Mechanical grabbing device for underwater robot

Abstract

The invention discloses a mechanical grabbing device for an underwater robot, which is used for underwater operation and belongs to the field of underwater robotics.The mechanical grabbing device comprises a robot body and a control arm connected with the robot body, the end of the control arm is connected with a mounting base body, and one end of the mounting base body is rotationally provided with a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw; square through holes are formed in the side walls of the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw, and supporting bodies are rotationally arranged in the through holes. According to the device, a grabbed object can be kept in a balanced state, and the problems that the object in an irregular shape is difficult to grab and the underwater robot is unbalanced are effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of underwater robots, and in particular relates to a mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development and utilization of marine resources, the demand for underwater operations is growing. As an important tool, underwater robots are widely used in marine exploration, submarine pipeline maintenance, underwater facility installation and maintenance. Traditional underwater operations mainly rely on divers, but divers' operations have high risks, high costs, and limited operation time. In addition, current technologies generally have problems such as insufficient grasping stability, inaccurate positioning, and low efficiency.

[0003] Application No. US06799679 discloses a manipulator device carried by a remote-controlled vehicle, having a suction device having a flexible membrane wall capable of grasping an underwater object. The suction portion of the manipulator device uses an expansion chamber isolated from the water body in combination with the flexible membrane wall, and when the expansion chamber expands outward, contact is formed between the manipulator object and the object to be operated and a suction cavity is formed. This patent still has room for improvement.

[0004] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of providing a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present application and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because they are described in the background technology section of the present application. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot, which is used to: The device can keep the grasped object in a balanced state, effectively solving the problem that irregularly shaped objects are difficult to grasp and cause the underwater robot to lose balance.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention specifically provides the following technical solutions: A mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot comprises a robot body and a control arm connected to the robot body, the end of the control arm is connected to a mounting base, one end of the mounting base is rotatably provided with a first clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw, the side walls of the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw are provided with a square through hole, and a support body is rotatably provided in the through hole. The support body is located inside the square through hole and is rotatably connected through a fixed axis and has a certain free rotation space, and the grasping angle of the support body can be changed automatically according to the position of the grasping jaw to the grasped object, so as to avoid the grasping force being not evenly distributed on the grasped object due to the fixed grasping angle, resulting in the grasping object falling off.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting base is a hollow square sleeve, and the upper and lower bottom surfaces of one end of the square sleeve extend outwardly with a first plate and a second plate, and the width of the first plate and the second plate is greater than the width of the square sleeve. The first clamp and the second clamp are rotatably arranged between the first plate and the second plate, and the first clamp and the second clamp are provided with a rectangular notch near one end of the mounting base, and the second plate passes through the rectangular notch.

[0008] The first plate and the second plate can be used as mounting surfaces of the clamp. The width of the first plate and the second plate is greater than the width of the square sleeve, which can increase the distance between the first plate and the second plate, and at the same time increase the degree of freedom of the clamp to open, thereby allowing the clamp to clamp objects with larger diameters. The clamp is installed between the two plates and connected by a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft. The rotating shaft passes through the clamp, the second plate and the first plate, and the clamp is fixed on the two plates, so that the clamp can rotate around the rotating shaft on the two plates.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the support body is a square stick body, a through hole is provided on the square stick body, and a prism protrudes from one end of the square stick body. The square stick body passes through the through holes on the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw, and the square stick body is respectively connected to the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw through a fixed shaft. A distance is provided between the side surface of the support body and the through hole wall on the side wall of the first clamping jaw and the second clamping jaw.

[0010] During marine operations, the shapes of the objects being operated vary, and the objects being clamped may fall off due to inadequate clamping. The support body is set in the clamping jaws, and the support body is rotatably mounted in the square through hole on the clamping jaws through a fixed axis. A distance is set between the side of the support body and the through hole wall on the side walls of the two clamping jaws, so that the support body can rotate slightly around the fixed axis in the through hole. Usually, two support bodies in different directions are set on each clamping jaw. When clamping an object, as the clamping jaws apply force to the clamped object, the support bodies on the two clamping jaws will rotate according to the shape of the clamped object, so that the clamping jaws can apply the maximum clamping force at the best angle to the clamped object. This can avoid the need to adjust the angle when clamping part of the object or the object falling off due to uneven clamping force.

