An underwater unmanned vehicle

Abstract

The application belongs to the field of underwater vessels, and particularly relates to an underwater unmanned vehicle. In order to enable the underwater unmanned vehicle to navigate at a high speed and have good self-stability, the application discloses an underwater unmanned vehicle. The underwater unmanned vehicle comprises a front cabin section, a turning section and a rear cabin section, the turning section comprises a front connecting piece and a rear connecting piece, the front connecting piece and the rear connecting piece are respectively provided with front perforations and rear perforations, the front cabin section is provided with at least two jet spouts, the rear cabin section is provided with a cavitation generator, the cavitation generator is connected with a gas guide pipeline, and the front end of the gas guide pipeline is connected with the jet spouts, so that when the cavitation generator is started, high-pressure gas in the cavitation generator is sprayed out from all the jet spouts to form a supercavitation, thereby improving the maximum navigation speed of the underwater unmanned vehicle. By placing the cavitation generator at the rear, the distance between the center of mass and the center of buoyancy can be increased, thereby improving the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle when navigating underwater.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of underwater vehicles, in particular to an underwater unmanned vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] The underwater unmanned vehicle is a device for performing detection tasks in a complex underwater environment. The conventional underwater unmanned vehicle is provided with a lateral thruster, a vertical thruster and a rudder plate and other turning structures, and the underwater unmanned vehicle can be turned underwater through the turning structures. However, when the turning structure is used to turn the underwater unmanned vehicle, the turning radius of the underwater unmanned vehicle is large, which is not conducive to traveling in a complex underwater environment.

[0003] In order to overcome the above problems, the Chinese patent application with the application publication number CN116002024A and the application publication date of April 25, 2023 discloses an underwater vehicle, which comprises an image capturing part (equivalent to a front cabin section) and a power part (equivalent to a rear cabin section), and a turning part (equivalent to a turning section) is arranged between the image capturing part and the power part. The turning part comprises two flanges and a connecting rod mechanism connected between the two flanges, one of the flanges (equivalent to a front connecting piece) is fixedly connected with the image capturing part, and the other flange (equivalent to a rear connecting piece) is fixedly connected with the power part.

[0004] In the above-mentioned underwater vehicle, the turning part can effectively reduce the turning radius of the underwater unmanned vehicle. However, the above-mentioned underwater vehicle cannot generate a supercavitation bubble when sailing, resulting in a low maximum speed of the above-mentioned underwater vehicle.

[0005] In the prior art, an underwater vehicle capable of generating a supercavitation bubble is given, for example, the Chinese patent application with the application publication number CN117087844A and the application publication date of November 21, 2023 discloses a fluid power supercavitation vehicle, in which a cavitator is arranged at the front end of the vehicle.

[0006] The following content is only for the technical personnel in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, and does not represent the following content as prior art.

[0007] In the above-mentioned vehicle, the cavitator is arranged at the front end of the vehicle, and when the above-mentioned cavitator is used in the patent with the application publication number CN116002024A, the cavitator is arranged on the image capturing part, which results in a heavy weight of the image capturing part, the center of gravity and the center of mass of the entire underwater vehicle are too far forward, and the distance between the center of buoyancy and the center of mass is close, thereby resulting in poor self-stability of the underwater vehicle when sailing. SUMMARY

[0008] The underwater unmanned vehicle aims to solve the technical problem of poor self-stability of the underwater vehicle during navigation after the existing cavitation device is applied to the image capturing part.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical scheme of the underwater unmanned vehicle provided by the present application is:

[0010] The underwater unmanned vehicle comprises a front cabin section, a turning section and a rear cabin section connected in sequence, the turning section comprises a front connecting piece for fixed connection with the front cabin section, a rear connecting piece for fixed connection with the rear cabin section and a connecting rod mechanism arranged between the front connecting piece and the rear connecting piece, the front and rear connecting pieces are respectively provided with front and rear perforations, the front cabin section is provided with a jet flow structure, the jet flow structure comprises at least two jet flow nozzles uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction, the rear cabin section is provided with a cavitation generator, the cavitation generator is connected with a gas guide pipeline, the front end of the gas guide pipeline passes through the rear perforation and the front perforation in sequence and is connected with the jet flow structure, so that the high-pressure gas in the cavitation generator is sprayed out from all the jet flow nozzles to form a supercavitation when the cavitation generator is started; the gas guide pipeline is in sealing cooperation with each perforation, and the part of the gas guide pipeline between the front perforation and the rear perforation is a flexible pipe.

