Underwater special operation robot and docking method thereof

Abstract

The application relates to an underwater special operation robot and a docking method thereof, wherein the underwater special operation robot body comprises a main buoyancy shell, a body main support, an umbilical cable, a power propulsion system, a combined navigation system, a light camera system, a capturing locking device and a wet plug device; the power propulsion system is used for driving the underwater special operation robot body to move; the combined navigation system is used for accurately positioning and navigating the underwater special operation robot; the light camera system is used for identifying and extracting an unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) end docking device; and the capturing locking device is used for locking connection with the unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) end docking device. After the underwater special operation robot is docked with the unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV), energy supply and information transmission are completed, so that the unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) can continuously perform underwater operation, operation efficiency caused by frequent rising is avoided, and safety risks possibly occurring in the process of recycling the unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) are reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of unmanned underwater vehicle, in particular to an underwater special operation robot for docking with unmanned underwater vehicle and a docking method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] As an important tool for ocean exploration, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has been favored by ocean science research institutions in recent years. When performing ocean exploration tasks, the AUV is generally deployed into the task sea area by a surface research vessel and recovered onto the deck of the research vessel for energy supply, data download and injection of information for the next stage task after completing the task. On the one hand, the recovery of the AUV by the research vessel at sea requires high sea conditions, and the operation is difficult and inefficient. At the same time, manual participation is required for salvage during recovery, which is high-risk to personnel safety. On the other hand, the frequent surfacing of the AUV affects the overall efficiency of the exploration task.

[0003] Therefore, it is urgent to design an underwater special operation robot for docking with an unmanned underwater vehicle and a docking method thereof to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides an underwater special operation robot and a docking method thereof, which aims to design an underwater special operation robot for docking with an unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) and complete energy supply and information transmission after the underwater special operation robot is docked with the unmanned underwater vehicle.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] An underwater special operation robot, the underwater special operation robot body comprises a main buoyancy shell, a body main support, an umbilical cable, a power propulsion system, a combined navigation system, a light camera system, a capture locking device and a wet plug device;

[0007] The buoyancy shell is installed on the body main support and is used to provide buoyancy for the underwater special operation robot body;

[0008] The umbilical cable is fixed on the body main support and is out of the cable from the stern of the underwater special operation robot body;

[0009] The power propulsion system, the combined navigation system, the light camera system and the capture locking device are all installed on the body main support;

[0010] The power propulsion system is used to drive the underwater special operation robot body to move; the integrated navigation system is used to accurately position and navigate the underwater special operation robot; the light camera system is used to identify and extract the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV end docking device; the capture locking device is used to lock and connect with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV end docking device;

[0011] The wet plug device is integrated in the capture locking device, and the wet plug device is interconnected with the charging cable core of the umbilical cable, and the wet plug device is used to connect with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV to establish an energy and information interaction channel.

[0012] Further, the power propulsion system includes a horizontal thruster group and a vertical thruster group, the horizontal thruster group is used for longitudinal propulsion and bow adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body; the vertical thruster group is used for trim and heave adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body in low speed state;

[0013] The horizontal thruster group includes four horizontal thrusters, which are installed at the four corners of the body main support, and the horizontal thrusters point to the bow of the underwater special operation robot body;

[0014] The vertical thruster group includes four vertical thrusters, which are installed in a rectangular array on the body main support and penetrate through the underwater special operation robot body.

[0015] Further, the underwater special operation robot body further includes four protection supports, which are respectively installed at the four corners of the body main support; the protection supports are used for anti-collision protection of the horizontal thrusters.

[0016] Further, the installation positions of the horizontal thruster group are as follows: two horizontal thrusters are located at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body, and are inclined inward by 30° along the axis of the length direction of the underwater special operation robot body; the other two horizontal thrusters are located at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body, and are inclined outward by 30° along the axis of the length direction of the underwater special operation robot body.

[0017] Further, the underwater special operation robot further includes a bow horizontal rudder and a stern horizontal rudder, the bow horizontal rudder is installed on the body main support at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body, and the stern horizontal rudder is installed on the body main support at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body; the bow horizontal rudder and the stern horizontal rudder are independently controlled, and are used for trim and translational heave adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body in high speed state.

