An underwater robot deployment and recovery device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot, belonging to the field of underwater unmanned detection equipment. The deployment and recovery device includes a support assembly and a transmission assembly. The support assembly includes a gantry and two bases arranged at intervals. The two legs of the gantry are respectively hinged to the other ends of the two bases, and there are two first ear plates on the cross beam of the gantry. The transmission assembly includes two oil cylinders, a cradle mechanism, a hanging rod and an electric quick lock. The two oil cylinders are arranged in parallel at intervals. The cylinder body of each oil cylinder is fixedly installed on a rotating shaft, and the piston rod of each oil cylinder is hinged to the corresponding first ear plate. The cradle mechanism includes two first legs and a support plate. One end of the hanging rod is hinged to the gantry, and the other end of the hanging rod is connected to the electric quick lock. The device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by the present invention can not only realize remote control during the deployment and recovery process of the underwater robot, but also avoid the swinging and collision of the underwater robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of underwater unmanned detection equipment, and more specifically, relates to a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot. Background Art

[0002] With the emergence of demands such as the vigorous development of underwater resources and the efficient detection of water-related structures, an underwater robot equipped with various detection devices has developed rapidly.

[0003] For an underwater robot with a large number of equipped devices and a large self-weight, it is difficult to be deployed and recovered manually. If a general lifting device is used, manual on-site intervention is required. Moreover, during the deployment and recovery process, due to the influence of ship sway or wind and waves, the underwater robot sways, and incidents of personal injury or damage to the stern of the ship are likely to occur. Therefore, a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot that can be remotely controlled and operates reliably is needed for the deployment and recovery of the underwater robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Aiming at the above defects or improvement requirements of the prior art, the present invention provides a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot, aiming to not only achieve remote control during the deployment and recovery process of the underwater robot, but also avoid the risk of the underwater robot swaying and colliding with the support plate at the stern of the ship.

[0005] The present invention provides a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot, and the deployment and recovery device includes a support component and a transmission component;

[0006] The support component includes a gantry and two bases arranged at intervals, and one end of each base is used for fixedly installing on the stern of the ship, and the other end of each base extends out of the stern. A rotating shaft is rotatably inserted on each base, and two legs of the gantry are respectively hinged to the other ends of the two bases. There are two first ear plates arranged in parallel and at intervals on the cross beam of the gantry;

[0007] The transmission assembly includes two oil cylinders, a cradle mechanism, a hanging rod, and an electric quick lock for automatically connecting or disconnecting from an underwater robot. The two oil cylinders are arranged in parallel at an interval. The cylinder block of each oil cylinder is fixedly installed on the rotating shaft, and the piston rod of each oil cylinder is hinged to the corresponding first ear plate. The cradle mechanism includes two first legs and a support plate for supporting the underwater robot. The two first legs are arranged in parallel at an interval. One end of each first leg is fixedly connected to the corresponding rotating shaft, and the other end of each first leg is connected to the support plate. There is an included angle between the first leg and the piston rod of the oil cylinder. The support plate is located between the two bases. One end of the hanging rod is hinged to the gantry, and the hinge axis is parallel to the cross beam of the gantry. The other end of the hanging rod is connected to the electric quick lock.

[0008] Optionally, the cradle mechanism further includes two second legs arranged in parallel at an interval. The two second legs and the two first legs correspond one by one and have the same length. Each second leg and the corresponding first leg are arranged in parallel at an interval. One end of each second leg is hinged to the corresponding base, and the other end of each second leg is hinged to the support plate.

[0009] Optionally, the length of each first leg and each second leg is 700 - 800 mm.

[0010] Optionally, the gantry is provided with a second ear plate. The second ear plate and the first ear plate are located on both sides of the gantry, and one end of the hanging rod is hinged to the second ear plate.

[0011] Optionally, the deployment and recovery device further includes a guiding assembly located on the gantry to guide the cable for supplying power to the underwater robot.

