An underwater full-vector propulsion device

Abstract

The present invention discloses an underwater full-vector propulsion device, which includes a housing, a full-vector adjustment mechanism and a propeller motor arranged inside the housing. The propeller motor is fixed to the output end of the full-vector adjustment mechanism, and a propeller is arranged at the shaft output end of the propeller motor. The full-vector adjustment mechanism includes a linear adjustment mechanism and a rotary adjustment mechanism. The linear adjustment mechanism is installed at the output end of the rotary adjustment mechanism, and the propeller motor is installed at the output end of the linear adjustment mechanism. It is used to overcome the problem that existing underwater vehicles need to install multiple thrusters to control their navigation directions. By changing the direction of the propeller through a two-degree-of-freedom mechanical transmission, the flexibility of its movement is improved, and the performance is more stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of underwater unmanned vehicles, and specifically refers to an underwater full-vector propulsion device. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing emphasis on human exploration of the ocean, the development and utilization of the ocean have become a new trend in the future. As an important tool for human exploration of the ocean, the postures of various underwater vehicles have attracted more and more attention. The propulsion device on a general underwater vehicle can only provide a force along the horizontal axis of the vehicle forward, and it is not convenient to change the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0003] In view of the above technical defects, Chinese Patent Publication No. 202211391812.4, titled "A Deflectable Underwater Unmanned Vehicle Propulsion Device", includes: a vector propulsion section and a thruster; the vector propulsion section adopts a structure of an outer ring sleeving an inner ring, including: an up-and-down deflection ring, an up-and-down deflection driving mechanism, a left-and-right deflection ring, a left-and-right deflection driving mechanism and a fixed frame; the up-and-down deflection ring is pinned to the fixed frame, the left-and-right deflection ring is pinned to the up-and-down deflection ring, and the thruster is fixed to the left-and-right deflection ring for generating a propulsion force to control the movement of the underwater unmanned vehicle; the up-and-down deflection driving mechanism is connected to the up-and-down deflection ring for controlling the rotation of the up-and-down deflection ring, and then driving the thruster to deflect up and down; the left-and-right deflection driving mechanism is connected to the left-and-right deflection ring for controlling the rotation of the left-and-right deflection ring, and then driving the thruster to deflect left and right; the present invention can reduce weight, simplify the actuator, reduce energy consumption costs and improve operating efficiency, and ultimately improve the maneuverability of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

[0004] This technical solution can theoretically solve the problem of changing the traveling direction of an underwater vehicle. It changes the orientation of the vector propulsion section through a telescopic mechanism, and then changes the traveling direction of the underwater unmanned vehicle. First, the underwater pressure is relatively high, and by using a telescopic device as the power source and setting it inside the vector propulsion section, the volume and weight of the vector propulsion section are increased, thus increasing the load on the telescopic device. In addition, there is also water pressure during underwater swinging, and the deeper the water, the greater the water pressure, which further leads to a significant increase in the load on the telescopic device. Therefore, the requirements for the telescopic device are very high, greatly increasing the cost and also having a great impact on the service life of the telescopic device.

[0005] In addition, in this technical solution, when changing the traveling direction, the rotation and direction change are achieved through a pin shaft. However, the underwater environment is complex. The so-called "deflection ring" increases the transmission chain length and has limited self-limiting ability, making it difficult to complete 360-degree full vector propulsion. Moreover, the upper and lower deflection rings 3 and the left and right deflection rings 5 are connected by a "pin connection" method, and it is difficult to ensure the connection strength between the two and the synchronization degree between the two rings. Therefore, it is very difficult to achieve 360-degree full vector propulsion. In addition, the underwater pressure will continuously increase with the increase in depth. Under such a large load and pressure, the pin shaft is easily damaged, resulting in the equipment being unable to operate normally. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides an underwater full vector propulsion device, which is used to overcome the problem that existing underwater submersibles need to install multiple thrusters to control their sailing directions. By changing the direction of the propeller through a two-degree-of-freedom mechanical transmission, the flexibility of its movement is improved, and the performance is more stable.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0008] An underwater full vector propulsion device includes a housing, a full vector adjustment mechanism arranged in the housing, and a propeller motor. The propeller motor is fixed at the output end of the full vector adjustment mechanism. A propeller is arranged at the shaft output end of the propeller motor. The full vector adjustment mechanism includes a linear adjustment mechanism and a rotary adjustment mechanism. The linear adjustment mechanism is installed at the output end of the rotary adjustment mechanism, and the propeller motor is installed at the output end of the linear adjustment mechanism.

