Steel band driven multi-link telescopic device for water quality sampling

Abstract

The application provides a steel belt driving multi-link telescopic device for water quality sampling, which is used to solve the problems that the existing device is affected by sea waves and deviates from the position, and the device is not easy to assemble on an unmanned ship; the device comprises a driving device, a multi-link assembly, a shell type steel belt, a water quality sampling device and the like; one end of the multi-link assembly is fixedly connected to a shell, and the other end of the multi-link assembly is connected with the water quality sampling device; the V-shaped link unit comprises two long links and a short link, the close ends of the two long links are hingedly connected to the two ends of the short link, and the far ends of the two long links are respectively hingedly connected with connecting plates; one end of the shell type steel belt is connected with a steel belt winding roller, the other end of the shell type steel belt penetrates through the shell and is inserted into a connecting sleeve and fixedly connected with the end of the multi-link assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of industrial robots, in particular to a steel belt driven multi-link telescopic device for water quality sampling. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of intelligent unmanned systems, unmanned boats (UAVs) have been widely used in military, scientific exploration, and maritime rescue applications. These include patrols and surveillance in border waters, maritime rescue operations in complex sea conditions, marine environmental exploration, and specimen collection. For example, during the 2018 Sanchi incident in my country's East China Sea, the Jinghai series of UAVs, designed and manufactured by Shanghai University, were used to sample and analyze water pollution in the area where the vessel capsized.

[0003] Water sampling is crucial to the accuracy and integrity of water quality monitoring data. To obtain more representative water samples, unmanned sampling vehicles (UAVs) typically need to perform repeated sampling at multiple locations within the target waters, such as shallow nearshore waters, deep offshore waters, or at specific depths. This requires precise and controllable underwater movement of the water sampling equipment.

[0004] Although the technology for unmanned boats used in scientific research has matured, the water sampling equipment that comes with them still has significant room for improvement due to limitations in range and payload capacity. Existing large-scale water sampling equipment, due to its weight and volume, typically requires additional equipment such as winches and hoists for deployment and recovery. This presents the following technical challenges:

[0005] (1) Additional equipment is not suitable for small and medium-sized work platforms such as unmanned boats;

[0006] (2) Small water quality sampling equipment is often deployed and recovered through cables and counterweights, which are easily affected by factors such as sea waves, hull water flow and underwater turbulence, which can easily cause the position of the sampling equipment to deviate and affect the progress of water sampling.

[0007] Therefore, when small water quality sampling equipment is placed in the water, it should have a certain rigid connection with the unmanned boat. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above situation, in order to overcome the defects of the existing technology, the present invention provides a steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling, so as to solve the problem that the existing device uses cables to lay water quality sampling equipment, which is easily affected by waves and causes the equipment position to deviate, and the equipment is difficult to be assembled on the unmanned boat.

[0009] The technical solution is that the present invention includes a driving device for driving the steel belt component to extend and retract; the driving device is installed on a working platform such as an unmanned boat or a buoy;

[0010] The driving device includes a housing, a stepper motor and a steel strip winding roller; the stepper motor and the steel strip winding roller are located in the housing, and the stepper motor is connected to the steel strip winding roller through a worm gear mechanism;

[0011] A multi-link assembly is used to carry the working load and enhance the overall rigidity of the device; one end of the multi-link assembly is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end of the multi-link assembly is connected to a water quality sampling device, which is used to collect water samples;

[0012] The multi-link assembly includes a plurality of V-shaped link units; the V-shaped link unit includes two long links and one short link, the proximal ends of the two long links are hinged to the two ends of the short link, and the distal ends of the two long links are hinged to connecting plates;

[0013] The connecting plates of two adjacent V-shaped connecting rod units are hinged to the same square connecting sleeve to realize the mutual series connection of multiple V-shaped connecting rod units. The connecting rod is U-shaped, and a channel is formed in the middle of the connecting rod to communicate with the interior of the connecting sleeve;

[0014] a shell-type structural steel belt, one end of which is connected to the steel belt winding roller, and the other end of which passes through the shell and is inserted into the connecting sleeve and fixedly connected to the end of the multi-link assembly;

[0015] The forward or reverse rotation of the steel strip winding roller drives the shell-type structural steel strip to unwind or rewind, and the shell-type structural steel strip pushes the multi-link assembly apart when unwinding, and folds the multi-link assembly when rewinding;

[0016] The connecting rod swinging plane in the V-shaped connecting rod unit is parallel to the outer shell section of the shell-shaped structural steel belt. When the shell-shaped structural steel belt is inserted into the V-shaped connecting rod unit, the shell-shaped structural steel belt cannot curl and the connecting rod cannot swing.

