A locking mechanism for a submersible and its operation method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for a submersible and an operation method thereof. The locking mechanism for the submersible includes a base, a guide rail support seat arranged on the base, a guide rail, a sliding bearing slidably arranged on the guide rail, a locking tongue fixed to the sliding bearing, a locking tongue driving rod fixed to the locking tongue, an elastic member sleeved on the guide rail, and a driving mechanism for driving the locking tongue driving rod to move up and down. The locking force direction of the locking mechanism for the submersible is vertically distributed with respect to the movement direction of the locking tongue. The locking ability is ensured by the guide rail and the locking tongue, which not only ensures the magnitude of the locking force but also reduces the requirement for the driving force. Moreover, the movement of the driving mechanism is completed only by one driving motor and is integrated with an angle sensor, with simple and precise control, and the overall structure is compact, small in volume and light in weight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the fields of ocean engineering and underwater equipment, and particularly to a locking mechanism for a submersible and an operation method thereof. The locking mechanism for the submersible is particularly applicable to a base station type operation system. Background Art

[0002] The exploration, development and utilization of deep-sea resources have received extensive attention internationally. Deep-sea equipment technology is the focus of competition for deep-sea resources among countries. To improve the detection ability and operation efficiency and increase the endurance time of submersibles, researchers have proposed a new type of submersible equipment and operation mode that uses an underwater platform as a base station to provide energy supply and communication for unmanned submersibles such as ROVs and AUVs.

[0003] Unmanned submersibles such as ROVs and AUVs are usually installed inside a base station type operation system to achieve integrated deployment and recovery operations. Due to the large self-weight of the unmanned submersible, it must be reliably locked inside the base station type operation system to avoid the accident of the submersible falling off during the deployment and recovery processes. At the same time, when the unmanned submersible operates on the seabed, it will frequently enter and exit the base station type operation system. Therefore, the locking mechanism needs to reliably perform unlocking and locking actions. On the base station type operation system, its payload weight is a very precious resource. Reducing the weight of the locking mechanism as much as possible is beneficial to carrying more scientific instruments.

[0004] Currently, the base station type operation system is a brand-new operation equipment, and there is currently no locking mechanism for a submersible that meets such operation requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, an object of the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism for a submersible and an operation method thereof. The locking mechanism for the submersible has reliable locking, small weight and reliable and simple operation, and is applicable to a base station type operation system.

[0006] The present invention provides a locking mechanism for a submersible, including:

[0007] A base, two clamping rings with through slots are formed by extending the base, and a slot is formed between the two clamping rings for inserting a locking ring of the submersible;

[0008] A locking tongue, the locking tongue is fixed on the clamping ring and can move up and down in the through slots of the two clamping rings in a direction perpendicular to the locking ring of the submersible, so as to unlock and lock the locking ring of the submersible;

[0009] A locking tongue driving rod, the locking tongue driving rod is connected to the locking tongue and is used for driving the locking tongue to move up and down; and

