A remotely controlled underwater power-off system and method for ROVs

Abstract

This invention relates to an underwater remote control power-on / off system and method for ROVs, belonging to the field of ROV remote control technology. The underwater remote control power-on / off system for ROVs includes: an electromagnetic switch device and an ROV power-on / off circuit; wherein, the ROV power-on / off circuit includes a battery, a mechanical switch, a first current-limiting resistor, a second current-limiting resistor, a magnetic switch, a magnetic latching relay, a DC power supply module, an instrument relay, an instrument soft-start relay, and a microcomputer controller; after the remote control terminal issues a power-on command to the ROV, the electromagnetic switch device on the unmanned platform powers on the ROV; during the power-off process, a power-off command is transmitted to the microcomputer controller in the ROV via optical fiber to disconnect the power, solving the problem of unmanned control of ROV power-on and power-off, and offering better convenience and safety compared to existing technologies.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an underwater remote control power-off system and method for ROVs, belonging to the field of ROV remote control technology. Background Technology

[0002] ROVs, or Remotely Operated Vehicles, are underwater robots used for underwater observation, inspection, and construction. They are a type of unmanned underwater vehicle with diverse functions; different types of ROVs perform different tasks and are widely used in various fields such as the military, coast guard, maritime affairs, customs, nuclear power, water conservancy, hydropower, offshore oil, fisheries, maritime rescue, pipeline detection, and marine scientific research. ROVs are divided into observation-class and operational-class. The core components of observation-class ROVs are underwater propulsion and underwater camera systems, sometimes supplemented by conventional sensors such as navigation and depth sensors. They are smaller in size and weight, have lower load capacity, and lower cost. Operational-class ROVs are used for underwater salvage, underwater construction, and other applications. They are larger in size, equipped with underwater manipulators, hydraulic cutters, and other tools, and are more expensive.

[0003] This invention relates to a device used in situations requiring the deployment and control of ROVs (Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles) via unmanned platforms, primarily addressing the challenge of unmanned operation for ROV power-on and power-off. Existing ROV power-on and power-off procedures mainly rely on manual operation of mechanical switches before deployment and after retrieval, which has two main drawbacks: First, manual power-on and power-off have limitations in application scenarios, requiring personnel to be physically present to participate. For deployment and retrieval from unmanned platforms, direct human intervention is not feasible. Second, some ROVs carry warheads, and direct human intervention for power-on and power-off poses significant safety risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes an underwater remote control power-off system and method for ROVs, which can effectively solve the problem of unmanned operation when ROVs are powered on and off.

[0005] The technical solution for implementing the present invention is as follows:

[0006] An ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) underwater remote control power-off system includes: an electromagnetic switch device and an ROV power-off circuit; wherein, the ROV power-off circuit includes a battery, a mechanical switch, a first current-limiting resistor, a second current-limiting resistor, a magnetic switch, a magnetic latching relay, a DC power module, an instrument relay, an instrument soft-start relay, and a microcomputer controller; the mechanical switch, the current-limiting resistor, and the magnetic switch are connected in series between the battery and the DC power module, and the magnetic latching relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor and the magnetic switch; the current-limiting resistor and the instrument soft-start relay are connected in series between the electromagnetic switch and the microcomputer controller, and the instrument relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor; the instrument soft-start relay is controlled by the output of the DC power module to turn on and off; the microcomputer controller controls the on and off of the magnetic latching relay and the instrument relay;

[0007] The electromagnetic switch device is installed on the unmanned platform, and the power-off circuit on the ROV is installed on the ROV; and when the ROV is mounted on the unmanned platform, the electromagnetic switch device is close to the magnetic switch.

[0008] Furthermore, the magnetic switch is fixed tightly against the inner wall of the ROV, and there is a set vertical distance between the electromagnetic switch device and the upper surface of the magnetic switch. The horizontal centers of the electromagnetic switch and the magnetic switch do not coincide, and its outer edge is directly above the center of the magnetic switch.

[0009] Furthermore, the lower section of the electromagnetic switch device and the upper end surface of the magnetic switch are at a set vertical distance of 16-26mm.

[0010] Furthermore, the microcomputer controller in the power-off circuit of the ROV is connected to the unmanned platform via optical fiber and receives control signals sent by the unmanned platform.

