An attitude adjustment device for underwater glider

Abstract

The present invention discloses an attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider, comprising a front rib ring, a front retaining ring, a front cabin guide rail, a roll adjustment mechanism and a counterweight mechanism, wherein the two ends of the front cabin guide rail are respectively mounted on the front rib ring and the front retaining ring, the counterweight mechanism comprises an eccentric weight eccentrically mounted on the front cabin guide rail and a pitch adjustment mechanism for driving the eccentric weight to move axially along the front cabin guide rail, wherein the eccentric weight is a battery pack; the roll adjustment mechanism is mounted on the front retaining ring and connected to one end of the front cabin guide rail to drive the counterweight mechanism to rotate around the central axis of the front cabin guide rail; the eccentric weight of the present application is both a counterweight for the pitch adjustment mechanism and a counterweight for the roll adjustment mechanism, the eccentric weight is eccentrically mounted, and through the cooperation of the pitch adjustment mechanism and the roll adjustment mechanism, when the internal space of the underwater glider is limited, the pitch angle adjustment range of the underwater glider is greatly increased, so that the carried Tiantong / Beidou antenna has a better communication effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of ocean exploration equipment, and in particular to a posture adjustment device for an underwater glider. Background Art

[0002] Underwater gliders are a new type of ocean exploration equipment. Due to their small size, long time sequence, large range and high autonomy, they are widely used in ocean information observation and ocean development and utilization. Underwater gliders achieve buoyancy changes by changing their own volume, thereby achieving the heave and sink movement of underwater gliders. Lift is generated by the horizontal wings on both sides, and the front and rear positions of the internal weights are adjusted to change the position of their own center of gravity, thereby adjusting the overall posture and achieving the "sawtooth" gliding movement of lowering the head to dive and raising the head to float.

[0003] At present, underwater gliders generally adjust the communication attitude by moving the weight forward and backward through the pitch adjustment structure to change the position of the overall center of gravity in the axial direction. However, the movement range of the pitch adjustment structure is limited by the overall structure and cannot be too large, so the current pitch angle adjustment range of underwater gliders is between ±60°, and it is impossible to achieve a vertical attitude. However, Tiantong antennas and Beidou antennas have high requirements for antenna attitude angles, and the small pitch angle adjustment range limits the application of Tiantong / Beidou antennas on underwater gliders. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the defects in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider with a larger pitch angle adjustment range.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] An attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider comprises a front rib ring, a front retaining ring, a front cabin guide rail, a roll adjustment mechanism and a counterweight mechanism, wherein the two ends of the front cabin guide rail are respectively mounted on the front rib ring and the front retaining ring, the counterweight mechanism comprises an eccentric weight block eccentrically mounted on the front cabin guide rail and a pitch adjustment mechanism for driving the eccentric weight block to move axially along the front cabin guide rail, wherein the eccentric weight block is a battery pack; the roll adjustment mechanism is mounted on the front retaining ring and connected to one end of the front cabin guide rail to drive the counterweight mechanism to rotate around the central axis of the front cabin guide rail.

[0007] Furthermore, the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism to the central axis is equal to the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of other structures of the glider to the central axis.

[0008] Furthermore, the pitch adjustment mechanism includes a linear guide, a pitch motor, a lead screw and a slider; the output shaft of the pitch motor is connected to the lead screw and drives the lead screw to rotate; the linear guide is axially installed along the front cabin guide, the slider is slidably installed on the linear guide, and is driven by the lead screw to slide along the linear guide; the eccentric weight is anti-rotationally installed on the slider.

[0009] Furthermore, a support frame is fixedly provided on the sliding block, and the eccentric weight block is detachably mounted on the support frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the front cabin guide rail has a square section, and a square opening matching with the square section of the front cabin guide rail is provided along the axial direction of the eccentric weight. The square section matches in the square opening, and the two sides of the square opening of the eccentric weight can be detachably mounted on the support frame.

[0011] Furthermore, the pitch adjustment mechanism also includes a pull-wire sensor, which is fixedly installed at a position close to the pitch motor, and a pull-wire end of the pull-wire sensor is fixed on the front rib ring.

