A water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment

Abstract

The present application discloses a water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment, which relates to the field of underwater technology. The main controller of the water leakage detection device drives the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through a mobile module. During the movement, the main controller senses the water leakage signal through each water leakage sensor on the outer wall of the main shell, and obtains the final water leakage detection result by integrating the sensing results of the water leakage sensors at multiple different positions. Compared with the method of installing the water leakage sensor at a fixed point, the water leakage detection range of the water leakage detection device is wider and is not limited by the number of water leakage sensors. Moreover, the water leakage detection device installs the water leakage sensor on the outer wall of the shell body, which can effectively avoid the influence of condensed water inside the underwater equipment and reduce false detection. At the same time, the accuracy and reliability are high, and the anti-interference ability is strong.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of underwater technology, and in particular to a water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment. Background Art

[0002] Underwater equipment such as underwater submersibles and underwater robots are widely used in fields such as ocean exploration and observation and resource development and utilization. Underwater equipment is equipped with a large number of electronic control components and has high requirements for waterproofness and sealing.

[0003] In order to ensure the normal operation of underwater equipment, real-time water leakage detection of underwater equipment is required. The current common practice is to deploy water leakage sensors at various locations inside the underwater equipment to achieve water leakage detection. However, during the operation of underwater equipment, condensation water is very easy to be generated in the sealed space inside. The condensation water gathers along the inner wall of the underwater equipment and is detected by the water leakage sensor, which often leads to false detection and low accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the above-mentioned problems and technical requirements, the applicant has proposed a water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment. The technical solution of this application is as follows:

[0005] A water leakage detection device for underwater equipment, comprising a housing, a main controller, a mobile module, and a plurality of water leakage sensors. The main controller is disposed inside the housing and electrically connected to the mobile module and the water leakage sensors. The plurality of water leakage sensors are disposed at various locations on the outer wall of the housing.

[0006] The water leakage detection device is arranged inside the underwater equipment. The main controller drives the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through the mobile module. During the movement, the main controller senses the water leakage signal through each water leakage sensor respectively. The main controller processes the water leakage signal sensed by each water leakage sensor to obtain the water leakage detection result.

[0007] Its further technical solution is that the method for the main controller to obtain the water leakage detection result includes: performing weighted calculation on the water leakage signals sensed by each water leakage sensor according to the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor to obtain the water leakage detection result, and the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor is related to the layout position of the water leakage sensor on the outer wall surface of the shell body.

[0008] Its further technical solution is that all water leakage sensors are respectively arranged at at least two different heights on the outer wall of the shell body, and the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor is related to the arrangement height of the water leakage sensor, and the higher the arrangement height of the water leakage sensor, the greater the corresponding weight coefficient.

[0009] Its further technical solution is that a plurality of water leakage sensors are arranged at each layout height on the outer wall surface of the shell body. For each layout height, the higher the proportion of water leakage sensors that sense leakage signals indicating water leakage among all water leakage sensors located at the layout height, the greater the weight coefficient of the water leakage sensor at the layout height.

[0010] A further technical solution is that the weight coefficient K of the water leakage sensor arranged at the s-th arrangement height on the outer wall of the shell body is s for:

[0011]

[0012] Among them, K0 is the basic weight, n s is the number of water leakage sensors deployed at the sth deployment height and sensing the water leakage signal indicating water leakage, N s It is the total number of water leakage sensors deployed at the sth deployment height, s is an integer parameter and s≥1. The larger s is, the higher the deployment height it represents.

[0013] A further technical solution is that the shell body includes a rigid shell and a flexible shell wrapped around the rigid shell, the main controller is arranged inside the rigid shell, and the water leakage sensor is embedded in the outer wall of the flexible shell.

[0014] Its further technical solution is that the outer wall of the flexible shell is a cylindrical structure, and the outer wall of the flexible shell is evenly distributed with water leakage sensors along the circumference; the mobile module includes a driving circuit and a universal wheel, and the universal wheel is arranged at the bottom of the shell body. The main controller drives the universal wheel through the driving circuit to drive the shell body to perform horizontal translation and circumferential rotation.

