Dredging robots and dredging systems.

Abstract

DEPCT67 This invention involves a dredging robot and an integrated dredging system. The cutting machine structure is designed to be mounted on a robotic arm. The cutting machine structure includes the following parts: Housing casing; primary flange fixed to the housing casing; secondary flange fixed. Attached to the housing and arm; the shaft bushing is fixed to the primary flange; the shaft has a central section. The inner shaft bushing is precisely fitted; and the outer sleeve is precisely fitted between the shaft and the shaft bushing. A second flange was designed for the motor to be mounted on; and the shaft was positioned. The design, intended to be connected to the first flange cutting head, defines the through hole for the suction pipe to be... Adjust it to fit there so that the cutting head surrounds the outside of the suction pipe inlet channel when... Compared to previous scientific advancements, this invention could be used for excavating hard soil. And it demonstrates high structural strength;

Description

Dredging robots and dredging systems Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of dredging equipment, and specifically relates to a dredging robot and a dredging system. Background Art

[0002] Although traditional dredging ships have strong excavation capabilities, long transportation distances, and high dredging efficiency, they are large in size and can hardly operate in confined spaces such as box culverts.

[0003] In order to solve the dredging problem of box culverts, etc., smaller dredging robots have come into being. However, the existing technology mainly adopts the method of carrying mud pumps and auger on a crawler chassis. Some existing dredging robots can only move forward and backward and rotate left and right through the crawler tracks, and cannot perform local rotation. Therefore, they can only clean the relatively soft silt in front of the vehicle body. The dredging width is only slightly wider than the vehicle body, and the dredging range is small. Some dredging robots are improvements made on platforms similar to excavators. For example, a dredging platform disclosed in CN208152125U. When dredging, the auger rotates to break the soil and then sucks out the crushed soil slurry. The robot cannot cut hard soil, and the operating water depth is not high. In addition, due to the large auger structure, the cleaning accuracy is often low.

[0004] In some cases, such as drainage culverts that receive industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, and rainwater year-round, the sediment contains slag, silicates, carbonates, etc., which can form hard, compacted soil. Underwater, the main differences between hard soil and ordinary silt include:

[0005] 1) The hardness of hard compacted soil is relatively high, which places high demands on the structural strength and soil-breaking capacity of the auger, bracket, rotary mechanism and even the entire dredging robot;

[0006] 2) Silt tends to form slurry when breaking soil, while hard soil primarily forms a solid suspension with a certain particle size. The crushed soil in this solid suspension easily sinks, making it difficult to aspirate, resulting in a reduced removal rate. The hard soil to be removed is located below the auger, so the suction port cannot be located directly below the auger head, as this would easily affect the auger's operation.

[0007] In response to the first difference mentioned above, CN201447721U discloses an electric reamer transmission device, which aims to achieve sufficient structural strength for the reamer transmission part. However, this still fails to overcome the difficulty in vacuuming hard soil after breaking through. As a result, existing dredging robots cannot effectively cut hard soil and have low dredging and vacuuming efficiency.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] A first object of the present disclosure is to provide a dredging robot to improve structural strength, effectively cut hard soil, and increase the hard and broken soil removal rate.

[0010] The dredging robot includes a reamer structure for installation on a robotic arm, the reamer structure including: an outer sleeve, a first flange fixed to one end of the outer sleeve, a second flange fixed to the other end of the outer sleeve and the robotic arm, a shaft bushing fixed to the first flange, a rotating shaft with a middle portion sleeved in the shaft bushing, and a bearing bushing sleeved between the rotating shaft and the shaft bushing, wherein:

[0011] The second flange is used to mount the motor.

[0012] The rotating shaft is used for connecting the reamer head.

[0013] The reamer head includes a plurality of blade arms fixed together at one end.

[0014] The output shaft of the motor is connected to one end of the rotating shaft, and the other end of the rotating shaft can be inserted into the reamer head and fixed to the reamer head.

[0015] The first flange is provided with an opening for assembling a suction pipe so that the reamer head can surround the outside of the suction port of the suction pipe.

[0016] Optionally, the dredging robot includes: a moving chassis, a frame rotatably connected to the moving chassis, and a driving device for driving the frame to rotate, wherein the mechanical arm is arranged on the frame, and the outer side wall of the knife arm is provided with knife teeth.

