A vision-based underwater support platform for deep-water submersibles

Abstract

The invention discloses a vision-based underwater support platform for deep-water submersibles, which relates to the technical field of underwater support platforms. It includes a box, a hook recovery mechanism, a ring recovery mechanism, a entanglement cleaning mechanism and a driving mechanism; the hook recovery mechanism and the entanglement cleaning mechanism are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the box, and the other two sides of the box are respectively installed with a ring recovery mechanism; the hook recovery mechanism can lift and retract the lifting ring of a fault-free submersible, the ring recovery mechanism can recover a faulty submersible, and the entanglement cleaning mechanism can clean foreign objects on the propeller of the deep-water submersible; the driving mechanism can drive the box, and a handle is provided on the top of the box, and the box is connected to the crane through the handle. The advantages of the present invention are: different recovery methods can be used for faulty submersibles and non-faulty submersibles, the recovery steps for fault-free submersibles can be simplified, energy consumption can be saved, and foreign objects entangled on the deep-water submersible can be cleaned.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater support platforms, and particularly relates to a vision-based underwater support platform for deep-sea submersibles. Background Art

[0002] In view of the major strategic needs of the ocean for large-area deep-sea exploration and resource development, it is necessary to study an underwater unmanned platform that can realize the unmanned cluster operation of deep-sea submersibles and ensure their effective operation. Key technologies such as the preparation of electromechanical components and their systems under deep-sea environments, high-power underwater autonomous rapid charging and information interaction, unmanned detection and maintenance of underwater equipment, intelligent operation and return to the cabin of submersibles, and unmanned operation control of multiple submersibles need to be focused on. Research on underwater modular fully intelligent docking cabins and underwater multiple submersible cluster operations should be carried out to lay a technical foundation for future engineering and commercial deep-water resource exploitation and offshore safety engineering.

[0003] For deep-sea submersibles, they need to be supported by an underwater support platform for deep-sea submersibles. In the prior art, a patent submarine support ship with a patent application number of 201810832408.3 is disclosed. The lower part of the submarine support ship is made into a deep submersible in the shape of a submarine, which quickly separates from the upper part of the submarine support ship and dives. It reaches the position of the deep-sea submarine, hugs the submarine and floats up to the water surface together as a whole, so that the hatch of the submarine is docked with the special docking hatch of the submarine support ship to implement rescue support for the submarine. However, if all submersibles are recovered in this way and then transported back to the shore by other means, it will cause energy waste, and the foreign objects wound on the deep-sea submersibles cannot be cleaned. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vision-based underwater support platform for deep-sea submersibles, which can adopt different recovery methods for faulty and non-faulty submersibles. For non-faulty submersibles, the recovery steps can be simplified, energy consumption can be saved, and the foreign objects wound on the deep-sea submersibles can be cleaned.

[0005] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution of the present invention is: it includes a box body, a hook recovery mechanism, a ring recovery mechanism, a winding object cleaning mechanism and a driving mechanism; the hook recovery mechanism and the winding object cleaning mechanism are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the box body, and the ring recovery mechanisms are respectively installed on the other two sides of the box body perpendicular to the side of the box body where the hook recovery mechanism is installed;

[0006] A handle is provided on the top of the box body, and the box body is connected to a crane through the handle;

[0007] The hook recycling mechanism includes a first bottom plate installed on the side of the box body, a first rotating hydraulic cylinder installed on the first bottom plate, a first connecting rod driven by the first rotating hydraulic cylinder, a second connecting rod rotatably connected to the first connecting rod, a second camera installed on the second connecting rod, and a sleeve and a hook structure installed at one end of the second connecting rod. A third connecting rod is clamped in the sleeve, a rope buckle is provided at the top of the third connecting rod, and the third connecting rod is connected to the hook structure. The hook structure includes a fourth connecting rod, a first hook, and a second hook. The fourth connecting rod is connected to one end of the third connecting rod. The first hook and the second hook are respectively provided on both sides of the fourth connecting rod. The first hook and the second hook are hinged and are also hinged to the fourth connecting rod at the same time. The first hook and the second hook are connected by a spring chain. The thicknesses of both ends of the first hook and the second hook are smaller than the thickness in the middle;

