Automatic charging method and system for underwater robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic charging method and system for an underwater robot, wherein the method comprises step S1: the underwater robot searches for a charging base inside a water pipeline and drives to a preset position of the charging base; step S2: the robot charging control system starts a telescopic electric cylinder, extends a robot charging column, and docks a robot communication disk with a base communication disk; step S3: wakes up the charging base after docking, and exchanges preliminary information; step S4: the underwater robot determines whether charging is allowed; step S5: the charging base and the underwater robot perform limit switch signal docking; step S6: the charging base and the underwater robot perform wireless charging, and exchange state information and task information; step S7: when the charging base receives the underwater robot's exit charging information, the charging base stops charging and enters a dormant state, and at the same time, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder, retracts the robot charging column, and then automatically leaves to continue to complete the received task information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater robot charging and communication, and in particular to an underwater robot automatic charging method and system. Background Art

[0002] At present, my country's per capita water resources are about 2200m 3 , less than one-third of the world's per capita water resources. With the development of my country's economy and the general increase in population, the contradiction between water supply and demand is becoming increasingly severe. Water conservancy projects are important projects in today's society. They are of great significance to my country's solution to natural disasters such as flood control, as well as to improving people's lives and promoting economic production development by regulating water volume. Water pipelines are an important part of hydraulic structures. Both the pressure pipelines of power stations and water diversion pipelines are indispensable in water conservancy projects. The number of pipelines required in water conservancy projects is large, accounting for a large proportion of investment. They are widely used in agricultural irrigation, hydropower generation, urban water supply and drainage, and air defense reservoirs. Pressure pipelines can be divided into three categories according to the layout method: open water pipes, buried water pipes, and backfill water pipes. Pressure pipelines are divided into steel pipes, wooden pipes, and reinforced concrete pipes according to the type of materials used. Due to the advantages of high strength and good anti-seepage performance of steel, most of the pressure water pipes of large and medium-sized hydropower stations are currently made of steel pipes, usually called pressure steel pipes. The working environment of most water pipelines is very harsh. During long-distance transportation, pipeline leakage and water pollution often occur due to temperature changes, uneven foundation settlement, external loads, pipeline aging and corrosion, resulting in serious waste of water resources. Therefore, internal pipeline inspection has become an important task to protect people's livelihood and economy.

[0003] However, due to the harsh and dangerous underwater environment and the limited diving depth of humans, underwater robots have become important underwater operation tools. Underwater robots can help humans complete many tasks. Unlike other environments, due to the darkness in the pipeline, the robot cannot automatically replenish power through solar energy. It can only repeatedly reach the preset opening to replenish power with human help, or carry cables to replenish power by itself. Human help increases manpower input and affects work efficiency, while relying on cables affects the working distance and is more troublesome to recover. Moreover, the above two methods cannot cope with long-distance closed patrol inspection operations in large pipelines. The main reasons are as follows:

[0004] First, in a large, long-distance closed pipe, the distance between each preset opening is too far, and the energy of the underwater robot cannot sustain its movement over such a long distance.

[0005] Second, in large, long-distance closed pipelines, using a carrying cable will cause the cable to be too long and waste energy, which is not conducive to the movement of underwater robots.

[0006] In addition to the problem of energy replenishment, underwater robots also have a communication problem. Existing pipeline inspection robots are unable to effectively conduct wireless, wired, Bluetooth and other communications during long-distance closed inspections, so ground staff are unable to timely understand the status of the inside of the pipeline and the status of the underwater robot itself. Summary of the invention

[0007] The first purpose of the present invention is to propose an automatic charging method for an underwater robot, which is applied to the automatic charging system of the underwater robot. Based on the characteristic that the magnetism of the electromagnet is not affected by water, a charging interactive control circuit is designed to solve the energy replenishment and communication problems of the underwater robot in a large and long-distance closed pipeline mentioned in the background technology.

[0008] The second purpose of the present invention is to eliminate an automatic charging system for an underwater robot.

[0009] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0010] An underwater robot automatic charging method is applied to an underwater robot automatic charging system, wherein the underwater robot automatic charging system comprises a charging base, an underwater robot and a water pipeline;

[0011] A main magnetic stripe road and a branch magnetic stripe road are arranged inside the water pipeline, the charging base is arranged on the branch magnetic stripe road, a magnetic stripe identifier is arranged at the bottom of the underwater robot, the underwater robot identifies the main magnetic stripe road and the branch magnetic stripe road through the magnetic stripe identifier, and moves inside the water pipeline;

[0012] The charging base is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot to the base station;

[0013] The underwater robot is used to complete preset tasks and exchange information with the charging base through magnetic induction;

[0014] The wireless charging method adopted by the charging base and the underwater robot is electromagnetic induction charging;

[0015] The method comprises the following steps:

[0016] Step S1: the underwater robot searches for a charging base inside the water pipeline and drives to a preset position of the charging base;

