Deep sea self-melting type reconfigurable robot system
By designing a deep-sea self-fusion reconfigurable robot system, using modular reconstruction and radio energy transmission, the problem of insufficient flexibility and adaptability of existing underwater robots in deep-sea environments is solved, and the robots can adapt and efficient tasks in deep-sea environments are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510430996.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-08
AI Technical Summary
Existing underwater robots lack flexibility and adaptability in deep-sea environments, making it difficult to effectively respond to complex and changeable deep-sea environments and task requirements.
A deep-sea self-fusion reconfigurable robot system is designed, including the main control module, the vertical push module and the side push module. It is combined into different configurations through magnetic connection, and modular reconstruction and radio energy transmission are used to achieve flexible adaptation of the robot in the deep-sea environment.
The robot has realized self-reconstructed according to needs in a deep-sea environment, improved flexibility and adaptability, and can efficiently complete variable deep-sea tasks.
Smart Images

Figure CN120269588A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of robotics and wireless power transmission, and in particular relates to a deep-sea self-melting reconfigurable robot system. Background Art
[0002] Ocean exploration faces multiple technical challenges, mainly due to the vast area of the ocean, the bottomless seabed and the extreme natural environmental conditions. The ocean covers about 70% of the earth's surface, but human understanding of the ocean is still very limited, and less than 10% of the ocean area has been explored. This huge unknown makes ocean exploration a challenging task, especially in the deep sea.
[0003] The extreme conditions of the deep sea environment are one of the main obstacles to ocean exploration. The extremely high water pressure, extremely low temperature and almost complete disappearance of light in the deep sea place severe demands on the structure and performance of underwater robots. To make matters more complicated, the deep sea terrain is diverse, including seamounts, trenches, volcanic activities, etc. Faced with such complex seabed terrain and environment, existing underwater robots are limited in flexibility and adaptability. Therefore, underwater robots need to be able to perform tasks efficiently and stably in different deep sea environments.
[0004] Traditional industrial robot systems are usually complex in structure, high in process cost, and mostly adopt fixed configurations, lacking sufficient autonomy and environmental adaptability. Therefore, when facing the ever-changing deep-sea environment, existing robot systems have problems such as single movement mode and poor autonomous decision-making ability.
[0005] To address the above challenges, reconfigurable robotics has become a solution with great potential in recent years. Reconfigurable robots can change their configuration according to environmental or mission requirements through modular design, thus providing greater flexibility and adaptability. Compared with traditional robotic systems, reconfigurable robots have higher environmental adaptability, can respond flexibly in complex deep-sea environments, and provide more efficient solutions in mission execution. Therefore, the development of robotic systems that can self-reconfigure according to different marine environments and mission requirements has become a technical problem that needs to be solved in the field of marine exploration. Summary of the invention
[0006] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a deep-sea self-integrating reconfigurable robot system.
[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:
[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention discloses a deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system, which includes a main control module, a vertical propulsion module, a lateral propulsion module, and an assembly module; the assembly module can identify the marine environment to be worked, and then modularly reconstruct the main control module, the vertical propulsion module, and the lateral propulsion module based on the marine environment to form a robot for performing marine work; the vertical propulsion module, the lateral propulsion module, and the main control module are connected by magnetic attraction, and the main control module is used to provide electrical energy for the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module; the vertical propulsion module has a vertical thruster and a first control unit, and the vertical thruster can generate upward or downward vertical thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the first control unit; the lateral propulsion module has a lateral thruster and a second control unit, and the lateral thruster is used to generate forward or backward horizontal thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the second control unit.
[0009] In a second aspect, the present invention discloses a working method based on the deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system, including: the underwater robot identifies the marine environment to be worked, determines the configuration of the robot based on the marine environment, then controls the robotic arm to sequentially place the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module on the conveyor belt in the preset order corresponding to the configuration, and then place the main control module on the rotating platform; the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module are attracted and fixed by an electromagnet, and the sides where the receiving coils of the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module are located are both oriented towards the position where the main control module is located. Then, the conveyor belt and the rotating platform are controlled to move by a PLC. After the conveyor belt starts, the electromagnet is powered off, and the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module are separated from the attraction of the electromagnet. The rotating platform drives the main control module to rotate, and the corresponding side of the main control module is magnetically attracted to the vertical propulsion module and the lateral propulsion module sent by the conveyor belt in sequence to form a robot with the corresponding configuration.
