a non-contact state. Thus, the falling speed and the acceleration of the capsule are controlled. Also, by controlling the thrust to the capsule by the linear motor, it becomes possible to finely control the falling speed of the capsule,
An arbitrary size gravitational state occurs in the capsule.

For example, for a capsule in free fall,
By directing the direction of the above thrust in the direction opposite to the falling direction of the capsule, 0 G (weightless) and 1 G
(Gravity on the ground) An arbitrary gravitational state is generated, and by directing the direction of the thrust in the same direction as the falling direction of the capsule, 1 G (gravity on the ground) is generated in the capsule. A large arbitrary weighting condition occurs.

Next, in the variable gravity generator according to the second aspect of the present invention, a guide member for guiding the capsule along a predetermined drop path and a thrust force along the drop path for the falling capsule are input. Capable linear motor, position detection sensor that is arranged along the drop path and continuously detects the position of the falling capsule, and obtains the drop velocity of the capsule based on the position of the capsule detected by the position detection sensor. And a controller that controls the thrust force of the linear motor based on the obtained drop velocity.

In the present invention, the position where the capsule is dropped is detected momentarily by the position detection sensor provided along the drop path, and the current drop velocity is obtained from the position detection value.
Since the drop speed or acceleration of the capsule is feedback-controlled based on the drop speed, the capsule can be surely dropped at the target speed or acceleration.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The variable gravity generator of the present embodiment is configured such that the capsule 1 can move up and down along a predetermined drop path P. First, the structure will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rails 2 are arranged in parallel with the drop path P whose axis is oriented in the vertical direction. The pair of guide rails 2 are arranged symmetrically across the dropping path P to form a guide member. The capsule 1 can be moved up and down along the guide rail 2. Here, each of the guide rails 2 is supported and reinforced by a pillar 3 standing upright along the guide rail 2.

The capsule 1 which can be moved up and down along the guide rail 2 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capsule body 5 located on the drop path P, and the capsule body 5 and the guides. It is composed of a pair of wings 6 that are symmetrically projected toward the rail 2. The capsule body 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape with its axis facing up and down, and the front surface thereof has an opening 5 for inserting and removing the experimental device 9 or the like.
a is formed, and an openable / closable door 5b is attached to the opening 5a. Further, a device installation table 8 is provided in the capsule body 5 via a cushioning material 7, and various experimental devices 9 and samples can be installed on the device installation table 8. The lower end portion 5c of the capsule body 5 is designed to have a substantially hemispherical shape, so that the air resistance at the time of falling is alleviated to some extent.

Each of the pair of blades 6 is made of, for example, a thin aluminum alloy and constitutes a secondary conductor of a linear motor for speed control and braking. A guide roller group 10 composed of three guide rollers is provided at each of the upper and lower positions at the tip of each wing portion 6. Then, the tip end portion of each wing portion 6 engages with the guide rail 2 through the two guide roller groups 10 with a certain gap. As a result, the capsule 1
While being guided by the pair of guide rails 2, it can be reliably moved up and down along the drop path P.

Here, the arrangement of the three guide rollers 10a and 10b forming each of the guide roller groups 10 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 2 is sandwiched by two guide rollers 10a from the left and right with a predetermined gap, and another guide roller 10b of the guide rail 2 facing the tip of the wing portion 6 is provided. It is configured to face the surface with a predetermined gap. With this configuration, capsule 1
Can be moved up and down while the lateral movement of the guide rail 2 is restricted to the minimum.

Further, in the present variable gravity generator, as shown in FIG. 1, there are three sections along the guide rail 2 from the bottom, a braking zone A, a variable gravity generation zone B, and a sample mounting zone C. Composed of. The above braking zone A
Sandwiches the upper surface of the gantry 8 installed at a predetermined height position,
It is composed of an upper braking area A1 and a lower emergency stop area A2.

In the braking area A1 and the variable gravity generation zone B, a frame 4 is provided so as to surround the fall path P. The frame 4 extends coaxially with the drop path P. In the emergency stop area A2, the cushioning material 12, which is an emergency stop device, is arranged in the lower portion of the drop path P and can come into contact with the lower portion 5c of the capsule 1.

