Multi-navigation-state bionic propulsion underwater glider

Abstract

The multi-navigation-state bionic propulsion underwater glider comprises a bionic shell, the bionic shell sequentially comprises a front cabin shell, a rear cabin shell and a tail fin part in the axial direction, and the tail fin part is formed by being covered with a flexible material; the posture adjusting assembly is arranged in the bionic shell and comprises a guide rail, a sliding block, a linear motor and a first steering engine, the guide rail is arranged along the axis of the bionic shell, the linear motor drives the sliding block to move on the guide rail, and the first steering engine is used for driving the sliding block to rotate around the guide rail. According to the multi-navigation-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, the posture adjusting assembly capable of adjusting the position of the gravity center and the tail fin part of the bionic fishtail are adopted, the position of the gravity center can be adjusted according to needs to achieve up-down adjustment of the head, the glider is driven to advance through the tail fin part capable of elastically swinging, the movement mode of whale can be simulated, and the movement mode of the bionic propulsion underwater glider can also be simulated. And the movement mode of conventional fishes can be simulated, so that the application range of the underwater glider is greatly expanded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of underwater vehicles, and in particular to a multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider. Background Art

[0002] Existing underwater glider technologies are mainly divided into two categories: unpowered underwater gliders and hybrid underwater gliders. Unpowered underwater gliders glide forward by adjusting weight and center of gravity, using natural forces such as gravity, buoyancy, and water flow, while hybrid underwater gliders mainly use pump jets or folding propellers for auxiliary propulsion. Both types of underwater gliders have their own unique advantages and application scenarios, but they also have some disadvantages.

[0003] Unpowered underwater gliders have obvious advantages in terms of energy consumption and noise, and can work underwater for a long time. However, since they can only move by gliding, their maneuverability is greatly limited, making it difficult to adapt to complex underwater environments and not conducive to accurate underwater detection and surveying. Hybrid underwater gliders use pump-jet and folding propeller-assisted propulsion. Although they have good maneuverability, they are noisy and energy-intensive, and the addition of additional appendages increases resistance during gliding, affecting their application in underwater detection and surveying. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider to address at least one of the problems mentioned above.

[0005] The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention comprises:

[0006] The bionic shell includes a front shell, a rear shell and a tail fin in sequence along the axial direction, wherein the tail fin is covered with a flexible material;

[0007] The posture adjustment component is arranged in the bionic shell, and includes a guide rail, a slider, a linear motor and a first servo. The guide rail is arranged along the axis of the bionic shell, the linear motor drives the slider to move on the guide rail, and the first servo is used to drive the slider to rotate around the guide rail.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, it also includes a power assembly, including a mounting frame, a second servo and an elastic longitudinal frame, the mounting frame is arranged in the rear cabin shell, the elastic longitudinal frame is arranged in the tail fin part, and the second servo is arranged in the mounting frame and can drive the elastic longitudinal frame to swing.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the power assembly further includes a transverse frame, and the transverse frame is disposed on the elastic longitudinal frame.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, a buoyancy adjustment component is further included, including a front oil bag, a rear oil bag, an oil pipe interface, an oil pipe, an oil pump and a solenoid valve. The front oil bag and the rear oil bag are respectively arranged at the two ends of the guide rail, and the front oil bag is close to the front cabin shell.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, it further includes a communication component and a controller, wherein the communication component includes a communication antenna arranged on the top of the front cabin shell, and the controller is electrically connected to the communication component, the linear motor and the first steering gear.

[0012] In one embodiment, the outer surface of the front cabin shell is provided with a glider wing, and the outer surface of the rear cabin shell is provided with a stabilizing wing.

[0013] In one embodiment, a battery module is disposed on the slider, and the battery module is electrically connected to the first steering gear and the linear motor respectively.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the tail fin portion includes a flexible tail shell and a tail fin, the flexible tail shell is made of silicone material, and the tail fin is embedded in the flexible tail shell.

[0015] The technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present invention brings the following beneficial technical effects:

[0016] The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention adopts a posture adjustment component that can adjust the center of gravity position, and a tail fin of a bionic fish tail. The center of gravity position can be adjusted as needed to achieve up and down adjustment of the head. It is driven forward by the elastically swingable tail fin. It can imitate the movement patterns of whales and conventional fish. It retains the respective advantages of the two traditional underwater gliders and overcomes the respective disadvantages of the two traditional underwater gliders, thereby greatly expanding the application range of the underwater glider.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in subsequent parts and will be understood in detail from the subsequent description or learned through specific implementations of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the external structure of a multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Description of reference numerals:

[0021] 100-bionic shell, 110-front cabin shell, 111-glider wing, 120-rear cabin shell, 121-stabilizing wing, 130-tail fin, 131-flexible tail shell, 132-tail fin;

[0022] 200-attitude adjustment assembly, 210-guide rail, 220-slider;

[0023] 300-power assembly, 310-mounting frame, 320-second steering gear, 330-elastic longitudinal frame, 340-transverse frame;

[0024] 400-buoyancy adjustment assembly, 410-front oil bag, 420-rear oil bag, 430-oil pipe interface, 440-oil pump, 450-solenoid valve;

[0025] 500-Communication antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. Possible embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein by the drawings. The embodiments described with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are used to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present invention. In addition, if the detailed description of the known technology is non-essential technology for the features of the present invention shown, these technical details may be omitted.

