A high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle and a control method thereof, the multi-body unmanned vehicle comprising: a main hull, a plurality of propulsion sub-hulls, a plurality of side wings, a plurality of horizontal rudders, a tail fin and a communication sub-hull; the side wings are arranged on both sides of the main hull, one end of the side wings is connected to the main hull, the other end of the side wings is connected to one side of the propulsion sub-hull, the other side of the propulsion sub-hull is connected to the horizontal rudder, one end of the tail fin is connected to the main hull, the other end of the tail fin is connected to the communication sub-hull, and the communication sub-hull is connected to the main hull in communication; the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull are both connected to a propeller; a ballast water tank is also arranged inside the main hull, and the ballast water tank is used to adjust the water intake and drainage in the hull. The present invention can realize the functions of water navigation, semi-submersible navigation and full submersible navigation, adapt to the water and underwater operation requirements under high sea conditions, and maintain stability to the maximum extent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of marine unmanned aerial vehicle navigation technology, and in particular to a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned aerial vehicle and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing frequency of marine research, development and various activities, the status of unmanned ships is becoming increasingly important. As an autonomous watercraft, unmanned ships can replace conventional ships to carry out detection, inspection, search and rescue, transportation and other operations in various harsh environments. Most of the current unmanned ships adopt conventional ship designs. When conventional ships sail at high speed and high sea conditions, it is easy to produce waves on the deck. The waves rushing onto the deck cause a huge navigation resistance and are easy to cause water in the ship's cabin. Its speed, multi-degree-of-freedom controllability, turning flexibility, stability, wave resistance, etc. are difficult to meet the use requirements of various harsh environments. In high sea conditions, it is often unable to operate normally and even unable to ensure its own safety. On the other hand, underwater unmanned vehicles currently mostly adopt a single-body design similar to that of submarines. Since their size is often much smaller than that of submarines, the single-body design is not only greatly affected by the tide, but also its multi-degree-of-freedom control and stability are difficult to meet engineering needs. The current technical level lacks an effective solution that can simultaneously meet the high-speed navigation and operation on and under water. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the defects and shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention proposes a multi-hull unmanned aerial vehicle that can dive at high speed and in high sea conditions and a control method thereof, which can realize multi-degree-of-freedom control, has good maneuverability, can realize multiple functions such as surface navigation, semi-submerged navigation and fully submerged navigation, and can adapt to the needs of surface and underwater operations under high sea conditions; when navigating on the water, the anti-roll effect of multiple horizontal rudders is utilized to greatly reduce the impact of waves on the hull, so that it can adapt to the navigation state of high speed and high sea conditions and maintain stability to the maximum extent; when encountering huge waves that exceed its own wave-keeping ability, it can dive and navigate in time to avoid the threat of huge waves on the sea surface and ensure the safety of the ship itself; when navigating underwater, through multiple hulls and multiple thrusters, multiple propulsion forces in space are coordinated with each other to realize multi-degree-of-freedom control, which is incomparable to a single body in terms of flexibility, stability and speed.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] This embodiment provides a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-hull unmanned vehicle, comprising: a main hull, a plurality of propulsion sub-hulls, a plurality of side wings, a plurality of horizontal rudders, a tail fin, and a communication sub-hull;

[0006] The side wings are arranged on both sides of the main hull, one end of the side wings is connected to the main hull, the other end of the side wings is connected to one side of the propulsion sub-hull, the other side of the propulsion sub-hull is connected to the horizontal rudder, one end of the tail fin is connected to the main hull, and the communication sub-hull is connected to the main hull for communication;

[0007] The propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull are both connected with thrusters;

