Underwater vehicle carrying and deploying and retracting device and underwater vehicle deploying and retracting method

By designing an underwater vehicle equipped with a collection and retrieval device that integrates components such as guide cabin sections, storage cabins, and lifting platforms, the problem of autonomous deployment and recycling of underwater vehicles in the prior art has been solved, and efficient and autonomous operation of multiple underwater vehicles has been achieved.

CN119749811AActive Publication Date: 2025-04-04YICHANG TESTING TECHNIQUE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411832312.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-12
Publication Date
2025-04-04
Estimated Expiration
2044-12-12

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The prior art is difficult to realize the autonomous deployment and recycling of underwater vehicles, especially in the scenarios of multiple underwater vehicles, where the recycling process is complex and difficult.

Method used

An underwater vehicle is designed with a retracting and retrieval device, including a guide cabin section, a storage cabin, a lifting platform, a door-shaped correction rod mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a capture rod. Through the joint action of these components, the autonomous deployment and recycling of multiple underwater vehicles is achieved.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the independent layout and recycling of multiple underwater vehicles, simplifies the operation process, improves efficiency, and ensures the safety and integrity of underwater vehicles.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention discloses an underwater vehicle carrying and retracting device and an underwater vehicle launching and retracting method, and belongs to the technical field of underwater vehicle control. The first door-shaped frame swings clockwise towards the interior of the lifting platform so as to correct the posture of the underwater vehicle grabbing the catching rod, and the underwater vehicle in the guide cabin is conveyed into the storage cabin through the lifting platform and a conveying device in the storage cabin to be stored and locked by a locking device in the storage cabin. After the storage cabin is full of the underwater vehicles, the subsequently recycled underwater vehicles are placed on the lifting platform and are locked through a locking device in the lifting platform; during laying, the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is unlocked and then automatically driven away from the lifting platform, and then the underwater vehicle stored in the storage cabin is conveyed to the lifting platform through the conveying device in the storage cabin and the lifting platform and then automatically driven away from the lifting platform.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of underwater vehicle control, and in particular relates to an underwater vehicle carrying and retracting device and an underwater vehicle deploying and recovering method. Background Art

[0002] At present, underwater vehicles (including autonomous underwater robots AUV) are developing rapidly, and their application fields are constantly expanding. Underwater vehicles are gradually developing towards cluster underwater operations. In the context of large-scale application of underwater vehicles in the future, the deployment and recovery technology will face severe challenges. Compared with the deployment process of underwater vehicles, the recovery process is more complicated and difficult, and the deployment and recovery of underwater vehicles are currently more common on surface manned ships, surface unmanned ships, submarines and large vehicles. At present, there is no relevant technology or report on the autonomous deployment and recovery of multiple underwater vehicles by underwater vehicles equipped with a retractable device. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an underwater vehicle carrying and launching device and an underwater vehicle deployment and recovery method, through the joint action of a lifting platform, a door-shaped correction rod mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a capture rod, and underwater vehicles to be recovered or deployed, etc., the underwater vehicle carrying and launching device can realize autonomous deployment and autonomous recovery of multiple underwater vehicles.

[0004] The present invention provides an underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] An underwater vehicle carrying and launching device comprises a guide cabin section and a storage cabin;

[0006] A lifting platform is provided on the guide cabin section so as to be liftable. A door-shaped correction rod mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a capture rod provided on the top of the lifting mechanism are provided at the left end of the lifting platform. The capture rod is located in the first door-shaped frame in the door-shaped correction rod mechanism. The lifting mechanism can drive the capture rod to move up and down.

[0007] The right end of the lifting platform is connected to the storage cabin;

[0008] During recovery, the manipulator at the head of the underwater vehicle grabs the capture rod, the first door-shaped frame swings clockwise into the lifting platform to correct the posture of the underwater vehicle grabbing the capture rod, and the lifting mechanism descends to a set height to place the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicle in the guide cabin is transported to the storage cabin for storage through the conveying device in the lifting platform and is locked by the locking device in the storage cabin. After the storage cabin is full of underwater vehicles, the underwater vehicle recovered later is placed on the lifting platform and locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

[0009] During deployment, the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is first unlocked and then drives away from the lifting platform by itself. Then, the underwater vehicle stored in the storage cabin is transported to the lifting platform through the storage cabin and the transportation device in the lifting platform and then drives away from the lifting platform by itself.

