An unmanned boat recovery device and a recovery method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an unmanned boat recovery device and a recovery method. The characteristics of the device are as follows: the sling fixing structure is fixed at the longitudinal center of gravity position of the unmanned boat; the hammer-catching device is located at the bow of the unmanned boat; one end of the sling is connected to the sling fixing structure, and the other end is connected to the hammer-catching device; the hammer is connected to the hook, and the hook is provided by the crane on the mother ship. The method is as follows: 1. Control the unmanned boat to sail near the mother ship, and the crane on the mother ship lowers the hook with the hammer to near the water surface and then stops; 2. Remotely start the hammer-catching device at the unmanned boat end, drive the skateboard to move forward, and drive the front ends of the two catching rods to form a guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character; 3. Control the unmanned boat to sail towards the hammer direction, capture the hammer connecting rope through the guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character, and guide it into the inside of the hanging ring; 4. The unmanned boat stops sailing, start the crane on the mother ship, and recover the unmanned boat to the mother ship. The present invention improves the recovery efficiency and the safety of the recovery operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of unmanned boats, and particularly relates to an unmanned boat recovery device and a recovery method. Background Art

[0002] As a new type of surface robot, unmanned boats have broad application prospects in fields such as maritime patrol and marine environment measurement. After an unmanned boat completes its mission, it needs to be recovered onto the mother ship. Currently, the recovery process usually requires staff to board a work boat and approach the unmanned boat, and manually complete the capture and hooking operations of the unmanned boat, thus completing the recovery work of the unmanned boat, which poses a relatively high safety risk. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide an unmanned boat recovery device and a recovery method that improve the recovery efficiency and the safety of the recovery operation.

[0004] One of the above-mentioned purposes of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] An unmanned boat recovery device, characterized in that it includes a sling fixing structure, a sling, a weight capture device, a weight, and a hook; the sling fixing structure is located at the longitudinal center of gravity position of the unmanned boat and is fixedly connected to the unmanned boat; the weight capture device is located at the bow of the unmanned boat; one end of the sling is connected to the sling fixing structure, and the other end is connected to the weight capture device; the weight is connected to the hook, and the hook is provided by a crane on the mother ship;

[0006] The weight capture device includes a base, a slide plate, a lifting ring, two capture rods, and a driving mechanism; the slide plate is slidably connected above the base, the lifting ring is installed at the upper end of the slide plate in a manner that can be lifted by force, and the driving mechanism is arranged in the space formed between the base and the slide plate; the lifting ring is composed of a weight combination block and a U-shaped ring; the weight combination block is an annular block with an opening at the front end, and a guiding inclined surface is provided at the lower end inside the annular block; the two sides of the front end opening of the U-shaped ring and the two sides of the opening of the weight combination block are respectively hinged through a pin shaft; the front end of the U-shaped ring is a connection end for cooperating with the other end of the sling; the driving mechanism is used to drive the slide plate to move forward and drive the two capture rods to rotate inward relative to each other until the front ends form a guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character, and align with the opening on the weight combination block front and back;

[0007] The weight includes an upper and a lower circular ring, a connecting rope, and a conical head; the upper circular ring is used to connect with the hook of the crane on the mother ship; the conical head is provided with a conical surface that matches the guiding inclined surface on the weight combination block; one end of the connecting rope is connected to the upper circular ring, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the conical head; during the lifting and recovery operation of the unmanned boat, the connecting rope first passes through the guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character formed by the front ends of the two capture rods and the opening on the weight combination block and enters the interior of the weight combination block.

[0008] Further: The sling fixing structure can be composed of a horizontally arranged bottom plate, left and right end plates symmetrically arranged to connect the two bottom plates, and a horizontal vertical plate connecting the two end plates. The whole can adopt a welded structure. A belt passing hole is arranged in the middle of the horizontal vertical plate for connecting one end of the sling.

[0009] Further: The driving mechanism includes an electric push rod fixed to the rear end of the inner bottom of the base, a longitudinal rack fixedly connected to the front end of the electric push rod, two driving gears installed on the left and right sides of the longitudinal rack, and two driven gears respectively installed at the front ends of the two driving gears; Tooth profiles are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal rack and are respectively engaged with the two driving gears, and the two driving gears are respectively engaged with the two driven gears; The rear ends of the two capture rods are respectively fixed to the two driven gears.

[0010] Furthermore: On the inner bottom of the base, a guide rail is fixedly arranged longitudinally outside the two gears on both sides, and a T-shaped guide groove is arranged on the guide rail; Two T-shaped sliders are arranged on the left and right sides at the lower end of the sliding plate, and the two T-shaped sliders respectively form a sliding fit with the two T-shaped guide grooves.