[0011] Further, the cavitation generator is arranged behind the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

[0012] Further, the rear cabin section is provided with a containing cavity for containing the cavitation generator, and the cavitation generator is arranged close to the rear cavity wall of the containing cavity.

[0013] Further, the connecting rod mechanism comprises a central channel and a plurality of connecting rod assemblies arranged around the central channel, and the flexible pipe is located in the central channel.

[0014] Further, the jet flow structure comprises a plurality of jet flow nozzles and a transfer pipe, all the jet flow nozzles are connected with the transfer pipe, and the transfer pipe is connected with the gas guide pipeline.

[0015] Further, the front cabin section comprises a hollow circular table section, the front end of the hollow circular table section has a smaller radius, the side surface of the hollow circular table section is provided with a wing plate, the side surface of the hollow circular table section and the outer surface of the wing plate located behind the jet flow nozzles constitute a flow guide surface, and the jet flow nozzles are arranged towards the flow guide surface.

[0016] Further, the jet flow nozzles are arranged towards the rear.

[0017] Further, the front end of the hollow circular table section is further provided with a hollow cylindrical section, the front end of the hollow cylindrical section is provided with a hemispherical head, and the jet flow structure is arranged on the hollow cylindrical section.

[0018] Further, the gas guide pipeline is composed of a whole gas guide flexible pipe.

[0019] The underwater unmanned vehicle has the advantages that the underwater unmanned vehicle is an improved invention, the cavitation generator is arranged in the rear cabin section, the center of gravity and the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle are located at the rear position, the distance between the center of mass and the center of buoyancy is increased, and thus the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation is improved, the gas guide pipeline connects the cavitation generator and the jet structure, on one hand, the gas guide pipeline is in sealing connection with each perforation, and thus the seawater is prevented from entering the underwater unmanned vehicle, and on the other hand, the hose can be deformed adaptively when the underwater unmanned vehicle turns.

[0020] When the underwater unmanned vehicle needs to travel at a high speed, the cavitation generator is opened, the high-pressure gas is sprayed from the jet nozzle after passing through the gas guide pipeline and the jet structure, and thus the surface of the underwater unmanned vehicle forms a supercavitation bubble, the resistance of the underwater unmanned vehicle is reduced, and the maximum speed of the underwater unmanned vehicle is improved, the cavitation generator is closed when the underwater unmanned vehicle turns, the connecting rod mechanism acts, and thus the turning of the underwater unmanned vehicle is realized, and at this time, the turning radius of the underwater unmanned vehicle is small. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Fig. 1 FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the underwater unmanned vehicle of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 2 FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the underwater unmanned vehicle of the present application.

[0023] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0024] 1, front cabin section; 2, jet nozzle; 3, wing plate; 4, front connecting piece; 5, connecting rod mechanism; 6, rear connecting piece; 7, gas guide hose; 8, rear cabin section; 9, cavitation generator; 10, propeller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] To solve the problems in the background art, the core inventive concept of the present application is that a structure for forming a supercavitation bubble is arranged on the underwater unmanned vehicle, and thus the maximum speed of the underwater unmanned vehicle is improved, and the structure for forming the supercavitation bubble includes a cavitation generator, the cavitation generator is arranged in the rear cabin section, the center of gravity and the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle are located at the rear position, the distance between the center of mass and the center of buoyancy is increased, and thus the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation is improved.

[0026] The present application is further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0027] The specific embodiments of the underwater unmanned vehicle provided by the present application are as follows:

[0028] As Figs. 1-2As shown, as the first type of basic embodiment, the underwater unmanned vehicle includes a front cabin section 1, a turning section and a rear cabin section 8 connected in sequence, the turning section includes a front connecting piece 4 for fixed connection with the front cabin section 1, a rear connecting piece 6 for fixed connection with the rear cabin section 8, and a connecting rod mechanism 5 arranged between the front connecting piece 4 and the rear connecting piece 6, and the front and rear connecting pieces are respectively provided with front and rear perforations, the front cabin section 1 is provided with a jet structure, the jet structure includes at least two jet nozzles uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction, and the rear cabin section 8 is provided with a cavitation generator 9, and the cavitation generator 9 is connected with a gas guide pipeline, the front end of the gas guide pipeline passes through the rear perforation and the front perforation in sequence and is connected with the jet structure, so that when the cavitation generator 9 is turned on, the high-pressure gas in the cavitation generator 9 is sprayed from all the jet nozzles to form a supercavitation bubble; the gas guide pipeline is in sealing fit with each perforation, and the part of the gas guide pipeline between the front perforation and the rear perforation is a flexible pipe.

