Sinking coupling frame and releasing mechanism thereof

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of marine seismic observation, and discloses a sink coupling frame and a release mechanism thereof. The sink coupling frame comprises a base and a connecting piece, the connecting piece is fixedly arranged on the base, and a spherical crown part is arranged at the top of the connecting piece. The releasing mechanism comprises a mounting structure, a driving piece and clamping pieces, the mounting structure is used for mounting the releasing mechanism on the ocean bottom seismograph, the number of the clamping pieces is at least two, the driving piece is used for driving the at least two clamping pieces to clamp or release the connecting piece, and when the clamping pieces clamp the connecting piece, the inner wall surfaces of the clamping pieces are attached to the outer surface of the spherical crown part. The releasing mechanism and the sinker coupling frame are used in a matched mode, the releasing mechanism clamps or releases the connecting piece through the clamping piece to achieve connection and release between the releasing mechanism and the sinker coupling frame, and the matched mode can effectively release the sinker coupling frame after the releasing mechanism receives a releasing instruction. The situation that the clamping piece of the releasing mechanism and the connecting piece of the sink coupling frame are clamped when the ocean bottom seismograph and the sink coupling frame incline in the seabed is avoided, and the recovery success rate of the ocean bottom seismograph is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of marine earthquake observation, and in particular to a sinking coupling frame and a releasing mechanism thereof. Background Art

[0002] The seafloor seismometer is an instrument specially used for monitoring seafloor earthquakes. During the deployment of the seafloor seismometer, it mainly relies on the gravity of the submerged coupling frame to drive it to fall freely. After the seafloor seismometer is deployed to the seafloor, the submerged coupling frame can ensure that the seafloor seismometer remains stable on the seafloor. At the same time, the submerged coupling frame can be in close contact with the seafloor, so that the seafloor seismometer is well coupled with the seafloor, thereby ensuring that the instrument can accurately receive and record seismic wave signals.

[0003] At present, a release mechanism is usually used to connect and release the seabed seismograph and the submersible coupling frame. A U-shaped hook is arranged on the upper part of the submersible coupling frame, and the release mechanism is connected and fixed to the U-shaped hook through a locking hook component at the lower part. When the seabed seismograph is recovered, the staff sends a release command to the release mechanism, the locking hook component is disconnected from the U-shaped hook of the submersible coupling frame, and the seabed seismograph floats to the surface of the sea using its own buoyancy.

[0004] However, after the release command is issued, the U-shaped hook on the upper part of the coupling frame is easily stuck with the locking hook component at the lower part of the release mechanism, resulting in the failure of the recovery of the seafloor seismometer. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a coupling sinking frame and a release structure thereof to solve the problem of the U-shaped hook on the upper part of the coupling sinking frame and the locking hook component on the lower part of the release mechanism getting stuck, thereby improving the success rate of recovering the seafloor seismometer.

[0006] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In one aspect, the present invention provides a coupling frame, comprising:

[0008] Base;

[0009] A connecting piece is fixedly arranged on the base, and a spherical crown portion is arranged on the top of the connecting piece.

[0010] In one embodiment, a first clamping structure is disposed on the outer surface of the spherical crown.

[0011] In one embodiment, a positioning member is further provided on the base, and the positioning member is used to position the seafloor seismograph.

[0012] In one embodiment, the base includes a first fixing block and a second fixing block, the first fixing block and the second fixing block are cross-arranged, and the connecting member is arranged at the intersection of the first fixing block and the second fixing block.

[0013] In one embodiment, a groove is formed at the bottom of each of the first fixing block and the second fixing block, and the groove of the first fixing block and the groove of the second fixing block are connected to each other.

[0014] In one embodiment, the bottom of the first fixing block and the bottom of the second fixing block are both provided with a sawtooth structure, and the tip of the sawtooth structure extends in a direction away from the spherical crown portion.

