Underwater hydrological probe desilting robot and using method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an underwater hydrological probe desilting robot and a use method thereof, and solves the problems that a hydrological probe is easy to attach sludge and aquatic organisms when running underwater for a long time, and needs to be lifted out of the water surface for manual desilting, the desilting operation is inconvenient, and potential safety hazards exist. The device comprises an unmanned floating ship and an unmanned submersible, a connecting cable is arranged between the unmanned floating ship and the unmanned submersible, a capturing assembly is arranged at the front end of the unmanned submersible, a flushing assembly and a scrubbing assembly are arranged on the inner side of the capturing assembly, and underwater cameras are arranged on the two sides of the capturing assembly. Through cooperation of the unmanned floating ship and the unmanned submersible, the combination body is remotely controlled or automatically driven to reach the position near the underwater hydrological probe, the combination body is parked in a water area right in front of the underwater hydrological probe through satellite positioning, and the unmanned submersible is separated from the unmanned floating ship and is close to the underwater hydrological probe. The underwater hydrological probe can be captured, washed, scrubbed and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of hydrological measurement equipment, and relates to a maintenance equipment for hydrological probes, in particular to an underwater hydrological probe dredging robot and its using method. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the automatic flow measurement technology has been popularized nationwide and has become the main way to obtain real-time flow information of rivers, lakes and reservoirs, providing important hydrological information for flood prevention. For automatic flow measurement equipment such as fixed-point acoustic Doppler current meters and time-difference ultrasonic current meters, their hydrological probes operate underwater for a long time and are prone to attaching silt and aquatic organisms, and need to be dredged regularly, otherwise it will affect the measurement accuracy and the service life of the instrument. Currently, underwater hydrological probes need to be lifted out of the water surface for manual dredging. Especially for some hydrological probes with complex installation methods, difficult-to-access installation locations, and lack of water-edge operation platforms, the dredging operation is very inconvenient and there are potential safety hazards during the operation. In the prior art, there is still a lack of a device that can directly perform remote dredging operations underwater. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems that hydrological probes are prone to attaching silt and aquatic organisms when operating underwater for a long time, need to be lifted out of the water surface for manual dredging, and the dredging operation is inconvenient and there are safety hazards. The present invention provides an underwater hydrological probe dredging robot and its using method, which can directly perform remote dredging operations underwater.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is: an underwater hydrological probe dredging robot, including an unmanned floating boat and an unmanned submersible. A connecting cable is arranged between the unmanned floating boat and the unmanned submersible. A capture assembly is arranged at the front end of the unmanned submersible. A flushing assembly and a scrubbing assembly are arranged inside the capture assembly. Underwater cameras are arranged on both sides of the capture assembly.

[0005] Preferably, a communication transmission module, a GNSS module, and a storage battery are arranged on the unmanned floating boat.

[0006] Preferably, thrusters are arranged on both sides of the unmanned floating boat.

[0007] Preferably, the capture assembly includes a fixed inner ring and a rotating outer ring. A gear ring is arranged at the rear end of the rotating outer ring. A capture motor is arranged inside the unmanned submersible. A pinion meshing with the gear ring is arranged at the output end of the capture motor. A plurality of capture clips are evenly arranged between the end faces of the rotating outer ring and the fixed inner ring in a circumferential direction. The capture clip is strip-shaped. The outer end of the capture clip is hinged to the end face of the rotating outer ring. A long strip hole is arranged in the middle of the capture clip. A sliding pin is arranged on the end face of the fixed inner ring. The sliding pin is slidably arranged in the long strip hole. The hinge point of the capture clip and the sliding pin are circumferentially misaligned.

[0008] Preferably, the flushing assembly includes a plurality of spray holes provided on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring, and a submersible pump connected to the spray holes is provided inside the unmanned submersible.

[0009] Preferably, the scrubbing assembly includes a flexible scrubbing head provided at the rear end inside the fixed inner ring. A front-to-back guide rail is provided near the front end inside the unmanned submersible. A slider is provided on the guide rail, and a scrubbing motor is provided on the slider. The output end of the scrubbing motor is connected to the flexible scrubbing head through an optical axis. A lead screw for driving the slider to move back and forth is provided below the slider, and a lead screw motor is provided at the end of the lead screw; the rear side of the flexible scrubbing head is a waterproof partition structure for separating the inside and outside of the unmanned submersible, and a rotating waterproof seal is provided at the place where the optical axis passes through the waterproof partition structure.