[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a control device arranged in the guide cabin section and a position sensor arranged in the storage cabin;

[0011] The position sensor is used to monitor the position of the underwater vehicle in the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and feed back the monitoring signal to the control device. The control device controls the operation of the door shape correction rod mechanism, lifting mechanism, lifting platform and the conveying device in the storage cabin during recovery and deployment according to the feedback signal.

[0012] Furthermore, the conveying device in the lifting platform includes a driving wheel arranged on the inner side wall of the lifting platform and a driving source for driving the driving wheel to rotate;

[0013] The driving wheel rotates under the drive of the driving source and then applies friction force to the side wall of the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, so that the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is transported to the storage cabin.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving wheel in the lifting platform is also used as the locking device in the lifting platform;

[0015] The driving wheel is driven by the driving device to displace and laterally clamp the underwater vehicle placed in the lifting platform to achieve a locking effect;

[0016] The driving wheel is driven by the driving device to generate a displacement in the opposite direction to achieve the unlocking effect.

[0017] Furthermore, a deflectable shelving device is provided at a set height in the lifting platform;

[0018] After the multiple deflectable shelf devices at the same set height are deflected at a set angle, at least two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform, the underwater vehicles placed on the bottom layer of the lifting platform are directly supported by the bottom of the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicles placed on other layers are supported by the deflectable shelf devices;

[0019] During deployment, after the underwater vehicle supported on the deflectable shelf device autonomously drives away from the lifting platform, the deflectable shelf device can be deflected in the opposite direction at a set angle to make room for the underwater vehicle placed in the lower layer of the guide cabin and in the lifting platform to leave the lifting platform.

[0020] Furthermore, a passive roller is provided at the bottom of the lifting platform, so that when the underwater vehicle at the bottom of the lifting platform is transported to the storage compartment or when the underwater vehicle in the storage compartment is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform, the bottom of the underwater vehicle is in rolling contact with the bottom of the lifting platform.

[0021] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting hydraulic cylinder, a secondary slide rail and a buffer protection device;

[0022] The bottom of the secondary slide rail is vertically fixed on the lifting platform;

[0023] The lifting hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the lifting platform, and the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is in a vertical state;

[0024] The buffer protection device is installed on the top of the secondary slide rail, and the capture rod is installed on the buffer protection device;

[0025] When the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is extended, it can push the secondary slide rail to drive the capture rod to move upward.

[0026] Furthermore, the door-shaped correction rod mechanism also includes a correction rod hydraulic cylinder and a second door-shaped frame;

[0027] One end of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the lifting platform, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is fixed to the second door-shaped frame top rod, and the two second door-shaped frame side rods are respectively fixed to the bottoms of the two first door-shaped frame side rods and then hinged to the lifting platform;

[0028] When the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is extended, the first door frame is pushed to swing clockwise through the second door frame. When the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is retracted, the first door frame is made to swing counterclockwise through the second door frame.

[0029] Furthermore, the lifting platform can be installed on the guide cabin section in a liftable manner by means of sliding cooperation between a guide rail and a slider, and the lifting platform is driven by a hydraulic cylinder when it is lifted or lowered.

[0030] The present invention provides an underwater vehicle deployment and recovery method using the following technical solutions: deployment process:

[0031] Step 1: After arriving at the designated deployment area, the door switch mechanism on the guidance module drives the door to slide open;

[0032] Step 2: The piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder extends to raise the capture rod to the set height. At the same time, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is retracted to drive the first door frame to rotate counterclockwise to an upright state so as not to affect the deployment of the underwater vehicle; the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment. After the clamping of the carrier is released, the No. 5 carrier supported on the deflectable shelving device drives away autonomously, and then the deflectable shelving device deflects the set angle to make way for the passage. Then the No. 4 carrier at the bottom of the lifting platform is unlocked and drives away from the lifting platform autonomously;

[0033] Step 3: After carrier No. 4 is deployed, the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment on the top floor of the storage cabin. After carrier No. 3 is released from the clamping lock, the conveying device in the lifting platform cooperates with the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform to convey carrier No. 3 to the bottom of the guide cabin, and then carrier No. 3 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0034] Step 4: After carrier No. 3 is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 2 compartment of the storage compartment. After carrier No. 2 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment, and then carrier No. 2 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0035] Step 5: After carrier No. 2 is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with storage compartment No. 1. After carrier No. 1 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with storage compartment No. 3, and then carrier No. 1 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0036] Recycling process:

[0037] Step 1: After arriving at the designated recovery area, the hatch door opening and closing mechanism drives the hatch door to slide open;

[0038] Step 2: The piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is extended to raise the capture rod to a set height, and the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is shortened to rotate the first door frame counterclockwise to an upright state;