[0011] When the clamping device is working, the electronic push rod first extends and pushes against the bottom of the first clamp and the second clamp, causing the first clamp and the second clamp to rotate around the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis to complete the grasping. At the same time, the design of the second plate body and the first plate body can be used as a mounting seat for the first clamp and the second clamp, and because the first clamp and the second clamp are installed on the upper part of the first plate body and the second plate body is inserted into the first clamp and the second clamp, the structural strength of the clamp is higher and more stable when working. In addition, in the seabed environment, there is a lot of mud and sand. When clamping, there is usually mud and sand between the clamp and the clamped object, which will reduce the clamping force of the clamp on the clamp. A prism is provided at one end of the support body, which can reduce the contact area between the support body and the clamped object on the one hand, avoiding the presence of mud and sand between the two, and on the other hand, it can increase the pressure of the support body on the clamped object, further increasing the clamping force. At the same time, the support body creates a certain distance between the clamped object and the clamp, which can avoid damaging the seabed plants when clamping the object. At the same time, since the clamping claw structure and the through holes thereon can change the flow direction and flow rate of the fluid flowing through the clamping device, the problem of the device's swing can be solved.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first clamp and the second clamp are arranged opposite to each other, and the length of the lower bottom surface of the gap between the first clamp and the second clamp is greater than the length of the upper bottom surface. An electronic push rod is arranged in the mounting base, and the electronic push rod is located between the lower bottom surfaces of the first clamp and the second clamp. An underwater weighing sensor is arranged in the mounting base, and a battery and a controller are arranged in the robot body.

[0013] Two electronic push rods are arranged opposite to each other in the mounting base, and the ends of the electronic push rods are pressed against the sides of the bottom surfaces of the two clamps. When the electronic push rods are pushed out, the two clamps will rotate around the two rotation axes, so that the clamps merge to complete the clamping action. A single clamping device may cause the robot body to be unbalanced during clamping, so two or more clamping devices can be set on the robot body, and an underwater weighing sensor is provided in the mounting base. During clamping, the underwater weighing sensor will calculate the weight of the clamped object and feed it back to the controller. The personnel can change the torque between the clamping device and the clamped object by adjusting the clamping point of the clamping device on the clamped object, thereby balancing the mass relationship between the clamped object and the robot body, and avoiding the imbalance of the robot body.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a cover body is provided on the side wall of the mounting base, the cover body is composed of two box bodies arranged opposite to each other, and the cover body is threadedly connected to the mounting base.

[0015] When the object to be grasped is too long or too large, the grasping point may be inaccurately selected, causing the object to be easily unbalanced, which may destroy the structural form of the object. The design of the cover can make the object to be turned over against the bottom edge of the cover when the object is too long or too large, so as to avoid the object from turning over. The balance state of the grasped object can be corrected in real time, and the grasping point can be reselected in cooperation with the underwater weighing sensor to ensure that the object can be grasped stably.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: First, the design of the support body can adjust the fixed angle autonomously during grasping, so as to avoid uneven distribution of grasping force and pressure on the grasped object, or the lack of grasping force at a certain point of the grasped object due to the irregular shape of the grasped object, thereby avoiding the falling off of the grasped object caused by inadequate grasping; at the same time, the support body creates a certain distance between the grasped object and the clamping claw, which can avoid clamping seabed plants or organisms when clamping objects, and can automatically remove unnecessary materials; the prismatic design at the end of the support body can also avoid the inclusion of mud and sand during the clamping work, thereby reducing the friction between the support body and the grasped object. Secondly, personnel can adjust the grasping point according to the weight signal fed back by the underwater weighing sensor to avoid imbalance of the robot body or damage to the grasping device due to excessive torque; the design of the cover body can prevent the grasped object from flipping over, so that the grasped object remains in a balanced state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only exemplary, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other implementation drawings can be derived from the provided drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the grabbing device of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation scheme of the base of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the sensor scheme of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the clamping jaw solution of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cover body solution of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation position of the cover body of the present invention.