[0010] Preferably, thrusters, lifting propellers and steering nozzles are provided on both sides of the unmanned submersible.

[0011] Preferably, a wire reel for winding and unwinding the connection cable is provided inside the unmanned floating boat or the unmanned submersible.

[0012] Preferably, the bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat is adapted to the top surface of the unmanned submersible, and a plurality of pairs of magnets for positive and negative pole pairing adsorption are provided between the bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat and the top surface of the unmanned submersible.

[0013] A method for using an underwater hydrological probe dredging robot, using the above dredging robot, includes the following steps: S1. Water surface positioning; the unmanned floating boat drives the unmanned submersible to travel on the water surface. The connection cable is in a tightened state. The top of the unmanned submersible and the bottom of the unmanned floating boat are suctioned together to form a combined body and float on the water surface. Among them, the unmanned submersible is still located underwater, and a part of the unmanned floating boat is located underwater and a part is located above the water; the GNSS module on the unmanned floating boat provides navigation position information, and the communication transmission module on the unmanned floating boat provides remote wireless data transmission, and travels above the installation position of the hydrological probe; S2. Dive close to the hydrological probe; during the diving operation, the unmanned floating boat realizes in-situ parking through GNSS positioning. The lifting propeller of the unmanned submersible operates to make the unmanned submersible dive, and the unmanned submersible separates from the bottom of the unmanned floating boat; at this time, the unmanned submersible is controlled to travel or adjust the motion posture underwater through a remote controller. The unmanned submersible is powered by the battery on the unmanned floating boat through a cable, and the cable is in a relaxed state; the underwater camera is used to view the traveling direction and gradually approach the hydrological probe located underwater; S3. Capture the hydrological probe; control the fixed inner ring of the front capture component of the unmanned submersible to slowly advance directly facing the hydrological probe, take in the front part of the hydrological probe into the fixed inner ring, start the capture motor to drive the rotating outer ring to rotate, and the inner end of the capture clip swings inward to tighten and clamp the hydrological probe, completing the capture operation of the hydrological probe; S4. Flush and scrub the hydrological probe; the spray holes on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring spray water under the action of the submersible pump to flush the hydrological probe located inside the fixed inner ring; the flexible scrubbing head is pushed forward by the lead screw motor and touches the hydrological probe, the flexible scrubbing head fits the surface of the hydrological probe, and the flexible scrubbing head is driven to rotate by the scrubbing motor, and the flexible scrubbing head scrubs on the surface of the hydrological probe; repeat the flushing and scrubbing operations several times to complete the silt removal operation; S5. Float and recover; after completing the silt removal operation, use the lead screw motor to reset the scrubbing component backward, reverse the capture motor to open the capture clip outward to release the hydrological probe, the unmanned submersible reverses backward through the thruster, start the lifting propeller to make the unmanned submersible float, and at the same time slowly tighten the connecting cable, and slowly float close to the unmanned floating ship under the traction of the connecting cable; when the unmanned submersible approaches the unmanned floating ship, under the action of the magnet, finely adjust the relative position of the two to make the axes of the two in the same direction; after the connecting cable is completely tightened, the top of the unmanned submersible fits the bottom of the unmanned floating ship, and a combined body is formed again, floating on the water surface; S6. Return on the water surface; the combined body of the unmanned submersible and the unmanned floating ship returns to the starting position on the shore by remote control or automatically, and is recovered ashore manually to complete all operations.

[0014] Through the cooperation of the unmanned floating ship and the unmanned submersible, the combined body is remotely controlled or automatically driven to reach near the underwater hydrological probe, and the combined body is parked in the water area directly in front of the underwater hydrological probe through satellite positioning. The unmanned submersible separates from the unmanned floating ship and approaches the underwater hydrological probe to realize operations such as capturing, flushing, and scrubbing the underwater hydrological probe. The present invention innovates the cumbersome and time-consuming manual silt removal operation of the hydrological probe into a direct underwater remote silt removal operation, and the operation process is viewed in real time through the monitoring screen, reducing a large amount of manpower and time costs, and greatly improving the convenience and safety of the underwater hydrological probe silt removal operation. Description of the Drawings

