Loadable AUV's Ice Penetrator Applicable for Under-Ice Water Area Detection

Abstract

The loadable AUV applicable to ice penetration detectors for deep ice-covered water area detection includes an ice penetration detector and an AUV. The ice penetration detector includes an ice anchor, a tail cabin, an AUV storage cabin, a sensor cabin, and a thermal melting drill bit that are fixedly connected in sequence along the axial direction. An AUV storage cabin door is provided on the side of the AUV storage cabin. An AUV storage platform is installed on the AUV storage cabin door. A limit disk is installed on the storage platform. A number of docking locking rods are installed circumferentially on the limit disk. When the docking locking rods are in the open state, an AUV docking port is formed. When the docking locking rods are in the retracted state, the AUV is locked. A sonar rotation motor is installed on the AUV storage platform. A sonar connecting rod is connected to the sonar rotation motor. A sonar connecting plate is vertically connected to the sonar connecting rod. A sonar beacon, a first USBL, and a first sonar are installed on the sonar connecting plate. A light-transmitting and sound-transmitting fairing is installed at the head of the AUV. A camera, a second USBL, and a second sonar are installed inside the fairing. There is an annular notch at the head of the AUV that cooperates with the docking locking rods for locking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of ice penetration detectors, and particularly relates to an ice penetration detector that can be loaded on an AUV and is suitable for detecting deep sub-ice waters. Background Art

[0002] Under the Antarctic ice sheet thousands of meters thick, there are a large number of sub-ice lakes. These sub-ice lakes have been isolated from the outside world for a long time. Detecting sub-ice lakes provides the possibility for studying the formation and evolution mechanism of the Antarctic ice sheet and life in extreme environments, and has great scientific significance. In the detection of sub-ice lakes, it is not possible to first drill a hole to the sub-ice lake and then deploy a detector through the existing ice hole, because in this way, exogenous substances will pollute the sub-ice lake water, thus affecting the scientific value of sub-ice lake detection. In order to avoid the pollution of sub-ice lake water by exogenous substances, ice penetration detection can be carried out by drilling while freezing and thawing behind the detector.

[0003] In addition, for alien planets with ice layers on their surfaces (such as Mars, Europa, Ganymede, Titan, etc.), there may be sub-ice lakes or sub-ice oceans under their thick ice layers. Detecting the sub-ice waters of these planets requires a dedicated detector carried by a launched lander. For detectors in such application scenarios, it is best to be able to penetrate the ice layer by itself, and then be able to perform in-situ detection after reaching the sub-ice waters. At the same time, it can also release an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can move independently to conduct a larger range of detection.

[0004] Germany reported an ice-penetrating probe called IceShuttle Teredo in a paper. The probe can carry an AUV to melt ice and drill. Because the ice-penetrating probe uses heat-melt drilling, the heat-melt drill must be placed at the top of the probe, so the AUV can only be stored in the middle of the ice-penetrating probe, and cannot be placed at the top. In addition, when the AUV is released, the acoustic sensor used for AUV navigation, positioning and communication must be able to extend to a position further forward than the heat-melt drill, so that the field of view of the acoustic sensor will not be blocked by the heat-melt drill of the probe. To solve this technical problem, the IceShuttle Teredo ice-penetrating detector stores the AUV in the middle of the detector. After penetrating the ice layer and reaching the sub-ice waters, the AUV is deployed using a triple deployment structure: first, the detection sensor cabin and the heat-melt drill are rotated 180° together through an eccentric disc joint to make way for the AUV to release. Then the AUV is released axially downward, and the AUV then turns to a horizontal position. After the AUV is released from the payload cabin, the heat-melt drill is rotated 180° separately through another eccentric disc joint to make way for the navigation and communication sensor group. Finally, the navigation and communication sensor group is pushed out of the sensor cabin axially downward, so that the acoustic sensor for navigation and communication is located at a more forward position than the heat-melt drill. When releasing the AUV, the IceShuttle Teredo ice-penetrating detector needs to rotate the heat-melt drill eccentrically in the inner cabin. Since the drill is generally heavy, the support strength and rotation torque requirements of the rotating joint are relatively high. In addition, the transmission cables required by the front hot melt drill and sensor cabin need to pass through the rotary joint. There are two existing technical solutions: one is to pass the cables directly, but when the rotary joint rotates, the cables will inevitably twist; the other is to use waterproof slip rings at the rotary joint to transmit power and signals. Both solutions will inevitably increase the complexity of the structure and reduce the reliability of the system. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to the existing technical problems, the present invention provides an ice-penetrating probe that can be loaded with an AUV and is suitable for deep sub-ice water exploration. The AUV can be carried to penetrate the ice layer. After penetrating the ice layer and reaching the sub-ice waters (such as a sub-ice lake or a sub-ice ocean), the AUV can be released in a relatively simple way, avoiding the problem of rotating a heavy hot melt drill bit and the need for the transmission cable to pass through a rotating joint to increase the complexity of the structure and reduce the reliability of the system. In addition, the AUV can be charged and transmit data by docking, and the AUV can also be recovered autonomously.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] The AUV can be loaded with an ice-penetrating detector suitable for detecting deep ice waters, including an ice-penetrating detector and an AUV, characterized in that: the ice-penetrating detector includes ice anchors that are fixedly connected in sequence along the axial direction for fixing the ice-penetrating detector in an ice hole, a tail cabin provided with a cable receiver and an ice-penetrating detector control system, an AUV storage cabin for deploying and recovering the AUV from its side, a sensor cabin equipped with various sensors, and a hot melt drill head for heating the ice layer for hot melt drilling;