[0027] It will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with those in the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as herein.

[0028] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise stated, the singular forms "a", "an", "said" and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present application refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0029] It is worth noting that some bionic underwater gliders have appeared in recent years, but none of them have the multi-state capability to imitate the movements of various marine organisms, and can only imitate the movements of a certain type of marine organism.

[0030] The technical solution of the present invention and how the technical solution solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments.

[0031] The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it includes a bionic shell 100 and a posture adjustment component 200, wherein the specific shape of the bionic shell 100 can be the shape of various fish. In a specific implementation, the outer surface of the front cabin shell 110 is provided with a glider 111, and the outer surface of the rear cabin shell 120 is provided with a stabilizing wing 121. The bionic shell 100 can also be a teardrop-shaped structure that is convenient for underwater navigation. The interior of the bionic shell 100 is hollow so that various components can be placed. The bionic shell 100 includes a front cabin shell 110, a rear cabin shell 120 and a tail fin 130 in the axial direction, and the tail fin 130 is covered with a flexible material. The tail fin 130 is made of a flexible material and covered and sealed so that it can swing in the water. After adding external power, it can generate a driving force to drive the entire multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider. In a specific implementation, the tail fin 130 includes a flexible tail shell and a tail fin 132, the flexible tail shell is made of silicone material, and the tail fin 132 is embedded in the flexible tail shell.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, the attitude adjustment component 200 is arranged in the bionic shell 100, and specifically includes a guide rail 210, a slider 220, a linear motor and a first steering gear, etc., wherein the guide rail 210 is arranged along the axis of the bionic shell 100, and the specific position is set according to actual needs. The linear motor drives the slider 220 to move on the guide rail 210. The slider 220 has a certain weight, which can affect the center of gravity position of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, thereby changing the head direction of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, and realizing the floating or sinking of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider. The first steering gear is used to drive the slider 220 to rotate around the guide rail 210, which can change the deflection of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider.

[0033] The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention adopts a posture adjustment component 200 that can adjust the center of gravity position, and a tail fin part 130 of a bionic fish tail. The center of gravity position can be adjusted as needed to achieve up and down adjustment of the head. The tail fin part 130 that can swing elastically is used to drive the glider forward. It can imitate the movement pattern of whales and the movement pattern of conventional fish. It retains the respective advantages of the two traditional underwater gliders and overcomes the respective disadvantages of the two traditional underwater gliders, thereby greatly expanding the application range of the underwater glider.

[0034] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider further includes a power assembly 300, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes a mounting frame 310, a second steering engine 320 and an elastic longitudinal skeleton 330. The mounting frame 310 is arranged in the rear cabin shell 120, the elastic longitudinal skeleton 330 is arranged in the tail fin 130, and the second steering engine 320 is arranged in the mounting frame 310 and can drive the elastic longitudinal skeleton 330 to swing. The power assembly 300 is mainly used to drive the tail fin 130, specifically, the second steering engine 320 drives the elastic longitudinal skeleton 330 to swing, so that the tail fin 130 swings, just like the tail of a fish drives the body of a fish, so that the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider swims. Further specifically, in an implementation of this embodiment, the power assembly 300 also includes a transverse skeleton 340, and the transverse skeleton 340 is arranged on the elastic longitudinal skeleton 330. The transverse skeleton 340 is used to ensure that the tail fin 130 is opened, to ensure the transverse strength of the tail fin 130, and to effectively move the surrounding water.

[0035] Specifically, in another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 As shown, the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider also includes a buoyancy adjustment component 400, including a front oil bag 410, a rear oil bag 420, an oil pipe interface 430, an oil pipe, an oil pump 440 and a solenoid valve 450. The front oil bag 410 and the rear oil bag 420 are respectively arranged at both ends of the guide rail 210, and the front oil bag 410 is close to the front cabin shell 110. The buoyancy adjustment component 400 can make the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider float or dive faster.