[0008] A plurality of ballast water tanks are also provided inside the main hull, and the ballast water tanks are used to adjust the water inlet and outlet in the hull.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution, a dorsal fin is also provided, and the dorsal fin is arranged on the main hull.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution, the tail fin is provided with a locking device for locking the communication sub-hull, the communication sub-hull is provided with a towing hook, and a towing cable is also provided inside the tail fin, and the towing cable is connected to the towing hook of the communication sub-hull.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution, the main hull adopts an axisymmetric teardrop-shaped main hull.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution, both the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull adopt a teardrop-shaped structure.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution, the number of the propulsion sub-hulls is set to four, which are arranged around the bottom of the main hull, and together with the main hull and the communication sub-hull form a six-body unmanned vehicle.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution, the number of the ballast water tanks is set to three, which are respectively arranged at the front, middle and rear of the main hull.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution, the propeller is provided with a rotating guide duct propeller for changing the direction of the propeller thrust.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution, the main hull is also provided with an inertial sensor, and the inertial sensor is used to detect the movement posture of the main hull.

[0017] The present invention also provides a control method for a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle, comprising the following steps:

[0018] When sailing on water, the multi-hull unmanned vehicle controls the filling and drainage of ballast water tanks, adjusts the above-water, underwater and semi-submerged navigation states of the vehicle, and controls its attitude during navigation by dynamically adjusting multiple horizontal rudders to generate upward or downward force;

[0019] Change the thrust or thrust direction of each propeller of the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull to control the direction of navigation;

[0020] When it is detected that any one of the roll angle, pitch angle and heave motion of the aircraft exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the multi-body unmanned aircraft's own wavekeeping ability is exceeded, and the multi-body unmanned aircraft dives and adjusts from the surface navigation state to the underwater navigation state;

[0021] When the main hull dives, the mode of not releasing the communication sub-hull, the mode of releasing the communication sub-hull by wire, or the mode of releasing the communication sub-hull by wireless is selected according to the communication requirements;

[0022] When the communication sub-hull mode is selected not to be released, the multi-hull unmanned vehicle sails autonomously;

[0023] When the wired release mode of the communication sub-hull is selected, the communication sub-hull floats on the water surface and is towed by the main hull via wires, and the communication sub-hull and the main hull communicate via wires;

[0024] When the wireless release mode of the communication sub-hull is selected, the communication sub-hull separates from the main hull, floats up independently, navigates by its own power, and communicates with the main hull through sonar.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0026] (1) The present invention has the functions of adapting to water navigation, semi-submerged navigation and underwater navigation at the same time, and can meet various needs such as water operations and underwater operations at the same time.

[0027] (2) When encountering large waves that exceed the wave-keeping capability of the vessel itself, the present invention can dive in time and adjust from the surface navigation state to the underwater navigation state, thereby avoiding the threat of large waves on the sea surface and ensuring the safety of the vessel itself.

[0028] (3) The present invention adopts a multi-body multi-propulsion technical solution, which uses multiple propulsion forces in space to coordinate with each other to achieve control with more degrees of freedom. It is incomparable to a single body in terms of flexibility, stability, and speed, and is more likely to meet the use requirements of high speed and high sea conditions on the water and underwater.

[0029] (4) Each propulsion sub-hull of the present invention is equipped with a horizontal rudder. By controlling the rudder angle of each horizontal rudder and utilizing the lift principle of the wing, an upward or downward force in the vertical direction can be generated around the main hull during navigation, which is beneficial to increasing the controllability of the aircraft in the vertical direction, especially when sailing at high speed. By controlling the rudder angle of each horizontal rudder, the aircraft can be more stable when sailing on the water. In addition to maintaining stability during underwater navigation, different rudder angles can also enable the aircraft to change its course in the direction of floating or diving.

[0030] (5) The main hull of the present invention adopts a teardrop-shaped design, which is different from conventional unmanned surface ships. The arc-shaped design can reduce the wave resistance when sailing at high speed and high sea conditions on the water, and can also facilitate rapid drainage and wave removal. Under the control of four horizontal rudders, the teardrop-shaped shape of the vehicle is more conducive to its crossing of large waves and achieving smooth navigation. The present invention can better adapt to the operation state of high speed and high sea conditions than conventional ships.

[0031] (6) The present invention provides a communication sub-hull as a relay for long-distance communication, which can be separated from the main hull and float on the water surface as needed. On the one hand, it is beneficial to the transmission of data above and below the water, and on the other hand, it is also beneficial to monitor the water surface conditions at any time.

