Unmanned sailboat sail control device based on stepping motor

Abstract

The invention relates to an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepping motor. The unmanned sailboat sail control device comprises an absolute value encoder, the stepping motor, a support, a coupler, a bearing seat, a sail mast and an electric control system. The support is of a double-layer plate structure. The stepping motor is vertically arranged at the bottom of the lower-layer plate of the bracket; the absolute value encoder is arranged at the bottom of the stepping motor; the bottom end of the sail mast penetrates through the double-layer plate structure of the support from top to bottom and then is coaxially connected with a stepping motor through a coupler. The sail mast is connected with the upper-layer plate of the bracket through a bearing seat; and the electric control system is arranged in a main control system of the unmanned sailboat and is respectively connected with the absolute value encoder and the stepping motor. Accurate position control of the sail of the hard-sail unmanned sailing boat can be realized, so that wind energy is utilized as much as possible to push the boat to sail; meanwhile, the sail floating function can be achieved to reduce the resistance of wind to the sail as much as possible when against wind; and moreover, power-off maintenance can be carried out timely so as to reduce unnecessary electric energy loss in the sail control process as much as possible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of sailboat sail control, and in particular to an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepping motor. Background Art

[0002] Modern unmanned sailboats use wind energy as their main power source, making them green, environmentally friendly, and have long endurance. They are widely used in ocean data monitoring, hydrological and geographical surveys, military reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and other operations.

[0003] Like conventional powered unmanned boats, unmanned sailboats are also subject to the influence of wind, waves and currents. However, the difference is that due to the complex force and torque of wind on the sails, the force of wind on the sails does not always push the unmanned sailboat forward, and sometimes even becomes a resistance to the unmanned sailboat's progress.

[0004] How to maximize the use of wind energy to propel the boat when there is a tailwind, how to minimize the resistance of the wind to the boat when there is a headwind, and how to reduce the energy consumption caused by controlling the sail will become an important research topic in the field of sail control of unmanned sailboats. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor, which can realize automatic control of the unmanned sailboat sail, and can make full use of wind energy to propel the unmanned sailboat and reduce energy loss in sail control.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] The present invention proposes an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor, comprising an absolute encoder, a stepper motor, a bracket, a coupling, a bearing seat, a sail mast and an electronic control system; the bracket is a double-layer plate structure; the stepper motor is vertically arranged at the bottom of the lower plate of the bracket; the absolute encoder is arranged at the bottom of the stepper motor; the bottom end of the sail mast passes through the double-layer plate structure of the bracket from top to bottom and is coaxially connected to the stepper motor through a coupling; the sail mast is connected to the upper plate of the bracket through a bearing seat; the electronic control system is arranged in the unmanned sailboat main control system, and is respectively connected to the absolute encoder and the stepper motor.

[0008] Furthermore, a power-loss brake is coaxially arranged on the outer side of the upper part of the end of the sail mast connected to the coupling; the power-loss brake is connected to the electronic control system.

[0009] Furthermore, the stepper motor is a double-shaft stepper motor, the upper shaft of which is connected to the sail mast through a coupling, and the lower shaft is directly connected to the input end of the absolute encoder.

[0010] Furthermore, the bearing seat is a double-bearing bearing seat.

[0011] Furthermore, the electronic control system includes a main control chip, a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, a serial port signal conversion module, a relay, a signal amplification module and a driver; the wind speed sensor and the wind direction sensor are both installed on the bow of the unmanned sailboat through a bracket and are directly connected to the main control chip; the absolute encoder is connected to the main control chip through the serial port signal conversion module; the stepper motor is connected to the main control chip through the driver and the signal amplifier in turn; the power-off brake is connected to the main control chip through a relay.

[0012] Furthermore, the main control chip model is STM32F103C8T6.

[0013] Furthermore, the output signal of the absolute encoder is in RS485 format, and communication with the main control chip is achieved through an RS485 & serial port signal conversion module.

[0014] Furthermore, the operating voltage of the power-loss brake is 24V.

[0015] Furthermore, the driver model is DM542, and its input signal is required to be greater than 5V.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] The present invention can realize precise position control of the sail of a hard-sail unmanned sailboat, so as to utilize wind energy to propel the boat to sail as much as possible; at the same time, it can realize the floating sail function to minimize the resistance of wind to the sail when facing the wind; and it can cut off the power supply at the right time to minimize unnecessary power loss in the process of sail control. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a connection diagram of the electric control system part of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It is the algorithm program logic block diagram of the electric control system part in the present invention.

[0021] Among them, the figure marks are: 1-absolute encoder; 2-stepping motor; 3-bracket; 4-coupling; 5-power-off brake; 6-bearing seat; 7-sail mast. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0023] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, the terms "up", "down", "top", "bottom", "one side", "the other side", "left", "right", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not mean that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0024] See attached Figure 1 , a specific structure of an embodiment of an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor proposed in the present invention is given. The device includes an absolute encoder 1, a stepper motor 2, a bracket 3, a coupling 4, a bearing seat 6, a sail mast 7 and an electronic control system.