[0039] Step 3: After the lifting platform rises along the guide rail until the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 storage compartment, the deflectable shelf device can be deflected to a retracted state to allow the carrier to enter the passage space at the bottom of the lifting platform;

[0040] Step 4: Recover carriers No. 1, 2, and 3 in sequence. The carriers rely on their own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the underwater vehicle's onboard retracting and launching device. The carriers rely on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod and send information to the control device of the underwater vehicle's onboard retracting and launching device. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door-shaped frame to gradually swing clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform. Then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink to the bottom of the lifting platform and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform. Then the lifting platform moves along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and is aligned with the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin. Then the lifting platform releases the lock on the carrier, and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform cooperates with the conveying device in the storage cabin to convey the carrier at the bottom of the lifting platform to the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin and lock it.

[0041] Step 5: Recover carrier No. 4. The carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the retractable device carried by the underwater vehicle. The carrier head manipulator grabs the capture rod and sends information to the control device of the retractable device carried by the underwater vehicle. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door frame to swing gradually clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform. Then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink to the bottom of the lifting platform and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

[0042] Step six: Recover carrier No. 5, and the deflectable shelf device can be deflected to a set angle so that two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform. The carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the underwater vehicle carrying the retrieval device, and relies on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod and send information to the control device of the underwater vehicle carrying the retrieval device. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door frame to swing gradually clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform, and then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink and support on the deflectable shelf device and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

[0043] Beneficial effects:

[0044] 1. The underwater vehicle carrying retractable device realizes the autonomous deployment and recovery of multiple small underwater vehicles through the joint action of the lifting platform, the door-shaped correction rod mechanism, the lifting mechanism, the capture rod mechanism, and the underwater vehicle.

[0045] 2. The driving wheel in the lifting platform is also used as a locking device in the lifting platform. The driving wheel can generate horizontal displacement under the drive of the driving device to laterally clamp the underwater vehicle placed on the lifting platform to achieve the locking effect. The driving wheel generates a displacement in the opposite direction under the drive of the driving device to achieve the unlocking effect. The structure is simple and reliable.

[0046] 3. The hatch door opening and closing mechanism has a short opening time and high efficiency. The hatch doors on both sides slide and open along the outer side of the underwater vehicle carrying retractable device, which has little effect on the shape and the center of mass and buoyancy position of the underwater vehicle carrying retractable device, and maintains the original fluid line shape of the underwater vehicle carrying retractable device.

[0047] 4. The swing of the door-shaped correction rod mechanism and the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting platform are both driven by hydraulics. The transportation of the carrier between the lifting platform and the storage cabin relies on the rotation of the driving wheel driven by the motor as the transportation power. Both the hydraulic drive and the motor drive have a large carrying capacity and are not only suitable for deployment and recovery in water, but also for loading on land.

[0048] 5. The side rollers, back rollers and correction auxiliary wheels are in direct contact with the underwater vehicle, and the rolling pressure application method will not damage the surface of the underwater vehicle and is highly efficient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the vertical arrangement of a retractable device for an underwater vehicle provided by the present invention (only the guide cabin section and the storage cabin are shown);

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a state where a carrier provided by the present invention is loaded and stored on a lifting platform and a storage cabin;

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the door shape correction rod mechanism and the lifting mechanism provided by the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the state in which the first door-shaped frame swings clockwise at a certain angle;

[0053] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting platform on the guide cabin section provided by the present invention;

[0054] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the hatch door opening mechanism provided by the present invention when the hatch door is open (the guide cabin section located in the cylinder is not shown);

[0055] Among them, 1-guiding cabin section; 2-door shape correction rod mechanism; 3-control device; 4-guide rail; 5-deflectable shelf device; 6-door switch mechanism; 7-position sensor; 8-storage cabin; 9-driving wheel; 10-passive roller; 11-lifting hydraulic cylinder; 12-secondary slide rail; 13-buffer protection device; 14-correction rod hydraulic cylinder; 15-second door frame top rod; 16-second door frame side rod; 17-first door frame side rod; 18-fixing piece; 19-first door frame top rod; 20-correction auxiliary roller; 21-capture rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0057] Embodiment 1:

[0058] Reference Figure 1 - Figure 6 , an underwater vehicle carrying and launching device, comprising a guide cabin section 1 and a storage cabin 8;