[0010] After the robot is assembled, the underwater robot sends a signal to the third control unit in the main control module to control the battery module to output electrical energy. The main control module transmits the electrical energy to the vertical propulsion module and / or the lateral propulsion module connected to it. The first control unit of the vertical propulsion module adjusts the rotation speed and direction of the vertical thruster, and the second control unit of the lateral propulsion module adjusts the rotation speed and direction of the lateral thruster.
[0011] The present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:
[0012] The present invention designs a reconfigurable robot assembly method applicable to deep - sea environments. First, an underwater robot identifies the surrounding environment to determine the required robot configuration. Then, different functional modules of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system are configured on a conveyor belt according to the required configuration, and electromagnets are used to firmly fix each module on the conveyor belt. A stepper motor drives the movement of the conveyor belt, thereby achieving the precise arrangement and assembly of the modules to form a robot with the required configuration. This reconfigurable mechanism can flexibly adjust the robot configuration according to the complexity of the deep - sea environment and task requirements, ensuring that the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot can adapt to changing deep - sea scenarios and efficiently complete various tasks. Description of the Drawings
[0013] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the position of co - axial parallel coils;
[0014] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the main control module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0015] Figure 3 Top - view of the structure of the vertical - thrust module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0016] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the vertical - thrust module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0017] Figure 5 Front - view of the structure of the side - thrust module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0018] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the side - thrust module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0019] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the assembly module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0020] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the conveyor - belt module of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0021] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the first configuration of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0022] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the second configuration of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system;
[0023] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the third configuration of the deep - sea self - melting reconfigurable robot system.
[0024] Description of the main reference numerals:
[0025] 1. Silicone protection shell of the main control module; 2. Neodymium iron boron magnet of the main control module; 3. Transmitting coil of the main control module; 4. Soft-pack battery; 5. Circuit module of the main control module; 6. Silicone protection shell of the vertical thruster module; 7. Circuit module of the vertical thruster module; 8. Receiving coil of the vertical thruster module; 9. Neodymium iron boron magnet of the vertical thruster module; 10. Vertical thruster of the vertical thruster module; 11. Silicone protection shell of the lateral thruster module; 12. Circuit module of the lateral thruster module; 13. Receiving coil of the lateral thruster module; 14. Neodymium iron boron magnet of the lateral thruster module; 15. Lateral thruster of the lateral thruster module; 16. Underwater robot equipped with a robotic arm; 17. Conveyor belt module; 18. Conveyor belt; 19. Synchronous belt; 20. Synchronous belt pulley; 21. Stepper motor; 22. Support pillar; 23. Hollow rotary platform; 24. Reducer; 25. Electromagnet; 26. Transmitting coil of the lateral thruster module. Detailed implementation manners
[0026] The present invention will be further described and explained below in conjunction with the detailed implementation manners. The embodiments are only examples of the disclosed content and do not delimit the scope of limitation. The technical features of each implementation manner in the present invention can be combined accordingly without conflict.
[0027] In order to provide a robot system capable of self-reconfiguration according to different ocean environments, the present invention proposes a deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system, which includes a main control module, a vertical thruster module, a lateral thruster module, and an assembly module; the assembly module can identify the ocean environment to be worked, and then modularly reconfigure the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module based on the ocean environment to form a robot for performing ocean work; the vertical thruster module, the lateral thruster module, and the main control module are connected by magnetic attraction, and the main control module is used to provide electrical energy for the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module; the vertical thruster module has a vertical thruster and a first control unit, and the vertical thruster can generate an upward or downward vertical thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the first control unit; the lateral thruster module has a lateral thruster and a second control unit, and the lateral thruster is used to generate a forward or backward horizontal thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the second control unit.