[0032] (7) The main hull of the present invention is equipped with side wings, dorsal fins and tail fins, which is a bionic fish design, making it more adaptable to the state of sailing in water and improving its sailing stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a multi-body unmanned vehicle capable of high speed and high sea conditions and submersible in this embodiment;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic front view of a multi-body unmanned vehicle capable of high speed and high sea conditions and submersible in this embodiment;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of a multi-body unmanned vehicle capable of submerging at high speed and in high sea conditions according to the present embodiment;

[0036] Figure 4 It is a left side schematic diagram of a multi-body unmanned vehicle capable of high speed and high sea state submergibility according to the present embodiment;

[0037] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three navigation states of the multi-body unmanned aerial vehicle capable of high speed and high sea conditions and submergence in water, underwater and semi-submerged according to the present embodiment.

[0038] Among them, 1-main hull, 2-propulsion subhull, 3-communication subhull, 4-side wing, 5-tail fin, 6-dorsal fin, 7-thruster, 8-horizontal rudder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and 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.

[0040] Example

[0041] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment provides a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-hull unmanned vehicle, comprising: a main hull 1, a plurality of propulsion sub-hulls 2, a plurality of side wings 4, a plurality of horizontal rudders 8, a tail fin 5 and a communication sub-hull 3;

[0042] The two sides of the main hull 1 are connected to one side of the propulsion sub-hull 2 ​​through the side wings 4, and the top is connected to the communication sub-hull 3 through the tail fin 5. The other side of the propulsion sub-hull 2 ​​is connected to the horizontal rudder 8. The communication sub-hull 3 is connected to the main hull 1 for communication. The tails of the propulsion sub-hull 2 ​​and the communication sub-hull 3 are both connected with propellers 7.

[0043] In this embodiment, a dorsal fin 6 is installed at the front end of the upper part of the main hull 1. The main hull of this embodiment is installed with side wings, dorsal fins and tail fins. It is a bionic fish design, which makes it more adaptable to the navigation state in water and improves its navigation stability.

[0044] In this embodiment, three ballast water tanks are arranged inside the main hull 1, namely the front (bow), middle and rear (stern). The ballast water tanks are used to adjust the water inflow and drainage inside the hull, thereby changing the gravity and center of gravity position of the craft. If the head ballast water tank is filled with water alone, the head will tilt forward; if the rear ballast water tank is filled with water alone, the rear will tilt backward. If the three ballast water tanks are filled with water or drained at the same time, the craft will sink or float as a whole. This embodiment realizes the diving, floating and longitudinal inclination adjustment of the craft through the water inflow and drainage of the ballast water tanks to adapt to the three navigation states of the craft on water, underwater and semi-submerged. The ballast water tanks are distributed at the front (bow), middle and rear (stern) positions inside the main hull so as to adjust the longitudinal position of the center of gravity while adjusting its own gravity.

[0045] In this embodiment, the main hull 1 adopts an axisymmetric teardrop-shaped design, and the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull both adopt a teardrop-shaped structure. The hull and the sub-hull are designed in an arc shape, which can reduce the wave resistance during high-speed and high-sea navigation on the one hand, and can also facilitate rapid drainage and wave removal on the other hand. Under the control of the horizontal rudder, the teardrop-shaped shape of the vehicle is more conducive to its crossing of large waves and achieving smooth navigation. Compared with conventional ships, it can better adapt to the operation state of high-speed and high-sea conditions.

[0046] In this embodiment, the number of propulsion sub-hulls is set to four, which are arranged around the main hull (front, back, left, and right), and together with the main hull and the communication sub-hull, form a six-body unmanned vehicle. The six-body multi-propulsion technology is adopted, and multiple propulsion forces in space are coordinated to achieve more degrees of freedom of control. The flexibility, stability, and rapidity are unmatched by a single body, and it is easier to meet the use requirements of high-speed and high-sea conditions on the water and underwater. Of course, the number of propulsion sub-hulls in this embodiment can also be set to six, eight, etc., and multiple propulsion forces in space are coordinated to achieve more degrees of freedom of control, which can be adjusted to meet the use requirements of high-speed and high-sea conditions on the water and underwater.