[0059] The guide cabin section 1 may be a middle frame structure connecting the head and tail of the underwater vehicle carrying the retracting and launching device; a lifting platform is provided on the guide cabin section 1 so as to be liftable, and a door-shaped correction rod mechanism 2, a lifting mechanism, and a capture rod 21 provided on the top of the lifting mechanism are provided at the left end of the lifting platform; the capture rod 21 is located in the first door-shaped frame of the door-shaped correction rod mechanism 2; the lifting mechanism can drive the capture rod 21 to move up and down;

[0060] The right end of the lifting platform is connected to the storage cabin 8; the storage cabin 8 can be used as the tail structure of the underwater vehicle carrying the retracting device, and is used to store the underwater vehicle;

[0061] During recovery, the manipulator at the head of the underwater vehicle grabs the capture rod 21, the first door-shaped frame swings clockwise into the lifting platform to correct the posture of the underwater vehicle grabbing the capture rod 21, and the lifting mechanism descends to a set height to place the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is transported to the storage cabin 8 for storage through the conveying device in the lifting platform and the storage cabin 8 and locked by the locking device in the storage cabin 8. After the storage cabin 8 is full of underwater vehicles, the underwater vehicle recovered later is placed on the lifting platform and locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

[0062] During deployment, the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is first unlocked and then drives away from the lifting platform 1 by itself. Then, the underwater vehicle stored in the storage cabin 8 is transported to the lifting platform 1 through the storage cabin 8 and the transportation device in the lifting platform and then drives away from the lifting platform by itself.

[0063] In this way, the underwater vehicle carrying retractable device realizes the autonomous deployment and recovery of multiple small underwater vehicles through the joint action of the gate-shaped correction rod mechanism 2, the lifting mechanism, the capture rod 21, and the underwater vehicle. In the device of this embodiment, a large AUV underwater vehicle can be used as an underwater vehicle carrying retractable device, and a small AUV underwater vehicle is used as the object of deployment and recovery (which can be called a carrier and can be carried by the underwater vehicle carrying retractable device). Here, large and small are relative concepts. Large is because it can carry multiple underwater vehicles, and the underwater vehicles carried are called small underwater vehicles.

[0064] Specifically, it also includes a control device 3 arranged in the guide cabin section 1 and a position sensor 7 arranged in the storage cabin 8; the position sensor 7 is used to monitor the position of the underwater vehicle in the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and feed back the monitoring signal to the control device 3, and the control device 3 controls the operation of the door shape correction rod mechanism 2, the lifting mechanism, the lifting platform and the conveying device in the storage cabin 8 during recovery and deployment according to the feedback signal.

[0065] As an example, the conveying device in the lifting platform includes a driving wheel 9 arranged on the inner side wall of the lifting platform and a driving source for driving the driving wheel 9 to rotate; when recovering, the driving wheel 9 rotates under the drive of the driving source and then applies friction to the side wall of the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, so that the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is transported to the storage compartment 8. When a part of the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform enters the storage compartment 8, the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 can play a role of relay transportation. Similarly, when deploying, the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 transports the underwater vehicle in the storage compartment 8 to the lifting platform. The conveying device in the lifting platform plays a role of relay transportation to ensure reliable transportation. Specifically, the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 can be a roller conveying device.

[0066] In particular, in the present embodiment, the driving wheel 9 in the lifting platform is also used as a locking device in the lifting platform. Specifically, the driving wheel 9 can generate horizontal displacement under the drive of the driving device to laterally clamp the underwater vehicle placed on the lifting platform, thereby achieving a locking effect; the driving wheel 9 generates a displacement in the opposite direction under the drive of the driving device, thereby achieving an unlocking effect.

[0067] As an example, a deflectable shelving device 5 is further provided at a set height in the lifting platform; after the multiple deflectable shelving devices 5 at the same set height are deflected by a set angle, at least two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicles placed on the bottom layer of the lifting platform are directly supported by the bottom of the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicles placed on other layers are supported by the deflectable shelving devices 5 of the corresponding layers; when deploying, after the underwater vehicle supported on the deflectable shelving device 5 autonomously leaves the lifting platform, the deflectable shelving device 5 supporting the underwater vehicle can be deflected in the opposite direction by a set angle to make room for the underwater vehicles placed on the lower layer of the lifting platform and in the storage compartment 8 to leave the lifting platform. Figure 2 Two layers of underwater vehicles are placed in the lifting platform (from top to bottom, carriers No. 5 and No. 4), and three layers of underwater vehicles are placed in the storage cabin 8 (from top to bottom, carriers No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1).