[0029] Preferably, the front connecting piece 4 and the rear connecting piece 6 are connecting plates, but can also be connecting blocks, connecting barrels or the like. When the connecting piece is a connecting barrel, the internal passage of the connecting barrel constitutes the perforation.

[0030] The number of jet nozzles can be two, three, eight, twelve or other numbers, as long as the number of jet nozzles is not less than two, and the underwater unmanned vehicle can ensure straight-line travel when the jet nozzles spray high-pressure gas.

[0031] The cavitation generator 9 can include a high-pressure gas tank for storing high-pressure gas, or can store a chemical substance capable of generating high-pressure gas in real time. The cavitation generator 9 capable of releasing high-pressure gas is a mature existing technology in the art, and is not the improvement point of the present application, and will not be described here.

[0032] In the first-1 type of embodiment, the gas guide pipeline is composed of a whole gas guide flexible pipe 7, which is simple in structure.

[0033] In the first-2 type of embodiment, the gas guide pipeline includes a flexible pipe and hard pipes at both ends of the flexible pipe, the hard pipes are in sealing fit with the perforations, and the hard pipes and the flexible pipe are sealingly connected through a watertight pipe joint.

[0034] Compared with the prior art, in the present application, only the jet structure is arranged on the front cabin section 1, and the cavitation generator 9 is arranged in the rear cabin section 8. Since the counterweight cannot be arranged on the turning section, the arrangement position of the cavitation generator 9 is carefully designed. On the one hand, the cavitation generator 9 can be used as a counterweight to adjust the center of gravity and the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle; on the other hand, compared with the technical solution that the cavitation generator 9 is arranged on the front cabin section 1 and a large number of counterweights are arranged in the rear cabin section 8, after the cavitation generator 9 is arranged in the rear cabin section 8, the weight of the front cabin section 1 is lighter, the volume and the mass of the counterweights in the rear cabin section 8 (i.e., the volume and the mass of the entire underwater unmanned vehicle) can be reduced, and the center of mass and the center of gravity of the underwater unmanned vehicle are moved backward.

[0035] By arranging the cavitation generator 9 in the rear cabin section 8, the center of gravity and the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle are located at a rear position, the distance between the center of mass and the center of buoyancy is increased, and thus the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation is improved. Meanwhile, the cavitation generator 9 and the jet structure are connected by the gas guide pipeline. On the one hand, the gas guide pipeline is in sealing cooperation with each perforation, so that seawater cannot enter the underwater unmanned vehicle; on the other hand, the hose can be deformed adaptively when the underwater unmanned vehicle turns.

[0036] When the underwater unmanned vehicle wants to travel at a high speed, the cavitation generator 9 is opened, the high-pressure gas is sprayed from the jet nozzle after passing through the gas guide pipeline and the jet structure, so that a supercavitation bubble is formed on the surface of the underwater unmanned vehicle, the resistance of the underwater unmanned vehicle is reduced, and the maximum speed of the underwater unmanned vehicle is improved. When the underwater unmanned vehicle turns, the cavitation generator 9 is closed, and the connecting rod mechanism 5 acts, so that the turning of the underwater unmanned vehicle is realized. At this time, the turning radius of the underwater unmanned vehicle is small.

[0037] In order to further improve the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation, the arrangement position of the cavitation generator 9 in the rear cabin section 8 is improved as follows in the present application.

[0038] In the more preferred second type of specific embodiment, the cavitation generator 9 is arranged behind the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle, so that the center of mass and the center of gravity of the underwater unmanned vehicle are located at a more rear position; meanwhile, since the displacement of the underwater unmanned vehicle does not change, the center of buoyancy of the underwater unmanned vehicle does not change, so that the distance between the center of mass and the center of buoyancy can be further increased, and the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation is further improved.

[0039] In the second-1 type of specific embodiment, the rear cabin section 8 is provided with a containing cavity for containing the cavitation generator 9, and the cavitation generator 9 is located in the middle of the containing cavity.

[0040] In the second-2 type embodiment, different from the second-1 type embodiment, the cavitation generator 9 is arranged close to the rear cavity wall of the accommodating cavity. At this time, the cavitation generator 9 is located at the most rear position, the distance between the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle and the center of buoyancy is the largest, and the self-stability of the underwater unmanned vehicle during underwater navigation is the best.