[0010] A driving mechanism, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a cam linked to the driving motor, the cam is disposed below the latch driving rod for driving the latch driving rod to move up and down.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the cam has a first end linked to the motor and a second end extending from the first end, both the first end and the second end have arc surfaces, the arc diameter of the first end is smaller than the arc diameter of the second end, when the cam rotates, the latch driving rod is guided by the arc surface of the second end to move up and down.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the submersible locking mechanism further includes a guide rail support seat fixed to the base, a guide rail with two ends respectively fixedly connected to the guide rail support seat and the base, and a sliding bearing slidably disposed on the guide rail, the latch is fixed to the sliding bearing, wherein when the latch is driven to move up and down by the latch driving rod, the latch drives the sliding bearing to move up and down along the guide rail.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the submersible locking mechanism further includes an elastic member, the elastic member is sleeved on the guide rail and its two ends respectively abut against the sliding bearing and the guide rail support seat for providing a reset force for the latch.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the submersible locking mechanism includes two of the guide rails and two of the elastic members, the elastic members are sleeved on the corresponding guide rails, one end of the latch driving rod is supported on the cam, and the other end passes through between the two guide rails and is vertically connected to the latch.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, an arc inclined surface is provided at the bottom of the latch for contacting the locking ring of the submersible so that the locking ring of the submersible can be inserted into the slot.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the cam is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor through a transmission rod, and the driving mechanism further includes an angle sensor, a driving mechanism bearing and a sealing ring sequentially sleeved on the transmission rod of the cam, the angle sensor is used to detect the rotation angle of the cam to achieve feedback control.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the driving mechanism further includes a housing, which has a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing. The diameter of the second housing is larger than that of the first housing. The driving motor is arranged in the first housing, and the angle sensor, the driving mechanism bearing and the sealing ring are all arranged in the second housing. The submersible locking mechanism further includes a fixing seat fixed to the base, and the first housing of the driving mechanism is fixed to the fixing seat, thus forming a state where the driving mechanism is fixed to the base.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the base includes a first support plate, a second support plate spaced above the first support plate, and a plurality of support members for supporting and connecting the first support plate and the second support plate, wherein two of the snap rings respectively extend from the first support plate and the second support plate.

[0019] On the other hand, the present invention also provides an operation method for a submersible locking mechanism, including a locking operation:

[0020] Start the driving motor to rotate, so that the cam rotates and the lock tongue driving rod is lowered. The lock tongue driving rod drives the lock tongue to move downward, so that the lock tongue is inserted into the slot.

[0021] Insert the locking ring of the submersible into the slot from the position of the arc-shaped inclined surface at the bottom of the lock tongue. The locking ring of the submersible pushes the lock tongue to move upward.

[0022] The lock tongue moves upward and drives the sliding bearing to move upward along the guide rail. The elastic member is compressed and stores potential energy; and

[0023] When the locking ring of the submersible is completely inserted into the slot, due to the gravity of the lock tongue itself and the release of potential energy by the elastic member, the sliding bearing moves downward along the guide rail. The sliding bearing drives the lock tongue to fall back to its original position, thereby completing the locking of the locking ring of the submersible by the lock tongue.

[0024] The submersible locking mechanism of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] The present invention realizes an underwater locking mechanism with reliable locking, small weight, reliable and simple operation.

[0026] Reliable locking: The direction of the locking force of the submersible locking mechanism on the submersible is perpendicular to the movement direction of the lock tongue, and the locking ability of the submersible locking mechanism is ensured by the sliding bearing and the lock tongue, which has nothing to do with the driving motor at the driving end. In this way, the magnitude of the locking force is ensured, and the requirement for the driving force is also reduced.

[0027] Small weight: The locking force of the submersible locking mechanism is ensured by the strength of the sliding bearing, reducing the requirement for driving force and decreasing the weight and size of the mechanism itself. The angle sensor is integrated inside the driving motor, with a compact structure, small volume and weight.

[0028] Reliable and simple operation: The movement of the submersible locking mechanism is completed by only one driving motor, with simple and convenient control. The submersible locking mechanism realizes feedback control by detecting the movement of the cam through the angle sensor, and can accurately realize the locking and unlocking operations, with reliable operation.

[0029] Through the understanding of the following description and drawings, the further objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully reflected. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structure diagram of the submersible locking mechanism of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 The left view of the submersible locking mechanism shown;

[0032] Figure 3 It is Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the driving mechanism of the submersible locking mechanism shown;

[0033] Figure 4 It is Figure 3 The sectional view of the driving mechanism shown;

[0034] Figure 5 It is Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the locking tongue of the submersible locking mechanism shown;

[0035] Figure 6 It is Figure 1 The usage diagram of the submersible locking mechanism shown, which shows the locking state between the submersible and the submersible locking mechanism;

[0036] Figure 7 It is Figure 1 The usage diagram of the submersible locking mechanism shown, which shows the unlocking state and the to-be-locked state between the submersible and the submersible locking mechanism.