[0018] Further, the capture locking device comprises a docking main lock and a docking claw lock; the docking main lock comprises a back docking main lock and a bow docking main lock; the docking claw lock is two, symmetrically arranged on the back of the underwater special operation robot body with the back docking main lock as the center, and each docking claw lock comprises two claws to realize the grabbing action.

[0019] Further, the docking main lock needs to cooperate with the locking cap to complete the locking action; the docking main lock is located on the side of the underwater special operation robot, and the docking main lock is connected with the body main support of the underwater special operation robot through a sliding rail; the locking cap is located on the side of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV, and the locking cap is fixed with the main bearing structure of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV.

[0020] Further, the wet plug device is integrated in the docking main lock, and the wet plug device comprises a wet plug connector, a plug push handle and a plug telescopic cylinder, one end of the plug push handle is fixedly connected with the wet plug connector, the other end is connected with the plug telescopic cylinder, and the plug-in and plug-out action of the wet plug connector is realized through the plug telescopic cylinder.

[0021] The application also provides a docking method based on the underwater special operation robot.

[0022] S1. The underwater special operation robot body leaves the mother ship, slowly drives to the docking position below the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the guidance of the integrated navigation system, and identifies and extracts the end docking device of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV through the light camera system;

[0023] S2. The underwater special operation robot body collides with the cross bar of the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the action of the power propulsion system, and triggers the docking claw lock.

[0024] S3. The claws of the docking claw lock complete the closing and grabbing action, and hold the cross bar of the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV.

[0025] S4. The underwater special operation robot docking surface is aligned with the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the conical surface guiding action of the back docking main lock.

[0026] S5. The back docking main lock is opened, the lock body is clamped in the hole, and the lock tongue is locked.

[0027] S6. Under the action of the plug telescopic cylinder, the wet plug connector is inserted into the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV, the docking is completed, and the electrical and physical channel is established.

[0028] S7. The autonomous underwater vehicle AUV is charged, and the information interaction work is completed.

[0029] Further, the underwater special operation robot docking method further comprises the following steps of: after the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV complete operation, the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV are disconnected, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0030] S8. The plug-in and pull-out telescopic cylinder drives the wet plug-in connector to retract and disconnect.

[0031] S9. The lock tongue of the back docking main lock is retracted, the lock body is recovered, and the lock is unlocked.

[0032] S10. The underwater special operation robot is vertically pushed down to keep a certain diving potential, the finger claw of the docking claw lock is reset and opened, and the underwater special operation robot is separated.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the underwater special operation robot has the following beneficial effects:

[0034] (1) By designing the underwater special operation robot for docking with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV, energy supply and information transmission are completed after the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV are docked, so that the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV can continuously operate underwater, the operation efficiency is improved, and the safety risk in the process of recovering the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV is reduced.

[0035] (2) The docking capture locking device is arranged on the back and bow of the underwater special operation robot body respectively to match the different docking position requirements of the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV. The composite docking capture locking mode is adopted on the back, the two docking claw locks are locked first, and then the back docking main lock is locked, so that the rigidity of the underwater special operation robot body and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV is improved. The docking claw lock is provided with a finger claw structure, the finger claw has the characteristics of large opening angle and large space sweeping area, and the fault tolerance of the underwater special operation robot and the mother ship is improved.

[0036] (3) The wet plug-in device is integrated in the docking main lock, so that the plug-in and pull-out operation can be realized after the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV are docked, and the reliability of the charging and information interaction operation is ensured.

[0037] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the following description, and some will become apparent from the description, or will be learned from the practice of the present application. The purposes and other advantages of the present application can be achieved and obtained by the structure indicated in the specification and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and the other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort based on these drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the underwater special operation robot is shown;

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the underwater special operation robot is shown;

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the underwater special operation robot capturing the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV is shown.

[0042] In the figure: 1, umbilical cable; 2, main buoyancy shell; 3, horizontal thruster; 4, bow horizontal rudder; 5, protection support; 6, vertical thruster; 7, main support of the body; 8, stern horizontal rudder; 9, docking claw lock; 10, back docking main lock; 11, bow docking main lock. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the following will combine the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0044] The embodiments of the present application propose an underwater special operation robot, as shown in the accompanying drawings Figures 1-2 The underwater special operation robot body includes: main buoyancy shell 2, main support 7 of the body, umbilical cable 1, power propulsion system, combined navigation system, light camera system, capture locking device and wet plug device.

