An autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture

Abstract

The present invention discloses an autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture, which comprises: an upper cabin body located at the top and two lower cabin bodies located at the bottom, all of which are connected by a T-shaped bracket so that the three are parallel to each other and arranged in a herringbone shape; the top of the T-shaped bracket is connected to the upper cabin body, and the two sides of the bottom thereof are respectively connected to the two lower cabin bodies; the upper cabin body comprises a lighting module, a buoyancy adjustment module, a vertical thruster module, an electric control module, and a stern of the upper cabin body connected in sequence from front to back; a video image acquisition module is installed above the T-shaped bracket for shooting water surface or underwater images. The stern of the upper cabin body is towed and connected to a surface communication buoy by a coaxial watertight cable; a variety of sensors are installed on the T-shaped bracket. After diving and landing on the bottom, the "herringbone"-shaped structure can maintain stable support; when the present invention is recovered to land, the "herringbone"-shaped structure does not require a special bracket and can also be stably placed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of aquaculture, and in particular to an autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture. Background Art

[0002] Shallow water aquaculture is the main type of freshwater aquaculture in my country. The aquaculture industry is developing rapidly. Traditional extensive aquaculture has long been unable to meet the needs of modern aquaculture. The aquaculture model is shifting towards modernization, technology, and intelligence. With the development of science and technology and the rise of Internet of Things technology, the aquaculture industry has also made great progress in modern aquaculture monitoring devices, such as surface monitoring unmanned ships and traditional underwater robots. However, surface monitoring unmanned ships can only be used for surface environment monitoring; traditional autonomous underwater robots are not suitable for long-term monitoring of aquatic animals (fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish, etc.). At present, in the field of aquaculture monitoring, there is still a lack of an autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture that can not only move over a large range on the surface or underwater and perform real-time monitoring, but also can perform real-time monitoring at a fixed point on the surface or underwater for a long time. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new type of autonomous underwater robot (AUV) for aquaculture based on the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, which can not only move over a large range on the surface or underwater of a pond for real-time monitoring, but also can perform real-time monitoring at a fixed point for a long time on the surface or bottom of a pond. It has strong adaptability to different types of aquaculture monitoring needs and creates a new model of aquatic animal monitoring equipment in ponds.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture, comprising:

[0005] An upper cabin body located at the top and two lower cabin bodies located at the bottom, all three of which are connected by a T-shaped bracket so that the three are parallel to each other and arranged in a herringbone shape; the top of the T-shaped bracket is connected to the upper cabin body, and the two sides of the bottom thereof are respectively connected to the two lower cabin bodies;

[0006] The upper cabin body comprises a lighting module, a buoyancy adjustment module, a vertical thruster module, an electric control module, and a stern of the upper cabin body which are sequentially connected from front to back; the stern of the upper cabin body is towed and connected to a surface communication buoy through a coaxial watertight cable;

[0007] The two lower cabins include a lower cabin bow, a battery module and a lower cabin stern connected in sequence from front to back; the lower cabin stern is connected to a stern propeller for generating horizontal thrust;

[0008] The video image acquisition module is installed above the T-shaped bracket, and the lighting module is used to provide lighting for the video image acquisition module;

[0009] The T-shaped bracket is also equipped with a CTD sensor, a pH sensor, and an optical dissolved oxygen sensor, and each sensor is connected to the electronic control module; the electronic control module is also electrically connected to the lighting module, the buoyancy adjustment module, the vertical thruster module, the stern thruster, the video image acquisition module, and the surface communication buoy.

[0010] A further improvement of the present invention is that: the T-shaped bracket is connected to the lower cabin body through a throat clamp, and is connected to the upper cabin body through a fixing ring; the density of the two lower cabin bodies is greater than that of water.

[0011] A further improvement of the present invention is that the housing of the video image acquisition module includes a pan-tilt camera and a pan-tilt camera fixing platform.

[0012] A further improvement of the present invention is that the lighting module includes a transparent sealed hemispherical cover, an LED lamp and an LED lamp board, the LED lamp is fixed on the LED lamp board and installed in the transparent sealed hemispherical cover; when the video image acquisition module performs underwater shooting, the lighting module adjusts the lighting brightness according to the diving depth.