[0017] Optionally, a plurality of reinforcing plates are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the shaft bushing, and the reinforcing plates abut against the inner wall of the outer sleeve.

[0018] Optionally, an opening is provided on the side wall of the outer sleeve, and the suction pipe passes through the opening and is fixed to the outer sleeve.

[0019] Optionally, the output shaft of the motor is connected to the rotating shaft via an elastic coupling.

[0020] Optionally, a limiting portion is provided on the inner wall of the shaft bushing, a first gland is provided on the rotating shaft, and the first gland is fixed to the shaft bushing, wherein the limiting portion and the first gland limit the ends of the bearing shell. Optionally, a sealing assembly is provided between the first gland, the shaft bushing, and the rotating shaft.

[0021] Optionally, the rotating shaft is further provided with a pressing sleeve, a sealing sleeve is sleeved on the outer side of the pressing sleeve, and the sealing sleeve is fixed to the shaft sleeve, a first limiting step is provided on the rotating shaft, a second limiting step is provided on the inner wall of the shaft sleeve, and a bearing is further sleeved between the shaft sleeve and the rotating shaft, wherein:

[0022] The inner end faces of the sealing bushing and the pressing sleeve limit one side of the bearing, and the first and second limiting steps limit the other side of the bearing;

[0023] The pressing sleeve is limited in its axial direction and cannot slide along the rotating shaft;

[0024] Optionally, the bearing is a deep groove ball bearing.

[0025] Optionally, a sealing assembly is provided between the sealing sleeve and the pressing sleeve and the shaft sleeve. Optionally, an annular groove is provided at the inner edge of the outer end face of the sealing sleeve for accommodating the sealing assembly provided between the sealing sleeve and the pressing sleeve, and the sealing assembly is a skeleton seal; a second pressure cover is also fixed on the sealing sleeve for blocking the outside of the skeleton seal.

[0026] The second purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a dredging system that uses the above-mentioned dredging robot to improve the dredging range and accuracy. At the same time, it also uses a method of separating the hydraulic station from the robot to reduce the size and weight of the robot itself and simplify the robot structure.

[0027] The dredging system includes an above-water driving and control platform and the above-mentioned dredging robot.

[0028] Optionally, the rotary motion of the robotic arm is driven by an oil cylinder;

[0029] The driving device for driving the frame to rotate is a hydraulic motor;

[0030] The moving chassis is provided with a hydraulic motor and moves by hydraulic drive.

[0031] Optionally, the motor in the reamer structure is a hydraulic motor, and the output speed of the motor is lower than 200 r / min.

[0032] The above-water driving and control platform is provided with a hydraulic station, which is connected to the oil cylinder for driving the mechanical arm, the hydraulic motor for driving the frame rotation, the hydraulic motor for driving the walking chassis and the hydraulic motor in the reamer structure through hydraulic oil pipes, and provides hydraulic oil and hydraulic driving force.

[0033] Optionally, the robotic arm is connected to one end of the frame, and a protective cover is provided on the other end of the frame. A sealing box for accommodating a hydraulic valve group and an underwater mud pump are also provided in the protective cover. The underwater mud pump is connected between a mud pipe for conveying mud slurry and the suction pipe, and the other end of the mud pipe is placed in a discharge position.

[0034] Optionally, the auger structure is further provided with a high-pressure water flushing port to assist in breaking the soil; and the mechanical arm is a double-arm structure.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present disclosure mainly include:

[0036] 1. A dredging robot equipped with the aforementioned auger structure has a wide dredging range and can be used for dredging hard soils. Furthermore, the compact auger structure allows for sufficient radial width to accommodate the suction port. This also facilitates miniaturization of the overall auger size.

[0037] 2. The distance between the suction port and the soil-breaking position of the auger head can be set relatively small, and the cleaning efficiency is higher.

[0038] 3. One end of the shaft bushing is rotatably nested with the rotating shaft through a bearing shell, and the other end is rotatably nested with a roller bearing, which can make the structure of the end where the shaft structure is connected to the reamer head more compact, reduce the space occupied by the shaft structure itself, and at the same time reduce friction and improve the structural support effect.

