Launching and recovering device for offshore sewage disposal unmanned ship and using method of launching and recovering device

Abstract

A seaborne sewage disposal unmanned ship laying and recovery device comprises a shell structure of a laying cabin body, a hinge linkage framework structure and an automatic control module. The shell structure of the laying cabin body comprises a base, three-side shell fixing plates, a rail baffle and a cabin cover door. The hinge linkage framework structure comprises an unmanned ship bearing cabin, a bearing cabin supporting linkage mechanism and a sliding rail. The device self-control module comprises a lithium battery, a self-locking stepping motor, an STM32 single-chip microcomputer and a traction rope. The whole device has good mechanical stability, and it can be guaranteed that no structural problems and faults occur when unmanned ship laying and recycling work is conducted for many times. Full automation of the unmanned ship laying and recycling process is achieved, and the unmanned ship laying and recycling device has good adaptability to the offshore oil spill decontamination unmanned ship.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of marine oil spill treatment, and in particular to a marine pollution cleaning unmanned boat deployment and recovery device applicable to watercraft. Background Art

[0002] The primary method for removing oil leaks into my country's oceans annually through various channels is manual cleanup, a costly and inefficient method that hinders rapid detection and efficient cleanup. While some deployment and recovery devices suitable for unmanned vessels equipped with pollution-removal equipment are currently available on the market, these devices are primarily focused on deploying unmanned vessels from mother ships. There are no deployment and recovery devices specifically designed for use with watercraft. Furthermore, existing deployment and recovery devices generally suffer from a low level of integration, hindering fully automated, unmanned operation.

[0003] At present, there is no unmanned boat deployment and recovery system suitable for watercraft at home and abroad. There is only an automated unmanned boat deployment and recovery device, which is suitable for the deployment and recovery of underwater unmanned boats, improving the automation level of the unmanned boat deployment and recovery process, and reducing the dependence of unmanned boat deployment operations on port ship-holding machines and transfer ships, but it is not suitable for the deployment of unmanned boats by watercraft.

[0004] CN110001879A discloses a drone-assisted recovery system for an unmanned boat. The unmanned boat is equipped with a lifting ring and an electromagnetic landing gear. The electrical landing gear is fixed to the front deck of the unmanned boat. The electromagnetic landing gear carries a drone, which is equipped with a sling. The ends of the sling are detachably connected to the lifting ring and the drone, respectively. A mother ship crane is installed on the mother ship, which receives the sling from the drone and suspends the drone. This system can cleverly assist in recovering the unmanned boat onto the mother ship, is simple and convenient to operate, and has excellent safety.

[0005] CN110498043A discloses a deployment and recovery system for an unmanned boat coordinated with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having parallel extension arms. The system comprises a UAV, a diamond-shaped telescopic frame, a steering gear, and a mechanical hook. Two diamond-shaped telescopic frames are connected to the bottom of the UAV, forming a parallel extension arm structure. The steering gear and the mechanical hook are arranged at the bottom of the diamond-shaped telescopic frames. The steering gear is used to drive the two diamond-shaped telescopic frames to extend and retract vertically and move horizontally. The mechanical hook is used to hook a rectangular frame with a guide rope on the UAV. The system realizes the recovery operation of the UAV through the precise control of the extendable mechanical arm by the UAV, and has simple operation, rapid movement, and good safety. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The device described in the present invention realizes the automatic deployment and recovery of pollution-removing unmanned boats by watercraft. The device is mainly structured with a hinged linkage skeleton, and the entire deployment and recovery process is controlled by an STM32 single-chip microcomputer. The device is powered by a lithium battery, and the STM32 single-chip microcomputer can be used to control and remotely control the motor, thereby realizing the automatic deployment and recovery of unmanned boats, filling the gap in the lack of patents for the deployment and recovery of unmanned boats for watercraft.