[0011] Further: A circular opening communicating with its front end face is arranged at the front end of the sliding plate, and the size of the opening matches the size of the plumb bob; A set of sling fixing structures are arranged at the upper end of the sliding plate outside the opening. The sling fixing structure is composed of three clamping ring plates arranged around the circular opening to clamp the plumb bob combination block and two clamping ring plates arranged on both sides at the rear ends of the three clamping ring plates to clamp the U-shaped ring. The three clamping plates are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction.

[0012] The second above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0013] A method for recovering an unmanned boat, which applies the above-mentioned recovery device, includes the following steps:

[0014] The first step: Control the unmanned boat to sail near the mother ship. At the same time, the crane on the mother ship lowers the hook with the plumb bob to near the water surface and then stops.

[0015] The second step: Remotely start the plumb bob capture device at the unmanned boat end, drive the sliding plate to move forward, move the sling ring forward to the front end of the unmanned boat. When the sliding plate moves forward, the front ends of the two capture rods are driven to form a guiding opening in an eight-character shape through the rack and gear structure.

[0016] The third step: Control the unmanned boat to sail towards the plumb bob direction, capture the plumb bob connecting rope through the guiding opening in an eight-character shape. As the unmanned boat continues to sail forward, the plumb bob connecting rope is guided in the guiding opening in an eight-character shape and enters the inside of the sling ring through the opening on the plumb bob combination block.

[0017] Step 4: The unmanned boat stops sailing, the crane on the mother ship is started, the hook with the plumb bob is lifted. After the plumb bob is firmly combined with the hanging ring, the hook with the plumb bob is continuously lifted to recover the unmanned boat onto the mother ship.

[0018] Advantages and positive effects of the present invention:

[0019] The present invention provides a plumb bob capturing device at the front end of the unmanned boat. The driving mechanism drives two capturing rods to form a funnel-shaped guiding opening in front of the front end of the unmanned boat. The connecting rope of the plumb bob can be introduced through this guiding opening. When the hook is lifted, the conical surface at the lower end of the plumb bob contacts and cooperates with the guiding inclined surface on the hanging ring of the plumb bob capturing device to realize the connection between the hanging ring and the plumb bob. Since the hanging ring is connected to the hanging strap fixing structure fixed on the unmanned boat through a hanging strap, the unmanned boat can be recovered onto the mother ship by lifting the hook.

[0020] In summary, the present invention does not require staff to approach the unmanned boat on a work boat. The capture and hooking operations of the unmanned boat can be completed through remote control, thereby improving the recovery efficiency of the unmanned boat and greatly reducing the safety risks of the staff. Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 It is a system composition diagram of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the plumb bob capturing device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the base of the plumb bob capturing device of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the slide plate of the plumb bob capturing device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5a It is a schematic diagram of the hanging ring of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0026] Figure 5b It is a schematic diagram of the hanging ring of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the plumb bob of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the first step in the process of recovering the unmanned boat of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the second step in the process of recovering the unmanned boat of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the third step in the process of recovering the unmanned boat of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 This is the fourth step schematic diagram of the recovery process of the unmanned boat of the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0032] The structure of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and through embodiments. It should be noted that this embodiment is narrative rather than restrictive.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown, an unmanned boat recovery device includes a sling fixing structure 2, a sling 3, a weight capture device 4, a weight 5 and a hook 6. The sling fixing structure is located at the longitudinal center of gravity position of the unmanned boat 1 and is fixedly connected to the unmanned boat. The sling fixing structure can be composed of a horizontally arranged bottom plate, left and right end plates symmetrically connecting the two bottom plates, and a horizontal vertical plate connecting the two end plates. The whole can adopt a welded structure, and a belt through hole is arranged in the middle of the horizontal vertical plate for connecting one end of the sling. The weight capture device is located at the bow of the unmanned boat. One end of the sling is connected to the sling fixing structure, and the other end is connected to the weight capture device. The weight is connected to the hook, and the hook is provided by a crane on the mother ship.

[0034] As Figure 2 shown, the weight capture device includes a base 41, a slide plate 42, a lifting ring 43, two capture rods 44, and a driving mechanism 45 for driving the slide plate and the two capture rods. Among them, the slide plate is arranged above the base, the lifting ring is arranged at the upper end of the slide plate, the driving mechanism is arranged in the space formed between the base and the slide plate, and the two capture rods can extend from the front position between the base and the slide plate.

