Polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, collection robot arm and mineral collection system

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of marine special equipment, and discloses a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, a collecting mechanical arm and a mineral collecting system. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle comprises a plurality of special-structure crawler-type advancing subsystems, effectively disperses the grounding specific pressure of the mining vehicle, improves the traction force, reduces the disturbance to the soft seabed, ensures that the crawler system can adapt to the frequently fluctuating seabed terrain as much as possible, improves the terrain adaptability and obstacle crossing capability, and meanwhile, the buoyancy control hardware architecture of the crawler-type advancing subsystems which are constructed on the basis of vertical propelling propellers, ultrasonic distance sensors, processors and memories creates an effective and implementable hardware environment and software environment for the local buoyancy intelligent control of the special-structure crawler-type advancing subsystems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of marine special equipment, and in particular to a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, a mining mechanical arm, and a mineral mining system. Background Art

[0002] As we all know, there are rich reserves of important mineral resources in the ocean. For example, polymetallic nodules are an important mineral resource in the ocean. They are rich in a variety of scarce metals on land and are widely distributed on the surface of the seabed basin. The development of seabed polymetallic nodules has become an important direction of marine resource exploration. In order to achieve a scientific balance between resource utilization and environmental protection, how to achieve safe, efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable mineral exploration and collection in a complex marine environment has become an increasingly important research topic.

[0003] Currently, with the continuous development of equipment technology, although the exploration and collection of minerals in complex marine environments has achieved fully mechanized operations, the process of seabed mineral exploration and collection faces many difficult technical challenges. For example, the high pressure and resistance of the marine environment place high demands on the travel and drive mechanisms. In addition, the mechanical equipment's travel path environment is complex, and traveling on soft roads can easily cause significant environmental disturbances and damage, and it is easy for the equipment to get stuck in the road surface, paralyzing the equipment. In other words, on the one hand, the deep-sea environment presents extremely complex characteristics, with extremely high water pressure, low temperatures, and highly variable geological conditions. This places almost stringent requirements on the design and performance standards of mining equipment. On the other hand, seabed polymetallic nodules are located on the deep seabed, and their mining is bound to affect the seabed's ecological environment. Existing seabed crawler-type polymetallic nodule mining vehicles are prone to sinking and slipping in complex seabed environments.

[0004] Therefore, how to design environmentally friendly mining equipment that is energy-efficient, reliable, and adaptable to a variety of seabed substrates in the marine environment has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above reasons, it is necessary to provide a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, a collection robot arm and a mineral collection system to achieve energy-saving, reliable, environmentally friendly and adaptable mineral detection and collection in a marine environment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle comprising an electronically controlled drive box, a material collection bin, a mineral delivery pump, a photoelectric box, a mineral collection system, a pressure compensator, and a delivery hose connected to a lifting system. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle also includes a crawler system and a travel control system, wherein:

[0007] The crawler system includes a chassis frame, and a plurality of crawler travel subsystems arranged on the chassis frame, the travel control system includes a storage unit, a processing unit, an ultrasonic distance sensor and a buoyancy component arranged above the material collection bin, the buoyancy component includes a component body and a plurality of vertical propulsion propellers arranged on the component body, the vertical propulsion propellers, the storage unit and the ultrasonic distance sensor are respectively communicatively connected to the processing unit, the vertical propulsion propellers correspond one-to-one with the crawler travel subsystems, the ultrasonic distance sensors correspond one-to-one with the crawler travel subsystems, the vertical propulsion propellers are installed above the corresponding crawler travel subsystems, and the ultrasonic distance sensors are arranged on the crawler frames of the corresponding crawler travel subsystems;

[0008] The crawler travel subsystem includes a crawler, a crawler frame, a driving wheel, a first supporting wheel, a second supporting wheel, a driving wheel servo motor and a reduction gearbox, wherein: the crawler is installed on the crawler frame and is driven by the driving wheel; the driving wheel servo motor is used to adjust the output speed of the driving wheel through the reduction gearbox to control the walking speed of the crawler; the first supporting wheel and the second supporting wheel are arranged on one side of the driving wheel, and are used to provide auxiliary supporting force to enhance the stability of the vehicle body structure and extend the stress contact surface between the crawler and the ground to enhance the supporting force of road surface feedback; the upper end surface of the first supporting wheel is higher than the upper end surface of the driving wheel, and the spacing between the first supporting wheel and the driving wheel is greater than the spacing between the second supporting wheel and the driving wheel;

[0009] The storage unit is used to store the travel control program;

[0010] The processing unit is used to call and execute the travel control program and perform the following steps:

[0011] receiving in real time or at regular intervals an electrical signal reflecting the distance from the ground sent by the ultrasonic distance sensor, and storing mapping relationship data of the distance from the ground corresponding to the received electrical signal, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier of the ultrasonic distance sensor that sent the signal;

[0012] At first preset intervals, the mapping relationship data between the ground clearance, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier newly stored within the first preset interval are analyzed to calculate the ground penetration parameters of each crawler-type travel subsystem and the overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle;

[0013] Based on the calculated entrapment parameters and the overall tilt angle, the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or increase the output power is analyzed, and the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller is controlled to start outputting power downward or increase the output power.

[0014] Preferably, the step of calculating the trapping parameter comprises:

[0015] Determining the standard ground clearance corresponding to each crawler-type travel subsystem according to predetermined mapping relationship data between the crawler-type travel subsystem and the standard ground clearance;

[0016] Eliminating the ground distances greater than the standard ground distance from the ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time, to obtain the analyzable ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers;

[0017] Calculating the average of the analyzable ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time as the reference ground distance of the corresponding crawler travel subsystem;

[0018] If the reference ground clearance of a tracked travel subsystem is less than the corresponding standard ground clearance, the difference between the standard ground clearance corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem and the corresponding reference ground clearance is calculated as the corresponding entrapment parameter of the tracked travel subsystem.

[0019] Preferably, the step of calculating the overall tilt angle includes:

[0020] constructing a standard reference plane and an inclination analysis plane for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to the calculated entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems;

[0021] The plane angle between the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane is analyzed, and the plane angle is used as the overall inclination angle.

[0022] Preferably, the steps of constructing the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane include:

[0023] constructing a horizontal surface for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle;

[0024] Determining the corresponding standoff points of each crawler travel subsystem based on the constructed horizontal plane and the standard standoff distances of each crawler travel subsystem, and constructing a standard reference plane for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle based on the determined standoff points of each crawler travel subsystem;

[0025] According to the calculated entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems, the entrapment points corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems are determined, and based on the determined entrapment points of each of the crawler travel subsystems, the inclination analysis plane of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle is constructed.

[0026] Preferably, the step of analyzing, based on the calculated sinking parameter and the overall tilt angle, which vertical propulsion propeller needs to start outputting power downward or needs to increase output power comprises:

[0027] If the entrapment parameter corresponding to a crawler-type travel subsystem is greater than the first distance threshold, determining that the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem is a vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or needs to increase output power;

[0028] If the overall tilt angle is greater than a first angle threshold, determining a minimum entrapment parameter among the entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the crawler-type travel subsystems as a standard comparison parameter;

[0029] If the minimum entrapment parameter is greater than the first distance threshold, determining the vertical propulsion propellers corresponding to all crawler-type propulsion subsystems as vertical propulsion propellers that need to start outputting power downward or increase output power;

[0030] If the minimum trapped parameter is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, then respectively calculating the difference between each other trapped parameter and the standard comparison parameter;

[0031] If the calculated difference is greater than the second distance threshold, the other trapped parameters corresponding to the difference are used as the tilt angle correction parameters, and the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the crawler travel subsystem corresponding to the tilt angle correction parameters is determined as the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or needs to increase the output power.

