An underwater vehicle load hatch opening mechanism

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mechanism for opening a hatch for deploying a payload on an underwater vehicle, comprising a vehicle body, a central rotating shaft, an unlocking rod, a locking column, an elastic plate, a hatch cover, a hatch lock, and a hatch lock catch. The central rotating shaft is fixedly mounted on the vehicle body. The unlocking rod is sleeved on the central rotating shaft and rotates with the central rotating shaft. The locking column is fixed to the vehicle body and cooperates with the hatch lock catch. The elastic plate is fixed to the vehicle body and generates an elastic force on the hatch cover. The hatch lock passes through the hatch lock catch and is fixedly connected to the hatch cover. The relative movement of the hatch lock catch along the radial direction of the hatch cover is fixed by the hatch lock. One end of the hatch lock catch is connected to one end of the unlocking rod. When the hatch lock catch rotates clockwise with the unlocking rod to an unlocking position, dynamic unlocking is achieved. By designing a technical method for automatically opening the hatch of an underwater unmanned vehicle, the efficiency of payload deployment is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater vehicle payload placement, and in particular to a mechanism for opening a hatch for placing a payload on an underwater vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development of modern social economy, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) have been widely used in civil, military and commercial fields. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been widely used in civil fields such as seabed exploration, underwater rescue, seabed salvage, marine science, etc., as well as in military fields such as underwater submarine warfare and anti-submarine warfare, anti-mine warfare, marine reconnaissance and surveillance, intelligence collection, information communication, and target attack due to their advantages of autonomy, concealment, environmental adaptability, deployability and high cost-effectiveness.

[0003] Generally, most underwater vehicles need to carry workloads (such as exploration equipment, reconnaissance equipment, or weapons used for combat) to complete underwater payload deployment tasks in the target sea area. How to achieve efficient payload deployment has become one of the key technologies to ensure the safety of underwater vehicles.

[0004] Currently, there are two methods for payload deployment: thrust-and-ram separation and gravity-release separation. Both methods involve mounting a payload compartment at the front of the underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV). These compartments can only carry one payload and must be shaped to fit the UUV. Placing the payload inside the AUV, on the other hand, allows the UUV to carry multiple payloads at once, significantly improving deployment efficiency. For ejection methods where the payload is located inside the AUV, the hatch must be opened before ejection.

[0005] Therefore, those skilled in the art are committed to developing a mechanism for opening a hatch for deploying a payload of an underwater vehicle to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the problem of high cost and low efficiency of the existing underwater vehicle payload deployment technology, and to achieve low-cost and high-efficiency underwater payload deployment.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an underwater vehicle load-deployment hatch opening mechanism, characterized in that it includes an aircraft body, a central rotating shaft, an unlocking rod, a locking column, an elastic plate, a hatch cover, a hatch lock, and a hatch lock catch; the central rotating shaft is fixedly mounted on the aircraft body; the unlocking rod is sleeved on the central rotating shaft and rotates with the central rotating shaft; the locking column is fixed on the aircraft body and cooperates with the hatch lock catch; the elastic plate is fixed on the aircraft body and generates an elastic force on the hatch cover; the hatch lock is fixedly connected to the hatch cover through the hatch lock catch; the relative movement of the hatch lock catch along the radial direction of the hatch cover is fixed by the hatch lock, and the movement of the hatch lock catch in the rotation direction around the central rotating shaft is not restricted; one end of the hatch lock catch is connected to one end of the unlocking rod, and the hatch lock catch is dynamically unlocked when it rotates clockwise to the unlocking position along with the unlocking rod.

[0008] Furthermore, one end of the central rotating shaft is cylindrical and cooperates with the unlocking rod, and the other end of the central rotating shaft is fixedly mounted on the aircraft body.

[0009] Furthermore, one end of the unlocking rod is annular and has an opening, the opening is provided with an outward protrusion, the protrusion is provided with a circular hole, and the unlocking rod is fastened to the central rotating shaft by passing a bolt through the circular hole.

[0010] Furthermore, a recess is provided at the other end of the unlocking rod, and a boss is provided at one end of the hatch lock catch, and the recess and the boss cooperate with each other to form a mortise and tenon structure connection.

