Unmanned boat-net cage locking device

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned boat-net cage locking device, and relates to the technical field of net cage culture, the unmanned boat-net cage locking device comprises a net cage, an unmanned boat device and a base station, the unmanned boat device comprises a double-body unmanned boat, the upper end of the double-body unmanned boat is provided with a rotating groove, the rotating groove is internally provided with a rotating table, the upper end of the rotating table is rotatably provided with a suspension arm, and the suspension arm is connected with the base station. The front end of the suspension arm is provided with an extendable moving seat, the moving seat is provided with a water quality detection mechanism, and the upper end of the rotary table is provided with a feed feeding mechanism connected with the suspension arm. Through integration of an autonomous sensor, a depth-adjustable water quality detection pod and a suspension arm type feeding mechanism, multi-point three-dimensional water quality detection and fixed-point feed feeding can be realized for a plurality of traditional net cages in an open water area by virtue of a laser radar point cloud precise positioning technology; the stability and high efficiency of operation inside and outside the net cage are guaranteed through the lifting arm depth control and pose calibration function, and the aquaculture management efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cage aquaculture, and in particular to an unmanned boat-cage locking device. Background Art

[0002] Cage aquaculture, a highly efficient aquaculture method, has been widely adopted worldwide. Cage aquaculture has spread across coastal areas and inland lakes on every continent, and is particularly well-established in Asia, Europe, and North America. In countries such as Norway, Chile, Japan, and China, cage aquaculture has become a large-scale industry and a vital component of the marine economy.

[0003] For cage aquaculture, after site planning, cage setup, and fry stocking, daily management, the most time-consuming and labor-intensive step, primarily involves feeding and water quality monitoring. The rationality, scientific nature, and standardization of daily management determine the return on all initial investments.

[0004] According to the degree of automation and intelligence of daily management, cage aquaculture technology is currently divided into two categories:

[0005] The first type is traditional cage aquaculture, which relies primarily on manual labor for feeding, water quality sampling, and fish condition assessment. Currently, the vast majority of cage aquaculture in China is done with traditional cages. While this approach offers advantages such as low initial investment costs—a large, 20-meter-long deep-water cage costs no more than 50,000 yuan—it carries significant operational costs and low efficiency. Furthermore, the difficulty in ensuring quality has discouraged the production of high-value-added fish.

[0006] The other type is large-scale automated cages, which automate and intelligently manage the entire feeding, monitoring, and harvesting process, significantly improving aquaculture efficiency. For example, the "Long Whale No. 1" intelligent cage, with a 60,000 cubic meter aquaculture volume, requires only four workers to operate it. However, the price of the "Long Whale No. 1" cage is 47 million yuan. Similarly large deep-sea intelligent aquaculture cages, such as the "Deep Blue No. 1," cost approximately 70 million yuan, and the "Deep Blue No. 2" cost 85.968 million yuan. The high price tag makes these intelligent cages prohibitively expensive, making widespread adoption difficult.

[0007] Therefore, this patent proposes an unmanned boat-cage locking device that can be combined with traditional cages to achieve low-cost, high-efficiency intelligent daily aquaculture management functions. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art and to propose an unmanned boat-cage locking device.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0010] An unmanned boat-cage locking device comprises a cage, an unmanned boat device, and a base station. The unmanned boat device comprises a catamaran unmanned boat, a rotating trough is provided at the upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat, a turntable is provided inside the rotating trough, a crane arm is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the turntable, an extendable movable seat is provided at the front end of the crane arm, a water quality detection mechanism is provided on the movable seat, a feed feeding mechanism connected to the crane arm is provided at the upper end of the turntable, and an environmental perception module and a boat-mounted main engine are provided at the upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, two axle seats are fixed to the upper end of the turntable, and the two axle seats are respectively arranged on both sides of the boom. A rotating shaft is passed through the boom, and the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to the boom. The two ends of the rotating shaft respectively pass through the two axle seats, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the axle seats. A first hydraulic cylinder is rotatably installed on the upper end of the turntable, and the telescopic end of the first hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to the lower side wall of the boom.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the water quality detection mechanism includes an electric winch installed on the upper end of the movable seat, a lifting rope is wound on the electric winch, and the end of the lifting rope away from the electric winch is fixedly connected to the water quality detection pod.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the feed feeding mechanism includes a storage box and a discharge fan arranged at the upper end of the turntable, the input end of the discharge fan is connected to the storage box, the output end of the discharge fan is connected to the discharge pipe, the upper end of the boom is provided with a receiving groove, the discharge pipe is located inside the receiving groove, and a discharge hopper connected to the discharge pipe is fixed inside the receiving groove.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, a groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the rotating trough, a steering servo is fixedly installed inside the groove, and an output shaft of the steering servo is fixedly connected to the center of the lower end of the turntable.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, a guide wheel is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the movable seat away from the boom, and the lifting rope passes through the guide wheel.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, a plurality of limiting teeth are arranged on the lower side wall of the boom.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, two movable grooves are provided on the side wall of the boom close to the movable seat, two movable rods are fixed on the side wall of the movable seat, and the two movable rods are slidably inserted into the inside of the two movable grooves respectively. Two second hydraulic cylinders are fixedly installed on the upper end of the boom, and the telescopic ends of the second hydraulic cylinders are fixedly connected to the side wall of the movable seat.