[0015] A further technical solution is that the outer wall surface of the flexible housing is also provided with a plurality of proximity sensors electrically connected to the main controller along the circumference;

[0016] The method for the main controller to drive the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through the mobile module includes:

[0017] The main controller drives the water leakage detection device to move along a predetermined planned path through the mobile module. When an obstacle in the moving direction is sensed by the proximity sensor, the water leakage detection device is driven by the mobile module to continue moving along the moving direction for a predetermined distance and then change the moving direction. The flexible shell contacts the obstacle and deforms when the water leakage detection device continues to move along the moving direction for a predetermined distance.

[0018] A further technical solution is that the water leakage detection device further includes a wireless communication module disposed inside the housing body and connected to the main controller, the wireless communication module establishing a wireless communication connection with the shore-based control center;

[0019] When the main controller obtains a water leakage detection result indicating the presence of a water leakage, it sends an alarm signal to the shore-based control center through the wireless communication module.

[0020] Its further technical solution is that the water leakage detection device also includes a power supply module arranged inside the shell body, the power supply module is connected to the electrical components inside the water leakage detection device for power supply, and the charging port of the power supply module is exposed through a charging slot opened at the bottom of the shell body.

[0021] The beneficial technical effects of this application are:

[0022] The present application discloses a water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment, which moves inside the underwater equipment and performs water leakage detection on different areas through multiple water leakage sensors on the outer wall during the movement. Compared with the method of installing water leakage sensors at fixed points, the water leakage detection device has a wider water leakage detection range and is not limited by the number of water leakage sensors. Moreover, the water leakage detection device installs the water leakage sensor on the outer wall of the outer shell body, which can effectively avoid the influence of condensed water inside the underwater equipment and reduce false detection. At the same time, the sensing results of multiple water leakage sensors at different positions are integrated to obtain the final water leakage detection result, which has high accuracy and reliability and strong anti-interference ability.

[0023] When the main controller integrates the leakage signals sensed by multiple leakage sensors, it weights them based on the weight coefficient of each leakage sensor. The weight coefficient of the leakage sensor is not only related to its layout position, but also to the leakage signals sensed by all leakage sensors at the same layout height. As a result, the weight coefficient of the leakage sensor with higher criticality and higher reliability is larger, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the final leakage detection result.

[0024] The main shell of the water leakage detection device can also adopt a flexible shell. Combined with motion control logic, it can realize detection of corner spaces and other locations inside underwater equipment as much as possible, reduce detection blind spots, and provide a wider and more comprehensive detection coverage.

[0025] The water leakage detection device is formed as an independent device. Compared with the method of directly installing water leakage sensors at various positions of underwater equipment, the water leakage detection device is less difficult to repair and replace and is easy to maintain. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a water leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal circuit structure of a water leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a flow chart of a water leakage detection method of a water leakage detection device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 4 It is a top view schematic diagram of an application scenario in which a water leakage detection device in an embodiment of the present application deforms when encountering an obstacle to realize water leakage detection in a detection blind area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The specific implementation of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] This application discloses a water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment, please refer to Figure 1 The structural diagram shown and Figure 2 As shown in the circuit structure diagram, the water leakage detection device includes a shell body 1, a main controller 2, a mobile module 3 and a plurality of water leakage sensors 4. The main controller 2 is arranged inside the shell body 1 and is electrically connected to the mobile module 3 and all the water leakage sensors 4. The plurality of water leakage sensors 4 are respectively arranged at various positions on the outer wall surface of the shell body 1. The main controller 2 can be implemented using various types of processors or single-chip microcomputers. In one embodiment, the mobile module 3 includes a drive circuit 31 and a universal wheel 32. The universal wheel 32 is arranged at the bottom of the shell body 1. The main controller 2 drives the universal wheel 32 through the drive circuit 31 to drive the shell body 1 to perform horizontal translation and circumferential rotation, which can achieve omnidirectional movement. In one embodiment, the water leakage sensor 4 is detachably mounted on the shell body 1, so that it can be easily replaced when the water leakage sensor 4 fails.