[0008] The ring recycling mechanism includes a baffle installed on the side of the box body, several connecting plates distributed in a ring shape along the axial direction of the baffle, a ring connected to the other ends of the several connecting plates, a first camera installed on the baffle, and a limiting device installed on the ring. The limiting device includes a first fixing plate, a second fixing plate, and a second lead screw. The first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are symmetrically installed on the ring. Corresponding through holes are provided on the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate. A second lead screw motor is installed on the second fixing plate. The output end of the second lead screw motor is arranged inside the housing. The housing is connected to the second fixing plate by a fixing rod. The second lead screw passes through the housing and the second fixing plate. The output end of the second lead screw motor is connected to the second lead screw through a synchronous belt. An internal thread corresponding to the second lead screw is provided in the through hole of the second fixing plate;

[0009] The winding cleaning mechanism includes a second bottom plate installed on the side of the box body, a second rotating hydraulic cylinder installed on the second bottom plate, a first lead screw motor, a first lead screw, an outer rod of the telescopic rod, an inner rod of the telescopic rod, a third camera installed on the inner rod of the telescopic rod, and a cleaning device arranged above the second rotating hydraulic cylinder. The first lead screw motor drives the first lead screw to rotate. The outer rod of the telescopic rod is threadedly connected to the first lead screw. The first lead screw drives the outer rod of the telescopic rod to move up and down. The outer rod of the telescopic rod passes through two guide rods at the same time. The outer rod of the telescopic rod moves along the guide rods. The inner rod of the telescopic rod is sleeved inside the outer rod of the telescopic rod. One side of one end of the inner rod of the telescopic rod is connected to a support plate. A first blade is installed below the support plate. A first cylinder and a second cylinder are installed above the support rod. Both the first cylinder and the second cylinder are fixedly sleeved with a second blade. The second blade is connected to the second blade fixing sleeve. The first blade and the second blade are arranged opposite to each other;

[0010] The driving mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder and a thruster. One end of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the bottom of the box body through a universal joint, and the other end is connected to the thruster through a Hooke joint.

[0011] Furthermore, the number of the hydraulic cylinders is three, which are evenly distributed in a ring shape at the bottom of the box body.

[0012] Furthermore, lighting lamps are installed on the top and side of the box body.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper part and the lower part of the first connecting rod are rotatably connected through a first rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a first motor, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are rotatably connected through a second rotating shaft, and the second rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a second motor.

[0014] After adopting the above structure, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: The protection platform adopts visual guidance, and the manipulator composed of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod can autonomously connect the hook structure to the sling of the deep-sea submersible, which is convenient for recovering the fault-free deep-sea submersible and can be directly lifted back to the shore by a crane;

[0015] The movement of the protection platform is completed by vector propulsion, which is convenient for protecting and recovering the faulty deep-sea submersible;

[0016] Foreign objects wound around the propeller of the deep-sea submersible can be cleaned through the protection platform;

[0017] The faulty and fault-free submersibles are recovered by different methods respectively, which can save energy consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the hook recovery mechanism and the winding cleaning mechanism of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the hook structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the cleaning device of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a schematic connection diagram of the second lead screw and the second lead screw motor of the limiting device of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. The following embodiments can enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention more comprehensively, but do not limit the present invention within the scope of the described embodiments.

[0025] The following technical solution is adopted in this specific embodiment: As Figure 1 shown, it includes a box body 1, a hook recovery mechanism, a ring recovery mechanism, a winding cleaning mechanism and a driving mechanism; the hook recovery mechanism and the winding cleaning mechanism are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the box body 1, and the ring recovery mechanisms are respectively installed on the other two sides of the box body 1 perpendicular to the side of the box body 1 where the hook recovery mechanism is installed; a handle 11 is provided at the top of the box body 1, and the box body 1 is connected to a crane through the handle 11. The hook recovery mechanism can hoist and recover the lifting rings of a fault-free submersible, the ring recovery mechanism can recover a faulty submersible, the winding cleaning mechanism can clean foreign objects on the propeller of a deep-sea submersible, and the driving mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder 2 and a thruster 3. One end of the hydraulic cylinder 2 is connected to the bottom of the box body 1 through a universal joint, and the other end is connected to the thruster 3 through a Hooke joint. The number of hydraulic cylinders 2 is three, and they are evenly distributed in a ring at the bottom of the box body 1. Different thrusts at different angles of the thruster 3 can be achieved through the different lengths of the three identical hydraulic cylinders 2 to realize vector propulsion and drive the box body 1. Lighting lamps are installed on the top and side of the box body 1 to illuminate the environment around the support platform.