[0045] The buoyancy shell 2 is installed on the main support 7 of the body, and is used to provide buoyancy for the underwater special operation robot body;

[0046] The umbilical cable 1 is fixed on the main support 7 of the body, and is out of the cable from the stern of the underwater special operation robot body;

[0047] The power propulsion system, combined navigation system, light camera system and capture locking device are all installed on the main support 7 of the body;

[0048] The power propulsion system is used to drive the underwater special operation robot body to move; the integrated navigation system is used to accurately position and navigate the underwater special operation robot; the light camera system is used to identify and extract the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV end docking device; the capture locking device is used to lock and connect with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV end docking device;

[0049] The wet plug device is integrated in the capture locking device, and the wet plug device is interconnected with the charging cable core of the umbilical cable 1, and the wet plug device is used to connect with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV to establish an energy and information interaction channel.

[0050] The wet plug device is a multi-core docking device, including a power cable core and a communication cable core.

[0051] The power propulsion system includes a horizontal thruster group and a vertical thruster group, the horizontal thruster group is used for longitudinal propulsion and bow adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body; the vertical thruster group is used for trim and heave adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body in low speed state;

[0052] The horizontal thruster group includes four horizontal thrusters 3, which are installed at the four corners of the main support 7, and the horizontal thrusters point to the bow of the underwater special operation robot body.

[0053] The underwater special operation robot body further includes four protection supports 5, which are respectively installed at the four corners of the body main support 7; the protection supports 5 are used for anti-collision protection of the horizontal thrusters 3.

[0054] The vertical thruster group includes four vertical thrusters 6, which are installed in a rectangular array on the main support 7 and penetrate through the underwater special operation robot body.

[0055] The underwater special operation robot adopts a direct current brushless motor drive and a full-drive electric propulsion scheme.

[0056] Specifically, the installation positions of the horizontal thruster group are as follows: two horizontal thrusters 3 are located at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body, and are inclined inward by 30° along the axis of the length direction of the underwater special operation robot body; the other two horizontal thrusters 3 are located at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body, and are inclined outward by 30° along the axis of the length direction of the underwater special operation robot body.

[0057] The underwater special operation robot further comprises a bow rudder 4 and a stern rudder 8, the bow rudder 4 is installed on the body main support 7 at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body, and the stern rudder 8 is installed on the body main support 7 at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body; the bow rudder 4 and the stern rudder 8 are independently controlled, and are used for adjusting the trim and the heave of the underwater special operation robot body in a high-speed state.

[0058] The combined navigation system takes an optical fiber inertial navigation system (INS) as a core, supports information fusion of airborne sensors including a Doppler velocity log (DVL), an ultra-short baseline (USBL), a short baseline (SBL), a GPS, and a depth gauge, and outputs high-precision position, velocity, acceleration and attitude information of the underwater vehicle body; meanwhile, the combined navigation system also supports high-precision fusion of visual and optical auxiliary sensors, and further realizes effective high-precision combined positioning and guidance.

[0059] The capture locking device comprises a docking main lock and a docking claw lock 9; the docking main lock comprises a back docking main lock 10 and a bow docking main lock 11, the docking capture locking device is arranged at the back and the bow of the underwater special operation robot body respectively to match different docking position requirements of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV; the docking claw lock 9 is provided in two, is symmetrically arranged at the back of the underwater special operation robot body with the back docking main lock 10 as the center, and each docking claw lock 9 comprises two claws to realize a grabbing action. The back adopts a composite docking capture locking mode, the two docking claw locks 9 are locked first, and then the back docking main lock 10 is locked, and the composite locking mode improves the rigidity of the connection between the underwater special operation robot body and the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV. The docking claw lock is provided in the structure with the claws for grabbing, the claws have the characteristics of a large opening angle and a large space sweeping area, and the fault tolerance of the connection between the underwater special operation robot and the mother ship is improved.

[0060] The docking main lock needs to cooperate with a locking cap to complete a locking action; the docking main lock is located at the underwater special operation robot side, and the docking main lock is connected with the body main support 7 of the underwater special operation robot through a sliding rail; the locking cap is located at the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV side, and the locking cap is fixed with the main force bearing structure of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV.