[0039] 4. The hydraulic drive device is separated from the hydraulic station, which simplifies the structure of the dredging robot, reduces the risk of underwater failure, and reduces the weight of the dredging robot, making it lightweight and miniaturized in structure and easy to adapt to narrow working spaces.

[0040] 5. The dredging robot is more stable in structure, better balanced, and has improved anti-overturning ability.

[0041] 6. The frame and the robotic arm together form a six-degree-of-freedom structure, which enables the cutter head to be fed in the up and down, left and right, and front and back directions as needed, flexibly avoiding obstacles, and at the same time, the silt removal work range is large. Other beneficial effects can also be seen in the content of the embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG1 is a schematic side view of a dredging robot according to an embodiment.

[0043] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a reamer structure according to an embodiment, showing a partial cross section.

[0044] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a shaft structure of a reamer structure according to an embodiment, showing a partial cross section.

[0045] FIG4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the shaft bushing and the first flange in one embodiment, and also shows a reinforcement plate.

[0046] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a rotating shaft in one embodiment.

[0047] FIG6 is a front view schematic diagram of the shaft bushing and the first flange in one embodiment, wherein the dotted line in the figure indicates the reinforcing plate located at the rear side of the first flange.

[0048] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a dredging system according to an embodiment.

[0049] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a dredging robot breaking through soil according to an embodiment.

[0050] Description of the figure number:

[0051] 10. Motion chassis, 20. Frame, 30. Robotic arm, 31. First arm, 32. Second arm, 33. Cylinder, 40. Suction pipe, 41. Suction port.

[0052] 50. Reamer structure; 510. Rotating shaft, 511. Pressing sleeve, 512. First limiting step; 520. Shaft bushing, 521. First flange, 522. Opening, 523. Limiting portion, 524. Second limiting step, 525. Reinforcing plate; 530. Bearing, 531. First pressure cover; 540. Bearing, 541. Sealing bushing, 542. Slot on the sealing bushing, 543. Skeleton seal, 544. Second pressure cover; 550. Reamer head, 551. Blade arm, 552. Blade teeth; 560. Motor, 561. Second flange, 562. Elastic coupling; 570. Outer sleeve, 571. Opening.

[0053] 60. Water drive and control platform, 610. Hydraulic station, 611. Hydraulic oil pipe, 620. Underwater mud pump, 621. Mud pipe, 630. Protective cover, 640. Sealing box, 650. Oil pipe and mud pipe retracting and deploying winch.

[0054] 70. Hard soil. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The present disclosure is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0056] Example 1

[0057] As shown in Figure 1, the dredging robot of this embodiment includes a moving chassis 10, a frame 20 rotatably connected to the moving chassis 10, a driving device (not shown in the figure) for driving the frame 20 to rotate, a robotic arm 30 provided on the frame 20, a suction pipe 40 and a reamer structure 50.

[0058] The motion chassis 10 is used to realize basic movements such as forward, backward and turning. In this embodiment, optionally, the motion chassis 10 is a crawler walking chassis.

[0059] The robotic arm 30 includes a first arm portion 31 rotatably connected to the frame 20 at one end, and a second arm portion 32 rotatably connected to the first arm portion 31 at one end. The other end of the second arm portion 32 is used to connect to the reamer structure 50. A cylinder 33 is connected between the first arm portion 31 and the frame 20. Driven by the cylinder 33, the first arm portion 31 and the frame 20 form a rotary motion pair. The second arm 32 is also connected to the first arm 31 through a cylinder 33, thereby also forming a rotary motion pair.

[0060] During operation, the rotation of the vehicle frame 20 drives the mechanical arm 30 to rotate, allowing the reamer structure 50 located in the hand of the mechanical arm 30 to move within a wide range. The rotation of the mechanical arm 30 can also be adjusted to adjust the operating range of the reamer structure 50. It will be readily understood that the structure of the mechanical arm 30 is not limited to a dual-arm and hydraulic cylinder drive system; it can also be replaced with other existing structures and employ other drive mechanisms, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0061] When used for dredging operations on hard soil with relatively high hardness, the robotic arm 30 rotates around the moving chassis 10, and the force required to be applied to the soil is relatively large. For this reason, in this embodiment, optionally, the driving device for driving the frame 20 to rotate is a liquid motor to output stable and sufficient torque.