[0008] The side of the AUV storage cabin is provided with an AUV storage cabin door that rotates between a vertical position and a horizontal position to open and close, the AUV storage cabin door is provided with an AUV storage platform that can move along its axial direction, the AUV storage platform is provided with a limit plate, the limit plate is provided with a travel switch facing the AUV side for detecting whether the AUV is in a locked position, the limit plate is provided with a plurality of docking locking rods that can move and rotate relative to the limit plate, the docking locking rods are hingedly connected to the push rods of the docking linear motor that can drive the docking locking rods to open and close, and the docking locking rods are provided with a plurality of docking locking rods that can move and rotate relative to the limit plate. When the docking locking rod is in the open state, an AUV docking port with a larger outside and a smaller inside is formed. When the docking locking rod is in the closed state, the AUV is locked. A sonar rotating motor is installed on the AUV storage platform. A sonar connecting rod driven by the sonar rotating motor to rotate between a vertical position and a horizontal position is connected to the sonar connecting rod. A sonar connecting plate is vertically connected to the sonar connecting rod. The sonar connecting plate is equipped with an acoustic beacon for providing the AUV with approximate azimuth information within a longer distance, a first USBL for providing the AUV with communication and navigation within a range of several kilometers, and a first sonar for detecting underwater terrain.

[0009] The AUV head is equipped with a light-transmitting and sound-transmitting deflector, and the deflector is internally equipped with a camera for visually identifying the AUV storage platform and guiding the AUV to dock, a second USBL for the AUV to return to the dock and navigate and communicate within a few kilometers of the ice-penetrating detector, and a second sonar for cooperating with the acoustic beacon to identify the approximate position of the ice-penetrating detector at a long distance; the AUV head is provided with an annular recess that cooperates with the docking locking rod to lock, and the docking locking rod is provided with a protrusion that can slide into or out of the annular recess.

[0010] Furthermore, the cross section of the annular recess is a combination of a trumpet and a rectangle, so that even if the position of the AUV is slightly deviated during docking, the docking locking rod can be moved into the rectangular locking position along the trumpet shape to complete the locking of the AUV.

[0011] Furthermore, the tail of the AUV is provided with a tail vector thruster for realizing conventional movement and manipulation of the AUV in space; the belly of the AUV is provided with a ring coil for obtaining electrical energy from the built-in coil of the AUV storage platform using the principle of electromagnetic coupling.

[0012] Further, an upper hatch linear motor is installed on the upper part of the AUV storage compartment, and a lower hatch linear motor is installed on its lower part. A winch motor driven to translate by the push rod of the upper hatch linear motor is installed on the push rod of the upper hatch linear motor. A reel driven to rotate by the winch motor is connected to the rotating shaft of the winch motor. A cable is wound around the reel, and the outer end of the cable is connected to the upper part of the AUV storage compartment hatch; a hatch connection block driven to translate by the lower hatch linear motor is hinged to the push rod of the lower hatch linear motor, and the hatch connection block is fixed to the lower part of the AUV storage compartment hatch.

