An inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of surface recovery of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Specifically, it relates to a tilting and lifting slide-type rope capture and recovery device. The slide-type rope capture mechanism is mounted on the deck of a mother ship via a channel steel slide. The channel steel slide is equipped with adapter plates on both sides and connected to the mother ship via bolts. A base frame and the channel steel slide form a slide assembly via channel steel pulleys fixed to both sides of the base frame. The base frame is connected to a bracket via two electric push rods, four hinges, and two bearing seats. A winch is arranged inside the bracket and connected to a recovery rope. The end of the recovery rope is arranged in a triangular shape. Air drums are arranged on both sides of the bracket, extending two tensioning ropes connected to the end of the recovery rope. Two rows of pulleys are arranged on the bracket to serve as the recovery slide. The present invention has the advantages of high safety, reliable connection, and easy operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of surface recovery of autonomous underwater vehicles, in particular to an inclined lifting slideway type rope capture and recovery device. Background Art

[0002] Since their invention in the 1950s, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have been widely used in marine environmental monitoring, deep-sea resource exploration and development, underwater search and rescue, seabed salvage, and scientific expeditions to the abyss and polar regions. However, because AUVs rely primarily on their own fuel cells for energy, their flight time is limited and, due to the limitations of underwater communication technology, they must be frequently retrieved and returned to their mother vessels for refueling. Currently, mature and reliable AUV recovery methods mostly require human operators on board the mother vessel. This method is inefficient, difficult to operate around the clock, and carries significant risks to personnel in poor sea conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned problems existing in the current manual recovery of autonomous underwater vehicles, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device.

[0004] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] The present invention includes a chassis, a bracket, a channel steel slideway, a stepper motor, a gear, a rack, a winch, an electric push rod, a recovery rope, a recovery slideway and a tensioning assembly, wherein the channel steel slideway is installed on a mother ship, the chassis is slidably connected to the channel steel slideway, a rack is fixed to the channel steel slideway along the recovery direction, the stepper motor is fixed to the chassis, the output end of the stepper motor is connected to a gear meshing with the rack, and the stepper motor drives the chassis to slide back and forth relative to the channel steel slideway through the gear and the rack; one end of the chassis is rotatably connected to the bracket, and the other end of the chassis is rotatably connected to the bracket. An electric push rod is provided between the end and one end of the bracket, the top of the electric push rod is hinged to the bracket, and the bottom of the electric push rod is hinged to the other end of the base frame. The bracket can be rotated around the rotating connection with one end of the base frame by the drive of the electric push rod to achieve tilting; the winch is installed on the bracket, one end of the recovery rope is wrapped around the winch, and the other end of the recovery rope is used to tow the autonomous underwater vehicle, and the brackets on the left and right sides of the other end of the recovery rope are provided with tensioning components for tensioning the recovery rope; a recovery slide is installed on the bracket along the recovery direction.

[0006] Wherein: the other end of the recovery rope forms a triangle at the other end of the bracket, and the left and right vertices of the triangle are respectively connected to the tensioning components on both sides, and are tightened and straightened by the tensioning components on both sides.

[0007] The tensioning assembly includes a tensioning rope pulley, an air drum, a tensioning rope and a pulley frame. The air drum is installed on a bracket. The pulley frame is fixed to the other end of the bracket. A tensioning rope pulley is installed on the pulley frame. The tensioning rope passes around the tensioning rope pulley. One end of the tensioning rope is connected to the air drum, and the other end is connected to the other end of the recovery rope.

[0008] The pulley frames in the tensioning assemblies on both sides are in an "eight" shape, and the tensioning rope is always kept tensioned during the entire recovery process under the action of the air drum, thereby tightening the recovery rope.

[0009] The recovery slideway comprises two rows of pulleys, which are mounted on a bracket along the recovery direction. Each row of pulleys is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged side by side, and each row of pulleys is inclined inward from top to bottom.

[0010] A channel steel pulley is installed on the base frame. The channel steel pulley is accommodated in the channel steel slideway and is slidably connected to the channel steel slideway.

[0011] A row of channel steel pulleys are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the base frame along the recovery direction. The channel steel pulleys are provided with threaded columns. A through hole is opened on the base frame. The threaded columns pass through the through hole and are tightened and fixed by nuts.