[0013] A further improvement of the present invention is that: the buoyancy regulating module comprises a shell, inside which a front cover and a rear cover are arranged; the rear part of the shell is connected to an oil bag compartment shell;

[0014] The front end cover, the rear end cover and the shell are enclosed to form a closed air-filled space, in which a front support plate, a rear support plate and a plurality of support rods connected to the front end cover and the rear end cover at both ends are respectively arranged, and the support rods are used to fix the front support plate and the rear support plate;

[0015] A stepper motor is installed between the front support plate and the front end cover, and the output shaft of the stepper motor passes through the front support plate and is connected to a ball screw through a coupling; the ball screw is located between the front support plate and the rear support plate, and a nut seat is installed on the ball screw, and the nut seat is fixedly connected to the nut of the ball screw; the nut seat is fixedly connected to a guide plate; the guide plate is slidably connected to at least one of the support rods to limit the rotation of the nut and the nut seat; a piston sleeve is also sleeved on the ball screw, and the first end of the piston sleeve is fixedly connected to the nut seat. When the stepper motor rotates, the piston sleeve moves along its axial direction through the transmission of the coupling, the ball screw, the nut and the nut seat;

[0016] The rear end cover is connected to a piston regulating hydraulic cylinder; the first end of the piston regulating hydraulic cylinder is connected to the rear end cover, and the second end thereof is communicated with an oil bag, and a piston is arranged inside the oil bag; the piston sleeve passes through the rear end cover and is connected to the piston, and is used to adjust the position of the piston in the piston regulating hydraulic cylinder; the side of the guide plate is also connected to a displacement sensor, which is used to detect the displacement of the nut seat;

[0017] The oil bag compartment shell is used to accommodate the oil bag, and is provided with a plurality of hollow holes so that the inside and outside of the oil bag compartment shell are connected; when the piston is pushed to inject oil into the oil bag, the oil bag expands, the oil contained in the piston-adjusting hydraulic cylinder becomes less, and the inflation space becomes larger, squeezing water out of the oil bag compartment shell to increase the overall buoyancy of the robot of the present invention; when the piston is pulled to suck the oil in the oil bag into the piston-adjusting hydraulic cylinder, the oil bag contracts, the oil contained in the piston-adjusting hydraulic cylinder becomes more, and the inflation space becomes smaller, and water enters the oil bag compartment shell to reduce the buoyancy.

[0018] A further improvement of the present invention is that the vertical thruster module includes a vertical thruster, a vertical thruster bracket and a vertical thruster housing; the vertical thruster housing is provided with corresponding openings at the top and bottom, a vertical channel is formed on the vertical thruster housing, and the vertical thruster is installed in the vertical channel through the vertical thruster bracket to generate vertical thrust.

[0019] A further improvement of the present invention is that when the autonomous underwater robot floats on the water surface, the buoyancy adjustment module adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is greater than the gravity;

[0020] When the autonomous underwater robot is immersed in water, the buoyancy adjustment module adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is equal to the gravity, and fine-tunes the vertical position of the autonomous underwater robot through the vertical thruster module to keep it suspended at a predetermined depth;

[0021] When the autonomous underwater robot is in a bottom-sitting state, the buoyancy adjustment module adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is less than gravity. At this time, the bottom surfaces of the two lower cabins are in contact with the bottom surface of the water.

[0022] A further improvement of the present invention is that: the electric control module includes a single chip microcomputer and a communication module, the communication module includes a 4G module and a Beidou + GPS positioning module; the battery module is used to provide electrical energy.

[0023] A further improvement of the present invention lies in that: a communication antenna is provided inside the surface communication buoy, and the communication antenna includes a 4G communication antenna and a positioning communication antenna. One end of the coaxial watertight cable is connected to the electronic control module, and the other end passes through the stern of the upper cabin and is connected to the communication antenna inside the surface communication buoy.

[0024] Except for the vertical thruster module and the stern of the lower cabin, the present invention needs to be sealed. Except for the video image acquisition module, the lighting module, the surface communication buoy and the stern of the upper cabin, four threaded holes are provided at the open ends of other cabin sections, and a two-way flange is provided. When adjacent two cabin sections are connected, the two ends of the adjacent cabin sections are respectively sleeved on the two connectors of the two-way flange. Sealing grooves for installing O-ring seals are provided on the circumferential groove walls at both ends of the two-way flange. The lighting module is a transparent sealed hemispherical cover, and the stern of the upper cabin is a sealed hemispherical cover. Six threaded holes are provided on the end faces of the outer shells, and a one-way flange is provided. The lighting module and the stern of the upper cabin are respectively fixed to the end face of the one-way flange by screws. The front end of the buoyancy adjustment module is sleeved on the connector of the one-way flange fixed by the lighting module, and the rear end of the electronic control module is sleeved on the connector of the one-way flange fixed by the stern of the upper cabin. Sealing grooves for installing O-ring seals are also provided on the circumferential groove walls of the one-way flange.