[0035] As Figure 3 shown, the driving mechanism includes an electric push rod 451 fixed to the rear end of the inner bottom of the base, a longitudinal rack 456 fixedly connected to the front end of the electric push rod, two driving gears 452 and 453 installed on the left and right sides of the longitudinal rack, and two driven gears 454 and 455 respectively installed at the front ends of the two driving gears. The electric push rod can drive the longitudinal rack to move back and forth. Tooth racks are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal rack and are respectively engaged with the two driving gears, and the two driving gears are respectively engaged with the two driven gears. The rear ends of the two capture rods are respectively fixedly connected to the two driven gears. The two capture rods are of a symmetrical structure, and a "V"-shaped guiding port is formed at the front end during operation, which can greatly increase the success rate of capturing the weight. In addition, a guide rail 411 and 412 are respectively fixed longitudinally on the outer sides of the two gears at the inner bottom of the base, and a T-shaped guiding groove is arranged on the guide rail for guiding and cooperating with the above-mentioned slide plate.

[0036] As Figure 4As shown in the figure, on the left and right sides of the lower end of the slide plate of the weight-catching device, there are two "T"-shaped sliders 421 and 422. These two sliders are respectively matched with the above two "T"-shaped guide grooves to realize the front-back movement guidance of the slide plate. At the front end of the slide plate, there is an opening 429 that communicates with its front end face. The opening is a round hole, and the size of the opening matches the size of the weight, so that the hammer head can pass through smoothly upward. At the upper end of the slide plate, outside the opening, there is a set of sling fixing structures. The sling fixing structure includes three clamping ring plates 424, 425, and 426 evenly distributed along the circumferential direction around the opening and two clamping ring plates 423 and 427 arranged on both sides of the rear ends of the three clamping ring plates. Among them, the three clamping ring plates are nearly L-shaped bent plates, the vertical sides of the L-shaped bent plates are bent edges, and the two clamping ring plates are U-shaped bent plates, and the vertical sides of the U-shaped bent plates are symmetrically arranged bent edges. The five clamping ring plates constituting the sling fixing structure are all sheet metal structures with a certain amount of deformation. Usually, the sling can be firmly fixed, and during work, the sling can be separated from the sling fixing structure under the action of an external force. In addition, a rack connection hole 428 is provided on the slide plate, and the slide plate is fixedly connected to the rack through mounting screws. When the rack moves back and forth, it can drive the slide plate to move back and forth.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the sling includes a weight combination block 431 and a U-shaped ring 432. The weight combination block is an overall annular block with an opening 4312 provided at the front end. The opening is preferably a tapered opening with a larger outer diameter and a smaller inner diameter. At the lower end of the inner side of the annular block, there is a guide inclined surface 4311. The two sides of the front end opening of the U-shaped ring and the two sides of the opening of the weight combination block are respectively hinged through a pin shaft. The front end of the U-shaped ring is connected to the other end of the sling.

[0038] As Figure 6 shown, the weight includes a circular ring 51, a connecting rope 52, and a tapered head 53 arranged up and down. The circular ring is used to connect with the hook of the crane on the mother ship; the tapered head is provided with a tapered surface that matches the guide inclined surface on the weight combination block. One end of the connecting rope is connected to the circular ring, and the other end is connected to the tapered head. The connecting rope can enter the interior of the weight combination block through the opening on the weight combination block.

[0039] An unmanned boat recovery method, which applies the above recovery device. The specific recovery steps are as follows:

[0040] The first step: Control the unmanned boat to sail near the mother ship. At the same time, the crane on the mother ship lowers the hook with the weight to near the water surface and then stops, as Figure 7 shown;

[0041] The second step: Remotely start the weight-catching device at the unmanned boat end (that is, start the electric push rod). The slide plate moves forward to move the sling forward to the front end of the unmanned boat. When the slide plate moves forward, it drives the capture rod to form an "eight" shape through the rack and gear structure, as Figure 8 shown;

[0042] Step 3: Control the unmanned boat to sail towards the plumb bob. Use the "figure-eight" capture rod to capture the connecting rope of the plumb bob. As the unmanned boat continues to sail forward, the connecting rope of the plumb bob is guided inside the "figure-eight" capture rod and enters the inside of the hanging ring through the notch on the plumb bob combination block, as Figure 9 shown;

[0043] Step 4: The unmanned boat stops sailing. Start the crane on the mother ship, lift the hook with the plumb bob. After firmly combining the plumb bob with the hanging ring, continue to lift the hook with the plumb bob and recover the unmanned boat to the mother ship, as Figure 10 shown.