Further, in the braking area A1, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of stators 13 constituting a linear braking motor are arranged on the inner peripheral side of the frame 4. In the present embodiment, each stator 13 has a double linear induction coil in which two coils face each other with a predetermined gap.
Configure the motor. The two coils facing each other are supported by the frame 4 so that the gap between them does not fall below a predetermined allowable value due to mutual attraction. Here, the gap between the two coils is set to a distance that allows the wings 6 of the capsule 1 to pass in a non-contact state.

Here, the stator 13 generates a magnetic field according to the power supplied from the power supply device 14, and the power supply device 14 fixes the power supply amount according to the command from the controller 15 to the fixed amount. Supply to the child 13. Similarly, in the variable gravity generation zone B, as shown in FIG. 3, on the inner peripheral side of the frame 4, a pair of stators 17 constituting a linear motor for speed control constitute the linear motor for braking. It is arranged coaxially with the pair of stators 13. Each of the stators 17 has two coils facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween to form a double linear induction motor. The two coils facing each other are supported by the frame 4 so that the gap between them does not fall below a predetermined allowable value due to the attraction force of each other, and are stacked along the drop path P. Here, the gap between the two coils is set to a distance that allows the wings 6 of the capsule 1 to pass in a non-contact state.

Here, the stator 17 also generates a magnetic field according to the power supplied from the power supply device 14, and the power supply device 14 fixes the power supply amount according to a command from the controller 15 to the fixed amount. Supply to the child. In addition, in the braking area A1 and the variable gravity generation zone B, as shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the position detection sensor 18 is arranged in a state of being supported by the frame 4, and the position of the falling capsule 1 can be continuously detected and supplied to the controller 15. That is, the position detection sensor 18 is vertically extended along the drop path P and can face the wing portion 6 of the falling capsule 1 with a predetermined gap. Then, the respective sensor parts of the position detection sensor 18 are installed along the drop path P at regular intervals, whereby the position detection sensor 18
Continuously detects that the falling capsule 1 has passed the height of each sensor section installation position, and supplies the detection signal to the controller 15.

Further, in the above-mentioned sample mounting zone C, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the release device 19 is arranged. The release device 19 includes a body portion 19 located on the fall path P.
It is composed of a and a pair of protruding portions 19b protruding from the body portion 19a toward the respective guide rails 2 left and right.
Two pairs of guide roller groups 20 each consisting of three guide rollers are provided at the upper and lower positions at the tip of each of the projecting portions 19b. Then, this guide roller group 20
The release device 19 is guided along the guide rail 2 via the guide rail 2 while the lateral movement of the release device 19 is restricted to the minimum, so that the release device 19 can move in the vertical direction on the drop path P. The arrangement configuration of the guide roller group 20 is as follows.
The arrangement is similar to that of the guide roller group 10 of the capsule 1.

The body portion 19a of the release device 19 is also described.
Is hung from a lifting device 21 such as a hoist via a wire 21a. Then, by operating the elevating device 21 to wind up or wind down the wire 21a,
The release device 19 moves up and down. Further, a gripping device 22 which detachably grips the capsule 1 is attached to the body portion 19a. The gripping device 22 is composed of, for example, an electromagnet, and detachably grips the capsule 1 by its magnetic attraction force. Here, a plate 23 made of a magnetic material that is magnetically attached to the electromagnet is attached to the upper surface of the capsule 1.

Further, at a boundary position between the sample mounting zone C and the variable gravity generation zone B, a shutter 24 is provided which can slide the falling path P at the boundary position by sliding in the lateral direction. . An upper work floor 25 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the boundary position. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the controller 15 supplies the position of the capsule 1 that is dropping from the position detection sensor 18 to the speed calculation unit 15a at every moment, and the speed calculation unit 15a uses the supplied position signal as a position signal. Based on this, the current drop position of the capsule 1 is recognized, the actual drop speed is calculated, and the current drop position and drop speed are supplied to the speed comparison unit 15c. In the speed comparison unit 15c, the set speed corresponding to the current fall position is input from the speed setting data unit 15b, the speed deviation between the set speed and the calculated drop speed is calculated, and the speed deviation signal is converted into the conversion unit 15d. Supply to. Converter 15
In d, the speed deviation signal is converted into a power value, and the power amount command value to be supplied to the linear motor corrected by the converted value is supplied to the power supply device 14.