[0025] The device provided by the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0026] 1. The present invention is provided with three independent torpedo-shaped cabins, and the cabins are fixed on the T-shaped bracket by hose clamps and are distributed in a "pin" shape. The upper cabin is mainly the electronic control module and the buoyancy adjustment module, which are light in weight and generate positive buoyancy. The two lower cabins are mainly battery modules, which are heavy in weight and generate negative buoyancy (density greater than water). The overall structure is light on the top and heavy on the bottom, the distance between the center of gravity and the center of buoyancy is far, and the metacentric height is high. When the present invention is in water, due to the high metacentric height, it can maintain a stable attitude and is not easy to roll over; when the present invention dives and sits on the bottom, the "pin" shape structure can maintain stable support; when the present invention is recovered on land, the "pin" shape structure can be stably placed without a special bracket. At the same time, relevant sensors can be carried on the T-shaped bracket according to the operation requirements to obtain samples and information such as the diving depth of the present invention, the temperature, salinity of the pool water, and the water sample of the living environment of aquatic animals.

[0027] 2. The upper cabin of the present invention is provided with a buoyancy adjustment module, which adjusts the buoyancy state of the present invention by changing the volume of the external oil bag. When the piston sucks the oil of the external oil bag into the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder, the volume of the external oil bag is reduced while the overall mass of the present invention remains unchanged, the buoyancy is reduced, and the present invention dives until it lands on the bottom; when the piston discharges the oil in the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder to the external oil bag, the volume of the external oil bag is increased while the overall mass of the present invention remains unchanged, the buoyancy is increased, and the present invention floats until it surfaces. When the present invention floats on the water surface, only the video image acquisition module is exposed above the water surface. When the present invention is in a fixed-point working mode on the surface or fixed-point working mode on the bottom, the main power-consuming propellers and buoyancy adjustment modules stop working and do not consume additional electric energy. The present invention reduces power consumption from high to low, saves electric energy to a great extent, and extends the working time of the present invention, thereby realizing long-term monitoring operations. A vertical thruster is also provided to play the following three roles: first, when the buoyancy adjustment module is used to make the present invention float from the bottom of the water, if the buoyancy generated by the buoyancy adjustment module cannot overcome the adsorption force of the clay on the bottom of the water, the vertical thruster can be used to provide additional buoyancy to make the present invention float successfully; second, after the present invention lands on the bottom, if the monitoring angle is not suitable, the vertical thruster can slightly float the present invention, and cooperate with the stern thruster to adjust to select a suitable monitoring angle, thereby improving the monitoring effect of the present invention on the growth of aquatic animals; third, when the present invention is in the water movement working mode, the buoyancy adjustment module controls the present invention to be in a suspended state, and the vertical thruster cooperates with the stern thruster to work, which can realize the transfer between monitoring points of different water depths and different positions and large-scale mobile monitoring.

[0028] 3. The present invention has four working modes, the first is the surface movement working mode, the second is the surface fixed-point working mode, the third is the underwater movement working mode, and the fourth is the bottom fixed-point working mode. When in the first and second working modes, only the video image acquisition module is exposed to the water surface, which can realize the real-time monitoring of the water surface environment; when in the third and fourth working modes, the video image acquisition module is immersed in water, and the light source is provided by the lighting module, which can realize the real-time monitoring of the growth of aquatic animals. Among them, when in the fourth working mode, the present invention dives to the bottom, the video image acquisition module cabin is at a higher position, and the cabin design is separated from the lighting module, which is conducive to improving the video image acquisition range and clarity, and enhancing the video image effect. In addition, the first and third working modes are large-scale mobile modes. When in these two modes, the propeller works, so it consumes more energy and is only used for transfer between different monitoring points or large-scale mobile monitoring; the second and fourth working modes are fixed-point working modes. When in these two working modes, the propeller does not work, so it consumes less energy and is suitable for long-term fixed-point monitoring.

[0029] 4. The present invention is provided with a surface communication buoy, which is connected with a 4G communication antenna and a positioning communication antenna. One end of a coaxial watertight cable with a micro-positive buoyancy is connected to the communication antenna, and the other end passes through the stern of the upper cabin and is connected to the electric control module. Since the surface communication buoy and the coaxial watertight cable are far away from the stern thruster located in the lower cabin, the coaxial watertight cable can be effectively prevented from being entangled with the stern thruster of the lower cabin whether on the water surface or underwater. The electric control module mainly includes a single-chip microcomputer and a communication module, and the communication module includes a 4G module and a Beidou + GPS positioning communication module. The communication module in the electric control module transmits signals with the host computer through 4G signals, and can realize real-time monitoring and real-time positioning functions. At the same time, under special circumstances, the surface communication buoy can play the role of a positioning beacon. If the buoyancy adjustment module or the electric control module of the present invention fails, causing the present invention to stay underwater for too long and cannot float autonomously, the surface communication buoy can be manually salvaged by observing the positioning of the surface communication buoy by human eyes, reducing the risk of loss of the present invention and reducing the loss of funds in the scientific research process.