[0012] Limiting modules for limiting the movement of the chassis are installed at both the front and rear ends of the channel steel slideway.

[0013] Adapter plates are fixed to the left and right sides of the channel steel slideway, respectively, and the channel steel slideway is fixed to the mother ship through the adapter plates.

[0014] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0015] 1. The present invention does not require workers to manually hang the recovery rope on the autonomous underwater vehicle. The autonomous underwater vehicle operates the recovery rope completely by itself, which greatly improves the safety factor of the workers.

[0016] 2. The present invention can be conveniently arranged on a monohull or a catamaran, and has a simple structure and is easy to load and unload.

[0017] 3. The present invention is equipped with a guide device, so that as long as the docking device of the autonomous underwater vehicle enters the control range of the guide device, the slide-type rope capture mechanism can be docked with the autonomous underwater vehicle, thereby improving the possibility and working efficiency of docking between the slide-type rope capture mechanism and the autonomous underwater vehicle.

[0018] 4. The present invention installs air drums on both sides of the bracket, and the tensioning ropes extended from the air drums are connected to the recovery ropes to ensure that the recovery ropes are always in a straight state, which is conducive to recovery.

[0019] 5. The present invention installs a limit module on the moving route of the chassis to prevent the chassis from moving beyond the stroke.

[0020] 6. The present invention combines slide-type recovery with rope-biting recovery to design a new type of recovery device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention during recycling work;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the recovery rope portion of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the base frame and bracket connecting piece of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the connection between the chassis and the channel steel slideway of the present invention;

[0026] Among them: 1 is the base frame, 2 is the bracket, 3 is the channel steel slideway, 4 is the channel steel pulley, 5 is the stepper motor, 6 is the gear, 7 is the rack, 8 is the winch, 9 is the electric push rod, 10 is the hinge, 11 is the recovery rope, 12 is the tensioning rope pulley, 13 is the air drum, 14 is the row of pulleys, 15 is the adapter plate, 16 is the limit module, 17 is the bearing seat, 18 is the tensioning rope, and 19 is the pulley frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, the present invention includes a chassis 1, a bracket 2, a channel steel slideway 3, a stepper motor 5, a gear 6, a rack 7, a winch 8, an electric push rod 9, a recovery rope 11, a recovery slideway and a tensioning assembly, wherein the channel steel slideway 3 is installed on the mother ship, the chassis 1 is slidably connected to the channel steel slideway 3, a rack 7 is fixed to the channel steel slideway 3 along the recovery direction, the stepper motor 5 is fixed to the chassis 1 through a fixing member (such as a motor seat), the output end of the stepper motor 5 is connected to a gear 6 meshing with the rack 7, and the stepper motor 5 drives the chassis 1 to slide back and forth relative to the channel steel slideway 3 through the gear 6 and the rack 7; one end of the chassis 1 is rotatably connected to the bracket 2, and the chassis An electric push rod 9 is provided between the other end of 1 and one end of the bracket 2. The top of the electric push rod 9 is hinged to the bracket 2, and the bottom of the electric push rod 9 is hinged to the other end of the base frame 1. The bracket 2 can be rotated around the rotating connection with one end of the base frame 1 by the drive of the electric push rod 9 to achieve tilting; a winch 8 is installed on the bracket 2, one end of the recovery rope 11 is wound around the winch 8, and the other end of the recovery rope 11 is used to tow the autonomous underwater vehicle. Tensioning components for tightening the recovery rope 11 are provided on the bracket 2 on both sides of the other end of the recovery rope 11; a recovery slide is installed on the bracket 2 along the recovery direction to facilitate the recovery of the autonomous underwater vehicle.

[0029] The channel steel slideway 3 in this embodiment is rectangular, with an adapter plate 15 fixed to each of the front and rear ends of each left and right side, used to secure the recovery device to the mother ship. The adapter plate 15 is bolted to the mother ship. The rack 7 mounted on the channel steel slideway 3 has a longitudinal direction that is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the channel steel slideway 3, i.e., the recovery direction.

