A deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis and its adjustment method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a deep - water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis and its adjustment method. The crawler chassis includes: a chassis; four crawler assemblies, which are arranged in a square on the chassis, and the chassis realizes movement through the crawler assemblies. Among them, the crawler assembly includes a suspension and a crawler endless chain. The suspension is rotatably arranged on the chassis. A drive wheel is rotatably arranged at one end of the suspension, and a drive device for driving the drive wheel to rotate is installed. A guide wheel is rotatably arranged at the other end of the suspension, and a first drive assembly for driving the guide wheel to slide relative to the suspension is installed. Two idler wheels are slidably arranged on the suspension, and a second drive assembly for driving the idler wheels to slide relative to the suspension is installed. The present invention can improve the adaptability of the crawler to the terrain, thereby reducing the risk of being trapped during the movement of the deep - sea mining vehicle, and ensuring the stability and smoothness of the deep - sea mining vehicle moving on the seabed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of transportation machinery, and particularly relates to a deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis and an adjustment method thereof. Background Art

[0002] At present, most existing deep-sea mining vehicles have a double-crawler structure. Due to the complex seabed terrain and the soft and muddy bottom sediment being prone to depression. When a deep-sea mining vehicle encounters a relatively rugged terrain, due to the structure of the crawlers, the crawlers cannot fully adapt to the ground slope, and there is a situation where part of the crawler is in contact with the ground, resulting in concentrated ground stress and making it easier to cause ground depression, leading to the deep-sea mining vehicle being trapped. Although some existing deep-sea equipment has adopted a simple four-crawler driving device when traveling on the seabed, it mainly changes the original single-sided long crawler structure into a single-sided short double-crawler structure, and there is still a certain degree of inadaptability in the fitting of the crawler structure and the terrain slope. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis and an adjustment method thereof. The crawler chassis and the adjustment method can improve the adaptability of the crawlers to the terrain, thereby reducing the risk of being trapped during the movement of the deep-sea mining vehicle and ensuring the stability and smoothness of the deep-sea mining vehicle moving on the seabed.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is:

[0005] A deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis, comprising:

[0006] A chassis;

[0007] Four crawler assemblies, which are arranged in a square on the chassis, and the chassis moves through the crawler assemblies;

[0008] Wherein, the crawler assembly includes a suspension and a crawler endless chain. The suspension is rotatably arranged on the chassis. A driving wheel is rotatably arranged at one end of the suspension, and a driving device for driving the driving wheel to rotate is installed. A guide wheel is rotatably arranged at the other end of the suspension, and a first driving assembly for driving the guide wheel to slide relative to the suspension is installed. Two idler wheels are slidably arranged on the suspension, and a second driving assembly for driving the idler wheels to slide relative to the suspension is installed. The sliding direction of the idler wheels is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the guide wheel. The idler wheels press against the crawler endless chain from top to bottom, and the crawler endless chain is wound around the driving wheel and the guide wheel.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the crawler endless chain includes a plurality of chain links, and the chain links are sequentially connected end to end to form a chain. A crawler plate is detachably installed on the chain link, and a convex strip with a triangular cross-section is provided on the crawler plate.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the convex strip is a hollow flip-up structure, a hydraulic oil bag is provided in the cavity of the convex strip, the expanded state of the hydraulic oil bag is step-shaped, the flip-up cover of the convex strip is connected and fixed to the side of the hydraulic oil bag, the track shoe is detachably mounted with a hydraulic oil tank and is provided with a hydraulic oil pump for transporting the oil in the hydraulic oil tank into the hydraulic oil bag or drawing the oil in the hydraulic oil bag into the hydraulic oil tank, and a battery for powering the hydraulic oil pump.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, a support arm is provided between the chassis and the suspension, the support arm is integrally connected to the side of the chassis, the suspension is rotatably arranged on the support arm, two guide arms are symmetrically arranged on the chassis relative to the support arm, and the suspension is provided with limiting holes corresponding to the guide arms one by one, the limiting holes are arc-shaped, and the guide arms are passed through the limiting holes on the suspension and can slide.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, a sprocket is provided on the top surface of the suspension, the sprocket is pressed against the track chain from bottom to top, and a force sensor is provided on the sprocket.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly both include a sliding seat, which is slidably arranged on the suspension, and a linear drive device is installed on the suspension for driving the sliding seat to slide relative to the suspension, and the guide wheel and the tensioning wheel are respectively rotatably arranged on the sliding seats of the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, a supporting roller is provided on the bottom surface of the suspension, and the supporting roller is located between the two tensioning wheels and the three are in the same straight line when the tensioning wheels are not sliding.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for adjusting the deepwater hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis described in the above technical solution, wherein the drive devices in the four crawler assemblies on the chassis can operate independently;