[0012] Furthermore, the pitch adjustment mechanism also includes a screw rod protection cover, one end of which is fixed to the front rib ring, and the other end of which is engaged with the screw rod thread.

[0013] Furthermore, the roll adjustment mechanism includes a roll motor, a large gear and a small gear. The roll motor is fixedly mounted on the front retaining ring, and its output shaft is connected to the small gear. The large gear is fixedly mounted on the front cabin guide rail and meshes with the small gear.

[0014] Furthermore, the roll adjustment mechanism also includes an angle sensor and a resolver gear, the resolver gear is meshed with the large gear, and a detection shaft of the angle sensor is connected to the resolver gear.

[0015] Furthermore, the front cabin guide rail is a hollow structure, and the control line of the pitch adjustment mechanism passes through the front cabin guide rail.

[0016] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the specific embodiments or the description of the prior art. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. In the drawings, the elements or parts are not necessarily drawn according to the actual scale.

[0018] Figure 1 An exploded view of the attitude adjustment device of the underwater glider provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the attitude adjustment device of the underwater glider provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the pitch adjustment mechanism and the roll adjustment mechanism provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the side structure of a roll adjustment mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 This is another side structural schematic diagram of the roll adjustment mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Among them, the front cabin guide rail 1, the linear guide rail 2, the support frame 3, the pitch motor driver 4, the pitch motor 5, the pull wire sensor 6, the slider 7, the lead screw 8, the pinion 9, the rotational gear 10, the lead screw protection cover 11, the pitch limit block 12, the pitch fixing frame 13, the front rib ring 14, the eccentric weight 15, the large gear 16, the front retaining ring 17, the roll motor 18, the angle sensor 19, the bearing 20, the roll motor driver 21, the roll motor seat 22, and the angle sensor fixing seat 23. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and are therefore only used as examples, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the technical terms or scientific terms used in this application should have the common meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0026] See also Figure 1 to Figure 5 The present application discloses an attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider, comprising a front rib ring 14, a front retaining ring 17, a front cabin guide rail 1, a roll adjustment mechanism and a counterweight mechanism, wherein the two ends of the front cabin guide rail 1 are respectively mounted on the front rib ring 14 and the front retaining ring 17, the counterweight mechanism comprises an eccentric weight 15 eccentrically mounted on the front cabin guide rail 1 and a pitch adjustment mechanism for driving the eccentric weight 15 to move axially along the front cabin guide rail 1, wherein the eccentric weight 15 is a battery pack; the roll adjustment mechanism is mounted on the front retaining ring 17 and connected to one end of the front cabin guide rail 1 to drive the counterweight mechanism to rotate around the central axis of the front cabin guide rail 1.

[0027] The present application uses the pitch adjustment mechanism and the battery pack as the counterweight mechanism of the roll adjustment mechanism. The battery pack is set as an eccentric weight 15 structure. The eccentric weight 15 is eccentrically installed on the front cabin guide rail 1 and is driven by the pitch adjustment mechanism to move axially along the front cabin guide rail 1 to adjust the pitch attitude of the underwater glider; the roll adjustment mechanism is installed on the front retaining ring 17 and connected to one end of the front cabin guide rail 1 to drive the counterweight mechanism to rotate around the central axis of the front cabin guide rail 1 to adjust the roll attitude of the underwater glider.

[0028] Since the weight of the pitch adjustment mechanism is much smaller than the weight of the battery pack, the weight of the counterweight mechanism is mainly provided by the eccentric weight 15 (that is, the battery pack). The eccentric weight 15 serves as both the counterweight of the pitch adjustment mechanism and the counterweight of the roll adjustment mechanism. The eccentric weight 15 is eccentrically installed. Through the cooperation of the pitch adjustment mechanism and the roll adjustment mechanism, the axial and radial positions of the center of gravity of the underwater glider can be comprehensively adjusted. When the internal space of the underwater glider is limited, the pitch angle adjustment range of the underwater glider is greatly increased, so that the carried Tiantong / Beidou antenna has a better communication effect, and the structure of the entire attitude adjustment device is more compact, simple and reliable.

