An underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage

Abstract

The present invention provides a novel underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, which is applied to underwater robots for target positioning. Its main functions include having a support telescopic function, achieving two actions simultaneously through a power device. When the short push rod contracts, the electric telescopic four-bar linkage expands, and the push rod elongation counter wheel extends out to support the pipe wall. When the short push rod extends, the electric telescopic four-bar linkage can be retracted, and the push rod contracts to reduce the length, and the counter wheel retracts and leaves the pipe wall for easy transportation. The electric telescopic four-bar linkage is equipped with a camera to realize the observation of the underwater environment. The function of the counter wheel is to calculate the distance traveled by the underwater robot carrying the electric telescopic four-bar linkage inside the pipe, facilitating the determination of the location of detected defects. The interface between the electric telescopic four-bar linkage and the robot is a replaceable ring, with a simple structure and can be used in conjunction with most underwater robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater actuator, and particularly to an underwater actuator for assisting an underwater robot to climb on a wall and walk. Background Art

[0002] The boundless ocean is rough with waves. Underwater robots cannot accurately control their own postures in water as they do on land. Especially when dealing with tasks such as precise detection, repair, and welding, the difficulty increases several times. In the vast ocean, there are various water conveyance pipelines paved. After decades of use, these pipelines will inevitably be corroded to a certain extent, and the detection of the pipelines becomes particularly important. Most pipelines are made of metal structures, and many detection devices cannot work stably after entering. Therefore, a tool that can stick to the pipe wall and stabilize the underwater robot is needed to reduce the difficulty of the underwater robot working underwater.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to an underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage. The electric push rod uses special sealing means to prevent water and meet the requirements of underwater work. During the telescopic process of the electric push rod, it can not only realize the rotation of the four-bar linkage but also the telescoping of the odometer wheel. It is equipped with two 4K cameras for real-time observation of underwater pipelines. The odometer wheel on the electric telescopic four-bar linkage is closely attached to the wall surface due to the support of the push rod, and records the walking distance at all times as the robot walks. The electric telescopic four-bar linkage has a special interface and can be installed on the underwater robot as a separate module.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an underwater electric telescopic four-link mechanism, which is characterized by including a log wheel, a hollow tube seal one, a push rod, a plug, an O-ring, a connecting rod, a hollow tube seal two, an underwater 4K camera, a camera fixing bracket, a camera fixing seat, a watertight cable, a welding part, a push rod sleeve, a linear bearing, a bearing compression nut, a short push rod, a short rod head seal, a pin shaft, a guiding dust-proof seal, a sealing cylinder, a wedge block, a wedge block compression nut, a fixing seat, a support rod fixing collar two, a support rod connecting part three, a vertical rod fixing seat, a fixing collar one, a support rod connecting part one, a support rod connecting part, a thin support rod connecting part, a dust-proof ring, a U-ring, a guiding ring, an electric push rod sleeve. The hollow tube seal one on the log wheel is connected to the push rod in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. A plug is installed on the hollow tube seal one, and the plug is connected to the hollow tube seal one by a thread. An O-ring is installed inside the plug. A cylindrical hole is opened inside the hollow tube seal one, which is communicated with the threaded hole opened on the hollow tube seal one. The push rod is a hollow tube structure, and the connecting rod and the hollow tube seal two are connected by a shaft-hole fit method. Two underwater 4K cameras are installed on the push rod. The underwater 4K cameras are