A modular underwater robotic arm

Abstract

The present invention provides a modular underwater manipulator, which belongs to the technical field of mechanical equipment. The present invention includes a fixed seat and a manipulator, the manipulator is connected to the fixed seat, the manipulator is composed of a plurality of working arms connected end to end, a rotating seat is provided at one end of the working arm, and a driving mechanism is provided at the other end, and two adjacent working arms are connected to the rotating seat through the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism includes a connecting plate, the middle of the connecting plate is connected to the working arm through a universal shaft, and a hydraulic mechanism is sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft, the hydraulic mechanism includes a fixed shaft sleeve, the fixed shaft sleeve is sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft, a plurality of U-shaped connectors are provided on the side of the fixed shaft sleeve, a mounting plate is provided in the middle of the U-shaped connector, a hydraulic cylinder is provided at the bottom of the mounting plate, and a telescopic rod on the hydraulic cylinder passes through the mounting plate and is connected to the bottom of the working arm through a hinge mechanism. The present invention has high operating freedom, a wide range of application, and a small size structure, and can meet the working requirements under various working conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a modular underwater mechanical arm, belonging to the technical field of mechanical equipment. Background Art

[0002] As humans further understand, develop and utilize the ocean, underwater manipulators are important tools for completing underwater operations. Underwater manipulators need to smoothly and efficiently complete various seabed operations, including marine engineering, port construction, offshore oil, scientific research and naval defense, and many other fields. They play an increasingly important role in underwater exploration, underwater mining, offshore oil engineering and other fields. Underwater manipulators have become an important tool for people to understand, develop and utilize the ocean. However, due to the special working conditions underwater, compared with land manipulators, the architecture and control technology of underwater manipulators have many special problems that need to be solved.

[0003] At present, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) is one of the main tools for ocean exploration and research. The operating tools on ROV are an important part of the entire system. As operating tools on ROV, they mainly include a robotic arm and an end-effector installed on the robotic arm.

[0004] Due to the special working environment of deep-sea ROV, traditional rigid industrial manipulators often cannot fully meet the working requirements of ROV under many working conditions due to their size, structure and degree of freedom. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a modular underwater robotic arm to solve the problem in the prior art that due to the special working environment of deep-sea ROV, traditional rigid industrial robotic arms often cannot fully meet the working requirements of ROV under many working conditions due to their size structure and degree of freedom.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the present invention provides a modular underwater robotic arm comprising: a fixed seat and a robotic arm, the robotic arm is connected to the fixed seat, the robotic arm is composed of a plurality of working arms connected end to end, a rotating seat is arranged at one end of the working arm, and a driving mechanism is arranged at the other end, two adjacent working arms are connected to the rotating seat through the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism comprises a connecting plate, the driving mechanism is connected to the rotating seat through the connecting plate, the middle of the connecting plate is connected to the working arm through a universal shaft, a hydraulic mechanism is sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft, the hydraulic mechanism comprises a fixed shaft sleeve, the fixed shaft sleeve is sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft, a plurality of U-shaped connecting parts are arranged on the side of the fixed shaft sleeve, the U-shaped connecting part is connected to the fixed shaft sleeve through a rotating shaft, a mounting plate is arranged in the middle of the U-shaped connecting part, both ends of the mounting plate are connected to the U-shaped connecting part through a rotating shaft, a hydraulic cylinder is arranged at the bottom of the mounting plate, and the telescopic rod on the hydraulic cylinder passes through the mounting plate and is connected to the bottom of the working arm through a hinge mechanism.

[0007] By adopting this technical solution: when using the mechanical arm, the number of working arms is set according to actual work needs, one working arm is connected to the fixed seat, and when the working arms are connected, the connecting plate of the upper working arm is connected to the rotating seat of the lower working arm. When the working arm is running, the rotating seat rotates to drive the working arm to rotate. When the working arm is bent, the telescopic rods of some hydraulic cylinders in the hydraulic mechanism contract, and the telescopic rods of other hydraulic cylinders extend. The telescopic rods are connected to the bottom of the working arm through a hinge mechanism. Under the action of the telescopic rods, the working arm moves around the universal joint to achieve bending. The free operation of the working arm is achieved through the simultaneous action of the rotating seat and the hydraulic mechanism.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a flexible sealing ring is sleeved on the outer side of the connection between the two adjacent working arms.