[0017] Step S2: After the underwater robot reaches the preset position, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to extend the robot charging column so that the robot communication disk is docked with the base communication disk;

[0018] Step S3: After docking, the underwater robot wakes up the charging base, and the charging base and the underwater robot exchange preliminary information; wherein the information of the charging base includes the charging information and the ready state of the charging base;

[0019] Step S4: After receiving the preliminary information from the charging base, the underwater robot determines whether charging is allowed. If so, the first operation is performed; if not, the second operation is performed;

[0020] The first operation is to feed back the charging continuation information to the charging base and execute step S5;

[0021] Second operation: Feedback the charging exit information to the charging base and execute step S1;

[0022] Step S5: After receiving the feedback information of continuing charging, the charging base sends a limit switch signal to the underwater robot for docking;

[0023] Step S6: When the docking limit switch signal is valid, the charging base and the underwater robot perform wireless charging, and exchange status information and task information during the wireless charging process;

[0024] Step S7: When the charging base receives the underwater robot's exit charging information, the charging base stops charging and enters a dormant state. At the same time, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to retract the robot charging column, and then automatically leaves to continue to complete the received task information.

[0025] Preferably, in step S1, the following steps are included:

[0026] Step S101: the underwater robot travels along a preset magnetic stripe main road in the water pipeline through a magnetic stripe identifier. When the underwater robot detects a magnetic stripe branch on the magnetic stripe main road during normal travel, it is prompted that a charging base is set on the magnetic stripe branch road;

[0027] Step S102: The underwater robot detects its own power level and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, it transfers from the magnetic stripe main road to the magnetic stripe branch road and drives to the location of the charging base; if not, it continues to drive along the magnetic stripe main road.

[0028] Preferably, in step S2, the following steps are included:

[0029] Step S201: the underwater robot uses a signal to trigger an external interrupt of the charging base, the charging base wakes up in the external interrupt, and checks its own status in the external interrupt service program;

[0030] Step 202: The charging base detects the busy signal of the underwater robot. If the underwater robot is not busy, the charging base transmits the charging information and the ready state to the underwater robot via a data packet; wherein the data packet includes a start byte, N data bytes and an end byte.

[0031] Preferably, in step 5, the step of disconnecting the limit switch signal is also included:

[0032] Step S501: When the charging base and the underwater robot are wirelessly charged, and the underwater robot detects that the limit switch signal is disconnected, the underwater robot automatically cuts off the charging and accumulates the number of faults by 1;

[0033] Step S502: the underwater robot detects its own charged amount and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether the charged amount is lower than the set value for recharging. If so, it feeds back the information of continuing charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes steps S5-S7; if not, it feeds back the information of quitting charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes step S7; wherein the cause of the abnormal operation includes abnormal voltage, current and temperature;

[0034] Step S503: When the accumulated number of faults of the underwater robot exceeds the set value of the alarm number, the underwater robot stops charging from the charging base, and detects its own charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, the underwater robot feeds back the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and stays where it is, waiting for rescue by staff; if not, the underwater robot feeds back the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and searches for an emergency exit of the water pipeline;

[0035] Step S504: After receiving the charged amount and fault information, the charging base sends the charged amount and fault information to the base station, and stops charging and enters a dormant state.

[0036] An underwater robot automatic charging system, the underwater robot automatic charging system comprising a charging base, an underwater robot and a water pipeline;

[0037] A main magnetic stripe road and a branch magnetic stripe road are arranged inside the water pipeline, the charging base is arranged on the branch magnetic stripe road, a magnetic stripe identifier is arranged at the bottom of the underwater robot, the underwater robot identifies the main magnetic stripe road and the branch magnetic stripe road through the magnetic stripe identifier, and moves inside the water pipeline;

[0038] The charging base is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot to the base station;

[0039] The underwater robot is used to complete preset tasks and realize information interaction through the wireless charging process with the charging base;

[0040] The wireless charging method adopted by the charging base and the underwater robot is electromagnetic induction charging.

[0041] Preferably, the charging base includes a first electromagnet and a second Hall sensor, the underwater robot includes a second electromagnet and a first Hall sensor, the first electromagnet and the first Hall sensor are matched to achieve signal transmission, and the second Hall sensor and the second electromagnet are matched to achieve signal transmission.

[0042] Preferably, the charging base further comprises a charging base column, a base communication disk, a base charging control system and a communication and charging cable, wherein the base communication disk is arranged on the upper cylindrical surface of the charging base column, the base charging control system is arranged inside the charging base column, and the communication and charging cable is arranged at the bottom of the charging base column, the communication and charging cable is used to realize communication with a base station and provide power, and the base communication disk and the base charging control system are electrically connected to the communication and charging cable respectively;

[0043] The base communication disk includes a limit sensor, a base charging coil and a base disk body, the base disk body is in a disc shape, a base center circular hole with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the base disk body, a first annular flange and a second annular flange are protrudingly provided on the same disk surface of the base disk body, the first annular flange is protrudingly provided around the edge of the base center circular hole, and the diameter of the second annular flange is larger than the diameter of the first annular flange and smaller than the outer diameter of the base disk body;

[0044] The limit sensor is fixedly arranged on the central circular hole of the base, the base charging coil is coiled between the first annular flange and the second annular flange, and the first electromagnet and the second Hall sensor are evenly distributed between the second annular flange and the outer diameter of the base plate.