[0016] During the adjustment process, the first drive assembly in the track assembly drives the guide wheel thereon to move toward the drive wheel, and the distance between the guide wheel and the drive wheel is shortened. At the same time, one of the two second drive assemblies on the track assembly drives the corresponding tensioning wheel to move downward against the track chain, so that the track assembly rotates relative to the chassis, so that the front end or rear end of the track chain in the moving direction of the track assembly forms an angle with the ground, and during this process, the track chain always remains in a tensioned state.

[0017] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the other second drive assembly of the two second drive assemblies drives the corresponding tensioning wheel to move upward or downward and come into tangential contact with the track chain.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and effects:

[0019] (1) By the sliding arrangement of the guide wheels and tension wheels on the suspension, the present invention enables variable forms of the track chain on the track assembly, achieving better fitting with the slopes on the terrain, thus adapting to different terrains, reducing the risk of being trapped during the movement of the deep-sea mining vehicle, and ensuring the stability and smoothness of the deep-sea mining vehicle moving on the seabed.

[0020] (2) Since the driving devices are independently arranged for the four track assemblies in the present invention, the operation of the four track assemblies can be independently controlled to achieve the in-situ turning and forward movement of the deep-sea mining vehicle. While improving the adaptability to large slopes and rugged seabed terrains, it also ensures that the deep-sea mining vehicle can operate flexibly according to the planned path.

[0021] (3) Through the modular arrangement of the four track assemblies on the chassis, the present invention reduces the manufacturing and disassembly difficulties, improves the convenience of assembly, maintenance and replacement, and ensures the reuse rate of parts, avoiding waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a deep-water hydraulic adaptive track chassis of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 is an enlarged schematic structural diagram of a part of a deep-water hydraulic adaptive track chassis of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the side of the track assembly shown in

[0025] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a partial schematic cross-sectional view of the side one of the track chain shown in

[0026] Figure 5 is Figure 3 a partial schematic cross-sectional view of the side two of the track chain shown in

[0027] Figure 6 is Figure 4 an enlarged schematic structural diagram of the structure between the flap and the side plate shown in

[0028] Figure 7 is Figure 4 a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the track plate shown in

[0029] Figure 8 is Figure 4 a schematic structural diagram of the open state of the hydraulic oil bladder shown in

[0030] Among them, there are a chassis 1, a support arm 11, a guiding arm 12, a crawler assembly 2, a suspension 3, a driving wheel 31, a guiding wheel 32, a tensioning wheel 33, a limiting hole 34, a carrier wheel 35, a force sensor 36, a track roller 37, a crawler chain 4, a link 41, a chain 42, a track shoe 43, a rib 44, a side plate 46, a flip cover 45, a flexible part 47, a flat part 48, a driving device 51, a first driving assembly 52, a second driving assembly 53, a sliding seat 54, a linear driving device 55, a hydraulic oil bladder 6, a hydraulic oil tank 61, a hydraulic oil pump 62, a battery 63, a pin 7, a spring 71, a slot 72, an inclined surface structure 73, a guiding inclined surface 74, a stretching assembly 8, a stretching plate 81, and a motor 82. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and through embodiments. The following embodiments are explanations of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0032] See Figures 1 - 8 , in this embodiment, a deep - water hydraulic self - adaptive crawler chassis 1 includes a chassis 1. Four crawler assemblies 2 are arranged in a square on the chassis 1. The chassis 1 moves through the crawler assemblies 2. The crawler assembly 2 includes a suspension 3 and a crawler chain 4. The suspension 3 is rotatably arranged on the chassis 1. A driving wheel 31 is rotatably arranged at one end of the suspension 3, and a driving device 51 for driving the driving wheel 31 to rotate is installed. The driving device 51 is a hydraulic motor. A guiding wheel 32 is rotatably arranged at the other end of the suspension 3, and a first driving assembly 52 for driving the guiding wheel 32 to slide relative to the suspension 3 is installed. Two tensioning wheels 33 are slidably arranged on the suspension 3, and a second driving assembly 53 for driving the tensioning wheels 33 to slide relative to the suspension 3 is installed. The two tensioning wheels 33 are located between the driving wheel 31 and the guiding wheel 32, and the sliding direction of the tensioning wheels 33 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the guiding wheel 32. The tensioning wheels 33 press against the crawler chain 4 from top to bottom. The crawler chain 4 is wound around the driving wheel 31 and the guiding wheel 32.

