Retracting and releasing device of underwater robot

Abstract

The invention relates to a retracting and releasing device of an underwater robot, and belongs to the technical field of ocean engineering and underwater operation. The device comprises a winch, a take-up and pay-off device, a recoverer and an underwater robot. The winch is fixed on a ship, the cable is wound on the winch and connected with the recoverer, and the underwater robot can be placed on the recoverer. A water pump is arranged in the recoverer and provided with a water pumping port and a water outlet, and a hollowed-out plate is arranged near the water pumping port. The recoverer shell is provided with a steering propeller, a horizontal propeller, an inlet and a clamping shell. The recoverer is provided with a positioning device, and an ultra-wideband radio positioning system can be used. The recoverer shell is further provided with an air bag, and a clamping device and a pressure sensor are arranged in the air bag. A needle point mechanism, a water outlet and a dryer are arranged on the collecting and releasing device shell, and a cable channel and a releasing device are arranged in the collecting and releasing device. The device achieves efficient recovery of the underwater robot through water pump suction, positioning device navigation, clamping device fixing and the like, and has the advantages of being easy to operate, high in recovery efficiency, convenient to maintain and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of marine engineering and underwater operation, and in particular to a retracting and deploying device of an underwater robot. Background Art

[0002] With the development of marine resource development, scientific research, underwater engineering and other fields, underwater robots play an important role in underwater operations. There are many problems in the practical application of the traditional underwater robot's retracting and launching device, such as low recovery efficiency, the need to accurately control the position and orientation of the retractor, and the consumption of a lot of time and energy; insufficient protection measures for the underwater robot during the recovery process, which easily leads to equipment damage; lack of an effective positioning system, it is difficult to achieve accurate navigation and docking between the retractor and the underwater robot; in the water recovery stage, the handling of the retractor and the underwater robot is not convenient enough, affecting subsequent maintenance and reuse. These problems seriously affect the working efficiency and service life of the underwater robot. In order to solve these problems, many devices for retracting and launching underwater robots have also appeared in recent years. The recovery device and mother ship design of the public technology WO2023015857A1 have many advantages, such as efficient recovery through the recovery board, simplified process, and improved efficiency, but there is still room for research in recovery stability and complex sea areas. Therefore, it is necessary to study a retracting and launching device for an underwater robot that can improve recovery efficiency, protect underwater robots, and achieve accurate navigation and convenient handling. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a retrieval and deployment device for an underwater robot, aiming to solve the problems of low recovery efficiency, insufficient protection of the underwater robot, and inconvenient recovery and processing on the water in the prior art. The release, guided recovery and convenient processing of the underwater robot are realized through the unique water pump, airbag and release device, which improves the working efficiency and service life of the underwater robot and meets the high performance requirements of the retrieval and deployment device of the underwater robot in the fields of marine resource development and scientific research.

[0004] The retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot includes a winch, which is fixed on the ship, the winch is wound with a cable, the cable is connected to a retractor, the retractor can be placed in the retractor, the retractor can be placed in the retractor, a water pump is provided in the retractor, the water pump has a water inlet and a water outlet, and a hollow plate is provided near the water inlet in the retractor. The winch is fixed on the ship, the cable passes through the retractor to connect to the retractor, the cable is wound on the winch, and the cable is connected to the head of the retractor. When the robot needs to be recovered, the winch can be turned to release the cable and the retractor. The retractor is provided with a control module that can be remotely controlled by an operator. The operator remotely controls the retractor to move it to the vicinity of the robot for recovery. When the retractor approaches the robot, the winch is locked and the cable is no longer extended. The water pump is turned on to suck the seawater near the robot. The robot will approach the retractor under the action of suction and finally be sucked into the retractor. The water pump can directly suck the seawater near the robot to suck the robot, so the position and orientation control of the retractor when recovering the robot does not need to be very precise, which greatly improves the recovery efficiency and saves the recovery time. The hollow plate does not affect the water suction, but also isolates the water suction port from the robot, thus protecting the robot.