The controller 15 performs the above-mentioned control according to the current drop position of the capsule 1, and supplies the electric power to the stators 13 and 17 of the position control linear motor or the braking linear motor, that is, to the capsule 1. It controls the thrust. Next, a specific operation and the like of the variable gravity generator having the above configuration will be described. First, the shutter 24 is closed, and with the capsule 1 placed on the shutter 24, the target experimental apparatus is installed on the equipment installation table 8 in the capsule body 5. After that, the door 5 of the opening 5a
Close b.

Next, the wire 21a of the elevating device 21 is wound down to bring the release device 19 close to the upper part of the capsule 1, and the gripping device 22 is operated to grip the capsule 1. Further, by winding the wire 21a of the lifting device 21, the capsule 1 is once separated from the shutter 24 and the shutter 24 is opened (see FIG. 1). Next, the lifting device 21
By lowering the wire 21a, the capsule 1 is lowered to the upper position in the variable gravity generation zone B as shown in FIG. That is, the capsule 1 is positioned in the upper portion of the stator 17 of the speed controlling linear motor.

Next, an upward traveling magnetic field corresponding to the total weight of the capsule 1 is generated in the stator 17 of the linear motor for speed control, and the capsule 1 is held by the upward thrust. Next, the grasping of the capsule 1 by the grasping device 22 is released, and the wire 21a of the elevating device 21 is wound up to raise only the release device 19 to the original position. Next, when a downward traveling magnetic field is generated in the speed control linear motor,
Capsule 1 receives the downward thrust,
A fall is started along the fall path P at a target predetermined acceleration.

After that, the advancing magnetic field of the speed controlling linear motor is switched upward, and the acceleration of the capsule 1 is controlled to the target acceleration while braking the falling capsule 1 with the upward thrust. That is, when the position of the falling capsule 1 is continuously detected by the position detection sensor 18 and supplied to the controller 15, the controller 15 detects the position of the falling capsule 1 based on the position signal supplied from the position detection sensor 18. The position and the velocity are calculated, and the advancing velocity and the direction of the magnetic field generated by the linear motor are changed based on the deviation between the velocity and the preset target velocity at the current falling position. As a result, while the thrust force from the linear motor input to the capsule 1 is feedback-controlled based on the position signal from the position detection sensor 18, the capsule 1 is moved with a speed change according to the gravity to be generated in the capsule 1. To fall.

As a result, the capsule 1 falls at the target acceleration over the entire variable gravity generation zone B, and a target arbitrary low gravity state is generated in the capsule 1. At this time, since the falling speed of the capsule 1 is controlled in a non-contact state, it is possible to generate a high-quality target gravity state in the capsule 1. Further, the feedback control of the falling velocity is performed based on the signal from the position detection sensor 18 and the thrust force by the linear motor can be controlled finely and arbitrarily, so that the desired arbitrary gravity that compensates for external resistance such as air resistance can be applied to the capsule 1. Can be reliably generated within.

Then, when the controller 15 detects that the capsule 1 has entered the braking area A1 based on the signal from the position detection sensor 18, it generates an upward traveling magnetic field in the stator 13 of the braking linear motor. Then, the speed of the capsule 1 is gradually reduced, and the capsule 1 is stopped within the braking area. Then, the capsule 1 is placed as it is on the cushioning material 12 in the emergency stop area A2. As a result, it is possible to stop the experimental device mounted in the capsule 1 in a state where an excessive impact during braking is not input.

Next, in order to recover the capsule 1, after stopping the supply of electric power to the stators 17 and 13 of the linear motor, the elevating device 21 is operated to wind down the wire 21a and guide the release device 19. While being guided by the rail 2, it is lowered along the falling path P. Then, the release device 19 is brought close to the upper part of the capsule 1 and the gripping device 22 is operated to grip the capsule 1.