[0012] Optionally, the guiding assembly includes a cable retaining shaft and a roller. The cable retaining shaft and the roller are both rotatably arranged on the gantry. A groove for accommodating the cable is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the roller, and the cable retaining shaft and the roller are arranged at an interval to clamp the cable.

[0013] Optionally, the cable retaining shaft is of nylon structure.

[0014] Optionally, the included angle is 110 - 120°.

[0015] Optionally, the hanging rod is provided with a plurality of mounting holes extending along the axial direction of the hanging rod. The electric quick lock is movably installed in one of the mounting holes.

[0016] Optionally, the two legs of the gantry are connected by a connecting rod, and the connecting rod is arranged in parallel and spaced from the crossbeam of the gantry.

[0017] The beneficial effects brought by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention are:

[0018] For a device for deploying and retrieving an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when deploying the underwater robot (at this time, the underwater robot is placed on a support plate, and the support plate is located on the stern of the ship and serves to support the underwater robot), the oil cylinder can be remotely operated to control the piston rod of the oil cylinder to extend. During the extension process of the piston rod, it will drive the gantry to rotate and fold down. On the one hand, the gantry will drive the hanging rod, the electric quick lock, and the underwater robot to lower; on the other hand, the oil cylinder will drive the first leg and the support plate to lower through shaft linkage. And, during this process, due to the linkage between the first leg and the oil cylinder, and the linkage between the gantry and the oil cylinder, the gantry, the hanging rod, the electric quick lock, the underwater robot, and the first leg will be linked, so that the underwater robot and the support plate will be linked. Also, because there is a certain angle between the first leg and the piston rod of the oil cylinder, it can ensure that there is always a sufficient and safe space distance between the underwater robot driven by the piston rod linkage and the support plate during the movement process, and there is no risk of the underwater robot colliding with the support plate even if the hanging rod swings. And, because the base extends out of the stern, the underwater robot will not collide with the stern either, thus ensuring the safety during the deployment process of the underwater robot. In addition, when the piston rod of the oil cylinder extends in place, the underwater robot also descends in place. At this time, the electric quick lock is automatically opened to realize the detachment of the underwater robot.

[0019] Similarly, when retrieving the underwater robot (at this time, the underwater robot is in the water, and it is remotely controlled to swim under the electric quick lock and is connected to the underwater robot through the automatic closing of the electric quick lock), the oil cylinder can be remotely operated to control the piston rod of the oil cylinder to contract. During the extension process of the piston rod, it will drive the gantry to rotate and stand up. Similarly, during this process, there is always a sufficient and safe space distance between the underwater robot driven by the piston rod linkage and the support plate during the movement process, and there is no risk of the underwater robot colliding with the support plate even if the hanging rod swings. In addition, when the piston rod of the oil cylinder contracts in place, the underwater robot just moves up and falls onto the support plate, forming the support for the retrieved underwater robot.

[0020] That is to say, a device for deploying and retrieving an underwater robot provided by the present invention can not only realize the remote control during the deployment and retrieval processes of the underwater robot, but also avoid the risk of the underwater robot swinging and colliding with the support plate on the stern of the ship. Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1It is a schematic structural diagram of a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a top view of a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a cradle mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the state when a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention reaches the recovery position;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the state when a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention reaches the deployment position;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a guiding component provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] The meanings of the symbols in the figure are as follows:

[0028] 1. Support component; 11. Gantry; 111. First ear plate; 112. Second ear plate; 113. Connecting rod; 12. Base; 121. Rotating shaft; 2. Transmission component; 21. Oil cylinder; 22. Cradle mechanism; 221. First leg; 222. Support plate; 223. Second leg; 23. Hanging rod; 24. Electric quick lock; 3. Guiding component; 31. Cable blocking shaft; 32. Roller; 100. Underwater robot. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 It is a top view of a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The device for deploying and recovering includes a support component 1 and a transmission component 2.