[0028] Next, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0029] Refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2Shows the structural design of the main control module of the present invention. The main control module is in the shape of a hexagonal prism and is encapsulated by a silicone material. The main control module includes a main control module silicone protection shell 1, multiple main control module neodymium iron boron magnets 2, six main control module transmitting coils 3, a soft-pack battery 4, and a main control module circuit module 5. The main control module neodymium iron boron magnets 2, the main control module transmitting coils 3, the soft-pack battery 4, and the main control module circuit module 5 are all located inside the main control module silicone protection shell 1. Among them, the main control module transmitting coils 3 are located on the 6 sides of the main control module. Four main control module neodymium iron boron magnets 2 are arranged on each side of the main control module, and the four main control module neodymium iron boron magnets 2 are respectively arranged at the four corners of one side. The soft-pack battery 4 is used to provide electrical energy for the vertical thrust module and the lateral thrust module. The voltage of the soft-pack battery 4 is 24V. The main control module circuit module 5 includes an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, a power switch module, and an inverter module. The power switch module is located between the soft-pack battery 4 and the inverter module. The power switch module is connected to the soft-pack battery 4 through a wire. The inverter module is connected to the main control module transmitting coils 3 through a wire. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer of the main control module is also connected to the main control module circuit module 5 and receives electrical energy. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer will control the on-off of the power supply of the soft-pack battery 4 by controlling the power switch module. The inverter module is used to convert the direct current of the soft-pack battery 4 into alternating current and deliver it to the main control module transmitting coils 3. Finally, the gaps between these modules are filled and fixed with silicone material.
[0030] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 Shows the structural design of the lateral thrust module of the present invention. As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, the lateral thrust module is also in the shape of a hexagonal prism and is encapsulated by a silicone material.
[0031] The side-thrust module includes a side-thrust module silicone protective housing 11, a side-thrust module circuit module 12, a side-thrust module receiving coil 13, a side-thrust module transmitting coil 26, eight side-thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 14, and a side-thrust module thruster 15. The center of the side-thrust module silicone protective housing 11 is hollowed out. The side-thrust module thruster 15 is located in the hollowed-out area of the side-thrust module silicone protective housing 11, and the side-thrust module thruster 15 penetrates through a pair of parallel sides. The side-thrust module circuit module 12, the side-thrust module transmitting coil 26, the side-thrust module receiving coil 13, and the side-thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 14 are all located in the non-hollowed-out area inside the side-thrust module silicone protective housing 11. The side-thrust module receiving coil 13 and the side-thrust module transmitting coil 26 are both arranged on the side of the side-thrust module. The side where the side-thrust module transmitting coil 26 is arranged and the side where the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 is arranged are both adjacent to one of the sides penetrated by the side-thrust module thruster 15. The side-thrust module receiving coil 13 receives an electromagnetic field through coupling with the main control module transmitting coil 3 and generates alternating current. Four side-thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 14 are installed on the side where the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 is arranged, so that the side of the side-thrust module where the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 is arranged and the side of the main control module where the main control module transmitting coil 3 is arranged are magnetically attracted and linked to each other, so that the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 and the main control module transmitting coil 3 can be successfully coupled. The other four side-thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 14 are installed on the side where the side-thrust module transmitting coil 26 is arranged.
[0032] The side-thrust module circuit module 12 includes an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, a rectification module, an inversion module, and an electronic speed control module. The rectification module is connected to the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 through a wire. The electronic speed control module is connected to the side-thrust module thruster 15 through a wire. The rectification module converts the alternating current generated by the side-thrust module receiving coil 13 into direct current and outputs it to the electronic speed control module, the inversion module, and the STM32 single-chip microcomputer. The inversion module is used to convert the direct current output by the rectification module into alternating current and deliver it to the side-thrust module transmitting coil 26. The electronic speed control module converts the direct current into three-phase alternating current and drives the side-thrust module thruster 15. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer is the second control unit. After receiving electric energy, the STM32 single-chip microcomputer uses its own preset program to adjust the rotation speed and steering of the side-thrust module thruster 15. Finally, the gaps of this module are all filled and fixed with silicone material.