[0045] Preferably, it also includes a limit spring, and the upper cylindrical surface of the charging base column is provided with a mounting hole, the diameter of the mounting hole is larger than the diameter of the base plate body, one end of the limit spring is connected to the inner wall of the mounting hole, and the other end of the limit spring is connected to the outer wall of the base plate body, and the base plate body is installed in the mounting hole through the limit spring.

[0046] Preferably, the underwater robot comprises a robot body, a robot communication box and a robot charging control system, wherein the robot charging control system is arranged inside the robot body, the robot communication box is arranged behind the robot body, a robot charging column and a telescopic electric cylinder are arranged inside the robot communication box, the telescopic electric cylinder controls the robot charging column to perform reciprocating telescopic motion in the up and down directions, and a robot communication disk is arranged on the lower cylindrical surface of the robot charging column; the robot communication disk comprises a limit switch, a robot charging coil and a robot disk body, the robot disk body is in the shape of a disk, a robot center circular hole with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the robot disk body, a third annular flange and a fourth annular flange are protrudingly arranged on the same disk surface of the robot disk body, the third annular flange is protrudingly arranged around the edge of the robot center circular hole, the diameter of the fourth annular flange is larger than the diameter of the third annular flange, and smaller than the outer diameter of the robot disk body;

[0047] The limit switch is in the shape of a rod, the length of the limit switch is 24 mm, the limit switch is passed through the central circular hole of the robot, and the sensing end of the limit switch is conical;

[0048] The robot charging coil is coiled between the third annular flange and the fourth annular flange, and the second electromagnet and the first Hall sensor are evenly distributed between the fourth annular flange and the outer diameter of the robot disc body.

[0049] Preferably, the robot body comprises a waterproof shell and a frame, the waterproof shell and the frame form a waterproof space, and the robot charging control system is installed in the waterproof space;

[0050] A set of crawler walking mechanism is installed on each side of the frame, and the crawler walking mechanism includes an active crawler wheel, a passive crawler wheel, a crawler and a propeller. The crawler is set on the outside of the active crawler wheel and the passive crawler wheel, and the propeller is used to drive the active crawler wheel to rotate.

[0051] One of the above technical solutions has the following beneficial effects:

[0052] (1) The underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention is mainly used inside large-scale long-distance water pipelines. The charging base is reasonably arranged in the pipeline, and can wirelessly charge and communicate with the underwater robot in the pipeline. The underwater robot automatic charging method of the present invention is specifically that when the underwater robot determines that its own power is insufficient, it will automatically search for a nearby charging base, and according to the driving trajectory planning in the pipeline, it will automatically arrive in front of the charging base for docking. After the docking is completed, the two parties exchange information, and after confirming that there is no abnormality, charging begins; when the underwater robot is fully charged, the charging base stops charging and enters a dormant state, and the underwater robot automatically leaves and continues to complete the received task information.

[0053] (2) The present invention not only solves the problem of internal communication in large-scale, long-distance closed water pipelines, but also mainly adopts an interactive circuit solution based on electromagnets to avoid the situation where the wireless charging is not able to be determined due to the lack of communication, and the surrounding environment is unable to determine whether it affects the normal operation of the interactive process, thereby ensuring the stability of the two states and achieving safe and stable charging. It is convenient for personnel outside the pipeline to obtain the status of the pipeline and the working status of the robot itself in a timely manner; it also solves the problem of charging in large-scale, long-distance closed water pipelines, and mainly adopts a simple and convenient wireless charging method. The underwater robot can automatically charge by judging its own power, reducing the manpower and material resources required for charging the recovery robot, and enabling the robot to complete the task more efficiently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the automatic charging method of the underwater robot of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the automatic charging system for an underwater robot of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the automatic charging system for an underwater robot of the present invention;

[0057] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the charging base of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 5 1 is a top view schematic diagram of a charging base of an underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of AA;

[0060] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a base communication disk of an underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an underwater robot (with a hidden base communication box and a waterproof shell) of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0062] Fig. 9 It is a top view schematic diagram of an underwater robot (with a base communication box and a waterproof housing hidden) of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0063] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 Schematic cross-section of the middle BB;

[0064] Fig.11 is a front view schematic diagram of an underwater robot of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention;

