An intelligent mooring robot for submarine cable laying

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to an intelligent mooring robot for laying submarine cables, comprising an opening and closing mechanism, a linear drive, a tunneling mechanism, an axe foot and an outer shell, wherein the outer shell comprises a plurality of circumferentially distributed shells, the output end of the linear drive is transmission-connected to the input end of the opening and closing mechanism, the output end of the linear drive is transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot, the output end of the opening and closing mechanism is transmission-connected to the shell, the tunneling mechanism is transmission-connected to the output end of the linear drive, the axe foot comprises an outer sealing layer, a variable stiffness layer, an inner sealing layer, a support body and a flexible drive arranged in sequence from the outside to the inside, the radial reciprocating motion of the shell and the downward penetration coupling motion of the axe foot are realized by fixing the output end of the drive with the inner wedge block and the upper part of the axe foot, the bending and variable stiffness control of the axe foot is independently controlled by a pneumatic actuator, and the lower end of the axe foot is connected to a double-helix drill bit without reaction force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robots, and in particular to an intelligent mooring robot for laying submarine cables. Background Art

[0002] Submarine cables are insulating conductors laid underwater on the seabed and in rivers for telecommunications transmission. Modern submarine cables use optical fiber to transmit telephone and internet signals. Submarine communication cables are primarily used for long-distance communication networks, typically between distant islands and for critical applications such as cross-sea military installations. Submarine power cables, which have much shorter run distances than communication cables, are primarily used for connecting islands, across rivers and harbors, and to connect drilling platforms from land or between drilling platforms.

[0003] At present, most anchoring robots do not have the rapid excavation, strong anchoring and autonomous detachment functions of ordinary mobile robots. In addition, the connection of the drill bit is weak and easy to damage, and it is difficult to change the direction of travel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: in order to overcome the problems in the prior art that anchoring robots do not have the rapid excavation, strong anchoring and autonomous detachment functions of ordinary mobile robots, and the connection of the drill bit is weak and easy to damage, and it is difficult to change the direction of travel, an intelligent anchoring robot for submarine cable laying is provided.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is: an intelligent anchoring robot for submarine cable laying, comprising an opening and closing mechanism, a linear drive, a tunneling mechanism, an axe foot and a shell, the shell comprising a plurality of circumferentially distributed shells, the linear drive being used to provide power for the opening and closing mechanism to drive the radial movement of the shell and the movement of the axe foot, the output end of the linear drive being transmission-connected to the input end of the opening and closing mechanism, the output end of the linear drive being transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot, the output end of the opening and closing mechanism being transmission-connected to the shell, and the tunneling mechanism being transmission-connected to the output end of the linear drive, the axe foot comprising an outer sealing layer, a variable stiffness layer, an inner sealing layer, a support body and a flexible drive arranged sequentially from the outside to the inside, the radial reciprocating motion of the shell and the downward penetration coupled motion of the axe foot being achieved by fixedly connecting the output end of the drive to the inner wedge block and the upper part of the axe foot, the bending and variable stiffness control of the axe foot being independently controlled by a pneumatic actuator, the lower end of the axe foot being connected to a reaction-free double-helix drill bit, the speed and direction of rotation of the drill bit being independently controlled by its own two DC motors.

[0006] In order to solve the problem of insufficient expansion and contraction capabilities of the axe foot itself, the variable stiffness layer further includes a plurality of membranes stacked and wound in sequence, and the membrane material is Mylar film. The variable stiffness of the axe foot itself is improved by stacking a plurality of membranes.

[0007] In order to solve the problem of insufficient connection strength between two adjacent diaphragms, the diaphragm is further formed into a bilateral serrated ring structure to improve the connection strength between the two adjacent diaphragms.

[0008] In order to solve the problem of deformation and support difficulty of the support body, the support body further includes a rigid part and a flexible part located on both sides of the rigid part. The flexible parts between two adjacent support bodies are fixedly connected, so that the connection parts are conducive to deformation and can themselves play a supporting role.

[0009] In order to solve the problem of how to realize power drive of the flexible driver, the flexible driver further includes a main body and at least two vents opened on the main body, the main body is installed in the support body, and a vacuum pump or an air pump is installed in each of the vents.

[0010] In order to solve the connection problem between the linear drive and the opening and closing mechanism, the anchoring robot further includes a connecting rod, the input end of the connecting rod is transmission-connected to the linear drive, and the output end of the connecting rod is transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot.