[0068] As an example, a passive roller 10 is also provided at the bottom of the lifting platform, which is used to ensure that when the underwater vehicle at the bottom of the lifting platform is transported to the storage compartment 8 or when the underwater vehicle in the storage compartment 8 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform 1, the bottom of the underwater vehicle is in rolling contact with the bottom of the lifting platform.

[0069] As an example, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 The lifting mechanism includes a lifting hydraulic cylinder 11, a secondary slide rail 12 and a buffer protection device 13; the bottom of the secondary slide rail 12 is vertically fixed on the lifting platform; the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is fixed on the lifting platform, and the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is in a vertical state; the buffer protection device 13 is installed on the top of the secondary slide rail 12, and the capture rod 21 is installed on the buffer protection device 13; when the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is extended, it can push the secondary slide rail 12 to drive the capture rod 21 to move upward, thereby raising the capture rod 21. The buffer protection device 13 can avoid a violent collision when the manipulator at the head of the underwater vehicle grabs the capture rod 21, thereby improving reliability.

[0070] As an example, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 The door-shaped correction rod mechanism 1 also includes a correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 and a second door-shaped frame; one end of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is hinged to the lifting platform, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is fixed to the second door-shaped frame top rod 15, and the two second door-shaped frame side rods 16 are respectively fixed to the bottom of the two first door-shaped frame side rods 17 and then hinged to the fixing part 18 of the lifting platform; when the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is extended, the first door-shaped frame is pushed to swing clockwise through the second door-shaped frame, and when the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is retracted, the first door-shaped frame is driven to swing counterclockwise through the second door-shaped frame.

[0071] As an improvement, a back roller is provided on the top rod 19 of the first door-shaped frame; a correction auxiliary roller 20 is provided at the connection between the top rod 19 of the first door-shaped frame and the side rod of the first door-shaped frame; and a side roller is provided on the side rod 17 of the first door-shaped frame. When the first door-shaped frame swings clockwise inwardly of the lifting platform to correct the posture of the underwater vehicle, the side roller first contacts the side of the underwater vehicle to limit the lateral deflection of the underwater vehicle, and then the back roller and the correction auxiliary wheel 20 contact the back of the underwater vehicle to limit the longitudinal deflection of the underwater vehicle. In this way, the side rollers, the back rollers, and the correction auxiliary wheel 20 are in direct contact with the underwater vehicle, and the rolling pressure application method will not damage the surface of the underwater vehicle and is highly efficient. The first door-shaped frame corrects the posture of the underwater vehicle similarly to clamping the underwater vehicle with chopsticks, and then the underwater vehicle is placed in the lifting platform as the lifting mechanism moves downward.

[0072] As an example, the lifting platform can be installed on the guide cabin section 1 in a liftable manner by means of sliding cooperation between the guide rail 4 and the slider, and the lifting platform is driven by hydraulic cylinders arranged in the middle of both sides of the guide cabin section 1 when it is raised and lowered.

[0073] As an example, the guide cabin section 1 is also provided with a hatch switch mechanism 6, which is used to open and close the hatch when the underwater vehicle is deployed and recovered. Figure 5 and Figure 6 When the door is closed, the lifting platform is located in the cylinder formed by the door. When the door is opened, the top of the cylinder opens, and the lifting platform can move up and down relative to the guide cabin section 1 to achieve the deployment and recovery of the underwater vehicle. The door opening and closing mechanism 6 has a short opening time and high efficiency. The doors on both sides slide along the outer side of the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device to open, which has little effect on the shape and the center of mass and buoyancy position of the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and maintains the original fluid line shape of the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device.

[0074] In this embodiment, the swing of the gate-shaped correction rod mechanism 2 and the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting platform are both driven by hydraulics. The transportation of the carrier (i.e., the underwater vehicle) between the lifting platform and the storage compartment 8 relies on the rotation of the motor-driven driving wheel 9 as the transportation power. Both the hydraulic drive and the motor drive have a large carrying capacity and are not only suitable for deployment and recovery in water, but also for loading on land.

[0075] Embodiment 2:

[0076] The following is a detailed description of the process of deploying and recovering the underwater vehicle with the underwater vehicle retracting device in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 The No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 carriers are stored in the storage compartment 8, and the corresponding compartments are No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 compartments respectively.