[0033] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 and Figure 4The structural design of the vertical thrust module of the present invention is shown. The vertical thrust module is also in the shape of a hexagonal prism and is encapsulated by a silicone material. The vertical thrust module includes a vertical thrust module silicone protection housing 6, a vertical thrust module circuit module 7, a vertical thrust module receiving coil 8, four vertical thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 9, and a vertical thrust module thruster 10. The center of the vertical thrust module silicone protection housing 6 is hollowed out. The vertical thrust module thruster 10 is located in the hollowed-out area of the vertical thrust module silicone protection housing 6, and the vertical thrust module thruster 10 penetrates through two parallel bottom surfaces of the hexagonal prism. The vertical thrust module circuit module 7, the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8, and the vertical thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 9 are all located in the non-hollowed-out area inside the vertical thrust module silicone protection housing 6. The vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 is arranged on the side surface of the vertical thrust module. The vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 receives an electromagnetic field through coupling with the main control module transmitting coil 3 of the main control module and generates alternating current. The vertical thrust module neodymium iron boron magnets 9 are installed on the side surface of the vertical thrust module where the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 is arranged, so that the side surface of the vertical thrust module where the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 is arranged is magnetically attracted and linked to the side surface of the main control module where the main control module transmitting coil 3 is arranged (or magnetically attracted and linked to the side surface of the side thrust module where the side thrust module transmitting coil 26 is arranged), so that the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 and the main control module transmitting coil 3 can successfully couple. Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 shows the position of the transmitting coil and the receiving coil during underwater wireless power transmission. As Figure 1 shown, this position situation is mainly the case where the coils are coaxially parallel. d is the coil spacing, and a and b are the radii of the transmitting coil and the receiving coil respectively.
[0034] The vertical thrust module circuit module 7 includes an STM32 single-chip microcomputer, a rectification module, and an electronic speed control module. The rectification module is connected to the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 through a wire. The electronic speed control module is connected to the vertical thrust module thruster 10 through a wire. The rectification module converts the alternating current generated by the vertical thrust module receiving coil 8 into direct current and outputs it to the electronic speed control module and the STM32 single-chip microcomputer. The electronic speed control module converts the direct current into three-phase alternating current and drives the vertical thrust module thruster 10. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer of the vertical thrust module is the first control unit. After receiving electric energy, the STM32 single-chip microcomputer uses its own preset program to adjust the rotation speed and steering of the vertical thrust module thruster 10. Finally, the gaps of this module are all filled and fixed with silicone material.
[0035] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 shows the structural design of the assembly module of the present invention. As Figure 7 shown, Figure 7 is the assembly module. The assembly module includes a conveyor belt module 17 and an underwater robot 16 with a carrying robotic arm. As Figure 8As shown in the figure, the conveyor belt module 17 includes a conveyor belt 18, a timing belt 19, timing belt pulleys 20, two stepper motors 21, struts 22, a rotating platform 23, a speed reducer 24, a PLC, and multiple electromagnets 25. The underwater robot 16 carrying the robotic arm is used to identify the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module, place the main control module on the rotating platform 23, and place the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module on the conveyor belt in a preset order, so that the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module can be assembled according to a preset configuration. The horizontal stepper motor 21 drives the timing belt pulley 20, thereby driving the timing belt 19 and then driving the conveyor belt 18 to move, further transporting the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module. The vertical stepper motor 21 drives the rotating platform 23 to rotate, thereby driving the main control module to rotate. The PLC controls the rotation time, stop time, and rotation speed of the two stepper motors 21 through pulse signals, and drives the conveyor belt and the rotating platform through the two stepper motors 21 respectively, so that the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module are assembled.
[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sides of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module where the receiving coils are located are both coated with colors to facilitate the module identification by the underwater robot 16 carrying the robotic arm. The side of the lateral thruster module where the transmitting coil is located is also coated with a color that is different from the color coated on the side where the receiving coil of this module is located.