[0015] In one embodiment, both ends of the first fixing block and the second fixing block are provided with inclined surfaces, and the inclined surfaces gradually decrease from an end close to the intersection position of the first fixing block and the second fixing block to an end away from the intersection position.

[0016] In another aspect, the present invention provides a release mechanism, comprising:

[0017] An installation structure, a driving member and a clamping member, wherein the installation structure is used to install the release mechanism on the seafloor seismograph, the number of the clamping members is at least two, the driving member is used to drive the clamping member to clamp or release the connecting member, and when the clamping member clamps the connecting member, the inner wall surface of the clamping member fits with the outer surface of the spherical crown.

[0018] In one embodiment, two clamping members are provided, the two clamping members are hinged to each other, a worm is connected to the output end of the driving member, the worm is meshed with two worm wheels, and the worm wheels are connected to the clamping members one by one to drive the clamping members to clamp or loosen the connecting member.

[0019] In one embodiment, a first clamping structure is disposed on the outer surface of the spherical crown, and a second clamping structure is disposed on the inner wall surface of the clamping member, and the first clamping structure and the second clamping structure are clamped and fixed.

[0020] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0021] The present invention provides a coupling frame, including a base and a connecting piece. The connecting piece is fixedly arranged on the base, and a spherical crown is arranged on the top of the connecting piece. The present invention also provides a release mechanism used in conjunction with the coupling frame, including a mounting structure, a driving piece and a clamping piece. The mounting structure is used to install the release mechanism on a seafloor seismograph. The number of clamping pieces is at least two. The driving piece is used to drive at least two clamping pieces to clamp or release the connecting piece. When the clamping piece clamps the connecting piece, the inner wall surface of the clamping piece fits with the outer surface of the spherical crown. The present invention provides a coupling frame and a release mechanism used in conjunction with the coupling frame. The release mechanism realizes connection or release with the coupling frame by clamping or releasing the spherical crown of the connecting piece through the clamping piece. The driving piece is used to drive the clamping piece to realize clamping or releasing the spherical crown of the connecting piece. The cooperation between the spherical crown and the clamping piece has multi-directional adaptability. The spherical crown has a continuously changing curvature in all directions, and will not cause local stress concentration and jamming due to slight angular deviations. At the same time, the inner wall surface of the clamping piece and the outer surface of the spherical crown are point contact or small area contact under the ideal clamping state, which is not easy to produce a sharp increase in friction or jamming due to local deformation. Therefore, this cooperation mode between the sinking coupling frame and the release mechanism can effectively release the sinking coupling frame after the release mechanism receives the release command, avoiding the situation where the clamping piece of the release mechanism and the connecting piece of the sinking coupling frame are stuck when the seabed seismograph and the sinking coupling frame tilt on the seabed, thereby improving the success rate of recovering the seabed seismograph. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the coupling frame and the release mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention when used in conjunction with each other;

[0023] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a release mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of another release mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a ball cap screw according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the sinking coupling frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 is a bottom view of the release mechanism and the connecting member according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 is a bottom view of the sinking coupling frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 It is an axonometric view of the sinking coupling frame described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure:

[0031] 1. Base; 11. Positioning member; 12. First fixing block; 13. Second fixing block; 14. Serrated structure; 15. Inclined surface; 2. Connecting member; 21. Spherical crown; 211. First clamping structure; 3. Mounting structure; 4. Driving member; 41. Worm; 42. Worm wheel; 43. Connecting rod mechanism; 5. Clamping member; 51. Second clamping structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar parts or parts having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first feature being in direct contact with the second feature, or may include the first feature being in contact with the second feature through another feature between them instead of being in direct contact. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0035] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific implementation methods.