[0077] Deployment process:

[0078] Step 1: After arriving at the designated deployment area, the door switch mechanism 6 first drives the door to slide open;

[0079] Step 2: Figure 3 The piston rod of the middle lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is extended to raise the capture rod 21 to the set height. At the same time, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is retracted to drive the first door frame to rotate counterclockwise to an upright state so as not to affect the deployment of the underwater vehicle. After the lifting platform rises along the guide rail 4 to the set height (in this embodiment, the set height refers to the height at which the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment), the clamping of the carrier is released. Figure 2 The carrier No. 5 supported on the deflectable shelf device 5 moves away autonomously, and then the deflectable shelf device 5 deflects to a set angle to make way for the passage, and then the carrier No. 4 at the bottom of the lifting platform is unlocked and moves away from the lifting platform autonomously;

[0080] Step 3: After carrier No. 4 is deployed, the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the carrier No. 3 compartment on the top floor of the storage compartment. After carrier No. 3 is released from the clamping lock, the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 cooperates with the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform to convey carrier No. 3 to the bottom of the lifting platform, and then carrier No. 3 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0081] Step 4: After carrier No. 3 is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 2 compartment of the storage compartment 8. After carrier No. 2 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail 4 to a set height (the set height means that the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with compartment No. 3 of the storage compartment), and then carrier No. 2 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0082] Step 5: After carrier No. 2 is placed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 1 compartment of the storage compartment 8. After carrier No. 1 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment 8 and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail 4 to a set height (the set height means that the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment 8), and then carrier No. 1 autonomously leaves the lifting platform;

[0083] After the carrier is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 1 compartment of the storage compartment 8. The first door frame turns to a horizontal state, and the lifting mechanism lowers the capture rod 21 to a set height, opens the door switch mechanism 6, closes the door, and the deployment process is completed.

[0084] Recycling process:

[0085] Step 1: After arriving at the designated recovery area, the hatch door switch mechanism 6 drives the hatch door to slide open;

[0086] Step 2: The piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is extended to raise the capture rod 21 to a set height, and the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 is shortened to rotate the first door frame counterclockwise to an upright state;

[0087] Step 3: After the lifting platform is driven by the hydraulic cylinder to rise along the guide rail 4 to a set height (in this embodiment, the set height refers to the height at which the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment 8, so that the carrier can maintain a safe distance from the underwater vehicle carrying storage device when grabbing the capture rod 21), the deflectable shelf device 5 is deflected to a retracted state, allowing the carrier to enter the passage space at the bottom of the lifting platform;

[0088] Step 4: Reference Figure 2 , and the No. 1, 2, and 3 carriers are recovered in sequence. The carriers rely on their own power to approach the capture rod 21 from the upper back of the underwater vehicle carrying the retracting and releasing device. The carrier head manipulator grabs the capture rod 21 and sends information to the control device 3 of the underwater vehicle carrying the retracting and releasing device. The control device 3 controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 to drive the first door frame to swing clockwise from the upright state position gradually toward the tail direction of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform ( Figure 5 The X-axis direction is the length direction of the lifting platform), and then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is shortened, driving the carrier to slowly sink (the carrier turns off the power after grabbing the capture rod 21) to the bottom of the lifting platform and is locked by the locking device in the lifting platform. Then the lifting platform is driven by the two hydraulic cylinders in the middle of the lifting platform to move along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and align with the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin 8. Then the lifting platform releases the lock on the carrier, and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform cooperates with the conveying device in the storage cabin 8 to convey the carrier at the bottom of the lifting platform to the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin 8 and is locked;

[0089] Step 5: Reference Figure 2 , recover carrier No. 4, the carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod 21 from the upper back of the underwater vehicle carrying storage and release device, and relies on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod 21 and send information to the control device 3 of the underwater vehicle carrying storage and release device, and the control device 3 controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 to drive the first door-shaped frame to swing gradually clockwise from the upright state position toward the tail of the carrier, so as to correct the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform, and then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is shortened, driving the carrier to slowly sink (the power of the carrier is turned off after grabbing the capture rod 21) to the bottom of the lifting platform and locked by the locking device in the lifting platform;

[0090] Step 6: Reference Figure 2, recover carrier No. 5, the deflectable shelf device 5 is deflected to a set angle so that two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform, and the carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod 21 from the upper back of the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and relies on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod 21 and send information to the control device 3 of the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and the control device 3 controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder 14 to drive the first door frame to swing gradually from the upright position clockwise toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform, and then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder 11 is shortened, driving the carrier to slowly sink (the power of the carrier is turned off after grabbing the capture rod 21) supported on the deflectable shelf device 5 and locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