[0037] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, two magnets are provided on the outer surface of the adjacent side of the side of the vertical thruster module where the vertical thruster module receiving coil 8 is provided, and the two magnets are respectively installed at the central positions of the upper and lower two sides of this side; two magnets are provided on the outer surface of the adjacent side of the side of the lateral thruster module where the lateral thruster module receiving coil 13 is provided, and the two magnets are respectively installed at the central positions of the upper and lower two sides of this side. Two magnets are provided on the side between the side of the lateral thruster module where the lateral thruster module receiving coil 13 is provided and the side where the lateral thruster module transmitting coil 26 is provided, and the two magnets are respectively installed at the central positions of the upper and lower two sides of this side. The multiple electromagnets 25 are evenly arranged on one side of the conveyor belt 18. The electromagnets 25 attract and fix the vertical module and the lateral thruster module placed on the conveyor belt 18 through the magnets provided on the outer surfaces of the vertical module and the lateral thruster module. When the electromagnets 25 are energized, the electromagnets 25 attract each other with the magnets to realize the fixation of the vertical module and the lateral thruster module; when the electromagnets 25 are de-energized, the electromagnets 25 disconnect the attraction with the magnets.
[0038] When assembling the robot, the underwater robot 16 equipped with a robotic arm places the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module on the conveyor belt 18 corresponding to the position where the electromagnet is located, and the sides where the receiving coils of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module are located all face the position where the main control module is located. When the underwater robot equipped with the robotic arm completes the placement of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module according to the preset robot configuration, then the PLC controls the conveyor belt and the rotating platform to move respectively, and at the same time cuts off the power supply of the electromagnet 25 to disconnect the attraction to the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module, so that the side where the transmitting coil of the main control module is located can be magnetically attracted to the side where the receiving coil of the vertical thruster module or the lateral thruster module is located, so as to complete the assembly of the robot.
[0039] Reference Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 , Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 show three configurations of the deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot in specific embodiments of the present invention. As Figure 9 shown, Figure 9 is the first configuration, and the first configuration includes two vertical thruster modules, two lateral thruster modules and one main control module; specifically, the first configuration is: two opposite sides of the main control module are respectively connected to a vertical thruster module, and each of the two adjacent sides of one of the sides connected to the vertical thruster module is connected to a lateral thruster module. All the vertical thruster modules and the lateral thruster modules are connected to the main control module through neodymium iron boron magnets and obtain electric energy from the main control module.
[0040] Figure 10 is the second configuration, and the second configuration includes one vertical thruster module, two lateral thruster modules and one main control module; specifically, the second configuration is: one side of the main control module is connected to a vertical thruster module, and each of the two adjacent sides of the opposite side of this side is connected to a lateral thruster module. All the vertical thruster modules and the lateral thruster modules are connected to the main control module through neodymium iron boron magnets and obtain electric energy from the main control module.
[0041] Figure 11 is the third configuration, and the third configuration includes two vertical thruster modules, two lateral thruster modules and one main control module; specifically, the third configuration is: each of the two non-adjacent sides of the main control module is connected to a lateral thruster module, each of the sides where the transmitting coils of the two lateral thruster modules are located is connected to a vertical thruster module, and the main control module and the two vertical thruster modules are on the same horizontal line. The lateral thruster modules are connected to the main control module through neodymium iron boron magnets and obtain electric energy from the main control module, and the vertical thruster modules are connected to the lateral thruster modules through neodymium iron boron magnets, and the vertical thruster modules obtain electric energy from the lateral thruster modules again.
[0042] In this experimental example, a double-layer transmitting coil composed of an outer coil with 16 turns and an inner coil with 8 turns, and a double-layer receiving coil composed of an outer coil with 16 turns and an inner coil with 8 turns are selected. The distance between the receiving and transmitting coils is 5 mm, the wire diameter of the outer coil is 85 mm, and the wire diameter of the inner coil is 60 mm. The transmitting coil and the receiving coil are selected to use 150 strands of 0.1 mm 2 Litz wire, with a single-turn radius of 0.75 mm.
[0043] The vertical thrust module, the lateral thrust module, and the main control module are wrapped by insulating soft materials, which can reduce the influence of magnetic leakage and ocean currents in the ocean. The vertical thrust module and the lateral thrust module can be connected to the main control module through neodymium iron boron magnets to align the transmitting coil and the receiving coil correctly and reduce coil offset.