[0065] Fig.12 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the robot communication disk of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention; in the figure: a charging base 1, a first electromagnet 11, a second Hall sensor 12, a charging base column 13, a mounting hole 131, a base communication disk 14, a limit sensor 141, a base charging coil 142, a base disk body 143, a base center circular hole 1431, a first annular flange 1432, a second annular flange 1433, a base charging control system 15, a communication and charging cable 16, a limit spring 17, an underwater robot 2, a magnetic stripe identifier 20, a second electromagnet 21, a first A Hall sensor 22, a robot body 23, a waterproof shell 230, a frame 231, an active track wheel 232, a passive track wheel 233, a track 234, a thruster 235, a robot communication box 24, a robot charging column 241, a telescopic electric cylinder 242, a robot charging control system 25, a robot communication disk 26, a limit switch 261, a robot charging coil 262, a robot disk 263, a robot center hole 2631, a third annular flange 2632, a fourth annular flange 2633, a water supply pipeline 3, a magnetic stripe main circuit 31, and a magnetic stripe branch circuit 32. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0067] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0068] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0069] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, an underwater robot automatic charging method is applied to an underwater robot automatic charging system, wherein the underwater robot automatic charging system comprises a charging base 1, an underwater robot 2 and a water pipeline 3;

[0071] The water pipeline 3 is provided with a main magnetic stripe path 31 and a branch magnetic stripe path 32, the charging base 1 is provided on the branch magnetic stripe path 32, and the bottom of the underwater robot 2 is provided with a magnetic stripe identifier 20. The underwater robot 2 identifies the main magnetic stripe path 31 and the branch magnetic stripe path 32 through the magnetic stripe identifier 20, and moves inside the water pipeline 3;

[0072] The charging base 1 is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot 2 and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot 2 to the base station;

[0073] The underwater robot 2 is used to complete a preset task and to exchange information with the charging base 1 by means of magnetic induction; the method comprises the following steps:

[0074] Step S1: the underwater robot 2 searches for the charging base 1 inside the water pipe 3 and drives to a preset position of the charging base 2;

[0075] Step S2: After the underwater robot reaches the preset position, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to extend the robot charging column so that the robot communication disk is docked with the base communication disk;

[0076] Step S3: After docking, the underwater robot 2 wakes up the charging base 1, and the charging base 1 exchanges preliminary information with the underwater robot 2; wherein the information of the charging base 2 includes the charging information and the ready state of the charging base 1;

[0077] Step S4: After receiving the preliminary information from the charging base 1, the underwater robot 2 determines whether charging is allowed. If so, the first operation is performed; if not, the second operation is performed;

[0078] The first operation is to feed back the charging continuation information to the charging base 1 and execute step S5;

[0079] Second operation: feeding back the charging exit information to the charging base 1 and executing step S1;

[0080] Step S5: After receiving the feedback information of continuing charging, the charging base 1 sends a limit switch signal to the underwater robot 2 for docking;

[0081] Step S6: When the docking limit switch signal is valid, the charging base 1 and the underwater robot 2 perform wireless charging, and exchange state information and task information during the wireless charging process;

[0082] Step S7: When the charging base 1 receives the charging exit information of the underwater robot 2, the charging base 1 stops charging and enters a dormant state. At the same time, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to retract the robot charging column, and then automatically leaves to continue to complete the received task information.

[0083] The underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention is mainly used inside a large-scale long-distance water pipeline 3. The charging base 1 can be wirelessly charged and communicated with the underwater robot 2 in the pipeline by being reasonably arranged in the pipeline. The underwater robot automatic charging method of the present invention is specifically that when the underwater robot 2 determines that its own power is insufficient, it will automatically search for a nearby charging base 1, and according to the driving trajectory planning in the pipeline, it will automatically arrive in front of the charging base 1 for docking. After the docking is completed, the two parties exchange information, and after confirming that there is no abnormality, charging begins; when the underwater robot 2 is fully charged, the charging base 1 stops charging and enters a dormant state, and the underwater robot 2 automatically leaves and continues to complete the received task information.

[0084] The present invention not only solves the problem of internal communication in a large-scale, long-distance closed water pipeline 3, but also mainly adopts an interactive circuit solution based on electromagnets to avoid the situation where the wireless charging is not determined to be successful due to the lack of communication, and the surrounding environment is not able to determine whether it affects the normal operation of the interactive process, thereby ensuring the stability of the two states and achieving safe and stable charging. It can also facilitate personnel outside the pipeline to obtain the status of the pipeline and the working conditions of the robot itself in a timely manner; it also solves the problem of charging in a large-scale, long-distance closed water pipeline 3, and mainly adopts a simple and convenient wireless charging method. The underwater robot can automatically charge by judging its own power, reducing the manpower and material resources required for charging the recovery robot, and enabling the robot to complete the task more efficiently.