[0026] As Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown in the figure, the hook recovery mechanism includes a first bottom plate 10 installed on the side of the box body 1, and a first rotating hydraulic cylinder 12 installed on the first bottom plate 10. The first rotating hydraulic cylinder 12 can drive the device thereon to rotate, so as to change the recovery angle. It also includes a first connecting rod 14 driven by the first rotating hydraulic cylinder 12, a second connecting rod 15 rotatably connected to the first connecting rod 14, a second camera 16 installed on the second connecting rod 15, and a sleeve 17 and a hook structure installed at one end of the second connecting rod 15. The first connecting rod 14 and the second connecting rod 15 form a robotic arm, which can change the angle of the hook structure. The upper and lower parts of the first connecting rod 14 are rotatably connected through a first rotating shaft, and the first rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a first motor 13. The first connecting rod 14 and the second connecting rod 15 are rotatably connected through a second rotating shaft, and the second rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a second motor, so as to adjust the angle of the hook structure up and down. A third connecting rod 18 is clamped in the sleeve 17. A rope buckle 19 is provided at the top of the third connecting rod 18. A rope is threaded through the rope buckle 19, and the rope is connected to the crane, so that the submersible can be directly lifted and recovered. The third connecting rod 18 is connected to the hook structure. The hook structure includes a fourth connecting rod 20, a first hook 21 and a second hook 22. The fourth connecting rod 20 is connected to one end of the third connecting rod 18. The first hook 21 and the second hook 22 are respectively provided on both sides of the fourth connecting rod 20. The first hook 21 and the second hook 22 are hinged, and are also hinged to the fourth connecting rod 20 at the same time. The first hook 21 and the second hook 22 are connected by a spring chain 23. The thicknesses of the two ends of the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 are smaller than the middle thickness. When the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 pass through the sling on the submersible, the spring chain 23 contracts. After passing through, the spring chain 23 rebounds, and the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 open to both sides and hook the sling on the submersible, so that it will not fall off.

[0027] As Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown in the figure, the winding cleaning mechanism includes a second bottom plate 24 installed on the side of the box body 1, a second rotating hydraulic cylinder 28 installed on the second bottom plate 24, a first lead screw motor 25, a first lead screw 26, an outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod, an inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod, a third camera 31 installed on the inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod, and a cleaning device arranged above the second rotating hydraulic cylinder 28. The first lead screw motor 25 drives the first lead screw 26 to rotate. The outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod is threadedly connected to the first lead screw 26. The first lead screw 26 drives the outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod to move up and down, which can change the position of the cleaning device. The outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod passes through two guide rods 29 at the same time, and the outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod moves along the guide rods 29 to ensure the linear movement of the outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod. An inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod is sleeved inside the outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod. The telescopic rod structure composed of the outer rod 27 and the inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod is an electric telescopic rod structure, which can be telescoped to process foreign objects wound at different positions. One side of one end of the inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod is connected to a support plate. A first blade 34 is installed below the support plate. A first cylinder 32 and a second cylinder 33 are installed above the support rod. Both the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 33 are fixedly sleeved and connected to a second blade. A second blade 35 is connected to the second blade fixing sleeve. The first blade 34 and the second blade 35 are arranged oppositely. The first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 33 drive the second blade 35 to move towards or away from the first blade 34, so as to realize the shearing of the winding.