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an unmanned submersible of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure: 1. Unmanned submersible, 2. Unmanned floating boat, 3. Capture assembly, 4. Flushing assembly, 5. Scrubbing assembly, 6. Underwater camera, 7. Thruster, 8. Lifting propeller, 9. Steering nozzle, 10. Anti-collision wing, 11. Magnet, 12. Connecting cable, 13. Communication transmission module, 14. GNSS module, 15. Battery, 16. Capture motor, 17. Gear ring, 18. Rotating outer ring, 19. Capture clip, 20. Nozzle, 21. Flexible scrubbing head, 22. Guide rail, 23. Optical axis, 24. Slide block, 25. Scrubbing motor, 26. Lead screw, 27. Lead screw motor, 28. Submersible pump, 29. Cable reel. Detailed implementation mode

[0019] The present invention will be further described below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Embodiment 1: An underwater hydrological probe dredging robot, as Figure 1 shown. This device includes an unmanned floating boat 2 and an unmanned submersible 1. A connecting cable 12 is arranged between the unmanned floating boat 2 and the unmanned submersible 1. In this example, a cable reel 29 for taking in and releasing the connecting cable is arranged inside the unmanned submersible 1. The cable reel can also be arranged inside the unmanned floating boat 2. A communication transmission module 13, a GNSS module 14, and a battery 15 are arranged on the unmanned floating boat 2. Thrusters 7 are arranged on both sides of the unmanned floating boat 2. Thrusters 7, lifting propellers 8, and steering nozzles 9 are arranged on both sides of the unmanned submersible 1. Anti-collision wings 10 are also arranged at the front and rear ends on both sides of the unmanned submersible 1. The bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat 2 and the top surface of the unmanned submersible 1 are adapted in shape, and a plurality of groups of magnets 11 with paired positive and negative poles for adsorption are arranged between the bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat and the top surface of the unmanned submersible. The magnet groups can be respectively arranged in the front, rear, left, and right directions of the unmanned submersible, and the positive and negative poles of adjacent groups of magnets are interchanged, which is convenient for adjusting the direction when the unmanned submersible is recovered. In this example, the size of the unmanned floating boat 2 is close to that of the unmanned submersible 1. In actual use, the outer dimension of the unmanned floating boat is several times or even dozens of times that of the unmanned submersible to provide more stable support on the water surface.

[0021] As Figure 1 , 2 shown, a capture assembly 3 is arranged at the front end of the unmanned submersible 1, a flushing assembly 4 and a scrubbing assembly 5 are arranged inside the capture assembly, and underwater cameras 6 are arranged on both sides of the capture assembly.

[0022] The capture assembly 3 includes a fixed inner ring and a rotating outer ring 18. A gear ring 17 is provided at the rear end of the rotating outer ring. A capture motor 16 is arranged inside the unmanned submersible. A pinion meshing with the gear ring 17 is provided at the output end of the capture motor 16. A plurality of capture clips 19 are evenly arranged between the end faces of the rotating outer ring 18 and the fixed inner ring in a circumferential manner. The capture clips are strip-shaped. The outer ends of the capture clips are hinged to the end face of the rotating outer ring. A long hole is provided in the middle of the capture clip. A sliding pin is provided on the end face of the fixed inner ring. The sliding pin is slidably arranged in the long hole. The hinge points of the capture clips and the sliding pins are circumferentially offset from each other.

[0023] The flushing assembly 4 includes a plurality of spray holes 20 provided on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring. A submersible pump 28 connected to the spray holes is arranged inside the unmanned submersible.

[0024] The scrubbing assembly 5 includes a flexible scrubbing head 21 provided at the rear end inside the fixed inner ring. A front-to-back guide rail 22 is provided near the front end inside the unmanned submersible. A slider 24 is arranged on the guide rail. A scrubbing motor 25 is arranged on the slider. The output end of the scrubbing motor 25 is connected to the flexible scrubbing head 21 through an optical axis 23. A lead screw 26 for driving the slider to move back and forth is arranged below the slider 24. A lead screw motor 27 is arranged at the end of the lead screw. The rear side of the flexible scrubbing head 21 is a waterproof partition structure for separating the inside and outside of the unmanned submersible. A rotating waterproof seal is provided at the place where the optical axis 23 passes through the waterproof partition structure.