[0005] The retracting and launching device of the underwater robot, the outer shell of the recoverer is provided with a steering thruster and a horizontal thruster, and is provided with an entrance. The horizontal thruster is turned on to generate airflow to one side of the cable, at which time the cable will be tightened, and the recoverer remains horizontal and stable under the joint action of the cable and the horizontal thruster. Next, the steering thruster is turned on to align the entrance roughly with the robot, and then the water pump is turned on to recover the robot. There is a clamping shell around the entrance. The robot is sucked to the vicinity of the entrance by the water pump, and the clamping shell can rotate and gradually shrink toward the central axis of the recoverer, thereby driving the robot to remain horizontal. Finally, under the suction of the water pump, the robot is sucked into the recoverer.

[0006] The underwater robot's retractable device and the retriever are equipped with a positioning device. The positioning system is installed on the robot, the retriever, and the external computer on the ship. The positioning device can use the ultra-wideband radio positioning system, which has many advantages in underwater equipment. It can provide high-precision positioning, which is essential for the precise navigation of the retriever and the robot. The ultra-wideband radio positioning system supports high-speed data transmission, allowing underwater equipment to transmit large amounts of data in real time, and its strong anti-interference ability ensures stability and reliability in complex underwater environments.

[0007] The retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot has an airbag on the outer shell of the retractor, a clamping device inside the retractor, and a pressure sensor on the clamping device. When the robot is sucked into the retractor, the clamping device and the clamping shell clamp the outside of the robot together to fix it. The pressure sensor on the clamping device is also connected to the controller inside the airbag. When the pressure value of the pressure sensor exceeds the set value and maintains for a period of time, the controller inside the airbag turns on the igniter to release the gas, and the airbag expands to generate buoyancy to drive the retractor to float to the water surface. The excess water in the water pump is discharged from the water outlet, thereby generating an upward thrust to the retractor to help it float quickly on the water surface. After a period of time, the retractor will float on the sea surface, and the winch recovery cable will pull the retractor into the retractor. The airbag reduces the required pulling force for the retractor robot and improves the recovery efficiency.

[0008] The retractable device of the underwater robot has a needle tip mechanism on the outer shell of the retractable device. When the retriever approaches the retractable device, the needle tip mechanism will first puncture the airbag, making it easier for the cable to pull the retriever into the retractable device. There is a drain at the bottom of the retractable device and a dryer at the top. When the retriever is pulled into the retractable device, the retractable device will be lifted, and the bottom drain will discharge the remaining seawater in the retractable device. The top dryer dries the surface of the retriever for easy maintenance.

[0009] The retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot has a cable channel inside the retracting and releasing device, and a release device is provided on the inner end face of the retracting and releasing device. The release head of the release device is made of PU. The cable extends from the cable channel at the head of the retracting and releasing device into the retracting and releasing device to connect to the retractor. The cable channel can also isolate the cable and the release device to prevent them from being entangled with each other. The cable gradually pulls the retractor to the retractor release device. The release head of the release device is made of PU material, which is relatively soft. During the robot launch stage, the release device will push the retractor into the seawater. The release head material PU is a relatively soft material, which can protect the retractor head from being damaged. The release device can quickly push the retractor into the seawater. During the robot release stage, after the release device pushes the retractor into the seawater, the clamping device can release the robot. The retractor is installed on a lifting frame, and a maintenance platform is provided on the top of the lifting frame. After the retractor is recovered to the retractor, the lifting frame begins to rise to the ship, and the operator removes the robot on the lifting frame and places it on the maintenance platform for maintenance.