[0044] After the module assembly is completed, when the distance between the underwater robot and the STM32 single-chip microcomputer in the main control module is within 20 m, the underwater robot provides a wifi signal for this STM32 single-chip microcomputer to control the on-off of the soft-pack battery 4. The underwater robot controls the robot to start. The soft-pack battery 4 in the main control module converts the direct current of the soft-pack battery 4 into alternating current through the inverter module and delivers it to the transmitting coil 3 of the main control module. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer in the main control module can control the on-off of the direct current of the soft-pack battery 4 by controlling the power switch module. The transmitting coil 3 of the main control module delivers electrical energy to the receiving coil 8 of the vertical thrust module or the receiving coil 13 of the lateral thrust module through resonance. The receiving coil 8 of the vertical thrust module or the receiving coil 13 of the lateral thrust module converts the alternating current into direct current through the rectifier module of the vertical thrust module or the lateral thrust module and delivers it to its own electronic speed control module. The electronic speed control module converts the direct current into three-phase alternating current to drive the vertical thrust module thruster 10 or the lateral thrust module thruster 15 to work. The STM32 single-chip microcomputer in the electronic speed control module can use its own preset program to control the rotation speed and steering of the vertical thrust module thruster 10 or the lateral thrust module thruster 15. The vertical thrust module provides vertical thrust to make the deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot rise or fall, and the lateral thrust module provides horizontal thrust to make the deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot move forward or backward.
[0045] When the working scenario and the actual task change, the assembled modules can reconfigure the robot modularly. When the underwater robot identifies that the working ocean environment is an environment with strong water flow, the robot needs to be able to operate stably in multiple directions. For example, at the intersection of undersea pipelines, the Figure 9 first configuration can be selected. When the underwater robot identifies that the working ocean environment has undersea rocks, sediments, or other terrain obstacles, the robot needs to be flexible and able to operate for a long time, and the Figure 10 second configuration can be selected. When the underwater robot identifies that the working ocean environment has narrow or complex undersea channels, the robot needs to be flexible, and the Figure 11 third configuration can be selected.
[0046] If the deep - sea self - melting and reconfigurable robot shown by Figure 9 is used as the initial configuration, when it is to be reconfigured into the robot shown by Figure 10 the manipulator carried by the underwater robot is used to first remove the vertical thruster module at the rear end, then remove the vertical thruster module at the front end, and then remove the side thruster modules on the left and right. The side thruster modules are placed on the conveyor belt in the order of front - first and vertical - thruster - module - second, and the main control module is placed on the rotating base. Subsequently, according to the PLC - set program, a pulse signal is sent to the stepper motor in the assembly module. The conveyor belt is driven by the stepper motor under the conveyor belt to send the side thruster module and the vertical thruster module near the main control module. At the same time, the main control module is driven to rotate by the stepper motor under the hollow rotating platform, so that the surfaces of the side thruster module and the vertical thruster module that need to be adsorbed correspondingly can be aligned with the corresponding modules. After alignment, they are adsorbed and connected by neodymium - iron - boron magnets. First, the side thruster modules are adsorbed to both sides of the main control module, and then the vertical thruster modules are adsorbed to both sides of the side thruster modules. At this time, the modular reconfiguration of the robot is completed.
[0047] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the present invention also discloses a working method based on the deep - sea self - melting and reconfigurable robot system, including:
[0048] The underwater robot identifies the working ocean environment, determines the configuration of the robot based on the ocean environment, and then controls the manipulator to sequentially place the vertical thruster module and the side thruster module on the conveyor belt according to the preset order corresponding to the configuration, and then place the main control module on the rotating platform; the vertical thruster module and the side thruster module are attracted and fixed by electromagnets, and the sides where the receiving coils of the vertical thruster module and the side thruster module are located are both facing the position where the main control module is located. Then, the conveyor belt and the rotating platform are controlled by the PLC to move. After the conveyor belt starts, the electromagnets are powered off, and the vertical thruster module and the side thruster module are separated from the attraction of the electromagnets. The rotating platform drives the main control module to rotate, and the corresponding side of the main control module is magnetically attracted to the vertical thruster module and the side thruster module sent by the conveyor belt in sequence to form a robot of the corresponding configuration;
[0049] After the robot is assembled, the underwater robot sends a signal to the third control unit in the main control module to control the battery module to output electric energy. The main control module transmits the electric energy to the vertical thruster module and / or the side thruster module connected to it. After the first control unit of the vertical thruster module receives the electric energy, it uses its own preset program to adjust the rotation speed and steering of the vertical thruster, and after the second control unit of the side thruster module receives the electric energy, it uses its own preset program to adjust the rotation speed and steering of the side thruster.