[0041] In the third type embodiment, the cavitation generator 9 is arranged at the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle. At this time, the cavitation generator 9 is still located in the rear cabin section 8. Compared with the technical solution in which the cavitation generator 9 is arranged in the front cabin section 1, the cavitation generator 9 is arranged at a more rear position, so the center of mass of the underwater unmanned vehicle is also located at a more rear position, the distance between the center of buoyancy and the center of mass is also larger, and the underwater unmanned vehicle also has better self-stability during underwater navigation.

[0042] In order to better protect the hose, in the present application, the arrangement position of the hose is improved as follows:

[0043] In the more preferred fourth type embodiment, the connecting rod mechanism 5 comprises a central passage and a plurality of connecting rod assemblies arranged around the central passage, and the hose is located in the central passage. At this time, the connecting rod assemblies can protect the hose, thereby avoiding damage to the hose. At the same time, the structure of the underwater unmanned vehicle is more compact, which can effectively reduce the volume of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

[0044] In the fifth type embodiment, the hose is located outside the connecting rod assembly. At this time, the hose needs to have a relatively thick outer protective layer.

[0045] In order to simplify the structure, in the present application, the jet flow structure is improved as follows:

[0046] In the more preferred sixth type embodiment, the jet flow structure comprises a plurality of jet flow nozzles 2 and a transfer pipe, all the jet flow nozzles 2 are connected with the transfer pipe, and the transfer pipe is connected with the gas guide pipeline. The structure is simple.

[0047] In the seventh type embodiment, the jet flow structure comprises a plurality of jet flow nozzles 2, and each jet flow nozzle 2 is connected with the gas guide pipeline.

[0048] In the present application, the direction of the jet flow nozzle is also improved as follows:

[0049] In the eighth type embodiment, the jet flow nozzle is arranged towards the rear. Compared with the technical solutions in which the jet flow nozzle is arranged towards the front or the direction of the jet flow nozzle is perpendicular to the axis of the underwater unmanned vehicle, the high-pressure gas ejected from the jet flow nozzle can push the underwater unmanned vehicle to accelerate, so that the underwater unmanned vehicle can navigate at a higher speed, and the energy used to drive the rotation of the propeller 10 is saved.

[0050] In the 8-1 type embodiment, the front cabin section 1 comprises a hollow circular truncated cone section, the front end of the hollow circular truncated cone section has a smaller radius, the side surface of the hollow circular truncated cone section is provided with a wing plate 3, the side surface of the hollow circular truncated cone section and the outer surface of the wing plate 3 located behind the jet ejection nozzle form a guide surface, and the jet ejection nozzle is arranged towards the guide surface, so that the high-pressure gas can flow closely along the outer circumferential surface of the underwater unmanned vehicle, and it is beneficial to form a supercavitation bubble.

[0051] It should be noted that when the underwater unmanned vehicle turns, the sea water can provide a turning force to the wing plate 3, so that the underwater unmanned vehicle can better turn.

[0052] In the 8-1-1 type embodiment, the jet ejection nozzle is arranged towards the rear obliquely, and the extension lines of all the jet ejection nozzles are compared with a point, and the point is located on the axis of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

[0053] In the 8-1-2 type embodiment, the jet ejection nozzle is arranged towards the rear, and at this time, the thrust of the jet ejection nozzle to the underwater unmanned vehicle is the largest.

[0054] In the 8-2 type embodiment, different from the 8-1 type embodiment, the direction of the jet ejection nozzle is parallel to the side surface of the hollow circular truncated cone section, and at this time, the high-pressure gas ejected from the jet ejection nozzle is parallel to the side surface. Compared with the 8-1 type embodiment, in the 8-2 type embodiment, the angle between the direction of the jet ejection nozzle and the axis of the underwater unmanned vehicle is larger.

[0055] In the 8-3 type embodiment, compared with the 8-2 type embodiment, the angle between the direction of the jet ejection nozzle and the axis of the underwater unmanned vehicle is larger, and at this time, the effective thrust of the high-pressure gas to the underwater unmanned vehicle is smaller.

[0056] On the basis of the 8-1 type, 8-2 type and 8-3 type embodiments, in order to simplify the structure and further reduce the resistance of the underwater unmanned vehicle when it is underwater, in the 9 type embodiment, the front end of the hollow circular truncated cone section is further provided with a hollow cylindrical section, the front end of the air cylindrical section is provided with a hemispherical head, and the jet structure is arranged on the hollow cylindrical section. On the one hand, the contact surface between the hemispherical head and the sea water is a spherical surface, which can effectively reduce the resistance of the underwater unmanned vehicle when it is underwater. On the other hand, the jet structure is arranged on the hollow cylindrical section, and the structure is simple.