[0013] Further, a rack is installed on the AUV storage compartment hatch, and an AUV storage platform motor is installed at the end of the AUV storage platform. A gear driven to rotate by the AUV storage platform motor is connected to the AUV storage platform motor. The gear meshes with the rack to form a gear transmission pair; a guide rail along which the AUV storage platform moves is also installed on the AUV storage compartment hatch.

[0014] Further, a hatch locking mechanism for locking the hatch when it is closed is provided above the cabin wall of the AUV storage compartment.

[0015] Further, a group of strip-shaped LED lights serving as docking guide line light sources are installed inside the docking locking rod, and an LED light serving as a docking guide point light source is installed at the outer end of the AUV storage platform. The LED line light source on the docking locking rod and the LED point light source on the AUV storage platform form a light source signal for guiding the AUV docking. The AUV obtains the light source signal through a camera, and the center position and azimuth information of the docking port can be obtained through image processing. These information jointly provide guidance for the AUV docking.

[0016] Further, the sensor compartment is composed of an upper sensor compartment and a lower sensor compartment. An ice-water environment detection sensor group is installed in the upper sensor compartment, a CTD for measuring the temperature, conductivity and depth of the water body is installed in the lower sensor compartment, and a panoramic camera group for performing panoramic high-definition imaging of the underwater environment is installed circumferentially in the lower sensor compartment.

[0017] Further, the specific steps for deploying the AUV are as follows:

[0018] (1) The ice anchor of the ice penetration detector acts to fix the ice penetration detector in the ice hole;

[0019] (2) The hatch locking mechanism is unlocked, the upper hatch linear motor works to push the upper part of the AUV storage compartment hatch outwards, and at the same time the winch motor works to release the cable, so that the upper part of the AUV storage compartment hatch opens and rotates by a certain angle;

[0020] (3) The winch motor keeps working to release the cable. Under its own weight, the hatch door of the AUV storage compartment and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the linear motor of the lower hatch door. At the same time, the linear motor of the lower hatch door works to push out the lower part of the AUV storage compartment hatch door by a certain distance.

[0021] (4) The hatch door of the AUV storage compartment and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the linear motor of the lower hatch door to the horizontal position.

[0022] (5) After rotating in place, the AUV storage table motor works to drive the gear to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage table is pushed outwards.

[0023] (6) The docking linear motor works to make the docking locking rod open, and the AUV is unlocked. The AUV tail thruster acts to make the AUV drive away from the ice penetration detector. At the same time, the sonar rotation motor works to drive the sonar connecting rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the sonar beacon, the first USBL, and the first sonar move to the lowest working position. The AUV deployment is completed.

[0024] Furthermore, the specific steps for the AUV to return to the dock for docking and recovery are as follows:

[0025] (1) The AUV navigates to the vicinity of the ice penetration detector relying on sonar signals and USBL signals. At the same time, the AUV uses the camera on it to search for the LED light signal on the AUV storage table. After finding the LED light signal, it switches to the LED optical guidance mode and slowly approaches the docking locking rod to form the docking interface under the LED optical guidance.

[0026] (2) When the AUV touches the travel switch on the limit disk, the docking linear motor works to drive the docking locking rod to close. As the convex block on the docking locking rod slides into the annular notch on the AUV, the AUV locking work is completed. At this time, the annular coil on the AUV's abdomen just fits tightly with the built-in coil of the AUV storage table. Using the principle of electromagnetic coupling, the ice penetration detector transmits electrical energy to the AUV for charging, and data transmission is achieved through the built-in communication module. If the AUV is only returning for charging, it can continue to drive away from the ice penetration detector to start a new detection task after being fully charged. If the ice penetration detector needs to recover the AUV, it enters step (3).

[0027] (3) The sonar rotation motor works to drive the sonar connecting rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the sonar beacon, the first USBL, and the first sonar move to the initial position.

[0028] (4) The AUV storage table motor works to drive the gear to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage table is retracted inwards.

[0029] (5) The winch motor operates to retrieve the cable, pulling up the upper part of the AUV storage hatch. At this time, the AUV storage hatch and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the linear motor of the lower hatch.

[0030] (6) When the cable retrieval of the winch motor is completed, the upper hatch linear motor operates to pull the upper part of the AUV storage hatch inward. At the same time, the lower hatch linear motor operates to pull the lower part of the AUV storage hatch inward; the AUV storage hatch closes and locks, and the ice penetration detector releases the ice anchor, getting ready to retrieve and return to the ice surface.