[0036] like Figure 1-Figure 8As shown, the present invention provides a coupling sinking frame and a release mechanism thereof. The coupling sinking frame includes a base 1 and a connecting member 2. The connecting member 2 is fixedly arranged on the base 1. A spherical crown 21 is arranged on the top of the connecting member 2. The surface of the spherical crown 21 is smooth and free of burrs. The release mechanism used in conjunction with the coupling sinking frame includes a mounting structure 3, a driving member 4 and a clamping member 5. The mounting structure 3 is used to mount the release mechanism on a seafloor seismograph. The number of the clamping members 5 is at least two. The driving member 4 is used to drive at least two clamping members 5 to cooperate in clamping or releasing the connecting member 2. When the clamping member 5 clamps the connecting member 2, at least two clamping members 5 enclose and form a spherical crown-shaped shell-like structure, and its inner wall surface is in contact with the outer surface of the spherical crown 21.

[0037] The present invention provides a coupling sinking frame and a release mechanism used in conjunction with the coupling sinking frame. The release mechanism clamps or releases the ball crown 21 of the connecting member 2 through a clamping member 5 to realize connection or release with the coupling sinking frame. The driving member 4 is used to drive the clamping member 5 to realize the clamping or releasing action of the ball crown 21 of the connecting member 2. The cooperation between the ball crown and the clamping member has multi-directional adaptability. The ball crown has a continuously changing curvature in all directions, and will not cause local stress concentration and jamming due to a slight angle deviation. At the same time, the inner wall surface of the clamping member and the outer surface of the ball crown are point contact or small area contact in an ideal clamping state, and it is not easy to cause a sharp increase in friction or jamming due to local deformation. Therefore, the cooperation mode of the coupling sinking frame and the release mechanism can effectively release the coupling sinking frame after the release mechanism receives the release command, so as to avoid the clamping member 5 of the release mechanism and the ball crown 21 of the connecting member 2 from being jammed when the seabed seismograph and the coupling sinking frame are tilted on the seabed, thereby improving the success rate of recovering the seabed seismograph. Moreover, compared with the U-shaped hook design in the prior art, the ball crown portion 21 increases the contact area between the connecting member 2 and the release mechanism, thereby improving the connection stability between the connecting member 2 and the release mechanism.

[0038] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the release mechanism has two clamping members 5 which are hinged by a hinge shaft, and the driving member 4 is a motor which can receive control instructions to rotate forward or reverse; a worm 41 is connected to the output end of the motor, and the two clamping members 5 are symmetrically arranged relative to the worm 41; a fixed plate is connected to the motor, and two rotating shafts are symmetrically arranged on the fixed plate relative to the worm 41, and each rotating shaft is equipped with a worm wheel 42 meshing with the worm 41, and the worm wheel 42 is rotationally connected to the fixed plate through the rotating shaft, and the worm wheel 42 is connected to the clamping member 5 one by one. When the motor rotates, it can drive the worm 41 to rotate around its own axis, and then drive the two worm wheels 42 to rotate, and the worm wheel 42 drives the clamping member 5 to rotate with the hinge shaft as the axis, thereby clamping or releasing the connecting member 2.

[0039] In this embodiment, the worm wheel 42 is connected to the clamping member 5 through a connecting rod mechanism 43, which is composed of a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod. The first end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the worm wheel 42, the second end of the first connecting rod is hinged to the first end of the second connecting rod, and the second end of the second connecting rod is fixedly connected to the clamping member 5. The rotation of the worm 41 drives the connecting rod mechanism 43 to move and then drives the clamping member 5 to rotate around the hinge axis of the two clamping members 5, thereby clamping or releasing the spherical crown 21. It can be understood that during the rotation of the worm wheel 42, it always keeps meshing with the worm 41.

[0040] In other embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, a slideway is provided on the surface of the clamping member 5, and a protrusion limitedly located on the slideway is provided on the worm gear 42. When the worm gear 42 rotates, the protrusion can be driven to move in the slideway, thereby driving the clamping member 5 to rotate around the hinge axis, thereby clamping or releasing the spherical crown 21.