[0030] 5. The present invention can complete two pond operation modes, namely: manual operation mode and automatic control mode. The present invention can complete a series of monitoring tasks according to the control commands of the operator, and can also be programmed by the developer to realize autonomous monitoring tasks in the pond according to the operation requirements.

[0031] 6. The present invention adopts modular design, and the connection between each module unit adopts standardized and universal design. The modular design can facilitate the repair and maintenance of each module unit. When a functional module fails, it only needs to be removed separately, and the functional module can be repaired or directly replaced with a new functional module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the present invention,

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the upper cabin,

[0034] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the lower cabin,

[0035] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the video image acquisition module in

[0036] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the lighting module in

[0037] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the buoyancy adjustment module in

[0038] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the vertical thruster module in Figure 1.

[0039] Figure 8 Design block diagram of the electronic control system of the present invention.

[0040] Among them, 1. Video image acquisition module, 2. Bracket, 3. Fixing ring, 4. Upper cabin, 5. T-shaped bracket, 6. Lower cabin, 7. Laryngeal clamp, 8. CTD sensor, 9. pH sensor, 10. Optical dissolved oxygen sensor, 11. Lighting module, 12. Buoyancy adjustment module, 13. Hollow hole, 14. Oil sac compartment shell, 15. Vertical thruster module, 16. Electronic control module, 17. Stern of upper cabin, 18. Coaxial watertight cable, 19. Surface communication buoy, 20. Communication antenna, 21. Bow of lower cabin, 22. Battery module, 23. Stern of lower cabin, 24. Stern thruster. 25. PTZ camera, 26. PTZ camera fixing platform, 27. Transparent sealed hemispherical cover, 28. LED lamp, 29. LED lamp board, 30. One-way flange, 31. O-ring, 32. Front cover, 33. Front support plate, 34. Nut seat, 35. Displacement sensor, 36. Rear support plate, 37. Rear cover, 38. Two-way flange, 39. Oil bag, 40. Piston, 41. Buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder, 42. Piston sleeve, 43. Guide plate, 44. Ball screw, 45. Coupling, 46. Support rod, 47. Stepper motor, 48. Vertical thruster, 49. Vertical thruster bracket, 50. Vertical thruster housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0042] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only used to illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner, and thus the illustrations only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0043] While some exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described for the purpose of illustration, it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in other ways not specifically shown in the drawings.

[0044] As shown in Figure 1 the figure, the present invention comprises, from top to bottom, a video image acquisition module 1, a T-shaped bracket 5, an upper cabin 4 and two lower cabins 6 with the same structure, and the cabins are distributed in a "pin" shape. The T-shaped bracket 5 is equipped with a CTD sensor 8, a pH sensor 9 and an optical dissolved oxygen sensor 10. The upper cabin 4 is arranged on the upper side of the T-shaped bracket 5 and is provided with a hose clamp 7 and a fixing ring 3. The front end of the upper cabin 4 is fixed to the T-shaped bracket by the fixing ring 3, and the rear end of the upper cabin 4 is tightly connected to the T-shaped bracket by the hose clamp 7. The two lower cabins 6 with the same structure are respectively arranged on both sides of the lower part of the T-shaped bracket 5, and the two lower cabins 6 with the same structure are tightly connected to both sides of the lower part of the T-shaped bracket by the hose clamp 7. A bracket 2 is arranged on the upper side of the upper cabin 4 and is fixed to the upper side of the upper cabin 4 by the fixing ring 3. The video image acquisition module 1 is arranged on the upper side of the bracket 2, and the video image acquisition module 1 is tightly connected to the bracket 2 by the hose clamp 7.

[0045] As shown in Figure 2 the figure, the upper cabin 4 comprises, from front to back, a lighting module 11, a buoyancy adjustment module 12, a vertical thruster module 15, an electronic control module 16, a rear part of the upper cabin 17, a coaxial watertight cable 18 and a surface communication buoy 19 which are connected in sequence and are independent of each other.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3 the figure, the internal layouts of the two lower cabins 6 with the same structure are also the same, and each comprises, from front to back, a front part of the lower cabin 21, a battery module 22 and a rear part of the lower cabin 23 which are connected in sequence and are independent of each other.

[0047] As shown in Figure 4 the figure, the shell of the video image acquisition module 1 internally comprises a pan-tilt camera 25 and a pan-tilt camera fixing table 26. When the present invention is in the water surface movement or water surface fixed-point working mode, the video image acquisition module 1 is exposed above the water surface and can monitor the water surface environment in real time during the day.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5As shown, the lighting module 11 includes a transparent sealed hemispherical cover 27, an LED lamp 28 and an LED lamp board 29, wherein the LED lamp 28 is fixed on the LED lamp board 29 and installed in the transparent sealed hemispherical cover 27. When the present invention is in the working mode of water movement or bottom fixed point, the LED lamp 28 starts to work, and the LED lamp 28 can adjust the lighting brightness according to the change of the diving depth. The greater the diving depth, the greater the brightness, so as to cooperate with the video image acquisition module 1 to realize real-time monitoring of the growth of aquatic animals. In addition, when the present invention is in the working mode of surface fixed point or bottom fixed point, the vertical thruster 48, the stern thruster 24 and the buoyancy adjustment module 12, which mainly consume electricity, all stop working and do not consume additional electric energy. The present invention reduces the power consumption from high to low, saves electric energy to a great extent, and prolongs the working time of the present invention.