[0025] Embodiment 2: A method for using an underwater hydrological probe dredging robot. Using the dredging robot in Embodiment 1, it includes the following steps: S1. Surface positioning; The unmanned floating boat drives the unmanned submersible to travel on the water surface. The connecting cable is in a tightened state. The top of the unmanned submersible and the bottom of the unmanned floating boat are suction-joined to form a combined body and float on the water surface. Among them, the unmanned submersible is still located underwater, and a part of the unmanned floating boat is located underwater and a part is located above the water. The GNSS module on the unmanned floating boat provides navigation position information, and the communication transmission module on the unmanned floating boat provides remote wireless data transmission. It travels to above the installation position of the hydrological probe. S2. Dive close to the hydrological probe; During the diving operation, the unmanned floating boat achieves in-situ parking through GNSS positioning. The lifting propellers of the unmanned submersible operate to make the unmanned submersible dive. The unmanned submersible separates from the bottom of the unmanned floating boat. At this time, the unmanned submersible is controlled to travel or adjust its motion posture underwater through a remote control. The unmanned submersible is powered by the battery on the unmanned floating boat through a cable, and the cable is in a relaxed state. The underwater camera is used to check the traveling direction and gradually approach the hydrological probe located underwater. S3. Capture the hydrological probe; control the fixed inner ring of the front capture component of the unmanned submersible to slowly advance facing the hydrological probe, take in the front part of the hydrological probe into the fixed inner ring, start the capture motor to drive the rotation of the rotating outer ring, and the inner end of the capture clip swings inward to tighten and clamp the hydrological probe, completing the capture operation of the hydrological probe; S4. Flush and scrub the hydrological probe; the spray holes on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring spray water under the action of the submersible pump to flush the hydrological probe located inside the fixed inner ring; the flexible scrubbing head is pushed forward by the lead screw motor and touches the hydrological probe, the flexible scrubbing head fits the surface of the hydrological probe, and the flexible scrubbing head is driven to rotate by the scrubbing motor, and the flexible scrubbing head scrubs on the surface of the hydrological probe; repeat the flushing and scrubbing operations several times to complete the silt cleaning operation; S5. Float and recover; after the silt cleaning operation is completed, the scrubbing component is reset backward by the lead screw motor, the capture motor rotates in reverse to open the capture clip outward to release the hydrological probe, the unmanned submersible retreats backward by the reverse propulsion of the thruster, starts the lifting propeller to make the unmanned submersible float, and at the same time slowly tightens the connection cable, and slowly floats close to the unmanned floating ship under the traction of the connection cable; when the unmanned submersible approaches the unmanned floating ship, under the action of the magnet, the relative position of the two is finely adjusted so that their axes are in the same direction; after the connection cable is completely tightened, the top of the unmanned submersible fits the bottom of the unmanned floating ship, and a combined body is formed again, floating on the water surface; S6. Return on the water surface; the combined body of the unmanned submersible and the unmanned floating ship returns to the starting position on the shore by remote control or automatically, and is recovered ashore manually to complete all operations.

Claims

1. An underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot, characterized in that: It comprises an unmanned floating vessel and an unmanned submersible, wherein a connecting cable is arranged between the unmanned floating vessel and the unmanned submersible, a capture component is arranged at the front end of the unmanned submersible, a flushing component and a scrubbing component are arranged on the inner side of the capture component, and underwater cameras are arranged on both sides of the capture component.

2. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned floating boat is provided with a communication transmission module, a GNSS module and a battery.

3. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Propellers are arranged on both sides of the unmanned floating vessel.

4. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The capture assembly includes a fixed inner ring and a rotating outer ring, a gear ring is arranged at the rear end of the rotating outer ring, a capture motor is arranged inside the unmanned submersible, a small gear meshing with the gear ring is arranged at the output end of the capture motor, a plurality of capture clamps are evenly arranged between the end faces of the rotating outer ring and the fixed inner ring, the capture clamp is in a strip shape, the outer end of the capture clamp is hinged to the end face of the rotating outer ring, a long hole is arranged in the middle of the capture clamp, a sliding pin is arranged on the end face of the fixed inner ring, the sliding pin is slidably arranged in the long hole, and the hinge point of the capture clamp and the sliding pin are offset from each other in the circumferential direction.

5. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The flushing assembly comprises a plurality of spray holes arranged on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring, and a submersible pump connected to the spray holes is arranged in the unmanned submersible.

6. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: The scrubbing assembly includes a flexible scrubbing head arranged at the rear end of the fixed inner ring, a forward and backward guide rail is arranged inside the unmanned submersible near the front end, a slider is arranged on the guide rail, a scrubbing motor is arranged on the slider, the output end of the scrubbing motor is connected to the flexible scrubbing head through an optical axis, a screw rod for driving the slider to move forward and backward is arranged under the slider, and a screw motor is arranged at the end of the screw rod; the rear side of the flexible scrubbing head is a waterproof partition structure that separates the inside and outside of the unmanned submersible, and a rotating waterproof seal is arranged at the place where the optical axis passes through the waterproof partition structure.

7. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Propellers, lifting propellers and steering nozzles are arranged on both sides of the unmanned submersible.

8. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cable reel for retracting and releasing connecting cables is arranged inside the unmanned floating vessel or unmanned submersible.

9. The underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat and the top surface of the unmanned submersible are adapted in shape, and a plurality of groups of magnets with positive and negative poles paired for adsorption are arranged between the bottom surface of the unmanned floating boat and the top surface of the unmanned submersible.

10. A method for using an underwater hydrographic probe dredging robot, using the dredging robot as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Surface positioning; the unmanned floating boat drives the unmanned submersible to travel on the water surface, the connecting cables are in a tightened state, the top of the unmanned submersible and the bottom of the unmanned floating boat are attracted to form a combination and float on the water surface, wherein the unmanned submersible is still underwater, and the unmanned floating boat is partially underwater and partially above the water; the GNSS module on the unmanned floating boat provides navigation position information, and the communication transmission module on the unmanned floating boat provides remote wireless data transmission, and travels to the top of the installation position of the hydrographic probe; S2. Dive and approach the hydrographic probe; during the diving operation, the unmanned floating ship uses GNSS positioning to achieve stationary operation, and the lifting propeller of the unmanned submersible operates to make the unmanned submersible dive, and the unmanned submersible is separated from the bottom of the unmanned floating ship; at this time, the unmanned submersible is controlled by the remote control to move underwater or adjust its movement posture, and the unmanned submersible is powered by the battery on the unmanned floating ship through the cable, and the cable is in a relaxed state; the direction of travel is checked through the underwater camera and gradually approaches the hydrographic probe located underwater; S3. Capture the hydrographic probe; control the fixed inner ring of the front capture assembly of the unmanned submersible to slowly advance toward the hydrographic probe, collect the front part of the hydrographic probe into the fixed inner ring, start the capture motor to drive the rotating outer ring to rotate, and the inner end of the capture clamp swings inward to tighten and clamp the hydrographic probe, thus completing the capture operation of the hydrographic probe; S4. Rinse and scrub the hydrological probe; the spray holes on the inner wall of the fixed inner ring spray water under the action of the submersible pump to rinse the hydrological probe located inside the fixed inner ring; the flexible scrubbing head is pushed forward by the screw motor and touches the hydrological probe, the flexible scrubbing head fits the surface of the hydrological probe, and the flexible scrubbing head is driven to rotate by the scrubbing motor, and the flexible scrubbing head scrubs the surface of the hydrological probe; the flushing and scrubbing operations are repeated several times to complete the dredging operation; S5. Surfacing and recovery: After the dredging operation is completed, the scrubbing assembly is reset backwards through the screw motor, the capture motor is reversed to open the capture clamp outwards, the hydrographic probe is released, the unmanned submersible is reversely propelled backwards through the thruster, the lifting propeller is started to make the unmanned submersible float up, and at the same time, the connecting cable is slowly tightened, and the unmanned submersible slowly floats up and approaches the unmanned floating ship under the traction of the connecting cable; When the unmanned submersible approaches the unmanned floating ship, the relative position of the two is finely adjusted under the action of the magnet so that the axes of the two are in the same direction; after the connecting cable is completely tightened, the top of the unmanned submersible fits with the bottom of the unmanned floating ship to form a combination again and float on the water surface; S6. Return to the surface; the unmanned submersible and unmanned floating vessel combination returns to the starting position on the shore through remote control or automatic operation, and is manually recovered ashore to complete the entire operation.

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