[0009] Preferably, the linear adjustment mechanism includes a threaded rod servo motor, a threaded rod, a fixing member, a spherical pair member, and a spherical pair member housing. One end of the threaded rod is connected to the output end of the threaded rod servo motor through a coupling. The other end of the threaded rod is rotatably connected to the fixing member through a threaded rod bearing. A sliding member is threadedly connected to the threaded rod. The middle position of the spherical pair member is installed in the spherical pair member housing. One end of the spherical pair member is connected to the sliding member in a universal joint manner, and the propeller motor is fixed at the other end of the spherical pair member.

[0010] Preferably, two smooth straight rods are arranged in parallel in the housing. Lugs are respectively arranged on the opposite outer walls of the spherical pair member housing. A sliding hole is arranged on the lug, and the spherical pair member housing is slidably installed on the smooth straight rods through the two lugs.

[0011] Preferably, the ball pair member includes an integrally formed transmission rod, an intermediate spherical connector, and a tail spherical connector. The intermediate spherical connector is located at the middle position of the transmission rod, and the tail spherical connector is located at one end of the transmission rod. A through hole is provided in the ball pair member housing, and the intermediate spherical connector is disposed in the through hole. A spherical connection cavity is provided on the sliding member, and the tail spherical connector is connected to the spherical connection cavity. An annular seat is fixedly provided at the other end of the transmission rod, and the propeller motor is fixedly installed on the annular seat.

[0012] Preferably, the rotation adjustment mechanism includes a turntable servo motor, a motor bracket, and a turntable. The motor bracket is fixedly installed in the housing, the turntable servo motor is fixedly installed on the motor bracket, the output end of the turntable servo motor is connected to the center of one side of the turntable, and the threaded rod servo motor and the fixing member are fixedly provided on the other side of the turntable.

[0013] Preferably, a strip-shaped sliding interface is provided on the turntable, a sliding connection member is provided on the sliding member, and the sliding connection member is slidably connected to the sliding interface.

[0014] Preferably, the sliding connection member has a cylindrical structure, an annular groove is provided on the radially outer wall of the sliding connection member, and the sliding connection member is slidably connected to the sliding interface through the annular groove.

[0015] Preferably, mounting holes are provided on the motor bracket, rolling bearings are provided on the mounting holes, and the rolling bearings are fixedly installed on the output shaft of the turntable servo motor.

[0016] Preferably, the output shaft of the turntable servo motor is connected to the turntable through a motor connection member.

[0017] Preferably, the motor connection member includes a connection disk, a plurality of connecting rods, and a connection column. The connection column is fixed at the center of one side of the connection disk, a connection hole is provided axially in the connection column, the output shaft of the turntable servo motor is connected to the connection hole, and a plurality of the connecting rods are fixed on the other side of the connection disk, and the other ends of the connecting rods are fixedly connected to one side of the middle turntable.

[0018] The present invention has the following characteristics and beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. The thrust generated when the present invention propels the underwater submersible to navigate is only related to the propeller model and the power of the propeller motor, and has nothing to do with the servo motor for controlling the vector direction. It has good maneuverability and flexibility at low speeds and can be applied to underwater detection, underwater docking, underwater trajectory tracking and other occasions.

[0020] 2. The present invention can flexibly control the thrust direction of the propeller, with simple operation and convenient control, enabling the underwater vehicle to fulfill navigation requirements such as surfacing, diving, and left - right deflection. Moreover, while achieving good maneuverability, it does not reduce the propulsion efficiency of the propeller.

[0021] 3. The structure of the present invention is simple, compact, occupies a small space, has reliable performance, is easy to maintain, and can be applied to underwater vehicles of various shapes and sizes.

[0022] 4. The structure of the present invention places a relatively small load on the drive motor for achieving full - vector variable direction, so it has a longer service life.

[0023] 5. The present invention directly uses the up - down and left - right motors and the ball - pair structure to control the spatial position, with precise positioning, and can achieve 360 - degree full - vector propulsion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following - described drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 It is the front transparent - plane view of the overall assembly of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 It is the front - plane view of the overall assembly of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 It is the hidden - solid - side view of the overall assembly of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 It is one of the exploded - solid - side views of the vector mechanism of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 It is the other exploded - solid - side view of the vector mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 It is the exploded - solid - side view of the propulsion mechanism of the present invention.

[0031] Wherein: 1 - housing, 2 - turntable servo motor, 3 - motor bracket, 4 - rolling bearing, 5 - motor connecting piece, 6 - turntable, 7 - lead - screw servo motor, 8 - coupling, 9 - sliding part, 10 - lead - screw, 11 - lead - screw bearing, 12 - fixing part, 13 - ball - pair part, 14 - ball - pair part housing, 15 - smooth straight rod, 16 - propeller motor, 17 - propeller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood through specific circumstances.