fixed to the camera fixing brackets, and the camera fixing brackets are fixed to the camera fixing seats. The two underwater 4K cameras are arranged symmetrically left and right, and their orientations form a 60° angle. Each of the two underwater 4K cameras has a watertight cable at the tail, and the two watertight cables are vulcanized into a watertight cable with double the number of cores at the convergence point. Welding parts are installed at both ends of the hollow push rod and the connecting rod respectively. The welding parts are welded to the push rod and the connecting rod in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. The push rod and the push rod sleeve are connected in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair and can move up and down. A linear bearing is installed between them, and the upper and lower limits of the linear bearing are ensured by the bearing compression nut. The short push rod and the short rod head seal are installed with a shaft-hole fit and limited by a pin shaft. Two sealing grooves are opened on the short rod head seal. The guiding dust-proof seal is concentrically fitted with the short push rod. Multiple sealing grooves and guiding key grooves are opened on the structure of the guiding dust-proof seal. The guiding dust-proof seal is fastened to the sealing cylinder by a thread. At the same time, the sealing cylinder is also in shaft-hole fit with the push rod sleeve. The upper end surface of the wedge block is in contact with the tail end surface of the sealing cylinder. The sealing cylinder is installed in threaded fit with the wedge block compression nut, and the wedge block is squeezed by tightening the wedge block compression nut. The end of the electric push rod sleeve is fixed to the fixing seat by a shaft-hole fit and limited by a pin shaft. The fixing seat is fixed to the outer sleeve by a shaft-hole fit. Sealing grooves, wire-passing grooves, and limiting grooves are opened on the outer sleeve. The fixing seat is hinged to the support rod fixing collar two, the support rod connecting part three is hinged to the support rod fixing collar two, the vertical rod fixing seat is hinged to the fixing collar one, the short rod head seal is hinged to the support rod connecting part one, the support rod connecting part is hinged to the thin support rod connecting part, and the push rod sleeve and the push rod are in linear sliding contact.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of this solution, for the described underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, it is characterized in that after the hollow tube seal one and the push rod are fitted together, the two are fixed together by welding. The plug thread is M6, the threaded hole of the hollow tube seal one is M6, and the groove opened inside the plug is used to place the O-ring and can be replaced.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of this solution, for the described underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, it is characterized in that the included angle between the two underwater 4K cameras is 60°, the lens opening angle is 110°, and the combination of the two can provide a visual range of 120° - 150°, meeting the underwater pressure resistance of about 300 meters.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of this solution, for the described underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, it is characterized in that both the push rod and the connecting rod are of a sealed structure, and the tightness can be tested by removing the plug.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of this solution, for the described underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, it is characterized in that the internal groove of the guide dust seal is used to install the dust ring, U-ring, guide ring, and O-ring. The wedge block has a conical surface at one end, and three openings are equally spaced along the axial direction on the conical surface. The wedge block compression nut has a slope with the same inclination angle in its structure, and the conical surface coincides with the slope.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of this solution, for the described underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, it is characterized in that the push rod and the push rod sleeve are in a sliding manner, the thin rod connecting piece is fixed to the push rod, and when the short push rod slides with the electric push rod sleeve, the push rod and the push rod sleeve slide simultaneously.