[0018] As a further improvement of the present invention, the environment perception module includes a laser radar and a camera. The data of the environment perception module is input into the onboard host for real-time calculation. During navigation, the unmanned boat device can realize automatic driving and obstacle avoidance. When approaching the cage, the cage posture perception algorithm is used to determine whether the boom downward pressure condition is met. The specific cage posture perception algorithm is as follows:

[0019] S1, the laser radar obtains the forward 90-degree (45-degree left and right) field of view point cloud: Pi (x, y, z);

[0020] S2, the 3D point cloud is projected onto the XY plane to form a top view B(x, y). Under normal circumstances, there is no radar echo on the sea surface, so it can be assigned a value of 0. However, there must be radar echoes from guardrails and other places, so it is set to 1. When the unmanned boat device approaches the cage, the lidar point cloud is projected onto the top view to form a binary image.

[0021] S3: Establish the carrier coordinate system with the position of the environment perception module as the origin, with the bow direction as the X axis and the positive direction of the Y axis as the right side of the ship. Calculate the average X distance of valid points in the three areas above the Y axis, below the Y axis, and near the axis:

[0022]

[0023] S4, when the UAV device approaches the cage, the three relative distance values ​​are calculated continuously (10Hz), and the UAV heading is controlled according to the following method:

[0024] If D u >D d Then turn right;

[0025] If D u <D d Then turn left;

[0026] If D u =D d Then go straight;

[0027] S5, if Then the condition of pressing down the boom is met;

[0028] Where: It represents the relative posture of the longitudinal axis of the unmanned boat device and the edge of the cage. When they are perpendicular to each other, it is 0 (a smaller threshold Tθ is set to tolerate the error). D0 represents the distance from the laser radar to the cage. The distance from the installation position of the environmental perception module to the limit tooth can be measured to set the minimum threshold Td.

[0029] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0030] 1. Relying solely on the sensors and feed feeding mechanism carried by the unmanned boat device itself, one unmanned boat device can autonomously detect water quality and feed multiple traditional cages, greatly improving work efficiency.

[0031] 2. Through the boom form, the unmanned boat device can stably detect and feed the internal area of ​​the cage while being in open water.

[0032] 3. The depth of the water quality detection pod is controllable, which enables multi-point three-dimensional measurement of the water quality in the cage, with efficient measurement and good measurement results.

[0033] 4. The relative position of the UAV device and the cage is obtained through the LiDAR point cloud to ensure that the boom can correctly contact the cage frame and ensure the stability of the device during operation.

[0034] By integrating autonomous sensors, a depth-adjustable water quality detection pod, and a boom-type feeding mechanism, and relying on laser radar point cloud precision positioning technology, the present invention can realize multi-point three-dimensional water quality detection and fixed-point feed feeding for multiple traditional cages in open waters. The boom depth control and posture calibration functions ensure the stability and efficiency of operations inside and outside the cages, greatly improving the efficiency of aquaculture management. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the unmanned boat device proposed in the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the boom, movable tank, and receiving tank of the unmanned boat device proposed in the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the mobile seat, second hydraulic cylinder, and movable rod of the unmanned boat device proposed by the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the turntable and steering servo of the unmanned boat device proposed by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a binary image of a laser radar point cloud projected onto a top view of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the unmanned boat device proposed by the present invention and the cage in a locked state.

