Submersible thruster, angular controller therefor and control method

Abstract

The present application relates to a diving propeller, an angle controller and a control method thereof, in particular to a diving propeller. The diving propeller comprises a battery and a propeller, characterized in that: the propeller comprises a left propeller and a right propeller, the front part of the left propeller and the right propeller is connected with a waistband power supply battery through a left propeller power supply cable and a right propeller power supply cable respectively; the rear part of the left propeller and the right propeller is connected with a left angle controller and a right angle controller through a left angle controller connecting cable and a right angle controller connecting cable respectively; the left propeller and the left angle controller and the right propeller and the right angle controller are distributed in a left-right symmetry. Compared with the prior art, the angle controller on the leg can be used to carry out the modes of advancing, variable speed advancing, retreating, turning, and turning in place, and the whole operation process only relies on the diver to control the angle between the left leg and the right leg, and does not need to be controlled by hand.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional application, with its parent application number being 202010562344.7, the application date being June 18, 2020, and the invention title being a submersible propulsion device. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of propulsion technology, specifically to a submersible propulsion device. Background Technology

[0003] Diving is becoming increasingly popular, and various underwater propulsion devices are frequently seen in diving equipment. However, these propulsion devices are usually handheld or backpack-style. Regardless of the method, the control system of these propulsion devices requires the diver to control them directly by hand or through a wired controller, leaving no hands free to operate other equipment. Backpack-style propulsion devices can also cause conflicts with other equipment such as air tanks. Many underwater propulsion devices only have simple propulsion functions and cannot perform operations such as reversing or turning. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides a diving propulsion device that can perform forward, variable speed forward, reverse, turn, and stationary turning modes using an angle controller on the legs. The entire operation process relies solely on the diver adjusting the angle between their upper and lower legs, requiring no manual control whatsoever.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, a diving propulsion device is designed, comprising a battery and a propulsion device, characterized in that: the propulsion device includes a left propulsion device and a right propulsion device; the front parts of the left and right propulsion devices are respectively connected to a belt-type power supply battery via a left propulsion device power supply cable and a right propulsion device power supply cable; the rear parts of the left and right propulsion devices are respectively connected to a left angle controller and a right angle controller via a left angle controller connection cable and a right angle controller connection cable; the left propulsion device and left angle controller are symmetrically distributed with respect to the right propulsion device and right angle controller.

[0006] The left angle controller has the same structure as the right angle controller; the left angle controller includes an inner disc and an outer disc, with the middle of the inner disc and the outer disc connected by a rotating shaft and bolts; one side of the inner disc is connected to one end of the inner disc control rod, and the other end of the inner disc control rod is connected to one end of the inner disc crank arm, the inner disc, the inner disc control rod, and the inner disc crank arm are an integral structure; one side of the outer disc is connected to one end of the outer disc control rod, and the other end of the outer disc control rod is connected to one end of the outer disc crank arm, the outer disc, the outer disc control rod, and the outer disc crank arm are an integral structure.

[0007] The inner disk has a circular groove, and a central hole is located at the center of the bottom of the circular groove. A first groove, which is circular, is located at the outer edge 90° clockwise from the central hole. A second groove, which is elongated, is located at the outer edge 90° to 135° clockwise from the central hole. A third groove, which is composed of several circular grooves, is located at the outer edge 135° to 180° clockwise from the central hole. Photoelectric sensors are respectively installed in the first, second, and third grooves.

[0008] The outer disk has a disc-shaped boss in the middle, and a central hole of the outer disk is located in the center of the disc-shaped boss. A fourth groove is located at the outer edge of the outer disk at a clockwise angle of 180° with the central hole of the outer disk as the center. The fourth groove is located in the circular groove and has an LED light inside.

[0009] The other end of the inner disc crank arm and the outer disc crank arm are respectively provided with strap fixing holes.

[0010] The left thruster is secured to the left thigh with a left thruster fixing strap; the right thruster is secured to the right thigh with a right thruster fixing strap.

[0011] The inner and outer circular curved arms of the left and right angle controllers are respectively bound to the thigh and calf by angle controller fixing straps.

[0012] The belt-type power supply battery is equipped with a power control switch, and the belt-type power supply battery is connected to the left and right thrusters respectively through a diving depth detector. The left and right thrusters are connected to the left and right angle controllers respectively through a relay control box. The left and right angle controllers are each equipped with a light source controller.