[0033] When the crawler assembly 2 adjusts the shape of the crawler chain 4, the first driving assembly 52 in the crawler assembly 2 drives the guiding wheel 32 thereon to move towards the driving wheel 31, the distance between the guiding wheel 32 and the driving wheel 31 is shortened. At the same time, one of the two second driving assemblies 53 in the crawler assembly 2 drives the corresponding tensioning wheel 33 to press against the crawler chain 4 and move downward, so that the crawler assembly 2 rotates relative to the chassis 1. As a result, an angle is formed between the front or rear end of the crawler chain 4 in the moving direction of the crawler assembly 2 and the ground, enabling the crawler chain 4 to better fit the slope on the terrain. And during this process, the crawler chain 4 always remains in a tensioned state.

[0034] To ensure the contact area between the track link chain 4 and the ground after the shape adjustment and the support effect of the track assembly 2 on the weight of the deep-sea mining vehicle, another second drive assembly 53 in the two second drive assemblies 53 drives the corresponding tensioning wheel 33 to move up or down and be in tangential contact with the track link chain 4.

[0035] See Figure 2 , a support arm 11 is provided between the chassis 1 and the suspension 3. The support arm 11 is integrally connected to the side of the chassis 1. The suspension 3 is rotatably arranged on the support arm 11. Two guide arms 12 are symmetrically arranged on the chassis 1 relative to the support arm 11. Limiting holes 34 corresponding to the guide arms 12 one by one are formed on the suspension 3. The limiting holes 34 are arc-shaped. The guide arms 12 pass through the suspension 3 through the limiting holes 34 and can slide. Through the connection structure between the chassis 1 and the suspension 3, and in cooperation with the arrangement of the guide arms 12 on the chassis 1 and the limiting holes 34 on the suspension 3, the pitch angle transformation and control between the track assembly 2 and the chassis 1 are realized. Thus, when the deep-sea mining vehicle encounters rough terrain during driving, the pitch angle can be actively transformed, improving the passability of the track assembly 2 and further enhancing the obstacle-crossing performance of the deep-sea mining vehicle.

[0036] See Figure 2 , Figure 3 , both the first drive assembly 52 and the second drive assembly 53 include a sliding seat 54. The sliding seat 54 is slidably arranged on the suspension 3. A linear drive device 55 for driving the sliding seat 54 to slide relative to the suspension 3 is installed on the suspension 3. The guide wheel 32 and the tensioning wheel 33 are respectively rotatably arranged on the sliding seats 54 of the first drive assembly 52 and the second drive assembly 53. Through the driving effect of the linear drive device 55 on the sliding seat 54, the linear movement of the guide wheel 32 and the tensioning wheel 33 relative to the suspension 3 is realized, enabling the shape of the track link chain 4 on the suspension 3 to be adjusted. Thus, the track assembly 2 can adapt to different terrains, ensuring the passability of the deep-sea mining vehicle on different terrains.

[0037] In this embodiment, the linear drive device 55 is a hydraulic cylinder.

[0038] See Figure 3 , the track link chain 4 includes a number of chain links 41. Each chain link 41 is connected end to end in sequence to form a chain 42. A track plate 43 is detachably installed on the chain link 41, reducing the maintenance difficulty of the track link chain 4 and also facilitating the replacement of the corresponding track plate 43 according to the working terrain before use, improving the use effect of the track assembly 2. The track plate 43 is provided with a convex strip 44 with a triangular cross-section, increasing the adhesion between the track link chain 4 and the ground and ensuring the driving stability of the deep-sea mining vehicle.

