Underwater docking mechanism and underwater working device

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of underwater operation and specifically relates to an underwater docking mechanism and an underwater operation device, which comprises a female head and a male head. The female head comprises a shell, the shell is provided with an opening, a matching cylinder for inserting the male head is arranged on the shell at the opening, a water guide hole is arranged on the side of the matching cylinder, a joint one and a movable sealing piece are arranged in the shell, one end of the sealing piece is arranged towards the matching cylinder and blocks the opening. One end of the male head for inserting the matching cylinder is provided with a containing groove and a cover plate, a joint two is arranged in the containing groove, the joint one and / or the joint two can be moved, and external water can be basically isolated when underwater docking, which effectively avoids the adverse effects of water on the joint, reduces the time required for replacing operation tools, improves the working efficiency of underwater operation, avoids operation robot failures caused by frequent deployment and recovery, and thus reduces the operation cost and operation risk of underwater operation robots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underwater operation technology, specifically relating to an underwater docking mechanism and an underwater operation device. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of marine resources, the demand for underwater operations is increasing. Due to the significant limitations of manual underwater operations, underwater robots have been rapidly developed. They can replace humans in various underwater tasks in harsh environments such as deep-sea high pressure, low temperature, and low visibility. When using underwater robots, different tools need to be used depending on the specific scenario. When using these tools, the underwater robot needs to connect to the required tools via hydraulic and / or electrical connectors. Faced with the complex underwater environment and diverse operational needs, different tools often need to be changed to meet various underwater operational requirements. However, when changing the tools on the underwater robot, if the connectors are plugged and unplugged underwater, if the connector is hydraulic, seawater can easily contaminate the hydraulic oil; if the connector is electrical, it will affect its insulation. To avoid the impact of water on the insulation of the electrical interface and the contamination of the hydraulic oil, a deployment and recovery system is needed to retrieve the underwater robot to the surface deck. After changing the tools on the deck, the underwater robot is then deployed back underwater using the same system. This method is time-consuming, which reduces the efficiency of underwater operations. Furthermore, continuous deployment and retrieval increase the risk of malfunction for underwater robots, thus increasing the operating costs and risks of underwater robots. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an underwater docking mechanism and underwater operation device that can perform joint docking in an underwater environment with relatively isolated external water.

[0004] The present invention provides an underwater docking mechanism, including a female head and a male head; The female head includes a housing with an opening. A mating cylinder for inserting the male head is provided on the housing at the opening. A water guide hole is provided on the side of the mating cylinder. A connector and a movable sealing member are provided inside the housing. One end of the sealing member faces the mating cylinder and blocks the opening. When one end of the male head is inserted into the mating cylinder and moves toward the sealing member, water in the mating cylinder is squeezed out from the water guide hole along the space between the male head end and the sealing member. After the male head end comes into contact with the sealing member, the sealing member moves or the male head drives the sealing member to move, thereby opening the opening. The male end of the connector, which is used to insert into the mating cylinder, is provided with a receiving groove and a cover plate. The cover plate is movable to cover or open the receiving groove. A second connector is provided in the receiving groove. The first connector and / or the second connector are movable to mate with the first connector and the second connector.

[0005] Furthermore, it also includes a guide slide fixedly disposed inside the housing, and the sealing member slides in cooperation with the guide slide.

[0006] Furthermore, the sealing component is a sleeve closed at one end, the guide component is a positioning pin, a guide groove is provided on the sleeve, the guide groove is spirally arranged around the axis of the sleeve on the side of the sleeve, a guide post is provided on the side of the positioning pin, the guide post passes through the guide groove, after the end of the male head inserted into the mating sleeve is in contact with the sleeve, the male head rotates and pushes the sleeve to rotate and move, so as to open the opening.

[0007] Furthermore, after one end of the male connector is inserted into the mating cylinder and comes into contact with the sealing component, that end of the male connector is magnetically connected to the sealing component.

[0008] Furthermore, the male head surface is provided with an elastic layer.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a female head shell disposed on the outside of the female head and a male head shell disposed on the outside of the male head. One end of the female head shell is provided with a guide groove II along the axial direction of the female head shell, and a locking groove is provided laterally at the end of the guide groove II on the female head shell. The male head shell can be inserted into the female head shell, and a guide post II that can move along the guide groove II into the locking groove is provided on the male head shell.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a support member, which presses against the male head shell to limit its movement when the male head shell is inserted into the female head shell and the guide post two is located in the locking groove.