[0029] Preferably, the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism to the central axis is equal to the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of other structures of the glider to the central axis.

[0030] The other structures of the glider are structures other than the counterweight mechanism, mainly structures other than the eccentric weight 15. The central axis is the axis of the front cabin guide rail 1, or coincides with the axis of the front cabin guide rail 1.

[0031] Assuming that the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism to the central axis and the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of other structures of the glider to the central axis are both d, when the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism is located directly below the central axis in the longitudinal direction, the roll angle is 0°, and the longitudinal distance from the overall center of gravity of the underwater glider to the central axis is 2d; when the counterweight mechanism rotates 180°, the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism is located directly above the central axis, which is exactly opposite to the direction of the center of gravity of other structures of the underwater glider. At this time, the overall center of gravity of the underwater glider is located on the central axis, and the height of the center of gravity is 0mm; at this time, the pitch adjustment mechanism moves the eccentric weight 15 forward a small distance along the axial direction, and the underwater glider can achieve a vertical posture.

[0032] By setting the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism to be equal to the center of gravity of other structures of the glider in the longitudinal direction, and driving the counterweight mechanism to achieve 360° rotation through the roll adjustment mechanism, the overall center of gravity of the underwater glider can be switched between maximum and minimum. At the same time, with the forward and backward movement of the eccentric weight 15, the underwater glider can reach a vertical posture. When the underwater glider is on the water surface, the communication quality of the Tiantong antenna can be improved in the vertical posture; diving and floating in the vertical posture underwater becomes a profile buoy movement mode.

[0033] The pitch adjustment mechanism includes a linear guide 2, a pitch motor 5, a lead screw 8 and a slider 7; the output shaft of the pitch motor 5 is connected to the lead screw 8 and drives the lead screw 8 to rotate; the linear guide 2 is axially installed along the front cabin guide 1, the slider 7 is slidably installed on the linear guide 2, and is driven by the lead screw 8 to slide along the linear guide 2; the eccentric weight 15 is anti-rotationally installed on the slider 7.

[0034] During pitch adjustment, the pitch motor 5 drives the screw 8 to rotate, thereby driving the slider 7 to move forward and backward along the linear guide rail 2, and then driving the eccentric weight 15 to move forward and backward along the slider 7, adjusting the axial position of the center of gravity of the underwater glider to generate a pitch angle.

[0035] The linear guide 2 adopts a rolling linear guide 2, which has an outstanding advantage in terms of friction characteristics. Its friction resistance is much smaller than that of a sliding friction guide, thereby reducing the friction resistance of the eccentric weight 15 during its movement on the linear guide 2, thereby reducing the load of the pitch motor 5 and reducing power consumption.

[0036] There are three sliders 7, and the three sliders 7 are arranged at intervals along the linear guide rail 2. A support frame 3 is fixedly provided on each slider 7, and the eccentric weight 15 is detachably mounted on the support frame 3.

[0037] Preferably, the front cabin guide rail 1 has a square section, and a square opening is provided along the axial direction of the eccentric weight 15 to cooperate with the square section of the front cabin guide rail 1, so that the cross-section of the eccentric weight 15 is a C-shaped structure, and the square section is fitted in the square opening. The two sides of the square opening of the eccentric weight 15 can be removably installed on the support frame 3.

[0038] In order to pursue single-time endurance, underwater gliders generally use disposable lithium batteries with higher energy density. This means that underwater gliders need to frequently replace and maintain the battery pack. The present application configures the battery pack to be a C-shaped structure with a square opening. The pitch adjustment mechanism can be installed from the directional opening of the battery pack and fastened with bolts. On the one hand, it ensures the anti-rotation cooperation between the battery pack and the front cabin guide rail 1, and on the other hand, it facilitates the installation or removal of the battery pack, which facilitates the replacement of the battery pack and greatly improves the maintainability of the underwater glider.