[0010] The underwater robot retracting and releasing device provided by the present invention has the remarkable advantages of efficient recovery, precise positioning, automated operation, strong environmental adaptability, robot protection, buoyancy assistance, reasonable structural design, rapid release and recovery, etc. The suction force generated by the water pump can quickly suck the underwater robot into the retractor, which significantly improves the recovery efficiency; the ultra-wideband radio positioning system is adopted to achieve high-precision navigation and docking, ensuring accurate completion of tasks in complex underwater environments; the retractor is equipped with a control module to support remote control, reducing the difficulty of operation and labor costs; the internal clamping device and the clamping shell fix the robot to avoid collision or damage; the airbag is inflated to generate buoyancy, assist the retractor to float, and reduce the pull demand of the winch; the drain port at the bottom of the retractor and the dryer at the top are convenient for discharging seawater and drying the surface, which is convenient for maintenance; the release device adopts a PU material release head to protect the head of the retractor and achieve rapid release and recovery. Through design and function integration, the present invention solves the problems of low efficiency, poor precision, and complex operation of traditional recovery methods, and provides an efficient, precise, automated and environmentally adaptable underwater robot retracting and releasing device, which has broad application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] 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.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the underwater robot before the robot is released by the retracting and deploying device provided by the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the process of releasing the underwater robot by the retracting and deploying device of the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic side view of a retractable device recovering device of an underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the retriever inlet of the retracting and deploying device of the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the retracting and deploying device and the recovering robot of the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a retracting and releasing device, a retracting and releasing device, a receiving and recovering device of the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7A schematic diagram of a retractable device for the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lifting device and maintenance platform of the underwater robot provided by the present invention.

[0020] Description of the drawings: 1-winch, 2-retractor, 3-recoverer, 4-robot, 5-ship, 11-cable, 21-dryer, 22-needle tip mechanism, 23-cable channel, 24-releasing device, 25-drainage outlet, 26-lifting frame, 27-maintenance platform, 31-steering thruster, 32-horizontal thruster, 33-clamping shell, 34-positioning device, 35-airbag, 36-water pump, 37-clamping device, 38-hollow plate, 39-inlet, 310-pressure sensor, 241-releasing head, 361-water suction port, 362-water outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is specifically described below in conjunction with embodiments. It should be understood that the following text is only used to describe one or several specific embodiments of the present invention, and does not strictly limit the scope of protection of the specific claims of the present invention.

[0022] Embodiment 1: See attached Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 5 As shown, the underwater robot retracting and releasing device includes a winch 1, which is fixed on the ship 5, the winch 1 is wound with a cable 11, and the cable 11 is connected to the retractor 3. The retractor 3 can be placed in the retractor 2, and the robot 4 can be placed inside the retractor 3. A water pump 36 is provided in the retractor 3, and the water pump 36 has a water suction port 361 and a water outlet 362. A hollow plate 38 is provided near the water suction port 361 in the retractor 3. The winch 1 is fixed on the ship 5, the cable 11 passes through the retractor 2 to connect the retractor 3, the cable 11 is wound on the winch 1, and the cable 11 is connected to the head of the retractor 3. When the robot 4 needs to be recovered, the winch 1 can be rotated to release the cable 11 and the retractor 3. The retractor 3 is provided with a control module that can be remotely controlled by an operator. The operator remotely controls the retractor 3 to move it to the vicinity of the robot 4 for recovery. When the retrieving device 3 approaches the robot 4, the locking winch 1 no longer extends the cable 11, and the water pump 36 is turned on to suck the seawater near the robot 4. Under the action of suction, the robot 4 will approach the retrieving device 3 and be sucked into the retrieving device 3. The water pump 36 can suck the seawater near the robot 4, thereby sucking the robot 4. Therefore, the position and orientation control of the retrieving device 3 when retrieving the robot 4 does not need to be very precise, which greatly improves the recovery efficiency and saves the recovery time. The hollow plate 38 will not affect the suction of water, and at the same time, it isolates the water pumping port 361 from the robot 4, which protects the robot 4.