[0062] Conventional sludge removal devices, for example, easily form a slurry after mixing with water. This slurry has a high viscosity and is difficult to settle under the agitation of a auger or other device. Therefore, the corresponding suction port is formed by a pipe opening located outside the auger. This port is relatively far from the auger, and a narrow port does not affect normal suction. However, crushed soil particles formed after hard soil is broken are less likely to form a slurry with a high enough viscosity. Therefore, a configuration where the suction port is separated from the auger head and spaced far apart is not suitable for working with hard soil.

[0063] In addition, some hard soils will not be directly broken into loose particles when the auger breaks the soil, but will become irregular shaped soil blocks such as blocks and flakes. If the suction port is too far or too narrow, it will be almost impossible to achieve pipeline suction and transportation.

[0064] In order to solve the above problems, referring to Figure 2, in this embodiment, the reamer structure 50 includes: an outer sleeve 570, a first flange 521 fixed to one end of the outer sleeve 570, a second flange 561 fixed between the other end of the outer sleeve 570 and the second arm portion 32 of the robotic arm 30 and connecting the two together, a shaft sleeve 520 fixed on the first flange 521, a motor 560 fixed on the second flange 561, a rotating shaft 510 with its middle sleeve inside the shaft sleeve 520, a bearing 530 sleeved between the rotating shaft 510 and the shaft sleeve 520, and a reamer head 550.

[0065] The cutter head 550 includes a plurality of blade arms 551. Optionally, blade teeth 552 are provided on the outer walls of the blade arms 551. The plurality of blade arms 551 are fixed together at one end and semi-enclosed at the other end, forming an umbrella-like structure.

[0066] The second flange 561 is sleeved onto the outside of the motor 560, and the output shaft of the motor 560 extends into the outer sleeve 570. The first flange 521 is sleeved onto the outside of the shaft bushing 520, so that most of the shaft bushing 520 is also located within the outer sleeve 570. One end of the rotating shaft 510 extends from the shaft bushing 520 and is drivingly connected to the output shaft of the motor 560.

[0067] The other end of the rotating shaft 510 extends into the reamer head 550 and is fixed to the reamer head 550. At this time, the first flange 521 is located exactly on the inner side of the reamer head 550. The first flange 521 has an opening 522. One end of the suction pipe 40 is disposed at the opening 522 or connected to the opening 522, so that the reamer head 550 is surrounded by the outside of the suction port 41 of the suction pipe 40.

[0068] To maintain strength, the diameter of the rotating shaft 510 should not be too small in the radial direction. The cutter head 550 cannot be simply enlarged based on the existing structure. An oversized cutter head 550 would result in reduced flexibility during construction, which dictates that the cutter head 550 should not be too large.

[0069] Therefore, there are certain limitations on the diameter of the rotating shaft 510 and the size of the reamer head 550. As shown in Figure 6, given the overall reamer dimensions, the sum of the maximum width D1 of the opening 522 and the outer diameter D2 of the shaft bushing 520 is a constant. If other existing structures were used, the larger dimensions of the rotating, sheathed structure between the shaft bushing 520 and the rotating shaft 510 would require more space, which would increase the outer diameter D2 of the shaft bushing 520 and reduce the maximum width D1 of the opening 522. Increasing the width D1 of the opening 522 would require increasing the overall dimensions of the reamer, reducing its operational flexibility.

[0070] In this embodiment, with the direction shown in the figure as a reference, the right end of the shaft bushing 520 is rotatably nested with the rotating shaft 510 via a bearing shell 530. This nested structure provides high structural strength while occupying very little space, leaving relatively ample space for the opening 522, allowing for flexible adjustment of the width and size of the opening 522. Compared to a sleeve structure employing, for example, a ball bearing, the shaft structure of this embodiment allows for a larger opening 522, given the dimensions of the rotating shaft 510 and reamer head 550.