[0011] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0012] It has a small and compact structure with a reasonable layout. It can be installed as a separate module on most robots. There is a spring installed on the odometer wheel, which can control the included angle between the two legs and ensure that both wheels can be in contact with the pipe wall at the same time. It has two underwater 4K cameras to observe the underwater environment in real time. The four-bar linkage can not only support the odometer wheel but also facilitate recovery. When recovering, the overall length is shortened for easy transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the extension structure of an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the contraction structure of an example of the present application.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the hollow connecting rod and the push rod seal of an example of the present application.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the layout of the underwater 4K camera of an example of the present application.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the push rod seal structure of an example of the present application.

[0019] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the hinged manner between the electric push rod and the connecting rod in an example of the present application.

[0020] Figures 1-6 In the figure, 1. includes a taxi meter wheel, 2. a first hollow tube seal, 3. a push rod, 4. a plug, 5. an O-ring, 6. a connecting rod, 7. a second hollow tube seal, 8. an underwater 4K camera, 9. a support rod camera fixing bracket, 10. a camera fixing seat, 11. a waterproof cable, 12. a hollow tube seal welding part, 13. a push rod sleeve, 14. a linear bearing, 15. a bearing compression nut, 16. a short push rod, 17. a short rod head seal, 18. a pin shaft, 19. a guide dust-proof seal, 20. a seal cylinder, 21. a wedge block, 22. a wedge block compression nut, 23. a fixing seat, 24. a second support rod fixing collar, 25. a third rod connecting part, 26. a vertical rod fixing seat, 27. a first fixing collar, 28. a first support rod connecting part, 29. a rod connecting part, 30. a thin rod connecting part, 31. a dust-proof ring, 32. a U-ring, 33. a guide ring, 34. an electric push rod sleeve Detailed implementation manners

[0021] The present invention provides an underwater electric telescopic four-link mechanism. The electric push rod is electrically driven to control its telescopic movement. The electric push rod is a movable component in the four-link mechanism, driving the entire device to move. The movement caused by the telescopic movement of the electric push rod includes two types. One is the telescopic movement of the push rod, and the other is the rotational movement of the push rod around a fixed point.

[0022] Such as Figures 1-6As shown in the figure, an underwater electric telescopic four-link mechanism is characterized in that it includes an odometer wheel 1, a hollow tube seal 2, a push rod 3, a plug 4, an O-ring 5, a connecting rod 6, a hollow tube seal 7, an underwater 4K camera 8, a camera fixing bracket 9, a camera fixing seat 10, a watertight cable 11, a welding part 12, a push rod sleeve 13, a linear bearing 14, a bearing compression nut 15, a short push rod 16, a short rod head seal 17, a pin shaft 18, a guide dust seal 19, a sealing cylinder 20, a wedge block 21, a wedge block compression nut 22, a fixing seat 23, a second support rod fixing collar 24, a third rod connecting part 25, a vertical rod fixing seat 26, a first fixing collar 27, a first support rod connecting part 28, a rod connecting part 29, a thin rod connecting part 30, a dust seal 31, a U-ring 32, a guide ring 33, and an electric push rod sleeve 34. The hollow tube seal 2 on the odometer wheel 1 is connected to the push rod 3 in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. A plug 4 is installed on the hollow tube seal 2, and the plug 4 is threadedly connected to the hollow tube seal 2. An O-ring 5 is installed inside the plug. A cylindrical hole is opened inside the hollow tube seal 2, which is communicated with the threaded hole opened on the hollow tube seal 2. The push rod 3 is a hollow tube structure, and the connecting rod 6 and the hollow tube seal 7 are connected by means of shaft-hole fit. Two underwater 4K cameras 8 are installed on the push rod 3. The underwater 4K cameras 8 are fixed to the camera fixing bracket 9, and the camera fixing bracket 9 is fixed to the camera fixing seat 10. The two underwater 4K cameras 8 are arranged symmetrically left and right, and their orientations form a 60° angle. Each of the tails of the two underwater 4K cameras 8 has a watertight cable 11, and the two watertight cables 11 are vulcanized into a watertight cable with double the number of cores at the convergence point. Welding parts 12 are installed at both ends of the hollow push rod 3 and the connecting rod 6 respectively. The welding parts 12 are welded to the push rod 3 and the connecting rod 6 in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. The push rod 3 and the push rod sleeve 13 are connected in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair and can move up and down. A linear bearing 14 is installed between them, and the up and down limits of the linear bearing 14 are ensured by the bearing compression nut 15. The short push rod 16 and the short rod head seal 17 are installed with shaft-hole fit and limited by the pin shaft 18. Two sealing grooves are opened on the short rod head seal 17. The guide dust seal 19 is concentrically fitted with the short push rod 16. Multiple sealing grooves and guide key grooves are opened on the structure of the guide dust seal 19. The guide dust seal 19 is threadedly fastened to the sealing cylinder 20. At the same time, the sealing cylinder 20 is also in shaft-hole fit with the electric push rod sleeve 34. The upper end face of the wedge block 21 is in contact with the end face of the tail of the sealing cylinder 20. The sealing cylinder 20 is threadedly fitted with the wedge block compression nut 22, and the wedge block 21 is extruded by tightening the wedge block compression nut 22.The end of the electric push rod sleeve 34 is fixed to the fixed seat 23 by shaft-hole fit and limited by the pin shaft 18. The fixed seat 23 is fixed to the outer sleeve by shaft-hole fit. The outer sleeve is provided with a sealing groove, a wire-passing groove and a limiting groove. The fixed seat 23 is hinged to the second fixed sleeve ring 24 of the support rod. The third connecting piece 25 of the support rod is hinged to the second fixed sleeve ring 24 of the support rod. The vertical rod fixed seat 26 is hinged to the first fixed sleeve ring 27. The sealing piece 17 at the head of the short rod is hinged to the first connecting piece 28 of the support rod. The connecting piece 29 of the support rod is hinged to the connecting piece 30 of the thin support rod. The push rod sleeve 13 and the push rod 3 are in linear sliding contact. Among them, in actual application, after the first hollow tube sealing piece 2 is fitted with the push rod 3, the two are fixed together by welding. The thread of the plug 4 is M6, the threaded hole of the first hollow tube sealing piece 2 is M6. The groove opened inside the plug 4 is used to place the O-ring 5 and can be replaced. The function of the hollow tube is to reduce the overall mass, provide buoyancy, and meet the requirement of neutral buoyancy of the underwater electric telescopic four-link mechanism.