[0041] In the figure: 1 catamaran unmanned boat, 2 rotating trough, 3 turntable, 4 axle seat, 5 rotating shaft, 6 boom, 7 first hydraulic cylinder, 8 accommodating trough, 9 discharge pipe, 10 second hydraulic cylinder, 11 limiting gear, 12 discharge hopper, 13 movable seat, 14 electric winch, 15 lifting rope, 16 guide wheel, 17 water quality detection pod, 18 storage box, 19 box cover, 20 discharge fan, 21 environmental perception module, 22 boat-borne main engine, 23 movable trough, 24 movable rod, 25 steering servo. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments.

[0043] Reference Figures 1-4 , an unmanned boat-cage locking device, including a cage, an unmanned boat device, and a base station. The unmanned boat device includes a catamaran unmanned boat 1, a turning groove 2 is provided at the upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat 1, a turntable 3 is provided inside the turning groove 2, a groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the turning groove 2, a steering servo 25 is fixedly installed inside the groove, and the output shaft of the steering servo 25 is fixedly connected to the lower end center of the turntable 3. The steering servo 25 can drive the turntable 3 to rotate, and the rotation of the turntable 3 drives the boom 6 to rotate, thereby adjusting the direction of the water quality detection pod 17.

[0044] A boom 6 is rotatably installed at the upper end of the turntable 3, and a plurality of limit teeth 11 are arranged on the lower side wall of the boom 6. When the boom 6 contacts the railing of the cage frame, the limit teeth 11 will hook the railing to form an anchor point, thereby locking the position of the catamaran unmanned boat 1 and the cage, avoiding random drift of the position of the catamaran unmanned boat 1 under the interference of wind, waves and currents, and creating conditions for subsequent work.

[0045] The front end of the boom 6 is provided with an extendable movable seat 13, and two movable grooves 23 are provided on the side wall of the boom 6 near the movable seat 13. Two movable rods 24 are fixed on the side wall of the movable seat 13. The two movable rods 24 are respectively slidably inserted into the inside of the two movable grooves 23. By sliding the movable rods 24 in the movable grooves 23, the movement of the movable seat 13 can be guided. Two second hydraulic cylinders 10 are fixedly installed on the upper end of the boom 6. The telescopic end of the second hydraulic cylinder 10 is fixedly connected to the side wall of the movable seat 13. By extending the second hydraulic cylinder 10, the movable seat 13 can be driven to move forward, and then the water quality detection pod 17 can be driven forward.

[0046] A water quality detection mechanism is provided on the mobile seat 13, a feed feeding mechanism connected to the boom 6 is provided at the upper end of the turntable 3, and an environmental sensing module 21 and a boat-borne main engine 22 are provided at the upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat 1. The boat-borne main engine 22 is connected to the environmental sensing module 21, the first hydraulic cylinder 7, the second hydraulic cylinder 10, the electric winch 14, the water quality detection pod 17, the discharging fan 20, and the steering servo 25.

[0047] Two axle seats 4 are fixed to the upper end of the turntable 3, and the two axle seats 4 are respectively arranged on both sides of the boom 6. A rotating shaft 5 is passed through the boom 6, and the rotating shaft 5 is fixedly connected to the boom 6. The two ends of the rotating shaft 5 pass through the two axle seats 4 respectively, and the rotating shaft 5 is rotatably connected to the axle seats 4. A first hydraulic cylinder 7 is rotatably installed on the upper end of the turntable 3, and the telescopic end of the first hydraulic cylinder 7 is rotatably connected to the lower side wall of the boom 6. Controlling and starting the first hydraulic cylinder 7 to retract can drive the boom 6 to be pressed down.

[0048] The water quality detection mechanism includes an electric winch 14 installed at the upper end of the movable seat 13, and a lifting rope 15 is wound on the electric winch 14. The end of the lifting rope 15 away from the electric winch 14 is fixedly connected to the water quality detection pod 17. A guide wheel 16 is fixedly installed on the side wall of the movable seat 13 away from the boom 6. The lifting rope 15 passes through the guide wheel 16. The guide wheel 16 can be used to guide the lifting rope 15, thereby avoiding friction between the lifting rope 15 and the movable seat 13, and can effectively avoid damage to the lifting rope 15.

[0049] The feed feeding mechanism includes a storage box 18 and a discharging fan 20 arranged at the upper end of the turntable 3. The input end of the discharging fan 20 is connected to the storage box 18, and the output end of the discharging fan 20 is connected to the discharging pipe 9. The upper end of the boom 6 is provided with a receiving tank 8, and the discharging pipe 9 is located inside the receiving tank 8. A discharging hopper 12 connected to the discharging pipe 9 is fixed inside the receiving tank 8. The discharging fan 20 is started by the boat-borne main engine 22, which can extract the feed in the storage box 18, and introduce the feed into the discharging hopper 12 through the discharging pipe 9, and feed the feed into the net cage through the discharging hopper 12.