[0047] In this embodiment, the spatial multi-dimensional propulsion system composed of the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull is more flexible than the single propulsion and tail propulsion methods of traditional ships or submarines, and can achieve multi-dimensional control. In the first way, the heading of the aircraft can be controlled by controlling the thrust of each propeller, such as: increasing the thrust of the right propeller and reducing the thrust of the left propeller (or reversing on the left), the aircraft can turn left; increasing the propulsion of the upper communication sub-hull, the aircraft can turn downward, etc. In the second way, in addition to controlling the heading by changing the thrust of each propeller, this embodiment can also use a rotatable propulsion device to control the heading of the aircraft by changing the thrust direction of each propeller. For example, a rotating guide tube propeller is used to change the direction of the propeller thrust by controlling the direction of the guide tube, thereby realizing the steering of the aircraft.

[0048] In this embodiment, the horizontal rudder installed on the side of the propulsion subhull can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise to a certain rudder angle (the rudder angle of the horizontal rudder can be set to an adjustment range of about plus or minus 35 degrees, and dynamically adjusted according to actual conditions). By utilizing the lift principle of the wing, four upward or downward forces can be generated around the main hull during navigation to control the attitude of the aircraft. For example, when the aircraft tilts to the right due to the action of waves or currents during navigation, the rudder angle of the right horizontal rudder can be controlled to be a positive attack angle (with the guide edge facing up) to generate an upward force; the left horizontal rudder is a negative attack angle to generate a downward force, that is, a restoring torque is generated to counteract the right tilt of the hull. The same is true for the bow tilt of the aircraft. The positive attack angle of the bow horizontal rudder can generate an upward force, and the negative attack angle of the tail horizontal rudder can generate a downward force to counteract the bow tilt. In general, the attitude of the aircraft is controlled by controlling the size and direction of the rudder angles of the four horizontal rudders (that is, controlling the size and direction of the lift generated by the four horizontal rudders), which can counteract (compensate for) the aircraft's roll, pitch, heave and other movements, making the aircraft's navigation more stable.

[0049] In this embodiment, the ballast tank is adjusted to dive, float and trim by adjusting its own weight and center of gravity. When the vehicle is sailing steadily underwater, the vehicle is generally adjusted to zero buoyancy and zero trim. When the depth needs to be changed, on the one hand, the rudder angles of the four horizontal rudders can be changed to generate upward or downward lift to achieve the upward or downward change of direction of the vehicle; on the other hand, the ascent and descent of the vehicle can be achieved directly by controlling the inlet and outlet of the ballast tank; of course, the two can also be linked to achieve rapid control of multiple parameters. Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, a locking device is provided on the tail fin, and the communication sub-hull is tightened and locked on the tail fin by a tow cable. The communication sub-hull is installed with a monitoring system and is also the communication terminal of the vehicle, responsible for transmitting and receiving remote signals. When the main hull dives, three modes can be selected according to needs: not releasing the communication sub-hull, releasing the communication sub-hull by wire, and releasing the communication sub-hull wirelessly.

[0050] The mode without releasing the communication subhull is the autonomous navigation mode of the vehicle, which navigates autonomously through its own intelligent system. This mode is used for various purposes, such as military concealment, temporary dive to avoid waves, no need to monitor the water surface conditions or no need for long-distance communication.

[0051] When the communication sub-hull is released by wire, the locking device on the tail fin is released, and the communication sub-hull floats up under its own buoyancy, and the towline inside the tail fin is pulled out at the same time. The communication sub-hull floats on the water surface and is towed by the main hull through the towline. The communication sub-hull communicates with the main hull through the towline at the same time.

[0052] When selected, the locking device on the tail fin is released, and the towline hook on the communication sub-hull is automatically unfastened. The communication sub-hull floats up independently, navigates under its own power, and communicates with the main hull through sonar.

[0053] Since long-distance signals and satellite signals are not conducive to being transmitted directly underwater, releasing the surface communication sub-hull is beneficial for it to serve as a relay for long-distance communication signals and transmit the received surface signals to the main hull through tow cables or sonar. On the other hand, it is also beneficial for monitoring surface activities at any time.