[0032] Preferably, the step of controlling the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller to start outputting power downward or increasing the output power includes:

[0033] If any vertical propulsion propeller is in a power output stop state, the vertical propulsion propeller is controlled to output power according to a predetermined first power output curve to apply a progressive buoyancy force from small to large to the corresponding tracked propulsion subsystem; or, if any vertical propulsion propeller is in a power output state, the vertical propulsion propeller is controlled to increase its output power according to the predetermined first power output curve to apply a larger progressive buoyancy force to the corresponding tracked propulsion subsystem;

[0034] During the process of controlling the vertical propulsion propeller to output power according to the predetermined first power output curve, the mapping relationship data between the ground clearance, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier newly stored within the second preset time period is analyzed at intervals of a second preset time period to calculate the current ground penetration parameters of each of the crawler-type travel subsystems and the current overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle.

[0035] Based on the calculated current entrapment parameters and the current overall tilt angle, the vertical propulsion propellers that need to increase their output power and / or need to maintain their current output power are analyzed, and the vertical propulsion propellers that need to increase their output power are controlled to increase their output power according to a predetermined first power output curve, and / or the vertical propulsion propellers that need to maintain their current output power are controlled to output according to the current power.

[0036] Preferably, the mineral collection system includes a collection body and a plurality of intelligent collection components arranged on the collection body, each intelligent collection component including a collection robot arm and an image acquisition unit, the collection body includes at least two support frames, each support frame is provided with at least one intelligent collection component, and the intelligent collection components arranged on different support frames are arranged in a staggered manner, the intelligent collection components are communicatively connected to the processing unit, and when the processing unit calls and executes the travel control program, the following steps are performed:

[0037] After receiving the collection instruction, the collection robot arm is controlled to grab the minerals in the current area, and the grabbed minerals are transported to the material collection bin for temporary storage through the mineral conveying pipe of the collection robot arm by the mineral conveying pump; or,

[0038] The target mineral is identified in real time or at a fixed time on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. When the target mineral is identified to be in the working area of ​​one or more acquisition robotic arms, the one or more acquisition robotic arms or all acquisition robotic arms are controlled to perform mineral grabbing operations, and the grabbed mineral is transported to the material collection bin for temporary storage through the mineral conveying pipeline of the acquisition robotic arm by a mineral conveying pump.

[0039] Preferably, the image acquisition unit is rotatably mounted on the support frame, and the steps of performing target mineral identification on the images acquired by the image acquisition unit in real time or at a fixed time, and controlling the one or more acquisition robotic arms or all acquisition robotic arms to perform the mineral grabbing operation when the target mineral is identified to be in the working area of ​​one or more acquisition robotic arms include:

[0040] Identify target minerals in real time or at regular intervals on images acquired by the image acquisition unit;

[0041] When a target mineral is identified to appear in an image acquired by an image acquisition unit, the image acquisition unit is controlled to perform image tracking and locking on the target mineral;

[0042] If the working area of ​​a collection robot arm covers the locked target mineral, the collection robot arm is controlled or all the collection robot arms are controlled to perform the mineral grabbing operation.

[0043] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention further provides a mining mechanical arm suitable for the above-mentioned polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, wherein the mining mechanical arm comprises a rear assembly, a middle sealed cabin, a front assembly, and a mineral conveying pipeline extending through the rear assembly, the middle sealed cabin, and the front assembly, wherein:

[0044] The rear assembly includes an upper sleeve and an upper slide rail. The front end and middle portion of the upper sleeve are provided with a plurality of slide rail stabilizing sleeves. The rear end of the upper sleeve is fixedly mounted on the support frame, and the front end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin based on the upper slide rail, so that the middle sealed cabin can move along the upper slide rail.

[0045] The front assembly includes a grabbing sleeve, a lower slide rail, and a mechanical claw. The mechanical claw is provided at one end of the grabbing sleeve, and the other end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin based on the lower slide rail, so that the grabbing sleeve can move along the lower slide rail.

[0046] A first group of servo motors and a second group of servo motors are arranged in the middle sealed cabin. The first group of servo motors is arranged at one end close to the rear component, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic connecting rod mechanism based on the upper slide rail to control the overall lifting of the middle sealed cabin and the front component. The second group of servo motors is arranged at one end close to the front component, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic connecting rod mechanism based on the lower slide rail to control the movement of the grabbing sleeve.

[0047] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention also provides a mineral collection system, which is suitable for the above-mentioned polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. The mineral collection system includes a collection body and multiple intelligent collection components arranged on the collection body. Each intelligent collection component includes a collection robot arm and an image acquisition unit. The collection body includes at least two support frames, and each support frame is provided with at least one intelligent collection component. The intelligent collection components arranged on different support frames are staggered with each other.

[0048] The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle provided in this application includes multiple crawler-type travel subsystems with special structures, which realize the effective dispersion of the ground pressure ratio of the mining vehicle, improve traction and reduce disturbance to the soft seabed bottom, ensure that the crawler system is as adaptable as possible to the frequently undulating terrain of the seabed, and improve terrain adaptability and obstacle crossing capabilities; the buoyancy control hardware architecture of the crawler-type travel subsystem constructed based on vertical propulsion propellers, ultrasonic distance sensors, processors and memories creates an effective and implementable hardware and software environment for local buoyancy intelligent control of each specially structured crawler-type travel subsystem.

[0049] The beneficial effects achieved by this application are: it can effectively disperse the ground contact pressure, improve traction and reduce disturbance to the soft seabed substrate, and ensure that the track system is as adaptable as possible to the frequently undulating terrain of the seabed, thereby improving terrain adaptability and obstacle crossing capabilities, so that the mining vehicle has the ability to achieve energy-saving, reliable, environmentally friendly and adaptable mineral detection and collection in a variety of seabed substrates in the marine environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle provided in a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of a middle crawler system;

[0052] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the first embodiment of the mineral collection system;

[0053] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of the first embodiment of the acquisition robot arm;

[0054] Figure 5 Based on Figure 3 The mineral collection system shown and Figure 4 Schematic diagram of mineral collection area coverage detection and collection of the first embodiment of the collection robot arm shown;

[0055] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the first embodiment of the travel control system;

[0056] Figure 7 Based on Figure 6 The travel control system shown is Figure 1 The diagram shows a flow chart of a method for implementing a first embodiment of travel control for a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle;

[0057] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the geometric relationship of the first embodiment of the overall tilt angle calculation process.

[0058] The icons are described as follows:

[0059] 1- crawler travel subsystem; 2- electronic control drive box; 3- material collection bin; 4- buoyancy assembly; 5- ultrasonic distance sensor; 7- photoelectric box; 9- mineral delivery pump; 10- crawler; 11- chassis frame; 12- crawler frame; 13- drive wheel servo motor; 15- drive wheel; 16- reduction gearbox; 17- first support wheel; 18- second support wheel; 19- travel control system; 20- slide rail stabilizing sleeve; 21- upper sleeve; 22- upper slide rail; 23- middle sealed cabin; 25- lower slide rail; 26- grab slide Set; 27-mechanical claw; 28-mineral conveying pipeline; 40-vertical propulsion propeller; 41-steering propulsion propeller; 60-mechanical arm; 61-image acquisition unit; 63-acquisition body; 80-pressure compensator; 81-conveying hose connected to the lifting system; 100-processing unit; 120-travel control program; 130-storage unit; 150-signal line; 200-horizontal plane; 210-standard reference plane; 220-inclination analysis plane; 230-first set of servo motors; 231-second set of servo motors.