[0007] To achieve automated deployment and recovery of unmanned boats at sea while also meeting the needs of launching unmanned boats from watercraft, this device is designed. Based on a hinged linkage skeleton structure, it uses an STM32 microcontroller and motor winding control. The entire device's shell is composed of plates fixed by angle irons. The internal structure's support base, the unmanned boat's carrier frame, and the device's front cover are connected by hinges. Behind the base are motors with towing ropes. Three towing ropes are attached to the support base and the rear end of the unmanned pollution-removing boat, respectively. The motors' forward and reverse rotation is controlled by the STM32 microcontroller. When deploying the unmanned boat, the STM32 microcontroller controls the three motors to rotate forward simultaneously, releasing the towing ropes. Under the action of gravity, the unmanned boat slides along the carrier frame to sea level. When recovering the unmanned boat, two of the three motors reverse first, using the towing ropes to pull the unmanned boat to a specific position. Then, all three motors reverse simultaneously, using the hinged linkage skeleton structure to pull the unmanned boat to its pre-deployment position and securely close the cover.

[0008] A device for deploying and recovering an unmanned boat for maritime pollution cleaning, suitable for use with watercraft, comprises an outer shell structure for a deployment cabin, a hinged linkage skeleton structure, and an automatic control module; the outer shell structure for the deployment cabin comprises a base, three-side outer shell fixing plates, a track baffle, and a hatch door; the hinged linkage skeleton structure comprises an unmanned boat carrying cabin, a carrying cabin support linkage mechanism, and a sliding track; and the device automatic control module comprises a lithium battery, a self-locking stepper motor, an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, and a traction rope.

[0009] The hatch door in the shell structure of the deployment cabin is composed of plates connected by two 180-degree hinges. The three-side shell fixing plates and the track disassembly and assembly plates are connected to the base by fixing glue, stainless steel right-angle fixers, and self-tapping screws. The hatch door and the track baffle are connected by two 180-degree movable hinges. When the hatch door is in the closed state, the entire cabin shell structure is in the shape of an open cube.

[0010] The plate used in the device is a high-strength resin material, preferably an acrylic plate.

[0011] The two unmanned ship carrying cabins included in the hinge-linked skeleton structure are respectively connected to the carrying cabin support components through two movable hinges. The carrying cabins are in contact and linkage with the sliding track through the track pulleys on both sides. The sliding track is supported on the top of the base through metal supports and fixed to the inner walls of the outer shell fixing plates on both sides. The two carrying cabins are respectively connected to the first plate of the hatch door in the vertical direction from bottom to top through two 180-degree hinges.

[0012] The automatic control module consists of an automatic control module shell, an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, a self-locking stepper motor, and a traction rope. Inside the automatic control module shell, a winding barrel is used to connect the motor shafts of three self-locking stepper motors. One motor is connected to the support component of the load cabin through a traction rope fixed at one end and wound around the winding barrel. The other two stepper motors are connected to the tail end of the unmanned boat through the winding barrel and the traction rope. When the controller gives a control instruction to the single-chip microcomputer, that is, the device starts to deploy and recover, the single-chip microcomputer controls the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor. When the controller is turned off, the stepper motor enters a self-locking state; when the unmanned boat oil containment and pollution cleaning work is ready to be carried out, an inflation and suction device can be installed in the housing of the automatic control module, and the uninflated soft oil boom can be hung under the towing rope connected to the unmanned boat, and the winding barrel can be replaced with a boom barrel with air holes. Before the work is carried out, the towing rope and the soft oil boom are wound together on the boom barrel connected to the two motors, and the inflation hole of the soft oil boom is connected to the air hole of the boom barrel, and the inflation and suction device is connected to the boom barrel.

[0013] The unmanned marine pollution cleaning boat deployment and recovery device suitable for watercraft operates in the following manner.

[0014] When the deployment device is working, the base needs to be fixed in front of the aircraft's rear hatch. When the deployment begins, open the aircraft's cargo door first. When the lower cargo door touches the water surface, open the device hatch cover to work.