[0071] Optionally, the suction port 41 of the suction pipe 40 extends into the reamer head 550. When the dimensions of the reamer head 550 and the rotating shaft 510 are given, in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 510, the width of the suction port 41 is the same as that of the opening 522, and the ratio of the width D1 of the opening 522 to the outer diameter D2 of the shaft sleeve 520 can reach a maximum of 0.65.

[0072] Alternatively, under tolerable conditions, the suction port 41 of the suction pipe 40 does not extend into the reamer head 550, but rather is positioned close to and partially surrounds one side of the suction port 41. In this case, the opening 522 on the first flange 521 can be made wider, and the width of the corresponding suction port 41 can also be made wider. The ratio of the width D1 of the opening 522 to the outer diameter D2 of the shaft bushing 520 can be up to 0.75. In this case, the multiple blade arms 551 of the reamer head 550 are fixed together at one end and fixed together at the other end by an annular plate. The annular plate of the reamer head 550 may block the middle of the opening 522.

[0073] As can be seen, the shaft structure disclosed herein effectively improves space utilization, is compact, and offers greater flexibility. To meet varying needs, the overall dimensions of the reamer can be maintained unchanged, requiring only adjustment of the first flange 521 to achieve the desired opening 522 size. Other components can be standardized, reducing costs.

[0074] During operation, the cutter head 550 presses against the hard soil, rotating and breaking it up. Simultaneously, the rotation of the cutter head 550 also stirs the soil, mixing smaller soil particles below a certain size with the water flow. Under the combined action of the suction water flow and the stirring action of the cutter head 550, the irregularly shaped soil clumps are further broken down, passed through the gaps between the blade arms 551 of the cutter head 550, and drawn out of the suction port of the suction pipe 40.

[0075] Optionally, an opening 571 is provided on the sidewall of the outer sleeve 570. One end of the suction pipe 40 is disposed at the opening 522, forming a suction port 41. The other end of the suction pipe 40 passes through the opening 571 and is connected to a suction device. A hemispherical grille (not shown) is provided at the suction port 41 of the suction pipe 40 as a filter for filtering larger particles of crushed soil to prevent clogging.

[0076] Optionally, the output shaft of the motor 560 is connected to the rotating shaft 510 via an elastic coupling 562. Optionally, the motor 560 is a hydraulic motor. Optionally, the output speed of the motor 560 is lower than 200 r / min to avoid the need for a gearbox.

[0077] As shown in Figures 3-5 , optionally, a limiting portion 523 is provided on the inner wall of the shaft bushing 520, and a first pressure cap 531 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 510, with the first pressure cap 531 being fixed to the shaft bushing 520. The two end surfaces of the bearing shell 530 are located between the limiting portion 523 and the first pressure cap 531. The bearing shell 530 can be close to the limiting portion 523 and the first pressure cap 531, or a small gap can be allowed between them. With reference to the direction shown in the figure, the limiting portion 523 limits the left end of the bearing shell 530, and the first pressure cap 531 limits the right end of the bearing shell 530, preventing the bearing shell 530 from sliding arbitrarily along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 510.

[0078] When lubricating oil is filled between the shaft bushing 520 and the rotating shaft 510, a sealing ring is further provided between the first gland 531 and the shaft bushing 520 to prevent the lubricating oil from leaking from the first gland 531. A sealing ring is also further provided between the first gland 531 and the rotating shaft 510. Furthermore, the sealing ring can prevent water from seeping into the first gland 531 during underwater operation.

[0079] Optionally, a pressing sleeve 511 is further sleeved on the rotating shaft 510 , and a sealing sleeve 541 is sleeved on the outer side of the pressing sleeve 511 , and the sealing sleeve 541 is fixed together with the shaft sleeve 520 .

[0080] Optionally, a bearing 540 is further provided between the shaft bushing 520 and the rotating shaft 510. Referring to the direction shown in Figure 1, the right end of the rotating shaft 510 extends from the shaft bushing 520 by an appropriate distance for being fixed to the reamer head 550. The bearing 530 is sleeved between the right part of the shaft bushing 520 and the rotating shaft 510, and the bearing 540 is sleeved between the left part of the shaft bushing 520 and the rotating shaft 510.