[0060] The purpose, features and advantages of the present invention will be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The principles and spirit of the present invention will be described below with reference to several specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0062] It should be understood that the “multiple” mentioned in this application refers to two or more. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; “and / or” in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solution of this application, words such as “first” and “second” are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as “first” and “second” do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as “first” and “second” do not necessarily limit them to be different.

[0063] Phrases such as "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" described in this application mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in that embodiment are included in one or more embodiments of the application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in other embodiments" that appear in different places in this application do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more but not all embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. Furthermore, the terms "including," "comprising," "having," and their variations all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0064] The following is an illustrative description of the hardware environment and software environment of the device involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] The following combination Figure 1-2 The overall structure of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle and the cooperation process of its components are explained in an exemplary manner.

[0066] See Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 As shown, Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the middle crawler system.

[0067] It should be noted that: Figure 1-2 The structure of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle and crawler system of the first embodiment of the present invention is only exemplified. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 1-2 The structure shown does not constitute a structural limitation on the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle and the track system. In other embodiments of the present invention (other embodiments other than the first embodiment), the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle and the track system may include fewer or more components than those shown in the figure, or fewer or more combinations of specific components than those shown in the figure, or the arrangement structure of the components of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle and the track system may be different from the arrangement structure shown in the figure, which will not be elaborated here.

[0068] In addition, it should be noted that: Figure 1 The structure of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle shown is relatively complex, and relatively small components or structural assemblies need to be viewed in conjunction with other drawings, for example, the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 (the exemplary installation position and exemplary structure of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 can be seen in FIG. Figure 2 to view it).

[0069] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle comprises an electric control drive box 2, a material collection bin 3, a mineral delivery pump 9, a photoelectric box 7, a mineral collection system (see Figure 3), a pressure compensator 80, and a conveying hose 81 connected to the lifting system. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle also includes a crawler system (adaptable to various seabed substrates). The crawler system includes a chassis frame 11 and multiple crawler travel subsystems 1 disposed on the chassis frame 11. The crawler travel subsystems 1 include crawlers 10, crawler frames 12, drive wheels 15, first support wheels 17, second support wheels 18, drive wheel servo motors 13, and reduction gears 16, wherein:

[0070] The crawler 10 is mounted on a crawler frame 12 and is driven by a driving wheel 15;

[0071] The driving wheel servo motor 13 adjusts the output speed of the driving wheel 15 through the reduction gear box 16 to control the walking speed of the crawler 10;

[0072] A first support wheel 17 and a second support wheel 18 are provided on one side of the driving wheel 15 to provide auxiliary support to enhance the stability of the vehicle structure and extend the stress contact surface between the crawler 10 and the ground to improve the support force of road surface feedback (this structure can effectively disperse the ground contact pressure, improve traction and reduce disturbance to the soft seabed);

[0073] The upper end surface of the first support wheel 17 is higher than the upper end surface of the drive wheel 15, and the distance between the first support wheel 17 and the drive wheel 15 is greater than the distance between the second support wheel 18 and the drive wheel 15 (the advantage of this structure is to ensure that the crawler system is as adaptable as possible to the frequently undulating terrain of the seabed, and to improve terrain adaptability and obstacle crossing capabilities).

[0074] In the first embodiment described above, multiple crawler-type travel subsystems with special structures can effectively disperse the ground contact pressure, improve traction and reduce disturbance to the soft seabed sediments, and ensure that the crawler system is as adaptable as possible to the frequently undulating seabed terrain, thereby improving terrain adaptability and obstacle-crossing capabilities. This enables the mining vehicle to achieve energy-saving, reliable, environmentally friendly, and adaptable mineral exploration and collection capabilities in the marine environment.

[0075] It should be noted that a first tangent is made for the upper vertex position of the first support wheel 17, and the surface parallel to the horizontal plane where the first tangent is located is the upper end surface of the first support wheel 17; a second tangent is made for the upper vertex position of the drive wheel 15, and the surface parallel to the horizontal plane where the second tangent is located is the upper end surface of the drive wheel 15; the upper end surface of the first support wheel 17 is higher than the upper end surface of the drive wheel 15, which means that the distance between the upper end surface of the first support wheel 17 and the horizontal plane is greater than the distance between the upper end surface of the drive wheel 15 and the horizontal plane.

[0076] It should be noted that the crawler system supports the mining vehicle in navigating complex seabed terrain. The material collection bin 3 temporarily stores collected minerals. The mineral transfer pump 9 transfers minerals captured by the mineral collection system to the material collection bin 3 for temporary storage. The photoelectric box 7 transmits power and communication. The mineral collection system performs mineral collection tasks. The pressure compensator 80 balances the pressure within the mining vehicle during seabed operations. The transfer hose 81 connected to the lifting system transfers the minerals temporarily stored in the material collection bin 3 to the mother ship that operates in conjunction with the mining vehicle for storage. The crawler track 10 is mounted on a crawler frame 12 and driven by a drive wheel 15. The drive wheel servo motor precisely adjusts the output speed of the drive wheel 15 through a reduction gearbox 16 to control the travel speed of the crawler track 10. The electronically controlled drive box 2 is responsible for power distribution, equipment status monitoring, electrical protection, and / or operational control of the mining vehicle.

[0077] In order to improve the balance ability of the mining vehicle during its movement, thereby significantly improving its terrain adaptability, obstacle-crossing ability and walking stability, so that it can efficiently and reliably adapt to the extremely complex seabed operating environment, preferably, the crawler frame 12 is provided with a first support wheel 17 and a second support wheel 18, one end of which can rotate relative to one end of the driving wheel 15 within a preset angle range (for example, ±30°) under the action of ground stress. In terms of structural implementation, a torsional elastic resetter can be provided on the crawler frame 12 for one end of the first support wheel 17 and the second support wheel 18. When one end of the first support wheel 17 and the second support wheel 18 is generated under the action of ground stress, When an external torque acts on the torsion elastic returner, the elastic element (e.g., a spring) of the torsion elastic returner undergoes elastic deformation, storing elastic potential energy. When the external torque disappears, the elastic element releases the stored energy, generating a torque in the opposite direction of the original torque, thereby returning one end of the first support wheel 17 and the second support wheel 18 to their initial state. The benefits are: each track frame 12 can swing independently at an angle, ensuring that the mining vehicle always maintains balance during travel, buffering the stress of overcoming obstacles caused by undulating terrain, thereby significantly improving walking stability and enabling the mining vehicle to efficiently and reliably adapt to the extremely complex seabed operating environment.

[0078] The following combination Figure 6-8 The control system and control method for controlling the movement of a polymetallic nodule mining vehicle are described in detail.

[0079] See Figure 6 As shown, Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the travel control system; see Figure 7 As shown, based on Figure 6 The travel control system shown is Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the method flow of the first embodiment of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle to implement the travel control; Figure 8 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the geometric relationship of the first embodiment of the overall tilt angle calculation process.