[0028] As Figure 1 and Figure 5 shown in the figure, the ring recovery mechanism includes a baffle 4 installed on the side of the box body 1, several connecting plates 6 distributed in a ring shape along the axial direction of the baffle 4, a ring 7 connected to the other ends of the several connecting plates 6, a first camera 5 installed on the baffle 4, and a limiting device installed on the ring 7. The driving mechanism can drive the box body 1 to move, recover a faulty submersible into the annular space surrounded by the connecting plates 6, and limit it through the limiting device to prevent the submersible from sliding out. The limiting device includes a first fixing plate 8, a second fixing plate 9, and a second lead screw 38. The first fixing plate 8 and the second fixing plate 9 are symmetrically installed on the ring 7. Corresponding through holes are provided on the first fixing plate 8 and the second fixing plate 9. A second lead screw motor 36 is installed on the second fixing plate 9. The output end of the second lead screw motor 36 is arranged inside the housing 37. The housing 37 is connected to the second fixing plate 9 through a fixing rod 39. The second lead screw 38 passes through the housing 37 and the second fixing plate 9. The output end of the second lead screw motor 36 is connected to the second lead screw 38 through a synchronous belt. An internal thread corresponding to the second lead screw 38 is provided in the through hole of the second fixing plate 9. The second lead screw motor 36 drives the second lead screw 38 to rotate. Due to the thread action, the second lead screw 38 realizes linear movement while rotating. After moving, the second lead screw 38 passes through the through hole of the first fixing plate 8 to block the submersible.

[0029] Inside the box body 1, a controller and a power supply are installed. The box body 1 is externally connected with a communication line. The hydraulic cylinder 2, the thruster 3, the first camera 5, the first motor 15, the second motor, the second camera 16, the first rotating hydraulic cylinder 12, the first screw motor 25, the second rotating hydraulic cylinder 28, the third camera 31, the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 33, the electric telescopic rod, the second screw motor 36, etc. are all electrically connected to the power supply, which is convenient for the controller to control each component. The controller can be remotely controlled through the control system on the water surface. The specific principle and structure of the remote control are mature existing technologies and will not be elaborated.

[0030] Working principle: When using an underwater support platform for a deep - water submersible based on vision, the rope of the crane is wound around the handle 11 to limit the movement range of the underwater support platform and can also be used to pull the underwater support platform out of the water. The second camera 16 is a binocular camera that has been calibrated and can detect the center of the circle using open cv. The binocular camera of the second camera 16 can measure two images. Through the different pixel coordinates of the same feature point in the two images, the internal parameters of the two cameras of the binocular camera and the relative position of the two cameras are transmitted to the controller. Using hand - eye calibration, the three - dimensional coordinates of the sling of the deep - water submersible relative to the third connecting rod 18 can be calculated, so that the hook structure connected to the third connecting rod 18 can be automatically inserted into the sling of the submersible. When the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 pass through the sling of the submersible, the spring chain 23 is compressed. When the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 pass through the sling, the first hook 21 and the second hook 22 are bounced open by the spring chain 23, thus forming an inverted hook. The hook lifts the sling of the deep - water submersible, ensuring that the hook structure composed of the fourth connecting rod 20, the first hook 21, the second hook 22 and the spring chain 23 can lift the deep - water submersible. The third connecting rod 18 is inserted into the sleeve 17. After the hook structure is inserted into the sling of the submersible, the self - weight of the submersible causes the third connecting rod 18 to automatically separate from the sleeve 17. The rope is connected in the rope buckle 19, and the fault - free submersible can be directly recovered through on - shore devices or cranes, etc.

[0031] The third camera 31 is used to transmit the underwater image to the operator on the water surface. The second rotating hydraulic cylinder 28 and the first screw motor 25 can be controlled to rotate. The telescopic movement of the inner rod 30 of the telescopic rod relative to the outer rod 27 of the telescopic rod can ensure that the shearing knife composed of the first blade 34 and the second blade 35 can reach the position of the entangled object on the propeller of the deep - water submersible, and the telescopic movement of the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 33 is used to shear the entangled object on the propeller.

[0032] When the first camera 5 tests and observes the tail of the deep - water submersible passing through the ring 7, the second lead screw motor 36 drives the second lead screw 38 to rotate. When the second lead screw 38 rotates, it can move linearly along the second fixed plate 9, and the insertion of the second lead screw 38 into the first fixed plate 8 can be controlled, so that the deep - water submersible can be fixed in a limited space for recovery.

[0033] This support platform uses visual guidance. The robotic arm composed of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod can autonomously connect the hook structure to the sling ring of the deep - water submersible, facilitating the recovery of the fault - free deep - water submersible, which can be directly lifted back to the shore by a crane; the vector propulsion is used to complete the movement of the support platform, facilitating the support and recovery of the faulty deep - water submersible; the foreign objects wound around the propeller of the deep - water submersible can be cleared through the support platform; the faulty and fault - free submersibles are recovered by different methods respectively, which can save energy consumption.