[0036] Specifically, in another embodiment of the present invention, the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider also includes a communication component and a controller. The communication component includes a communication antenna 500 arranged at the top of the front cabin shell 110, and the controller is electrically connected to the communication component, the linear motor and the first steering gear. The controller is not only connected to the components in the attitude adjustment component 200, but also electrically connected to the buoyancy adjustment component 400 and the power component 300, specifically connected to the second steering gear 320, the oil pump and the solenoid valve, etc., for controlling and coordinating the work of these components. In addition, necessary sensors will be provided in the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, and they will also be electrically connected to the controller, such as pressure sensors, distance sensors, obstacle avoidance sensors, etc.

[0037] From a hardware perspective, the processor included in the controller may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a general-purpose processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of the present invention. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0038] In combination with the foregoing embodiments, in certain specific implementations of one of the embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, a battery module is provided on the slider 220, and the battery module is electrically connected to the first steering gear and the linear motor respectively. The slider 220 should have a certain weight, which can achieve the effect of changing the center of gravity position of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, and the battery module, which can be a lithium battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery or other rechargeable secondary battery, happens to be a necessary part with a large weight. Combining it with the slider 220, or directly making it into the shape of the slider 220, can not only provide an energy source for the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, but also achieve the effect of changing the center of gravity position without the need for additional weights.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In order to more clearly understand the feasibility and beneficial technical effects of the multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention, the working method thereof is described below:

[0040] from Figure 1 and Figure 2It can be seen from the figure that, in terms of appearance, the bionic propulsion underwater glider of the present invention can be simply divided into three parts, including the front cabin shell 110, the rear cabin shell 120 and the tail fin 130. Among them, the front cabin shell 110 and the rear cabin shell 120 can be an integrally formed structure, and various components need to be installed inside, specifically the pressure-resistant section, and the shell is made of a rigid material. The tail fin 130 of the third section is a non-pressure-resistant section, and there is no need to set complex components inside it, it only needs to be able to swing, and it is made of flexible materials such as silica gel, and gradually flattens from the middle to the tail end. At the top of the front cabin shell 110, that is, the top of the bionic propulsion underwater glider, a communication antenna 500, which is one of the parts of the communication component, is set, and the communication antenna 500 can be used to receive and send electrical signals and communicate with the outside world. Obstacle avoidance sensors, such as ultrasonic obstacle avoidance sensors, can also be installed in the front cabin shell 110 to detect obstacles underwater. In addition to the buoyancy adjustment component 400 and the attitude adjustment component 200, the rear cabin shell 120 is also equipped with a controller, a battery, an inertial navigation system, a pressure sensor for measuring the water depth, a distance sensor for measuring the distance to the bottom of the water, etc. The tail fin 130 is equipped with a second steering gear 320 and an internal skeleton connected thereto. The second steering gear 320 specifically adopts a pressure-resistant and waterproof steering gear because it is closer to the tail end and is set in a non-pressure-resistant cabin section. The overall shape adopts a streamlined appearance that imitates fish. The glider 111 and the tail fin 132 work together to achieve the gliding function, and the stabilizer wing 121 can enhance the lateral anti-interference ability during the gliding process. The overall shape has an excellent hydrodynamic shape, which can achieve a good drag reduction effect.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 , it can be seen that the main structure of the bionic propulsion underwater glider of the present invention is composed of a buoyancy adjustment component 400, a posture adjustment component 200 and a power component 300. The buoyancy adjustment component 400 is composed of a front oil bag 410, a rear oil bag 420, an oil pipe interface 430, an oil pipe, an oil pump 440 and an electromagnetic valve 450. The posture adjustment component 200 is composed of a guide rail 210, a slider 220, a linear motor and a first steering gear. The battery can be combined with the slider 220 or arranged on the slider 220. The power component 300 is composed of a steering gear waterproof cable interface, a second steering gear 320, a longitudinal frame 330 and a transverse frame 340. The buoyancy adjustment component 400, the posture adjustment component 200, the power component 300, the communication component and various sensors are connected to the controller and the power supply by cables or wires.

[0042] The process of the bionic propulsion underwater glider of the present invention for unpowered gliding and diving is as follows: the controller sends a control signal to the oil pump 440 and the electromagnetic valve 450 in the buoyancy adjustment component 400, and firstly pumps the oil from the rear oil bag 420 to the front oil bag 410, so that the buoyancy is reduced to a specified value. Then, the controller sends a control signal to the linear motor in the attitude adjustment component 200 according to the pitch angle data fed back by the inertial navigation system to control the slider 220 to move along the guide rail 210, so that the overall center of gravity of the bionic propulsion underwater glider moves forward to a specified position. This can achieve diving and gliding forward in a bow-burying attitude.

[0043] Unpowered gliding floating process: The controller sends a control signal to the oil pump 440 and the solenoid valve 450 in the buoyancy adjustment component 400, and first pumps the oil from the front oil bag 410 to the rear oil bag 420 to increase the buoyancy to a specified value. Then, the controller sends a control signal to the linear motor in the attitude adjustment component 200 according to the pitch angle data fed back by the inertial navigation system to control the slider 220 to move along the guide rail 210, so that the overall center of gravity of the bionic propulsion underwater glider moves backward to a specified position. This can achieve floating and gliding forward in a bow-up attitude.