[0017] Preferably, the worm gear mechanism includes a worm shaft, a worm shaft, and the turbine shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the steel strip winding roller. The worm shaft is transmission-connected to the output end of the stepper motor through a coupling. One end of the turbine shaft and the worm shaft are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the shell through bearings and end covers respectively; the other end of the worm gear shaft is cantilevered, and the cantilever end extends through the transparent cover into the interior of the steel strip winding roller.

[0018] Preferably, the driving device further comprises a motor driving board, which is fixedly connected to the interior of the housing and electrically connected to the stepping motor for controlling forward and reverse rotation of the stepping motor.

[0019] Preferably, the V-shaped connecting rod unit also includes a leaf spring, which is centrally arranged in the groove of the short connecting rod. The leaf spring is respectively connected to the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod through a fixed pin 19. The leaf spring assists the two long connecting rods in the V-shaped connecting rod unit to be folded and recovered.

[0020] Preferably, the shell-type structural steel belt is a three-dimensional shell-type structure with a certain rigidity when not subjected to external forces, and can be flattened under the action of external forces.

[0021] Preferably, a fixed base is provided at the lower end of the shell, a through hole is opened on the fixed base, and a connecting plate in the uppermost V-shaped connecting rod unit is hinged to the fixed base.

[0022] Preferably, an outlet corresponding to the through hole is opened at the lower end of the shell, and two rollers are symmetrically arranged at the outlet. The shell-shaped structural steel belt extends out of the shell through the outlet, and the two rollers are respectively squeezed on the two side cut surfaces of the shell-shaped structural steel belt.

[0023] Preferably, the motor drive board is further provided with a communication module for remotely controlling the operation of the stepper motor.

[0024] Preferably, two auxiliary rollers are provided on the side supports of the connecting sleeve, and the two auxiliary rollers act on the cross-section of the outer side of the shell-shaped structural steel belt.

[0025] Preferably, two cross partitions are provided inside the shell, and the inside of the shell is divided into four cavities. The stepper motor, the motor drive plate, the worm gear mechanism, and the steel strip winding roller are respectively located in the four cavities.

[0026] Compared with the existing known technologies, the technical solution provided by the present invention has the following significant effects:

[0027] 1. A hollow shell-shaped structural steel belt is used as the "ribs" and a V-shaped connecting rod unit is used as the "skeleton". The expansion and contraction of the shell-shaped structural steel belt drives the extension of the V-shaped connecting rod unit. The connecting rod in the V-shaped connecting rod unit is made of ABS material, which achieves lightweight while improving the rigidity of the device;

[0028] The V-shaped connecting rod unit serves as a support to protect the shell-type structural steel belt to prevent the steel belt from bending. The shell-type structural steel belt is used to stretch the V-shaped connecting rod unit to achieve the coordination of tendons and bones; this makes the overall structure of the device simple, light in weight, with high stability and safety, and is suitable for unmanned boat working platforms.

[0029] 2. In the V-shaped connecting rod unit, the connecting rod swing plane is perpendicular to the wide surface of the shell-type structural steel belt. When the shell-type structural steel belt is inserted into the V-shaped connecting rod unit, the shell-type structural steel belt cannot curl and the connecting rod cannot swing. The combination of the two ensures the stability of the multi-link assembly after deployment, so that the sampling device is not affected by wind and waves.

[0030] 3. A highly integrated drive device is used to drive the shell-type structural steel belt to extend and retract, thereby driving the multi-link assembly to extend and retract synchronously, with one degree of freedom in the installation direction; in the working state, the sampling device can be fully unfolded and has a large sampling depth; in standby mode, the entire device can be retracted and folded into a small storage state, which is convenient for transportation and storage on the unmanned boat platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the shell-type structural steel belt in the present invention being inserted into the connecting rod channel.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the V-shaped connecting rod unit structure in the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the driving device in the present invention.

[0035] Figure 5 It is a transmission schematic diagram of the worm gear mechanism in the present invention.

[0036] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the shell-type structural steel strip in the present invention being wound into a coil.