[0037] Description of the attached reference numerals: Submersible locking mechanism 100; base 10; first support plate 11; second support plate 12; support member 13; snap ring 101; through slot 102; slot 103; locking tongue 20; arc inclined surface 21; locking tongue drive rod 30; drive mechanism 40; drive motor 41; cam 42; first end 421; second end 422; transmission rod 423; output shaft 411; angle sensor 43; drive mechanism bearing 44; sealing ring 45; housing 46; first housing 461; second housing 462; guide rail support seat 50; guide rail 60; sliding bearing 70; elastic member 80; fixed seat 90; submersible 200; locking ring 201. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] The following description is used to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention. The preferred embodiments described below are only examples, and those skilled in the art can think of other obvious variations. The basic principles defined in the following description of the present invention can be applied to other implementation schemes, deformation schemes, improvement schemes, equivalent schemes, and other technical schemes that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0039] Those skilled in the art should understand that in the disclosure of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0040] It can be understood that the term "a" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more". That is, in one embodiment, the number of an element can be one, and in other embodiments, the number of the element can be multiple. The term "a" should not be construed as limiting the quantity.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0042] A locking mechanism for a submersible applicable to a base - type operation system according to the present invention mainly solves the problems of locking and unlocking the submersible inside the base, so as to meet the usage requirements of reliable locking and frequent access of the submersible inside the base. As Figures 1 to 7 shown, the structure and operation method of a submersible locking mechanism 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are specifically illustrated.

[0043] Specifically, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the submersible locking mechanism 100 includes:

[0044] A base 10, two snap rings 101 with through - slots 102 are formed by extending the base 10, and a slot 103 is formed between the two snap rings 101 for inserting a locking ring 201 of the submersible 200;

[0045] A locking tongue 20, which is fixed on the snap ring 101 and can move up and down in the through - slots 102 of the two snap rings 101 in a direction perpendicular to the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200, so as to unlock and lock the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200;

[0046] A locking - tongue driving rod 30, which is connected to the locking tongue 20 and is used to drive the locking tongue 20 to move up and down; and

[0047] A driving mechanism 40, the driving mechanism 40 includes a driving motor 41 and a cam 42 linked to the driving motor 41, the cam 42 is arranged under the locking - tongue driving rod 30 and is used to drive the locking - tongue driving rod 30 to move up and down.

[0048] It can be understood that the through - slots 102 of the snap rings 101 penetrate through the slot 103 to allow the locking tongue 20 to insert into the slot 103 from the through - slots 102 to lock the locking ring 201 of the submersible inserted into the slot.

[0049] Specifically, as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the structure of the cam 42 is specifically explained, the cam 42 has a first end 421 linked to the motor and a second end 422 extending from the first end 421, the arc diameter of the first end 421 is smaller than the arc diameter of the second end 422, the second end 422 is used to support the lock tongue drive rod 30, because the second end 422 has an arc surface, so when the cam 42 rotates, the lock tongue drive rod 30 is guided by the arc surface of the second end 422 to move up and down, when the cam 42 rotates to the highest point of the second end 422 and supports the lock tongue drive rod 30, the lock tongue drive rod 30 moves up to the highest position, that is, the lock tongue 20 moves up to the highest position, when the cam 42 rotates to the position where the arc surface of the second end 422 no longer provides support for the lock tongue drive rod 30, the lock tongue drive rod 30 and the lock tongue 20 move downward to the lowest position due to their own gravity.

[0050] That is to say, when the cam 42 rotates and causes the second end 422 to gradually move away from the lock tongue drive rod 30, the cam 42 no longer provides support force for the lock tongue drive rod 30, so that the lock tongue drive rod 30 and the lock tongue 20 can move downward due to their own gravity, thereby achieving the locking of the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 inserted into the slot 103 by the lock tongue 20; when the cam 42 rotates and causes the second end 422 to gradually lift the lock tongue drive rod 30, the lock tongue drive rod 30 can be lifted by the second end 422 and move upward, thereby linking the lock tongue 20 to move upward, thereby achieving the unlocking of the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 inserted into the slot 103 by the lock tongue 20.