[0041] In another embodiment, the driving member 4 may be a cylinder, one end of which is hinged to the mounting structure 3, and the other end of which is hinged to the clamping member 5. The cylinder may receive a control instruction to extend and retract, driving the clamping member 5 to rotate about the hinge axis of the two clamping members 5, thereby clamping or releasing the spherical crown 21. Optionally, the mounting structure 3 is a mounting plate, and a screw is fixedly provided on the upper surface of the mounting plate, and the screw can be screwed to the seafloor seismograph, and the lower surface of the mounting plate is hinged to the cylinder.

[0042] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the connector 2 includes a ball cap screw and a fixing nut. The ball cap screw includes a screw rod and a ball cap portion 21 fixedly arranged at the top of the screw rod. The ball cap screw is passed through the base 1, and the fixing nut is screwed to the screw rod to lock and fix the ball cap screw. The connector 2 is fixed to the base 1 in a detachable connection manner. Compared with the connector 2 and the base 1 being integrally formed or the connector 2 being welded to the base 1, the detachable connection manner can more conveniently replace the connector 2 when the ball cap portion 21 of the connector 2 and the clamping member 5 of the release mechanism have poor matching, without having to replace the entire sinker frame.

[0043] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, the outer surface of the spherical crown portion 21 is provided with a first clamping structure 211. Figure 6As shown, the inner wall surface of the clamping member 5 is provided with a second clamping structure 51, and the first clamping structure 211 and the second clamping structure 51 are clamped and fixed to prevent the release mechanism from rotating relative to the connecting member 2, further improving the connection stability between the release mechanism and the connecting member 2. Specifically, the first clamping structure 211 is a groove opened along the circumference of the spherical crown 21, and the second clamping structure 51 is a flange set on the inner wall surface of the clamping member 5; or the first clamping structure 211 is a flange set on the outer surface of the spherical crown 21, and the second clamping structure 51 is a groove or hole opened on the inner wall surface of the clamping member 5.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the connector 2 is arranged at the center of the base 1, which can effectively balance the gravity of the submersible frame itself, the gravity of the seafloor seismometer carried thereon, and the seawater pressure, so that these forces are relatively evenly distributed around the center of the submersible frame, ensuring that the submersible frame maintains a stable posture in a complex seafloor environment. In addition, when installing the seafloor seismometer, the connector 2 arranged at the center of the base 1 provides a reference point for the installation of the seafloor seismometer, ensuring that the center of gravity of the seafloor seismometer coincides or nearly coincides with the center of gravity of the submersible frame, thereby ensuring the stability of the entire system.

[0045] Preferably, the base 1 includes a first fixed block 12 and a second fixed block 13, the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 are cross-arranged, and the connecting member 2 is arranged at the intersection of the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13. The base 1 adopts two cross-arranged fixed blocks, which enhances the stability of the submerged coupling frame when it contacts the seabed, and ensures that the seabed seismograph can work normally on the seabed. In this embodiment, the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 are cross-arranged at 90°, which improves the stability of the submerged coupling frame on the seabed. In other embodiments, the two fixed blocks can also be cross-arranged at other angles, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] like Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the bottoms of the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 are both provided with grooves, which save the production cost of the coupling frame while ensuring that the coupling frame can provide the gravity required for the sinking of the seafloor seismograph. Specifically, the grooves of the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 are interconnected, and during the sinking process of the coupling frame, soft deposits such as silt can flow out of the grooves under the influence of the water flow, thereby avoiding the accumulation of soft deposits such as silt in the grooves, enhancing the coupling effect between the coupling frame and the seafloor mud, further improving the recovery rate of the seafloor seismograph and the accuracy of collecting seismic signals, and effectively avoiding the rotation of the seafloor seismograph and the coupling frame due to the eddy current effect during the sinking process.