[0019] Figure numbers: 10-robot body; 11-control arm; 100-mounting base; 101-cover; 102-first plate; 103-second plate; 20-support body; 201-fixed axis; 202-first clamp; 203-second clamp; 30-electronic push rod; 301-underwater weighing sensor; 302-first rotating axis; 303-second rotating axis. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] The following first describes the concepts involved in the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description of each concept is only to make the content of the present application easier to understand, and does not limit the scope of protection of the present application; at the same time, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other in the absence of conflict. The present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0022] Embodiment 1, see attached Figure 1-Figure 6 As shown, a mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot includes a robot body 10 and a control arm 11 connected to the robot body 10, the end of the control arm 11 is connected to a mounting base 100, one end of the mounting base 100 is rotatably provided with a first clamping jaw 202 and a second clamping jaw 203, the side walls of the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 are provided with a square through hole, and a support body 20 is rotatably provided in the through hole. The support body 20 is located inside the square through hole and is rotatably connected by a fixed shaft 201 and has a certain free rotation space. The grasping angle of the support body 20 can be changed automatically according to the position of the grasping jaw to the grasped object, so as to avoid the grasping force being not evenly distributed on the grasped object due to the fixed grasping angle, resulting in the grasping object falling off.

[0023] The mounting base 100 is a hollow square sleeve, and the first plate 102 and the second plate 103 extend outward from the upper and lower bottom surfaces of one end of the square sleeve, and the width of the first plate 102 and the second plate 103 is greater than the width of the square sleeve. The first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 are rotatably arranged between the first plate 102 and the second plate 103, and the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 are provided with a rectangular notch near one end of the mounting base 100, and the second plate 103 passes through the rectangular notch.

[0024] The first plate 102 and the second plate 103 can be used as mounting surfaces for the clamp. The width of the first plate 102 and the second plate 103 is greater than the width of the square sleeve, which can increase the distance between the first plate 102 and the second plate 103 and increase the degree of freedom of the clamp to open, thereby allowing the clamp to grasp objects with larger diameters. The clamp is installed between the two plates and connected by the first rotating shaft 302 and the second rotating shaft 303. The rotating shaft passes through the clamp, the second plate 103 and the first plate 102, fixing the clamp on the two plates so that the clamp can rotate around the rotating shaft on the two plates.

[0025] The support body 20 is a square stick body, a through hole is provided on the square stick body, and a prism is protruded from one end of the square stick body. The square stick body passes through the through holes on the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203, and the square stick body is respectively connected to the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 through a fixed shaft 201. A distance is provided between the side surface of the support body 20 and the through hole wall on the side wall of the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203.

[0026] During marine operations, the shapes of the objects being operated vary, and the objects being clamped may fall off due to inadequate clamping. The support body 20 is disposed in the clamping jaws, and the support body 20 is rotatably mounted in the square through hole on the clamping jaws through the fixed shaft 201. A distance is provided between the side of the support body 20 and the through hole wall on the side walls of the two clamping jaws, so that the support body 20 can rotate slightly in the through hole around the fixed shaft 201. Usually, two support bodies 20 in different directions are provided on each clamping jaw. When clamping an object, as the clamping jaws apply force to the clamped object, the support bodies 20 on the two clamping jaws will rotate according to the shape of the clamped object, so that the clamping jaws can apply the maximum clamping force at the best angle to the clamped object, thereby avoiding the need to adjust the angle when clamping part of the object or the object falling off due to uneven clamping force.

[0027] When the clamping device is working, the electronic push rod first extends and pushes against the bottom of the first clamp 202 and the second clamp 203, causing the first clamp 202 and the second clamp 203 to rotate around the first rotation axis 302 and the second rotation axis 303 to complete the grasping. At the same time, the design of the second plate body 103 and the first plate body 102 can be used as a mounting seat for the first clamp 202 and the second clamp 203, and because the first clamp 202 and the second clamp 203 are installed on the upper part of the first plate body 102 and the second plate body 103 is inserted into the first clamp 202 and the second clamp 203, the structural strength of the clamp is higher and it is more stable when working. Moreover, in the seabed environment, there is a lot of mud and sand. When clamping, there is usually mud and sand between the clamping claws and the clamped object, which will reduce the clamping force of the clamping claws on the clamped object. A prism is provided at one end of the support body 20. On the one hand, it can reduce the contact area between the support body 20 and the clamped object to avoid the presence of mud and sand between the two. On the other hand, it can increase the pressure of the support body 20 on the clamped object and further increase the clamping force. At the same time, the support body 20 creates a certain distance between the clamped object and the clamping claws, which can avoid damaging the seabed plants when clamping the object. At the same time, because the clamping claw structure and the through holes thereon can change the flow direction and flow rate of the fluid flowing through the clamping device, the problem of the device's swing can be solved.