[0030] The chassis 1 of this embodiment is rectangular, with both its length and width being smaller than those of the channel steel slideway 3. The chassis 1 is housed within the channel steel slideway 3. A row of channel steel pulleys 4 are mounted on the left and right sides of the chassis 1, along the recovery direction. Each channel steel pulley 4 is housed within the channel steel slideway 3 on the same side and slidably connected to the channel steel slideway 3, forming a slide assembly. Each channel steel pulley 4 of this embodiment is provided with a threaded stud. Through-holes are provided on each channel steel pulley 4 on the chassis 1. The threaded stud on each channel steel pulley 4 passes through the corresponding through-hole and is then tightened with an M22 nut.

[0031] In this embodiment, limit modules 16 are installed at both the front and rear ends of the channel steel slide 3 to limit the movement of the base frame 1; the limit module 16, the stepper motor 5, the winch 8 and the electric push rod 9 are all connected to the controller. The controller of the present invention is existing technology and will not be described here.

[0032] In this embodiment, a push rod 9 is provided on each side of one end of the bracket 2. The top of each push rod 9 is hinged to a hinge 10 mounted on the bracket 2 on the same side, and the bottom of each push rod 9 is hinged to a hinge 10 mounted on the base frame 1 on the same side. The two push rods 9 are used to move one end of the bracket 2 up and down, thereby tilting the entire bracket 2. In this embodiment, a bearing seat 17 is installed at one end of the base frame 1, and the middle position of the bottom of the bracket 2 is connected to the base frame 1 via the bearing seat 17.

[0033] The winch 8 of this embodiment is installed on the inner side of one end of the bracket 2, and a recovery rope 11 extends from the winch 8. The other end of the recovery rope 11 forms a triangle at the other end of the bracket 2. The left and right vertices of the triangle are respectively connected to the tensioning components on both sides, and are tightened and straightened by the tensioning components on both sides.

[0034] The tensioning assembly of this embodiment includes a tensioning rope pulley 12, an air drum 13, a tensioning rope 18 and a pulley frame 19. The air drum 13 (that is, a hose reel in the prior art) is installed on the bracket 2, and the pulley frame 19 is fixedly connected to the other end of the bracket 2. The pulley frame 19 in the tensioning assemblies on both sides is in the shape of an "eight", and the pulley frame 19 is equipped with a tensioning rope pulley 12. The tensioning rope 18 passes around the tensioning rope pulley 12, one end of the tensioning rope 18 is connected to the air drum 13, and the other end is connected to one of the two vertices of the left and right triangles at the other end of the recovery rope 11; under the action of the air drum 13, the tensioning rope 18 is always kept tensioned during the entire recovery process. Before the recovery begins, the tensioning rope 18 extended from the air drum 13 tightens the recovery rope 11, which facilitates the autonomous underwater vehicle to complete the rope biting action. After the rope biting is successful, as the winch 8 is started, the autonomous underwater vehicle is gradually pulled onto the recovery slide, and the tensioning ropes 18 on both sides still maintain tension, making the recovery process more stable and reliable.

[0035] The recovery slide of this embodiment is two rows of pulleys 14, which are installed on the bracket 2 along the recovery direction. Each row of pulleys 14 is composed of multiple rollers arranged side by side, and each row of pulleys 14 is inclined inward from top to bottom.

[0036] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0037] The present invention is fixed to the stern of the mother ship. Under the action of the electric push rod 9, the other end of the bracket 2 tilts and extends into the water, so that the recovery rope 11 is immersed in the water, and the conditions for recovery are now met. The bow section of the autonomous underwater vehicle is equipped with a rope biting device. After docking with the recovery rope 11, the autonomous underwater vehicle is pulled out of the water to complete the recovery of the autonomous underwater vehicle. Specifically:

[0038] When the autonomous underwater vehicle of the present invention is needed to be recovered, the stepper motor 5 drives the gear 6 to rotate, and the gear 6 is engaged with the rack 7, and the rack 7 drives the chassis 1 to move until the chassis 1 touches one end of the channel steel slide 3 ( Figure 2 The limit module 16 of the left end of the bracket 2 is activated, and the stepper motor 5 stops moving. The electric push rod 9 extends out to push one end of the bracket 2 to rise until the bracket 2 and the base frame 1 reach the set angle. At this time, the recovery rope 11 at the other end of the bracket 2 extends into the water, and the controller on the mother ship sends a rope-biting signal to the autonomous underwater vehicle. The autonomous underwater vehicle propeller operates and hits the recovery rope 11 at the other end of the bracket 2 to complete the rope-biting operation; the winch 8 starts and drags the autonomous underwater vehicle toward the bracket 2 through the recovery rope 11. When the autonomous underwater vehicle reaches the predetermined position, the winch 8 stops working and the electric push rod 9 starts to retract. When the electric push rod 9 is completely retracted, the bracket 2 returns to the horizontal state, and the stepper motor 5 starts to move, driving the base frame 1 to move in the opposite direction until it touches the other end of the channel steel slideway 3 ( Figure 2 The limiting module 16 of the stepping motor 5 stops working, the recovery process ends, and the mother ship returns.