[0011] Furthermore, the middle portion of the unlocking rod is configured to be L-shaped.

[0012] Furthermore, a slot-shaped through hole is provided on the hatch lock buckle, and the slot-shaped through hole cooperates with the hatch lock.

[0013] Furthermore, the hatch lock is U-shaped as a whole, and the hatch lock passes through the slot-shaped through hole and is fixedly connected to the hatch cover, so that the hatch lock buckle can only slide along the slot-shaped through hole.

[0014] Furthermore, a hollow circular groove with a notch is provided on the hatch lock catch, and the hollow circular groove cooperates with the lock column.

[0015] Furthermore, the lock column is cylindrical as a whole, and the lock column is fixed on the aircraft body and cooperates with the hollow circular groove. The lock column slides along the hollow circular groove. When it slides to the notch position of the hollow circular groove, under the action of the elastic force of the elastic plate, the hatch cover is separated from the aircraft body, thereby realizing dynamic unlocking.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a small plug plate, which is fixed on the aircraft body. The end of the hatch cover is inserted into the small plug plate and cooperates with the hatch lock to fix the hatch cover on the aircraft body.

[0017] Compared with traditional methods and devices, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The present invention realizes a layout scheme of arranging the payload inside the unmanned vehicle through the technical design of automatically opening the hatch of the underwater unmanned vehicle, which can enable the underwater unmanned vehicle to carry multiple payloads at a time and greatly improve the delivery efficiency.

[0019] The concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to fully understand the purpose, characteristics and effects of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of a hatch opening mechanism for deploying a payload on an underwater vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention after the elastic plate pops out of the hatch;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a hatch opening mechanism ejection mechanism not being triggered according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of triggering the ejection mechanism of the hatch opening mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the hatch cover and the hatch lock according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mortise and tenon connection between the hatch lock catch and the unlocking rod according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the recessed portion of the unlocking rod according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a hatch cover fixing plug plate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Among them, 1-AUV unmanned vehicle, 10-vehicle body, 11-central rotation axis, 12-unlocking rod, 13-locking column, 14-elastic plate, 15-small plug plate, 2-hatch, 20-hatch cover, 21-hatch lock, 22-hatch lock buckle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following describes several preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings to make its technical content clearer and easier to understand. The present invention can be embodied in many different forms of embodiments, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned herein.

[0030] In the drawings, components with identical structures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and components with similar structures or functions are denoted by similar reference numerals. The size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary and are not limited by the present invention. For clarity, the thickness of components in some places in the drawings is appropriately exaggerated.

[0031] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "middle", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0034] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the structure of this embodiment consists of two parts, including an AUV 1 and a hatch 2. The AUV 1 consists of a vehicle body 10, a central rotation axis 11, an unlocking rod 12, a locking column 13, an elastic plate 14, and a hatch cover fixing plate 15. The hatch 2 consists of a hatch cover 20, a hatch lock 21, and a hatch lock catch 22.

[0035] The unlocking rod 12 is sleeved on the central rotating shaft 11 and rotates clockwise with the central rotating shaft 11. The door lock 21 is fixed to the door cover 20. The relative movement of the door lock catch 22 along the radial direction of the door cover 20 is fixed by the door lock 21, while the rotational movement of the door lock catch 22 around the central rotating shaft 11 is not restricted. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the hatch lock catch 22 and the unlocking rod 12 are connected by a mortise and tenon structure, and the protruding end of the hatch lock catch 22 is embedded in the recessed end of the unlocking rod 12. Therefore, the hatch lock catch 22 can rotate clockwise with the unlocking rod 12 fixed to the central rotating shaft 11 by this structure to achieve dynamic unlocking. Figure 8 As shown, in addition to being fixedly connected to the AUV unmanned vehicle 1 through the hatch opening mechanism, the unmanned vehicle 1 is equipped with a small plug 15 for fixing the hatch cover at the position corresponding to the end of the hatch 2. There are a total of five protruding small plugs 15. By inserting the end of the hatch cover 20 into the small plug 15 and cooperating with the locking action of the hatch opening mechanism, the function of fixing the hatch 2 to the unmanned vehicle 1 at both the head and the end can be achieved.