[0057] In the 9-1 type embodiment, the hollow circular truncated cone section and the hollow cylindrical section are respectively manufactured, after the jet structure is installed on the hollow cylindrical section, the hollow cylindrical section is fixed on the hollow circular truncated cone section by welding or other methods, which is convenient for assembly.

[0058] In the 9-2 type specific embodiment, the hollow circular truncated cone segment, the hollow circular cylinder segment, the jet structure and the hemispherical head are integrally manufactured by 3D printing technology.

[0059] In the application, when the underwater unmanned vehicle performs a detection task, if the underwater unmanned vehicle relies on ultrasonic waves for detection, the cavitation generator 9 can be opened or closed; if the underwater unmanned vehicle relies on a camera for detection, the cavitation generator 9 needs to be closed and the underwater unmanned vehicle needs to be in a low-speed state, so as to facilitate control of the distance between the underwater unmanned vehicle and the object to be detected.

[0060] It should be noted that the specific embodiments in the application are only classified according to specific features, and do not represent that the specific features are not included in other categories. For example, the structure of the first type of specific embodiment can be the same as that of the second type or the third type of specific embodiment.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that the above only describes the preferred embodiments of the application and is not intended to limit the application. Although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments without creative labor, or replace some technical features with equivalent ones, or combine different types of specific embodiments to form new technical solutions, so that the application can be further extended and enriched. Figs. 1-2 The specific embodiments given in the specification, of course, the skilled in the art can also combine the specific embodiments not given in the specification. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principles of the application shall be included in the protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. An underwater unmanned vehicle comprising a front cabin section, a turning section and a rear cabin section connected in series, the turning section comprising a front connecting member for fixed connection with the front cabin section, a rear connecting member for fixed connection with the rear cabin section and a linkage mechanism provided between the front connecting member and the rear connecting member, characterized in that, The front and rear connecting members are respectively provided with front and rear perforations, the front cabin section is provided with a jet flow structure, the jet flow structure includes at least two jet flow nozzles which are uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction, the rear cabin section is provided with a cavitation generator, the cavitation generator is connected with a gas guide pipeline, the front end of the gas guide pipeline passes through the rear perforation and the front perforation in sequence and is connected with the jet flow structure, so that when the cavitation generator is started, high-pressure gas in the cavitation generator is sprayed from all the jet flow nozzles to form a supercavitation bubble; the gas guide pipeline is in sealing cooperation with each perforation, and the part of the gas guide pipeline between the front perforation and the rear perforation is a flexible pipe; the jet flow nozzles are arranged towards the rear; the front cabin section includes a hollow circular table section, and the radius of the front end of the hollow circular table section is smaller; the jet flow structure is arranged at the front end of the hollow circular table section, and the side surface of the hollow circular table section is located towards the rear of the jet flow nozzles.

2. The underwater unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The cavitation generator is arranged behind the centroid of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

3. The underwater unmanned vehicle of claim 2, wherein, The rear cabin section is provided with a containing cavity for containing the cavitation generator, and the cavitation generator is arranged close to the rear cavity wall of the containing cavity.

4. The underwater unmanned vehicle of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The connecting rod mechanism includes a central channel and a plurality of connecting rod assemblies arranged around the central channel, and the flexible pipe is located in the central channel.

5. The underwater unmanned vehicle of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The jet flow structure includes a plurality of jet flow nozzles and a transfer pipe, all the jet flow nozzles are connected with the transfer pipe, and the transfer pipe is connected with the gas guide pipeline.

6. The underwater unmanned vehicle of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The side surface of the hollow circular table section is provided with a wing plate, the side surface of the hollow circular table section and the outer surface of the wing plate located behind the jet flow nozzles constitute a flow guide surface, and the jet flow nozzles are arranged towards the flow guide surface.

7. The underwater unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The jet flow nozzles are arranged towards the directly rear.

8. The underwater unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The front end of the hollow circular table section is further provided with a hollow cylindrical section, the front end of the air cylindrical section is provided with a hemispherical head, and the jet flow structure is arranged on the hollow cylindrical section.

9. The underwater unmanned vehicle of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The gas guide pipeline is composed of a whole gas guide flexible pipe.

10. The underwater unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein, The direction of the jet flow nozzles is parallel to the side surface of the hollow circular table section.

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