[0051] It can be understood that the submersible locking mechanism 100 of the present invention is particularly suitable for base station type operating systems. It is an underwater locking mechanism that can prevent the submersible from accidentally falling off during the deployment and recovery process. The submersible locking mechanism 100 is fixed inside the base station through the base 10, and can realize reliable unlocking and locking actions of the unmanned submersible.

[0052] Furthermore, the submersible locking mechanism 100 also includes a guide rail support seat 50 fixed to the base 10, with two ends respectively fixedly connected to the guide rail support seat 50 and the guide rail 60 of the base 10, and a sliding bearing 70 slidably arranged on the guide rail 60, and the locking tongue 20 is fixed to the sliding bearing 70, wherein when the locking tongue 20 is linked to move up and down by the locking tongue driving rod 30, the locking tongue 20 drives the sliding bearing 70 to move up and down along the guide rail 60.

[0053] In particular, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the submersible locking mechanism 100 includes two of the guide rails 60, and the two guide rails 60 are vertically arranged on the sliding bearing 70, that is, the two guide rails 60 are parallel to the locking tongue 20. It can be understood that the up and down movement of the locking tongue 20 is supported by the two vertical guide rails 60, and the sliding bearing 70 is used to reduce the movement resistance, which can facilitate the locking and unlocking of the submersible 200 by the locking tongue 20. Moreover, the direction of the locking force of the submersible locking mechanism 100 is perpendicularly distributed to the movement direction of the locking tongue 20. The locking ability of the submersible locking mechanism 100 depends on the strength of the guide rails 60 and the locking tongue 20, and has nothing to do with the driving motor 41 at the driving end. This ensures the magnitude of the locking force and also reduces the requirement for the driving force, which is beneficial to reducing the weight and size of the submersible locking mechanism 100 itself, so that the submersible locking mechanism 100 can meet the requirements of the base station operation system.

[0054] Furthermore, the submersible locking mechanism 100 further includes an elastic member 80. The elastic member 80 is sleeved on the guide rail 60 and its two ends respectively abut against the sliding bearing 70 and the guide rail support seat 50, and is used to increase the reset force for the locking tongue 20.

[0055] It is worth mentioning that the submersible locking mechanism 100 includes two of the elastic members 80. The elastic members 80 are sleeved on the corresponding guide rails 60. One end of the locking tongue driving rod 30 is supported on the cam 42, and the other end passes through the two guide rails 60 and is vertically connected to the locking tongue 20.

[0056] It can be understood that in order to further improve the flexibility and reliability of the locking and unlocking of the submersible locking mechanism 100, the present invention increases the elastic member 80, so that when the locking tongue 20 drives the sliding bearing 70 to move upward, the elastic member 80 can be compressed to store potential energy. When the cam 42 no longer provides support force for the locking tongue driving rod 30, the elastic member 80 releases the potential energy and can make the locking tongue 20 quickly fall to lock the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 inserted into the slot 103. That is to say, the function of the elastic member 80 is to increase the reset force of the locking tongue 20, so that the locking tongue 20 can reliably complete the locking operation.

[0057] It is worth mentioning that the elastic member 80 can be a spring or a spring sheet.

[0058] In addition, it is worth mentioning that the base 10 includes a first support plate 11, a second support plate 12 spaced above the first support plate 11, and a plurality of support members 13 for supporting and connecting the first support plate 11 and the second support plate 12, wherein two of the snap rings 101 respectively extend from the first support plate 11 and the second support plate 12.

[0059] As Figure 4 shown, the cam 42 is connected to the output shaft 411 of the drive motor 41 through a transmission rod 423. The drive mechanism 40 further includes an angle sensor 43, a drive mechanism bearing 44, and a sealing ring 45 that are sequentially sleeved on the transmission rod 423 of the cam 42. The angle sensor 43 is used to detect the rotation angle of the cam 42 to achieve feedback control.