[0031] The support assembly 1 includes a gantry 11 and two bases 12 arranged at intervals. One end of each base 12 is used for fixed installation on the stern of the ship, and the other end of each base 12 extends out of the stern. A rotating shaft 121 is rotatably inserted on each base 12. The two legs of the gantry 11 are respectively hinged to the other ends of the two bases 12. There are two first ear plates 111 arranged in parallel at intervals on the cross beam of the gantry 11.

[0032] The transmission assembly 2 includes two oil cylinders 21, a cradle mechanism 22, a hanging rod 23, and an electric quick lock 24 for automatically connecting or disconnecting from the underwater robot 100. The two oil cylinders 21 are arranged in parallel at intervals. The cylinder body of each oil cylinder 21 is fixedly installed on the rotating shaft 121, and the piston rod of each oil cylinder 21 is hinged to the corresponding first ear plate 111.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the cradle mechanism provided by the embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 3 shown, the cradle mechanism 22 includes two first legs 221 and a support plate 222 for supporting the underwater robot 100. The two first legs 221 are arranged in parallel at intervals. One end of each first leg 221 is fixedly connected to the corresponding rotating shaft 121, and there is an included angle α between the first leg 221 and the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21. The other end of each first leg 221 is connected to the support plate 222. The support plate 222 is located between the two bases 12. One end of the hanging rod 23 is hinged to the gantry 11, and the hinge axis is parallel to the cross beam of the gantry 11. The other end of the hanging rod 23 is connected to the electric quick lock 24.

[0034] For a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when deploying the underwater robot 100 (at this time, the underwater robot 100 is placed on the support plate 222, and the support plate 222 is located on the stern of the ship, playing a role in supporting the underwater robot 100. See Figure 4), the oil cylinder 21 can be remotely operated to control the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21 to extend. During the extension of the piston rod, the gantry 11 will be driven to rotate and fold down. On the one hand, the gantry 11 will drive the hanging rod 23, the electric quick lock 24 and the underwater robot 100 to be lowered; on the other hand, the oil cylinder 21 will drive the first leg 221 and the support plate 222 to be lowered through the linkage of the rotating shaft 121. And, during this process, due to the linkage between the first leg 221 and the oil cylinder 21, and the linkage between the gantry 11 and the oil cylinder 21, the gantry 11, the hanging rod 23, the electric quick lock 24, the underwater robot 100 and the first leg 221 will be linked, so that the underwater robot 100 and the support plate 222 will be linked. Also, since there is a certain angle α between the first leg 221 and the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21, it can ensure that the underwater robot 100 and the support plate 222 under the linkage of the piston rod always maintain a sufficient and safe space distance during the movement, and there is no risk of the underwater robot 100 colliding with the support plate 222 even if the hanging rod 23 swings. And, since the base 12 extends out of the stern of the ship, the underwater robot 100 will not collide with the stern of the ship either, thus ensuring the safety during the deployment process of the underwater robot 100. In addition, when the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21 extends in place, the underwater robot 100 is also lowered in place (see Figure 5 ), at this time, the electric quick lock 24 is automatically opened to realize the detachment of the underwater robot 100.

[0035] Similarly, when recovering the underwater robot 100 (at this time, the underwater robot 100 is in the water, remotely control the underwater robot 100 to swim below the electric quick lock 24, and the electric quick lock 24 is automatically closed to realize its connection with the underwater robot 100, see Figure 5 ), the oil cylinder 21 can be remotely operated to control the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21 to contract. During the contraction of the piston rod, the gantry 11 will be driven to rotate and stand up. Similarly, during this process, the underwater robot 100 and the support plate 222 under the linkage of the piston rod always maintain a sufficient and safe space distance during the movement, and there is no risk of the underwater robot 100 colliding with the support plate 222 even if the hanging rod 23 swings. In addition, when the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21 contracts in place, the underwater robot 100 just moves up and falls onto the support plate 222, forming the support for the underwater robot 100 after recovery (see Figure 4 ).

[0036] That is to say, a device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot provided by the present invention can not only realize the remote control during the deployment and recovery process of the underwater robot 100, but also avoid the risk of the underwater robot 100 swinging and colliding with the support plate 222 at the stern of the ship.