[0023] Among them, in actual application, the included angle between the two underwater 4K cameras 8 is 60°, the opening angle of the lens is 110°, and the combination of the two can provide a visual range of 120° - 150°, meeting the underwater pressure resistance of about 300 meters.

[0024] Among them, in actual application, both the push rod 3 and the connecting rod 6 are of sealed structure, and the sealing performance can be detected by replacing the plug with a nozzle.

[0025] Among them, in actual application, the inner groove of the guiding dust-proof sealing piece 19 is used to install the dust-proof ring 31, U-ring 32, guiding ring 33 and O-ring 5. The shape of the wedge block 21 is a conical surface at one end, and three openings are equally spaced along the axial direction on the conical surface. The wedge block pressing nut 22 has a slope with the same inclination angle in structure, and the conical surface coincides with the slope. The functions of the wedge block 21 and the wedge block pressing nut 22 are to firmly fix the guiding dust-proof sealing piece 19 on the electric push rod sleeve with a smooth cylindrical surface.

[0026] Among them, in actual application, the push rod 3 and the push rod sleeve 13 are in a sliding mode. The connecting piece 30 of the thin support rod is fixed to the push rod 3. When the short push rod 16 slides between the electric push rod sleeve 34, the push rod 16 and the push rod sleeve 13 slide simultaneously.