[0060] It is worth mentioning that since the submersible locking mechanism 100 operates underwater and waterproofing needs to be ensured, the drive mechanism 40 is provided with the sealing ring 45 for waterproofing.

[0061] Specifically, when the drive motor 41 rotates and drives the cam 42 to rotate, the angle sensor 43 is used to detect the rotation angle of the cam 42 to determine whether the position where the cam 42 rotates causes the lock tongue drive rod 30 to move upward to the highest position or downward to the lowest position, thereby determining the corresponding position of the lock tongue 20, and thus completing the judgment of the locking state and unlocking state between the submersible locking mechanism 100 and the submersible 200.

[0062] It can be understood that the driving of the cam 42 of the drive mechanism 40 is realized by one drive motor 41, and the feedback control is realized through the angle sensor 43 integrated inside the drive motor 41, which is beneficial to accurately realizing the locking operation and unlocking operation of the submersible locking mechanism 100.

[0063] It is worth mentioning that the drive motor 41 can be any one of a DC motor, an AC motor, a servo motor, and a stepper motor. The present invention does not limit this. Preferably, the drive motor 41 is a DC motor.

[0064] Furthermore, the drive mechanism 40 further includes a housing 46. The housing 46 has a first housing 461 and a second housing 462 connected to the first housing 461. The diameter of the second housing 462 is larger than that of the first housing 461. The drive motor 41 is arranged inside the first housing 461, and the angle sensor 43, the drive mechanism bearing 44, and the sealing ring 45 are all arranged inside the second housing 462.

[0065] It is worth mentioning that the locking mechanism 100 of the submersible further includes a fixed seat 90 fixed to the base 10, and the first housing 461 of the driving mechanism 40 is fixed to the fixed seat 90, so that the driving mechanism 40 is fixed to the base 10.

[0066] In particular, as Figure 5 shown, an arc-shaped inclined surface 21 is provided at the bottom of the locking tongue 20 for contacting the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200, so that the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 can be inserted into the slot 103.

[0067] As Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown, the locked state and the unlocked state (or the to-be-locked state) between the submersible locking mechanism 100 and the submersible 200 are illustrated.

[0068] Specifically, the locking operation process of the submersible locking mechanism 100 is as follows: Before the submersible locking mechanism 100 performs the locking operation, first start the driving motor 41 of the driving mechanism 40 to rotate, and lower the locking tongue 20 to the lowest position. At this time, the submersible 200 enters the base station. The locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 is inserted into the slot 103 in such a way that it contacts the arc-shaped inclined surface 21 at the bottom of the locking tongue 20. During the insertion process of the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200, the locking tongue 20 is pushed by the locking ring 201 and moves upward. After the locking ring 201 is completely inserted into the slot 103, under the action of the gravity of the locking tongue 20 itself and the potential energy released by the elastic member 80, the locking tongue 20 falls back to its original position to complete the locking of the submersible 200, as Figure 6 shown.

[0069] The unlocking operation process of the submersible locking mechanism 100 is as follows: When the submersible 200 is about to leave the base station, by starting the driving motor 41 of the driving mechanism 40, the cam 42 is driven to rotate, pushing the locking tongue driving rod 30 upward, so that the locking tongue 20 moves upward. During this process, the driving mechanism 40 detects the rotation angle of the cam 42 through the angle sensor 43 to determine the position where the locking tongue 20 moves upward. When the locking tongue 20 moves upward to the highest position, the unlocking of the submersible 200 is completed. At this time, the submersible 200 can be pulled out from the slot 103, as Figure 7 shown.

