An underwater robot working floating platform for hydropower station monitoring

Abstract

This invention discloses an underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations, relating to the field of intelligent inspection equipment for water conservancy projects. The platform includes: a floating platform with multiple pontoons below it, forming a central waterway with one side opening between the pontoons; a storage cabinet on the floating platform, containing a cavity capable of accommodating the underwater robot and an umbilical cable reel; a lifting mechanism on the floating platform, capable of hoisting the underwater robot between the cavity and the central waterway; and an umbilical cable limiter on the floating platform. This application provides an underwater robot working platform integrating multiple functions such as storage, lifting, operation, and maintenance. The floating platform is fixed to a permanent debris barrier and floats on the water surface via the pontoons, greatly reducing the cumbersome and safety issues associated with high-altitude operations caused by lowering the robot into the water from below the dam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent inspection equipment for water conservancy projects, and in particular to an underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations. Background Technology

[0002] Underwater robots are important equipment for the inspection of hydropower station dams and underwater operations. They are generally carried out by means of being mounted on a ship or hoisted from the top of the dam. In particular, in front of hydropower station dams with permanent debris barriers, only the method of hoisting from the top of the dam can be used for underwater operations.

[0003] The current method of using underwater robots suspended from the dam crest for water entry operations has the following problems: 1. The crane deployment device requires the coordinated operation of more than 3 personnel, which is inconvenient and makes it difficult for the underwater robot to enter the water; 2. The umbilical cable, parallel to the dam's vertical surface and vertically entering the water, is prone to entanglement with the permanent debris barriers (which are generally 1500mm-2000mm deep). To avoid these problems, the underwater robot's entry position needs to be frequently changed during operation, which is cumbersome, inefficient, and makes it difficult to pass through the permanent debris barriers for underwater inspection work; 3. A dedicated storage tank is required to store the underwater robot, and the robot needs to be transferred before and after operation, which is time-consuming.

[0004] In view of this, how to provide an underwater robot water entry device that can solve the above-mentioned technical problems is an urgent problem for those in the field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations, in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: The present invention provides an underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations, comprising:

[0007] A floating platform, with multiple pontoons arranged below it, forming a central waterway with one side open between the pontoons, the opening of the central waterway facing the front of the floating platform; the floating platform has through slots on its upper and lower surfaces corresponding to the central waterway.

[0008] A permanent debris barrier is fixedly connected to the rear end of the floating platform.

[0009] A storage cabinet is provided on the floating platform, the top of the storage cabinet is provided with a sealed door, and the storage cabinet is provided with a cavity capable of accommodating an underwater robot and an umbilical cable spool.

[0010] A lifting mechanism is provided on the floating platform, and the lifting mechanism is capable of lifting the underwater robot between the receiving cavity and the central waterway of the platform;

[0011] An umbilical cable limiter is provided on the floating platform. The umbilical cable can be inserted into the limiting pulley of the umbilical cable limiter. One end of the umbilical cable is fixedly connected to the umbilical cable spool, and the other end is fixedly connected to the underwater robot.

[0012] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism includes:

[0013] The gantry, fixedly mounted on the floating platform and near the rear end of the floating platform; the slide rail,

[0014] The slide rail is fixedly mounted on the hanger, and the slide rail runs along the middle of the platform.

[0015] The length direction of the axial waterway is set;

[0016] The crane is slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0017] Furthermore, it also includes: a waterway bottom plate, which is located in the central waterway of the platform and is made of a steel mesh frame. One end of the bottom plate is hinged to the floating platform, and both sides are connected to the floating platform through multiple buckles. A hook is provided above the buckle, and the lifting mechanism can release the buckle through the hook.

[0018] Furthermore, when the buckle is released, the waterway bottom plate can rotate downwards along its hinge with the floating platform until it reaches a vertical position.

[0019] Furthermore, the length of the waterway bottom plate is at least 3000 mm.

[0020] Furthermore, a limiting groove is provided on the bottom plate of the waterway. When the bottom plate of the waterway is in a vertical state, the limiting groove is located at the lower end of the bottom plate of the waterway, and the umbilical cable can be inserted into the limiting groove.

[0021] Furthermore, the umbilical cable limiter is slidably connected to the floating platform along the length of the central waterway of the platform.

[0022] Furthermore, the cavity is also equipped with a maintenance platform.

[0023] The present invention discloses the following technical effects:

[0024] This application provides an underwater robot work platform integrating multiple functions such as storage, lifting, operation, and maintenance. The floating platform is fixed to a permanent debris barrier and floats on the water surface through buoys, greatly reducing the cumbersome and safety issues caused by lifting the robot into the water from the top of the hydropower station dam. When using this application to lower the underwater robot into the water, only one person needs to operate the lifting mechanism and another person needs to operate the underwater robot. Two people can easily complete all operations, reducing labor costs compared to lifting the robot into the water from the top of the dam (which requires at least three people).