[0039] See Figure 3, a carrier roller 35 is provided on the top surface of the suspension 3. The carrier roller 35 abuts against the crawler chain 4 from bottom to top, playing a role in supporting the crawler chain 4. A force sensor 36 is provided on the carrier roller 35, which can detect the tension of the crawler chain 4, so as to adjust the tensioning wheel 33 accordingly, making the tension force on the crawler chain 4 appropriate, reducing the wear of the crawler chain 4 while ensuring the use effect of the crawler assembly 2.

[0040] A road wheel 37 is provided on the bottom surface of the suspension 3. The road wheel 37 is located between the two tensioning wheels 33 and the three are in the same straight line when the tensioning wheel 33 does not slide. While playing a role in supporting the weight of the deep-sea mining vehicle, it can also limit the crawler chain 4, reducing the risk of lateral slippage of the crawler chain 4 during use.

[0041] See Figure 4 、 Figure 5 , the rib 44 has a structure of a hollow flip cover 45. A hydraulic oil bladder 6 is provided in the cavity of the rib 44. The unfolded state of the hydraulic oil bladder 6 is trapezoidal. The flip cover 45 of the rib 44 is fixedly connected to the side surface of the hydraulic oil bladder 6. A hydraulic oil tank 61 is detachably installed on the crawler plate 43, and a hydraulic oil pump 62 for filling the oil in the hydraulic oil tank 61 into the hydraulic oil bladder 6 or pumping the oil in the hydraulic oil bladder 6 into the hydraulic oil tank 61 and a battery 63 for supplying power to the hydraulic oil pump 62 are provided.

[0042] During use, the oil in the hydraulic oil tank 61 is conveyed into the hydraulic oil bladder 6 through the hydraulic oil pump 62, so that the hydraulic oil bladder 6 gradually expands and pushes open the flip cover 45 and is exposed on the crawler plate 43 (as shown in Figure 8 ), expanding the contact area between the crawler chain 4 and water and the ground during movement, ensuring the sliding effect of the crawler chain 4, thus increasing the buoyancy received by the crawler assembly 2 to reduce the risk of sinking into the ground while improving the driving effect of the crawler assembly 2.

[0043] In this embodiment, the flip cover 45 includes a flexible part 47 and a flat part 48. One end of the flip cover 45 is fixedly connected to one end of the flexible part 47, and the other end of the flexible part 47 is fixedly connected to the side plate 46 of the rib 44. While ensuring the opening and closing effect of the flip cover 45, it also enables the side plate 46 and the flip cover 45 to be in the same plane after the hydraulic oil bladder 6 expands, thus ensuring the flatness of the contact surface.

[0044] In this embodiment, a snap structure can be adopted to connect the flip cover 45 and the crawler plate 43. That is, a bolt 7 is slidably arranged on the flip cover 45. A spring 71 is arranged between the inner end of the bolt 7 and the flip cover 45. The two ends of the spring 71 respectively abut against the bottom end of the bolt 7 and the flip cover 45. A slot 72 for the outer end of the bolt 7 to insert is formed on the crawler plate 43. A bevel structure 73 is arranged on one side of the outer end of the bolt 7 in the direction of the flip-up of the flip cover 45, as Figure 6 shown in

[0045] To improve the convenience and flexibility during use, a stretching assembly 8 for retracting the hydraulic oil bladder 6 into the rib 44 is arranged on the crawler plate 43. The stretching assembly 8 includes a stretching plate 81. The stretching plate 81 is slidably arranged on the crawler plate 43. A motor 82 for driving the stretching plate 81 to linearly move relative to the crawler plate 43 is arranged on the crawler plate 43. The motor 82 can be powered by the battery 63. The stretching plate 81 is sleeved on the output shaft of the motor 82 in a threaded fit manner. The bottom surface of the hydraulic oil bladder 6 is fixedly connected to the top surface of the stretching plate 81, as Figure 7 shown in

[0046] During use, when the oil in the hydraulic oil bladder 6 is pumped back into the hydraulic oil tank 61 by the hydraulic oil pump 62, the motor 82 is driven to drive the stretching plate 81 to linearly move relative to the crawler plate 43, so that the stretching plate 81 drives the hydraulic oil bladder 6 to move together, thereby pulling the flip cover 45 to close through the hydraulic oil bladder 6. At the same time, to ensure that the hydraulic oil bladder 6 can drive the flip cover 45 to be connected to the crawler plate 43 when being retracted, a guiding bevel 74 for guiding the bolt 7 to extend into the flip cover 45 is arranged at the position of the crawler plate 43 on the moving track of the bolt 7.