[0070] That is to say, in another aspect, the present invention also provides an operation method for the submersible locking mechanism 100, including a locking operation:

[0071] Start the driving motor 41 to rotate, so that the locking tongue driving rod 30 moves downward to drive the locking tongue 20 to insert downward into the slot 103;

[0072] Insert the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 into the slot 103 from the position of the arc-shaped inclined surface 21 at the bottom of the locking tongue 20, so that the locking tongue 20 moves upward;

[0073] The locking tongue 20 moves upward to drive the sliding bearing 70 to move upward along the guide rail 60, and the elastic member 80 is compressed to store potential energy; and

[0074] When the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 is completely inserted into the slot 103, the elastic member 80 releases potential energy to make the sliding bearing 70 move downward along the guide rail 60, and the sliding bearing 70 drives the locking tongue 20 to fall back to its original position, thereby completing the locking of the locking tongue 20 to the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200.

[0075] Furthermore, the operation method of the submersible locking mechanism 100 further includes an unlocking operation:

[0076] Start the driving motor 41 to rotate, so that the cam 42 rotates to lift the locking tongue driving rod 30, and detect the rotation angle of the cam 42 through the angle sensor 43; and

[0077] The locking tongue driving rod 30 drives the locking tongue 20 to move upward. When the angle sensor 43 detects that the rotation angle of the cam 42 makes the locking tongue 20 rise to the highest position, the unlocking operation is completed.

[0078] It can be understood that the submersible locking mechanism 100 of the present invention mainly realizes the up and down movement of the locking tongue 20 through the transmission of the cam 42 and the locking tongue driving rod 30, thereby completing the locking and unlocking operations of the submersible 200 inside the base station. The direction of the locking force of the submersible locking mechanism 100 on the submersible 200 is perpendicular to the movement direction of the locking tongue 20. The locking ability of the submersible locking mechanism 100 depends on the sliding bearing 70 and the locking tongue 20 to ensure, and has nothing to do with the driving motor 41 at the driving end. Thereby, the magnitude of the locking force can be ensured, the requirement for the driving force is reduced, the weight and size of the mechanism itself are reduced, and the angle sensor 43 is integrated inside the driving motor 41. Therefore, the overall structure of the submersible locking mechanism 100 is compact, with a small volume and a small weight, which is beneficial to enabling the base station operation system to carry more scientific instruments.

[0079] Moreover, the driving of the cam 42 is realized by the driving motor 41, and the feedback control of the submersible locking mechanism 100 is realized by the angle sensor 43 integrated inside the driving motor 41, so that the locking and unlocking operations of the submersible locking mechanism 100 can be accurately realized. Therefore, the submersible locking mechanism 100 can reliably realize multiple unlocking and locking operations, meeting the requirements of the unmanned submersible for frequently entering and exiting the base station operation system during underwater operations.

[0080] In addition, the surface of the locking tongue 20 of the submersible locking mechanism 100 in contact with the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 is designed with a large chamfer, which is convenient for the locking ring 201 of the submersible 200 to enter and complete the locking. The up and down movement of the locking tongue 20 is supported by two vertical guide rails 60. The sliding bearing 70 is adopted to reduce the movement resistance, and the elastic member 80 on the guide rail 60 is used to increase the acting force for the locking tongue 20 to reset, which can further reduce the requirement for the driving force and is beneficial to reducing the overall volume and weight of the submersible locking mechanism 100.

[0081] Generally speaking, the present invention provides a submersible locking mechanism 100 with reliable locking, small weight, reliable and simple operation, which can reliably realize the unlocking and locking actions, and thus can meet the requirements of the unmanned submersible for frequently entering and exiting the base station operation system during underwater operations.

[0082] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope recorded in this specification.

