Fluid machine and underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12275509-B2
Application number	US-202217702106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2021
Publication date	Apr 15, 2025
Grant date	Apr 15, 2025

Abstract

A fluid machine includes: a shaft portion extending in an axis direction; a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion, and forming a flow path between the shroud and the shaft portion, the flow path having one side in the axis direction serving as an upstream side and another side in the axis direction serving as a downstream side; a first propeller provided rotatably around the axis between the shaft portion and the shroud; a second propeller provided rotatably around the axis between the shaft portion and the shroud on the downstream side of the first propeller; an outer periphery driving motor provided in the shroud and configured to rotationally drive the first propeller; and an inner periphery driving motor provided in the shaft portion and configured to rotationally drive the second propeller in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the first propeller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluid machine comprising:
a shaft portion extending along an axis in an axial direction;
a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion, and forming a flow path between the shroud and the shaft portion, the flow path having one side in the axial direction serving as an upstream side and another side in the axial direction serving as a downstream side;
a first propeller provided rotatably around the axis in the flow path;
a second propeller provided rotatably around the axis on the downstream side of the first propeller in the flow path;
an outer periphery driving motor provided in the shroud and configured to rotationally drive the first propeller;
an inner periphery driving motor provided in the shaft portion and configured to rotationally drive the second propeller; and
a rotor shaft extending along the axis so as to penetrate the first propeller inside the shaft portion, the rotor shaft being rotatable around the axis, an inner circumference portion of the second propeller being fixed to the rotor shaft,
wherein the shaft portion has a shaft front portion and a shaft rear portion, which is disposed on the downstream side of the shaft front portion in the axial direction with a space between the shaft front portion and the shaft rear portion,
wherein the inner periphery driving motor is provided in the shaft front portion on the upstream side of the first propeller and the inner periphery driving motor is configured to rotationally drive the second propeller via the rotor shaft,
wherein the rotor shaft protrudes from the shaft front portion such that an end portion of the rotor shaft on the downstream side is in the space between the shaft front portion and the shaft rear portion, and
wherein the second propeller is fixed to an outside surface of the end portion of the rotor shaft in the space between the shaft front portion and the shaft rear portion.

2. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein rotational directions of the first propeller and the second propeller are opposite to each other.

3. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein the shroud has a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis being of a blade form with an end portion on the upstream side corresponding to a leading edge and an end portion on the downstream side corresponding to a trailing edge.

4. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer periphery driving motor includes a stator fixed to the shroud and a rotor fixed to an outer circumference portion of the first propeller inward in a radial direction of the stator, and
the outer periphery driving motor is a conical motor with the stator and the rotor having a diameter decreasing toward the downstream side.

5. The fluid machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the first propeller rotationally driven by the outer periphery driving motor includes an inner circumference ring fitted with a clearance on an outer circumference side of the shaft portion, and
the fluid machine further comprises a thrust bearing fixed to the shaft portion and facing the upstream side of the inner circumference ring entirely over a circumferential direction, and a strut supporting the shroud with respect to the shaft portion.

6. A fluid machine comprising:
a shaft portion extending along an axis in an axial direction;
a shroud provided to surround the shaft portion, and forming a flow path between the shroud and the shaft portion, the flow path having one side in the axial direction serving as an upstream side and another side in the axial direction serving as a downstream side;
a first propeller provided rotatably around the axis in the flow path;
a second propeller provided rotatably around the axis on the downstream side of the first propeller in the flow path;
an outer periphery driving motor provided in the shroud and configured to rotationally drive one of the first propeller and the second propeller; and
an inner periphery driving motor provided in the shaft portion and configured to rotationally drive one of the first propeller and the second propeller, wherein
the shroud includes a plurality of segments split into a plurality of pieces in the axial direction, and
the fluid machine further comprises a coupling portion configured to couple the plurality of segments in the axial direction.

7. The fluid machine according to claim 6 , wherein
the coupling portion has
a convex curved shape protruding from an outside surface of the shroud, and
a cross-sectional shape along the outside surface of the shroud being of a blade form with the upstream side corresponding to a leading edge and the downstream side corresponding to a trailing edge.

8. The fluid machine according to claim 6 , wherein the outer periphery driving motor is fixed only to the segment on the downstream side out of a pair of the segments adjacent to each other in the axis direction.

9. An underwater vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body; and
a propulsion apparatus provided to the vehicle body, wherein
the propulsion apparatus is the fluid machine according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Senoo Shigeki
• Isobe Shinichi
• Yamada Wataru
• Nishida Takehiko
• Yamada Takuyoshi
• Hosono Kazuki
• Noda Yoshitomo
• Takeda Hiroki
• Sekine Yuichi

Classifications

• B63H21/17 Primary

  by electric motor · CPC title

• B63G8/08

  Propulsion ({schnorkels B63G8/36;} nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12) · CPC title

• B63H5/14

  characterised by being mounted in non-rotating ducts or rings, e.g. adjustable for steering purpose (shrouding ring attached to blades B63H1/16; jet propulsion B63H11/00) · CPC title

• B63H1/28 Primary

  Other means for improving propeller efficiency · CPC title