[0049] like Figure 6 As shown, the buoyancy adjustment module 12 is provided with a buoyancy adjustment mechanism, which includes a stepper motor 47, a coupling 45, a ball screw 44, a nut seat 34, a buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41, a piston sleeve 42, a piston 40 and an external oil bag 39. The buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41 is filled with oil. When the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is working, the buoyancy adjustment mechanism is driven by the stepper motor 47. One end of the coupling 45 is connected to the stepper motor 47, and the other end is connected to the ball screw 44. The stepper motor 47 drives the ball screw 44 to rotate through the coupling 45. The nut seat 34 is mounted on the ball screw 44, and the front part of the piston 40 is provided with a piston sleeve 42 fixedly connected to the nut seat 44. The ball screw 44 drives the nut seat 34 to move back and forth linearly by rotating, and the nut seat 34 drives the piston 40 to move back and forth linearly, thereby discharging the oil in the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41 to or sucking out the external oil bag 39, and adjusting the buoyancy state of the present invention by changing the volume of the external oil bag 39. When the piston 40 sucks the oil in the external oil bag 39 into the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41, the volume of the external oil bag 39 is reduced while the overall mass of the present invention remains unchanged, the buoyancy is reduced, and the present invention dives until it lands on the bottom; when the piston 40 discharges the oil in the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41 to the external oil bag 39, the volume of the external oil bag 39 is increased while the overall mass of the present invention remains unchanged, the buoyancy is increased, and the present invention floats to the water surface.

[0050] like Figure 6As shown, the buoyancy adjustment module 12 includes a shell, a buoyancy adjustment mechanism, a front cover 32, a rear cover 37 and an oil bag compartment shell 14. A front support plate 33 and a rear support plate 36 are provided in the shell, and a plurality of support rods 46 are provided between the front cover 32 and the rear cover 37. The front support plate 33 and the rear support plate 36 are arranged in parallel and are fixed on the support rods 46. The stepper motor 47 is fixed on the front support plate 33, the ball screw 44 and the nut seat 34 are arranged between the front support plate 33 and the rear support plate 36, and the front end of the piston sleeve 42 passes through the rear support plate 36 and is sleeved on the rear part of the ball screw 44. A displacement sensor 35 is provided between the front support plate 33 and the rear support plate 36 for detecting and recording the displacement of the piston 40. A guide plate 43 is provided at the rear of the nut seat 34, and one end of the guide plate 43 is slidably connected to any support rod 46, and the other end is slidably connected to the displacement sensor 35. When the nut seat 34 moves, it drives the guide plate 43 to move together and detects the displacement of the piston 40 in real time through the displacement sensor 35. One end of the guide plate 43 is slidably connected with the support rod 46 to prevent the nut seat 34 from rotating, ensuring the linear motion of the piston 40. The buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41 is arranged between the rear support plate 36 and the external oil bag 39. The rear end cover 37 is fixed to the two-way flange 38 by screws. The rear part of the two-way flange 38 is provided with an external oil bag 39. The external oil bag 39 is arranged in the oil bag compartment shell 14. The oil bag compartment shell 14 is provided with a plurality of hollow holes 13 to ensure that the water in the working environment is in full contact with the external oil bag 39. The displacement sensor 35 is a well-known technology in the art.

[0051] like Figure 7 As shown, the vertical thruster module 15 includes a vertical thruster 48, a vertical thruster bracket 49 and a vertical thruster housing 50. The vertical thruster 48 is fixed in the vertical thruster housing 50 by the vertical thruster bracket 49. In the fixed-point working mode of the water surface or the bottom, the vertical thruster 48 does not work. When the buoyancy adjustment module 12 is used to make the present invention float from the bottom of the water, if the buoyancy generated by the buoyancy adjustment module 12 cannot overcome the adsorption force of the bottom clay, the vertical thruster 48 can be used to provide additional buoyancy to make the present invention float successfully. After the present invention is bottomed, if the monitoring angle is not suitable, the vertical thruster 48 can slightly float the present invention, cooperate with the stern thruster 24 to adjust and select a suitable monitoring angle, thereby improving the monitoring effect of the present invention on the growth of aquatic animals. When the present invention is in the water movement working mode, the buoyancy adjustment module 12 controls the present invention to be in a suspended state, and the vertical thruster 48 cooperates with the stern thruster 24 to work, which can realize the transfer between different monitoring points and large-scale mobile monitoring.