[0011] Furthermore, it also includes an elastic element disposed between the female head housing and the support member. When the second guide post is located in the locking groove, the elastic element is compressed, and the support member presses against the male head housing through the elastic force of the elastic element.

[0012] Furthermore, a driving component is provided in the receiving groove to drive the cover plate and the connector to move.

[0013] The present invention also provides an underwater operation device, including an operation robot, an operation tool, and an underwater docking mechanism as described above, wherein a female head and a male head are respectively disposed on the operation robot and the operation tool in the underwater docking mechanism.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are that, before the male head extends into the shell, the water located at the shell opening is squeezed out through the cooperation between the sealing component, the mating cylinder, and the male head. After the male head is attached to the sealing component and extends into the shell, a relatively closed space that isolates seawater is formed inside the shell. When connector one and connector two are docked in this space, they can basically isolate external water, effectively avoiding the adverse effects of water on the interface. This enables underwater docking between the working tool and the working robot, solving the problem that the working robot needs to be retrieved to the surface deck for tool replacement using a deployment and retrieval system. On the one hand, it can reduce the time required for tool replacement and improve the efficiency of underwater operations. On the other hand, it can avoid the failure of the working robot caused by frequent deployment and retrieval, thereby reducing the operating cost and risk of underwater working robots. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Appendix Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0016] Appendix Figure 2 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0017] Appendix Figure 3 This is a partial longitudinal section diagram of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0018] Appendix Figure 4 This is a longitudinal section diagram of the housing of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0019] Appendix Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the fit between the sleeve and the positioning pin of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0020] Appendix Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention when the second connector extends.

[0021] Appendix Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention, showing the male end inserted into the housing.

[0022] Appendix Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support and elastic components of the underwater docking mechanism of the present invention.

[0023] In the diagram, 1-Female head shell; 11-Guide groove 2; 12-Locking groove; 2-Male head shell; 21-Guide post 2; 3-Female head; 31-Shell; 32-Matching cylinder; 321-Water guide hole; 33-Connector 1; 4-Male head; 41-Connector 2; 42-Cover plate; 43-Drive component 1; 5-Sleeve; 51-Guide groove 1; 6-Positioning pin; 61-Guide post 1; 7-Support component; 8-Elastic component; 9-Telescopic rod. Detailed Implementation

[0024] As attached Figure 1-8 As shown, the present invention provides an underwater docking mechanism, which includes a female connector 3 and a male connector 4. The female connector 3 includes a housing 31 with an opening. A mating cylinder 32 for inserting the male connector 4 is provided on the housing 31 at the opening. When the male connector 4 is inserted into the mating cylinder 32, the side of the male connector 4 is in contact with the mating cylinder 32. A water guide hole 321 is provided on the side of the mating cylinder 32. A connector 33 and a movable sealing member are provided inside the housing 31, with one end of the sealing member facing the mating cylinder. The cylinder 32 is set and seals the opening. When one end of the male head 4 is inserted into the fitting cylinder 32 and moves toward the sealing member, the sealing member remains stationary. Since the side of the male head 4 is in contact with the fitting cylinder 32, during the process of the fitting cylinder 32 moving toward the sealing member, the water in the fitting cylinder 32 is squeezed out from the water guide hole 321 along the space between the end of the male head 4 and the sealing member. When the end of the male head 4 is in contact with the sealing member, the sealing member moves or the male head 4 drives the sealing member to move, thereby opening the opening. The male head 4 can then extend into the housing 31 along the opening.

[0025] The male head 4 is provided with a receiving groove and a cover plate 42 at one end for insertion into the mating cylinder 32. The cover plate 42 is movable to cover or open the receiving groove. A second connector 41 is provided in the receiving groove. When the male head 4 is inserted into the housing 31 through the opening, the cover plate 42 is opened. At this time, the first connector 41 is located in the housing 31. The first connector 33 and / or the second connector 41 can be moved so that the first connector 33 and the second connector 41 can be mated.

