Rocket tank liquid level determination, and associated systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12313025-B2
Application number	US-201916351405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2019
Priority date	Mar 12, 2018
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

Rocket tank liquid level determination, and associated systems and methods. A representative system includes a computer-readable medium having instructions that, when executed, receive an image corresponding to a view of the liquid in the rocket tank, identify an edge between the liquid and a wall of the tank, and, based on at least one of a size, shape, location, or orientation of the edge, estimate a level of the liquid in the tank. In addition to or in lieu of determining the liquid level, the system can determine a characteristic of a sloshing motion of the liquid in the tank, and, based at least on the characteristic of the sloshing motion, direct operation of a forcing element that imparts a force to the rocket to at least partially counteract a force placed on the rocket by the sloshing motion of the liquid in the tank.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for detecting a level of a liquid in a rocket tank, comprising:
a computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed:
receive an image corresponding at least in part to a view of the liquid in the rocket tank;
identify an edge between the liquid and a wall of the rocket tank based at least in part on a detected difference in color between the liquid and the wall of the rocket tank in the image;
based on at least one of a size, shape, location, or orientation of the edge, estimate a characteristic of a sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank; and
based on the characteristic of the sloshing motion, causing a command to be sent to a rocket guidance system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image is in a visible spectrum.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable medium contains instructions that, when executed, estimate a volume of the liquid in the rocket tank, based at least in part on the level of the liquid in the rocket tank.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid is a rocket propellant.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid includes rocket propellant, and wherein the computer-readable medium contains instructions that, when executed, change a thrust level of a rocket engine receiving the rocket propellant based at least in part on an input corresponding to the level of the liquid in the rocket tank.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the instructions shut down the rocket engine.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an image sensor operably coupled to the computer-readable medium to provide the image.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable medium contains instructions that, when executed:
direct operation of a forcing element based in part on the command, the forcing element to impart a force on a rocket having the rocket tank to at least partially counteract a force placed on the rocket by the sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank.

9. A system for controlling a rocket in flight, comprising:
a computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed:
receive an image corresponding at least in part to a view of a liquid in a rocket tank;
based at least in part on the image, determine a characteristic of a sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank; and
based at least in part on the characteristic of the sloshing motion, direct operation of a forcing element that imparts a force on the rocket to at least partially counteract a force placed on the rocket by the sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein directing operation of a forcing element includes directing movement of a thrust vectoring engine carried by the rocket.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein directing operation of a forcing element includes directing a movement of an aerodynamic surface carried by the rocket.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein determining a characteristic of the sloshing motion includes determining a frequency of the sloshing motion.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein determining a characteristic of the sloshing motion includes determining an amplitude of the sloshing motion.

14. A rocket system, comprising:
a rocket tank;
an image sensor positioned to access an interior of the rocket tank and image an edge between a liquid in the rocket tank and a wall of the rocket tank; and
a processor operatively coupled to the image sensor and containing machine-readable instructions that, when executed:
estimate a level of the liquid in the rocket tank based on at least one of a size, shape, location, or orientation of the edge;
determine a characteristic of a sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank, based at least in part on the image; and
based at least in part on the characteristic of the sloshing motion, direct operation of a forcing element that imparts a force to a rocket having the rocket tank to at least partially counteract a force placed on the rocket by the sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank.

15. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the image sensor is a visible spectrum image sensor.

16. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, identify the edge based at least in part on a detected difference in color between the liquid and the wall of the rocket tank.

17. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, estimate a volume of the liquid in the rocket tank, based at least in part on the level of the liquid in the rocket tank.

18. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the rocket tank is a propellant tank.

19. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the rocket tank is a propellant tank, and wherein the rocket system further comprises a rocket engine coupled to the propellant tank, and wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed, change a thrust level of the rocket engine based at least in part on an input corresponding to the estimated level of the liquid in the rocket tank.

20. The rocket system of claim 19 , wherein the machine-readable instructions shut down the rocket engine.

21. The rocket system of claim 14 , wherein the characteristic includes an amplitude or frequency of waves of the liquid in the tank.

22. A rocket system, comprising:
a rocket tank;
an image sensor positioned to access an interior of the rocket tank and image an edge between a liquid in the rocket tank and a wall of the rocket tank; and
a processor operatively coupled to the image sensor and programmed with instructions that, when executed:
receive image data from the image sensor;
determine a characteristic of a sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank based at least in part on the image data, wherein the characteristic includes an amplitude or a frequency of the sloshing motion; and
based at least in part on the characteristic of the sloshing motion, direct operation of a forcing element that imparts a force to a rocket having the rocket tank to at least partially counteract a force placed on the rocket by the sloshing motion of the liquid in the rocket tank.

23. The rocket system of claim 22 , wherein the rocket tank includes no baffles.

24. The rocket system of claim 22 , wherein the rocket tank includes a baffle.

25. The rocket system of claim 22 , wherein the rocket tank is a propellant tank.

26. The rocket system of claim 22 , further comprising the forcing element, and wherein the forcing element includes an aerodynamic surface.

27. The rocket system of claim 22 , further comprising the forcing element, and wherein the forcing element includes a thrust vectoring engine.

28. The system of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic includes an amplitude or frequency of waves of the liquid in the tank.

Assignees

• Blue Origin Mfg Llc

Inventors

• Boelitz Frederick W
• Jones Richard D

Classifications

• B64G1/402

  Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants · CPC title

• B64G1/4021

  Tank construction; Details thereof · CPC title

• G01F22/00

  Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01F23/802

  Particular electronic circuits for digital processing equipment · CPC title

• F02K9/605 Primary

  Reservoirs · CPC title