[0009] By adopting this technical solution: by arranging a flexible sealing ring, the flexible sealing ring performs waterproof sealing on the driving mechanism between the two working arms, and at the same time does not affect the operation of the driving mechanism.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, a driving motor is disposed inside the working arm, and a rotating shaft of the driving motor is connected to the rotating seat.

[0011] By adopting this technical solution: the driving motor drives the rotating seat to operate via the rotating shaft.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting plate and the rotating seat are connected by bolts.

[0013] By adopting this technical solution: the connecting plate and the rotating seat are connected by bolts, which is convenient for loading and unloading and improves the connection strength.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, four of the U-shaped connectors, mounting plates and hydraulic cylinders are provided, and four hinge mechanisms at the bottom of the working arm are also provided.

[0015] By adopting this technical solution: four U-shaped connecting pieces, a mounting plate and a hydraulic cylinder can drive the working arm to rotate in all directions around the universal shaft, thereby improving the degree of freedom of the working arm.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, a robot is further included, and the robot is connected to the working arm.

[0017] By adopting this technical solution: the working arm drives the manipulator to perform underwater operations.

[0018] As described above, a modular underwater robotic arm of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The robot arm in the present invention is composed of a plurality of working arms with the same structure. Two adjacent working arms are connected by a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism can drive the working arms to rotate and bend, so that the number of working arms can be set according to the working environment and working requirements, thereby setting the length and working range of the robot arm. Moreover, each robot arm can be bent and rotated independently, with high operational freedom, wide application range, small size and structure, and can meet the working requirements under various working conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of the robotic arm connection structure of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic diagram of the working arm structure of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the front structural view of the hydraulic mechanism of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the hinge mechanism structure of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of a top view of the hydraulic mechanism of a modular underwater robotic arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Among them, 1. Robotic arm; 2. Flexible sealing ring; 3. Fixed seat; 4. Driving mechanism; 5. Rotating seat; 6. Driving motor; 7. Working arm; 8. Hinge mechanism; 9. Hydraulic mechanism; 10. Universal joint; 11. Connecting plate; 12. Telescopic rod; 13. U-shaped connector; 14. Fixed sleeve; 15. Mounting plate; 16. Hydraulic cylinder; 17. Rotating shaft. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following is a description of the implementation of the present invention by means of specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification.

[0028] See also Figures 1 to 6 . It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings in this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention, so they have no substantial technical significance. Any modification of the structure, change in the proportional relationship, or adjustment of the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed by the present invention without affecting the effects and purposes that can be achieved by the present invention. At the same time, the terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "middle" and "one" quoted in this specification are only for the convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the implementation of the present invention. Changes or adjustments in their relative relationships should also be regarded as the scope of the implementation of the present invention without substantially changing the technical content.

[0029] See also Figures 1 to 6 The present invention provides a modular underwater robotic arm comprising: a fixed seat 3 and a robotic arm 1, wherein the robotic arm 1 is connected to the fixed seat 3, and the robotic arm 1 is composed of a plurality of working arms 7 connected end to end, wherein a rotating seat 5 is provided at one end of the working arm 7, and a driving mechanism 4 is provided at the other end, and two adjacent working arms 7 are connected to the rotating seat 5 via the driving mechanism 4, and the driving mechanism 4 comprises a connecting plate 11, and the driving mechanism 4 is connected to the rotating seat 5 via the connecting plate 11, and the middle of the connecting plate 11 is connected to the working arm 7 via a universal shaft 10, and the outer surface of the universal shaft 10 A hydraulic mechanism 9 is sleeved, and the hydraulic mechanism 9 includes a fixed sleeve 14, which is sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft 10. A plurality of U-shaped connectors 13 are arranged on the side of the fixed sleeve 14, and the U-shaped connector 13 is connected to the fixed sleeve 14 through a rotating shaft 17. A mounting plate 15 is arranged in the middle of the U-shaped connector 13, and both ends of the mounting plate 15 are connected to the U-shaped connector 13 through a rotating shaft. A hydraulic cylinder 16 is arranged at the bottom of the mounting plate 15, and the telescopic rod 12 on the hydraulic cylinder 16 passes through the mounting plate 15 and is connected to the bottom of the working arm 7 through a hinge mechanism 8.