[0081] The rotating shaft 510 is provided with a first limiting step 512, and the inner wall of the shaft bushing 520 is provided with a second limiting step 524, wherein:

[0082] The inner end faces of the sealing bushing 541 and the pressing sleeve 511 limit one side of the bearing 540 , and the first and second limiting steps 512 , 524 limit the other side of the bearing 540 .

[0083] Optionally, the bearing 540 is a roller bearing, such as a deep groove ball bearing. The sealing bushing 541 and the second stop step 524 are clamped on either side of the outer ring of the bearing 540, while the press sleeve 511 and the first stop step 512 are clamped on either side of the inner ring of the bearing 540. This arrangement allows the bushing 520 to rotatably nest with the rotating shaft 510, with the bearing shell 530 at one end and the roller bearing at the other end. This makes the right portion of the shaft structure more compact and reduces the space occupied by the shaft structure itself. Compared to a method using only bearing shells, this also reduces friction and improves structural support.

[0084] Under the limiting action of the bearing 540, the pressing sleeve 511 cannot slide rightward along the rotating shaft 510. When the left end of the rotating shaft 510 is connected to the motor, the pressing sleeve 511 can be prevented from sliding leftward along the rotating shaft 510 by simply pressing the pressing sleeve 511 to the right. In addition, the axial limit of the pressing sleeve 511 can also be achieved by other limiting structures between the pressing sleeve 511 and the rotating shaft 510, and this disclosure is not limited to this.

[0085] Optionally, a sealing ring is provided between the sealing bushing 541 and the shaft bushing 520. Optionally, an annular groove 542 is provided at the inner edge of the outer end surface of the sealing bushing 541, and a skeleton seal 543 is provided in the groove 542. A second gland 544 is also fixed to the sealing bushing 541 to block the outer side of the skeleton seal 543.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 6 , optionally, the opening 22 is an arc-shaped special-shaped hole to further increase its cross section.

[0087] Optionally, multiple reinforcing plates 525 are fixedly connected to the outer wall of the shaft bushing 520. The outer edges of the reinforcing plates 525 abut against the inner wall of the outer sleeve 570, and thus, in the radial direction of the shaft bushing 520, abut against both the outer side of the shaft bushing 520 and the inner side of the outer sleeve 570. Furthermore, one end of the shaft bushing 520 has a larger outer diameter, forming a step on its central outer wall. In the axial direction of the shaft bushing 520, the reinforcing plates 525 abut between the step on the central outer wall of the shaft bushing 520 and the first flange 521.

[0088] Example 2

[0089] As shown in FIG7 , the dredging system of this embodiment includes an above-water driving and control platform 61 and the dredging robot of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, wherein:

[0090] The rotary motion of the robotic arm 30 is driven by the oil cylinder 33;

[0091] The driving device for driving the frame 20 to rotate is a hydraulic motor, which provides a large torque for the cutter head 550 on the robotic arm 30 to rotate around the moving chassis 10; when the cutter head 550 is pressed down, it cuts and breaks the soil downward, and when the cutter head 550 rotates around the moving chassis 10, it cuts and breaks the soil horizontally in the left and right directions.

[0092] The moving chassis is provided with a hydraulic motor and moves by hydraulic drive (not shown in the figure);

[0093] Optionally, the motor 560 in the reamer structure 50 is a hydraulic motor, and the output speed of the motor 560 is lower than 200 r / min;

[0094] The above-water driving and control platform 61 is provided with a hydraulic station 610, which is connected to the oil cylinder 33 for driving the robotic arm 30, the hydraulic motor for driving the frame 20 to rotate, the hydraulic motor for the walking chassis and the hydraulic motor 260 in the reamer structure 50 through a hydraulic oil pipe 611, and provides hydraulic oil and hydraulic driving force.

[0095] In this embodiment, the hydraulic drive device is separately arranged from the hydraulic station. On the one hand, it simplifies the structure of the dredging robot and reduces the risk of underwater failure. On the other hand, it can reduce the weight of the dredging robot, making it lightweight and miniaturized in structure and easy to adapt to narrow working spaces.