[0031] Advantages of the present invention:

[0032] 1. The AUV storage hatch of the present invention is arranged in the middle section of the ice penetration detector, ensuring that the hot melt drill bit can be arranged at the top of the ice penetration detector for ice melting and drilling.

[0033] 2. The placement method of the navigation and positioning and communication sensor group (USBL and acoustic beacon) enables the acoustic sensors for AUV navigation and positioning and communication to extend to a position more forward than the hot melt drill bit when the ice penetration detector reaches the water area for work, so that the viewing angle of the acoustic sensors will not be blocked by the hot melt drill bit of the detector.

[0034] 3. In the present invention, the release of the AUV is achieved by opening the hatch on the side wall of the ice penetration detector, without the need to rotate the heavy hot melt drill bit, reducing the torque requirement for the driving motor and the support strength requirement for the rotating pair.

[0035] 4. The internal cable of the ice penetration detector does not need to set a rotating joint at the hot melt drill bit, which can avoid increasing the structural complexity by using measures such as waterproof slip rings, or can avoid cable torsion. Description of the drawings

[0036] Figure 1 is the front view structural schematic diagram of the AUV of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 is the sectional view structural schematic diagram of the AUV of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 is the enlarged structural schematic diagram of the docking of the annular notch and the docking locking rod of the AUV of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 is the front view structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 is the sectional view structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 is the sectional view structural schematic diagram after the present invention is fully unfolded.

[0042] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the AUV storage compartment of the present invention after being fully unfolded.

[0043] Figure 8 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the AUV storage compartment of the present invention after being fully unfolded.

[0044] Figure 9 It is a schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of the AUV storage platform of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 10 It is a schematic front-view structural diagram of the AUV storage platform of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 11 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the AUV storage platform of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 12 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the sensor compartment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 13 It is a schematic bottom-view structural diagram of the sensor compartment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the process of deploying and recovering the AUV of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0050] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these specific implementation manners. Those skilled in the art should recognize that the present invention covers all alternative solutions, improvement solutions, and equivalent solutions that may be included within the scope of the claims.

[0051] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0052] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, terms such as "installed", "connected", "linked", "fixed", etc. shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two components. 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.

[0053] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely means that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath" and "underneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely means that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0054] Related terms

[0055] AUV: Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)

[0056] USBL: Ultrashort Baseline (USBL)

[0057] CTD: Conductivity, Temperature, Depth recorder (CTD)

[0058] This embodiment provides an ice-piercing detector that can load an AUV and is applicable to deep ice-covered water area detection, including an ice-piercing detector 1 and an AUV 2.

[0059] See Figure 1-3, a tail vector thruster 21 is provided at the tail of the AUV2 in this embodiment. Under the action of the tail vector thruster 21, the AUV2 can achieve conventional movement and control in space. There is an annular coil 27 on the abdomen of the AUV2, which can obtain electrical energy from the built-in coil of the AUV storage platform 131 by using the principle of electromagnetic coupling. There is an annular notch 22 near the head of the AUV2. The cross-section of the annular notch 22 is a combined shape of a flared mouth and a rectangle, so that even if there is some deviation in the position during docking, the docking locking rod 1316 can slide along the outer shape of the flared mouth into the rectangular locking position to complete the locking of the AUV2. A light-transmitting and sound-transmitting fairing 16 is installed at the head of the AUV2. Inside the fairing 16, there are installed: (1) a camera 25, which is used for visual recognition of the docking port on the AUV storage platform 131 during the docking of the AUV2 to provide docking guidance; (2) a second USBL 24, which is used for the return docking navigation and communication of the AUV2 within a few kilometers of the ice penetration detector 1; (3) a second sonar 23, which is used for detecting the acoustic wave signal emitted by the acoustic beacon 1313 on the ice penetration detector 1 at a long distance, so as to identify the approximate orientation of the ice penetration detector 1.

[0060] See Figure 4 , Figure 5 , the ice penetration detector 1 in this embodiment is composed of five parts fixedly connected in sequence along the axis, which are: (1) an ice anchor 11, which is used to fix the ice penetration detector 1 in the ice hole; (2) a tail cabin 12, in which an "ice surface - ice penetration detector" cable retractor, an ice penetration detector control system, etc. are arranged; (3) an AUV storage cabin 13, which is used for deploying and recovering the AUV2 from its side. The AUV storage cabin 13 is provided with an AUV storage cabin door 134, which is unfolded under the combined action of the cabin door linear motor and the winch; (4) a sensor cabin 14, in which there is a corresponding underwater ice environment detection sensor group. According to the detection task requirements, various optical-based underwater multi-parameter sensors, water physical parameter sensors, underwater environment multi-parameter sensors based on the principle of electrochemistry, etc. can be configured; (5) a thermal melting drill bit 15, which is used for heating the ice layer for thermal melting drilling. The fully unfolded state of the present invention is shown in Figure 6 as shown.