[0025] In this embodiment, the bracket 3 is a double-layer plate structure, and the bracket 3 is divided into two layers. The lower layer mainly supports the stepper motor 2, and the upper layer mainly supports the power-off brake 5 and the sail mast 7. The entire device is fixed at the corresponding position on the unmanned sailboat through the bracket 3.

[0026] The stepper motor 2 is a double-shaft stepper motor, which is vertically arranged at the bottom of the lower plate of the bracket 3; the absolute encoder 1 is arranged at the bottom of the stepper motor 2 and its input end is directly connected to the lower end shaft of the stepper motor 2; the absolute encoder 1 is used to measure the angle of the center axis. Since the center axis has the same angle as the sail mast 7, the absolute encoder 1 can measure the sail angle in real time. In addition, the absolute encoder 1 can also record the change of the center axis angle after power failure.

[0027] The bottom end of the sail mast 7 passes through the double-layer plate structure of the bracket 3 from top to bottom and is coaxially connected to the upper end shaft of the stepper motor 2 through the coupling 4. One of the functions of the coupling is to connect the upper end shaft of the stepper motor 2 and the sail mast 7, and the second function is to improve the coaxial problem of the central axis to ensure that power can be transmitted smoothly.

[0028] The stepper motor 2 is the main power source for sail control, one end of which is connected to the sail mast 7 through a coupling 4 to achieve power transmission, and the other end is directly connected to the input end of the absolute encoder 1 to achieve angle information transmission.

[0029] The sail mast 7 is connected to the upper plate of the bracket 3 via a bearing seat 6. In this embodiment, the bearing seat 6 is a double-bearing bearing seat. The double-bearing bearing seat is used to support the sail mast 7 and maintain stability to ensure the stability of the sail; the sail and the sail mast 7 are fixedly connected, and the torque and angle of the sail mast 7 are directly transmitted to the sail. Controlling the sail mast 7 is controlling the sail.

[0030] The electric control system is arranged in the main control system of the unmanned sailboat and is connected to the absolute value encoder 1 and the stepping motor 2 respectively.

[0031] In this embodiment, a power-off brake 5 is coaxially arranged on the outer side of the upper part of the end of the sail mast 7 connected to the coupling 4; the power-off brake 5 is connected to the electronic control system, and the power-off brake 5 is a power-off brake, that is, it brakes when disabled and releases when enabled. The function of the power-off brake 5 is to hold the central axis tightly when the entire system is powered off, that is, when the stepper motor 2 loses the holding torque, to prevent the central axis from rotating arbitrarily due to the disturbance torque from the sail.

[0032] See attached Figure 2 The electronic control system includes a main control chip, a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, a serial port signal conversion module, a relay, a signal amplification module and a driver; wherein the main control chip model is STM32F103C8T6; the wind speed sensor and the wind direction sensor are both installed on the bow of the unmanned sailboat through a bracket and are directly connected to the main control chip; the output signal of the absolute encoder 1 is in RS485 format, and is connected to the main control chip through the RS485 & serial port signal conversion module, thereby realizing communication with the main control chip; the main control chip obtains wind speed and wind direction information through wind speed and wind direction sensors, and reads the angle position of the sail through the absolute encoder 1.

[0033] The stepper motor 2 is connected to the main control chip through a driver and a signal amplifier in sequence. The driver model is DM542, and its input signal is required to be greater than 5V. The control signal of the main control chip to the stepper motor 2 is input into the driver after passing through the signal amplification module, thereby realizing the control of the stepper motor 2; the power-off brake 5 is connected to the main control chip through a relay, and its operating voltage is 24V. The main control chip realizes the control of the power on and off of the power-off brake 5 by controlling the relay.

[0034] The algorithm logic of the electronic control system is as follows: Figure 3As shown, after the system is powered on, the power-off brake 5 and the stepper motor 2 are both in a disabled state, and the sail position remains fixed. Then the main control chip reads the wind speed and direction information, and determines whether to perform the sailing operation by judging the wind direction and wind speed. If it is necessary to float the sail, the power-off brake 5 is enabled to release the central axis, and the stepper motor 2 remains disabled, allowing the sail to swing freely with the wind to achieve the floating sail action. During the floating sail process, the main control chip reads the wind speed and direction information in real time to determine whether it is necessary to stop floating the sail. When the wind speed and direction conditions for stopping the floating sail are met, the power-off brake 5 is enabled, the stepper motor 2 remains disabled, the central axis is clamped by the power-off brake 5, the position of the sail is fixed, and the program returns to the main path without floating sail operation; if it is not necessary to float the sail, the main control chip reads the information of the absolute encoder 1 to determine the current angle of the sail, and combines it with the wind speed and direction information to determine whether the current sail angle needs to be adjusted. If it does not need to be adjusted, the wind speed and direction information is continuously monitored to enter the loop; if it needs to be adjusted, the stepper motor 2 is enabled, the power-off brake 5 is enabled to release the central axis, and the stepper motor 2 adjusts the sail angle according to the instructions of the main control chip until it is adjusted in place. After the adjustment is in place, the program returns to the beginning and performs the next round of loops. Since the sails need to be automatically adjusted during the navigation of the unmanned sailboat, the program runs automatically when the system is powered on, and stops when the power is turned off after the navigation ends.