[0032] Water leakage sensors 4 are not provided on the upper surface and the lower bottom surface of the shell body 1. This is because the upper surface of the shell body 1 is easily exposed to condensed water dripping from the top of the space of the underwater equipment. If a water leakage sensor 4 is provided here, false detection may occur. The lower bottom surface of the shell body 1 is easily exposed to condensed water gathered at the bottom of the space of the underwater equipment. If a water leakage sensor 4 is provided here, false detection may also occur. Therefore, the present application only arranges water leakage sensors 4 on the outer wall surface of the shell body 1. On this basis, in order to realize water leakage detection in areas in all directions and improve accuracy, the water leakage sensors 4 are evenly arranged along the circumference of the outer side surface of the shell body 1. On this basis, as Figure 1 The outer wall of the housing body 1 is shown to be cylindrical, and the water leakage sensors 4 are evenly distributed along the circumference on the cylindrical outer wall, so that the isotropy of the entire device is better.

[0033] The water leakage detection device is arranged inside the underwater equipment. After the main controller 2 receives the instruction to start water leakage detection, it can control the water leakage detection device to start working, including the main controller 2 driving the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through the mobile module 3. Generally, the movement path is planned in advance, and the main controller 2 drives the water leakage detection device to move according to the predetermined planned path through the mobile module 3. The path planning part can be implemented using various existing path planning algorithms, which will not be repeated in this application.

[0034] At the same time, during the movement of the water leakage detection device, the main controller 2 senses water leakage signals through each water leakage sensor 4. The water leakage signal sensed by each water leakage sensor 4 indicates water leakage or no water leakage. For ease of explanation, this application will hereinafter use a water leakage signal r=1 to indicate that the water leakage signal sensed by the water leakage sensor 4 indicates water leakage, and r=0 to indicate that the water leakage signal sensed by the water leakage sensor 4 indicates no water leakage. The main controller 2 integrates the water leakage signals sensed by each water leakage sensor 4, performs data processing on the water leakage signals sensed by each water leakage sensor 4, and obtains a final water leakage detection result. Similarly, the final water leakage detection result indicates the presence of a water leakage or the absence of a water leakage.

[0035] When integrating the leak signals sensed by all leak sensors 4, the main controller 2 performs a weighted calculation on the leak signals sensed by each leak sensor 4 according to the corresponding weight coefficient to obtain a leak detection result. When the weighted calculation result exceeds a leak threshold, a leak detection result indicating the presence of a leak is obtained; when the weighted calculation result does not exceed the leak threshold, a leak detection result indicating the absence of a leak is obtained. The leak threshold is a pre-set value. Because the leak signals sensed by multiple leak sensors 4 at different locations are comprehensively considered, a substantially accurate leak detection result can be ultimately obtained even if individual leak sensors 4 malfunction or misdetect.

[0036] The weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor 4 is related to the layout position of the water leakage sensor 4 on the outer wall surface of the shell body 1. The more critical the layout position of the water leakage sensor 4, the larger the corresponding weight coefficient. In one embodiment, the water leakage sensors 4 are not only distributed at multiple different positions along the circumference of the outer wall surface of the shell body 1, but are also arranged at different heights of the outer wall surface of the shell body 1 along the vertical direction. That is, all water leakage sensors 4 are arranged at at least two different heights of the outer wall surface of the shell body. The weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor 4 is related to the layout height of the water leakage sensor 4. The higher the layout height of the water leakage sensor 4, the larger the corresponding weight coefficient. That is, the closer the layout position of the water leakage sensor 4 is to the upper surface of the shell body 1, the more critical the layout position, and the larger the corresponding weight coefficient. Multiple water leakage sensors 4 are arranged along the circumference at each layout height, and the weight coefficients of all water leakage sensors 4 located at the same layout height are equal.