[0061] See Figure 7 , Figure 8, on the side of the AUV storage compartment 13 in this embodiment, there is an AUV storage compartment door 134 that rotates between a vertical position and a horizontal position for opening and closing. An upper hatch linear motor 136 is installed on the upper part of the AUV storage compartment 13, and a lower hatch linear motor 130 is installed on its lower part. A winch motor 132 driven to translate by the upper hatch linear motor 136 is installed on the push rod of the upper hatch linear motor 136. A drum 133 driven to rotate by the winch motor 132 is connected to the rotating shaft of the winch motor 132. A cable 137 is wound around the drum 133, and the outer end of the cable 137 is connected to the upper part of the AUV storage compartment door 134; A hatch connection block 140 driven to translate by the lower hatch linear motor 130 is hinged to the push rod of the lower hatch linear motor 130, and the hatch connection block 140 is fixed to the lower part of the AUV storage compartment door 134. A rack 139 is installed on the AUV storage compartment door 134, forming a gear transmission pair with the gear 1319 on the AUV storage table 131; A guide rail 138 is also installed on the AUV storage compartment door 134 for guiding the AUV storage table 131 to ensure that the AUV storage table 131 moves along the guide rail 138. Above the cabin wall of the AUV storage compartment 13, there is a hatch locking mechanism 135 for locking the AUV storage compartment door 134 when the door is closed.

[0062] See Figure 9-11, in this embodiment, the AUV storage platform 131 is installed on the AUV storage compartment door 134 so as to be axially movable along the AUV storage compartment door 134; an AUV storage platform motor 1320 is provided at the end of the AUV storage platform 131, and the AUV storage platform motor 1320 is connected to a gear 1319. The gear 1319 can rotate under the drive of the AUV storage platform motor 1320, and the axial movement of the AUV storage platform 131 is realized by the movement of the gear 1319 along a rack 139. A limit disk 1321 is installed on the AUV storage platform 131. A travel switch 1317 is installed on the side of the limit disk 1321 facing the AUV2 to detect whether the AUV2 is in the locked position; a docking linear motor 1318 is installed on the other side of the limit disk 1321; three docking locking rods 1316 are installed on the circumference of the limit disk 1321. The limit disk 1321 and the docking locking rods 1316 can rotate relative to each other and also slide relative to each other. The other end of the docking locking rod 1316 is hinged to the push rod end of the docking linear motor 1318. Under the action of the docking linear motor 1318, the docking locking rods 1316 can be opened and closed. When closed, the bumps on the docking locking rods 1316 are embedded in the annular notch 22 of the AUV2 to lock the AUV2. When opened, an AUV docking port with a larger outer and smaller inner size is formed between the docking locking rods 1316, which plays a role in spatial guidance during AUV docking. A group of strip-shaped LED lights 1315 are installed inside the docking locking rods 1316 as the docking guiding line light source. An LED light 1323 is installed at the outer end of the AUV storage platform 131 as the docking guiding point light source. The LED line light sources on the three docking locking rods 1316 and the LED point light source on the AUV storage platform 131 form a special light source signal. The AUV2 obtains the light source signal through a camera 25, and the center position and azimuth information of the docking port can be obtained through image processing. These information jointly provide guidance for the docking of the AUV2. A sonar rotation motor 1322 is also installed on the AUV storage platform 131. A sonar connecting rod 1310 driven by the sonar rotation motor 1322 to rotate between the vertical position and the horizontal position is connected to the sonar rotation motor 1322. Under the drive of the sonar rotation motor 1322, the sonar connecting rod 1310 can rotate around the motor. A sonar connecting plate 1311 is vertically connected to the sonar connecting rod 1310. A sonar beacon 1313, a second USBL 1312, and a second sonar 1314 are installed on the sonar connecting plate 1311. The sonar beacon 1313 can provide approximate range information for the AUV2 within a farther distance range; the second USBL 1312 can provide communication and navigation for the AUV2 within a range of several kilometers; the second sonar 1314 is used to detect the underwater terrain.