[0013] A control method for a submersible thruster, the specific control method is as follows:

[0014] (1) Tie the belt-type power supply battery to the waist; tie the left and right thrusters to the left and right thigh roots respectively; tie the front and back parts of the left angle controller to the left thigh and left calf respectively; tie the front and back parts of the right angle controller to the right thigh and right calf respectively.

[0015] (2) When diving underwater, turn on the power control switch on the belt-type power supply battery;

[0016] (3) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend to form 90° at the same time, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the first groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a backward state.

[0017] (4) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend to form 90° to 135°, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the second groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be stationary.

[0018] (5) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend to form 135° to 180°, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the third groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a variable speed forward state. The larger the angle, the faster the forward speed.

[0019] (6) When the left thigh and calf bend to form 90° to 135°, and the right thigh and calf bend to form 135° to 180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a left turn state.

[0020] (7) When the right thigh and calf bend to form 90° to 135°, and the left thigh and calf bend to form 135° to 180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a right turn state.

[0021] (8) When one thigh and calf bend to 90° and the other thigh and calf bend to 135° to 180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a stationary rotation state.

[0022] (9) When you finish diving after surfacing, turn off the power control switch on the belt-type battery.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a diving propulsion device that can perform forward, variable speed forward, reverse, turn, and stationary turning modes by using the angle controller on the legs. The entire operation process only relies on the diver to adjust the angle between the upper and lower legs, and does not require manual control at all. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a top view of the invention installed on a diver.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a side view of the invention mounted on a diver.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the left and right angle controllers.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the left-side angle controller structure.

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the inner circular disk structure.

[0029] Figure 6 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the Chinese and foreign circular disk structures.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the control connection of the present invention.

[0031] Figures 8-12 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention in the states of reversing, standing still, moving forward at variable speed, turning, and turning in place.

[0032] See Figures 1 to 7 1 is the power supply cable for the left thruster; 2 is the left thruster; 3 is the left thruster fixing strap; 4 is the left angle controller connection cable; 5 is the left angle controller; 6 is the angle controller fixing strap; 7 is the right angle controller; 8 is the right angle controller connection cable; 9 is the right thruster fixing strap; 10 is the right thruster; 11 is the right thruster power supply cable; 12 is the belt-type power supply battery; 13 is the power control switch; 14 is the inner disc control rod; 15 is the outer disc; 16 is the outer disc control rod; 17 is the outer disc crank arm; 18 is the rotating shaft and bolt; 19 is the inner disc crank arm; 20 is the inner disc; 21 is the strap fixing hole; 22 is the first groove; 23 is the second groove; 24 is the third groove; 25 is the fourth groove; 26 is the outer disc center hole; 27 is the relay control box; 28 is the diving depth detector; 29 is the light source controller. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the thrusters include a left thruster 2 and a right thruster 10. The front parts of the left thruster 2 and the right thruster 10 are connected to a belt-type power supply battery 12 via a left thruster power supply cable 1 and a right thruster power supply cable 11, respectively. The rear parts of the left thruster 2 and the right thruster 10 are connected to a left angle controller 5 and a right angle controller 7 via a left angle controller connecting cable 4 and a right angle controller connecting cable 8, respectively. The left thruster 2 and the left angle controller 5 are symmetrically distributed with the right thruster 10 and the right angle controller 7.

[0035] The left angle controller 5 has the same structure as the right angle controller 7. The left angle controller 5 includes an inner disk and an outer disk. The middle of the inner disk 20 and the outer disk 15 are connected by a rotating shaft and bolts 18. One side of the inner disk 20 is connected to one end of the inner disk control rod 14, and the other end of the inner disk control rod 14 is connected to one end of the inner disk crank arm 19. The inner disk 20, the inner disk control rod 14, and the inner disk crank arm 19 are an integral structure. One side of the outer disk 15 is connected to one end of the outer disk control rod 16, and the other end of the outer disk control rod 16 is connected to one end of the outer disk crank arm 17. The outer disk 15, the outer disk control rod 16, and the outer disk crank arm 17 are an integral structure.

[0036] The inner disc 20 has a circular groove, and a central hole 21 is located at the center of the bottom of the circular groove. A first groove 22 is located at the outer edge of the inner disc at a clockwise angle of 90° with the central hole 21 as the center. The first groove 22 is a circular groove. A second groove 23 is located at the outer edge of the inner disc at a clockwise angle of 90° to 135° with the central hole 21 as the center. The second groove 23 is a long strip-shaped groove. A third groove 24 is located at the outer edge of the inner disc at a clockwise angle of 135° to 180° with the central hole 21 as the center. The third groove 24 is composed of several circular grooves. Photoelectric sensors are respectively installed in the first groove 22, the second groove 23, and the third groove 24.