[0037] The weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor 4 is not only related to the installation position of the water leakage sensor 4, but also to the water leakage signals sensed by all water leakage sensors 4 at the installation height where the water leakage sensor 4 is located. The outer wall surface of the shell body 1 is equipped with multiple water leakage sensors 4 at each installation height. For each installation height, the higher the proportion of water leakage sensors 4 at all water leakage sensors 4 at that installation height that sense water leakage signals indicating water leakage, the greater the weight coefficient of the water leakage sensor 4 at that installation height. In other words, the more water leakage sensors 4 sense water leakage at a certain installation height, the lower the possibility of false detection of the water leakage sensor 4 at that installation height, and the greater the weight coefficient of the water leakage sensor 4 at that installation height.

[0038] Based on the influence of the placement position and the water leakage signal of the water leakage sensor at the same placement height, the weight coefficient K of the water leakage sensor placed at the sth placement height on the outer wall of the housing body 1 is s Expressed as:

[0039]

[0040] Among them, K0 is the basic weight, n s is the number of water leakage sensors deployed at the sth deployment height and sensing the water leakage signal indicating water leakage, N s It is the total number of leakage sensors deployed at the sth deployment height. s is an integer parameter and s≥1. The larger s is, the higher the deployment height it represents. The vertical height between the leakage sensor at the first deployment height and the bottom surface is pre-adjusted.

[0041] For example, the outer wall of the housing body 1 is provided with water leakage sensors 4 at a total of p arrangement heights, and q water leakage sensors 4 are arranged circumferentially at each arrangement height. The result of weighted calculation of the water leakage signals sensed by each water leakage sensor 4 according to the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor 4 can be expressed as: r st represents the leakage signal sensed by the t-th leakage sensor at the s-th placement height, r st =1 means water leakage is sensed, r st =0 means no water leakage is detected.

[0042] In another embodiment, the housing body 1 includes a rigid housing 11 and a flexible housing 12 wrapped around the rigid housing 11. The main controller 2 is disposed within the rigid housing 11, and the water leakage sensor 4 is embedded in the outer wall of the flexible housing 12. Similarly, the outer wall of the flexible housing 12 has a cylindrical structure, and the water leakage sensors 4 are evenly distributed along the outer wall of the flexible housing 12. The use of the flexible housing 12 as the outermost part prevents rigid collisions between the water leakage detection device and other components within the underwater equipment, thereby improving safety.

[0043] Another advantage of using the flexible shell 12 on the outermost side is to improve the detection coverage and reduce the detection blind spots. The outer wall of the flexible shell 12 is also provided with a plurality of proximity sensors electrically connected to the main controller along the circumference. Figure 1 and 2 The proximity sensor is not shown. According to conventional practice, when the proximity sensor senses an obstacle in the moving direction, the water leakage detection device is controlled to change the moving direction to avoid the obstacle. The obstacle avoidance operation can refer to various existing obstacle avoidance algorithms, which will not be described in detail in this application. In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 As shown in the control flow chart, during the movement of the water leakage detection device, when the main controller senses an obstacle in the moving direction through the proximity sensor, the mobile module drives the water leakage detection device to continue moving along the moving direction for a predetermined distance before changing the moving direction to avoid the obstacle. The flexible housing 12 contacts the obstacle and deforms during the process of the water leakage detection device continuing to move along the moving direction for a predetermined distance. Figure 4 During the normal movement of the water leakage detection device, there are some areas inside the underwater equipment that are not detected by the water leakage sensor that does not contact the outer wall of the shell body 1, resulting in some detection blind areas inside the underwater equipment. In particular, when a cylindrical shell body 1 is used, detection blind areas will be generated at the corners of the underwater equipment, such as Figure 4By using the above control method, the flexible housing 12 continues to move and deform when encountering an obstacle. This allows the water leakage sensor 4 embedded in the outer wall of the flexible housing 12 to contact these detection blind spots as the flexible housing 12 deforms, thereby realizing water leakage detection, thereby increasing the detection coverage area and reducing missed detections.