[0028] The first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 are arranged opposite to each other, and the length of the lower bottom surface of the gap between the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203 is greater than the length of the upper bottom surface. An electronic push rod 30 is arranged in the mounting base 100, and the electronic push rod 30 is located between the lower bottom surfaces of the first clamping jaw 202 and the second clamping jaw 203. An underwater weighing sensor is arranged in the mounting base 100, and a battery and a controller are arranged in the robot body 10.

[0029] Two electronic push rods 30 are arranged opposite to each other in the mounting base 100, and the ends of the electronic push rods 30 are pressed against the sides of the bottom surfaces of the two clamps. When the electronic push rods 30 are pushed out, the two clamps will rotate around the two rotation axes, so that the clamps merge to complete the clamping action. A single clamping device may cause the robot body 10 to be unbalanced during clamping, so two or more clamping devices can be set on the robot body 10, and an underwater weighing sensor 301 is provided in the mounting base 100. During the clamping operation, the underwater weighing sensor 301 will calculate the weight of the clamped object and feed it back to the controller. The personnel can change the torque between the clamping device and the clamped object by adjusting the clamping point of the clamping device on the clamped object, thereby balancing the mass relationship between the clamped object and the robot body 10, and avoiding the imbalance of the robot body 10.

[0030] A cover body 101 is disposed on the side wall of the mounting base 100 . The cover body 101 is composed of two box bodies disposed opposite to each other. The cover body 101 is threadedly connected to the mounting base 100 .

[0031] When the object to be clamped is too long or too large, the object may easily become unbalanced due to inaccurate selection of the grasping point, which may destroy the structural form of the object. The design of the cover body 101 can make the object to be turned over against the lower edge of the cover body 101 when the object is too long or too large, so as to avoid the object from turning over, correct the balance state of the object in real time, and cooperate with the underwater weighing sensor 301 to reselect the grasping point so that the object can be grasped stably.

[0032] The embodiments and / or implementation methods described above are only used to illustrate the preferred embodiments and / or implementation methods for realizing the technology of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods of the technology of the present invention in any form. Any technical personnel in this field may make slight changes or modifications to other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical means disclosed in the content of the present invention, but they should still be regarded as technologies or embodiments that are essentially the same as the present invention.

[0033] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core ideas of this application. The above is only the preferred implementation method of this application. It should be pointed out that due to the limitations of textual expression and the objective existence of infinite specific structures, ordinary technicians in this technical field can make several improvements, modifications or changes without departing from the principles of this application, and can also combine the above technical features in an appropriate manner; these improvements, modifications, changes or combinations, or the direct application of the concept and technical solution of the invention to other occasions without improvement, should be regarded as the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot, comprising a robot body (10) and a control arm (11) connected to the robot body (10), wherein an end of the control arm (11) is connected to a mounting base (100), Features: A first clamping jaw (202) and a second clamping jaw (203) are rotatably provided at one end of the mounting base (100), and side walls of the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) are provided with square through holes, in which a support body (20) is rotatably provided.

2. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting base (100) is a hollow square sleeve, and a first plate (102) and a second plate (103) are extended outwardly from the upper and lower bottom surfaces of one end of the square sleeve, and the width of the first plate (102) and the second plate (103) is greater than the width of the square sleeve.

3. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) are rotatably arranged between the first plate body (102) and the second plate body (103), and a rectangular notch is provided at one end of the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) close to the mounting base (100), and the second plate body (103) passes through the rectangular notch.

4. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support body (20) is a square stick body, a through hole is provided on the square stick body, and a prism is protruded from one end of the square stick body.

5. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The square stick body passes through the square through holes on the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203), and the square stick body is respectively connected to the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) via a fixed shaft (201).

6. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) are arranged opposite to each other, and the length of the lower bottom surface of the notch of the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203) is greater than the length of the upper bottom surface.

7. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 6, characterized in that: An electronic push rod (30) is provided in the installation base (100), and the electronic push rod (30) is located between the lower bottom surfaces of the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203).

8. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: An underwater weighing sensor (301) is arranged in the mounting base (100).

9. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cover body (101) is provided on the side wall of the installation base (100); the cover body (101) is composed of two box bodies arranged opposite to each other; the cover body (101) is threadedly connected to the installation base (100).

10. The mechanical grasping device for an underwater robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A distance is provided between the side surface of the support body (20) and the side walls of the square through holes on the side walls of the first clamping jaw (202) and the second clamping jaw (203).

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