[0052] like Figure 8As shown, the electric control module 16 includes a single-chip microcomputer and a communication module, and the communication module includes a 4G module and a Beidou + GPS positioning module. The control signal input end of the single-chip microcomputer is connected to the CTD sensor 8, pH sensor 9, optical dissolved oxygen sensor 10 and other sensors carried according to the operation requirements through a watertight connector; the control signal output end of the single-chip microcomputer is connected to the lighting equipment LED lamp 28, stepper motor 47, vertical thruster 48, communication module and stern thruster 24 through a watertight connector. The pan-tilt camera 25 in the video image acquisition module 1 is uploaded to the host computer through the 4G module in the network transparent transmission mode.

[0053] The surface communication buoy 19 is provided with a communication antenna 20, and the communication antenna 20 includes a 4G communication antenna and a positioning communication antenna. One end of the coaxial watertight cable 18 is connected to the electric control module 16, and the other end passes through the stern 17 of the upper cabin body and is connected to the communication antenna 20 in the surface communication buoy 19. By using the communication module in the electric control module 16, the signal transmission between the 4G signal and the host computer can be realized to realize the real-time positioning, data uploading and receiving the control instructions issued by the host computer. In addition, since the coaxial watertight cable 18 has a micro-positive buoyancy, and the surface communication buoy 19 and the coaxial watertight cable 18 are far away from the stern propeller 24 located at the stern 17 of the lower cabin body, the coaxial watertight cable 18 can be effectively prevented from being entangled with the stern propeller 24 of the stern 17 of the lower cabin body on the water surface or underwater. The single chip microcomputer in the electronic control module 16 and the 4G module and Beidou + GPS positioning module in the communication module are all well-known technologies in the art. In addition, the watertight connectors used to connect the various module components are also well-known technologies in the art.

[0054] The T-shaped bracket 5 can be equipped with relevant sensors, including a CTD sensor 8, a pH sensor 9 and an optical dissolved oxygen sensor 10. The CTD sensor 8 can measure data such as salinity, temperature and depth of the pool water, the pH sensor 9 can measure the pH value of the pool water, and the optical dissolved oxygen sensor 10 can measure the dissolved oxygen content in the pool water. In addition, the present invention can also carry relevant sensors according to operational requirements, and each sensor is fixed on the T-shaped bracket 5 by a threaded connection, and each sensor is a well-known technology in the art.

[0055] The front end of the bow portion 21 of the lower cabin body is streamlined, and a space is left at the rear end, where a load counterweight can be installed according to actual needs.

[0056] The battery module 22 is connected to other modules through a watertight connector to provide power.

[0057] The lower cabin stern 23 is connected with a stern propeller 24, and the stern propeller 24 is fixed to the rear end of the lower cabin stern 23 by screws. When the present invention floats on the water surface, when the two stern propellers 24 rotate at the same speed, horizontal linear motion is achieved; when only one stern propeller 24 rotates at a certain speed, turning motion is achieved. In addition, a space is also reserved at the front end of the lower cabin stern 23, and a load counterweight can be installed according to actual needs in conjunction with the lower cabin bow 21.

[0058] The present invention requires sealing treatment except for the vertical thruster module 15 and the lower cabin stern 21. The present invention requires sealing treatment except for the video image acquisition module 1, the lighting module 11, the surface communication buoy 19 and the upper cabin stern 17. The opening ends of other cabin sections are provided with four threaded holes and a two-way flange 38. When two adjacent cabin sections are connected, the two adjacent cabin sections are respectively placed on the two joints of the two-way flange 38, and the fastening screws are installed through the positioning holes to limit the relative movement and rotation between the two cabin sections. The circumferential groove walls at both ends of the two-way flange 38 are provided with sealing grooves for receiving O-rings 31 to ensure the sealing between the two end covers when connected. The lighting module 11 is a transparent sealing hemispherical cover 27, and the upper cabin stern 17 is a sealing hemispherical cover. The end faces of the shells are provided with six threaded holes and a one-way flange 30. The lighting module 11 and the upper cabin stern 17 are fixed to the end faces of the one-way flange 30 by screws. The front end of the buoyancy adjustment module 12 is sleeved on the one-way flange 30 joint fixed to the lighting module 11, and the rear end of the electric control module 16 is sleeved on the one-way flange 30 joint fixed to the stern of the upper cabin 17. A sealing groove for receiving an O-ring 31 is also provided on the circumferential groove wall of the one-way flange 30 to ensure the seal between the two end covers when connected. In addition, a watertight connector socket is provided on each end cover.