[0015] Before using the deployment and recovery device, the unmanned boats in the two carrying cabins need to be connected to the rear self-locking stepper motors through a traction rope. The remote control microcontroller controls the two motors to reverse and drive the winding barrel, thereby pulling the traction rope to drive the unmanned boat into the carrying cabin, and recording the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin to ensure that the initial relative positions of the two unmanned boats are the same; if oil containment and pollution cleaning work is required, the two winding barrels connected to the unmanned boats by traction ropes need to be replaced with boom barrels with air holes, and an inflation and suction device is installed inside the shell of the automatic control module. At the same time, the uninflated soft oil boom is hung under the traction rope, the inflation hole of the oil boom is connected to the boom barrel, and the inflation and suction device is connected to the boom barrel, and then the operation of pulling the unmanned boat to the carrying cabin and recording the relative positions is repeated.

[0016] When the deployment work is carried out, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to rotate forward. At the same time, two towing ropes connected to the stern of the unmanned boat and one towing rope connected to the supporting component of the carrying cabin are released at the same time. The unmanned boat carrying cabin in the hinge-linked skeleton structure tilts forward under the influence of gravity, driving the cabin supporting component to move horizontally through the sliding action of the track pulley and the sliding track. When the end of the unmanned boat carrying cabin connected to the hatch door is immersed in water, the unmanned boat slides into the water under the action of gravity. At this time, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to stop, completing the deployment.

[0017] When deploying the pollution-cleaning unmanned boat, this deployment and recovery device can realize the oil containment and pollution-cleaning operation of the unmanned boat by adding a flexible oil boom to the towing rope. After the unmanned boat is deployed to the sea level, the two motors connected to the two unmanned boats through the towing rope and the oil boom are remotely controlled to rotate forward, so that the towing rope and the oil boom are loosened and released. At this time, the unmanned boats can respectively travel around the oil pollution on the sea surface and drag the oil boom mounted on the towing rope to realize closed-loop oil containment. When the two unmanned boats drive the oil boom and the towing rope to completely surround the oil removal work area, the inflation and suction device control switch can be connected to the single-chip microcomputer, and the inflation and suction device can be controlled by the remote control to inflate the oil boom, and the oil containment and pollution-cleaning work can begin.

[0018] When recovering the unmanned boat, if the recovery is carried out after the oil containment work is completed, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two air-inflating and suction devices to suction the oil boom, and then the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two motors connected to the unmanned boat via the towing rope to reverse first, so that the towing rope connected to the unmanned boat is pulled back; when the unmanned boat is pulled back to its original relative position recorded in the carrying cabin, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer control the three motors to reverse at the same time. At this time, the towing rope drives the cabin support components to move horizontally in the opposite direction. While maintaining the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin, the unmanned boat carrying cabin is lifted through the connection and support of the hinge; when the hatch door is pulled back to the closed state, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the three stepper motors to stop, and the recovery work is completed. If the unmanned boat is directly recovered without performing the oil containment and pollution cleaning work, the recovery process skips the process of controlling the air-inflating and suction devices to suck air.

[0019] When the unmanned boat is carried on the deployment and recovery device and the device is not performing deployment or recovery work, the device's automatic control module does not give any control instructions. At this time, the three stepper motors are self-locked and limit the movement of the hinge-linked skeleton structure through the pulling action of the traction rope, and the device hatch cover is in a closed state.

[0020] The device is powered by a lithium battery during operation. The lithium battery can be replaced after it is exhausted, or it can be connected to an external power source to maintain operation.

[0021] Beneficial effects of the present invention: (1) The hinged linkage skeleton structure used in the entire equipment has strong bearing capacity and simple structure, and has good mechanical stability, which can ensure that the unmanned boat deployment and recovery operations are carried out multiple times without structural problems and failures.