[0050] The environment perception module 21 includes a laser radar and a camera. The data from the environment perception module 21 is input to the onboard host 22 for real-time calculation. During navigation, the unmanned boat can realize automatic driving and obstacle avoidance. When approaching the cage, the cage posture perception algorithm is used to determine whether the boom 6 downward pressure condition is met. The specific cage posture perception algorithm is as follows:

[0051] S1, the laser radar obtains the forward 90-degree (45-degree left and right) field of view point cloud: Pi (x, y, z);

[0052] S2, the three-dimensional point cloud is projected onto the XY plane to form a top view B(x, y). Under normal circumstances, there is no radar echo on the sea surface, so it can be assigned a value of 0. There must be radar echoes from guardrails, so it is set to 1. When the unmanned boat device approaches the cage, the lidar point cloud is projected onto the top view to form a binary image, such as Figure 5 As shown, the water surface is a blank area and the black dots are the cage frames exposed above the water surface;

[0053] S3, establish the carrier coordinate system with the position of the environment perception module 21 as the origin, with the bow direction as the X axis and the positive direction of the Y axis as the right side of the ship. Count the average X distances of valid points in the three areas above the Y axis, below the Y axis, and near the axis:

[0054]

[0055] S4, when the UAV device approaches the cage, the three relative distance values ​​are calculated continuously (10Hz), and the UAV heading is controlled according to the following method:

[0056] If D u >D d Then turn right;

[0057] If D u <D d Then turn left;

[0058] If D u =D d Then go straight;

[0059] S5, if Then the condition of pressing down the boom 6 is met;

[0060] Where: It represents the relative posture of the longitudinal axis of the unmanned boat device and the edge of the cage. When they are perpendicular to each other, it is 0 (a smaller threshold Tθ is set to tolerate errors). D0 represents the distance from the laser radar to the cage. The distance from the installation position of the environmental perception module 21 to the limit tooth 11 can be measured to set the minimum threshold Td.

[0061] When the present invention is used, the catamaran unmanned boat 1 starts from the base station and performs autonomous path planning and navigation according to the position information of the net cage. The position information of the net cage can be measured manually or a GPS installed on the net cage can be sent in real time.

[0062] After the catamaran unmanned boat 1 approaches the cage, it senses the cage frame through the laser radar and automatically controls the course of the catamaran unmanned boat 1 through the cage posture calculation method, so that the catamaran unmanned boat 1 sails perpendicular to the edge of the cage and the distance gradually decreases. When the distance between the catamaran unmanned boat 1 and the cage frame meets the requirements, a command is sent to control the activation of the first hydraulic cylinder 7 to retract, driving the boom 6 to press down. When the boom 6 contacts the railing of the cage frame, the limit tooth 11 will hook the railing to form an anchor point, realizing the posture locking of the catamaran unmanned boat 1 and the cage, avoiding the random drift of the catamaran unmanned boat 1 under the interference of wind, waves and currents, and creating conditions for subsequent work;

[0063] After the catamaran unmanned boat 1 is locked, the onboard main engine 22 controls the second hydraulic cylinder 10, the steering servo 25, and the electric winch 14. By extending the second hydraulic cylinder 10, the movable seat 13 can be driven forward, thereby driving the water quality detection pod 17 forward. The steering servo 25 can drive the turntable 3 to rotate, and the rotation of the turntable 3 drives the boom 6 to rotate, thereby adjusting the orientation of the water quality detection pod 17. The electric winch 14 releases the suspension rope 15, thereby lowering the water quality detection pod 17 to different water depths for water quality detection and data collection.

[0064] The discharge fan 20 is started by the boat main engine 22 to extract the feed from the storage box 18, and the feed is introduced into the discharge hopper 12 through the discharge pipe 9, and the feed is fed into the net cage through the discharge hopper 12;

[0065] After completing the cage water quality detection and feed feeding tasks, the water quality detection pod 17 is folded up, the boom 6 is lifted, the catamaran unmanned boat 1 and the cage are unlocked, and the catamaran unmanned boat 1 inspects other cages according to the task plan.