[0025] Storage cabinets are installed on the floating platform, providing storage space for the underwater robot and its associated umbilical cable equipment, eliminating the need for a separate equipment storage warehouse and reducing equipment transportation time. A waterway floor plate made of steel mesh is installed within the platform's central waterway. This waterway floor plate is flip-up, allowing it to enter the water vertically and effectively separating the umbilical cable from the debris barrier below the permanent debris barrier, preventing entanglement. Therefore, the underwater robot does not need to frequently change its entry position during operation. Furthermore, the waterway floor plate significantly reduces the risk of entanglement when the underwater robot reverses its path through the permanent debris barrier, making underwater inspection work possible. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a top view of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is the left view of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a front view of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the waterway bottom slab structure;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a side view of the waterway floor.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting slide structure;

[0033] Among them, 1. Floating platform; 2. Floating cylinder; 3. Central waterway of the platform; 4. Permanent debris barrier; 5. Storage cabinet; 6. Umbilical cable limiter; 7. Hanger; 8. Slide rail; 9. Crane; 10. Waterway bottom plate; 11. Buckle; 12. Limiting slide groove; 1201. Baffle; 1202. Hinge; 1203. Rotation spring. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] Reference Figures 1-5 This invention provides an underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations, comprising: a floating platform 1, with multiple buoys 2 disposed below the floating platform 1, forming a platform central waterway 3 with an opening on one side between the multiple buoys 2, the opening of the platform central waterway 3 being funnel-shaped and its opening direction facing the front of the floating platform 1; a through groove being formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the floating platform 1 corresponding to the platform central waterway 3; a permanent debris barrier 4, the permanent debris barrier 4 being fixedly connected to the rear end of the floating platform 1; and a storage cabinet 5, the storage cabinet 5 being disposed on the floating platform 1. The top is equipped with a sealed door, and the storage cabinet 5 is defined with a cavity that can accommodate the underwater robot and the umbilical cable spool; a lifting mechanism is set on the floating platform 1, and the lifting mechanism can lift the underwater robot between the cavity and the central waterway 3 of the platform; an umbilical cable limiter 6 is set on the floating platform 1, and the umbilical cable can be inserted into the limiting pulley of the umbilical cable limiter 6, with one end of the umbilical cable fixedly connected to the umbilical cable spool and the other end fixedly connected to the underwater robot.

[0037] In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism includes: a gantry 7, which is fixedly mounted on the floating platform 1 and close to the rear end of the floating platform 1; a slide rail 8, which is fixedly mounted on the gantry 7 and is arranged along the length of the platform's central waterway 3; and a crane 9, which is slidably connected to the slide rail 8.

[0038] In this embodiment, it also includes: a waterway bottom plate 10, which is located in the central waterway 3 of the platform and is made of a steel mesh frame. One end of the waterway bottom plate 10 is hinged to the floating platform 1, and both sides are connected to the floating platform 1 through multiple buckles 11. There are hooks above the buckles 11, and the lifting mechanism can release the buckles 11 through the hooks.

[0039] In this embodiment, when the latch 11 is released, the waterway bottom plate 10 can rotate downwards along its hinge with the floating platform 1 until it reaches a vertical position. The latch 11 structure is similar to an existing elastic locking structure; pulling it upwards releases the latch 11 from its locked state, allowing the waterway bottom plate 10 to flip downwards along the hinge. The length of the waterway bottom plate 10 is at least 3000 mm.

[0040] In some other embodiments, the waterway bottom plate 10 may also be hinged to the floating platform 1 using a hydraulic telescopic rod. When the hydraulic telescopic rod extends, the waterway bottom plate 10 can flip downwards, and when the hydraulic telescopic rod shortens, the waterway bottom plate 10 can flip upwards to reset.

[0041] In this embodiment, a limiting groove 12 is provided on the waterway bottom plate 10. When the waterway bottom plate 10 is in a vertical state, the limiting groove 12 is located at the lower end of the waterway bottom plate 10, allowing the umbilical cable to be inserted into the limiting groove 12. The limiting groove 12 is generally V-shaped, and after the umbilical cable is inserted, it can prevent the umbilical cable from moving freely when the underwater robot is not operating. Figure 6 As shown, the limiting chute 12 includes a baffle 1201, a hinge 1202, and a rotary spring 1203. The lower end of the waterway bottom plate 10 forms a V-shaped groove. The baffle 1201 is hinged to the groove wall via the hinge 1202. A rotary spring 1203 is installed between the baffle 1201 and the groove wall. Under normal conditions, the rotary spring 1203 supports the baffle 1201 to keep it horizontal. When the underwater robot pushes the umbilical cable down on the baffle 1201, the rotary spring 1203 is compressed, and the two baffles 1201 move down, forming a gap in the middle that allows the umbilical cable to pass through (compression occurs when the baffle 1201 is pressed down by a weight of more than 2 kg). The umbilical cable is inserted into the gap below the baffle 1201, forming a limiting position. Similarly, when the underwater robot is recovered, the umbilical cable can overcome the elastic force of the rotary spring 1203 and push open the baffle 1201 to release the limiting position.

[0042] In this embodiment, the umbilical cable limiter 6 is slidably connected to the floating platform 1 along the length of the central waterway 3 of the platform. The floating platform 1 is provided with a slide rail 8 adapted to the umbilical cable limiter 6.