[0037] All the windows in these recesses are sealed with transparent material, and the photoelectric sensors and circuits inside the entire inner disc are all independently sealed and waterproof.

[0038] The outer disc 15 has a disc-shaped boss in the middle, and a central hole 26 is located in the center of the disc-shaped boss. A fourth groove 25 is located at the outer edge of the outer disc 15 at a clockwise angle of 180° with the central hole 26 as the center. The fourth groove 25 is located in the circular groove and has an LED light inside.

[0039] The window of the fourth groove 25 is also sealed with transparent material. The power supply battery for the LED light is installed in the interlayer of the outer disc 15. The entire outer disc 15 is independently sealed and can be waterproofed on its own.

[0040] The other ends of the inner disc crank arm 19 and the outer disc crank arm 17 are respectively provided with strap fixing holes 21.

[0041] The inner disk 20 and the outer disk 15 are in the pre-assembly state. The inner and outer disks are connected by a rotating shaft and bolts 18 through the inner and outer center holes. After assembly, the inner and outer disks can rotate relative to each other. At the same time, the LED lights on the outer disk 15 can be aligned with several grooves on the inner disk 20 as the inner and outer disks rotate relative to each other, triggering photoelectric sensors at different positions in the grooves of the inner disk to be in working or off state, thereby controlling the operating state of the thruster.

[0042] The left thruster 2 is secured to the left thigh root with a left thruster fixing strap 3; the right thruster 10 is secured to the right thigh root with a right thruster fixing strap 9.

[0043] The inner disc crank arm 19 and outer disc crank arm 17 of the left angle controller 5 and the right angle controller 7 are respectively bound to the thigh and calf by the angle controller fixing strap 6.

[0044] The belt-type power supply battery 12 is equipped with a power control switch 13, and the belt-type power supply battery 12 is connected to the left thruster 2 and the right thruster 10 respectively through the diving depth detector 28. The left thruster 2 and the right thruster 10 are connected to the left angle controller 5 and the right angle controller 7 respectively through the relay control box 27. The left angle controller 5 and the right angle controller 7 are respectively equipped with a light source controller 29.

[0045] A control method for a submersible thruster, the specific control method is as follows:

[0046] (1) Tie the belt-type power supply battery to the waist; tie the left and right thrusters to the left and right thigh roots respectively; tie the front and back parts of the left angle controller to the left thigh and left calf respectively; tie the front and back parts of the right angle controller to the right thigh and right calf respectively.

[0047] (2) When diving underwater, turn on the power control switch on the belt-type power supply battery;

[0048] (3) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend simultaneously to form a 90° angle, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the first groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a reverse state, such as... Figure 8 As shown;

[0049] (4) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend simultaneously to form an angle of 90° to 135°, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the second groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a stationary state, such as Figure 9 As shown;

[0050] (5) When the thighs and calves on both sides bend simultaneously to form an angle of 135° to 180°, the LED lights in the left and right angle controllers are located in the third groove, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a variable-speed forward motion state. The larger the angle, the faster the forward speed. Figure 10 As shown;

[0051] (6) When the left thigh and calf are bent at 90°–135°, and the right thigh and calf are bent at 135°–180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a left turn position, such as… Figure 11 As shown;

[0052] (7) When the right thigh and calf bend to form 90° to 135°, and the left thigh and calf bend to form 135° to 180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a right turn state.

[0053] (8) When one thigh and calf bend to 90°, and the other thigh and calf bend to 135°–180°, control the left and right thrusters to remain in a stationary rotation state, such as… Figure 12 As shown;

[0054] (9) When you finish diving after surfacing, turn off the power control switch on the belt-type battery.

[0055] This invention utilizes the standard diving posture of a diver, fixing the thruster to both sides of the diver's thighs, and the angle controller to the knee joint. Two of these controllers are connected to the control lever and the curved arm, which are respectively strapped to the inside of the upper and lower legs. The power supply battery is fixed to the waist. The working state of the thruster is adjusted and controlled by the angle between the diver's upper and lower legs, including forward, variable speed forward, backward, turning, and turning in place. Apart from the main power switch, the entire operation relies solely on the diver adjusting the angle between their upper and lower legs, requiring no manual control. In addition, this invention is equipped with a diving depth detector to monitor the diver's ascent speed. If the ascent is too rapid, the thruster's working state can be cut off to prevent danger caused by the diver's unintentional excessively rapid ascent due to incorrect posture or excessively rapid ascent during the ascent process.

