Vibratory burrowing probe for investigating subsurface regions of granular media in IG and low/micro gravity conditions
AssigneesUniversity of Manitoba, Polyvalor, Limited Partnership
InventorsPooneh Maghoul, Mahdi Alaei Varnosfaderani, Nan Wu
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Abstract
A compact vibratory burrowing probe, particularly beneficial in low gravity space exploration environments, uses lateral or stirring-like vibrations to fluidize a surrounding regolith, thereby decreasing the penetration resistance, and compensating for the light overhead weight to improve the burrowing action of the probe into the surface of the terrain of explored moons, planets, or asteroids. Included is a novel vibratory mechanism capable of imparting the novel lateral or stirring vibration, as well as a more conventionally oriented longitudinal vibration.
Claims20
A vibratory burrowing probe device for probing subsurface regions within a granular medium, said device comprising:
- a probe having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- included on said probe:
- a probe tip that is shaped for penetration thereof through the granular medium in an axial direction denoted by said longitudinal axis of the probe;
- and
- a vibratory mechanism that is operable, in at least one mode of operation, to impart non-longitudinal vibration to the probe tip such that at least a partial component direction of said non-longitudinal vibration has a transversely oriented relationship to said longitudinal axis;
- wherein said vibratory mechanism comprises a plurality of actuators distributed discretely of one another around the longitudinal axis of the probe, and said vibratory mechanism is operable, in said at least one mode of operation, to drive at least a first subset of said actuators asynchronously of at least a second subset of said actuators to impart said component direction of transversely oriented relationship to said longitudinal axis.
A vibratory burrowing probe device for probing subsurface regions within a granular medium, said probe comprising:
- a probe having a longitudinal axis;
- and
- included on said probe:
- a probe tip that is shaped for penetration thereof through the granular medium in an axial direction denoted by said longitudinal axis of the probe;
- and
- a vibratory mechanism that is operable to impart vibration to the probe tip;
- wherein said vibratory mechanism comprises a plurality of actuators distributed discretely of one another around the longitudinal axis of the probe, and said vibratory mechanism is operable, in at least one mode of operation, to drive at least a first subset of said actuators asynchronously of at least a second subset of said actuators to impart at least a partial component direction of the vibration that is of transversely oriented relationship to said longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.