[0044] In addition, the water leakage detection device also includes a power supply module arranged inside the shell body, and the power supply module is connected to various electrical devices inside the water leakage detection device for power supply. Figure 2 The power supply module is not shown. The charging port of the power supply module is exposed through a charging slot 5 provided at the bottom of the housing body. When the water leakage detection device is not in operation, the charging port at the charging slot 5 can be used to float charge the power supply module.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, the water leakage detection device also includes a wireless communication module 6 disposed within the housing and connected to the main controller. The wireless communication module 6 establishes a wireless communication connection with a shore-based control center. Upon receiving a water leakage detection result indicating a water leakage, the main controller transmits an alarm signal to the shore-based control center via the wireless communication module, thereby enabling the underwater equipment to be promptly removed from the water in the event of a water leakage.

[0046] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited to the above embodiments. It is understood that other improvements and variations directly derived or imagined by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and concept of the present application should be considered to be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A water leakage detection device inside underwater equipment, characterized in that: The water leakage detection device includes a housing body, a main controller, a mobile module, and a plurality of water leakage sensors, wherein the main controller is arranged inside the housing body and electrically connected to the mobile module and the water leakage sensor, and the plurality of water leakage sensors are respectively arranged at various positions on the outer wall surface of the housing body; the housing body includes a rigid housing and a flexible housing wrapped around the rigid housing, the main controller is arranged inside the rigid housing, and the water leakage sensors are embedded in the outer wall surface of the flexible housing; The water leakage detection device is arranged inside the underwater equipment, and the main controller drives the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through the mobile module. During the movement, the main controller senses the water leakage signal through each water leakage sensor respectively, and the main controller performs data processing on the water leakage signal sensed by each water leakage sensor to obtain a water leakage detection result, including: performing weighted calculation on the water leakage signal sensed by each water leakage sensor according to the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor to obtain the water leakage detection result, the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor is related to the layout position of the water leakage sensor on the outer wall surface of the outer shell body; all water leakage sensors are respectively arranged at at least two different heights on the outer wall surface of the outer shell body, the weight coefficient corresponding to each water leakage sensor is related to the layout height of the water leakage sensor, and the higher the layout height of the water leakage sensor, the larger the corresponding weight coefficient.

2. The water leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of water leakage sensors are arranged on the outer wall surface of the shell body at each arrangement height. For each arrangement height, the higher the proportion of water leakage sensors at all the water leakage sensors at the arrangement height that sense a leakage signal indicating water leakage, the greater the weight coefficient of the water leakage sensor at the arrangement height.

3. The water leakage detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first The weight coefficient of the water leakage sensor at each layout height for: ； in, is the basic weight, It is located in the The number of water leakage sensors installed at different heights and sensing water leakage signals indicating water leakage, It is located in the The total number of water leakage sensors at each installation height, is an integer parameter and , The larger the value, the higher the installation height.

4. The water leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the flexible shell is a cylindrical structure, and the water leakage sensors are evenly distributed on the outer wall of the flexible shell along the circumference; the mobile module includes a drive circuit and a universal wheel, and the universal wheel is arranged at the bottom of the shell body. The main controller drives the universal wheel through the drive circuit to drive the shell body to perform horizontal translation and circumferential rotation.

5. The water leakage detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer wall surface of the flexible housing is also provided with a plurality of proximity sensors electrically connected to the main controller along the circumference; The method in which the main controller drives the water leakage detection device to move inside the underwater equipment through the mobile module includes: The main controller drives the water leakage detection device to move along a predetermined planned path through the mobile module. When an obstacle in the moving direction is sensed by the proximity sensor, the water leakage detection device is driven by the mobile module to continue moving along the moving direction for a predetermined distance and then change the moving direction. The flexible shell contacts the obstacle and deforms during the process of the water leakage detection device continuing to move along the moving direction for a predetermined distance.

6. The water leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water leakage detection device further includes a wireless communication module disposed inside the housing body and connected to the main controller, wherein the wireless communication module establishes a wireless communication connection with a shore-based control center; When the main controller obtains a water leakage detection result indicating the presence of a water leakage, it sends an alarm signal to the shore-based control center through the wireless communication module.

7. The water leakage detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water leakage detection device also includes a power supply module arranged inside the shell body, and the power supply module is connected to the electrical components inside the water leakage detection device for power supply. The charging port of the power supply module is exposed through a charging channel opened at the bottom of the shell body.

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