[0061] The wet plug device is integrated in the docking main lock, and the wet plug device comprises a wet plug connector, a plug pushing handle and a plug telescopic cylinder, one end of the plug pushing handle is fixedly connected with the wet plug connector, the other end of the plug pushing handle is connected with the plug telescopic cylinder, and the plug pushing handle realizes the plug-in and pull-out action of the wet plug connector through the plug telescopic cylinder. The wet plug device is integrated in the docking main lock, so that the plug-in and pull-out action can be realized after the underwater special operation robot is docked with the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV, and the reliability of the charging and information interaction operation is ensured.

[0062] By designing the underwater special operation robot for docking with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV, energy supply and information transmission are completed after the underwater special operation robot docks with the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV, so that the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV can continuously carry out underwater operation, operation efficiency caused by frequent upwelling is avoided, and safety risks that may occur in the process of recycling the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV are reduced.

[0063] The underwater special operation robot also provides a docking method based on the underwater special operation robot, as shown in the accompanying drawings. Figure 3 As shown, the underwater special operation robot captures and grips the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV in the following specific steps:

[0064] S1. The underwater special operation robot body leaves the mother ship, slowly drives to the docking position below the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV under the guidance of the integrated navigation system, and identifies and extracts the docking device at the end of the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV through the light camera system;

[0065] S2. The underwater special operation robot body collides with the crossbar of the side docking surface of the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV under the action of the power propulsion system, triggers the docking claw lock 9;

[0066] S3. The finger of the docking claw lock 9 completes the closing and gripping action, holds the crossbar of the side docking surface of the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV;

[0067] S4. The docking surface of the underwater special operation robot is aligned with the side docking surface of the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV under the conical surface guidance of the back docking main lock 10;

[0068] S5. The back docking main lock 10 is opened, the lock body is clamped in the hole, and the lock tongue is locked after action;

[0069] S6. Under the action of the plug-in telescopic cylinder, the wet plug-in connector is inserted into the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV, the docking is completed, and the electrical physical channel is established;

[0070] S7. The unmanned underwater vehicle AUV is charged, and information interaction operation is completed.

[0071] The docking method of the underwater special operation robot also includes that after the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV complete the operation, the underwater special operation robot and the unmanned underwater vehicle AUV are disconnected, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0072] S8. The plug-in telescopic cylinder in the wet plug-in device drives the wet plug-in connector to retract and disconnect;

[0073] S9. The lock tongue of the back docking main lock 10 is retracted, the lock body is recovered, and the lock is unlocked;

[0074] S10. The underwater special operation robot is pulled down, a certain diving potential is kept, the fingers of the claw lock 9 are reset and opened, and the underwater special operation robot is separated.

[0075] Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalent features, without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An underwater special operation robot, characterized by, The underwater special operation robot body comprises a main buoyancy shell (2), a body main support (7), a umbilical cable (1), a power propulsion system, a combined navigation system, a light camera system, a capture locking device and a wet plug device; The buoyancy shell (2) is installed on the body main support (7) and is used to provide buoyancy for the underwater special operation robot body. The umbilical cable (1) is fixed on the body main support (7) and is out of the cable from the stern of the underwater special operation robot body. The power propulsion system, the combined navigation system, the light camera system and the capture locking device are all installed on the body main support (7). The power propulsion system is used to drive the underwater special operation robot body to move; the combined navigation system is used to accurately position and navigate the underwater special operation robot; the light camera system is used to identify and extract the AUV end docking device; and the capture locking device is used to lock and connect with the AUV end docking device. The wet plug device is integrated in the capture locking device, and the wet plug device is interconnected with the charging cable core of the umbilical cable (1), and the wet plug device is used to connect with the AUV to establish an energy and information interaction channel.

2. The underwater special operations robot of claim 1, wherein, The power propulsion system comprises a horizontal thruster group and a vertical thruster group, the horizontal thruster group is used for longitudinal propulsion and bow adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body; and the vertical thruster group is used for trim and heave adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body in a low-speed state. The horizontal thruster group comprises four horizontal thrusters (3), the four horizontal thrusters (3) are installed at four corners of the body main support (7), and the horizontal thrusters are directed to the bow of the underwater special operation robot body. The vertical thruster group comprises four vertical thrusters (6), the four vertical thrusters (6) are installed in a rectangular array on the body main support (7) and penetrate through the underwater special operation robot body.