[0034] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited by the above - mentioned embodiments. What is described in the above - mentioned embodiments and the specification only illustrates the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention will have various changes and improvements, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present invention claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vision-based underwater support platform for deep-sea submersibles, characterized in that: it includes a box body, a hook recovery mechanism, a ring recovery mechanism, a winding cleaning mechanism and a driving mechanism; the hook recovery mechanism and the winding cleaning mechanism are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the box body, and ring recovery mechanisms are respectively installed on the other two sides of the box body perpendicular to the side where the hook recovery mechanism is installed; a handle is provided on the top of the box body, and the box body is connected to a crane through the handle; the hook recovery mechanism includes a first bottom plate installed on the side of the box body, a first rotating hydraulic cylinder installed on the first bottom plate, a first connecting rod driven by the first rotating hydraulic cylinder, a second connecting rod rotatably connected to the first connecting rod, a second camera installed on the second connecting rod, and a sleeve and a hook structure installed at one end of the second connecting rod. A third connecting rod is clamped in the sleeve, a rope buckle is provided at the top of the third connecting rod, and the third connecting rod is connected to the hook structure. The hook structure includes a fourth connecting rod, a first hook and a second hook. The fourth connecting rod is connected to one end of the third connecting rod. The first hook and the second hook are respectively arranged on both sides of the fourth connecting rod. The first hook and the second hook are hinged and are also hinged to the fourth connecting rod at the same time. The first hook and the second hook are connected by a spring chain. The thicknesses of both ends of the first hook and the second hook are smaller than the middle thickness; the ring recovery mechanism includes a baffle installed on the side of the box body, several connecting plates distributed in a ring shape extending along the axial direction of the baffle, a ring connected to the other ends of the several connecting plates, a first camera installed on the baffle, and a limiting device installed on the ring. The limiting device includes a first fixing plate, a second fixing plate and a second lead screw. The first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are symmetrically installed on the ring. Corresponding through holes are provided on the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate. A second lead screw motor is installed on the second fixing plate. The output end of the second lead screw motor is arranged inside the housing. The housing is connected to the second fixing plate through a fixed rod. The second lead screw passes through the housing and the second fixing plate. The output end of the second lead screw motor is connected to the second lead screw through a synchronous belt. An internal thread corresponding to the second lead screw is provided in the through hole of the second fixing plate; the winding cleaning mechanism includes a second bottom plate installed on the side of the box body, a second rotating hydraulic cylinder installed on the second bottom plate, a first lead screw motor, a first lead screw, an outer rod of a telescopic rod, an inner rod of a telescopic rod, a third camera installed on the inner rod of the telescopic rod, and a cleaning device arranged above the second rotating hydraulic cylinder. The first lead screw motor drives the first lead screw to rotate. The outer rod of the telescopic rod is threadedly connected to the first lead screw. The first lead screw drives the outer rod of the telescopic rod to move up and down. The outer rod of the telescopic rod passes through two guide rods at the same time. The outer rod of the telescopic rod moves along the guide rods. The inner rod of the telescopic rod is sleeved inside the outer rod of the telescopic rod. One side of one end of the inner rod of the telescopic rod is connected to a support plate. A first blade is installed below the support plate. A first cylinder and a second cylinder are installed above the support rod. Both the first cylinder and the second cylinder are fixedly sleeved with a second blade. The second blade is connected to the second blade fixing sleeve. The first blade and the second blade are arranged opposite to each other; The driving mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder and a thruster. One end of the hydraulic cylinder is connected to the bottom of the box body through a universal joint, and the other end is connected to the thruster through a Hooke joint; There are three hydraulic cylinders, which are evenly distributed in a ring at the bottom of the box body; Lamps are installed on the top and sides of the box body.

2. The underwater support platform for a deep-water submersible based on vision according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper part and the lower part of the first connecting rod are rotatably connected through a first rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a first motor, the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are rotatably connected through a second rotating shaft, and the second rotating shaft is driven to rotate by a second motor.

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