[0039] The present invention is suitable for unmanned autonomous recovery of small and medium-sized autonomous underwater vehicles of suitable models and equipped with a rope-biting device at the bow by a mother ship on the water surface.

Claims

1. An inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device, characterized by: The invention comprises a base frame (1), a bracket (2), a channel steel slideway (3), a stepper motor (5), a gear (6), a rack (7), a winch (8), an electric push rod (9), a recovery rope (11), a recovery slideway and a tensioning assembly, wherein the channel steel slideway (3) is installed on a mother ship, the base frame (1) is slidably connected to the channel steel slideway (3), a rack (7) is fixed on the channel steel slideway (3) along the recovery direction, the stepper motor (5) is fixed on the base frame (1), the output end of the stepper motor (5) is connected to a gear (6) meshed with the rack (7), and the stepper motor (5) drives the base frame (1) to slide back and forth relative to the channel steel slideway (3) through the gear (6) and the rack (7); one end of the base frame (1) is rotatably connected to the bracket (2), An electric push rod (9) is provided between the other end of the base frame (1) and one end of the bracket (2), the top of the electric push rod (9) is hinged to the bracket (2), and the bottom of the electric push rod (9) is hinged to the other end of the base frame (1), and the bracket (2) can be rotated around the rotation connection with one end of the base frame (1) by the drive of the electric push rod (9) to achieve tilting; the winch (8) is installed on the bracket (2), one end of the recovery rope (11) is wound around the winch (8), and the other end of the recovery rope (11) is used to tow the autonomous underwater vehicle, and tensioning components for tensioning the recovery rope (11) are provided on the brackets (2) on the left and right sides of the other end of the recovery rope (11); a recovery slide is installed on the bracket (2) along the recovery direction; The other end of the recovery rope (11) forms a triangle at the other end of the bracket (2), and the left and right vertices of the triangle are respectively connected to the tensioning components on both sides, and are tightened and straightened by the tensioning components on both sides; The tensioning assembly includes a tensioning rope pulley (12), an air drum (13), a tensioning rope (18) and a pulley frame (19), wherein the air drum (13) is mounted on the bracket (2), the pulley frame (19) is fixed to the other end of the bracket (2), the tensioning rope pulley (12) is mounted on the pulley frame (19), the tensioning rope (18) passes around the tensioning rope pulley (12), one end of the tensioning rope (18) is connected to the air drum (13), and the other end is connected to the other end of the recovery rope (11); The pulley frames (19) in the tensioning assemblies on both sides are in an "eight" shape, and the tensioning rope (18) is always kept taut during the entire recovery process under the action of the air drum (13), thereby tightening the recovery rope (11).

2. The inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recovery slideway comprises two rows of pulleys (14), which are mounted on the bracket (2) along the recovery direction. Each row of pulleys (14) is composed of a plurality of rollers arranged side by side, and each row of pulleys (14) is inclined inward from top to bottom.

3. The inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A channel steel pulley (4) is mounted on the base frame (1), and the channel steel pulley (4) is accommodated in the channel steel slideway (3) and is slidably connected to the channel steel slideway (3).

4. The inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A row of channel steel pulleys (4) are respectively installed on the left and right sides of the base frame (1) along the recovery direction, wherein the channel steel pulleys (4) are provided with threaded columns, and a through hole is opened on the base frame (1), and the threaded columns pass through the through hole and are tightened and fixed by nuts.

5. The inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Limiting modules (16) for limiting the movement of the base frame (1) are installed at both the front and rear ends of the channel steel slideway (3).

6. The inclined lifting slide type rope capture and recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Adapter plates (15) are fixed to the left and right sides of the channel steel slideway (3), respectively, and the channel steel slideway (3) is fixed to the mother ship via the adapter plates (15).

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