[0023] See attached Figure 3 , Attachment Figure 4 , Attachment Figure 5 As shown, the retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot, the outer shell of the recoverer 3 is provided with a steering propeller 31 and a horizontal propeller 32, and an inlet 39. The horizontal propeller 32 is turned on to generate airflow to one side of the cable 11. At this time, the winch 1 is in a state of locking the cable 11, and the cable 11 will be tightened. The recoverer 3 remains horizontal and stable under the joint action of the cable 11 and the horizontal propeller 32. Then the steering propeller 31 is turned on to make the inlet 39 roughly align with the robot 4, and then the water pump 36 is turned on to recover the robot 4. By adjusting the length of the cable 11, the horizontal propeller 32, and the steering propeller 31, it can be positioned near the robot 4. There is a clamping shell 33 around the inlet 39. The robot 4 is sucked near the inlet 39 under the action of the water pump 36, and the clamping shell 33 can be rotated and gradually contracted toward the central axis of the recoverer 3, thereby driving the robot 4 to remain horizontal. Finally, under the suction of the water pump 36, the robot 4 is sucked into the recoverer 3.

[0024] See attached Figure 4 As shown, the retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot and the positioning device 34 are provided on the retriever 3. Positioning systems are installed on the external computers on the robot 4, the retriever 3, and the ship 5. The positioning device 34 can use an ultra-wideband radio positioning system, which has many advantages in underwater equipment. It can provide high-precision positioning, which is essential for the accurate navigation of the retriever 3 and the robot 4. The ultra-wideband radio positioning system supports high-speed data transmission, enabling underwater equipment to transmit large amounts of data in real time, and its strong anti-interference ability ensures stability and reliability in complex underwater environments.

[0025] See attached Figure 5 , Attachment Figure 6 As shown, the retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot, the outer shell of the retractor 3 is provided with an air bag 35, the interior of the retractor 3 is provided with a clamping device 37, and the clamping device 37 is provided with a pressure sensor 310. When the robot 4 is sucked into the retractor 3, the clamping device 37 and the clamping shell 33 clamp the outside of the robot 4 together to fix it, and the pressure sensor 310 on the clamping device 37 is connected to the internal controller of the air bag 35 at the same time. When the pressure value of the pressure sensor 310 exceeds the set value and is maintained for a period of time, the internal controller of the air bag 35 turns on the igniter to release the gas, and the air bag 35 expands to generate buoyancy to drive the retractor 3 to float to the water surface. The excess water in the water pump 36 is discharged through the water outlet 362, thereby providing an upward thrust for the retractor 3 to help it float quickly on the water surface. After a period of time, the retractor 3 will float on the sea surface, and the winch 1 will retract the cable 11 and pull the retractor 3 into the retractor 2. The air bag 35 reduces the required pulling force for retrieving the robot 4, thereby improving the recovery efficiency.

[0026] See attached Figure 6 , Attachment Figure 7 As shown, the retractable device of the underwater robot has a needle tip mechanism 22 on the outer shell of the retractable device 2. When the retriever 3 approaches the retractable device 2, the needle tip mechanism 22 will first puncture the airbag 35, making it convenient for the cable 11 to pull the retriever 3 into the retractable device 2. The retractable device 2 has a drain port 25 at the bottom and a dryer 21 at the top. When the retriever 3 is pulled into the retractable device 2, the retractable device 2 will be lifted, and the bottom drain port 25 will discharge the remaining seawater in the retractable device 2. The top dryer 21 dries the surface of the retriever 3 to facilitate maintenance.

[0027] See attached Figure 2 , Attachment Figure 7 , Attachment Figure 8 As shown, the retracting and releasing device of the underwater robot has a cable channel 23 inside the retractor 2, and a release device 24 is provided on the inner end surface of the retractor 2. The release head 241 of the release device 24 is made of PU. The cable 11 extends from the cable channel 23 at the head of the retractor 2 into the retractor 2 to connect the retractor 3. The cable channel 23 can also isolate the cable 11 and the release device 24 to prevent them from being entangled with each other. The cable 11 gradually pulls the retractor 3 to the release device 24 of the retractor 2. The release head 241 of the release device 24 is made of PU material, which is relatively soft. In the stage of launching the robot 4, the release device 24 will push the retractor 3 into the seawater. The material PU of the release head 241 is a relatively soft material, which can protect the head of the retractor 3 from being damaged. The release device 24 can quickly push the retractor 3 into the seawater. In the stage of releasing the robot 4, after the release device 24 pushes the retractor 3 into the seawater, the clamping device 37 can release the robot 4. The retractor 2 is mounted on a lifting frame 26, and a maintenance platform 27 is provided on the top of the lifting frame 26. After the retractor 3 is recovered to the retractor 2, the lifting frame 26 begins to rise to the ship 5, and the operator takes down the robot 4 on the lifting frame 26 and places it on the maintenance platform 27 for maintenance.