[0056] This invention consists of left and right sides, which share a belt-type power supply battery. The belt-type power supply battery is designed to be detachable, so that in an emergency, after the power is cut off, it can be removed and discarded like a diver's weight bag.

[0057] The control part of this invention is called an angle controller, which consists of two independent angle controllers, left and right. The left angle controller is driven by the left leg to control the left propeller, and the right angle controller is driven by the right leg to control the right propeller. A control rod and a curved arm are fixed on the angle controller. The control rod and the curved arm are respectively fixed to the leg with straps. When the angle of the leg changes, the angle controller will be rotated through the curved arm and the control rod, so that the propeller is in different working states.

[0058] The cable control of this invention is shown in the appendix. Figure 7Besides sharing a single belt-mounted battery for power, the system has separate left and right control circuit systems, each corresponding to an angle controller mounted on the diver's left and right legs, controlling the left and right diving thrusters respectively. Each position's photoelectric switch circuit is connected to a relay control box, which in turn is connected to the corresponding thruster.

[0059] A diving depth sensor is installed on the power supply battery line. When this invention is working, it will automatically detect the diver's ascent speed. If the diver's attitude is unbalanced, or if the depth sensor detects that the diver's ascent speed exceeds the maximum ascent speed specified by PADI or other diving organizations (e.g., 9 meters / minute) during normal ascent, the diving depth sensor will automatically shut down the angle controller on this invention to control the thruster, causing the thruster to stop working. This avoids the situation where the ascent speed is too fast due to the influence of this invention, which could lead to a dangerous situation for the diver.

[0060] The working methods of this invention are shown in the appendix. Figure 8 , attached Figure 9 , attached Figure 10 , attached Figure 11 By changing the angle of the diver's legs, the relative rotation of the inner and outer discs of the angle controller is driven, thus controlling and changing the working state of the thruster. The angle controller can be switched on and off by changing the angle of the diver's legs, allowing the diver to be in various different diving states.

[0061] Regression status: see appendix Figure 8 When the diver's thighs and calves are at an angle of ≤90°, the LED light on the outer disc of the angle sensor is located at the photoelectric sensor window in the 90° groove of the inner disc, activating the thruster to reverse its working state. When both the diver's thighs and calves are at this angle, the diver can reverse at a constant speed.

[0062] At rest: see appendix Figure 9 When the diver's left and right legs are at an angle of >90° to ≤135°, the LED light on the outer disc of the angle sensor will be located at the photoelectric sensor window in the >90° to ≤135° groove of the inner disc, which will stop the propeller's operation and keep the diver stationary.

[0063] Forward status: see appendix Figure 10 When the diver's left and right legs are at an angle of >135° to ≤180°, the LED lights inside the outer disc of the angle controller are located at the photoelectric sensor windows of the three or four grooves in the >135° to ≤180° range. The larger the angle of the groove, the higher the propulsion speed. Within this angle range, the diver can control the propulsion speed of the thruster by adjusting the angle of the legs. When the angle reaches or approaches 180°, the propulsion speed is at its maximum.

[0064] Turning status: see appendix Figure 11 When a diver needs to turn, he simply retracts the leg in the direction he wants to turn, keeping the clamps on the upper and lower legs between >90° and ≤135°, and the clamps on the other leg between >135° and ≤180°. He can then turn by the push of the thruster on one side.

[0065] Turning in place: See attached document Figure 12 When a diver needs to turn in place, he only needs to keep the angle between one leg and the other leg ≤90° (when the side thruster is in reverse) and the angle between the other leg and the other leg >135°-≤180° (when the side thruster is in forward motion) to achieve the diver's in-place turning.

Claims

1. A submersible propulsion device, comprising a battery and a propulsion unit, characterized in that: The thrusters include a left thruster (2) and a right thruster (10). The front parts of the left thruster (2) and the right thruster (10) are connected to the battery via a left thruster power supply cable (1) and a right thruster power supply cable (11), respectively. The rear parts of the left thruster (2) and the right thruster (10) are connected to a left angle controller (5) and a right angle controller (7) via a left angle controller connection cable (4) and a right angle controller connection cable (8), respectively. The left angle controller (5) and the right angle controller (7) monitor the angle between the left and right thighs and calves of the diver, respectively. The working state of the thrusters is adjusted and controlled based on the angle between the left and right thighs and calves of the diver.