[0047] For example, Figure 8As shown, both ends of the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 are provided with inclined surfaces 15, and the inclined surface 15 gradually decreases from an end close to the intersection position of the first fixed block 12 and the second fixed block 13 to an end away from the intersection position. The setting of the inclined surface 15 effectively lowers the center of gravity of the submersible coupling frame, and enhances the balance and stability of the seafloor seismometer and the submersible coupling frame during the sinking process and after sinking to the seabed.

[0048] Preferably, if Figure 8 As shown, the upper end surfaces of the first fixing block 12 and the second fixing block 13 are also inlaid with four positioning members 11 slightly larger than the bottom sea seismograph tripod, which can effectively position and assemble the bottom sea seismograph on the sinking coupling frame. Optionally, positioning pins can be set on the upper end surfaces of the fixing blocks, and holes can be opened on the tripod of the bottom sea seismograph, so that the bottom sea seismograph can be positioned and assembled on the sinking coupling frame, further improving the connection stability between the bottom sea seismograph and the sinking coupling frame.

[0049] More preferably, if Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the bottom of the first fixing block 12 and the second fixing block 13 are both provided with a sawtooth structure 14, and the tip of the sawtooth structure 14 extends in a direction away from the spherical crown 21. After the coupling frame is sunk to the seabed, the tip of the sawtooth structure 14 is inserted into the seabed mud, further enhancing the coupling effect between the coupling frame and the seabed mud and the accuracy of seismic signal transmission.

[0050] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A coupling frame, characterized in that: include: Base (1); A connecting piece (2), the connecting piece (2) is fixedly arranged on the base (1), and a spherical crown portion (21) is arranged on the top of the connecting piece (2).

2. The coupling frame according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the spherical crown portion (21) is provided with a first clamping structure (211).

3. The coupling frame according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning member (11) is also provided on the base (1), and the positioning member (11) is used to position the seafloor seismograph.

4. The coupling frame according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The base (1) comprises a first fixing block (12) and a second fixing block (13), the first fixing block (12) and the second fixing block (13) are arranged crosswise, and the connecting member (2) is arranged at the intersection of the first fixing block (12) and the second fixing block (13).

5. The coupling frame according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottoms of the first fixing block (12) and the second fixing block (13) are both provided with grooves, and the grooves of the first fixing block (12) and the grooves of the second fixing block (13) are connected to each other.

6. The coupling frame according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the first fixing block (12) and the bottom of the second fixing block (13) are both provided with a sawtooth structure (14), and the tip of the sawtooth structure (14) extends in a direction away from the spherical crown portion (21).

7. The coupling frame according to claim 4, characterized in that: Both ends of the first fixing block (12) and the second fixing block (13) are provided with inclined surfaces (15), and the inclined surfaces (15) gradually decrease from an end close to the intersection position of the first fixing block (12) and the second fixing block (13) to an end away from the intersection position.

8. A release mechanism for connecting a seafloor seismograph and a coupling frame according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: A mounting structure (3), a driving member (4) and a clamping member (5), wherein the mounting structure (3) is used to mount the release mechanism on the seafloor seismograph, the number of the clamping members (5) is at least two, the driving member (4) is used to drive the clamping member (5) to clamp or release the connecting member (2), and when the clamping member (5) clamps the connecting member (2), the inner wall surface of the clamping member (5) is in contact with the outer surface of the spherical crown (21).

9. The release mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: Two clamping members (5) are provided, and the two clamping members (5) are hinged to each other. The output end of the driving member (4) is connected to a worm (41), and the worm (41) is meshed with two worm wheels (42). The worm wheels (42) are connected to the clamping members (5) in a one-to-one correspondence to drive the clamping members (5) to clamp or release the connecting member (2).

10. The release mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer surface of the spherical crown (21) is provided with a first clamping structure (211), and the inner wall surface of the clamping member (5) is provided with a second clamping structure (51), and the first clamping structure (211) and the second clamping structure (51) are clamped and fixed.

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