[0063] See Figure 12 , Figure 13, in this embodiment, the sensor cabin 14 of the sensor cabin is composed of an upper sensor cabin and a lower sensor cabin. An ice-underwater environment detection sensor group 141 is installed in the upper sensor cabin. According to the detection task requirements, various optical-based underwater multi-parameter sensors, water physical parameter sensors, underwater environment multi-parameter sensors based on the electrochemical principle, etc. can be configured. A CTD 142 is installed in the lower sensor cabin, which can be used to measure the temperature, conductivity, and depth of the water body. These parameters are important physical parameters of the water body and can be used to calibrate the propagation speed of sound waves in the water body, thereby improving the detection accuracy of acoustic sensors. A panoramic camera group 143 is also installed circumferentially in the lower sensor cabin for panoramic high-definition imaging of the underwater environment.

[0064] The deployment process of the AUV 2 in this embodiment is as Figure 14 shown, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0065] (1) The ice anchor 11 of the ice piercer 1 acts to fix the ice piercer 1 in the ice hole;

[0066] (2) The hatch locking mechanism 135 is unlocked, and the upper hatch linear motor 136 works to push the upper part of the AUV storage hatch 134 outwards. At the same time, the winch motor 132 works to release the cable 137, so that the upper part of the AUV storage hatch 134 opens and rotates by a certain angle;

[0067] (3) The winch motor 132 keeps working to release the cable. Under the action of its own weight, the AUV storage hatch 134 and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the lower hatch linear motor 130. At the same time, the lower hatch linear motor 130 works to push the lower part of the AUV storage hatch 134 out by a certain distance;

[0068] (4) The AUV storage hatch 134 and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the lower hatch linear motor 130 to the horizontal position;

[0069] (5) After rotating in place, the AUV storage platform motor 1320 works to drive the gear 1319 to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage platform 131 is pushed outwards;

[0070] (6) The docking linear motor 1318 works to make the docking locking rod 1316 open, and the AUV 2 is unlocked. The tail vector thruster 21 of the AUV 2 acts to make the AUV 2 leave the ice piercer 1; at the same time, the sonar rotation motor 1322 works to drive the sonar connecting rod 1310 to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the acoustic beacon 1313, the first USBL 1312, and the first sonar 1314 move to the lowest working position; the deployment of the AUV 2 is completed.

[0071] See Figure 14, the specific steps for the docking and recovery of the AUV2 in this embodiment are as follows:

[0072] (1) The AUV2 navigates to the vicinity of the ice penetration detector 1 relying on sonar signals and USBL signals. At the same time, the AUV2 uses the camera 25 on it to search for the LED light signal on the AUV storage platform 131. After finding the LED light signal, it switches to the LED optical guidance mode and slowly approaches the docking locking rod 1316 to form the docking interface under the LED optical guidance;

[0073] (2) When the AUV2 touches the travel switch 1317 on the limit disk 1321, the docking linear motor 1318 works to drive the docking locking rod 1316 to close. As the bump on the docking locking rod 1316 slides into the annular notch 22 on the AUV2, the locking operation of the AUV2 is completed; at this time, the annular coil 27 on the abdomen of the AUV2 just fits closely with the built-in coil of the AUV storage platform 131. Using the principle of electromagnetic coupling, the ice penetration detector 1 transmits electrical energy to the AUV2 for charging, and data transmission is achieved through the built-in communication module; if the AUV2 is only returning for charging, it can continue to leave the ice penetration detector 1 after being fully charged to start a new detection task; if the ice penetration detector 1 needs to recover the AUV2, it enters step (3);

[0074] (3) The sonar rotation motor 1322 works to drive the sonar connecting rod 1310 to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the sonar beacon 1313, the first USBL 1312, and the first sonar 1314 move to their initial positions;

[0075] (4) The AUV storage platform motor 1320 works to drive the gear 1319 to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage platform 131 is retracted inward;

[0076] (5) The winch motor 132 works to recover the cable 137, pulling up the upper part of the AUV storage compartment door 134. At this time, the AUV storage compartment door 134 and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the lower compartment door linear motor 130;

[0077] (6) When the cable 137 of the winch motor 132 is completely recovered, the upper compartment door linear motor 136 works to pull the upper part of the AUV storage compartment door 134 inward. At the same time, the lower compartment door linear motor 130 works to pull the lower part of the AUV storage compartment door 134 inward; the AUV storage compartment door 134 is closed and locked, and the ice penetration detector 1 releases the ice anchor 11, ready to recover and return to the ice surface.