[0011] A method for remotely controlling and disconnecting the power supply to an ROV underwater includes the following specific steps:

[0012] (1) Mount the ROV on an unmanned platform and manually turn on the mechanical switch;

[0013] (2) The ROV enters the water along with the unmanned platform and is carried by the unmanned platform to the designated working area;

[0014] (3) The electromagnetic switch device controlled by the unmanned platform is powered on, and the electromagnetic switch device generates a magnetic field that causes the magnetic switch to close.

[0015] (4) The DC power from the battery is used as the input of the DC power module. The output of the DC power module drives the instrument's soft-start relay to close, so that the DC power from the battery is supplied to the microcomputer controller.

[0016] (5) The microcomputer controller is powered on and started up. The microcomputer controller controls the instrument relay coil to be powered on and short-circuit the second current limiting resistor. The microcomputer controller controls the magnetic latching relay to be powered on and short-circuit the first current limiting resistor and the magnetic switch.

[0017] (6) After the set time is reached, the coil is de-energized and the microcomputer controller sends the power-on / off information to the unmanned platform. After receiving the information from the microcomputer controller, the unmanned platform controls the electromagnetic switch to de-energize, and the power-on process is completed.

[0018] (7) The unmanned platform sends a power-off command to the microcomputer controller. The microcomputer controller controls the disconnecting coil of the magnetic latching relay to be energized so that its contacts are disconnected, thereby disconnecting the input path of the DC power supply module, disconnecting the instrument's soft-start relay, and powering off the microcomputer controller. The power-off process is then complete.

[0019] Furthermore, the microcomputer controller sends power-on / off information to the unmanned platform, and the communication method is fiber optic communication between the ROV's power-off circuit and the unmanned platform.

[0020] Beneficial effects:

[0021] First, an underwater remote control power-on and power-off system for ROVs includes an electromagnetic switch device and an ROV power-off circuit. After the unmanned platform carries the ROV to the designated water area, the entire system can realize unmanned control of the ROV's power-on and power-off through the electromagnetic switch device and the ROV power-off circuit. It is highly convenient, and some ROVs carry combat components, so unmanned operation can also improve safety.

[0022] Secondly, the connection of the first and second current-limiting resistors in the power-off circuit of the ROV can prevent excessive current flowing through the magnetic switch and the instrument's soft-start relay at the moment of power-on, which could damage them. During the power-on process of the ROV, after the instrument's soft-start relay is turned on, the second current-limiting resistor is short-circuited to reduce the power consumption on the second current-limiting resistor and ensure that the system has a longer battery life.

[0023] Third, a magnetic latching relay is added to the power-off circuit on the ROV because it has two sets of coils: an on coil and an off coil. When the on coil is energized, the contacts close. After the on coil is de-energized, the contacts remain closed. When the off coil is energized, the contacts open. After the off coil is de-energized, the contacts remain open. The on and off coils are not energized simultaneously. A magnetic latching relay is chosen instead of a regular relay because during ROV operation, abnormalities such as momentary overcurrent may occur, causing the battery protection to restart. In this case, after the battery restarts, the contacts remain closed, the ROV's power supply is still maintained, and it can operate normally. If a regular relay were used, both the magnetic switch (which cannot be controlled by an electromagnetic switch device after the ROV has been deployed from the unmanned platform) and the regular relay would be in an open state due to the power failure caused by the battery restart, causing the system to malfunction.

[0024] Fourth, the horizontal centers of the electromagnetic switch and the magnetic switch of the system do not coincide, and the outer edge of the electromagnetic switch is directly above the center of the magnetic switch. This is because the magnetic field at the outer edge of the electromagnetic switch is stronger than that at other positions, providing more stable control for the magnetic switch and allowing for more adjustment margin in the vertical distance between them. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the power-off device for remote underwater control of an ROV;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the assembly of the electromagnetic switch device and the magnetic switch;

[0028] Figure 3 Powering up an ROV is a workflow diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] A remotely controlled underwater power-off system for ROVs, as shown in the attached document. Figure 1 As shown, it includes an electromagnetic switch device and a power-off circuit on the ROV. In this embodiment, a remote control terminal and an unmanned platform are also used during implementation. The remote control terminal is used to issue power-on and power-off commands to the ROV; the unmanned platform is used to carry the ROV and control the electromagnetic switch device to execute the switching of the power-off circuit on the ROV by forwarding the power-on and power-off commands through optical fiber.