[0050] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present invention. Their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent for the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system, characterized in that, It includes a main control module, a vertical thruster module, a lateral thruster module and an assembly module; the assembly module can identify the working marine environment, and then modularly reconstruct the main control module, the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module based on the marine environment to form a robot for performing marine work. The vertical thruster module, the lateral thruster module and the main control module are connected by magnetic attraction. The main control module is used to supply power to the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module. The vertical thruster module has a vertical thruster and a first control unit. The vertical thruster can generate upward or downward vertical thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the first control unit; the lateral thruster module has a lateral thruster and a second control unit. The lateral thruster is used to generate forward or backward horizontal thrust, and its rotation speed and direction are adjusted by the second control unit.
2. The deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot system according to claim 1, wherein The main control module is in the shape of a hexagonal prism. The main control module includes a battery module, a power switch module, an inverter module, a transmitting coil module, a third control unit and six magnetic attraction modules, and is encapsulated by silica gel material. The transmitting coil module includes six transmitting coils, which are respectively arranged on the side surface of the main control module. Each magnetic attraction module includes four neodymium iron boron magnets. The four neodymium iron boron magnets in a magnetic attraction module are respectively arranged at the four corners of one side surface of the main control module; the third control unit controls the on-off of the power supply of the battery module by controlling the power switch module, and the inverter module is used to convert the direct current of the battery module into alternating current and transmit it to the transmitting coil.
3. The deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vertical thruster module is in the shape of a hexagonal prism. The vertical thruster module further includes a rectification module, an electronic speed control module, a magnetic attraction module and a receiving coil, and is encapsulated by silica gel material. The receiving coil is arranged on the side surface of the vertical thruster module. The receiving coil receives the electromagnetic field through coupling with the transmitting coil and generates alternating current; the magnetic attraction module is installed on the side surface where the receiving coil is arranged; the rectification module converts the alternating current generated by the receiving coil into direct current and outputs it to the electronic speed control module and the first control unit. The electronic speed control module converts the direct current into three-phase alternating current and drives the vertical thruster; among them, the vertical thruster penetrates through two parallel bottom surfaces of the hexagonal prism.
4. The deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lateral thruster module is in the shape of a hexagonal prism. The lateral thruster module further includes a rectification module, an electronic speed control module, an inverter module, a receiving coil, a transmitting coil and two magnetic attraction modules, and is encapsulated by silica gel material; among them, the lateral thruster penetrates through a pair of parallel side surfaces. The receiving coil and the transmitting coil are arranged on the side surface of the lateral thruster module, and the side surface where the receiving coil is arranged and the side surface where the transmitting coil is arranged are both adjacent to one of the side surfaces penetrated by the lateral thruster; the receiving coil transmits alternating current to the receiving coil and the rectification module of the lateral thruster module; the rectification module converts the alternating current generated by the receiving coil into direct current and outputs it to the electronic speed control module, the inverter module and the second control unit. The inverter module converts the direct current output by the rectification module into alternating current and transmits it to the transmitting coil. The electronic speed control module converts the direct current into three-phase alternating current and drives the lateral thruster; the two magnetic attraction modules are respectively installed on the side surface where the receiving coil is arranged and the side surface where the transmitting coil is arranged to realize the magnetic attraction function.
5. The deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The assembly module includes a conveyor belt module and an underwater robot carrying a robotic arm. The conveyor belt module includes a conveyor belt and a rotating platform. The underwater robot carrying the robotic arm is used to identify the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module, place the main control module on the rotating platform, and sequentially place the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module on the conveyor belt in a preset order, so that the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module can be assembled in a preset configuration.