[0030] A flexible sealing ring 2 is sleeved on the outer side of the connection between two adjacent working arms 7 .

[0031] A driving motor 6 is disposed inside the working arm 7 , and a rotating shaft of the driving motor 6 is connected to the rotating seat 5 .

[0032] The connecting plate 11 is connected to the rotating seat 5 via bolts.

[0033] The U-shaped connecting member 13, the mounting plate 15 and the hydraulic cylinder 16 are each provided in four numbers, and the hinge mechanism 8 at the bottom of the working arm 7 is also provided in four numbers.

[0034] It also includes a manipulator, which is connected to the working arm 7.

[0035] In summary, the robot arm of the present invention is composed of a plurality of working arms with the same structure, and two adjacent working arms are connected by a driving mechanism, which can drive the working arms to rotate and bend, so that the number of working arms can be set according to the working environment and working requirements, thereby setting the length and working range of the robot arm, and each robot arm can be bent and rotated independently, with high operating freedom, wide application range, small size and structure, and can meet the working requirements under various working conditions. Therefore, the present invention effectively overcomes various shortcomings in the prior art and has high industrial utilization value.

[0036] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular underwater robotic arm, characterized in that: The modular underwater robotic arm comprises: a fixed seat (3) and a robotic arm (1), wherein the robotic arm (1) is connected to the fixed seat (3), and the robotic arm (1) is composed of a plurality of working arms (7) connected end to end, wherein a rotating seat (5) is provided at one end of the working arm (7), and a driving mechanism (4) is provided at the other end, and two adjacent working arms (7) are connected to the rotating seat (5) via the driving mechanism (4), and the driving mechanism (4) comprises a connecting plate (11), and the driving mechanism (4) is connected to the rotating seat (5) via the connecting plate (11), and the middle of the connecting plate (11) is connected to the working arm (7) via a universal shaft (10), and the outer surface of the universal shaft (10) is sleeved with a A hydraulic mechanism (9) is provided, the hydraulic mechanism (9) comprising a fixed shaft sleeve (14), the fixed shaft sleeve (14) being sleeved on the outer surface of the universal shaft (10), a plurality of U-shaped connecting pieces (13) being arranged on the side of the fixed shaft sleeve (14), the U-shaped connecting piece (13) being connected to the fixed shaft sleeve (14) via a rotating shaft (17), a mounting plate (15) being arranged in the middle of the U-shaped connecting piece (13), both ends of the mounting plate (15) being connected to the U-shaped connecting piece (13) via a rotating shaft, a hydraulic cylinder (16) being arranged at the bottom of the mounting plate (15), a telescopic rod (12) on the hydraulic cylinder (16) passing through the mounting plate (15) and being connected to the bottom of the working arm (7) via a hinge mechanism (8); A flexible sealing ring (2) is sleeved on the outer side of the connection between the two adjacent working arms (7); A driving motor (6) is arranged inside the working arm (7), and a rotating shaft of the driving motor (6) is connected to the rotating seat (5); The connecting plate (11) and the rotating seat (5) are connected via bolts; The U-shaped connecting member (13), the mounting plate (15) and the hydraulic cylinder (16) are each provided in four pieces, and the bottom hinge mechanism (8) of the working arm (7) is also provided in four pieces.

2. A modular underwater robotic arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a manipulator, which is connected to the working arm (7).

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