[0083] The above embodiments only represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An operating method for a locking mechanism of a submersible. The locking mechanism of the submersible comprises: a base, two snap rings with through slots are formed by extending the base, and a slot is formed between the two snap rings for inserting a locking ring of the submersible; a locking tongue, the locking tongue is fixed on the snap ring and can move up and down in the through slots of the two snap rings in a direction perpendicular to the locking ring of the submersible, so as to unlock and lock the locking ring of the submersible; a locking tongue driving rod, the locking tongue driving rod is connected to the locking tongue and is used for driving the locking tongue to move up and down; and a driving mechanism, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a cam linked to the driving motor, the cam is arranged under the locking tongue driving rod and is used for driving the locking tongue driving rod to move up and down; the locking mechanism of the submersible further includes a guide rail support seat fixed on the base, a guide rail with two ends respectively fixedly connected to the guide rail support seat and the base, and a sliding bearing slidably arranged on the guide rail, the locking tongue is fixed on the sliding bearing, wherein when the locking tongue is driven by the locking tongue driving rod to move up and down, the locking tongue drives the sliding bearing to move up and down along the guide rail; the locking mechanism of the submersible further includes an elastic member, the elastic member is sleeved on the guide rail and its two ends respectively abut against the sliding bearing and the guide rail support seat, and is used for providing a reset force for the locking tongue; characterized in that the operating method includes: locking operation: Starting the driving motor to rotate, so that the cam rotates and lowers the locking tongue driving rod, the locking tongue driving rod drives the locking tongue to move downward, so that the locking tongue is inserted into the slot; Inserting the locking ring of the submersible into the slot from the arc-shaped inclined surface position at the bottom of the locking tongue, and the locking ring of the submersible pushes the locking tongue to move upward; The locking tongue moves upward and drives the sliding bearing to move upward along the guide rail, and the elastic member is compressed and stores potential energy; and When the locking ring of the submersible is completely inserted into the slot, due to the gravity of the locking tongue itself and the release of potential energy of the elastic member, the sliding bearing moves downward along the guide rail, and the sliding bearing drives the locking tongue to fall and reset, thereby completing the locking of the locking tongue to the locking ring of the submersible.

2. The operating method for the locking mechanism of the submersible according to claim 1, characterized in that The cam has a first end linked to the motor and a second end extending from the first end. Both the first end and the second end have arc surfaces. The arc diameter of the first end is smaller than the arc diameter of the second end. When the cam rotates, the locking tongue driving rod is guided by the arc surface of the second end to move up and down.

3. The operating method for the locking mechanism of the submersible according to claim 2, characterized in that The locking mechanism of the submersible includes two guide rails and two elastic members. The elastic members are sleeved on the corresponding guide rails. One end of the locking tongue driving rod is supported on the cam, and the other end passes through between the two guide rails and is vertically connected to the locking tongue.

4. The operating method for the locking mechanism of the submersible according to claim 3, It is characterized in that an arc-shaped inclined surface is provided at the bottom of the locking tongue for contacting the locking ring of the submersible so that the locking ring of the submersible can be inserted into the slot 5. The operation method of the submersible locking mechanism according to claim 4 It is characterized in that the cam is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor through a transmission rod, and the driving mechanism further includes an angle sensor, a driving mechanism bearing and a sealing ring sequentially sleeved on the transmission rod of the cam. The angle sensor is used to detect the rotation angle of the cam to achieve feedback control 6. The operation method of the submersible locking mechanism according to claim 5 It is characterized in that the driving mechanism further includes a housing which has a first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing. The diameter of the second housing is larger than that of the first housing. The driving motor is arranged in the first housing, and the angle sensor, the driving mechanism bearing and the sealing ring are all arranged in the second housing; the submersible locking mechanism further includes a fixed seat fixed to the base, and the first housing of the driving mechanism is fixed to the fixed seat to form a state where the driving mechanism is fixed to the base 7. The operation method of the submersible locking mechanism according to claim 1 It is characterized in that it further includes an unlocking operation starting the driving motor to rotate, so that the cam rotates to lift the locking tongue driving rod, and detecting the rotation angle of the cam through the angle sensor; and the locking tongue driving rod drives the locking tongue to move upward. When the angle sensor detects that the rotation angle of the cam makes the locking tongue rise to the highest position, the unlocking operation is completed

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