[0080] It should be noted that: Figure 6 The structure of the travel control system 19 of the first embodiment of the present invention is only exemplified. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 6 The structure shown does not constitute a structural limitation on the travel control system 19. In other embodiments of the present invention (other embodiments other than the first embodiment), the travel control system 19 may include fewer or more components than shown in the figure, or fewer or more combinations of specific components than shown in the figure, or the arrangement structure of the components of the travel control system 19 may be different from the arrangement structure shown in the figure, which will not be elaborated here.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), in order to ensure that the mining vehicle can travel and operate normally on roads of different hardness and different sediment conditions under different loads, reduce excessive disturbance of the seabed sediment during travel (reduce ground pressure), optimize the design and performance requirements of the travel mechanism and the drive mechanism, and reduce energy consumption when traveling on complex roads, preferably, the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle further includes a travel control system 19, which includes a storage unit 130, a processing unit 100 (the storage unit 130 and the processing unit 100 can be independent chips or integrated into one chip, which will not be described in detail here), an ultrasonic distance sensor 5 (for example, a sensor equipped with a low-power ultrasonic probe (for example, the ultrasonic probe can be mainly composed of a piezoelectric chip), which is used to detect distance by emitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The distance measurement principle is to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive reflected waves, and calculate the distance based on the propagation time and speed of the sound waves. The distance measurement accuracy can reach the millimeter level. The example installation position and example structure of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 can be found in Figure 2 As shown) and a buoyancy assembly 4 arranged above the material collection bin 3, the buoyancy assembly 4 includes a component body made of buoyancy material and a plurality of vertical propulsion propellers 40 arranged on the component body, the vertical propulsion propellers 40, the storage unit 130 and the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 are respectively connected to the processing unit 100 through a signal line 150, the vertical propulsion propellers 40 correspond one-to-one to the crawler travel subsystems 1, the vertical propulsion propellers 40 are installed above the corresponding crawler travel subsystems 1, the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 is arranged at a position near the second support wheel 18 of the crawler frame 12, and each crawler travel subsystem 1 is provided with at least one ultrasonic distance sensor 5, wherein:

[0082] A storage unit 130 for storing the travel control program 120;

[0083] The processing unit 100 is used to call and execute the travel control program 120, and perform the following steps: Figure 7 The following steps are shown:

[0084] S10, receiving in real time or at a fixed time the electrical signal reflecting the ground distance (the ground distance refers to the distance between the low-power ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 and the seabed) sent by the ultrasonic distance sensor 5, and recording the ground distance corresponding to the received electrical signal (for example, 3 cm, 3.5 cm, etc.), the signal receiving time, and the sensor identifier of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 that sent the signal (for example, in one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), there are four crawler-type travel subsystems 1 arranged on the chassis frame 11, and the installation positions are respectively the chassis frame 11, the left front side, right front side, left rear side, and right rear side of the crawler-type travel subsystem 11, the sensor identification of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 installed on the left front side crawler-type travel subsystem 1 may be 1XX01; the sensor identification of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 installed on the right front side crawler-type travel subsystem 1 may be 1XX02, the sensor identification of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 installed on the left rear side crawler-type travel subsystem 1 may be 2XX01, and the sensor identification of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 installed on the right rear side crawler-type travel subsystem 1 may be 1XX02) is stored;

[0085] S11. At first preset intervals (e.g., 3 seconds, 4 seconds, etc.), the mapping relationship data between the ground distance (which can be determined based on the signal reception time), the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier of the ultrasonic distance sensor stored within the first preset time is analyzed to calculate the ground penetration parameters of each crawler-type travel subsystem 1 and the overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle.

[0086] S12. Based on the calculated sinking parameters and the overall tilt angle, the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to start outputting power downward (i.e., providing buoyancy) or increase its output power is analyzed, and the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller 40 is controlled to start outputting power downward or increase its output power.

[0087] It should be noted that the storage unit 130 includes at least one type of computer-readable storage medium, including flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, card-type memory, random access memory, static random access memory, read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, magnetic memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc. In some embodiments (e.g., the first embodiment), the storage unit 130 may be an internal storage unit of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, such as the hard disk or memory of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. In other embodiments (e.g., embodiments other than the first embodiment), the storage unit 130 may also be an external storage device of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart memory card, secure digital card, flash memory card, etc. equipped on the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. Of course, the storage unit 130 may also include both the internal storage unit and external storage devices of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. In the first embodiment, the storage unit 130 is generally used to store the operating system and various application software installed on the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, such as the travel control program 120. In addition, the storage unit 130 can also be used to temporarily store various types of data that have been output or are to be output.

[0088] In the first embodiment, the processing unit 100 can be a central processing unit, a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or other data processing chip. The processing unit 100 is generally used to control the overall operation of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. In the first embodiment, the processing unit 100 is used to execute program code stored in the storage unit 130 or process data, such as executing the travel control program 120 stored in the storage unit 130.

[0089] In one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), the component body can be square, with its geometric center coinciding with the center of gravity of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, and there are four vertical propulsion propellers 40, which are symmetrically fixed to the four corner areas of the component body through brackets (the advantage is that the buoyancy of different corner areas can be differentially controlled based on the vertical propulsion propellers 40 in different corner areas, so that a single crawler travel subsystem 1 can be prevented from sinking into the ground based on fewer vertical propulsion propellers 40, and the overall tilt of the mining vehicle can be accurately corrected). The motor of each vertical propulsion propeller 40 can adjust the propeller speed under the control of the processing unit 100, and dynamically output the vertical force.

[0090] It should be noted that any technical features in the mathematical sense involved in all embodiments of the present invention, such as "geometric center", "center of gravity", "coincidence", etc., are only for the purpose of simplicity of description and do not mean that during the actual manufacturing and use of the product, the actual shape and structure of the corresponding parts of the product and other features must absolutely reach the same level as the described technical features in the mathematical sense. Those skilled in the art should know that due to the constraints of various physical conditions, natural conditions and technical conditions, in the actual industrial application process, there must be reasonable errors between the actual shape and structure of the corresponding parts of the product and the ideal literal features. The existence of these reasonable errors is the inevitable result of complying with the laws of nature. These reasonable errors must be taken into account when interpreting the characteristics of the technical solution disclosed in the present invention.

[0091] In order to prevent the mine car from temporarily being stuck in the ground or temporarily being separated from the ground due to the inertia of the undulating terrain, which may cause the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 to perform false distance detection and thus cause an error in the calculation of the stuck parameter, preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), the stuck parameter can be calculated according to the following steps:

[0092] Determine the standard ground clearance corresponding to the crawler-type traveling subsystem 1 according to predetermined mapping relationship data between the crawler-type traveling subsystem 1 and the standard ground clearance;

[0093] From the ground clearances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time (for example, the ground clearances corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 newly stored within the first preset time include X1, X2, X3, and X4), the ground clearances greater than the standard ground clearances (for example, 3 cm, 3.1 cm, etc.) are eliminated (for example, if X1 is greater than the standard ground clearance, and X2, X3, and X4 are less than or equal to the standard ground clearance, then X1 is eliminated, leaving X2, X3, and X4. It should be noted that the standard ground clearances of the crawler travel subsystem 1 corresponding to different sensor identifiers may be the same, or may be different. The principle of eliminating ground clearances based on standard ground clearances is to compare the ground clearances with the corresponding standard ground clearances. For example, the standard ground clearance of the left front tracked travel subsystem 1 corresponding to sensor identifier 1XX01 is M1, and the standard ground clearance of the right rear tracked travel subsystem 1 corresponding to sensor identifier 1XX02 is M4 (M1 and M4 may be the same or different). The analyzable ground clearances corresponding to the respective sensor identifiers are obtained (for example, after eliminating X1, the remaining X2, X3, and X4 are used as the analyzable ground distances corresponding to sensor identifier 1XX02).