[0011] In order to solve the problem of achieving radial movement of the shell with a simple structure, the opening and closing mechanism further includes a plurality of connecting seats slidingly mounted on the connecting rod, and two adjacent connecting seats are fixedly connected by a connecting rod. A plurality of inclined connecting surfaces are provided on the connecting seat, and the connecting surfaces correspond to the shell one by one. The connecting surfaces are slidably connected to the corresponding shell to achieve radial reciprocating movement of the shell.

[0012] In order to solve the problem of inclined surface arrangement, the connecting surface is further included as an inclined surface that converges inward from top to bottom.

[0013] In order to solve the problem of the shell falling off under the action of inertia, the opening and closing mechanism further includes a plurality of guide seats, the guide seats are sleeved on the connecting rod, and a plurality of guide blocks extending radially are protruding from the guide seats. The guide blocks correspond to the shell one by one, and the guide blocks are slidably connected to the corresponding shell to prevent the shell from slipping.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides an intelligent anchoring robot for submarine cable laying, which is fixedly connected to the inner wedge block and the upper part of the axe foot through the output end of the driver, thereby realizing the radial reciprocating motion of the shell and the downward penetration coupling motion of the axe foot, the bending stiffness control of the axe foot is independently controlled by the pneumatic actuator, and the lower end of the axe foot is connected to the double-helix drill bit with no reaction force, and the speed and rotation direction of the drill bit are independently controlled by its own two DC motors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the axe foot of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the support body and the flexible actuator of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the diaphragm of the present invention.

[0021] In the figure: 1. opening and closing mechanism, 11. connecting seat, 111. connecting surface, 12. guide seat, 121. guide block, 2. linear drive, 3. tunneling mechanism, 4. axe foot, 41. outer sealing layer, 42. variable stiffness layer, 421. diaphragm, 43. inner sealing layer, 44. support body, 441. rigid part, 442. flexible part, 45. flexible drive, 451. main body, 452. vent, 5. outer shell, 51. shell, 6. connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are simplified schematic diagrams that illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner, and thus only show components related to the present invention.

[0023] like Figure 1: This is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention, which is an intelligent anchoring robot for submarine cable laying, including an opening and closing mechanism 1, a linear drive 2, a tunneling mechanism 3, an axe foot 4 and a shell 5. The shell 5 includes a plurality of circumferentially distributed shells 51. The linear drive 2 is used to provide power for the opening and closing mechanism 1 to drive the radial movement of the shell 51 and the movement of the axe foot 4. The output end of the linear drive 2 is transmission-connected to the input end of the opening and closing mechanism 1, the output end of the linear drive 2 is transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot 4, the output end of the opening and closing mechanism 1 is transmission-connected to the shell 51, the tunneling mechanism 3 is transmission-connected to the output end of the linear drive 2, the linear drive 2 is a push rod, and the axe foot 4 includes a variable stiffness layer 42 and a plurality of support bodies 44 connected end to end. And a flexible driver 45, the flexible driver 45 is used to drive the support body 44 to deform, so that the variable stiffness layer 42 expands or contracts, the inner wall surface of the variable stiffness layer 42 is in contact with the outer wall surface of the support body 44, the flexible driver 45 is installed in the support body 44, the axe foot 4 includes an outer sealing layer 41, a variable stiffness layer 42, an inner sealing layer 43, a support body 44 and a flexible driver 45 arranged in sequence from the outside to the inside, and is fixedly connected to the connecting seat 11 and the upper part of the axe foot 4 through the output end of the linear driver 2 to realize the radial reciprocating motion of the shell 51 and the downward penetration coupling motion of the axe foot 4. The bending stiffness control of the axe foot 4 is independently controlled by the pneumatic actuator, and the lower end of the axe foot 4 is connected to a double-helix drill bit with no reaction force, and the speed and rotation direction of the drill bit are independently controlled by its own two DC motors.

[0024] Drawing on the fluidized coupling between the shell and axe feet of the long bamboo clam and the surrounding sand, a mooring robot with rapid excavation, strong anchoring, and autonomous detachment was proposed. The device's degrees of freedom include the opening and closing of the shell 51, the extension and bending of the axe feet 4, and the rotation of the reaction-free double-helix drill bit. It integrates these three mechanisms with other waterproof and sand-proof components.

[0025] like Figure 3 As shown, the variable stiffness layer 42 includes a plurality of membranes 421 stacked and wound in sequence. The membrane 421 is made of Mylar film. The variable stiffness of the axe foot 4 itself is improved by stacking a plurality of membranes 421 .