3. The underwater special operations robot of claim 2, wherein, The underwater special operation robot body further comprises four protection supports (5) which are respectively installed at four corners of the body main support (7); and the protection supports (5) are used for anti-collision protection of the horizontal thrusters (3).

4. The underwater special operations robot of claim 2, wherein, The installation positions of the horizontal thruster group are as follows: two horizontal thrusters (3) are located at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body and are inclined inward by 30° along the axis of the underwater special operation robot body in the length direction; and the other two horizontal thrusters (3) are located at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body and are inclined outward by 30° along the axis of the underwater special operation robot body in the length direction.

5. The underwater special operations robot of claim 4, wherein, The underwater special operation robot further comprises a bow horizontal rudder (4) and a stern horizontal rudder (8), the bow horizontal rudder (4) is installed on the body main support (7) at the bow of the underwater special operation robot body, and the stern horizontal rudder (8) is installed on the body main support (7) at the stern of the underwater special operation robot body; the bow horizontal rudder (4) and the stern horizontal rudder (8) are independently controlled and are used for trim and heave adjustment of the underwater special operation robot body in a high-speed state.

6. The underwater special operations robot of claim 5, wherein, The capture locking device comprises a docking main lock and a docking claw lock (9); the docking main lock comprises a back docking main lock (10) and a bow docking main lock (11); the docking claw lock (9) is provided symmetrically on the back of the underwater special operation robot body with two docking claw locks (9) as the center of the back docking main lock (10), and each docking claw lock (9) comprises two claws to realize the grabbing action.

7. The underwater special operations robot of claim 6, wherein, The docking main lock needs to be matched with the locking cap to complete the locking action; the docking main lock is located on the side of the underwater special operation robot, and the docking main lock is connected with the main support (7) of the underwater special operation robot body through a sliding rail; the locking cap is located on the side of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV, and the locking cap is fixed with the main bearing structure of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV.

8. The underwater special operations robot of claim 7, wherein, The wet plug device is integrated in the docking main lock, and the wet plug device comprises a wet plug connector, a plug handle and a plug telescopic cylinder, one end of the plug handle is fixedly connected with the wet plug connector, the other end of the plug handle is connected with the plug telescopic cylinder, and the plug-in and plug-out action of the wet plug connector is realized through the plug telescopic cylinder.

9. A method of docking a special-purpose underwater robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The specific steps that the underwater special operation robot captures and holds the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV are as follows: S1. The underwater special operation robot body leaves the mother ship, slowly drives to the docking position below the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the guidance of the integrated navigation system, and identifies and extracts the docking device at the end of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV through the light camera system; S2. The underwater special operation robot body collides with the cross bar of the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the action of the power propulsion system, and triggers the docking claw lock (9); S3. The claws of the docking claw lock (9) complete the closing and grabbing action, and hold the cross bar of the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV; S4. The underwater special operation robot docking surface is aligned with the side docking surface of the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV under the conical surface guidance of the back docking main lock (10); S5. The back docking main lock (10) is opened, the lock body is clamped in the hole, and the lock tongue is locked; S6. Under the action of the plug telescopic cylinder, the wet plug connector is inserted into the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV, the docking is completed, and the electrical and physical channels are established; S7. The autonomous underwater vehicle AUV is charged, and the information interaction operation is completed.

10. The method of docking an underwater special-purpose robotic vehicle of claim 9, wherein, The docking method of the underwater special operation robot further comprises that after the underwater special operation robot and the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV complete the operation, the underwater special operation robot and the autonomous underwater vehicle AUV are disconnected, and the specific steps are as follows: S8. The plug telescopic cylinder in the wet plug device drives the wet plug connector to retract and disconnect; S9. The lock tongue of the back docking main lock (10) is retracted, the lock body is recovered, and the lock is unlocked; S10. The underwater special operation robot is vertically pushed down, a certain diving potential is maintained, the claws of the docking claw lock (9) are reset and opened, and the underwater special operation robot is separated.

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