[0094] Calculate the average of the analyzable ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time period, and use this average as the reference ground distance of the corresponding tracked travel subsystem 1 (for example, the average value A1 corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 is used as the reference ground distance of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side; the average value B1 corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX01 is used as the reference ground distance of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side);

[0095] If the reference ground clearance of a tracked travel subsystem 1 is less than the corresponding standard ground clearance, the difference between the standard ground clearance corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 and the corresponding reference ground clearance is calculated as the corresponding entrapment parameter of the tracked travel subsystem 1 (for example, the difference "M1-B1" obtained by subtracting the reference ground clearance B1 corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side from the standard ground clearance M1 corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side is used as the entrapment parameter corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side; the difference "M4-A1" obtained by subtracting the reference ground clearance A1 corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side from the standard ground clearance M4 corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side is used as the entrapment parameter corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side).

[0096] In order to prevent the mine car from temporarily becoming stuck in the ground or temporarily separating from the ground due to the inertia of the mine car caused by the undulating terrain, such a false ground state or false ground separation state may cause the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 to perform false distance detection, thereby causing an error in the calculation of the overall tilt angle of the mine car. Preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), the overall tilt angle can be calculated according to the following steps:

[0097] According to the calculated sinking parameters corresponding to each crawler travel subsystem 1, a standard reference plane is constructed for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle (for example, Figure 8 The standard reference plane 210 shown) and the inclination analysis plane (e.g., Figure 8 The tilt analysis plane 220 is shown);

[0098] Analyze the plane angle between the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane (for example, the line where the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane intersect (for example, Figure 8 The line segment L1 shown in the figure is used as the reference line, and any point on the reference line (for example, Figure 8 From this point, draw a perpendicular line to the reference line on the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane (see, for example, Figure 8As shown, a perpendicular line F1 perpendicular to the reference line L1 is drawn based on point R1 on the standard reference plane 210, and a perpendicular line F2 perpendicular to the reference line L1 is drawn based on point R1 on the inclination analysis plane 220), and the angle between the two perpendicular lines F1 and F2 is the plane angle), and the plane angle is used as the overall inclination angle.

[0099] See Figure 8 As shown, exemplarily, the construction process of the standard reference plane 210 is as follows: first, a horizontal plane 200 is constructed for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle; then, based on the horizontal plane 200 and the standard ground clearance of each crawler travel subsystem 1 (for example, the standard ground clearance of the crawler travel subsystem 1 on the left front side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX01 is M1, the standard ground clearance of the crawler travel subsystem 1 on the left rear side corresponding to the sensor identifier 2XX01 is M2, the standard ground clearance of the crawler travel subsystem 1 on the right front side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 is M3, and the standard ground clearance of the crawler travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 is M4). 4, M1, M2, M3 and M4 may be the same or different), determine the departure points corresponding to each tracked travel subsystem 1, and based on the determined departure points of each tracked travel subsystem 1 (the departure point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX01 is P1, the departure point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left rear side corresponding to the sensor identifier 2XX01 is P2, the departure point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right front side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 is P3, and the departure point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side corresponding to the sensor identifier 1XX02 is P4), construct a standard reference plane 210 for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle.

[0100] See Figure 8As shown, exemplarily, the process of constructing the inclination analysis plane 220 is as follows: according to the calculated sinking parameters corresponding to each crawler travel subsystem 1 (for example, the difference "M1-B1" obtained by subtracting the standard ground clearance M1 corresponding to the left front crawler travel subsystem 1 from the reference ground clearance B1 corresponding to the left front crawler travel subsystem 1 is used as the sinking parameter S1 corresponding to the left front crawler travel subsystem 1; the difference "M4-A1" obtained by subtracting the standard ground clearance M4 corresponding to the right rear crawler travel subsystem 1 from the reference ground clearance A1 corresponding to the right rear crawler travel subsystem 1 is used as the sinking parameter S2 corresponding to the right rear crawler travel subsystem 1). 1), determine the corresponding immersion parameters S4 of each tracked travel subsystem 1, and based on the determined immersion points of each tracked travel subsystem 1 (for example, the immersion point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left front side corresponding to the sensor identification 1XX01 is X1, the immersion point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the left rear side corresponding to the sensor identification 2XX01 is X2, the immersion point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right front side corresponding to the sensor identification 1XX02 is X3, and the immersion point of the tracked travel subsystem 1 on the right rear side corresponding to the sensor identification 1XX02 is X4), construct the inclination analysis plane 220 of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle.

[0101] In order to prevent the mine car from temporarily becoming stuck in the ground or temporarily becoming separated from the ground due to the inertia of the undulating terrain, such a false ground stuck state or false ground separation state may cause the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 to perform false distance detection, thereby causing errors in the calculation of the stuck parameter and the overall tilt angle. At the same time, in order to prevent errors in the tilt angle correction control caused by normal uphill and downhill operations, preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), the step of analyzing the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to start outputting power downward or increase the output power based on the calculated stuck parameter and the overall tilt angle includes:

[0102] If the entrapment parameter corresponding to a crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is greater than a first distance threshold (e.g., 2.2 cm, 2.5 cm, etc.), it is determined that the vertical propulsion propeller 40 corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to start outputting power downward or increase output power;

[0103] If the overall tilt angle is greater than a first angle threshold (for example, 31.5 degrees, 35 degrees, etc.), then the smallest sinking parameter among the sinking parameters corresponding to the various crawler travel subsystems 1 is determined as a standard comparison parameter;

[0104] If the minimum entrapment parameter is greater than the first distance threshold, the vertical propulsion propellers corresponding to all crawler-type travel subsystems 1 are determined as the vertical propulsion propellers 40 that need to start outputting power downward or increase output power;

[0105] If the minimum trapped parameter is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, then respectively calculating the difference between each other trapped parameter and the standard comparison parameter;

[0106] If the calculated difference is greater than the second distance threshold (for example, 1.3 cm, 1.5 cm, etc.), the other trapped parameters corresponding to the difference are used as the tilt angle correction parameters, and the vertical propulsion propeller 40 corresponding to the crawler travel subsystem 1 corresponding to the tilt angle correction parameters is determined as the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to start outputting power downward or needs to increase the output power.

[0107] In order to make the power output control of the vertical propulsion propeller 40 more precise, so that the mining car can move smoothly during the force application process, and prevent secondary damage to the seabed sediment caused by uneven force application, preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), the step of controlling the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller 40 to start outputting power downward or increasing the output power includes:

[0108] If the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller 40 is in the power output stop state, the vertical propulsion propeller 40 is controlled to output power according to a predetermined first power output curve, so as to apply a progressive buoyancy force from small to large to the corresponding crawler travel subsystem 1; or, if the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller 40 is in the power output state, the vertical propulsion propeller 40 is controlled to increase the output power according to the predetermined first power output curve, so as to apply a larger progressive buoyancy force to the corresponding crawler travel subsystem 1;

[0109] During the process of controlling the vertical propulsion propeller 40 to output power according to the predetermined first power output curve, at every second preset time (e.g., 2 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 3 seconds, etc., the second preset time may be the same as or different from the first preset time), the mapping relationship data between the ground distance (which may be determined based on the signal reception time), the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier of the ultrasonic distance sensor 5 stored within the second preset time is analyzed to calculate the current ground penetration parameters of each crawler travel subsystem 1 and the current overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle;

[0110] Based on the calculated current entrapment parameters and the current overall tilt angle, the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to increase its output power and / or needs to maintain its current output power is analyzed, and the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to increase its output power is controlled to increase its output power according to a predetermined first power output curve, and / or the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to maintain its current output power is controlled to output according to the current power.