[0031] The power-off circuit on the ROV includes a battery, a mechanical switch, a first current-limiting resistor, a second current-limiting resistor, a magnetic switch, a magnetic latching relay, a DC power supply module, an instrument relay, an instrument soft-start relay, and a microcomputer controller.

[0032] A mechanical switch, a current-limiting resistor, and a magnetic switch are connected in series between the battery and the DC power module. The magnetic latching relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor and the magnetic switch. A current-limiting resistor and an instrument soft-start relay are connected in series between the electromagnetic controller and the microcomputer controller. The instrument relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor. The instrument soft-start relay is controlled by the output of the DC power module. The microcomputer controller controls the power on / off of the magnetic latching relay and the instrument relay. The microcomputer controller in the ROV power-off circuit is connected to the unmanned platform via optical fiber and receives control signals sent by the unmanned platform.

[0033] The electromagnetic switch device is mounted on the unmanned platform, and the power-off circuit on the ROV is located on the ROV; when the ROV is mounted on the unmanned platform, the electromagnetic switch device is close to the magnetic switch. The coils of the magnetic latching relay and the instrument relay are controlled by a microcomputer controller to turn on and off, the coil of the instrument soft-start relay is controlled by the output of a DC power module to turn on and off, and the magnetic switch is controlled by the electromagnetic switch device to turn on and off.

[0034] As attached Figure 2 As shown, when the unmanned platform is equipped with an ROV, the electromagnetic switch device is arranged close to the magnetic switch, and the magnetic switch is fixed tightly against the inner wall of the ROV. The vertical distance between the lower section of the electromagnetic switch device and the upper end face of the magnetic switch is 16-26mm. The horizontal centers of the electromagnetic switch and the magnetic switch do not coincide. (See attached diagram) Figure 2 As shown in the central axis diagram, the outer edge of the electromagnetic switch device has a stronger magnetic field, so its outer edge is directly above the center of the magnetic switch.

[0035] The function of a magnetic latching relay: A magnetic latching relay has two sets of coils: an on coil and an off coil. When the on coil is energized, the contacts close. Even after the on coil is de-energized, the contacts remain closed. When the off coil is energized, the contacts open. Even after the off coil is de-energized, the contacts remain open. The on and off coils are not energized simultaneously. A magnetic latching relay is chosen instead of a regular relay because during ROV operation, there may be instances of momentary overcurrent or other abnormalities that trigger battery protection restarts. In such cases, after the battery restarts, the ROV's power supply remains intact, allowing for a normal restart. Using a regular relay would prevent restarting because both the magnetic switch (which the ROV has been deployed from the unmanned platform at this point and cannot be controlled via an electromagnetic switch) and the regular relay would be in the off state.

[0036] As attached Figure 3As shown, a method for remotely controlling the power-on and power-off of an ROV (Return on Vehicle) is described. The power-on process of the ROV is as follows:

[0037] (1) Mount the ROV on an unmanned platform and manually turn on the mechanical switch;

[0038] (2) The ROV enters the water with the unmanned platform and is carried to the designated working area by the unmanned platform. The remote control terminal sends a power-on command to the ROV.

[0039] (3) After receiving the instruction wirelessly, the unmanned platform controls the electromagnetic switch device to power on, and the magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic switch device causes the magnetic switch of the ROV to close.

[0040] (4) The DC power from the battery is used as the input of the DC power module after passing through the mechanical switch, current limiting resistor 1 and magnetic switch. The output of the DC power module drives the instrument's soft start relay to close, so that the DC power from the battery is delivered to the microcomputer controller through the current limiting resistor 2 and the normally open contact of the instrument's soft start relay.

[0041] (5) The microcomputer controller is powered on and started. The microcomputer controller controls the instrument relay coil to be powered on so that its normally open contact is closed, thereby short-circuiting the current limiting resistor 2. The microcomputer controller controls the magnetic latching relay to be powered on so that its contact is closed, thereby short-circuiting the current limiting resistor 1 and the magnetic switch.