6. The deep-sea self-fusing reconfigurable robot system according to claim 5, wherein On one side of the conveyor belt, a plurality of electromagnets are evenly arranged, and magnets that are mutually attracted and fixed to the electromagnets are arranged on the outer side surfaces of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module. Through the attraction and fixation of the two, the vertical thruster module or the lateral thruster module can be fixed on the conveyor belt.
7. The deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conveyor belt module further includes a first stepping motor, a second stepping motor, and a PLC. The first stepping motor is used to drive the rotation of the rotating platform, the second stepping motor is used to drive the movement of the conveyor belt, and the PLC controls the rotation time, stop time, and rotation speed of the two stepping motors through pulse signals. The conveyor belt and the rotating platform are respectively driven by the two stepping motors to assemble the main control module, the vertical thruster module, and the lateral thruster module.
8. The deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system according to claim 7, characterized in that The sides of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module where the receiving coils are located are both coated with colors to facilitate the module identification by the underwater robot carrying the robotic arm. The side of the lateral thruster module where the transmitting coil is located is also coated with a color and is different from the color coated on the side where the receiving coil of this module is located; During robot assembly, the underwater robot carrying the robotic arm places the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module on the conveyor belt corresponding to the position where the electromagnets are located, and the sides of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module where the receiving coils are located both face the position where the main control module is located. When the underwater robot carrying the robotic arm completes the placement of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module according to the preset robot configuration, then the PLC controls the movement of the conveyor belt and the rotating platform respectively, and at the same time cancels the attraction and fixation of the electromagnets on the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module, so that the side of the main control module where the transmitting coil is located can be magnetically attracted to the side of the vertical thruster module or the lateral thruster module where the receiving coil is located to complete the assembly of the robot.
9. The deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system according to claim 8, characterized in that When the underwater robot identifies that the ocean environment to be worked is an environment with strong water flow, the robot needs to be able to operate stably in multiple directions. At this time, the configuration of the robot is: two opposite sides of the main control module are respectively connected to a vertical thruster module, and each of the two adjacent sides of one side connected to the vertical thruster module is respectively connected to a lateral thruster module; When the underwater robot identifies that the ocean environment to be worked is an environment with underwater rocks, sediments, or other terrain obstacles, the robot needs to be flexible and able to operate for a long time. At this time, the configuration of the robot is: one side of the main control module is connected to a vertical thruster module, and each of the two adjacent sides of the other side opposite to this side is respectively connected to a lateral thruster module; When the underwater robot recognizes that the marine environment to be worked on has narrow or complex seabed channels, the robot needs to be flexible. At this time, the configuration of the robot is as follows: Each of the two non-adjacent sides of the main control module is connected to a lateral thruster module, and each of the sides where the transmitting coils of the two lateral thruster modules are located is connected to a vertical thruster module, and the main control module and the two vertical thruster modules are on the same horizontal line.
10. A working method of the deep-sea self-fusing and reconfigurable robot system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Including: The underwater robot recognizes the marine environment to be worked on, determines the configuration of the robot based on the marine environment, then controls the robotic arm to place the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module on the conveyor belt in sequence according to the preset order corresponding to the configuration, and then places the main control module on the rotating platform; the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module are attracted and fixed by electromagnets, and the sides where the receiving coils of the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module are located are all facing the position of the main control module. Then, the conveyor belt and the rotating platform are controlled to move by a PLC. After the conveyor belt starts, the electromagnets are powered off, and the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module are separated from the attraction of the electromagnets. The rotating platform drives the main control module to rotate, and the corresponding sides of the main control module are magnetically attracted to the vertical thruster module and the lateral thruster module sent by the conveyor belt in sequence to form a robot with the corresponding configuration. After the robot is assembled, the underwater robot sends a signal to the third control unit in the main control module to control the battery module to output electric energy. The main control module transmits the electric energy to the vertical thruster module and / or the lateral thruster module connected to it. The first control unit of the vertical thruster module adjusts the rotation speed and steering of the vertical thruster, and the second control unit of the lateral thruster module adjusts the rotation speed and steering of the lateral thruster.
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