[0111] It should be noted that, in the process of controlling the vertical propulsion propeller 40 to output power according to the predetermined first power output curve, an example of the analysis process of analyzing the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to increase the output power and / or needs to maintain the current output power is described as follows:

[0112] If the current entrapment parameter corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is greater than the first distance threshold, it is determined that the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to increase the output power;

[0113] If the current trapped parameter corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, determining that the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to maintain the current output power;

[0114] If the current overall tilt angle is less than or equal to the first angle threshold, and no current trapped parameter corresponding to the crawler travel subsystem 1 is greater than the first distance threshold, then it is determined that the vertical propulsion propellers 40 corresponding to all crawler travel subsystems 1 are the vertical propulsion propellers 40 that need to maintain the current output power;

[0115] If the current overall tilt angle is greater than the first angle threshold, the minimum entrapment parameter among the current entrapment parameters corresponding to each crawler-type travel subsystem 1 is determined as a standard comparison parameter;

[0116] If the minimum entrapment parameter is greater than the first distance threshold, the vertical propulsion propellers 40 corresponding to all crawler-type travel subsystems 1 are determined as the vertical propulsion propellers 40 that need to increase the output power;

[0117] If the minimum trapped parameter is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, then respectively calculating the difference between each other current trapped parameter and the standard comparison parameter;

[0118] If the calculated difference is greater than the second distance threshold, the other current trapped parameters corresponding to the difference are used as the parameters to be corrected for the tilt angle, and the vertical propulsion propeller 40 corresponding to the crawler-type travel subsystem 1 corresponding to the parameters to be corrected for the tilt angle is determined as the vertical propulsion propeller 40 that needs to increase the output power.

[0119] It should be noted that:

[0120] In order to make the mining vehicle more friendly to the seabed environment with particularly soft and thin bottom soil, and avoid disturbing the ground environment, and at the same time, in order to avoid using various expensive sensors to detect and identify the seabed bottom soil, and avoid taking harsh protection measures for expensive electronic components on the mining vehicle, based on the mining vehicle structure and intelligent control solution disclosed in this solution, without adjusting the electromechanical structure and configuration of the mining vehicle, it is entirely possible to achieve walking control close to zero disturbance. For example, the standard ground clearance can be set relatively larger, that is, the difference between the standard ground clearance corresponding to the crawler travel subsystem 1 and the corresponding reference ground clearance can be increased, that is, the corresponding immersion parameter of the crawler travel subsystem is increased. When the setting is large enough, it can be achieved that the vertical propulsion propeller 40 needs to maintain the current output power control condition only after the mining vehicle is completely suspended in the water; or,

[0121] In order to increase the ground adhesion of the mining vehicle on steep hard ground while ensuring the efficiency of mining operations and the success rate of mineral grabbing, based on the mining vehicle structure and its intelligent control solution disclosed in this solution, without adjusting the electromechanical structure and configuration of the mining vehicle, it is entirely possible to achieve stable walking on steep hard ground and stable mineral grabbing. For example, the standard ground clearance can be set relatively smaller, which can reduce the difference between the standard ground clearance corresponding to the crawler travel subsystem 1 and the corresponding reference ground clearance, that is, reduce the corresponding immersion parameter of the crawler travel subsystem 1, and avoid triggering the control condition of the vertical propulsion propeller 40 to apply buoyancy when the ground is not seriously sunk.

[0122] The following combination Figure 3-5 The overall structure of the mineral collection system and the cooperation process of each component are explained in an exemplary principle.

[0123] See Figure 3 As shown, Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the mineral collection system; see Figure 4 As shown, Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the acquisition robot arm; see Figure 5 As shown, based on Figure 3 The mineral collection system shown and Figure 4 The mineral collection area of ​​the first embodiment of the collection robot arm shown is covered by the detection and collection schematic diagram.

[0124] It should be noted that: Figure 3-4 The structure of the mineral collection system and the collection robot arm of the first embodiment of the present invention is only exemplified. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 3-4The structure shown does not constitute a structural limitation on the mineral collection system and the collection robot arm. In other embodiments of the present invention (other embodiments other than the first embodiment), the mineral collection system and the collection robot arm may include fewer or more components than shown in the figure, or fewer or more combinations of specific components than shown in the figure, or the arrangement structure of the components of the mineral collection system and the collection robot arm may be an arrangement structure different from that shown in the figure, which will not be elaborated here.

[0125] In one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), in order to improve the area coverage detection and collection capabilities of the mining vehicle on the mining path, preferably, the mineral collection system includes a collection body 63, and a plurality of intelligent collection components arranged on the collection body 63, each intelligent collection component includes a collection robot 60 and an image acquisition unit 61 (for example, a camera), the collection body 63 includes at least two mutually parallel support frames, each support frame is provided with at least one intelligent collection component, and the intelligent collection components arranged on different support frames are staggered with each other (for example, see Figure 5 The mineral collection area shown covers the detection and collection diagram, and the collection paths of the intelligent collection components set on different support frames (see Figure 5 The dashed arrows shown in the figure) are staggered and do not overlap with each other, ensuring that the collection areas and collection paths of the intelligent collection components installed on different support frames do not overlap when the mining vehicle moves). The intelligent collection components are communicatively connected to the processing unit 100. When the processing unit 100 calls and executes the travel control program 120, it also performs the following steps:

[0126] After receiving the collection instruction (in the manned driving working mode, the collection instruction can be issued by the driver based on the collection area image obtained by the image acquisition unit 61 and through a specific physical control on the mining vehicle, or through a specific touch control on the display unit of the mining vehicle; in the unmanned driving fully automatic working mode, the collection instruction can be sent remotely to the mining vehicle by the background personnel through a wireless signal or a wired signal based on the collection area image obtained by the image acquisition unit 61, which will not be described in detail here), the collection robot arm 60 is controlled to grab the minerals in the current area, and the grabbed minerals are transported to the material collection bin 3 for temporary storage through the mineral conveying pipe 28 by the mineral conveying pump 9; or,

[0127] The target mineral is identified in real time or at regular intervals on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 61 (a pre-trained mineral identification model can be called to perform identification processing on the acquired image. The model type of the pre-trained mineral identification model can be an existing deep neural network model suitable for physical entity type identification. The training process can be trained with labeled samples and verification samples, which will not be described in detail here). When it is identified that the target mineral is in the working area of ​​one or more collection robotic arms 60, the one or more collection robotic arms 60 are controlled or all the collection robotic arms 60 are controlled to perform mineral grabbing operations, and the grabbed minerals are transported to the material collection bin 3 through the mineral conveying pipe 28 by the mineral conveying pump 9 for temporary storage.

[0128] In one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), in order to prevent the weak light on the seabed from affecting the identification and collection of minerals, preferably, each intelligent collection component further includes at least one light-emitting unit (not shown in the figure) to provide supplementary light for the working area of ​​each intelligent collection component, or at least one light-emitting unit is provided on the collection body 63 to provide supplementary light for the working areas of all intelligent collection components.