[0037] Explanation of the numbers in the schematic diagram:

[0038] 100. Drive device; 101. Housing; 102. Stepper motor; 103. Steel strip winding roller; 104. Worm gear mechanism; 1041. Worm gear shaft; 1042. Worm shaft; 105. Motor drive board; 106. Fixed base; 1061. Through hole; 107. Roller; 108. Communication module; 2021. Auxiliary roller; 109. Partition plate; 110. Coupling;

[0039] 200, multi-link assembly; 201, V-shaped connecting rod unit; 2011, long connecting rod; 2012, short connecting rod; 2013, connecting plate; 2014, channel; 202, connecting sleeve; 203, leaf spring;

[0040] 300. Water sampling device;

[0041] 400, Shell type structural steel strip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] Depend on Figures 1 to 5 A steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling is provided, comprising: a driving device 100 for driving the extension and retraction of the steel belt component, a multi-link assembly 200 for suspending a water quality sampling device 300, a shell-type structural steel belt 400 for controlling the extension and retraction of the multi-link assembly 200, and a water quality sampling device 300 for collecting water samples.

[0044] refer to Figure 1 , the driving device 100 is used to be installed on a working platform such as an unmanned boat or a buoy;

[0045] refer to Figure 4 、 Figure 5 The driving device 100 includes a housing 101, a stepper motor 102 and a steel strip winding roller 103; the stepper motor 102 and the steel strip winding roller 103 are located in the housing 101, and the stepper motor 102 is connected to the steel strip winding roller 103 through a worm gear mechanism 104; the driving device 100 also includes a motor drive board 105, and a communication module 108 is also provided on the motor drive board 105. The motor drive board 105 is fixedly connected to the inside of the housing 101, and the motor drive board 105 is electrically connected to the stepper motor 102 for controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the stepper motor 102.

[0046] A fixed base 106 is provided at the lower end of the housing 101 . A through hole 1061 is provided on the fixed base 106 . A connecting plate 2013 in the uppermost V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 is hinged to the fixed base 106 .

[0047] Specifically, the worm gear mechanism 104 includes a worm shaft 1041, a worm shaft 1042, and the turbine shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the steel strip winding roller 103. The worm shaft 1042 is transmission-connected to the output end of the stepper motor 102 through a coupling 110. One end of the turbine shaft and the worm shaft 1042 are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the shell 101 through bearings and end covers respectively; the other end of the worm gear shaft 1041 is cantilevered, and the cantilever end passes through the transparent cover and extends into the interior of the steel strip winding roller 103.

[0048] The driving device 100 uses a stepper motor 102 to drive the three-dimensional steel belt to extend and retract to drive the mechanical structure. It has the advantages of fast response speed, large motion acceleration, and simple control method. It can ensure that the entire device and the terminal working device move smoothly, quickly and accurately in different water depth environments to complete water sampling work.

[0049] refer to Figure 2、 Figure 3 One end of the multi-link assembly 200 is fixedly connected to the housing 101, and the other end of the multi-link assembly 200 is connected to a water quality sampling device 300, and the water quality sampling device 300 is used to collect water samples.

[0050] The multi-link assembly 200 includes multiple V-shaped link units 201; the V-shaped link unit 201 includes two long links 2011 and one short link 2012, the proximal ends of the two long links 2011 are respectively hinged to the two ends of the short link 2012, and the distal ends of the two long links 2011 are respectively hinged to connecting plates 2013.

[0051] The connecting plates 2013 in the two adjacent V-shaped connecting rod units 201 are hinged with the same square connecting sleeve 202, so as to realize the mutual series connection of multiple V-shaped connecting rod units 201. By changing the number of V-shaped connecting rod units 201 in series, the working range of the device can be changed according to the working environment.

[0052] Specifically, the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 also includes a leaf spring 203, which is centrally arranged in the groove of the short connecting rod 2012. The leaf spring 203 is respectively connected to the long connecting rod 2011 and the short connecting rod 2012 through a fixed pin shaft. The leaf spring 203 helps the two long connecting rods 2011 in the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 to be folded and recovered.

[0053] Furthermore, the connecting rod is U-shaped, and a channel 2014 communicating with the interior of the connecting sleeve 202 is formed in the middle of the connecting rod.

[0054] refer to Figure 6 The shell-type structural steel belt 400 is composed of two curved steel sheets welded together, with a space between the two steel sheets. When the shell-type structural steel belt 400 is not subjected to external force, the middle parts of the two steel sheets are stretched open to form a three-dimensional shell-type structure with a certain rigidity. It can be flattened under a certain external force. The flattened steel belt in the storage state is wound and stored on the steel belt winding roller 103.

[0055] refer to Figure 4 、 Figure 5 One end of the shell-type structural steel belt 400 is connected to the steel belt winding roller 103, and the other end of the shell-type structural steel belt 400 passes through the shell 101 and is inserted into the connecting sleeve 202 and fixedly connected to the end of the multi-link assembly 200.

[0056] Specifically, the forward or reverse rotation of the steel strip winding roller 103 drives the shell-type structural steel strip 400 to unwind or rewind. When the shell-type structural steel strip 400 is unwinding, the multi-link assembly 200 is pushed away. When the shell-type structural steel strip 400 is rewinding, the multi-link assembly 200 is folded.