[0035] The present invention provides an underwater full-vector propulsion device, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, which includes a housing 1, a full-vector adjustment mechanism and a propeller motor 16 arranged inside the housing 1. The propeller motor 16 is fixed at the output end of the full-vector adjustment mechanism. A propeller 17 is arranged at the shaft output end of the propeller motor 16. The full-vector adjustment mechanism includes a linear adjustment mechanism and a rotational adjustment mechanism. The linear adjustment mechanism is mounted at the output end of the rotational adjustment mechanism, and the propeller motor 16 is mounted at the output end of the linear adjustment mechanism.

[0036] Specifically, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the rotational adjustment mechanism includes a turntable servo motor 2, a motor bracket 3 and a turntable 6. The motor bracket 3 is fixedly mounted inside the housing 1 by bolts. A reinforcing plate is arranged on the motor bracket 3. Mounting holes are located on the reinforcing plate, and rolling bearings 4 are arranged on the mounting holes. The rolling bearings 4 are fixedly mounted on the output shaft of the turntable servo motor 2. Through the arrangement of the reinforcing plate, the installation of the motor bracket 3 and the turntable servo motor 2 is more stable.

[0037] In addition, a motor connecting member 5 is fixedly provided at the end of the output shaft. The motor connecting member 5 includes a connecting disc, a plurality of connecting rods and a connecting column. The connecting column is fixed at the center of one side of the connecting disc. A connecting hole is axially provided on the connecting column. The output shaft of the turntable servo motor 2 is connected to the connecting hole. The plurality of connecting rods are fixed on the other side of the connecting disc, and the other ends of the connecting rods are fixedly connected to one side of the turntable 6.

[0038] In this embodiment, the connecting portion of the output shaft has a square structure, and the connecting hole on the connecting column matches the connecting portion of the square structure.

[0039] A further setting of this embodiment is as Figure 3 and Figure 6 shown. The linear adjustment mechanism includes a threaded rod servo motor 7, a threaded rod 10, a fixing member 12, a ball pair member 13 and a ball pair housing 14. One end of the threaded rod 10 is connected to the output end of the threaded rod servo motor 7 through a coupling 8. In addition, the fixing member has an inverted L-shaped structure. An installation circular groove is provided on the horizontal plate of the fixing member, and a threaded rod bearing 11 is fixedly provided in the installation circular groove. The other end of the threaded rod 10 is fixedly connected to the threaded rod bearing 11. A sliding member 9 is threadedly connected to the threaded rod 10. Specifically, a threaded hole is provided radially on the sliding member 9, and the sliding member 9 is threadedly connected to the threaded rod 10 through the threaded hole.

[0040] Furthermore, a strip-shaped sliding interface is provided on the turntable 6, and a sliding connection member is provided on the sliding member 9. The sliding connection member is slidably connected to the sliding interface. The sliding connection member has a cylindrical structure, and an annular groove is provided on the outer wall of the sliding connection member in the radial direction. The sliding connection member is slidably connected to the sliding interface through the annular groove. It can be understood that by the cooperation of the sliding member 9 and the sliding interface, the sliding of the sliding member 9 is more stable.

[0041] A further setting of this embodiment is that the middle position of the ball pair member 13 is installed in the ball pair housing 14. One end of the ball pair member 13 is universally connected to the sliding member 9, and the propeller motor 16 is fixed to the other end of the ball pair member 13.

[0042] Specifically, the ball pair member 13 includes an integrally formed transmission rod, an intermediate spherical connecting member and a tail spherical connecting member. The intermediate spherical connecting member is located at the middle position of the transmission rod, and the tail spherical connecting member is located at one end of the transmission rod. A through hole is provided in the ball pair housing 14, and the intermediate spherical connecting member is arranged in the through hole. A spherical connecting cavity is provided on the sliding member 9, and the tail spherical connecting member is connected to the spherical connecting cavity. An annular seat is fixedly provided at the other end of the transmission rod, and the propeller motor 16 is fixedly installed on the annular seat.

[0043] Among them, two smooth straight rods 15 are arranged in parallel in the housing 1. Lugs are respectively arranged on the outer walls of the opposite sides of the ball joint housing 14, and sliding holes are arranged on the lugs. The ball joint housing 14 is slidably mounted on the smooth straight rods 15 through the two lugs.