[0042] (6) After setting the time, the coil is de-energized. Communication is established between the microcomputer controller and the unmanned platform through optical fiber. After receiving the information from the microcomputer controller, the unmanned platform controls the electromagnetic switch to de-energize. Thus, the ROV power-on process is completed.

[0043] The ROV power-off process is as follows: The remote control terminal sends a power-off command to the ROV. The unmanned platform receives the command wirelessly and then forwards it to the ROV's microcomputer controller via fiber optic cable. The microcomputer controller energizes the disconnecting coil of the magnetic latching relay to open its contacts, thereby disconnecting the input path of the DC power module. This causes the instrument's soft-start relay to disconnect, and the microcomputer controller to power off. Thus, the ROV power-off process is completed.

[0044] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A remotely controlled underwater power-off system for ROVs, characterized in that, include: An electromagnetic switch device and a power-off circuit on the ROV are included. The power-off circuit on the ROV comprises a battery, a mechanical switch, a first current-limiting resistor, a second current-limiting resistor, a magnetic switch, a magnetic latching relay, a DC power module, an instrument relay, an instrument soft-start relay, and a microcomputer controller. The mechanical switch, current-limiting resistor, and magnetic switch are connected in series between the battery and the DC power module. The magnetic latching relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor and the magnetic switch. The current-limiting resistor and the instrument soft-start relay are connected in series between the electromagnetic switch and the microcomputer controller. The instrument relay is connected in parallel across the current-limiting resistor. The instrument soft-start relay is controlled by the output of the DC power module. The microcomputer controller controls the power supply to and from the magnetic latching relay and the instrument relay. The electromagnetic switch device is installed on the unmanned platform, and the power-off circuit on the ROV is installed on the ROV; and when the ROV is mounted on the unmanned platform, the electromagnetic switch device is close to the magnetic switch.

2. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The magnetic switch is fixed tightly against the inner wall of the ROV. There is a set vertical distance between the electromagnetic switch device and the upper surface of the magnetic switch. The horizontal centers of the electromagnetic switch and the magnetic switch do not coincide, and its outer edge is directly above the center of the magnetic switch.

3. The system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lower section of the electromagnetic switch device and the upper end surface of the magnetic switch are at a set vertical distance of 16-26mm.

4. The system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The microcomputer controller in the power-off circuit of the ROV is connected to the unmanned platform via optical fiber and receives control signals sent by the unmanned platform.

5. A method for remotely controlling the power-off of an ROV underwater, the method being based on the ROV remotely controlling the power-off system according to any one of claims 1-4, comprising the following specific steps: (1) Mount the ROV on an unmanned platform and manually turn on the mechanical switch; (2) The ROV enters the water along with the unmanned platform and is carried by the unmanned platform to the designated working area; (3) The electromagnetic switch device controlled by the unmanned platform is powered on, and the electromagnetic switch device generates a magnetic field that causes the magnetic switch to close. (4) The DC power from the battery is used as the input of the DC power module. The output of the DC power module drives the instrument's soft-start relay to close, so that the DC power from the battery is supplied to the microcomputer controller. (5) The microcomputer controller is powered on and started up. The microcomputer controller controls the instrument relay coil to be powered on and short-circuit the second current limiting resistor. The microcomputer controller controls the magnetic latching relay to be powered on and short-circuit the first current limiting resistor and the magnetic switch. (6) After the set time is reached, the coil is de-energized and the microcomputer controller sends the power-on / off information to the unmanned platform. After receiving the information from the microcomputer controller, the unmanned platform controls the electromagnetic switch to de-energize, and the power-on process is completed. (7) The unmanned platform sends a power-off command to the microcomputer controller. The microcomputer controller controls the disconnecting coil of the magnetic latching relay to be energized so that its contacts are disconnected, thereby disconnecting the input path of the DC power supply module, disconnecting the instrument's soft-start relay, and powering off the microcomputer controller. The power-off process is then complete.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The microcomputer controller sends power-on / off information to the unmanned platform, and the communication method is fiber optic communication between the ROV's power-off circuit and the unmanned platform.

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