[0039] Preferably, the pitch adjustment mechanism further comprises a screw rod 8 protection cover, one end of which is fixed to the front rib ring 14 and the other end of which is threadably matched with the screw rod 8 .

[0040] Specifically, one end of the front cabin guide rail 1 is rotationally matched with the front retaining ring 17 through the bearing 20, and the other end is rotationally matched with the front rib ring 14 through the bearing 20. A pitch fixing frame 13 is fixedly installed at the other end of the front cabin guide rail 1, and the pitch fixing frame 13 rotates when the front cabin guide rail 1 rotates. One end of the pitch fixing frame 13 extends upward to form an extension. The pitch motor 5 is fixedly installed on the support frame 3 of the middle slider 7, and its output shaft passes through the support frame 3 and is connected to one end of the screw rod 8. One end of the screw rod 8 protective cover is fixedly installed on the extension of the pitch fixing frame 13 through the pitch limit block 12, and the other end passes through the support frame 3 of the slider 7 near one end of the front rib ring and is threadedly matched with the screw rod 8. The pitch motor driver 4 of the pitch motor 5 is installed on the support frame 3 of the slider 7 away from one end of the front rib ring. The eccentric weight 15 is fixedly matched with the square section of the front cabin guide rail 1, and its two sides of the direction opening are respectively fixed to the support frame 3 of the corresponding slider 7 by bolts. By rotating the pitch motor 5 forward or reverse, the other end of the lead screw 8 is driven to screw in or out of the lead screw 8 protective cover to adjust the distance between the pitch motor 5 and the front rib ring, thereby driving the three sliders 7 to slide along the linear guide rail 2 to adjust the axial position of the eccentric weight 15 to achieve pitch angle adjustment.

[0041] In order to detect the axial position of the eccentric weight 15 in real time, the pitch adjustment mechanism also includes a cable sensor 6 , which is fixedly installed near the pitch motor 5 , and the cable end of the cable sensor 6 is fixed on the front rib ring 14 .

[0042] Specifically, the pull wire sensor 6 is installed on the support frame 3 of the middle slider 7, and its pull wire end is pulled out and fixed on the extension part of the pitch fixing frame 13. When the slider 7 slides along the linear guide rail 2, the pull wire sensor 6 moves synchronously, and the pull wire length changes accordingly, thereby detecting the position of the eccentric weight 15 on the linear guide rail 2 according to the change in the pull wire length.

[0043] The roll adjustment mechanism includes a roll motor 18 , a large gear 16 and a small gear 9 . The roll motor 18 is fixedly mounted on the front retaining ring 17 , and its output shaft is connected to the small gear 9 . The large gear 16 is fixedly mounted on the front cabin guide rail 1 and meshes with the small gear 9 .

[0044] Specifically, the roll motor 18 is fixedly mounted on the front retaining ring 17 via the roll motor seat 22, and the roll motor 18 driver for driving the roll motor 18 is fixed on the front retaining ring 17. The output shaft of the roll motor 18 is connected to the pinion 9, and its torque is transmitted to the large gear 16 meshing therewith through the pinion 9, thereby driving the front cabin guide rail 1 to rotate, driving the counterweight mechanism (pitch adjustment mechanism and eccentric weight 15) installed on the front cabin guide rail 1 to rotate, and realizing the roll adjustment of the underwater glider.

[0045] The rolling motor 18 adopts a DC brushed motor with a worm gear reducer. The worm gear reducer makes the rolling motor 18 have a self-locking function. After the rolling motor 18 is powered off, the rolling structure maintains the same position.

[0046] Through the above structure, the large gear 16, the pitch adjustment mechanism and the eccentric weight 15 can be rotated 360 degrees under the drive of the roll motor 18, and the roll adjustment mechanism and the pitch adjustment mechanism can work in parallel without affecting each other.

[0047] In order to detect the roll angle, the roll adjustment mechanism further includes an angle sensor 19 and a resolver gear 10 . The resolver gear 10 is meshed with the large gear 16 , and a detection shaft of the angle sensor 19 is connected to the resolver gear 10 .