[0026] The layer interference variable stiffness movement mode has the characteristics of fast stiffness conversion and strong load. The variable stiffness design of Axe Foot 4 is planned to be carried out based on the layer interference principle. The double-sided serrated diaphragm 421 is made of Mylar film. The multi-layer diaphragm 421 is stacked and wound in the annular sealing cavity of the silicone material (that is, between the outer sealing layer 41 and the inner sealing layer 43). The diaphragm fitting gap is changed by adjusting the internal pressure of the sealing cavity; based on the principle of virtual work, the pressure difference, diaphragm stiffness and load capacity models are established to obtain the material variable stiffness design parameters.

[0027] like Figure 5As shown, the diaphragm 421 is in a double-sided serrated ring structure, which improves the connection strength between two adjacent diaphragms 421.

[0028] like Figure 3 、 Figure 4 As shown, the support body 44 includes a rigid part 441 and a flexible part 442 located on both sides of the rigid part 441. The flexible parts 442 between two adjacent support bodies 44 are fixedly connected, so that the connection parts are conducive to deformation and can play a supporting role. The support body 44 is made of silicone material, and the material hardness of the rigid part 441 is greater than the material hardness of the flexible part 442.

[0029] like Figure 3 、 Figure 4 As shown, the flexible driver 45 includes a main body 451 and at least two ventilation holes 452 provided on the main body 451. The main body 451 is installed in the support body 44. The ventilation holes 452 are each installed with a vacuum pump or an air pump. The vacuum pump or the air pump is used to allow gas to enter or discharge the ventilation holes. The main body 451 is made of silicone. The main body 451 deforms by introducing or discharging gas through the ventilation holes 452, driving the support body 44 to deform, thereby driving the variable stiffness layer 42 to deform.

[0030] When supporting an object, a variable stiffness soft material requires an internal skeleton. Drawing on the multi-section connection mechanism of the human hollow spine, a rigid-flexible coupling design approach is used to conduct research on variable stiffness support structures. With the goal of increasing the load capacity of the axe foot 4 in a rigid state and the flexibility of the connecting rod as a constraint, the scale optimization design of the support structure is carried out. The flexible driver 45 is cast from silicone material, with four ventilation holes 452 evenly distributed around the end. By controlling the gas pressure in the ventilation holes 452, the forward movement, contraction and bending deformation of the axe foot 4 are achieved.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the mooring robot further includes a connecting rod 6 , the input end of the connecting rod 6 is transmission-connected to the linear drive 2 , and the output end of the connecting rod 6 is transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot 4 .

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, the opening and closing mechanism 1 includes a number of connecting seats 11 slidably mounted on the connecting rod 6, and two adjacent connecting seats 11 are fixedly connected by the connecting rod 6. A number of inclined connecting surfaces 111 are provided on the connecting seat 11, and the connecting surfaces 111 correspond to the shell 51 one by one. The connecting surfaces 111 and the corresponding shell 51 are slidably connected to realize the radial reciprocating movement of the shell 51. As the linear drive 2 reciprocates, the shell 51 opens and closes radially, and the downward exploration of the axe foot 4 causes a fluidization effect of the sand around the robot shell, thereby realizing the excavation, anchoring and detachment actions of the robot itself.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the connecting surface 111 is a slope that converges inward from top to bottom or a slope that expands outward from top to bottom.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the opening and closing mechanism 1 includes a plurality of guide seats 12, which are sleeved on the connecting rod 6. A plurality of guide blocks 121 extending radially are protruded from the guide seat 12. The guide blocks 121 correspond to the shell 51 one by one. The guide blocks 121 are slidably connected to the corresponding shell 51 to prevent the shell 51 from slipping. A limiting groove is provided on the guide block 121, and a limiting block located in the limiting groove is protruded from the shell 51 to further limit the movement of the shell 51 and improve stability.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the excavation mechanism includes an upper drill bit and a lower drill bit. In order to make the robot excavate more quickly in sand, a wear geometric model representation method of the drill bit cutting teeth during excavation is established based on the fluidization effect of the soil, and a mechanical model of the influence of parameters such as the cutting arc length and cutting area of ​​the cutting teeth in contact with the soil on the cutting force is studied; the influence of the dynamic wear of the cutting teeth on the lateral force of the drill bit is studied; based on the Latin hypercube experimental design method and the Kriging agent model theory, the particle swarm method is used to optimize the lateral force balance tooth layout structure, and a double-helix drill bit with no reaction force is proposed for the upper and lower drill bits. The upper and lower helices of this structure have opposite rotation directions and equal helix angles. By controlling two DC servo motors, the upper helix provides a reverse thrust for the lower helix during the exploration process, and the lower helix provides a reverse thrust for the upper helix during the desorption process.