[0037] It is easy to understand that the support plate 222 is located between the two bases 12 and serves to support the underwater robot 100. During the swinging process of the underwater robot 100 (which can only swing left and right under the limitation of the hinge axis), it is only possible to collide with the support plate 222. Therefore, by ensuring the safety between the underwater robot 100 and the support plate 222, the problem of collision during the swinging process of the underwater robot 100 can be avoided.

[0038] It should be noted that the structure of this device is simple and the mass is small, meeting the requirements for installation at the stern of the hull.

[0039] In addition, for existing hulls, the layout of this device is realized through the bases 12; for hulls to be built, a notch can be provided at the stern of the hull, and the two sides of the notch can serve as the bases 12, thus avoiding the need to set up additional bases 12.

[0040] Exemplarily, the oil cylinder 21, the base 12, the legs of the gantry 11, and the first ear plate 111 form a quadrilateral structure, facilitating the rotation of the gantry 11.

[0041] In this embodiment, through simulation design, the included angle between the first leg 221 and the piston rod of the oil cylinder 21 is 110 - 120°, so as to ensure that there is always a certain distance between the underwater robot 100 and the support plate 222 in the circumferential direction (see Figure 1 , the dotted line A is the maximum swinging contour of the underwater robot 100).

[0042] It is easy to understand that when the included angle α is too small, there is still a risk of the underwater robot 100 colliding with the support plate 222; when the included angle α is too large, it cannot be guaranteed that the robot will exactly land on the support plate 222 after recovery, and thus no support can be formed.

[0043] Referring again to Figure 3 , the cradle mechanism 22 further includes two second legs 223 arranged in parallel at intervals. The two second legs 223 and the two first legs 221 correspond one by one and have the same length. Each second leg 223 and the corresponding first leg 221 are arranged in parallel at intervals. One end of each second leg 223 is hinged to the corresponding base 12, and the other end of each second leg 223 is hinged to the support plate 222.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the second legs 223 and the first legs 221 can further ensure the support stability of the support plate 222.

[0045] Exemplarily, the top end of the first leg 221 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 121 through a flat key, and the bottom end of the first leg 221 is hinged to the base 12 through a pin shaft.

[0046] In addition, during the entire deployment and recovery process, the hanging rod 23 is always in a vertical state due to gravity, the support plate 222 is always in a horizontal state, and the maximum swing profile of the underwater robot 100 will not collide with any structure.

[0047] Exemplarily, the lengths of the first legs 221 and the second legs 223 can be 700 - 800 mm.

[0048] Refer again to Figure 1 , the gantry 11 has a second ear plate 112. The second ear plate 112 and the first ear plate 111 are located on both sides of the gantry 11, and one end of the hanging rod 23 is hinged to the second ear plate 112, so as to arrange the hanging rod 23 through the second ear plate 112.

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the guiding assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 6 shown, the deployment and recovery device further includes a guiding assembly 3. The guiding assembly 3 is located on the gantry 11, so as to guide the cable for powering the underwater robot 100.

[0050] In this embodiment, the guiding assembly 3 includes a cable blocking shaft 31 and a roller 32. The cable blocking shaft 31 and the roller 32 are rotatably arranged on the gantry 11. A groove for accommodating the cable is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the roller 32, and the cable blocking shaft 31 and the roller 32 are arranged at intervals to clamp the cable, so as to play a role in guiding the cable when the underwater robot 100 is deployed and recovered through the cable blocking shaft 31 and the roller 32.

[0051] Exemplarily, the cable blocking shaft 31 is made of nylon structure to avoid scratching the cable.

[0052] It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, the guiding assembly 3 can also be two rollers 32 arranged at intervals, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0053] Exemplarily, the hanging rod 23 has a plurality of mounting holes. The plurality of mounting holes extend along the axial direction of the hanging rod 23. The electric quick lock 24 is movably installed in one mounting hole. By installing the electric quick lock 24 in different mounting holes, its position can be adjusted up and down, so as to adapt to underwater robots 100 of various different heights for deployment and recovery operations.