[0096] In addition, the vehicle frame 20 is provided with an underwater mud pump 620, which is connected between a mud pipe 621 for sucking mud slurry and the suction pipe 40, with the other end of the mud pipe 621 positioned at a discharge position. Optionally, the underwater mud pump 620 employs an existing hydraulically driven pump, wherein the driving component is also a hydraulic motor. Therefore, the hydraulic motor is also connected to the hydraulic station 610 and provides hydraulic oil and hydraulic driving force.

[0097] Optionally, the robotic arm 30 is connected to the left end of the frame 20, and a protective cover 630 is provided on the right end of the frame 20. A sealed box 640 for accommodating a hydraulic valve group (not shown) is also provided in the protective cover 630. The hydraulic valve group is used to connect to the hydraulic oil pipe of the hydraulic station and control the size and direction of the hydraulic flow of the corresponding pipeline, that is, the movement amplitude and movement direction of the corresponding action. Among them, the hydraulic valve group is an existing product, so its specific structure is not described in detail. Such a setting makes the dredging robot more stable in structure and better balanced, thereby improving its anti-overturning ability. Optionally, the underwater mud pump 620 is also provided in the protective cover 630.

[0098] Optionally, the cutter head 550 is further provided with a high-pressure water flushing port (not shown in the figure), and the high-pressure water jet ejected by the high-pressure water flushing port when in operation is used to assist in breaking the soil.

[0099] The hydraulic oil pipe 611 and the mud pipe 621 are tied together. Optionally, the water drive and control platform 61 also includes an oil pipe and mud pipe retraction and extension winch 650, which can synchronously retract and extend the hydraulic oil pipe 611 and the mud pipe 621 according to the water depth and the crawling distance of the dredging robot.

[0100] The desilting robot moves on the moving chassis 10 and the cutter head 550 rotates continuously. Referring to FIG. 7 , the working process is as follows:

[0101] First, the robot arm 30 moves to cause the cutter head 550 to advance downward by a certain step length, partially penetrating the surface layer of the hard soil 70. As the robot arm 30 and the vehicle frame 20 rotate clockwise toward the horizontal, the cutter head 550 advances by a certain angle β, completing a certain arc of surface soil breaking.

[0102] Subsequently, the robotic arm 30 moves to move the cutter head 550 downward for a certain step length. At this time, the robotic arm 30 and the frame 20 rotate counterclockwise to the horizontal direction, and the cutter head 550 is then moved back for a certain angle β to complete the earth-breaking of the surface layer below the surface layer with a certain arc.

[0103] Referring to the path of the cutter head 550 as shown by arrow C in FIG8 , the above steps are repeated to achieve dredging of one cross-section layer. Then, referring to the forward direction of the robot as shown by arrow B in FIG8 , the forward feeding can be achieved by the movement of the robotic arm 30, or the movement of the motion base 10 so that the robot moves forward as a whole to perform dredging of the next cross-section layer.

[0104] Taking hard clay with a cohesion of 100kPa as an example, the cutter head 550 will generate a maximum horizontal soil resistance of 13kN during cutting. Taking a maximum operating radius of approximately 2.5m as an example, the required maximum rotational torque is 32.5kNm. The drive device used to drive the frame 20 in this embodiment is a hydraulic motor, which provides sufficient output torque. The high-pressure flushing port simultaneously sprays a high-pressure water jet toward the outside of the cutter head 550, breaking up the soil and flushing the cutter head clean. It also breaks up larger, irregularly shaped soil blocks cut by the cutter head 550 into smaller soil blocks or particles, facilitating pipeline transportation.

[0105] The robotic arm 30 has a double-arm structure. After completing the dredging of a cross-section layer, the cutter head 550 can be fed forward in the direction indicated by the arrow B in the figure through the movement of the robotic arm 30 itself, or the cutter head 550 can be fed forward by moving the robot as a whole forward to dredge the next cross-section layer in front from top to bottom layer by layer.

[0106] The rotation of the frame 20, together with the robotic arm 30, forms a six-degree-of-freedom structure, making the robot highly flexible in operation, capable of moving up and down, left and right, and forward and backward as needed, and capable of nimbly avoiding obstacles such as pillars in a culvert.