[0036] When the robot transitions from horizontal to vertical state, the axe foot 4 is required to have high stiffness and high load capacity. When exploring the intruding sand, it is required to have low stiffness and shape plasticity. The variable stiffness diaphragm and soft actuator are integrated to carry out the structural design of the variable stiffness and plastic soft axe foot 4. Combining finite element analysis and numerical theoretical analysis methods, we study how to enhance the strain performance and mechanical characteristics of the drive unit.

[0037] With the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention as a guide, and with reference to the above description, relevant personnel are fully capable of making various changes and modifications without departing from the technical scope of this invention. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification and must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent anchoring robot for submarine cable laying, characterized by: The invention comprises an opening and closing mechanism (1), a linear drive (2), a tunneling mechanism (3), an axe foot (4) and a housing (5), wherein the housing (5) comprises a plurality of circumferentially distributed housings (51), the linear drive (2) is used to provide power for the opening and closing mechanism (1) to drive the housing (51) to move radially and the axe foot (4) to move, the output end of the linear drive (2) is connected to the input end of the opening and closing mechanism (1), the output end of the linear drive (2) is connected to the input end of the axe foot (4), and the opening and closing mechanism ( 1) is in transmission connection with the housing (51), the excavation mechanism (3) is in transmission connection with the output end of the linear driver (2), the axe foot (4) comprises a variable stiffness layer (42), a plurality of end-to-end connected support bodies (44) and a flexible driver (45), the flexible driver (45) is used to drive the support bodies (44) to deform, so that the variable stiffness layer (42) expands or contracts, the inner wall surface of the variable stiffness layer (42) contacts the outer wall surface of the support body (44), and the flexible driver (45) is installed in the support body (44); The variable stiffness layer (42) comprises a plurality of diaphragms (421) stacked and wound in sequence, wherein the diaphragms (421) are made of Mylar film, and the axe foot (4) is fluidized and coupled with the surrounding sand, and the diaphragms (421) are formed into a double-sided sawtooth ring structure; The axe foot (4) comprises an outer sealing layer (41), a variable stiffness layer (42), an inner sealing layer (43), a plurality of end-to-end connected support bodies (44), and a flexible driver (45), which are arranged in sequence from the outside to the inside. The support body (44) comprises a rigid portion (441) and flexible portions (442) located on both sides of the rigid portion (441), and the flexible portions (442) between two adjacent support bodies (44) are fixedly connected; The bending stiffness control of the axe foot (4) is independently controlled by a pneumatic actuator, and the lower end of the axe foot (4) is connected to the reaction-free double-helix drill bit of the tunneling mechanism (3); The flexible driver (45) comprises a main body (451) and at least two vent holes (452) provided on the main body (451); the main body (451) is installed in a support body (44); and a vacuum pump or an air pump is installed in each of the vent holes (452).

2. The intelligent mooring robot for submarine cable laying according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mooring robot further comprises a connecting rod (6), wherein an input end of the connecting rod (6) is transmission-connected to the linear driver (2), and an output end of the connecting rod (6) is transmission-connected to the input end of the axe foot (4).

3. The intelligent mooring robot for submarine cable laying according to claim 2, characterized in that: The opening and closing mechanism (1) comprises a plurality of connecting seats (11) slidably mounted on the connecting rod (6), two adjacent connecting seats (11) are fixedly connected via the connecting rod (6), a plurality of inclined connecting surfaces (111) are provided on the connecting seat (11), the connecting surfaces (111) and the housing (51) are in one-to-one correspondence, and the connecting surfaces (111) and the corresponding housing (51) are slidably connected.

4. The intelligent mooring robot for submarine cable laying according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting surface (111) is a slope that converges inward from top to bottom.

5. The intelligent mooring robot for submarine cable laying according to claim 4, characterized in that: The opening and closing mechanism (1) comprises a plurality of guide seats (12), wherein the guide seats (12) are sleeved on the connecting rod (6), and a plurality of guide blocks (121) extending radially are protruded from the guide seats (12), wherein the guide blocks (121) correspond to the housing (51) one by one, and the guide blocks (121) are slidably connected to the corresponding housing (51).

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