[0022] (2) The deployment and recovery process of unmanned boats is fully automated, and it is well adapted to unmanned boats for cleaning up oil spills at sea. The overall structural design can assist unmanned boats in oil containment and cleaning operations, and can also achieve the effect of rapid recovery of unmanned boats carried by watercraft.

[0023] (3) The single-chip microcomputer control scheme adopted is simple to implement and can effectively reduce the manual labor required for the deployment and recovery of unmanned boats, and realize the automation of the deployment and recovery process of unmanned boats. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 This is the axonometric drawing of the overall structure of the deployment and recovery device; Figure 2 This is a top view of the overall structure of the deployment and recovery device; Figure 3 This is the axonometric drawing of the supporting linkage mechanism of the carrier cabin of the deployment and recovery device; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation position and operation of the deployment and recovery device when it is installed in the aircraft's rear cargo hold; Among them, 1 is the cabin shell, 2 is the sliding track, 3 is the unmanned ship carrying cabin, 4 is the carrying cabin support linkage mechanism, 5 is the hatch door, and 6 is the device automatic control module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention is not limited to the specific implementation methods listed below, but also includes any reasonable combination of the specific implementation methods.

[0026] A device for deploying and recovering an unmanned boat for cleaning pollution at sea, suitable for use with a watercraft, is characterized by (1) a cabin shell, (2) a sliding track, (3) an unmanned boat carrying cabin, (4) a supporting linkage mechanism for the carrying cabin, (5) a hatch door, and (6) a device automatic control module.

[0027] The bottom of the cabin shell (1) is connected to the sliding track (2), the load-bearing cabin support linkage structure (4) is connected to the sliding track (2), the load-bearing cabin support linkage structure (4) is connected to the two unmanned ship load-bearing cabins (3), and the unmanned ship load-bearing cabins (3) are connected to the hatch door (5). The two-dimensional drawing is shown in the accompanying drawings of the specification. Figure 2 The details of the installation of the unmanned ship cabin (3) are shown in the attached drawings of the specification. Figure 1 .

[0028] The device automatic control module (6) is installed inside the hatch cover shell (1), and the STM32 single chip microcomputer, the self-locking stepping motor, and the traction rope are all contained inside the automatic control module.

[0029] The unmanned marine pollution cleaning boat deployment and recovery device suitable for watercraft operates in the following manner.

[0030] When the deployment device is working, the base needs to be fixed in front of the aircraft's rear hatch. When the deployment begins, open the aircraft's cargo door first. When the lower cargo door touches the water surface, open the device hatch cover to work.

[0031] Before using the deployment and recovery device, the unmanned boats in the two carrying cabins need to be connected to the rear self-locking stepper motors through a traction rope. The remote control microcontroller controls the two motors to reverse and drive the winding barrel, thereby pulling the traction rope to drive the unmanned boat into the carrying cabin, and recording the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin to ensure that the initial relative positions of the two unmanned boats are the same; if oil containment and pollution cleaning work is required, the two winding barrels connected to the unmanned boats by traction ropes need to be replaced with boom barrels with air holes, and an inflation and suction device is installed inside the shell of the automatic control module. At the same time, the uninflated soft oil boom is hung under the traction rope, the inflation hole of the oil boom is connected to the boom barrel, and the inflation and suction device is connected to the boom barrel, and then the operation of pulling the unmanned boat to the carrying cabin and recording the relative positions is repeated.

[0032] When the deployment work is carried out, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to rotate forward. At the same time, two towing ropes connected to the stern of the unmanned boat and one towing rope connected to the supporting component of the carrying cabin are released at the same time. The unmanned boat carrying cabin in the hinge-linked skeleton structure tilts forward under the influence of gravity, driving the cabin supporting component to move horizontally through the sliding action of the track pulley and the sliding track. When the end of the unmanned boat carrying cabin connected to the hatch door is immersed in water, the unmanned boat slides into the water under the action of gravity. At this time, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to stop, completing the deployment.