[0085] To further illustrate, in step S1, the following steps are included:

[0086] Step S101: The underwater robot travels along the preset magnetic stripe main road 31 in the water pipe 3 through the magnetic stripe identifier 20. When the underwater robot 2 detects the presence of a magnetic stripe branch 32 on the magnetic stripe main road 31 during normal travel, it is prompted that a charging base 1 is provided on the magnetic stripe branch 32;

[0087] Step S102: The underwater robot 2 detects its own power level and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, it transfers from the magnetic stripe main road 31 to the magnetic stripe branch road 32 and drives to the position of the charging base 1; if not, it continues to drive along the magnetic stripe main road 31.

[0088] The biggest difference between the existing technical solutions and the technical solutions of the present invention lies in the different applicable environments. The existing technical solutions are applicable to open underwater environments and can exchange data through wireless, 4G and other communication methods. However, in a closed long-distance underwater pipeline, the existing technical solutions cannot be stably suspended and communicated, and cannot transmit the information of the charging base to the underwater robot. Therefore, in order to overcome the above difficulties, the present invention first controls the forward direction of the underwater robot by laying a magnetic strip in the pipeline. When a branch of the magnetic strip is detected, it means that a charging base is set on the magnetic strip branch 32. The underwater robot then determines whether to charge and then decides whether to drive to the position of the charging base. In addition, the underwater robot recognizes the magnetic strip through the magnetic stripe identifier 20, and can continuously correct the recognition area between the magnetic stripe and the magnetic stripe identifier 20, so that the driving direction of the underwater robot is parallel to the magnetic stripe, ensuring that there is no large deviation between the charging docking position of the underwater robot and the charging base, thereby improving the charging efficiency.

[0089] To further illustrate, in step S2, the following steps are included:

[0090] Step S201: the underwater robot uses a signal to trigger an external interrupt of the charging base, the charging base wakes up in the external interrupt, and checks its own status in the external interrupt service program;

[0091] Step 202: The charging base detects the busy signal of the underwater robot. If the underwater robot is not busy, the charging base transmits the charging information and the ready state to the underwater robot via a data packet; wherein the data packet includes a start byte, N data bytes and an end byte.

[0092] Further explanation, in step 5, the step of disconnecting the limit switch signal is also included:

[0093] Step S501: When the charging base and the underwater robot are wirelessly charged, and the underwater robot detects that the limit switch signal is disconnected, the underwater robot automatically cuts off the charging and accumulates the number of faults by 1;

[0094] Step S502: the underwater robot detects its own charged amount and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether the charged amount is lower than the set value for recharging. If so, it feeds back the information of continuing charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes steps S5-S7; if not, it feeds back the information of quitting charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes step S7; wherein the cause of the abnormal operation includes abnormal voltage, current and temperature;

[0095] Step S503: When the accumulated number of faults of the underwater robot exceeds the set value of the alarm number, the underwater robot stops charging from the charging base, and detects its own charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation are fed back to the charging base, and the underwater robot stays where it is and waits for rescue by the staff; if not, the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation are fed back to the charging base, and the emergency exit of the water pipeline 3 is found;

[0096] Step S504: After receiving the charged amount and fault information, the charging base sends the charged amount and fault information to the base station, and stops charging and enters a dormant state.

[0097] like Figure 2-12 As shown, an underwater robot automatic charging system comprises a charging base 1, an underwater robot 2 and a water pipeline 3;

[0098] The water pipeline 3 is provided with a main magnetic stripe path 31 and a branch magnetic stripe path 32, the charging base is provided on the branch magnetic stripe path 32, and a magnetic stripe identifier 20 is provided at the bottom of the underwater robot. The underwater robot 2 identifies the main magnetic stripe path 31 and the branch magnetic stripe path 32 through the magnetic stripe identifier 20, and moves inside the water pipeline 3;

[0099] The charging base 1 is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot 2 and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot 2 to the base station;

[0100] The underwater robot 2 is used to complete the preset task and exchange information with the charging base 1 by magnetic induction. The underwater automatic charging device of the present invention is mainly used inside a large-scale long-distance water pipeline 3. The charging base can be wirelessly charged and communicated with the underwater robot in the pipeline by reasonably arranging it in the pipeline.

[0101] To further explain, the charging base includes a first electromagnet 11 and a second Hall sensor 12, the underwater robot includes a second electromagnet 21 and a first Hall sensor 22, the first electromagnet 11 and the first Hall sensor 22 are matched to achieve signal transmission, and the second Hall sensor 12 and the second electromagnet 21 are matched to achieve signal transmission.