[0057] The connecting rod swinging plane in the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 is parallel to the outer shell section of the shell-shaped structural steel belt 400. When the shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 is inserted into the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201, the shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 cannot curl and the connecting rod cannot swing.

[0058] A multi-link assembly 200 is arranged in series, and the driving device 100 controls the extension and contraction of the three-dimensional shell steel belt to drive the V-shaped link unit 201 in the multi-link assembly 200 to extend and fold. By controlling the stepper motor 102, the multi-link assembly 200 can be precisely moved in a straight line, and the multi-link assembly 200 can be freely extended and contracted, driving the water quality sampling device 300 to float and sink, so as to adapt to sampling work in waters of different depths.

[0059] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the shell-type structural steel belt 400 can be smoothly inserted into the shell 101, an outlet corresponding to the through hole 1061 is opened at the lower end of the shell 101, and two rollers 107 are symmetrically arranged at the outlet. The shell-type structural steel belt 400 extends out of the shell 101 through the outlet, and the two rollers 107 are respectively squeezed on the two side cut surfaces of the shell-type structural steel belt 400. The rollers 107 can flatten and support the shell-type structural steel belt 400, thereby increasing the stiffness of the steel belt when the steel belt is released and helping to recycle the steel belt.

[0060] Furthermore, in order to ensure the stability of the shell-type structural steel belt 400 when it moves in the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201, two auxiliary rollers 2021 are provided on the side supports of the connecting sleeve 202, and the two auxiliary rollers 2021 act on the cross-section of the outer side of the shell-type structural steel belt 400; the auxiliary rollers 2021 constrain the steel belt by being tangent to the two outer side surfaces of the shell-type structural steel belt 400, and provide a certain friction force to prevent the shell-type structural steel belt 400 from slipping during the extension and retraction process.

[0061] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the maintenance of various components inside the drive device 100, two cross partitions 109 are provided inside the shell 101, and the inside of the shell 101 is divided into four cavities. The stepper motor 102, the motor drive board 105, the worm gear mechanism 104, and the steel strip winding roller 103 are respectively located in the four cavities, so that each component is independent of each other. The turbine shaft and the worm shaft 1042 respectively pass through the partition 109 to ensure the transmission of the stepper motor 102, the worm gear mechanism 104 and the steel strip winding roller 103.

[0062] When the present invention is used, take offshore deep waters as an example:

[0063] First, control the unmanned boat to enter the designated area;

[0064] Then, the stepper motor 102 is remotely controlled to rotate in the forward direction, the coupling 110 rotates, and after being driven by the worm shaft 1042 and the turbine shaft, the steel strip winding roller 103 rotates to realize the steel strip unwinding action, and the shell-type structural steel strip 400 extends outward through the opening of the shell 101. The portion of the shell-type structural steel strip 400 that is separated from the roller 107 will automatically stretch out, and a supporting force will be provided in its length direction, thereby stretching the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 in the multi-link assembly 200, realizing the extension of the multi-link assembly 200, until the water quality sampling device 300 is transported to the designated area, and the water sample collection is completed;

[0065] Finally, the stepper motor 102 is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the steel strip winding roller 103 rotates and the shell-type structural steel strip 400 is wound. The shell-type structural steel strip 400 enters the interior of the driving device 100 through the opening of the shell 101. The shell-type structural steel strip 400 is squeezed into a flat part by a pair of rollers 107 and wound on the steel strip winding roller 103. When winding, the lower end of the shell-type structural steel strip 400 pulls the bottom of the multi-link assembly 200 to move, so that the connecting rod in the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 is folded, completing the storage of the multi-link assembly 200, and lifting the water quality sampling device 300 to the water surface to complete the water sample collection.

[0066] The present invention uses a hollow shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 as a "rib," and a V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 as a "skeleton." The expansion and contraction of the shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 drives the extension of the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201. The connecting rods in the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 are made of ABS material, which improves the rigidity of the device while achieving lightweight. The V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 serves as a support to protect the shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 to prevent the steel belt from bending. The shell-shaped structural steel belt 400 is used to stretch the V-shaped connecting rod unit 201 to achieve the coordination of the ribs and skeleton. This makes the overall structure of the device simple, lightweight, and highly stable and safe, making it suitable for unmanned boat work platforms. A highly integrated drive device 100 is used to drive the shell-type structural steel belt 400 to retract and retract, thereby driving the multi-link assembly 200 to retract and retract synchronously, with one degree of freedom in the installation direction; in the working state, the sampling device can be fully unfolded and has a large sampling depth; in standby mode, the entire device can be retracted and folded into a small storage state, which is convenient for transportation and storage on the unmanned boat platform; a stepper motor 102 is used to drive the three-dimensional steel belt to retract and retract to drive the mechanical structure, which has the advantages of fast response speed, large motion acceleration, and simple control method, and can ensure that the entire device and the terminal working device move smoothly, quickly and accurately in different water depth environments to complete water sampling work.