[0048] Specifically, the angle sensor 19 is fixedly mounted on the front retaining ring 17 via the angle sensor fixing seat 23 , and its detection shaft is connected to the rotary gear 10 .

[0049] When the roll motor 18 drives the large gear 16 to rotate, the resolver gear 10 meshing with the large gear 16 rotates synchronously, so that the rotation angle thereof is detected by the angle sensor 19 connected to the resolver gear 10 .

[0050] In order to avoid the influence of the posture adjustment mechanism on the wiring harness during operation, the front cabin guide rail 1 is a hollow structure, and the control line of the pitch adjustment mechanism passes through the front cabin guide rail 1.

[0051] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like 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 an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In the specification of the present invention, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, systems and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0053] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, systems, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, systems, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0054] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. These modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and specification of the present invention.

Claims

1. An attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider, comprising a front rib ring, a front retaining ring, a front cabin guide rail, a roll adjustment mechanism and a counterweight mechanism, wherein the two ends of the front cabin guide rail are respectively mounted on the front rib ring and the front retaining ring, and characterized in that: The counterweight mechanism includes an eccentric weight eccentrically mounted on the front cabin guide rail and a pitch adjustment mechanism driving the eccentric weight to move axially along the front cabin guide rail, wherein the eccentric weight is a battery pack; the roll adjustment mechanism is mounted on the front retaining ring and connected to one end of the front cabin guide rail to drive the counterweight mechanism to rotate around the central axis of the front cabin guide rail; The pitch adjustment mechanism comprises a linear guide rail, a pitch motor, a lead screw, a slider and a lead screw protective cover; the output shaft of the pitch motor is connected to the lead screw and drives the lead screw to rotate; the linear guide rail is axially installed along the front cabin guide rail, the slider is slidably installed on the linear guide rail and driven by the lead screw to slide along the linear guide rail, one end of the lead screw protective cover is fixed to the front rib ring, and the other end is matched with the lead screw thread; There are three sliders, which are arranged at intervals along the linear guide rail, and a support frame is fixed on each slider, and the eccentric weight block is detachably mounted on the support frame; The front cabin guide rail has a square section, and a square opening is provided along the axial direction of the eccentric weight to match the square section of the front cabin guide rail, the square section fits in the square opening, and the two sides of the square opening of the eccentric weight are respectively detachably mounted on the support frame; One end of the front cabin guide rail is rotatably matched with the front retaining ring through a bearing, and the other end is rotatably matched with the front rib ring through a bearing; a pitch fixing frame is fixedly installed on the other end of the front cabin guide rail, and the pitch fixing frame rotates accordingly when the front cabin guide rail rotates; one end of the pitch fixing frame extends upward to form an extension part; the pitch motor is fixedly installed on the support frame of the middle slider, and its output shaft passes through the support frame and is connected to one end of the lead screw; one end of the lead screw protection cover is fixedly installed on the extension part of the pitch fixing frame through a pitch limit block, and the other end passes through the support frame of the slider close to one end of the front rib ring and cooperates with the lead screw thread.

2. The attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of the counterweight mechanism to the central axis is equal to the longitudinal distance from the center of gravity of other structures of the glider to the central axis.

3. The attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pitch adjustment mechanism also includes a pull-wire sensor, which is fixedly installed at a position close to the pitch motor, and a pull-wire end of the pull-wire sensor is fixed on the front rib ring.

4. The attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roll adjustment mechanism includes a roll motor, a large gear and a small gear. The roll motor is fixedly mounted on the front retaining ring, and its output shaft is connected to the small gear. The large gear is fixedly mounted on the front cabin guide rail and meshes with the small gear.

5. The attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider according to claim 4, characterized in that: The roll adjustment mechanism further includes an angle sensor and a resolver gear, wherein the resolver gear is meshed with the large gear, and a detection shaft of the angle sensor is connected to the resolver gear.

6. The attitude adjustment device for an underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front cabin guide rail is a hollow structure, and the control line of the pitch adjustment mechanism passes through the front cabin guide rail.

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