[0035] The working principle of the present invention is that when the sail does not need to be controlled, the entire system is powered off, the stepper motor 2 is disabled, the power-off brake 5 is in a clamped state, and the central axis cannot rotate freely. When the sail needs to be controlled, the system is powered on, and the main control chip parses the current sail angle position by reading the information of the absolute encoder 1, and generates an adjustment instruction for the sail in combination with the information of the external wind speed and direction sensor to pass it to the control system. In the system, the stepper motor 2 is first enabled to provide a holding torque to the central axis, and then the power-off brake 5 is powered on and released to release the central axis. The stepper motor 2 adjusts the corresponding rotation angle according to the instruction to adjust the angle of the sail. After the adjustment is completed, the power-off brake 5 first loses power and clamps the main axis, and then the stepper motor 2 loses power, and the entire control system enters a standby state to reduce the consumption of electricity. The next time the sail angle needs to be controlled, the above operation can be repeated.

[0036] When the wind is against you, the force of the wind on the sail is a resistance to the sailing. At this time, it is necessary to perform the sail floating operation, that is, to let the sail swing freely with the wind direction to minimize the resistance. When the sail needs to be floated, the power-off brake 5 is energized to release the central axis, and the stepping motor 2 is powered off at the same time. The central axis can rotate freely, and the sail automatically adjusts the angle with the wind direction to reduce the resistance caused by the headwind. Since the angle of the sail does not need to be read during the sail floating process, the absolute encoder 1 is also powered off to reduce unnecessary power consumption. Since the absolute encoder 1 can still record the change of the sail angle after power failure, the next time the sail angle is needed, it only needs to be powered on to read the recorded information.

[0037] The device with the highest power and the most energy consumption in this system is stepper motor 2. However, since stepper motor 2 in this system only works briefly when the sail angle needs to be adjusted, the energy consumed is greatly reduced compared to the traditional control method. In addition, the electronic control system can realize the automatic sailing function of the unmanned sailboat, greatly reducing the resistance of the unmanned sailboat when sailing against the wind. The energy-saving design and the realization of the sailing action during the working process of the present invention can greatly reduce the energy loss of the unmanned sailboat during the navigation process, and can effectively extend the endurance of the unmanned sailboat.

[0038] The present invention is an independent and complete unmanned sailboat sail control device, which can be directly deployed on many types of unmanned sailboats. It only needs to set up a suitable base on the ship, and the whole system can be easily transferred and used. In addition, stepper motors of different powers can be replaced to adapt to the sail control of unmanned sailboats of different sizes.

[0039] Matters not covered in the present invention are all known technologies.

[0040] The embodiments described above are merely descriptions of preferred implementation modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field should all fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor, Features: The device includes an absolute value encoder, a stepper motor, a bracket, a coupling, a bearing seat, a sail mast and an electronic control system; the bracket is a double-layer plate structure; the stepper motor is vertically arranged at the bottom of the lower plate of the bracket; the absolute value encoder is arranged at the bottom of the stepper motor; the bottom end of the sail mast passes through the double-layer plate structure of the bracket from top to bottom and is coaxially connected to the stepper motor through a coupling; the sail mast is connected to the upper plate of the bracket through a bearing seat; the electronic control system is arranged in the main control system of the unmanned sailboat, and is respectively connected to the absolute value encoder and the stepper motor.

2. According to claim 1, an unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor, Features: A power-loss brake is coaxially arranged on the outer side of the upper part of one end of the sail mast connected to the coupling; the power-loss brake is connected to the electric control system.

3. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 1, Features: The stepper motor is a double-shaft stepper motor, the upper shaft of which is connected to the sail mast through a coupling, and the lower shaft is directly connected to the input end of the absolute encoder.

4. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 1, Features: The bearing seat is a double-bearing bearing seat.

5. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 2, Features: The electronic control system includes a main control chip, a wind speed sensor, a wind direction sensor, a serial port signal conversion module, a relay, a signal amplification module and a driver; the wind speed sensor and the wind direction sensor are both installed on the bow of the unmanned sailboat through a bracket and are directly connected to the main control chip; the absolute value encoder is connected to the main control chip through the serial port signal conversion module; the stepper motor is connected to the main control chip through the driver and the signal amplifier in turn; the power-off brake is connected to the main control chip through a relay.

6. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 5, Features: The main control chip model is STM32F103C8T6.

7. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 5, Features: The absolute encoder output signal is in RS485 format, and communicates with the main control chip through the RS485 & serial port signal conversion module.

8. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 5, Features: The working voltage of the power-off brake is 24V.

9. The unmanned sailboat sail control device based on a stepper motor according to claim 5, Features: The driver model is DM542, and its input signal is required to be greater than 5V.

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