[0067] It can be seen that the use of the steel belt-driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling provided by the present invention can effectively solve the problems that the existing device uses cables to lay water quality sampling equipment, which is easily affected by waves and causes the equipment position to deviate, and the equipment is difficult to be assembled on the unmanned boat.

Claims

1. A steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water sampling, characterized in that: include: Drive device; The driving device is installed on an unmanned boat or a buoy; The driving device includes a housing, a stepper motor and a steel strip winding roller; the stepper motor and the steel strip winding roller are located in the housing, and the stepper motor is connected to the steel strip winding roller through a worm gear mechanism; A multi-link assembly is used to carry the working load; one end of the multi-link assembly is fixedly connected to the housing, and the other end of the multi-link assembly is connected to a water quality sampling device, which is used to collect water samples; The multi-link assembly includes a plurality of V-shaped link units; the V-shaped link unit includes two long links and one short link, the proximal ends of the two long links are hinged to the two ends of the short link, and the distal ends of the two long links are hinged to connecting plates; The connecting plates of two adjacent V-shaped connecting rod units are hingedly connected to the same square connecting sleeve to realize the mutual series connection of multiple V-shaped connecting rod units. The cross section of the connecting rod in the V-shaped connecting rod unit is U-shaped, and a channel is formed in the middle of the connecting rod to communicate with the interior of the connecting sleeve; a shell-type structural steel belt, one end of which is connected to the steel belt winding roller, and the other end of which passes through the shell and is inserted into the connecting sleeve and fixedly connected to the end of the multi-link assembly; The forward or reverse rotation of the steel strip winding roller drives the shell-type structural steel strip to unwind or rewind, and the shell-type structural steel strip pushes the multi-link assembly apart when unwinding, and folds the multi-link assembly when rewinding; The connecting rod swinging plane in the V-shaped connecting rod unit is parallel to the outer shell section of the shell-shaped structural steel belt. When the shell-shaped structural steel belt is inserted into the V-shaped connecting rod unit, the shell-shaped structural steel belt cannot curl and the connecting rod cannot swing.

2. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The worm gear mechanism includes a worm shaft and a worm shaft. The worm shaft is coaxially fixedly connected to the steel strip winding roller, and the worm shaft is transmission-connected to the output end of the stepping motor through a coupling. One end of the worm gear shaft and the worm shaft are rotatably connected to the inner wall of the shell through a bearing and an end cover respectively.

3. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device further comprises a motor driving plate, which is fixedly connected to the interior of the housing and electrically connected to the stepping motor for controlling forward and reverse rotation of the stepping motor.

4. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 2, characterized in that: The V-shaped connecting rod unit also includes a leaf spring, which is centrally arranged in the groove of the short connecting rod. The leaf spring is respectively connected to the long connecting rod and the short connecting rod through a fixed pin shaft. The leaf spring assists the two long connecting rods in the V-shaped connecting rod unit to fold and retract.

5. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell-type structural steel belt is a three-dimensional shell-type structure with a certain rigidity when not subjected to external forces, and can be flattened when subjected to external forces.

6. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 1, characterized in that: A T-shaped fixed base is provided at the lower end of the shell. A through hole is provided on the fixed base. The fixed base is hinged to a connecting plate in the V-shaped connecting rod unit.

7. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lower end of the shell is provided with an outlet corresponding to the through hole, and two rollers are symmetrically arranged at the outlet. The shell-shaped structural steel belt extends out of the shell through the outlet, and the two rollers are respectively squeezed on the two side sections of the shell-shaped structural steel belt.

8. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 3, characterized in that: The motor drive board is also provided with a communication module for remotely controlling the operation of the stepper motor.

9. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 3, characterized in that: Two auxiliary rollers are provided on the side edges of the connecting sleeve, and the two auxiliary rollers act on the cut surface of the outer side of the shell-shaped structural steel belt.

10. The steel belt driven multi-link retractable device for water quality sampling according to claim 3, characterized in that: Two cross-shaped partitions are provided inside the shell, and the inside of the shell is divided into four cavities. The stepper motor, the motor drive plate, the worm gear mechanism, and the steel belt winding roller are respectively located in the four cavities.

Images