Then, the wire 21a is wound up,
The capsule 1 is raised along with the release device 19 along the drop path P to the sample mounting zone C, and then the shutter 2
4 is closed, and the capsule 1 is placed on the shutter 24. This completes the collection of the capsule 1. Further, the above operation is repeated without changing the test body or the like in the capsule 1.

In the above embodiment, the linear motor stator 1 is based on the signal from the position detection sensor 18.
Although the amount of power supplied to 3, 17 is controlled to control the thrust of the capsule 1 by the linear motor, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, without using the position detection sensor 18, a change in the power supply amount for dropping the capsule 1 at a predetermined constant acceleration is obtained in advance by a preliminary experiment or the like, and the change to the stator 17 based on the change is obtained in advance. The capsule 1 may be dropped at a constant acceleration by changing the power supply amount.

Further, the arbitrary gravity generation zone B is controlled so that the acceleration of the falling capsule 1 is changed along the fall, and the gravity state generated in the falling capsule 1 is controlled. You may make it change with a fall. Alternatively, the downward thrust force of the speed control linear motor may be set to a large value so that a gravity force state, which is a gravity state larger than 1 G, is generated in the falling capsule 1.

Further, in the above embodiment, the speed of the capsule 1 is controlled based on the signal from the position detection sensor 18, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the acceleration generated in the capsule 1 may be calculated based on the signal from the position detection sensor 18, and the thrust of the linear motor may be controlled so that the acceleration becomes the target acceleration.

In the above embodiment, the target gravity state is generated in the capsule 1 from the upper end of the variable gravity generation zone B, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a target gravity state may be generated in the capsule 1 by controlling the speed or acceleration of the capsule 1 by applying a thrust force from a linear motor in the middle of the free-falling capsule 1. However, in this case, the fall distance of the capsule 1 in the target gravity state becomes short.

In the above embodiment, the release device 19 collects the capsule 1. However, the thrust of the linear motor for speed control and the linear motor for braking causes the capsule 1 to float and rise to collect the capsule 1. You may do it.

[0039]

As described above, in the variable gravity generator of the present invention, the thrust is input to the falling capsule in a non-contact state, so that a high-quality gravity state can be generated. In addition, since the linear motor can generate a thrust of arbitrary magnitude finely upward and downward along the drop path,
There is an effect that not only an arbitrary low gravity between 0 G (weightlessness) and 1 G (ground gravity) but also a weighted state can be generated and the gravity state can be finely changed along the fall.

In particular, in the invention described in claim 2, the position detection sensor performs feedback control of the dropping speed or acceleration of the capsule, so that the desired gravitational state can be reliably generated in the falling capsule. There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a variable gravity generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state before a capsule is dropped.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the capsule according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing the variable gravity generator according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the variable gravity generator according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state immediately before the start of dropping the capsule.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing the variable gravity generator according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state after the capsule has been dropped.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional variable gravity generator.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional variable gravity generator.

[Explanation of Codes] A Braking Zone B Variable Gravity Generation Zone C Sample Loading Zone P Drop Path 1 Capsule 2 Guide Rail (Guide Member) 5 Capsule Body 6 Wing (Secondary Conductor) 13 Stator of Linear Motor for Braking 14 Power supply device 15 Controller 17 Stator of linear motor for speed control 18 Position detection sensor 19 Release device 21 Lifting device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A variable, characterized in that a capsule is dropped along a predetermined drop path, and a thrust force along the drop direction of the capsule is input by a linear motor to drop the capsule at an arbitrary acceleration. Gravity generation method. 2. A guide member for guiding the capsule along a predetermined drop path, a linear motor capable of inputting a thrust force along the drop path to the falling capsule, and a linear motor disposed along the drop path. A position detection sensor that continuously detects the position of the falling capsule, and a controller that calculates the drop speed of the capsule based on the position of the capsule detected by the position detection sensor and controls the thrust by the linear motor based on the calculated drop speed. And a variable gravity generator.