[0107] The embodiments in this disclosure are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the claims. Other substantially equivalent alternatives that can be conceived by those skilled in the art are all within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

DEPCT671. Assembled Dredging Robot: Cutter structure designed for mounting on the robotic arm; Cutter structure includes: Housing section; Primary flange fixed to one end of the housing section; Secondary flange fixed to the other end of the housing section and robotic arm; Shaft bushing fixed to the primary flange; Shaft with a central section fitted within the shaft bushing; and Bearing housing fitted between the shaft and shaft bushing where: The secondary flange is designed for motor mounting; The shaft is designed for coupling to the cutter head; The primary flange defines a through hole for the suction pipe to be fitted there, so the cutter head surrounds the outside of the suction pipe inlet channel where: The cutter head includes a number of blades which are grouped together and fixed at one end; The motor output shaft is coupling one end of the shaft and the other end of the shaft extends into the cutter head and is fixed there.2.The dredging robot of claim 1, where a number of reinforced cross plates are fixed to the outer wall surface of the shaft bushing and braced to the inner wall surface of the housing section.

3. The dredging robot of claim 1, where an opening is provided in the wall of the housing section, the suction pipe is allowed to pass through the opening and is fixed to the housing section.

4. The dredging robot of claim 1, where the motor output shaft is coupled to the shaft by an elastic coupler.

5. The dredging robot of claim 1, where the inner wall surface of the shaft bushing, the stopper and the primary compression cover are fitted to the shaft and fixed to the shaft bushing, with the stopper and the primary compression cover stopping the opposite ends of the bearing housing.

6. The dredging robot of claim 5, where a sealing element is provided between the primary compression cover and the shaft bushing and the shaft, respectively. 7.The dredging robot of claim 5, where the compression sleeve is fitted to the shaft and the sealing bushing is positioned over the compression sleeve without contact with it and fixed to the shaft bushing, where the shaft determines the first stop and the inner wall surface of the shaft bushing determines the second stop, with a slip cushion fitted between the shaft bushing and the shaft, and where: the inner end surface of the sealing bushing and the compression sleeve stop the slip cushion on one side of it, and the first and second stops stop the slip cushion on the other side of it; and the compression sleeve is axially stopped from sliding over the shaft.

8. The dredging robot of claim 7, where the slip cushion is a deep groove ball slip cushion.

9. The dredging robot of claim 7, where the sealing part is positioned between the sealing bushing, the compression sleeve, and the shaft bushing, respectively. 10.The dredging robot of claim 9 in which an annular groove is provided along the inner edge of the outer end face of the sealing bushing and is configured to hold the sealing element therein, which is placed between the sealing bushing and the compression sleeve, where the sealing element is a reinforced seal and a secondary compression sleeve is fixed to the sealing bushing to extend outward and stop the reinforced seal.

11. The dredging robot of claim 9 additionally comprises: a movable chassis; a frame rotatable attached to the movable chassis; and a drive mechanism for driving the frame to rotate, in which a robotic arm is provided on the frame and teeth are provided on the outer wall of the blade.

12. The dredging system comprises: a flotation drive and control platform and one of the dredging robots of claims 1 through 10. 13.The dredging system of claim 12, where the robotic arm is driven by an oil-type cylinder to rotate, where: the drive path for the frame rotation is a hydraulic motor; the movable chassis is equipped with a hydraulic motor and is driven hydraulically; and the flotation drive and control platform is equipped with a hydraulic station which is connected by hydraulic oil pipes to the oil-type cylinders for driving the robotic arm, the hydraulic motor for driving the frame rotation, the hydraulic motor for driving the chassis movement and the hydraulic motor in the cutter structure and is supplied with hydraulic oil and hydraulic drive power.

14. The dredging system of claim 13, where the motor in the cutter structure is a hydraulic motor with an output speed of less than 200 rpm.15.The dredging system of claim 12, where the robotic arm is attached to the end of the first frame, and a protective cover is provided on the opposite end of the frame, where a sealed enclosure is placed for housing the hydraulic valve assembly, and a submersible sludge pump is provided in the protective cover; the submersible sludge pump is connected between the sludge transfer pipe and the suction pipe; and the other end of the sludge pipe is positioned at the discharge point.

16. The dredging system of claim 12, where the cutter structure is provided with high-pressure water jet channels to assist in breaking up the soil, with the robotic arm constructed from two arm sections;