[0033] When deploying the pollution-cleaning unmanned boat, this deployment and recovery device can realize the oil containment and pollution-cleaning operation of the unmanned boat by adding a flexible oil boom to the towing rope. After the unmanned boat is deployed to the sea level, the two motors connected to the two unmanned boats through the towing rope and the oil boom are remotely controlled to rotate forward, so that the towing rope and the oil boom are loosened and released. At this time, the unmanned boats can respectively travel around the oil pollution on the sea surface and drag the oil boom mounted on the towing rope to realize closed-loop oil containment. When the two unmanned boats drive the oil boom and the towing rope to completely surround the oil removal work area, the inflation and suction device control switch can be connected to the single-chip microcomputer, and the inflation and suction device can be controlled by the remote control to inflate the oil boom, and the oil containment and pollution-cleaning work can begin.

[0034] When recovering the unmanned boat, if the recovery is carried out after the oil containment work is completed, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two air-inflating and suction devices to suction the oil boom, and then the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two motors connected to the unmanned boat via the towing rope to reverse first, so that the towing rope connected to the unmanned boat is pulled back; when the unmanned boat is pulled back to its original relative position recorded in the carrying cabin, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer control the three motors to reverse at the same time. At this time, the towing rope drives the cabin support components to move horizontally in the opposite direction. While maintaining the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin, the unmanned boat carrying cabin is lifted through the connection and support of the hinge; when the hatch door is pulled back to the closed state, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the three stepper motors to stop, and the recovery work is completed. If the unmanned boat is directly recovered without performing the oil containment and pollution cleaning work, the recovery process skips the process of controlling the air-inflating and suction devices to suck air.

[0035] The above embodiments should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Modifications and substitutions made to the methods, steps, or conditions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and substance of the present invention are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deployment and recovery device for an unmanned vessel for offshore pollution cleanup, comprising a deployment cabin shell structure, a hinged linkage skeleton structure, and an automatic control module; the deployment cabin shell structure comprises a base, three side shell fixing plates, a track baffle, and a hatch door; the hinged linkage skeleton structure comprises an unmanned vessel carrying cabin, a carrying cabin support linkage mechanism, and a sliding track; the device automatic control module comprises a lithium battery, a self-locking stepper motor, an STM32 single-chip microcontroller, and a towing rope.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The hatch door in the shell structure of the deployment cabin is composed of plates connected by two 180-degree hinges. The three side shell fixing plates and the track disassembly plate are connected to the base by fixing glue, stainless steel right-angle fixers, and self-tapping screws. The hatch door is connected to the track baffle by two 180-degree movable hinges. When the hatch door is in the closed state, the entire cabin shell structure is in the shape of an open cube. The plate used in the device is a high-strength resin material, preferably an acrylic plate.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The two unmanned ship carrying cabins included in the hinge-linked skeleton structure are respectively connected to the carrying cabin support components through two movable hinges. The carrying cabins are in contact and linkage with the sliding track through the track pulleys on both sides. The sliding track is supported on the top of the base through metal supports and fixed to the inner walls of the outer shell fixing plates on both sides. The two carrying cabins are respectively connected to the first plate of the hatch door in the vertical direction from bottom to top through two 180-degree hinges.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The automatic control module consists of an automatic control module shell, an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, a self-locking stepper motor, and a traction rope. Inside the automatic control module shell, a winding barrel is used to connect the motor shafts of three self-locking stepper motors. One motor is connected to the support component of the load cabin through a traction rope fixed at one end and wound around the winding barrel. The other two stepper motors are connected to the tail end of the unmanned boat through the winding barrel and the traction rope. When the controller gives a control instruction to the single-chip microcomputer, that is, the device starts to deploy and recover, the single-chip microcomputer controls the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor. When the controller is turned off, the stepper motor enters a self-locking state; when the unmanned boat oil containment and pollution cleaning work is ready to be carried out, an inflation and suction device can be installed in the housing of the automatic control module, and the uninflated soft oil boom can be hung under the towing rope connected to the unmanned boat, and the winding barrel can be replaced with a boom barrel with air holes. Before the work is carried out, the towing rope and the soft oil boom are wound together on the boom barrel connected to the two motors, and the inflation hole of the soft oil boom is connected to the air hole of the boom barrel, and the inflation and suction device is connected to the boom barrel.