[0036] The specific process of dynamic unlocking: Figure 5 As shown, the hatch lock catch 22 has two hollow circular grooves with notches, and the lock cylinders 13 are arranged inside. Figure 3 As shown, in the locked state, although the elastic plate 14 between the AUV unmanned vehicle 1 and the hatch cover 20 continuously exerts an outward elastic force on the hatch cover 20, the hatch lock 22 of the hatch 2 can only rotate around the central axis 11 due to the restriction of the lock column 13. When the entire unlocking process begins, the central axis 11 first drives the unlocking rod 12 to rotate, and the unlocking rod 12 then drives the hatch lock 22 to rotate. Figure 4 As shown, when it is rotated to a certain angle, the notch of the hollow circular groove of the hatch lock catch 22 rotates to the lock column 13, and the lock column 13 loses its function of restricting the hatch 2 at this time. Due to the elastic force of the elastic plate 14 on the hatch cover 20, the hatch lock catch 22 is driven by the hatch cover 20 to disengage from the lock rod 13. At this time, the hatch 2 composed of the hatch cover 20, the hatch lock 21 and the hatch lock catch 22 can be separated from the AUV unmanned vehicle 1, the hatch is opened, and the load deployment can begin.

[0037] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Any other changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, and simplifications that do not deviate from the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be equivalent replacement methods, including but not limited to changes in names, changes in part models and sizes, adjustments to the installation position or installation angle of the mechanism, overall or partial enlargement or reduction, and adjustments to the relative positions of parts, shall all be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] The above describes in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications and variations based on the concepts of the present invention without inventive effort. Therefore, any technical solutions that can be derived by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation based on the concepts of the present invention and the prior art should be within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A mechanism for opening a hatch for deploying a payload on an underwater vehicle, characterized in that: The invention comprises an aircraft body, a central rotating shaft, an unlocking rod, a locking column, an elastic plate, a hatch cover, a hatch lock, and a hatch lock buckle; the central rotating shaft is fixedly mounted on the aircraft body; the unlocking rod is sleeved on the central rotating shaft and rotates with the central rotating shaft; the locking column is fixed on the aircraft body and cooperates with the hatch lock buckle; the elastic plate is fixed on the aircraft body and generates an elastic force on the hatch cover; the hatch lock is fixedly connected to the hatch cover through the hatch lock buckle; the relative movement of the hatch lock buckle along the radial direction of the hatch cover is fixed by the hatch lock, and the hatch lock buckle rotates around the hatch cover. The movement in the rotation direction of the central rotating shaft is not restricted; one end of the hatch lock buckle is connected to one end of the unlocking rod, and the hatch lock buckle is dynamically unlocked when the unlocking rod rotates clockwise to the unlocking position; the hatch lock buckle is provided with a hollow circular groove with a notch, and the hollow circular groove cooperates with the lock column; the lock column is cylindrical as a whole, and the lock column is fixed on the aircraft body and cooperates with the hollow circular groove. The lock column slides along the hollow circular groove, and when it slides to the notch position of the hollow circular groove, under the action of the elastic force of the elastic plate, the hatch cover is separated from the aircraft body, realizing dynamic unlocking.

2. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the central rotating shaft is cylindrical and cooperates with the unlocking rod, and the other end of the central rotating shaft is fixedly installed on the aircraft body.

3. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the unlocking rod is annular and has an opening. The opening is provided with an outward protrusion, and the protrusion is provided with a circular hole. A bolt is passed through the circular hole to fasten the unlocking rod to the central rotating shaft.

4. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The other end of the unlocking rod is provided with a pit, and one end of the hatch lock is provided with a boss, and the pit and the boss cooperate with each other to form a mortise and tenon structure connection.

5. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The middle portion of the unlocking rod is configured to be L-shaped.

6. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The hatch lock buckle is provided with a slot-shaped through hole, and the slot-shaped through hole matches the hatch lock.

7. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The hatch lock is U-shaped as a whole, and is fixedly connected to the hatch cover through the slot-shaped through hole, so that the hatch lock buckle can only slide along the slot-shaped through hole.

8. The underwater vehicle loading hatch opening mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a small plug plate, which is fixed on the aircraft body. The end of the hatch cover is inserted into the small plug plate and cooperates with the hatch lock to fix the hatch cover on the aircraft body.

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