[0043] In this embodiment, the containment cavity is also equipped with a maintenance platform, and a work platform is set on the floating platform 1 for operators to maintain and repair the underwater robot inside the containment cavity. An electrical box or gasoline generator is set on the floating platform 1 to supply power to the underwater robot, crane, umbilical cable reel, and other electrical equipment. The crane is controlled by electrical control equipment. A dedicated operating platform for the underwater robot can also be set on the floating platform 1 to improve the intelligence and informatization of the overall operation.

[0044] The specific work process is as follows:

[0045] Open the sealed door of storage cabinet 5, and use crane 9 and slide rail 8 to hoist the underwater robot to the central waterway 3 of the platform. Insert the umbilical cable into the limiting pulley of the umbilical cable limiter 6. After the underwater robot performs a self-check, it can drive out along the central waterway 3 of the platform.

[0046] When it is necessary to reverse the underwater passage through the permanent debris barrier 4, first hoist the underwater robot to the central waterway 3 of the platform according to the above procedure, then connect the hook of the crane 9 to the hook of the buckle 11, and pull the hook upward to release the locking state of the buckle 11, so that the bottom plate 10 of the waterway flips into the water along its hinge with the floating platform 1 until the bottom plate 10 of the waterway reaches a vertical state. Move the umbilical cable limiter 6 above the bottom plate 10 of the waterway and insert the umbilical cable into the limiting pulley of the umbilical cable limiter 6.

[0047] Start the underwater robot and make it submerge below the bottom plate 10 of the waterway. Move the underwater robot behind the permanent debris barrier 4 so that the umbilical cable is inserted into the limiting groove 12. Then the underwater robot can be operated to start the operation of passing through the permanent debris barrier 4.

[0048] When the underwater robot needs to be retrieved, it should be kept at a depth of not less than 3000mm. Then, the rotating motor of the umbilical cable spool (which can also be installed inside the receiving cavity) should be started to allow the underwater robot to return to its original position. During this process, the umbilical cable can automatically separate from the limiting slide 12 (the clamping force between the two is very small, only restricting the free movement of the umbilical cable when the underwater robot stops working). When the underwater robot moves to the central waterway 3 of the platform, the bottom plate 10 of the waterway should be reset using the crane 9. Then, the sealed door of the storage cabinet 5 should be opened, and the underwater robot should be hoisted back into the storage cabinet 5. If maintenance is required, the underwater robot can be hoisted to the maintenance platform in the receiving cavity, and the operator can perform maintenance on the underwater robot on the work platform. If maintenance is not required, the sealed door of the storage cabinet 5 can be closed directly, and the underwater robot can be fixed and stored through the storage cabinet 5.

[0049] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0050] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations, characterized in that, include: A floating platform (1) is provided below the floating platform (1), and a plurality of pontoons (2) are provided below the plurality of pontoons (2), forming a platform central axis waterway (3) with an opening on one side. The opening of the platform central axis waterway (3) faces the front of the floating platform (1). The floating platform (1) is provided with a through groove through its upper and lower surfaces corresponding to the platform central axis waterway (3). A permanent debris barrier (4) is fixedly connected to the rear end of the floating platform (1); Storage cabinet (5), the storage cabinet (5) is set on the floating platform (1), the top of the storage cabinet (5) is provided with a sealed door, and the storage cabinet (5) is defined with a receiving cavity that can accommodate an underwater robot and an umbilical cable spool; A lifting mechanism is provided on the floating platform (1), and the lifting mechanism is capable of lifting the underwater robot between the receiving cavity and the central waterway (3) of the platform; Umbilical cable limiter (6) is set on the floating platform (1). The umbilical cable can be inserted into the limiting pulley of the umbilical cable limiter (6). One end of the umbilical cable is fixedly connected to the umbilical cable spool, and the other end is fixedly connected to the underwater robot. The waterway bottom plate (10) is located in the central waterway (3) of the platform and is made of steel mesh frame. One end of the waterway bottom plate (1) is hinged to the floating platform (1), and the two sides are connected to the floating platform (1) by multiple buckles (11). There is a hook above the buckle (11), and the lifting mechanism can release the buckle (11) through the hook. When the buckle (11) is released, the waterway bottom plate (10) can rotate downward along its hinge with the floating platform (1) until it reaches a vertical state; The waterway bottom plate (10) is provided with a limiting groove (12). When the waterway bottom plate (10) is in a vertical state, the limiting groove (12) is located at the lower end of the waterway bottom plate (10), and the umbilical cable can be inserted into the limiting groove (12).

2. The underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes: The gantry (7) is fixedly mounted on the floating platform (1) and close to the floating platform (1). The backend; The slide rail (8) is fixedly mounted on the hanger (7) and is arranged along the length of the central waterway of the platform; The crane (9) is slidably connected to the slide rail (8).

3. The underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the waterway bottom plate (10) is at least 3000 mm.

4. The underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The umbilical cable limiter (6) is slidably connected to the floating platform (1) along the length direction of the central waterway (3) of the platform.

5. The underwater robot working platform for monitoring hydropower stations according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cavity is also equipped with a maintenance platform.

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