[0044] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0045] In the stationary state, the propeller 17 can only provide a forward thrust along the central axis for the underwater vehicle. When the threaded rod servo motor 7 drives the threaded rod 10 to rotate, the sliding member 9 on the threaded rod 10 can move within the notch range of the turntable 6. When the threaded rod servo motor 7 rotates forward, the sliding member 9 can move downward, and when it rotates reversely, it moves upward. One end of the sliding member 9 and the ball joint 13 are coaxially connected by a ball joint to form a ball joint. When the threaded rod servo motor 7 drives the threaded rod sliding member 9 to move, the ball joint housing 14 will move on the smooth straight rod 15, and the propeller 17 at the other end of the ball joint 13 will generate an inclination angle in the vertical plane, and the propeller 17 provides a buoyancy or diving thrust for the underwater vehicle. The turntable servo motor 2 drives the turntable 6 to rotate. If the threaded rod servo motor 7 stops operating at this time, the threaded rod sliding member 9 will no longer move. Controlling the deflection angle of the turntable servo motor 2 is to control the deflection angle of the turntable 6, then the vertical plane where the propeller 17 is located deflects, and the underwater vehicle can achieve left and right deflection.

[0046] The principle of the present invention is simple and reasonable, the structure is compact, it is convenient for maintenance, the control actions and control are convenient, and the underwater vehicle can have high maneuverability and flexibility at low speeds and can adapt to a variety of complex underwater environments.

[0047] The above has described in detail the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention, various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations to these embodiments including components still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater full-vector propulsion device, characterized in that, It includes a housing (1), a full vector adjustment mechanism and a propeller motor (16) arranged inside the housing (1). The propeller motor (16) is fixed to the output end of the full vector adjustment mechanism. A propeller (17) is arranged at the shaft output end of the propeller motor (16). The full vector adjustment mechanism includes a linear adjustment mechanism and a rotary adjustment mechanism. The linear adjustment mechanism is installed at the output end of the rotary adjustment mechanism. The propeller motor (16) is installed at the output end of the linear adjustment mechanism. The linear adjustment mechanism includes a ball joint housing (14). Two smooth straight rods (15) are arranged in parallel inside the housing (1). Lugs are respectively arranged on the opposite outer walls of the ball joint housing (14). Slide holes are arranged on the lugs. The ball joint housing (14) is slidably installed on the smooth straight rods (15) through the two lugs.

2. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The linear adjustment mechanism further includes a threaded rod servo motor (7), a threaded rod (10), a fixing member (12), and a ball joint (13). One end of the threaded rod (10) is connected to the output end of the threaded rod servo motor (7) through a coupling (8). The other end of the threaded rod (10) is rotatably connected to the fixing member (12) through a threaded rod bearing (11). A sliding member (9) is threadedly connected to the threaded rod (10). The middle position of the ball joint (13) is installed inside the ball joint housing (14). One end of the ball joint (13) is connected to the sliding member (9) in a universal joint manner. The propeller motor (16) is fixed to the other end of the ball joint (13).

3. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ball joint (13) includes an integrally formed transmission rod, an intermediate spherical connector, and a tail spherical connector. The intermediate spherical connector is located at the middle position of the transmission rod. The tail spherical connector is located at one end of the transmission rod. A through hole is arranged inside the ball joint housing (14). The intermediate spherical connector is arranged in the through hole. A spherical connection cavity is arranged on the sliding member (9). The tail spherical connector is connected to the spherical connection cavity. An annular seat is fixedly arranged at the other end of the transmission rod. The propeller motor (16) is fixedly installed on the annular seat.

4. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotary adjustment mechanism includes a turntable servo motor (2), a motor bracket (3), and a turntable (6). The motor bracket (3) is fixedly installed inside the housing (1). The turntable servo motor (2) is fixedly installed on the motor bracket (3). The output end of the turntable servo motor (2) is connected to the center of one side of the turntable (6). The threaded rod servo motor (7) and the fixing member (12) are fixedly arranged on the other side of the turntable (6).

5. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 4, characterized in that, A strip-shaped sliding interface is arranged on the turntable (6). A sliding connector is arranged on the sliding member (9). The sliding connector is slidably connected to the sliding interface.

6. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sliding connector has a cylindrical structure. An annular groove is arranged on the radial outer wall of the sliding connector. The sliding connector is slidably connected to the sliding interface through the annular groove.

7. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 4, characterized in that, An installation hole is arranged on the motor bracket (3). A rolling bearing (4) is arranged on the installation hole. The rolling bearing (4) is fixedly installed on the output shaft of the turntable servo motor (2).

8. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The output shaft of the turntable servo motor (2) is connected to the turntable (6) through a motor connecting member (5).

9. The underwater full-vector propulsion device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The motor connecting member includes a connecting plate, a plurality of connecting rods and a connecting column. The connecting column is fixed at the center of one side of the connecting plate. A connecting hole is axially provided in the connecting column. The output shaft of the turntable servo motor (2) is connected to the connecting hole. The plurality of connecting rods are fixed on the other side of the connecting plate, and the other ends of the connecting rods are fixedly connected to one side of the turntable (6).

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