2. A submersible thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment and control of the working state of the thruster includes forward movement, variable speed forward movement, reverse movement, left turn, right turn, and stationary rotation.

3. A submersible thruster according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjustment and control of the thruster's working state includes: when the left and right thighs and calves simultaneously bend to 90°, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a reverse state; when the left and right thighs and calves simultaneously bend to 90°~135°, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a stationary state; when the left and right thighs and calves simultaneously bend to 135°~180°, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a variable-speed forward state, with the forward speed increasing as the angle increases; when the left thigh and calves bend to 90°~135°, controlling the left and right thrusters to be in a variable-speed forward state. When the right thigh and lower leg bend to 135°, and the right thigh and lower leg bend to 135° to 180°, the left and right thrusters are controlled to turn left; when the right thigh and lower leg bend to 90° to 135°, and the left thigh and lower leg bend to 135° to 180°, the left and right thrusters are controlled to turn right; and when the thigh and lower leg on one side bend to 90°, and the thigh and lower leg on the other side bend to 135° to 180°, the left and right thrusters are controlled to rotate in place.

4. A submersible thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left thruster (2) and left angle controller (5) are symmetrically distributed with the right thruster (10) and right angle controller (7), wherein the left angle controller (5) and right angle controller (7) have the same structure.

5. A submersible thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left-side angle controller includes an inner disc and an outer disc. The inner disc and the outer disc are connected at their middle parts by a rotating shaft and bolts. One side of the inner disc is connected to one end of the inner disc control rod. One side of the outer disc is connected to one end of the outer disc control rod. The inner disc has a circular groove, and a center hole is located at the center of the bottom of the circular groove. A first groove (22) is located at the outer edge 90° clockwise from the center hole of the inner disc. The first groove (22) is a circular groove. A second groove is located at the outer edge 90°~135° clockwise from the center hole of the inner disc. The second groove is a long strip groove; a third groove is provided at the outer edge of the inner disc at a clockwise angle of 135°~180° with the center hole of the inner disc as the center, and the third groove (24) is composed of several circular grooves; photoelectric sensors are respectively provided in the first groove (22), the second groove (23) and the third groove (24); a disc-shaped boss is provided in the middle of the outer disc, and a center hole of the outer disc is provided in the center of the disc-shaped boss, and a fourth groove is provided at the outer edge of the outer disc at a clockwise angle of 180° with the center hole of the outer disc as the center, and the fourth groove is a circular groove, and an LED light is provided in the fourth groove (25).

6. A submersible thruster according to claim 5, characterized in that: The other end of the inner disc control rod is connected to one end of the inner disc crank arm, and the other end of the outer disc control rod is connected to one end of the outer disc crank arm. The other ends of the inner disc crank arm and the outer disc crank arm are respectively provided with strap fixing holes to connect to the angle controller fixing strap. The left pusher (2) is bound to the left thigh root with the left pusher fixing strap (3); the right pusher (10) is bound to the right thigh root with the right pusher fixing strap (9).

7. A submersible thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that: The battery is a belt-type power supply battery (12), and the belt-type power supply battery (12) is equipped with a power control switch (13). The belt-type power supply battery (12) is connected to the left thruster (2) and the right thruster (10) respectively through the diving depth detector (28). The left thruster (2) and the right thruster (10) are connected to the left angle controller (5) and the right angle controller (7) respectively through the relay control box (27). The left angle controller (5) and the right angle controller (7) are respectively equipped with a light source controller (29).

8. A control method for a submersible thruster as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: The control method is as follows: An angle controller is used to monitor the angle between the diver's left and right thighs and calves; When the thighs and calves on both sides bend to form 90° at the same time, control the left and right thrusters to be in a reverse state. When the thighs and calves on both sides bend simultaneously to form 90°~135°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a stationary state. When the thighs and calves on both sides bend simultaneously to form a 135°~180° angle, the left and right thrusters are controlled to be in a variable speed forward state. The larger the angle, the faster the forward speed. When the left thigh and calf bend to a position of 90°~135°, and the right thigh and calf bend to a position of 135°~180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a left turn state. When the right thigh and lower leg bend to a position of 90°~135°, and the left thigh and lower leg bend to a position of 135°~180°, control the left and right thrusters to be in a right turn state; and When one thigh and calf bend to 90°, and the other thigh and calf bend to 135°~180°, control the left and right thrusters to rotate in place.

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