Claims

1. An underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage, characterized in that, It includes an odometer wheel (1), a hollow tube seal one (2), a push rod (3), a plug (4), an O-ring (5), a connecting rod (6), a hollow tube seal two (7), an underwater 4K camera (8), a camera fixing bracket (9), a camera fixing seat (10), a watertight cable (11), a welding part (12), a push rod sleeve (13), a linear bearing (14), a bearing compression nut (15), a short push rod (16), a short rod head seal (17), a pin shaft (18), a guide dust seal (19), a seal cylinder (20), a wedge block (21), a wedge block compression nut (22), a fixing seat (23), a support rod fixing collar two (24), a support rod connecting part three (25), a vertical rod fixing seat (26), a fixing collar one (27), a support rod connecting part one (28), a support rod connecting part (29), a thin support rod connecting part (30), a dust ring (31), a U-ring (32), a guide ring (33), and an electric push rod sleeve (34). The hollow tube seal one (2) on the odometer wheel (1) is connected to the push rod (3) in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. A plug (4) is installed on the hollow tube seal one (2), and the plug (4) is connected to the hollow tube seal one (2) by threads. An O-ring (5) is installed inside the plug. A cylindrical hole is opened inside the hollow tube seal one (2), which is connected to the threaded hole opened on the hollow tube seal one (2). The push rod (3) is a hollow tube structure, and the connecting rod (6) is connected to the hollow tube seal two (7) by means of a shaft-hole fit; Two underwater 4K cameras (8) are installed on the push rod (3). The underwater 4K cameras (8) are fixed to the camera fixing bracket (9), and the camera fixing bracket (9) is fixed to the camera fixing seat (10). The two underwater 4K cameras (8) are arranged symmetrically left and right, and their orientations form a 60° angle. Each of the tails of the two underwater 4K cameras (8) has a watertight cable (11), and the two watertight cables (11) are vulcanized into a watertight cable with double the number of cores at the convergence point; Welding parts (12) are installed at both ends of the hollow push rod (3) and the connecting rod (6) respectively. The welding parts (12) are welded to the push rod (3) and the connecting rod (6) in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair. The push rod (3) is connected to the push rod sleeve (13) in the form of a cylindrical sleeve pair and can move up and down. A linear bearing (14) is installed between them, and the up and down limits of the linear bearing (14) are ensured by the bearing compression nut (15);The described short push rod (16) is installed with axial hole fit with the short rod head seal (17), and is limited by a pin shaft (18). The short rod head seal (17) is provided with two sealing grooves. The guiding dust-proof seal (19) is concentrically fitted with the short push rod (16). The guiding dust-proof seal (19) is structurally provided with a plurality of sealing grooves and guiding key grooves. The guiding dust-proof seal (19) is fastened to the sealing cylinder (20) by threads. At the same time, the sealing cylinder (20) is also in axial hole fit with the push rod sleeve (13). The upper end surface of the wedge block (21) is in close contact with the end surface of the sealing cylinder (20). The sealing cylinder (20) is installed in threaded fit with the wedge block compression nut (22), and the wedge block (21) is extruded by tightening the wedge block compression nut (22); the end of the electric push rod sleeve (34) is fixed to the fixed seat (23) by axial hole fit and is limited by a pin shaft. The fixed seat (23) is fixed to the outer sleeve by axial hole fit. The outer sleeve is provided with a sealing groove, a wire threading groove, and a limiting groove; the fixed seat (23) is hinged to the second support rod fixing collar (24). The third rod connecting piece (25) is hinged to the second support rod fixing collar (24). The vertical rod fixing seat (26) is hinged to the first fixing collar (27). The short rod head seal (17) is hinged to the first support rod connecting piece (28). The rod connecting piece (29) is hinged to the thin rod connecting piece (30). The push rod sleeve (13) and the push rod (3) are in linear sliding contact.; 2. The underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the cooperation between the hollow tube seal one (2) and the push rod (3) is completed, the two are fixed together by welding. The thread of the plug (4) is M6, the thread hole of the hollow tube seal one (2) is M6, and the groove opened inside the plug (4) is used to place the O-ring (5).

3. The underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage according to claim 1, wherein the included angle between the two underwater 4K cameras (8) is 60°, the lens opening angle is 110°, and the combination of the two can provide a visual range of 120° - 150°, meeting the underwater pressure resistance of about 300 meters.

4. The underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the push rod (3) and the connecting rod (6) are sealed structures, and the sealing performance can be tested by removing the plug (4).

5. The underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner groove of the guide dust seal (19) is used to install the dust ring (31), U-ring (32), guide ring (33), and O-ring (5). The wedge block (21) has a conical surface at one end, and three openings are evenly distributed along the axial direction on the conical surface. The wedge block pressing nut (22) has a slope with the same inclination angle in its structure, and the conical surface coincides with the slope.

6. The underwater electric telescopic four-bar linkage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The push rod (3) and the push rod sleeve (13) are in a sliding manner. The thin rod connector (30) is fixed to the push rod (3). When the short push rod (16) slides with the electric push rod sleeve (34), the push rod (3) and the push rod sleeve (13) slide simultaneously.

Images