[0102] The communication method of the underwater robot automatic charging system of the present invention: adopts an electromagnet-based interactive circuit scheme to form a charging interactive control circuit, and realizes signal transmission by matching the first electromagnet 11 with the first Hall sensor 22, the second Hall sensor 12 with the second electromagnet 21. The scheme includes a serial port to parallel port circuit built by 74HC595 to realize multiple interactive channels, such as Figure 7 , 8 As shown, multiple interactive channels include a wake-up channel, a busy detection channel, a data transmission channel, a data shift channel, and an interrupt channel. The charging interactive control circuit realizes data transmission by simulating serial communication. Data transmission working process: The underwater robot / charging base detects whether the charging base / underwater robot is in a busy working state through the busy detection channel. If the charging base / underwater robot is not in a busy working state, then the robot / charging pile transmits data to the charging base / underwater robot through the data transmission channel. The underwater robot / charging base controls the transmission and movement of data one by one through the data shift channel. When a byte of data transmission is completed, the underwater robot / charging base triggers the charging pile / robot through the interrupt channel to realize external interruption, and the charging base / underwater robot completes data reception in the external interrupt program.

[0103] Further explanation, the charging base 1 also includes a charging base column 13, a base communication disk 14, a base charging control system 15 and a communication and charging cable 16, the base communication disk 14 is arranged on the upper cylindrical surface of the charging base column 13, the base charging control system 15 is arranged inside the charging base column 13, and the communication and charging cable 16 is arranged at the bottom of the charging base column 13, the communication and charging cable 16 is used to realize communication with the base station and provide power supply, and the base communication disk 14 and the base charging control system 15 are electrically connected to the communication and charging cable 16 respectively;

[0104] The base communication disk 14 includes a limit sensor 141, a base charging coil 142 and a base disk body 143. The base disk body 143 is in a disc shape. A base center circular hole 1431 with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the base disk body 143. A first annular flange 1432 and a second annular flange 1433 are protrudingly provided on the same disk surface of the base disk body 143. The first annular flange 1432 is protrudingly provided around the edge of the base center circular hole 1431. The diameter of the second annular flange 1433 is larger than the diameter of the first annular flange 1432 and smaller than the outer diameter of the base disk body 143.

[0105] The limit sensor 141 is fixedly arranged on the central circular hole 1431 of the base, the base charging coil 142 is coiled between the first annular flange 1432 and the second annular flange 1433, and the first electromagnet 11 and the second Hall sensor 12 are evenly distributed between the second annular flange 1433 and the outer diameter of the base plate 143.

[0106] Further explanation, it also includes a limit spring 3, the charging base column 13 is provided with a mounting hole 131, the diameter of the mounting hole 131 is larger than the diameter of the base plate 143, one end of the limit spring 3 is connected to the inner wall of the mounting hole 131, and the other end of the limit spring 3 is connected to the outer wall of the base plate 143, and the base plate 143 is installed in the mounting hole 131 through the limit spring 3.

[0107] Further explanation, the underwater robot 2 includes a robot body 23, a robot communication box 24 and a robot charging control system 25, the robot charging control system 25 is arranged inside the robot body 23, the robot communication box 24 is arranged behind the robot body 23, the robot communication box 24 is arranged inside the robot charging column 241 and a telescopic electric cylinder 242, the telescopic electric cylinder 242 controls the robot charging column 241 to make reciprocating telescopic motion along the up and down directions, and the lower cylindrical surface of the robot charging column 241 is provided with a robot communication disk 26; the robot communication disk 26 includes a limit switch 261, a robot charging line A robot ring 262 and a robot disc 263, wherein the robot disc 263 is disc-shaped, and a robot center circular hole 2631 with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the robot disc 263, and a third annular flange 2632 and a fourth annular flange 2633 are protrudingly provided on the same disc surface of the robot disc 263, wherein the third annular flange 2632 is protrudingly provided around the edge of the robot center circular hole 2631, and the diameter of the fourth annular flange 2633 is larger than the diameter of the third annular flange 2632, and smaller than the outer diameter of the robot disc 263;

[0108] The limit switch 261 is in the shape of a rod, the length of the limit switch 261 is 24 mm, the limit switch 261 is inserted into the central circular hole 2631 of the robot, and the sensing end of the limit switch 261 is conical;

[0109] The robot charging coil 262 is coiled between the third annular flange 2632 and the fourth annular flange 2633 , and the second electromagnet 21 and the first Hall sensor 22 are evenly distributed between the fourth annular flange 2633 and the outer diameter of the robot disc 263 .

[0110] Specific charging process: When the underwater robot 2 approaches the charging base 1, and the limit switch 261 passes through the base center hole 1431 and senses the limit sensor 141, the underwater robot 2 stops moving forward. In an ideal state, the cone point of the sensing end of the limit switch 261 should point to the midpoint of the base center hole 1431 and the limit switch 261 just passes through the base center hole 1431, but in actual situations, the charging base 1 will inevitably have some slight positional deviations due to interference, so that the cone point of the sensing end of the limit switch 261 is often not facing the midpoint of the base center hole 1431, then the maximum deviation distance between the cone point of the sensing end of the limit switch 261 and the midpoint of the base center hole 1431 is half of the inner diameter of the base center hole 1431, that is, the deviation range is 0-12.5mm. Since the sensing end of the limit switch 261 is conical, the base plate 143 can freely deviate to various angles under the action of the four limit springs 3. Therefore, in actual situations, within the maximum deviation distance range, the limit switch 261 can still reliably pass through the central circular hole 1431 of the base, improving the alignment of the first electromagnet 11 and the first Hall sensor 22, the second Hall sensor 12 and the second electromagnet 21, and increasing the communication effect. In the non-working state, that is, when the limit switch 261 leaves the central circular hole 1431 of the base, the four limit springs 3 have the function of automatically returning the base plate 143.