[0066] The above are only preferred specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with this technical field, within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, who makes equivalent replacements or changes based on the technical solutions and inventive concepts of the present invention, should be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An unmanned boat-cage locking device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a net cage, an unmanned boat device, and a base station. The unmanned boat device comprises a catamaran unmanned boat (1). The upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat (1) is provided with a rotating trough (2). A turntable (3) is provided inside the rotating trough (2). A lifting arm (6) is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the turntable (3). A protractable movable seat (13) is provided at the front end of the lifting arm (6). A water quality detection mechanism is provided on the movable seat (13). A feed feeding mechanism connected to the lifting arm (6) is provided at the upper end of the turntable (3). An environment sensing module (21) and a boat-borne host (22) are provided at the upper end of the catamaran unmanned boat (1).

2. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two axle seats (4) are fixed to the upper end of the turntable (3), and the two axle seats (4) are respectively arranged on both sides of the boom (6). A rotating shaft (5) is passed through the boom (6), and the rotating shaft (5) is fixedly connected to the boom (6). The two ends of the rotating shaft (5) respectively pass through the two axle seats (4), and the rotating shaft (5) is rotatably connected to the axle seats (4). A first hydraulic cylinder (7) is rotatably installed on the upper end of the turntable (3), and the telescopic end of the first hydraulic cylinder (7) is rotatably connected to the lower side wall of the boom (6).

3. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water quality detection mechanism comprises an electric winch (14) mounted on the upper end of a movable seat (13); a suspension rope (15) is wound on the electric winch (14); and one end of the suspension rope (15) away from the electric winch (14) is fixedly connected to a water quality detection pod (17).

4. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feed feeding mechanism comprises a storage box (18) and a discharge fan (20) arranged at the upper end of the turntable (3); the input end of the discharge fan (20) is connected to the storage box (18); the output end of the discharge fan (20) is connected to a discharge pipe (9); the upper end of the suspension arm (6) is provided with a receiving groove (8); the discharge pipe (9) is located inside the receiving groove (8); and a discharge hopper (12) connected to the discharge pipe (9) is fixed inside the receiving groove (8).

5. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A groove is provided on the inner bottom wall of the rotating trough (2), a steering servo (25) is fixedly installed inside the groove, and an output shaft of the steering servo (25) is fixedly connected to the center of the lower end of the turntable (3).

6. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A guide wheel (16) is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the movable seat (13) away from the suspension arm (6), and the suspension rope (15) passes through the guide wheel (16).

7. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of limiting teeth (11) are arranged on the lower side wall of the boom (6).

8. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two movable grooves (23) are provided on the side wall of the boom (6) close to the movable seat (13), two movable rods (24) are fixed on the side wall of the movable seat (13), and the two movable rods (24) are respectively slidably inserted into the inside of the two movable grooves (23). Two second hydraulic cylinders (10) are fixedly installed on the upper end of the boom (6), and the telescopic ends of the second hydraulic cylinders (10) are fixedly connected to the side wall of the movable seat (13).

9. The unmanned boat-cage locking device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The environment perception module (21) includes a laser radar and a camera. The data of the environment perception module (21) is input to the onboard host (22) for real-time calculation. During navigation, the unmanned boat device can realize automatic driving and obstacle avoidance. When approaching the cage, the cage posture perception algorithm is used to determine whether the boom (6) downward pressure condition is met. The specific cage posture perception algorithm is as follows: S1, the laser radar obtains the forward 90-degree (45-degree left and right) field of view point cloud: Pi (x, y, z); S2, the 3D point cloud is projected onto the XY plane to form a top view B(x, y). Under normal circumstances, there is no radar echo on the sea surface, so it can be assigned a value of 0. However, there must be radar echoes from guardrails, so it is set to 1. When the unmanned boat device approaches the cage, the lidar point cloud is projected onto the top view to form a binary image. S3, establish the carrier coordinate system with the position of the environment perception module (21) as the origin, with the bow direction as the X axis and the positive direction of the Y axis as the right side of the ship, and calculate the mean X distance of the effective points in the three areas above the Y axis, below the Y axis, and near the axis: S4, when the UAV device approaches the cage, the three relative distance values ​​are calculated continuously (10Hz), and the UAV heading is controlled according to the following method: If D u >D d Then turn right; If D u <D d Then turn left; If D u =D d Then go straight; S5, if Then the condition of pressing down the boom (6) is satisfied; Where: It represents the relative posture of the longitudinal axis of the unmanned boat device and the edge of the cage. When they are perpendicular to each other, it is 0 (a smaller threshold Tθ is set to tolerate the error). D0 represents the distance from the laser radar to the cage. The minimum threshold Td can be set by measuring the distance from the installation position of the environmental perception module (21) to the limit tooth (11).

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