[0054] In this embodiment, the aircraft is also provided with an inertial sensor. When encountering large waves, if the inertial sensor measures that any one of the roll angle, pitch angle and heave motion of the aircraft is too large and exceeds the aircraft's own wave resistance, the aircraft will dive in time and adjust from the surface navigation state to the underwater navigation state, thereby avoiding the threat of large waves on the sea surface and ensuring the safety of the hull itself.

[0055] This embodiment has the function of adapting to water navigation, semi-submerged navigation and underwater navigation at the same time, and can meet various needs such as water operations and underwater operations at the same time.

[0056] The above embodiments are preferred implementation modes of the present invention, but the implementation modes of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any other changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, and simplifications that do not deviate from the spirit and principles of the present invention should be equivalent replacement methods and are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle, characterized in that: The multi-hull unmanned vehicle includes: a main hull, a plurality of propulsion sub-hulls, a plurality of side wings, a plurality of horizontal rudders, a tail fin and a communication sub-hull; The side wings are arranged on both sides of the main hull, one end of the side wings is connected to the main hull, the other end of the side wings is connected to one side of the propulsion sub-hull, the other side of the propulsion sub-hull is connected to the horizontal rudder, one end of the tail fin is connected to the main hull, and the communication sub-hull is connected to the main hull for communication; The propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull are both connected with thrusters; The main hull is also provided with a plurality of ballast water tanks, which are used to adjust the water inlet and outlet in the hull; The control method comprises the following steps: When sailing on water, the multi-hull unmanned vehicle controls the filling and drainage of ballast water tanks, adjusts the above-water, underwater and semi-submerged navigation states of the vehicle, and controls its attitude during navigation by dynamically adjusting multiple horizontal rudders to generate upward or downward force; Change the thrust or thrust direction of each propeller of the propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull to control the direction of navigation; The horizontal rudder installed on the side of the propulsion subhull can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise at a certain rudder angle, using the lift principle of the wing to generate an upward or downward force around the main hull during navigation to control the attitude of the spacecraft; When it is detected that any one of the roll angle, pitch angle and heave motion of the aircraft exceeds the preset value, it is determined that the multi-body unmanned aircraft's own wavekeeping ability is exceeded, and the multi-body unmanned aircraft dives and adjusts from the surface navigation state to the underwater navigation state; When the main hull dives, the mode of not releasing the communication sub-hull, the mode of releasing the communication sub-hull by wire, or the mode of releasing the communication sub-hull by wireless is selected according to the communication requirements; When the communication sub-hull mode is selected not to be released, the multi-hull unmanned vehicle sails autonomously; When the wired release mode of the communication sub-hull is selected, the communication sub-hull floats on the water surface and is towed by the main hull via wires, and the communication sub-hull and the main hull communicate via wires; When the wireless release mode of the communication sub-hull is selected, the communication sub-hull separates from the main hull, floats up independently, navigates by its own power, and communicates with the main hull through sonar.

2. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dorsal fin is also provided, and the dorsal fin is provided on the main hull.

3. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail fin is provided with a locking device for locking the communication sub-hull. The communication sub-hull is provided with a towing hook. A towing cable is also provided inside the tail fin. The towing cable is connected to the towing hook of the communication sub-hull.

4. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main hull adopts an axisymmetric teardrop-shaped main hull.

5. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propulsion sub-hull and the communication sub-hull both adopt a teardrop-shaped structure.

6. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: The number of the propulsion sub-hulls is set to four, which are arranged around the bottom of the main hull and form a six-body unmanned vehicle with the main hull and the communication sub-hull.

7. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the ballast water tanks is set to three, which are respectively arranged at the front, middle and rear of the main hull.

8. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propeller is provided with a rotating guide tube propeller for changing the direction of the propeller thrust.

9. The control method of a high-speed, high-sea-state submersible multi-body unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main hull is also provided with an inertial sensor, and the inertial sensor is used to detect the motion posture of the main hull.

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