[0026] The underwater docking mechanism provided by this invention, before the male head 4 extends into the shell 31, squeezes out the water located at the opening of the shell 31 through the cooperation between the sealing member, the mating cylinder and the male head. After the male head 4 is attached to the sealing member and extends into the shell 31, a relatively closed space isolated from seawater is formed inside the shell 31. When the first connector 33 and the second connector 41 dock in this space, they can basically isolate external water, effectively avoiding the adverse effects of water on the interface. This enables underwater docking between the working tool and the working robot, solving the problem that the working robot needs to be retrieved to the surface deck for tool replacement using a deployment and retrieval system. On the one hand, it can reduce the time required for tool replacement and improve the efficiency of underwater operations. On the other hand, it can avoid the failure of the working robot caused by frequent deployment and retrieval, thereby reducing the operating cost and risk of underwater working robots.

[0027] When the male head 4 is inserted into the mating cylinder 32, the water on the surface of the male head 4 will be squeezed off and scraped off during the movement because the side of the male head 4 is in contact with the inner wall of the mating cylinder 32. When the male head 4 is inserted into the housing 31, there will only be a small amount of non-flowing water stains on its surface, which will hardly affect the first connector 33 and the second connector 41.

[0028] The present invention also includes a guide slide fixedly disposed inside the housing 31, and the sealing member slides in cooperation with the guide slide. In one embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the sealing member is driven by another power mechanism. In this embodiment, the guide slide serves to guide the movement of the sealing member. In another embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the sealing member is driven by the male end 4, and the guide slide serves to guide the movement of the sealing member. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the guide slide has greater damping and will not move due to water compression within the mating cylinder 32.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is moved by the male head 4. The sealing member is a sleeve 5 closed at one end, and the guide member is a positioning pin 6. A guide groove 51 is provided on the sleeve 5, and the guide groove 51 is spirally arranged around the axis of the sleeve 5 on the side of the sleeve 5. A guide post 61 is provided on the side of the positioning pin 6, and the guide post 61 passes through the guide groove 51. After the end of the male head 4 inserted into the mating sleeve 32 is in contact with the closed end of the sleeve 5, the male head 4 is driven to rotate and continue to move forward, thereby pushing the sleeve 5 to rotate and move. A relative movement occurs between the guide groove 51 and the guide post 61, and the sleeve 5 gradually moves away from the opening to open the opening. The state of the sleeve 5 when it is moved into place is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the male head 4 extends into the housing 31 at this time. The structure employed in this preferred embodiment can generate axial resistance to the sleeve 5. When water is squeezed out of the mating cylinder 32, the sleeve 5 will not move axially due to water pressure, exhibiting good self-locking properties. Furthermore, the feeding of the male head 4 can drive the movement of the mating cylinder 32 without the need for an additional drive mechanism for the mating cylinder 32. In this embodiment, the rotation of the male head 4 can be driven by a robotic arm or by an additional motor.

[0030] Based on the above preferred embodiment, after one end of the male head 4 is inserted into the mating sleeve 32 and comes into contact with the sleeve 5, that end of the male head 4 is magnetically connected to the sleeve 5, so as to facilitate the rotation of the sleeve 5 after the male head 4 comes into contact with the sleeve 5. Specifically, the end of the male head 4 used to insert into the mating sleeve 32 is provided with a magnet or electromagnet, and the closed end of the sleeve 5 is made of a magnetically attractive material.

[0031] To further improve reliability, the surface of the male head 4 is provided with an elastic layer, specifically rubber. When the male head 4 is inserted into the mating cylinder 32 and when the male head 4 is in contact with the sleeve 5, the surface of the male head 4 is in a compressed state. During the movement of the male head 4, the sealing between it and the mating cylinder 32 is better, and the water in the mating cylinder 32 is drained more thoroughly.

[0032] The present invention also includes a female connector housing 1 and a male connector housing 2. The female connector housing 1 is disposed on the outside of the female connector 3 and is fixedly connected to the female connector 3. The male connector housing 2 is disposed on the outside of the male connector 4 and is rotatably connected to the male connector 4. (See reference) Figure 1As shown, one end of the female head shell 1 is provided with a guide groove 2 11 along the axial direction of the female head shell 1, and a locking groove 12 is provided laterally at the end of the guide groove 2 11 on the female head shell 1. The guide groove 2 11 and the locking groove 12 are both radially connected through the female head shell 1. The male head shell 2 can be inserted into the female head shell 1, and the male head shell 2 is provided with a guide post 21 that can move along the guide groove 2 11 into the locking groove 12. Specifically, during the docking process, as the male head housing 2 is inserted into the female head housing 1, the guide post 21 extends into the guide groove 11 and moves along the guide groove 11. When the guide post 21 moves to the end of the guide groove 11, the male head housing 2 is rotated, and the guide post 21 moves laterally into the locking groove 12. The cooperation between the guide post 21 and the locking groove 12 can provide axial constraint force on the female head housing 1 and the male head housing 2, thereby providing axial constraint force between the female head 3 and the male head 4, as well as between the connector 1 33 and the connector 2 41, ensuring the stability of their docking.