[0044] The multi-state motion of the bionic propulsion underwater glider of the present invention is as follows: during the gliding process, a control signal is sent to the second steering gear 320 through the controller. The second steering gear 320 drives the elastic longitudinal skeleton 330 to swing back and forth and deform, and transmits force evenly to the silicone shell and the tail fin 132 through the rigid transverse skeleton 340 connected to the flexible silicone shell of the tail section and the tail fin 132, so as to realize the synchronous deformation of the flexible silicone shell of the tail section and the up and down swing of the tail fin 132, so as to simulate the swimming of whales during diving and floating.

[0045] During the gliding process, the controller sends a control signal to the buoyancy adjustment component 400 and the attitude adjustment component 200 to adjust the buoyancy to zero and the longitudinal inclination angle to horizontal, so that the gliding state can be changed to the suspended state. At this time, the swing of the tail fin 132 is controlled to simulate the depth-fixed cruise of whales. If the suspension state is changed from the gliding state, the controller first sends a control signal to the first servo in the attitude adjustment component 200 to drive the slider 220 to rotate 90° with the guide rail 210 as the axis. At this time, the center of gravity of the bionic propulsion underwater glider as a whole will rotate 90° around the longitudinal axis. According to the force analysis, the combined torque of gravity and buoyancy will cause the bionic propulsion underwater glider as a whole to tilt 90°. Then the swing of the tail fin 132 is controlled to make the tail fin 132 swing left and right to simulate the depth-fixed cruise of fish.

[0046] The bionic propulsion underwater glider provided by the present invention adopts the following control algorithm: the buoyancy adjustment component 400 adopts a PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) control algorithm based on the depth signal, and the feedback data is provided by the pressure sensor and the ultrasonic ranging sensor. The attitude adjustment component 200 adopts a PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) control algorithm based on the pitch angle signal, and the feedback data is provided by the inertial navigation system. The power component 300 adopts a CPG (Central Pattern Generator) control algorithm with feedback, and the feedback data is provided by the ultrasonic obstacle avoidance sensor and the inertial navigation system. The specific control parameters in the above control algorithms are optimized using deep learning or deep reinforcement learning algorithms to achieve intelligent control.

[0047] The turning in the unpowered gliding mode, the cetacean buoyancy mode and the cetacean depth-fixed cruising mode is achieved by changing the center of gravity by rotating the slider 220, as in the conventional underwater glider. The turning in the fish depth-fixed cruising mode and the changing cruising depth in the cetacean depth-fixed cruising mode require adding a certain bias signal to the CPG (Central Pattern Generator) control signal to make the second servo 320 swing asymmetrically, thereby driving the tail fin 132 to swing asymmetrically.

[0048] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the terms "first" and "second" discussed in this application are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0049] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0050] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0051] The above description is only a partial implementation method of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider, characterized in that: include: The bionic shell includes a front shell, a rear shell and a tail fin in sequence along the axial direction, wherein the tail fin is covered with a flexible material; The posture adjustment component is arranged in the bionic shell, and includes a guide rail, a slider, a linear motor and a first servo. The guide rail is arranged along the axis of the bionic shell, the linear motor drives the slider to move on the guide rail, and the first servo is used to drive the slider to rotate around the guide rail.

2. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a power component, including a mounting frame, a second servo and an elastic longitudinal frame, the mounting frame is arranged in the rear cabin shell, the elastic longitudinal frame is arranged in the tail fin part, and the second servo is arranged in the mounting frame and can drive the elastic longitudinal frame to swing.

3. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power assembly further comprises a transverse frame, and the transverse frame is arranged on the elastic longitudinal frame.

4. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a buoyancy adjustment component, including a front oil bag, a rear oil bag, an oil pipe interface, an oil pipe, an oil pump and a solenoid valve. The front oil bag and the rear oil bag are respectively arranged at the two ends of the guide rail, and the front oil bag is close to the front cabin shell.

5. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a communication component and a controller. The communication component includes a communication antenna arranged on the top of the front cabin shell. The controller is electrically connected to the communication component, the linear motor and the first steering gear.

6. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the front cabin shell is provided with a glider wing, and the outer surface of the rear cabin shell is provided with a stabilizing wing.

7. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: A battery module is disposed on the slider, and the battery module is electrically connected to the first steering gear and the linear motor respectively.

8. The multi-state bionic propulsion underwater glider according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail fin portion comprises a flexible tail shell and a tail fin, the flexible tail shell is made of silicone material, and the tail fin is embedded in the flexible tail shell.

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