[0129] In one embodiment of the present invention (for example, the first embodiment or other embodiments), in order to facilitate acquisition control and strike a balance between acquisition area coverage, acquisition control accuracy, and power consumption, preferably, there are two support frames, each of which is provided with four intelligent acquisition components.

[0130] In one embodiment of the present invention (e.g., the first embodiment or other embodiments), to facilitate acquisition control and achieve coverage of a larger acquisition area with a smaller number of intelligent acquisition components, preferably, the image acquisition unit 61 is rotatably mounted on a support frame (e.g., many cameras currently available on the market can rotate autonomously or in a controlled manner to track objects, which will not be described in detail here). The steps of performing target mineral recognition on the images acquired by the image acquisition unit 61 in real time or at regular intervals, and controlling the one or more acquisition robotic arms 60 or all acquisition robotic arms 60 to perform a mineral grabbing operation when the target mineral is recognized to be in the working area of ​​one or more acquisition robotic arms 60, include:

[0131] Performing target mineral identification on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 61 in real time or at a fixed time;

[0132] When a target mineral is identified to appear in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 61, the image acquisition unit 61 is controlled to perform image tracking and locking on the target mineral;

[0133] If the working area of ​​a collection robot arm 60 covers the locked target mineral (for example, if the proportion of the target mineral covered by the mineral grabbing end of a collection robot arm 60 exceeds a preset proportion (for example, 80%), it is determined that the working area of ​​the collection robot arm 60 covers the locked target mineral. The preset proportion can be determined after pre-calibration based on the actual collection working area of ​​the collection robot arm 60, which will not be elaborated here), then the collection robot arm 60 is controlled or all the collection robot arms 60 are controlled to perform mineral grabbing operations.

[0134] In one embodiment of the present invention (e.g., the first embodiment or other embodiments), in order to maximize the mineral grabbing range and depth of a single mining robot 60 and enable the mining robot 60 to adapt to mineral grabbing operations in complex terrain (especially where the seabed surface has significant ups and downs and the hardness of the seabed surface varies greatly), preferably, the mining robot 60 includes a rear assembly, a middle sealed cabin 23, a front assembly, and a mineral conveying pipe 28 extending through the rear assembly, the middle sealed cabin 23, and the front assembly, wherein:

[0135] The rear assembly includes an upper sleeve 21 and an upper slide rail 22. The front end and middle portion of the upper sleeve 21 are provided with multiple sets of slide rail stabilizing sleeves 20. The rear end of the upper sleeve 21 is fixedly mounted on the support frame, and the front end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin 23 based on the upper slide rail 22, so that the middle sealed cabin 23 can move along the upper slide rail 22.

[0136] The front assembly includes a grabbing sleeve 26, a lower slide rail 25, and a mechanical claw 27. The mechanical claw 27 is provided at one end of the grabbing sleeve 26, and the other end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin 23 based on the lower slide rail 25, so that the grabbing sleeve 26 can move along the lower slide rail 25;

[0137] A first group of servo motors 230 and a second group of servo motors 231 are provided in the middle sealed cabin 23. The first group of servo motors 230 is provided at one end close to the rear assembly, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic link mechanism based on the upper slide rail 22 to control the overall lifting of the middle sealed cabin 23 and the front assembly. The second group of servo motors 231 is provided at one end close to the front assembly, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic link mechanism based on the lower slide rail 25 to control the movement of the grabbing sleeve 26.

[0138] In one embodiment of the present invention (e.g., the first embodiment or another embodiment), the upward movement of the grabbing sleeve 26 along the lower rail 25 forces the mechanical claw 27 (a three-claw mechanical claw in this embodiment) to synchronously retract and grasp. The upper rail 22, lower rail 25, and rail stabilizing sleeve 20 are comprised of three sets to prevent lateral sway. Two sets of servo motors operate independently, ensuring that lifting and grasping do not interfere with each other. The rail telescopic linkage mechanism controls the mechanical claw 27 (e.g., three claws) to synchronously grasp minerals with a single motion. The sealed central capsule 23 protects the servo motors from seawater corrosion. The modular design facilitates maintenance and replacement, thus reliably and environmentally friendly mineral collection.

[0139] The collection robot arm 60 is in a retracted state when not working. When mineral collection is required, the servo motor in the middle sealed cabin 23 of the collection robot arm 60 controls the upper and lower slide rails to slide and unfold, and the front component of the collection robot arm 60 unfolds while the mechanical claw 27 opens; when it contacts the target mineral, the mechanical claw 27 closes and grasps while the collection robot arm 60 begins to retract; after the collection robot arm 60 is fully retracted, the mineral conveying pump 9 is started, and the mineral enters the mineral conveying pipeline through the mineral conveying pipe 28 in the upper sleeve 21, and is finally stored in the material collection bin 3.

[0140] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, apparatus, article, or method comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, apparatus, article, or method. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, apparatus, article, or method comprising the element.

[0141] The serial numbers of the embodiments of the present invention are for description only and do not represent the advantages and disadvantages of the embodiments. Through the description of the above implementation modes, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present invention is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, including a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0142] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A polymetallic nodule mining vehicle, comprising an electronically controlled drive box, a material collection bin, a mineral delivery pump, a photoelectric box, a mineral collection system, a pressure compensator, and a delivery hose connected to a lifting system, characterized in that: The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle further comprises a crawler system and a travel control system, wherein: The crawler system includes a chassis frame, and a plurality of crawler travel subsystems arranged on the chassis frame, the travel control system includes a storage unit, a processing unit, an ultrasonic distance sensor and a buoyancy component arranged above the material collection bin, the buoyancy component includes a component body and a plurality of vertical propulsion propellers arranged on the component body, the vertical propulsion propellers, the storage unit and the ultrasonic distance sensor are respectively communicatively connected to the processing unit, the vertical propulsion propellers correspond one-to-one with the crawler travel subsystems, the ultrasonic distance sensors correspond one-to-one with the crawler travel subsystems, the vertical propulsion propellers are installed above the corresponding crawler travel subsystems, and the ultrasonic distance sensors are arranged on the crawler frames of the corresponding crawler travel subsystems; The crawler travel subsystem includes a crawler, a crawler frame, a driving wheel, a first supporting wheel, a second supporting wheel, a driving wheel servo motor and a reduction gearbox, wherein: the crawler is installed on the crawler frame and is driven by the driving wheel; the driving wheel servo motor is used to adjust the output speed of the driving wheel through the reduction gearbox to control the walking speed of the crawler; the first supporting wheel and the second supporting wheel are arranged on one side of the driving wheel, and are used to provide auxiliary supporting force to enhance the stability of the vehicle body structure and extend the stress contact surface between the crawler and the ground to enhance the supporting force of road surface feedback; the upper end surface of the first supporting wheel is higher than the upper end surface of the driving wheel, and the spacing between the first supporting wheel and the driving wheel is greater than the spacing between the second supporting wheel and the driving wheel; The storage unit is used to store the travel control program; The processing unit is used to call and execute the travel control program, performing the following steps: receiving in real time or at regular intervals an electrical signal reflecting the distance from the ground sent by the ultrasonic distance sensor, and storing mapping relationship data of the distance from the ground corresponding to the received electrical signal, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier of the ultrasonic distance sensor that sent the signal; At first preset intervals, the mapping relationship data between the ground clearance, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier newly stored within the first preset interval are analyzed to calculate the ground penetration parameters of each crawler-type travel subsystem and the overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle; According to the calculated sinking parameters and the overall tilt angle, the vertical propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or needs to increase the output power is analyzed, and the analyzed vertical propeller is controlled to start outputting power downward or increase the output power; Among them, the step of analyzing the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or increase the output power based on the calculated entrapment parameter and the overall tilt angle includes: if the entrapment parameter corresponding to a tracked travel subsystem is greater than a first distance threshold, then determining the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem as the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or increase the output power; if the overall tilt angle is greater than the first angle threshold, then determining the minimum entrapment parameter among the entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the tracked travel subsystems as a standard comparison parameter; if the minimum entrapment parameter is greater than the first distance threshold, If the minimum entrapment parameter is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the vertical propulsion propellers corresponding to all the tracked travel subsystems are determined as the vertical propulsion propellers that need to start outputting power downward or need to increase the output power; if the minimum entrapment parameter is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the difference between each other entrapment parameter and the standard comparison parameter is calculated respectively; if any calculated difference is greater than the second distance threshold, the other entrapment parameter corresponding to the difference is used as the inclination angle correction parameter to be corrected, and the vertical propulsion propeller corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem corresponding to the inclination angle correction parameter to be corrected is determined as the vertical propulsion propeller that needs to start outputting power downward or need to increase the output power.

2. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of calculating the trapped parameters includes: Determining the standard ground clearance corresponding to each crawler-type travel subsystem according to predetermined mapping relationship data between the crawler-type travel subsystem and the standard ground clearance; Eliminating the ground distances greater than the standard ground distance from the ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time, to obtain the analyzable ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers; Calculating the average of the analyzable ground distances corresponding to the sensor identifiers newly stored within the first preset time as the reference ground distance of the corresponding crawler travel subsystem; If the reference ground clearance of a tracked travel subsystem is less than the corresponding standard ground clearance, the difference between the standard ground clearance corresponding to the tracked travel subsystem and the corresponding reference ground clearance is calculated as the corresponding entrapment parameter of the tracked travel subsystem.

3. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of calculating the overall tilt angle includes: constructing a standard reference plane and an inclination analysis plane for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to the calculated entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems; The plane angle between the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane is analyzed, and the plane angle is used as the overall inclination angle.

4. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The steps for constructing the standard reference plane and the inclination analysis plane include: constructing a horizontal surface for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle; Determining the corresponding standoff points of each crawler travel subsystem based on the constructed horizontal plane and the standard standoff distances of each crawler travel subsystem, and constructing a standard reference plane for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle based on the determined standoff points of each crawler travel subsystem; According to the calculated entrapment parameters corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems, the entrapment points corresponding to each of the crawler travel subsystems are determined, and based on the determined entrapment points of each of the crawler travel subsystems, the inclination analysis plane of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle is constructed.

5. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of controlling the analyzed vertical propulsion propeller to start outputting power downward or increasing the output power includes: If any vertical propulsion propeller is in a power output stop state, the vertical propulsion propeller is controlled to output power according to a predetermined first power output curve to apply a progressive buoyancy force from small to large to the corresponding tracked propulsion subsystem; or, if any vertical propulsion propeller is in a power output state, the vertical propulsion propeller is controlled to increase its output power according to the predetermined first power output curve to apply a larger progressive buoyancy force to the corresponding tracked propulsion subsystem; During the process of controlling the vertical propulsion propeller to output power according to the predetermined first power output curve, the mapping relationship data between the ground clearance, the signal reception time, and the sensor identifier newly stored within the second preset time period is analyzed at intervals of a second preset time period to calculate the current ground penetration parameters of each of the crawler-type travel subsystems and the current overall tilt angle of the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle. Based on the calculated current entrapment parameters and the current overall tilt angle, the vertical propulsion propellers that need to increase their output power and / or need to maintain their current output power are analyzed, and the vertical propulsion propellers that need to increase their output power are controlled to increase their output power according to a predetermined first power output curve, and / or the vertical propulsion propellers that need to maintain their current output power are controlled to output according to the current power.

6. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mineral collection system includes a collection body and multiple intelligent collection components arranged on the collection body, each intelligent collection component includes a collection robot arm and an image acquisition unit, the collection body includes at least two support frames, each support frame is provided with at least one intelligent collection component, and the intelligent collection components arranged on different support frames are arranged in a staggered manner. The intelligent collection components are communicatively connected to the processing unit, and when the processing unit calls and executes the travel control program, the following steps are performed: After receiving the collection instruction, the collection robot arm is controlled to grab the minerals in the current area, and the grabbed minerals are transported to the material collection bin for temporary storage through the mineral conveying pipe of the collection robot arm by the mineral conveying pump; or, The target mineral is identified in real time or at a fixed time on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. When the target mineral is identified to be in the working area of ​​one or more acquisition robotic arms, the one or more acquisition robotic arms or all acquisition robotic arms are controlled to perform mineral grabbing operations, and the grabbed mineral is transported to the material collection bin for temporary storage through the mineral conveying pipeline of the acquisition robotic arm by a mineral conveying pump.

7. The polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that: The image acquisition unit is rotatably mounted on the support frame. The steps of performing target mineral identification on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit in real time or at a fixed time, and controlling the one or more acquisition robotic arms or all acquisition robotic arms to perform a mineral grabbing operation when the target mineral is identified to be in the working area of ​​one or more acquisition robotic arms include: Identify target minerals in real time or at regular intervals on images acquired by the image acquisition unit; When a target mineral is identified to appear in an image acquired by an image acquisition unit, the image acquisition unit is controlled to perform image tracking and locking on the target mineral; If the working area of ​​a collection robot arm covers the locked target mineral, the collection robot arm is controlled or all the collection robot arms are controlled to perform the mineral grabbing operation.

8. A collection manipulator, suitable for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The mining robot arm includes a rear assembly, a middle sealed cabin, a front assembly, and a mineral conveying pipeline that runs through the rear assembly, the middle sealed cabin, and the front assembly, wherein: The rear assembly includes an upper sleeve and an upper slide rail. The front end and middle portion of the upper sleeve are provided with a plurality of slide rail stabilizing sleeves. The rear end of the upper sleeve is fixedly mounted on the support frame, and the front end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin based on the upper slide rail, so that the middle sealed cabin can move along the upper slide rail. The front assembly includes a grabbing sleeve, a lower slide rail, and a mechanical claw. The mechanical claw is provided at one end of the grabbing sleeve, and the other end is slidably connected to the middle sealed cabin based on the lower slide rail, so that the grabbing sleeve can move along the lower slide rail. A first group of servo motors and a second group of servo motors are arranged in the middle sealed cabin. The first group of servo motors is arranged at one end close to the rear component, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic connecting rod mechanism based on the upper slide rail to control the overall lifting of the middle sealed cabin and the front component. The second group of servo motors is arranged at one end close to the front component, and is used to drive the slide rail telescopic connecting rod mechanism based on the lower slide rail to control the movement of the grabbing sleeve.

9. A mineral collection system, suitable for the polymetallic nodule mining vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The mineral collection system includes a collection body and multiple intelligent collection components arranged on the collection body, each intelligent collection component includes a collection robot arm and an image acquisition unit, the collection body includes at least two support frames, each support frame is provided with at least one intelligent collection component, and the intelligent collection components arranged on different support frames are staggered with each other.

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