[0054] In this embodiment, the two legs of the gantry 11 are connected by a connecting rod 113. The connecting rod 113 is arranged parallel and at intervals to the cross beam of the gantry 11, and the connecting rod 113 plays a role in increasing the structural strength of the gantry 11.

[0055] Those skilled in the art can easily understand that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater robot deployment and recovery device, characterized in that, The deployment and recovery device includes a support assembly (1) and a transmission assembly (2); The support assembly (1) includes a gantry (11) and two bases (12) arranged at intervals. One end of each base (12) is used for fixed installation on the stern of the ship, and the other end of each base (12) extends out of the stern. A rotating shaft (121) is rotatably inserted on each base (12). Two legs of the gantry (11) are respectively hinged to the other ends of the two bases (12). There are two first ear plates (111) arranged in parallel and at intervals on the cross beam of the gantry (11); The transmission assembly (2) includes two oil cylinders (21), a cradle mechanism (22), a hanging rod (23), and an electric quick lock (24) for automatically connecting or disconnecting from the underwater robot (100). The two oil cylinders (21) are arranged in parallel and at intervals. The cylinder body of each oil cylinder (21) is fixedly installed on the rotating shaft (121), and the piston rod of each oil cylinder (21) is hinged to the corresponding first ear plate (111). The cradle mechanism (22) includes two first legs (221) and a support plate (222) for supporting the underwater robot (100). The two first legs (221) are arranged in parallel and at intervals. One end of each first leg (221) is fixedly connected to the corresponding rotating shaft (121), and there is an included angle between the first leg (221) and the piston rod of the oil cylinder (21). The other end of each first leg (221) is connected to the support plate (222). The support plate (222) is located between the two bases (12). One end of the hanging rod (23) is hinged to the gantry (11), and the hinge axis is parallel to the cross beam of the gantry (11). The other end of the hanging rod (23) is connected to the electric quick lock (24).

2. The underwater robot deployment and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cradle mechanism (22) further includes two second legs (223) arranged in parallel and at intervals. The two second legs (223) correspond to the two first legs (221) one by one and have the same length. Each second leg (223) and the corresponding first leg (221) are arranged in parallel and at intervals. One end of each second leg (223) is hinged to the corresponding base (12), and the other end of each second leg (223) is hinged to the support plate (222).

3. The underwater robot deploying and retrieving device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The length of each first leg (221) and each second leg (223) is 700 - 800 mm.

4. The underwater robot deploying and retrieving device according to claim 1, characterized in that, There is a second ear plate (112) on the gantry (11). The second ear plate (112) and the first ear plate (111) are located on both sides of the gantry (11), and one end of the hanging rod (23) is hinged to the second ear plate (112).

5. The underwater robot deployment and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The deployment and recovery device further includes a guiding assembly (3). The guiding assembly (3) is located on the gantry (11) to guide the cable for powering the underwater robot (100).

6. The underwater robot deploying and retrieving device according to claim 5, wherein, The guiding assembly (3) includes a cable stop shaft (31) and a roller (32). The cable stop shaft (31) and the roller (32) are rotatably arranged on the gantry (11). A groove for accommodating the cable is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the roller (32), and the cable stop shaft (31) and the roller (32) are arranged at intervals to clamp the cable.

7. The underwater robot deployment and recovery device according to claim 6, wherein, The cable stop shaft (31) is made of nylon.

8. A device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The included angle is 110 - 120°.

9. A device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The hanging rod (23) has a plurality of mounting holes, and the plurality of mounting holes extend along the axial direction of the hanging rod (23). The electric quick lock (24) is movably installed in one of the mounting holes.

10. A device for deploying and recovering an underwater robot according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The two legs of the gantry (11) are connected by a connecting rod (113), and the connecting rod (113) is arranged parallel and at intervals to the cross beam of the gantry (11).

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