[0028] Embodiment 2: The underwater robot's retraction and deployment device has three stages as a whole.

[0029] Release phase: Refer to the attached Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 2 As shown, the cable 11 pulls the retractor 3 tight at the release device 24 of the retractor 2, and the winch 1 is locked and cannot extend the cable 11. At this time, the retractor 3 is fixed in the retractor. When the robot 4 is to be released, the cable 11 can be released by releasing the lock state of the winch 1, and the release device 24 can be hydraulically driven. The release device 24 pushes the retractor 3 out, and after the retractor 3 enters the seawater, the clamping device 37 releases the robot 4. After the robot 4 is released, the retractor 3 is retracted to the retractor 2 by the cable 11 alone to wait for the robot 4 to complete the task.

[0030] Underwater recovery phase: refer to the attached Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, after the recovery device 3 is released into the seawater by the release device 24, it is moved to the vicinity of the robot 4 by the positioning device 34. The recovery device 3 turns on the water pump 36 to suck the robot 4 into the recovery device 3 and fix it with the clamping device 37 and the clamping shell 33. The airbag 35 is inflated to generate buoyancy. The airbag 35 and the cable 11 work together to drive the recovery device 3 and the robot 4 to float to the sea surface.

[0031] Water recovery stage: refer to the attached Figure 6 , Attachment Figure 7 , Attachment Figure 8 As shown, after the retriever 3 floats on the water surface, the cable 11 is pulled close to the retractor 2, and the needle tip mechanism 22 will first puncture the airbag 35 to deflate, making it easier to pull the retriever 3 into the retractor 2. The airbag 35 inflation device has a low cost and is easy to replace. After the cable 11 holds the retriever 3 against the release device 24, the winch 1 cable 11 is locked and no longer extended, and then the lifting frame 26 starts to rise to lift the retractor 2 onto the ship 5. Finally, the operator puts the retriever 3 and the robot 4 into the maintenance platform 27 for repair and charging.

[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 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. 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 device for retracting and releasing an underwater robot, comprising a winch (1), the winch (1) being fixedly mounted on a ship (5), the winch (1) being wound around a cable (11), the cable (11) being connected to a retriever (3), the retriever (3) being configured to be accommodated in a retractor (2), the retriever (3) being provided with a receiving space for placing a robot (4), and characterized in that: A water pump (36) is provided in the recovery device (3), and the water pump (36) has a water suction port (361) and a water outlet (362). A hollow plate (38) is provided near the water suction port (361) in the recovery device (3).

2. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer shell of the recoverer (3) is provided with a steering propeller (31) and a horizontal propeller (32), and the recoverer (3) is provided with an inlet (39).

3. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inlet (39) is surrounded by a clamping shell (33).

4. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recycler (3) is provided with a positioning device (34).

5. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer shell of the recoverer (3) is provided with an air bag (35), the interior of the recoverer (3) is provided with a clamping device (37), and the clamping device (37) is provided with a pressure sensor (310).

6. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing of the retractor (2) is provided with a needle tip mechanism (22).

7. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The retractable device (2) has a drain outlet (25) at the bottom and a dryer (21) at the top.

8. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cable channel (23) is provided inside the retractor (2), and a release device (24) is provided on the inner end surface of the retractor (2).

9. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The release device (24) comprises a release head (241), and the material of the release head (241) is PU.

10. The underwater robot retracting and deploying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The retractor (2) is mounted on a lifting frame (26), and a maintenance platform (27) is provided on the top of the lifting frame (26).

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