[0047] In this embodiment, the hydraulic oil tank 61, the hydraulic oil pump 62, the battery 63 and the motor 82 can all be installed on the bottom surface of the crawler plate 43, and can be arranged by clamping the chain link 41, so as to improve the installation stability of the crawler plate 43 on the chain link 41 and ensure the use effect of the crawler assembly 2.

[0048] What is described above in this specification is only an example of the present invention. Those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications or supplements to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to replace them, as long as they do not deviate from the content of this specification of the present invention or exceed the scope defined by this claim book, they should all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis, characterized in that, include: chassis; Four crawler assemblies are arranged in a square shape on the chassis, and the chassis moves through the crawler assemblies; The crawler track assembly includes a suspension and a crawler chain, the suspension is rotatably arranged on the chassis, a driving wheel is rotatably arranged on one end of the suspension and a driving device for driving the driving wheel to rotate is installed, a guide wheel is rotatably arranged on the other end of the suspension and a first driving assembly for driving the guide wheel to slide relative to the suspension is installed, two tensioning wheels are slidably arranged on the suspension and a second driving assembly for driving the tensioning wheel to slide relative to the suspension is installed, the sliding direction of the tensioning wheel is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the guide wheel, the tensioning wheel is pressed against the crawler chain from top to bottom, and the crawler chain is wound around the driving wheel and the guide wheel; The crawler chain comprises a plurality of chain links, each of which is connected end to end to form a chain, and a crawler shoe is detachably mounted on the chain link, and the crawler shoe is provided with a convex strip with a triangular cross section; The convex strip is a hollow flip-cover structure, and a hydraulic oil bag is provided in the cavity of the convex strip. The expanded state of the hydraulic oil bag is step-shaped, and the flip cover of the convex strip is connected and fixed to the side of the hydraulic oil bag. A hydraulic oil tank is detachably installed on the track shoe and is provided with a hydraulic oil pump for transporting the oil in the hydraulic oil tank into the hydraulic oil bag or pumping the oil in the hydraulic oil bag into the hydraulic oil tank, and a battery for powering the hydraulic oil pump.

2. The deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support arm is provided between the chassis and the suspension, and the support arm is integrally connected to the side of the chassis. The suspension is rotatably provided on the support arm. Two guide arms are provided on the chassis in a left-right symmetrical manner relative to the support arm. The suspension is provided with limiting holes corresponding to the guide arms one by one. The limiting holes are arc-shaped. The guide arms are passed through the limiting holes and are slidable on the suspension.

3. The deepwater hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that: A supporting sprocket is provided on the top surface of the suspension, the supporting sprocket is pressed against the crawler chain from bottom to top, and a force sensor is provided on the supporting sprocket.

4. The deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis according to claim 1, wherein: The first drive assembly and the second drive assembly both include a sliding seat, which is slidably arranged on a suspension. A linear drive device is installed on the suspension for driving the sliding seat to slide relative to the suspension. The guide wheel and the tensioning wheel are respectively rotatably arranged on the sliding seats of the first drive assembly and the second drive assembly.

5. The deepwater hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that: A supporting wheel is provided on the bottom surface of the suspension, and the supporting wheel is located between the two tensioning wheels. When the tensioning wheels are not sliding, the three are on the same straight line.

6. A regulating method for the deep-water hydraulic adaptive crawler chassis according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: The drive devices in the four crawler assemblies on the chassis are capable of operating independently; During the adjustment process, the first drive assembly in the track assembly drives the guide wheel thereon to move toward the drive wheel, and the distance between the guide wheel and the drive wheel is shortened. At the same time, one of the two second drive assemblies on the track assembly drives the corresponding tensioning wheel to move downward against the track chain, so that the track assembly rotates relative to the chassis, so that the front end or rear end of the track chain in the moving direction of the track assembly forms an angle with the ground, and during this process, the track chain always remains in a tensioned state.

7. The adjustment method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The other of the two second drive assemblies drives the corresponding tensioning wheel to move upward or downward and to come into tangential contact with the crawler chain.

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