[0078] The AUV storage compartment of the present invention is arranged in the middle section of the ice-penetrating detector, ensuring that the hot-melt drill bit can be arranged at the top of the ice-penetrating detector for ice-melting drilling. The deployment method of the navigation and positioning and communication sensor group (USBL and acoustic beacon) enables the acoustic sensors for AUV navigation and positioning and communication to extend to a position more forward than the hot-melt drill bit when the ice-penetrating detector reaches the water area for work, so that the field of view angle of the acoustic sensors will not be blocked by the hot-melt drill bit of the detector. In the present invention, the release of the AUV is achieved by opening the hatch on the side wall of the ice-penetrating detector, without the need to rotate the heavy hot-melt drill bit, reducing the torque requirement for the drive motor and the support strength requirement for the rotating pair. The internal cable of the ice-penetrating detector does not need to be provided with a rotating joint at the hot-melt drill bit, which can avoid increasing the structural complexity by using measures such as waterproof slip rings, or can avoid cable torsion.

Claims

1. A loadable AUV applicable to an ice-penetrating detector for deep ice-covered water area detection, comprising an ice-penetrating detector and an AUV, Characterized in that: The ice-penetrating detector includes an ice anchor for fixing the ice-penetrating detector in an ice hole, which are fixedly connected in sequence along the axis, a tail cabin provided with a cable storage and an ice-penetrating detector control system, an AUV storage cabin for deploying and recovering the AUV from its side, a sensor cabin equipped with various sensors, and a thermal melting drill bit for heating the ice layer for thermal melting drilling; On the side of the AUV storage cabin, there is an AUV storage cabin door that rotates and opens and closes between the vertical position and the horizontal position. An AUV storage table that can move along its axis is installed on the AUV storage cabin door. A limit disk is installed on the AUV storage table. A travel switch for detecting whether the AUV is in the locked position is installed on the side of the limit disk facing the AUV. A number of docking locking rods that can move and rotate relative to it are installed circumferentially on the limit disk. The docking locking rods are all hinged to the push rod of a docking linear motor that can drive them to open and close. When the docking locking rods are in the open state, an AUV docking port with a large outer and small inner shape is formed. When the docking locking rods are in the closed state, the AUV is locked; A sonar rotation motor is installed on the AUV storage table. A sonar connecting rod that rotates between the vertical position and the horizontal position driven by it is connected to the sonar rotation motor. A sonar connecting plate is vertically connected to the sonar connecting rod. A sonar beacon for providing the AUV with a general azimuth range information within a farther distance range, a first USBL for providing communication and navigation for the AUV within a range of several kilometers, and a first sonar for detecting the underwater terrain are installed on the sonar connecting plate; A light-transmitting and sound-transmitting fairing is installed at the head of the AUV. A camera for visually identifying the AUV storage table and guiding the AUV docking, a second USBL for the AUV's docking navigation and communication within a range of several kilometers from the ice-penetrating detector, and a second sonar for cooperating with the sonar beacon to identify the general azimuth of the ice-penetrating detector at a long distance are installed inside the fairing; There is an annular notch at the head of the AUV that cooperates with the docking locking rod for locking. A convex block that can slide into or out of the annular notch is provided on the docking locking rod; A tail vector thruster for realizing the normal movement and control of the AUV in space is provided at the tail of the AUV; An annular coil that obtains electric energy from the built-in coil of the AUV storage table using the principle of electromagnetic coupling is provided on the abdomen of the AUV; An upper cabin door linear motor is installed on the upper part of the AUV storage cabin, and a lower cabin door linear motor is installed on its lower part. A winch motor that is driven to translate by it is installed on the push rod of the upper cabin door linear motor. A drum that is driven to rotate by it is connected to the rotating shaft of the winch motor. A cable is wound on the drum. The outer end of the cable is connected to the upper part of the AUV storage cabin door; A cabin door connection block that is pushed to translate by it is hinged to the push rod of the lower cabin door linear motor. The cabin door connection block is fixed to the lower part of the AUV storage cabin door; A rack is installed on the hatch door of the AUV storage compartment. An AUV storage table motor is installed at the end of the AUV storage table. A gear driven by the AUV storage table motor is connected to the motor. The gear meshes with the rack to form a gear transmission pair. A guide rail along which the AUV storage table moves is also installed on the hatch door of the AUV storage compartment. Above the cabin wall of the AUV storage compartment, a hatch door locking mechanism is provided for locking the hatch door when it is closed. A group of strip-shaped LED lights serving as docking guide line light sources are installed inside the docking locking rod. An LED light serving as a docking guide point light source is installed at the outer end of the AUV storage table. The LED line light source on the docking locking rod and the LED point light source on the AUV storage table form a light source signal for guiding the docking of the AUV.