[0044] Although the embodiments and drawings of the present invention are disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art can understand that within the spirit of the present invention and the appended claims, various substitutions, changes, and modifications are possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the content disclosed in the embodiments and drawings.

Claims

1. A method for recovering an unmanned boat, characterized in that: The unmanned boat recovery device adopted includes a sling fixing structure, a sling, a weight capture device, a weight and a hook; the sling fixing structure is located at the longitudinal center of gravity position of the unmanned boat and is fixedly connected to the unmanned boat; the weight capture device is located at the bow of the unmanned boat; one end of the sling is connected to the sling fixing structure, and the other end is connected to the weight capture device; the weight is connected to the hook, and the hook is provided by a crane on the mother ship. The weight capture device includes a base, a slide plate, a lifting ring, two capture rods, and a driving mechanism; the slide plate is slidably connected above the base, the lifting ring is installed at the upper end of the slide plate in a manner that can be lifted by force, and the driving mechanism is arranged in the space formed between the base and the slide plate; the lifting ring is composed of a weight combination block and a U-shaped ring; the weight combination block is an annular block with an opening at the front end, and a guiding inclined surface is arranged at the lower end inside the annular block; the two sides of the front end opening of the U-shaped ring and the two sides of the opening of the weight combination block are respectively connected by hinge pins to form a hinge connection; the front end of the U-shaped ring is a connection end for cooperating with the other end of the sling; the driving mechanism is used to drive the slide plate to move forward, and drive the two capture rods to rotate inward relative to each other until the front ends form a guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character, and align with the opening on the weight combination block front and back; the driving mechanism includes an electric push rod fixed to the rear end of the inner bottom of the base, a longitudinal rack fixedly connected to the front end of the electric push rod, two driving gears installed on the left and right sides of the longitudinal rack, and two driven gears respectively installed at the front ends of the two driving gears; teeth are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal rack and are respectively engaged with the two driving gears, and the two driving gears are respectively engaged with the two driven gears; the rear ends of the two capture rods are respectively fixed to the two driven gears. The weight includes a circular ring, a connecting rope and a conical head arranged up and down; the circular ring is used to connect with the hook of the crane on the mother ship; the conical head is provided with a conical surface that matches the guiding inclined surface on the weight combination block; one end of the connecting rope is connected to the circular ring, and the other end is connected to the upper end of the conical head; during the lifting and recovery operation of the unmanned boat, the connecting rope first passes through the guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character formed by the front ends of the two capture rods and the opening on the weight combination block and enters the inside of the weight combination block. The method for recovering an unmanned boat includes the following steps: The first step: Control the unmanned boat to sail near the mother ship, and at the same time, the crane on the mother ship lowers the hook with the weight to near the water surface and then stops. The second step: Remotely start the weight capture device at the unmanned boat end, drive the slide plate to move forward, move the lifting ring to the front end of the unmanned boat, and when the slide plate moves forward, drive the front ends of the two capture rods to form a guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character through the rack and gear structure. The third step: Control the unmanned boat to sail towards the weight direction, capture the weight connecting rope through the guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character, and as the unmanned boat continues to sail forward, the weight connecting rope is guided in the guiding opening in the shape of an eight-character and enters the inside of the lifting ring through the opening on the weight combination block. The fourth step: The unmanned boat stops sailing, start the crane on the mother ship, lift the hook with the weight, firmly combine the weight with the lifting ring, and then continue to lift the hook with the weight to recover the unmanned boat to the mother ship.

2. The unmanned boat recovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sling fixing structure is composed of a horizontally arranged bottom plate, left and right end plates symmetrically arranged to connect the two bottom plates, and a horizontal vertical plate connecting the two end plates. The whole is of a welded structure. A belt-passing hole is arranged in the middle of the horizontal vertical plate for connecting one end of the sling.

3. The unmanned boat recovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that: On the inner bottom of the base, one guide rail is fixed longitudinally on the outside of the two side gears respectively, and a T-shaped guide groove is arranged on the guide rail; two T-shaped sliders are arranged on the left and right sides at the lower end of the slide plate, and the two T-shaped sliders form sliding fits with the two T-shaped guide grooves respectively.

4. The unmanned boat recovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that: A circular opening communicating with the front end face is arranged at the front end of the slide plate, and the size of the opening matches the size of the plumb bob; a set of sling fixing structures are arranged outside the opening at the upper end of the slide plate. The sling fixing structure is composed of three clamping ring plates arranged around the circular opening to clamp the plumb bob binding block and two clamping ring plates arranged on both sides at the rear ends of the three clamping ring plates to clamp the U-shaped ring. The three clamping ring plates are arranged evenly along the circumferential direction.

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