[0059] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0060] When the present invention is working, the operator deploys the present invention on the water surface near the shore. When the present invention is on the water surface, only the video image acquisition module 1 is exposed above the water surface, and the water surface environment can be directly monitored in real time during the day. When the stern propeller 24 drives the present invention to move on the water surface, the present invention performs the first working mode; when the stern propeller 24 stops working, the present invention floats on the water surface and is in a relatively static state, and the present invention performs the second working mode.

[0061] In addition, when the present invention is deployed on the water surface, various sensors start to work. The CTD sensor 8 collects the temperature and salinity of the pool water, the pH sensor 9 can provide real-time feedback on the diving depth of the present invention in the pond by measuring the pressure value of the present invention in the pond, and the optical dissolved oxygen sensor 10 collects the dissolved oxygen content in the pool water. At the same time, the present invention can also carry relevant sensors according to the operation requirements to collect relevant data.

[0062] When the present invention moves to a specified position, the buoyancy adjustment mechanism uses the piston 40 to suck the oil in the external oil bag 39 into the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41, the volume of the external oil bag 39 decreases, the buoyancy decreases, and the present invention begins to dive. When the present invention dives to a specified depth, the buoyancy adjustment module 12 controls the present invention to be in a suspended state, and the vertical thruster 48 cooperates with the stern thruster 24 to drive the present invention to move in the water. The present invention performs the third working mode. After the present invention dives and lands on the bottom, the present invention performs the fourth working mode. After the present invention is underwater, that is, the video image acquisition module 1 is immersed in water, the lighting module 11 provides a light source, and adjusts the brightness according to the depth in the pond of the present invention. The present invention can monitor the growth of aquatic animals in real time.

[0063] In addition, when the present invention is on the bottom, if the monitoring angle is not appropriate, the vertical thruster 48 can slightly float the present invention, and cooperate with the stern thruster 24 to adjust and select a suitable monitoring angle, thereby improving the monitoring effect of the present invention on the growth of aquatic animals.

[0064] In order to realize the real-time monitoring function during the working process of the present invention, the electronic control module 16 of the present invention is connected to the communication antenna 20 provided in the surface communication buoy 19 through a coaxial watertight cable 18, so that the communication module in the electronic control module 16 is used to transmit signals with the host computer through 4G signals to realize the shore-based real-time monitoring function.

[0065] When the present invention completes the monitoring operation, the buoyancy adjustment mechanism uses the piston 40 to discharge the oil in the buoyancy adjustment hydraulic cylinder 41 into the external oil bag 39, the volume of the external oil bag 39 increases, the buoyancy increases, and the present invention floats to the water surface. When the buoyancy adjustment module 12 is used to make the present invention float from the bottom of the water, if the buoyancy generated by the buoyancy adjustment module 12 cannot overcome the adsorption force of the clay on the bottom of the water, the vertical thruster 48 can be used to provide additional buoyancy to make the present invention float successfully.

[0066] In addition, under special circumstances, the surface communication buoy 19 can play the role of a positioning beacon. If the buoyancy adjustment mechanism or the electronic control module 18 of the present invention fails, causing the present invention to stay underwater for too long and be unable to float up autonomously, the surface communication buoy 19 can be located by human eyes for manual salvage, thereby reducing the risk of loss of the present invention and reducing the financial loss in the scientific research process.

[0067] After the present invention floats to the surface, the stern propeller 24 drives the present invention to the shore, and the operator recovers the present invention.

[0068] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture, characterized in that include: An upper cabin body (4) located at the top and two lower cabin bodies (6) located at the bottom, all three of which are connected by a T-shaped bracket (5) so that the three are parallel to each other and arranged in a herringbone shape; the top of the T-shaped bracket (5) is connected to the upper cabin body (4), and the two sides of the bottom are respectively connected to the two lower cabin bodies (6); The upper cabin (4) comprises a lighting module (11), a buoyancy adjustment module (12), a vertical thruster module (15), an electric control module (16), and an upper cabin stern (17) which are sequentially connected from front to back; the upper cabin stern (17) is towed and connected to a surface communication buoy (19) via a coaxial watertight cable (18); The two lower cabins (6) include a lower cabin bow (21), a battery module (22) and a lower cabin stern (23) connected in sequence from front to back; the lower cabin stern (23) is connected to a stern propeller (24) for generating horizontal thrust; The video image acquisition module (1) is installed above the T-shaped bracket (5), and the lighting module (11) is used to provide lighting for the video image acquisition module (1); The T-shaped bracket (5) is also equipped with a CTD sensor (8), a pH sensor (9), and an optical dissolved oxygen sensor (10), each of which is connected to the electric control module (16); the electric control module (16) is also electrically connected to the lighting module (11), the buoyancy adjustment module (12), the vertical thruster module (15), the stern thruster (24), the video image acquisition module (1), and the surface communication buoy (19); The T-shaped bracket (5) is connected to the lower cabin (6) via a throat hoop (7), and is connected to the upper cabin (4) via a fixing ring (3); the density of the two lower cabins (6) is greater than that of water; The lighting module (11) comprises a transparent sealed hemispherical cover (27), an LED lamp (28) and an LED lamp board (29); the LED lamp (28) is fixed on the LED lamp board (29) and installed in the transparent sealed hemispherical cover (27); when the video image acquisition module (1) performs underwater shooting, the lighting module (11) adjusts the lighting brightness according to the diving depth.

2. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing of the video image acquisition module (1) comprises a pan-tilt camera (25) and a pan-tilt camera fixing platform (26).

3. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoyancy regulating module (12) comprises a shell, inside which a front cover (32) and a rear cover (37) are arranged; the rear part of the shell is connected to an oil bag compartment shell (14); The front end cover (32), the rear end cover (37) and the shell are combined to form a closed air-filled space, and a front support plate (33), a rear support plate (36) and a plurality of support rods (46) whose two ends are respectively connected to the front end cover (32) and the rear end cover (37), and the support rods (46) are used to fix the front support plate (33) and the rear support plate (36); A stepper motor (47) is installed between the front support plate (33) and the front end cover (32); the output shaft of the stepper motor (47) passes through the front support plate (33) and is connected to a ball screw (44) through a coupling (45); the ball screw (44) is located between the front support plate (33) and the rear support plate (36); a nut seat (34) is installed on the ball screw (44); the nut seat (34) is fixedly connected to the nut of the ball screw (44); the nut seat (34) is connected to the A guide plate (43) is fixedly connected; the guide plate (43) is slidably connected to at least one of the support rods (46) to limit the rotation of the nut seat (34); a piston sleeve (42) is also sleeved on the ball screw (44), and the first end of the piston sleeve (42) is fixedly connected to the nut seat (34). When the stepping motor (47) rotates, the piston sleeve (42) moves along its axial direction through the transmission of the coupling (45), the ball screw (44), the nut and the nut seat (34); The rear end cover (37) is connected to a piston regulating hydraulic cylinder (41); a first end of the piston regulating hydraulic cylinder (41) is connected to the rear end cover (37), and a second end thereof is communicated with an oil bag (39), wherein a piston (40) is arranged inside the oil bag; the piston sleeve (42) passes through the rear end cover (37) and is connected to the piston (40), and is used to adjust the position of the piston (40) in the piston regulating hydraulic cylinder (41); a displacement sensor (35) is also connected to the side of the guide plate (43), and is used to detect the displacement of the nut seat (34); The oil bag compartment shell (14) is used to accommodate the oil bag (39) and is provided with a plurality of hollow holes (13) so that the inside and outside of the oil bag compartment shell (14) are connected; when the piston (40) is pushed to inject oil into the oil bag (39), the oil bag (39) expands and squeezes water out of the oil bag compartment shell (14) to increase buoyancy; when the piston (40) is pulled to suck the oil in the oil bag (39) into the piston regulating hydraulic cylinder (41), the oil bag (39) contracts and water enters the oil bag compartment shell (14) to reduce buoyancy.

4. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vertical thruster module (15) comprises a vertical thruster (48), a vertical thruster bracket (49) and a vertical thruster housing (50); the vertical thruster housing (50) is provided with corresponding openings at the top and bottom, and a vertical channel is formed on the vertical thruster housing (50); the vertical thruster (48) is installed in the vertical channel through the vertical thruster bracket (49) to generate vertical thrust.

5. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the autonomous underwater robot floats on the water surface, the buoyancy adjustment module (12) adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is greater than gravity; When the autonomous underwater robot is immersed in water, the buoyancy adjustment module (12) adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is equal to the gravity, and fine-tunes the vertical position of the autonomous underwater robot through the vertical thruster module (15) to maintain the suspension depth; When the autonomous underwater robot is in a bottom-sitting state, the buoyancy adjustment module (12) adjusts the buoyancy so that the overall buoyancy of the autonomous underwater robot is less than gravity, and at this time, the bottom surfaces of the two lower cabins (6) are in contact with the bottom surface of the water.

6. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric control module (16) comprises a single chip microcomputer and a communication module, wherein the communication module comprises a 4G module and a Beidou+GPS positioning module; the battery module (22) is used to provide electric energy.

7. The autonomous underwater robot for aquaculture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface communication buoy (19) is provided with a communication antenna (20), and the communication antenna (20) includes a 4G communication antenna and a positioning communication antenna; one end of the coaxial watertight cable (18) is connected to the electric control module (16), and the other end passes through the stern of the upper cabin (17) and is connected to the communication antenna (20) in the surface communication buoy (19).

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