[0111] To further illustrate, the robot body 23 includes a waterproof housing 230 and a frame 231, the waterproof housing 230 and the frame 231 form a waterproof space, and the robot charging control system 25 is installed in the waterproof space;

[0112] A set of crawler walking mechanism is installed on both sides of the frame 231, and the crawler walking mechanism includes an active crawler wheel 232, a passive crawler wheel 233, a crawler 234 and a propeller 235. The crawler 234 is mounted on the outside of the active crawler wheel 232 and the passive crawler wheel 233, and the propeller 235 is used to drive the active crawler wheel 232 to rotate.

[0113] In this embodiment, the propeller 235 drives the active track wheel 232 to rotate, and the robot body 23 moves forward through the friction between the track 234 and the ground. The contact area between the track 234 and the ground is large. Under the control of the robot charging control system 25, the robot body 23 can move smoothly on various complex underwater road surfaces.

[0114] The technical principle of the present invention is described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. These descriptions are only for explaining the principle of the present invention and cannot be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way. Based on the explanations herein, those skilled in the art can associate other specific embodiments of the present invention without creative work, and these equivalent variations or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic charging method for an underwater robot, characterized in that: Applicable to an underwater robot automatic charging system, the underwater robot automatic charging system comprising a charging base, an underwater robot and a water pipeline; A main magnetic stripe road and a branch magnetic stripe road are arranged inside the water pipeline, the charging base is arranged on the branch magnetic stripe road, a magnetic stripe identifier is arranged at the bottom of the underwater robot, the underwater robot identifies the main magnetic stripe road and the branch magnetic stripe road through the magnetic stripe identifier, and moves inside the water pipeline; The charging base is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot to the base station; The underwater robot is used to complete preset tasks and exchange information with the charging base through magnetic induction; The method comprises the following steps: Step S1: the underwater robot searches for a charging base inside the water pipeline and drives to a preset position of the charging base; Step S2: After the underwater robot reaches the preset position, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to extend the robot charging column so that the robot communication disk is docked with the base communication disk; Step S3: After docking, the underwater robot wakes up the charging base, and the charging base and the underwater robot exchange preliminary information; wherein the information of the charging base includes the charging information and the ready state of the charging base; Step S4: After receiving the preliminary information from the charging base, the underwater robot determines whether charging is allowed. If so, the first operation is performed; if not, the second operation is performed; The first operation is to feed back the charging continuation information to the charging base and execute step S5; Second operation: Feedback the charging exit information to the charging base and execute step S1; Step S5: After receiving the feedback information to continue charging, the charging base connects with the underwater robot through the limit switch signal; Step S6: When the limit switch signal docking is effective, the charging base and the underwater robot are wirelessly charged, and state information and task information are exchanged during the wireless charging process; Step S7: When the charging base receives the underwater robot's exit charging information, the charging base stops charging and enters a dormant state. At the same time, the robot charging control system starts the telescopic electric cylinder to retract the robot charging column, and then automatically leaves to continue to complete the received task information; In step S1, the following steps are included: Step S101: the underwater robot travels along a preset magnetic stripe main road in the water pipeline through a magnetic stripe identifier. When the underwater robot detects a magnetic stripe branch on the magnetic stripe main road during normal travel, it is prompted that a charging base is set on the magnetic stripe branch road; Step S102: The underwater robot detects its own power level and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, it transfers from the magnetic stripe main road to the magnetic stripe branch road and drives to the location of the charging base; if not, it continues to drive along the magnetic stripe main road.

2. The automatic charging method for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the following steps are included: Step S201: the underwater robot uses a signal to trigger an external interrupt of the charging base, the charging base wakes up in the external interrupt, and checks its own status in the external interrupt service program; Step 202: The charging base detects the busy signal of the underwater robot. If the underwater robot is not busy, the charging base transmits the charging information and the ready state to the underwater robot via a data packet; wherein the data packet includes a start byte, N data bytes and an end byte.