[0091] In the above step 4, during the recovery of carrier No. 1, the lifting platform needs to be lowered along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligned with the No. 1 compartment of the storage compartment 8. During the descent of the lifting platform, the lifting mechanism can raise the capture rod to a set height and the first door-shaped frame can be rotated 90° counterclockwise to an upright state in order to recover the subsequent No. 2 carrier. Similarly, during the recovery of carrier No. 2, the lifting platform needs to be lowered along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligned with the No. 2 compartment of the storage compartment 8. During the descent of the lifting platform, the lifting mechanism can raise the capture rod 21 to a set height and the first door-shaped frame can be rotated 90° counterclockwise to an upright state in order to recover the subsequent No. 3 carrier. Because after the recovery of carrier No. 3, the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment 8, and carriers No. 4 and No. 5 are also recovered at this height, so after the recovery of carrier No. 5 in the above step 6, the following steps can also be performed:

[0092] Step 7: The lifting platform moves along the guide rail 4 to the bottom of the lifting platform 1 and is aligned with the No. 1 compartment of the storage compartment 8, and the compartment door is closed through the compartment door switch mechanism 6 to complete the recovery process.

[0093] In summary, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, characterized in that: It includes a guidance module and a storage module; A lifting platform is provided on the guide cabin section so as to be liftable. A door-shaped correction rod mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a capture rod provided on the top of the lifting mechanism are provided at the left end of the lifting platform. The capture rod is located in the first door-shaped frame in the door-shaped correction rod mechanism. The lifting mechanism can drive the capture rod to move up and down. The right end of the lifting platform is connected to the storage cabin; During recovery, the manipulator at the head of the underwater vehicle grabs the capture rod, the first door-shaped frame swings clockwise into the lifting platform to correct the posture of the underwater vehicle grabbing the capture rod, and the lifting mechanism descends to a set height to place the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicle in the guide cabin is transported to the storage cabin for storage through the conveying device in the lifting platform and is locked by the locking device in the storage cabin. After the storage cabin is full of underwater vehicles, the underwater vehicle recovered later is placed on the lifting platform and locked by the locking device in the lifting platform. During deployment, the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is first unlocked and then drives away from the lifting platform by itself. Then, the underwater vehicle stored in the storage cabin is transported to the lifting platform through the storage cabin and the transportation device in the lifting platform and then drives away from the lifting platform by itself.

2. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a control device disposed in the guide cabin section and a position sensor disposed in the storage cabin; The position sensor is used to monitor the position of the underwater vehicle in the underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device, and feed back the monitoring signal to the control device. The control device controls the operation of the door shape correction rod mechanism, lifting mechanism, lifting platform and the conveying device in the storage cabin during recovery and deployment according to the feedback signal.

3. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conveying device in the lifting platform includes a driving wheel arranged on the inner side wall of the lifting platform and a driving source for driving the driving wheel to rotate; The driving wheel rotates under the drive of the driving source and then applies friction force to the side wall of the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform, so that the underwater vehicle in the lifting platform is transported to the storage cabin.

4. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving wheel in the lifting platform is also used as the locking device in the lifting platform; The driving wheel is driven by the driving device to displace and laterally clamp the underwater vehicle placed in the lifting platform to achieve a locking effect; The driving wheel is driven by the driving device to generate a displacement in the opposite direction to achieve the unlocking effect.

5. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A deflectable shelving device is also provided at a set height in the lifting platform; After the multiple deflectable shelf devices at the same set height are deflected at a set angle, at least two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform, the underwater vehicles placed on the bottom layer of the lifting platform are directly supported by the bottom of the lifting platform, and the underwater vehicles placed on other layers are supported by the deflectable shelf devices; During deployment, after the underwater vehicle supported on the deflectable shelf device autonomously drives away from the lifting platform, the deflectable shelf device can be deflected in the opposite direction at a set angle to make room for the underwater vehicle placed in the lower layer of the guide cabin and in the lifting platform to leave the lifting platform.

6. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the lifting platform is also provided with a passive roller, which is used to ensure that when the underwater vehicle at the bottom of the lifting platform is transported to the storage compartment or when the underwater vehicle in the storage compartment is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform, the bottom of the underwater vehicle is in rolling contact with the bottom of the lifting platform.

7. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a lifting hydraulic cylinder, a secondary slide rail and a buffer protection device; The bottom of the secondary slide rail is vertically fixed on the lifting platform; The lifting hydraulic cylinder is fixedly connected to the lifting platform, and the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is in a vertical state; The buffer protection device is installed on the top of the secondary slide rail, and the capture rod is installed on the buffer protection device; When the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is extended, it can push the secondary slide rail to drive the capture rod to move upward.

8. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The door-shaped correction rod mechanism also includes a correction rod hydraulic cylinder and a second door-shaped frame; One end of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is hinged to the lifting platform, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is fixed to the second door-shaped frame top rod, and the two second door-shaped frame side rods are respectively fixed to the bottoms of the two first door-shaped frame side rods and then hinged to the lifting platform; When the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is extended, the first door frame is pushed to swing clockwise through the second door frame. When the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is retracted, the first door frame is made to swing counterclockwise through the second door frame.

9. The underwater vehicle carrying and releasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The lifting platform is installed on the guide cabin section in a liftable manner by means of sliding cooperation between a guide rail and a slider, and the lifting platform is driven by a hydraulic cylinder when being lifted or lowered.

10. A method for deploying and recovering an underwater vehicle, characterized in that: Using the underwater vehicle carrying and launching device as claimed in claim 8; Deployment process: Step 1: After arriving at the designated deployment area, the door switch mechanism on the guidance module drives the door to slide open; Step 2: The piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder extends to raise the capture rod to the set height. At the same time, the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is retracted to drive the first door frame to rotate counterclockwise to an upright state so as not to affect the deployment of the underwater vehicle; the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and is aligned with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment. After the clamping of the carrier is released, the No. 5 carrier supported on the deflectable shelving device drives away autonomously, and then the deflectable shelving device deflects the set angle to make way for the passage. Then the No. 4 carrier at the bottom of the lifting platform is unlocked and drives away from the lifting platform autonomously; Step 3: After carrier No. 4 is deployed, the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 compartment on the top floor of the storage cabin. After carrier No. 3 is released from the clamping lock, the conveying device in the lifting platform cooperates with the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform to convey carrier No. 3 to the bottom of the guide cabin, and then carrier No. 3 autonomously leaves the lifting platform; Step 4: After carrier No. 3 is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 2 compartment of the storage compartment. After carrier No. 2 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with the No. 3 compartment of the storage compartment, and then carrier No. 2 autonomously leaves the lifting platform; Step 5: After carrier No. 2 is deployed, the lifting platform descends along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with storage compartment No.

1. After carrier No. 1 is transported to the bottom of the lifting platform by the conveying device in the storage compartment and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform, the lifting platform rises along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and aligns with storage compartment No. 3, and then carrier No. 1 autonomously leaves the lifting platform; Recycling process: Step 1: After arriving at the designated recovery area, the hatch door opening and closing mechanism drives the hatch door to slide open; Step 2: The piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is extended to raise the capture rod to a set height, and the piston rod of the correction rod hydraulic cylinder is shortened to rotate the first door frame counterclockwise to an upright state; Step 3: After the lifting platform rises along the guide rail until the bottom of the lifting platform is aligned with the No. 3 storage compartment, the deflectable shelf device can be deflected to a retracted state to allow the carrier to enter the passage space at the bottom of the lifting platform; Step 4: Recover carriers No. 1, 2, and 3 in sequence. The carriers rely on their own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the underwater vehicle's onboard retracting and launching device. The carriers rely on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod and send information to the control device of the underwater vehicle's onboard retracting and launching device. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door-shaped frame to gradually swing clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform. Then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink to the bottom of the lifting platform and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform. Then the lifting platform moves along the guide rail to the bottom of the lifting platform and is aligned with the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin. Then the lifting platform releases the lock on the carrier, and the conveying device at the bottom of the lifting platform cooperates with the conveying device in the storage cabin to convey the carrier at the bottom of the lifting platform to the corresponding compartment of the storage cabin and lock it. Step 5: Recover carrier No.

4. The carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the retractable device carried by the underwater vehicle. The carrier head manipulator grabs the capture rod and sends information to the control device of the retractable device carried by the underwater vehicle. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door frame to swing gradually clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform. Then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink to the bottom of the lifting platform and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform. Step six: Recover carrier No. 5, and the deflectable shelf device can be deflected to a set angle so that two layers of underwater vehicles can be placed in the lifting platform. The carrier relies on its own power to approach the capture rod from the upper back of the underwater vehicle carrying the retrieval device, and relies on the carrier head manipulator to grab the capture rod and send information to the control device of the underwater vehicle carrying the retrieval device. The control device controls the correction rod hydraulic cylinder to drive the first door frame to swing gradually clockwise from the upright position toward the tail of the carrier, thereby correcting the length direction of the carrier to be consistent with the length direction of the lifting platform, and then the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder is shortened, driving the carrier to sink and support on the deflectable shelf device and be locked by the locking device in the lifting platform.

Citation Information

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