[0033] The present invention also includes a support member 7. When the male head shell 2 is inserted into the female head shell 1 and the guide post 21 is located in the locking groove 12, the support member 7 presses against the male head shell 2 to limit its movement, ensuring that the guide post 21 will not move out of the locking groove 12, thereby improving the reliability of its axial constraint.

[0034] The invention also includes an elastic element 8, which is disposed between the female head shell 1 and the support element 7. When the guide post 21 is located in the locking groove 12, the elastic element 8 is compressed, and the support element 7 presses against the male head shell 2 through the elastic force of the elastic element 8, without the need for an additional power mechanism to drive the support element 7 to press against the male head shell 2. Specifically, the support element 7 is annular, disposed inside the female head shell 1, and located between the inner wall of the female head shell 1 and the outer side of the shell 31. The inner wall of the female head shell 1 is also provided with a circumferential step, and the elastic element 8 is located between the step and the support element 7. During the process of inserting the male head shell 2 into the female head shell 1, the end of the male head shell 2 pushes the support element 7 to compress the elastic element 8. When the guide post 21 is located in the locking groove 12, the elastic force of the elastic element 8 acts on the male head shell 2 through the support element 7, pressing and fixing it. In one embodiment of the present invention, the elastic element 8 is rubber; in another embodiment of the present invention, the elastic element 8 is a spring; in this embodiment, the present invention further includes a telescopic rod 9, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the step and the support member 7, and the spring is sleeved on the telescopic rod 9.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, a driving element 43 is provided within the receiving groove to drive the cover plate 42 and the connector 41 to move. The cover plate 42 and the connector 41 are driven by the same driving element 43, which can be a cylinder, an electric push rod, or an electric telescopic rod, see reference. Figure 6As described above, cover plate 42 is disposed on the output end of drive component 43, and connector 41 is disposed below cover plate 42. When cover plate 42 moves upward, connector 41 simultaneously moves out of the receiving groove. The docking method of connector 33 and connector 41 can be as follows: (Refer to...) Figure 7 As shown, when the male head 4 extends into the housing 31, the second connector 41 and the first connector 33 are located in the same circumferential direction. Driving the male head 4 to rotate causes the second connector 41 to rotate toward the first connector 33 for docking. A clearance space is provided between the first connector 33 and the inner wall of the housing 31 for the cover plate 42 to pass through. Alternatively, when the male head 4 extends into the housing 31, the second connector 41 and the first connector 33 are located in the same axial direction. A second driving member is provided below the cover plate 42, and the second connector 41 is mounted on the second driving member. The second driving member drives the second connector 41 to move linearly toward the first connector 33 for docking. In other embodiments of the invention, two driving members are provided in the receiving groove. One driving member is used to drive the cover plate 42 to open, fully exposing the second connector 41, and the other driving member is used to drive the second connector 41 to move to dock with the first connector 33.

[0036] The specific docking process of this underwater docking mechanism is as follows: The robotic arm aligns the male head 4 with the female head 3 and inserts it. The guide post 21 of the male head housing 2 enters the guide groove 11 of the female head housing 1. Guided by the guide groove 11, it moves along the bottom of the locking groove 12. During the insertion of the male head housing 2 into the female head housing 1, the male head 4 enters the mating cylinder 32 at the opening of the upper housing 31 of the female head 3, squeezing out the water inside the mating cylinder 32 through its water guide hole 321. When the end face of the male head 4 contacts the end of the sleeve 5, it is magnetically connected by an electromagnet. Simultaneously, the motor rotates the male head 4, causing the sleeve 5 to move. As the robotic arm advances, the male head 4 gradually enters the housing 31 along the opening. When the sleeve 5 reaches its maximum retraction stroke, the structure is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, in this state, guide post 21 is located at the end of guide groove 11. By rotating the male connector housing 2, guide post 21 enters the locking groove 12. At this time, the support member 7 is compressed by the elastic force of the elastic member 8, pressing the male connector housing 2 to achieve the locking state. According to actual needs, the electromagnet inside the male connector 4 can be de-energized to drive the cover plate 42 to open, and connector 2 41 can be inserted to directly align with connector 1 33. Alternatively, the male connector 4 can be rotated further to rotate and align connector 2 41 with connector 1 33.