3. The automatic charging method for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 5, the step of disconnecting the limit switch signal is also included: Step S501: When the charging base and the underwater robot are wirelessly charged, and the underwater robot detects that the limit switch signal is disconnected, the underwater robot automatically cuts off the charging and accumulates the number of faults by 1; Step S502: the underwater robot detects its own charged amount and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether the charged amount is lower than the set value for recharging. If so, it feeds back the information of continuing charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes steps S5-S7; if not, it feeds back the information of quitting charging and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and executes step S7; wherein the cause of the abnormal operation includes abnormal voltage, current and temperature; Step S503: When the accumulated number of faults of the underwater robot exceeds the set value of the alarm number, the underwater robot stops charging from the charging base, and detects its own charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation, and determines whether it is lower than the set value required for charging. If so, the underwater robot feeds back the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and stays where it is, waiting for rescue by staff; if not, the underwater robot feeds back the charged capacity and the cause of the abnormal operation to the charging base, and searches for an emergency exit of the water pipeline; Step S504: After receiving the charged amount and fault information, the charging base sends the charged amount and fault information to the base station, and stops charging and enters a dormant state.

4. An automatic charging system for an underwater robot, characterized in that: The underwater robot automatic charging system comprises a charging base, an underwater robot and a water pipeline; A main magnetic stripe road and a branch magnetic stripe road are arranged inside the water pipeline, the charging base is arranged on the branch magnetic stripe road, a magnetic stripe identifier is arranged at the bottom of the underwater robot, the underwater robot identifies the main magnetic stripe road and the branch magnetic stripe road through the magnetic stripe identifier, and moves inside the water pipeline; The charging base is used to wirelessly charge the underwater robot and transmit the observation data obtained by the underwater robot to the base station; The underwater robot is used to complete preset tasks and exchange information with the charging base through magnetic induction; The charging base includes a first electromagnet and a second Hall sensor, the underwater robot includes a second electromagnet and a first Hall sensor, the first electromagnet and the first Hall sensor are matched to achieve signal transmission, and the second Hall sensor and the second electromagnet are matched to achieve signal transmission; The charging base also includes a charging base column, a base communication disk, a base charging control system and a communication and charging cable, wherein the base communication disk is arranged on the upper cylindrical surface of the charging base column, the base charging control system is arranged inside the charging base column, and the communication and charging cable is arranged at the bottom of the charging base column, and the communication and charging cable is used to realize communication with a base station and provide power, and the base communication disk and the base charging control system are electrically connected to the communication and charging cable respectively; The base communication disk includes a limit sensor, a base charging coil and a base disk body, the base disk body is in a disc shape, a base center circular hole with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the base disk body, a first annular flange and a second annular flange are protrudingly provided on the same disk surface of the base disk body, the first annular flange is protrudingly provided around the edge of the base center circular hole, and the diameter of the second annular flange is larger than the diameter of the first annular flange and smaller than the outer diameter of the base disk body; The limit sensor is fixedly arranged on the central circular hole of the base, the base charging coil is coiled between the first annular flange and the second annular flange, and the first electromagnet and the second Hall sensor are evenly distributed between the second annular flange and the outer diameter of the base plate.

5. The automatic charging system for an underwater robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a limit spring. The upper cylindrical surface of the charging base column is provided with a mounting hole. The diameter of the mounting hole is larger than the diameter of the base plate. One end of the limit spring is connected to the inner wall of the mounting hole, and the other end of the limit spring is connected to the outer wall of the base plate. The base plate is installed in the mounting hole through the limit spring.

6. The automatic charging system for an underwater robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: The underwater robot comprises a robot body, a robot communication box and a robot charging control system, wherein the robot charging control system is arranged inside the robot body, the robot communication box is arranged behind the robot body, a robot charging column and a telescopic electric cylinder are arranged inside the robot communication box, the telescopic electric cylinder controls the robot charging column to perform reciprocating telescopic motion in the up and down directions, and a robot communication disk is arranged on the lower cylindrical surface of the robot charging column; The robot communication disk includes a limit switch, a robot charging coil and a robot disk body, the robot disk body is in the shape of a disk, a robot center circular hole with a diameter of 25 mm is opened in the center of the robot disk body, a third annular flange and a fourth annular flange are protrudingly provided on the same disk surface of the robot disk body, the third annular flange is protrudingly provided around the edge of the robot center circular hole, and the diameter of the fourth annular flange is larger than the diameter of the third annular flange and smaller than the outer diameter of the robot disk body; The limit switch is in the shape of a rod, the length of the limit switch is 24 mm, the limit switch is passed through the central circular hole of the robot, and the sensing end of the limit switch is conical; The robot charging coil is coiled between the third annular flange and the fourth annular flange, and the second electromagnet and the first Hall sensor are evenly distributed between the fourth annular flange and the outer diameter of the robot disc body.

7. The automatic charging system for an underwater robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: The robot body comprises a waterproof shell and a frame, the waterproof shell and the frame form a waterproof space, and the robot charging control system is installed in the waterproof space; A set of crawler walking mechanism is installed on each side of the frame, and the crawler walking mechanism includes an active crawler wheel, a passive crawler wheel, a crawler and a propeller. The crawler is set on the outside of the active crawler wheel and the passive crawler wheel, and the propeller is used to drive the active crawler wheel to rotate.

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