2. The ice-penetrating detector for deep ice-covered water area exploration that can load an AUV according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-section of the annular notch is a combined shape of a flared opening and a rectangle.

3. The ice-penetrating detector for deep ice-covered water area exploration that can load an AUV according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The sensor compartment is composed of an upper sensor compartment and a lower sensor compartment. An ice-covered water environment detection sensor group is installed in the upper sensor compartment. A CTD for measuring the temperature, conductivity and depth of the water body is installed in the lower sensor compartment. A panoramic camera group for panoramic high-definition imaging of the underwater environment is also installed circumferentially in the lower sensor compartment.

4. The ice-penetrating detector for deep ice-covered water area exploration that can load an AUV according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The specific steps for deploying the AUV are as follows: (1) The ice anchor of the ice-penetrating detector acts to fix the ice-penetrating detector in the ice hole. (2) The hatch door locking mechanism is unlocked. The upper hatch door linear motor works to push the upper part of the AUV storage compartment hatch door outwards. At the same time, the winch motor works to release the cable, so that the upper part of the AUV storage compartment hatch door opens and rotates by a certain angle. (3) The winch motor keeps working to release the cable. Under the action of its own weight, the AUV storage compartment hatch door and the equipment thereon rotate around the hinge at the lower hatch door linear motor. At the same time, the lower hatch door linear motor works to push the lower part of the AUV storage compartment hatch door out by a certain distance. (4) The AUV storage compartment hatch door and the equipment thereon rotate around the hinge at the lower hatch door linear motor to the horizontal position. (5) After rotating in place, the AUV storage table motor works to drive the gear to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage table is pushed outwards. (6) The docking linear motor works to make the docking locking rod open, and the AUV is unlocked. The AUV tail thruster acts to make the AUV leave the ice-penetrating detector. At the same time, the sonar rotation motor works to drive the sonar connecting rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the sonar beacon, the first USBL and the first sonar move to the lowest working position. The deployment of the AUV is completed.

5. The ice-penetrating detector for deep ice-covered water area exploration that can load an AUV according to claim 4, characterized in that: The specific steps for the AUV to dock and be recovered are as follows: (1) The AUV navigates to the vicinity of the ice penetration detector relying on sonar signals and USBL signals. Meanwhile, the AUV uses the camera on it to search for the LED light signal on the AUV storage platform. After finding the LED light signal, it switches to the LED optical guidance mode and slowly approaches the docking locking rod to form the docking interface under the LED optical guidance; (2) When the AUV touches the travel switch on the limit disk, the docking linear motor works to drive the docking locking rod to close. As the bump on the docking locking rod slides into the annular notch on the AUV, the locking work of the AUV is completed. At this time, the annular coil on the AUV's abdomen just fits tightly with the built-in coil of the AUV storage platform. Using the principle of electromagnetic coupling, the ice penetration detector transmits electrical energy to the AUV for charging and realizes data transmission through the built-in communication module. If the AUV is only returning for charging, it can continue to leave the ice penetration detector after being fully charged to start a new detection task. If the ice penetration detector needs to recover the AUV, it enters step (3); (3) The sonar rotation motor works to drive the sonar connecting rod to rotate around the rotating shaft, so that the sonar beacon, the first USBL, and the first sonar move to their initial positions; (4) The AUV storage platform motor works to drive the gear to rotate. Under the action of the gear-rack transmission pair, the AUV storage platform is retracted inward; (5) The winch motor works to recover the cable, pulling up the upper part of the AUV storage cabin door. At this time, the AUV storage cabin door and the equipment on it rotate around the hinge at the lower cabin door linear motor; (6) When the cable of the winch motor is recovered, the upper cabin door linear motor works to pull the upper part of the AUV storage cabin door inward. At the same time, the lower cabin door linear motor works to pull the lower part of the AUV storage cabin door inward. The AUV storage cabin door is closed and locked, and the ice penetration detector releases the ice anchor, making preparations for recovering and returning to the ice surface.

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