[0037] The present invention also provides an underwater operation device, including an operation robot, an operation tool, and an underwater docking mechanism as described above. In the underwater docking mechanism, a female connector 3 and a male connector 4 are correspondingly disposed on the operation robot and the operation tool. Because of the underwater docking mechanism, this underwater operation device can achieve relatively water-isolated joint docking in an underwater environment, eliminating the need to retrieve the device to shore for tool replacement. This meets the requirement for underwater tool replacement, reducing underwater operation costs and risks.

Claims

1. An underwater docking mechanism, characterized in that, Including the female head (3) and the male head (4); The female head (3) includes a housing (31), which has an opening. A mating cylinder (32) for inserting the male head (4) is provided on the housing (31) at the opening. A water guide hole (321) is provided on the side of the mating cylinder (32). A connector (33) and a movable sealing member are provided inside the housing (31). One end of the sealing member is positioned facing the mating cylinder (32) and blocks the opening. When one end of the male head (4) is inserted into the mating cylinder (32) and moves toward the sealing member, the water in the mating cylinder (32) is squeezed out from the water guide hole (321) between the end of the male head (4) and the sealing member. After the end of the male head (4) is in contact with the sealing member, the sealing member moves or the male head (4) drives the sealing member to move and open the opening. The male end (4) is provided with a receiving groove and a cover plate (42) at one end for inserting into the mating cylinder (32). The cover plate (42) is movable to cover or open the receiving groove. A second connector (41) is provided in the receiving groove. The first connector (33) and / or the second connector (41) are movable to make the first connector (33) and the second connector (41) mate. It also includes a guide slide fixedly installed inside the housing (31). The sealing component slides with the guide slide. The sealing component is a sleeve (5) with one end closed. The guide slide is a positioning pin (6). A guide groove (51) is provided on the sleeve (5). The guide groove (51) is spirally arranged around the axis of the sleeve (5) on the side of the sleeve (5). A guide post (61) is provided on the side of the positioning pin (6). The guide post (61) passes through the guide groove (51). After the male head (4) is inserted into the fitting sleeve (32) and comes into contact with the sleeve (5), the male head (4) rotates and pushes the sleeve (5) to rotate and move, so as to open the opening. It also includes a female head shell (1) disposed on the outside of the female head (3) and a male head shell (2) disposed on the outside of the male head (4). One end of the female head shell (1) is provided with a guide groove (11) along the axial direction of the female head shell (1), and a locking groove (12) is provided laterally at the end of the guide groove (11) on the female head shell (1). The male head shell (2) can be inserted into the female head shell (1), and a guide post (21) is provided on the male head shell (2) that can move along the guide groove (11) to the locking groove (12).

2. The underwater docking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, After the male head (4) is inserted into the mating cylinder (32) and its end is in contact with the sealing component, the end of the male head (4) is magnetically connected to the sealing component.

3. The underwater docking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The male head (4) has an elastic layer on its surface.

4. The underwater docking mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a support member (7). When the male head shell (2) is inserted into the female head shell (1) and the guide post (21) is located in the locking groove (12), the support member (7) presses against the male head shell (2) to limit its movement.

5. The underwater docking mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes an elastic element (8), which is disposed between the female head shell (1) and the support member (7). When the guide post (21) is located in the locking groove (12), the elastic element (8) is compressed, and the support member (7) presses against the male head shell (2) by the elastic force of the elastic element (8).

6. The underwater docking mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The receiving groove is provided with a driving component (43) to drive the cover plate (42) and the connector (41) to move.

7. An underwater operation device, comprising an operation robot, an operation tool, and an underwater docking mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein a female head (3) and a male head (4) are respectively disposed on the operation robot and the operation tool.

Images