5. A method for deploying and recovering an unmanned vessel for marine pollution cleanup using the device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When deploying the device, the base must be fixed in front of the aircraft's rear hatch. When the deployment begins, open the aircraft's cargo door. When the lower cargo door touches the water surface, open the device hatch cover to begin deployment. Before using the deployment and recovery device, the unmanned boats in the two carrying cabins need to be connected to the rear self-locking stepper motors through a traction rope. The remote control microcontroller controls the two motors to reverse and drive the winding barrel, thereby pulling the traction rope to drive the unmanned boat into the carrying cabin, and recording the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin to ensure that the initial relative positions of the two unmanned boats are the same; if oil containment and pollution cleaning work is required, the two winding barrels connected to the unmanned boats by traction ropes need to be replaced with boom barrels with air holes, and an inflation and suction device is installed inside the shell of the automatic control module. At the same time, the uninflated soft oil boom is hung under the traction rope, the inflation hole of the oil boom is connected to the boom barrel, and the inflation and suction device is connected to the boom barrel, and then the operation of pulling the unmanned boat to the carrying cabin and recording the relative positions is repeated.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein When the deployment work is carried out, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to rotate forward. At the same time, two towing ropes connected to the stern of the unmanned boat and one towing rope connected to the supporting component of the carrying cabin are released at the same time. The unmanned boat carrying cabin in the hinge-linked skeleton structure tilts forward under the influence of gravity, driving the cabin supporting component to move horizontally through the sliding action of the track pulley and the sliding track. When the end of the unmanned boat carrying cabin connected to the hatch door is immersed in water, the unmanned boat slides into the water under the action of gravity. At this time, the remote control controls the single-chip microcomputer to control the three stepper motors to stop, completing the deployment.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein When deploying the pollution-cleaning unmanned boat, the device can realize the oil containment and pollution-cleaning operation of the unmanned boat by adding a flexible oil boom to the towing rope. After the unmanned boat is deployed to the sea level, the two motors connected to the two unmanned boats through the towing rope and the oil boom are remotely controlled to rotate forward, so that the towing rope and the oil boom are loosened and released. At this time, the unmanned boats can respectively travel around the oil pollution on the sea surface and drag the oil boom mounted on the towing rope to realize closed-loop oil containment. When the two unmanned boats drive the oil boom and the towing rope to completely surround the oil removal work area, the inflation and suction device control switch can be connected to the single-chip microcomputer, and the inflation and suction device can be controlled by the remote control to inflate the oil boom, and the oil containment and pollution-cleaning work can begin.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein When recovering the unmanned boat, if the recovery is carried out after the oil containment work is completed, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two air-inflating and suction devices to suction the oil boom, and then the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the two motors connected to the unmanned boat via the towing rope to reverse first, so that the towing rope connected to the unmanned boat is pulled back; when the unmanned boat is pulled back to its original relative position recorded in the carrying cabin, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer control the three motors to reverse at the same time. At this time, the towing rope drives the cabin support components to move horizontally in the opposite direction. While maintaining the relative position of the unmanned boat and the carrying cabin, the unmanned boat carrying cabin is lifted through the connection and support of the hinge; when the hatch door is pulled back to the closed state, the remote control and the single-chip microcomputer are used to control the three stepper motors to stop, and the recovery work is completed. If the unmanned boat is directly recovered without performing the oil containment and pollution cleaning work, the recovery process skips the process of controlling the air-inflating and suction devices to suck air.

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