An underwater robot with splicing function and method thereof
By using a rotation limiting device to achieve mechanical splicing between underwater robots, the problem of insufficient adaptability and execution capability of individual robots in complex tasks in existing technologies is solved, and stable group task execution is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511535876.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-10-27
AI Technical Summary
When faced with complex or large-scale tasks, existing underwater robots are limited by their size, load capacity, and energy reserves, making it difficult for them to complete tasks independently or form an effective group through unstable splicing, resulting in insufficient adaptability and execution capabilities.
A rotating limiting device is used to realize the splicing function of underwater robots. Through the cooperation of the rotating telescopic arm and the limiting rotor with the limiting groove, mechanical splicing and stable connection between robots are realized.
It improves the adaptability and task execution efficiency of underwater robot swarms in complex environments, enabling them to move quickly, steadily, and robustly, adapting to undulating underwater environments.
Smart Images

Figure CN120986639B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underwater robots, specifically relating to an underwater robot with splicing function and its method. Technical Background
[0002] Underwater robots are robots that can work independently in underwater environments. They are widely used in fields such as marine resource exploration, environmental monitoring, and marine space exploration. They can replace or assist humans in entering dangerous or inaccessible underwater environments to perform tasks, greatly improving the efficiency and safety of underwater operations.
[0003] Existing underwater robots are typically designed and deployed as individual units. The operational capabilities of these individual robots are limited by their inherent properties, such as size, payload capacity, energy reserves, and sensor configuration. Therefore, when faced with large-scale or highly complex group tasks, a single underwater robot often struggles to complete the task independently. Even robots with assembly capabilities often fail to form a durable and reliable collaborative system due to unstable connections.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an underwater robot that can work independently or be stably assembled to complete group tasks according to mission requirements, to overcome the limitations of single underwater robots and improve the adaptability and execution capabilities of underwater robots in the face of complex tasks and environments. Summary of the Invention
[0005] To address the problems in the prior art, this invention proposes an underwater robot with splicing function and its method. By using a rotation limiting device, the underwater robot is equipped with splicing function, which facilitates the swarm operation of the robots.
[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:
[0007] This invention provides an underwater robot with splicing function, including a waterproof shell, a sensing module installed inside and outside the waterproof shell, a main control module, a power supply module, and a rotating splicing module; the sensing module is used for environmental perception, the main control module performs decision control, the power supply module provides energy support, and the rotating splicing module realizes the mechanical splicing between robots;
[0008] The waterproof outer shell is hexagonal prism-shaped, with a guide protrusion with stepped through holes on the front side plate. The other five side plates, excluding the front side plate, are provided with limiting grooves. The limiting grooves include conical holes that taper inward and grooves that connect to the inside of the conical holes. The grooves and the conical holes form an annular platform at their connection.
[0009] The rotating splicing module comprises a rudder, a hollow cup motor support, a hollow cup motor, a rotating telescopic arm and a limiting rotor; the rudder is fixed in a rudder sinking groove on the inner side of a waterproof shell, the hollow cup motor support is connected with a rudder driving shaft through an eccentric transmission mechanism, the hollow cup motor is installed in the hollow cup motor support and is provided with a pressure sensor at the bottom, the limiting rotor is fixed with an output shaft of the hollow cup motor, the rotating telescopic arm is composed of an inner telescopic arm and an outer telescopic arm through free end holes, and the inner telescopic arm and the outer telescopic arm are respectively hinged with the hollow cup motor support and the limiting rotor through fixed end holes.
[0010] The rudder drives the hollow cup motor support to move linearly along the axis of the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion, when the rudder is reset, the limiting rotor is in sealing fit with the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion, when the rudder works, the extension stroke of the limiting rotor meets the docking distance requirement of the two robots, the hollow cup motor drives the limiting rotor to rotate and drives the rotating telescopic arm to expand or close, when expanded, the free end of the rotating telescopic arm is clamped into the inner side of the annular platform of the limiting groove of the other underwater robot to realize mechanical splicing.
[0011] Preferably, the inner telescopic arm and the outer telescopic arm of the rotating telescopic arm each comprise three arc-shaped blocks, and each arc-shaped block is provided with a fixed end hole and a free end hole at two ends respectively.
[0012] Preferably, the top end of the hollow cup motor support is provided with three arc-shaped support limiting protrusions, when the rotating telescopic arm is expanded to the maximum angle, the arc-shaped blocks of the inner telescopic arm are in contact with the support limiting protrusions to realize mechanical locking.
[0013] Preferably, the limiting rotor is in a spherical cap structure, the inner side is a plane, the outer side is a spherical cap curved surface and is uniformly provided with three sinking installation holes for connecting the outer telescopic arm in the circumferential direction, the diameter of the limiting rotor is less than the minimum taper hole diameter of the limiting groove and is not less than the maximum diameter of the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion.
[0014] Preferably, the taper of the outer wall surface of the guide protrusion matches the taper of the taper hole of the limiting groove, the stepped through hole in the guide protrusion comprises a larger hole at the outside and a smaller hole at the inside, the diameter of the larger hole matches the diameter of the limiting rotor, and the diameter of the smaller hole matches the diameter of the hollow cup motor.
[0015] Preferably, a waterproof ring is arranged at the stepped through hole.
[0016] Preferably, the sensing module comprises a visual sensing unit installed on the front side plate of the waterproof shell and an inertial measurement unit located in the interior of the waterproof shell.
[0017] Preferably, a driving module is further included, the driving module comprising a plurality of horizontal driving units and vertical driving units installed on the bottom surface of the waterproof shell, each driving unit being driven by a motor connected to the main control module, and the motion speed and posture of the underwater robot being controlled by regulating the motor.
[0018] Preferably, the main control module comprises, from bottom to top, a heat sink, an electronic speed regulator, a voltage stabilizing circuit board and a main control board, the voltage stabilizing circuit board converting the voltage of the power supply module into the working voltage required by each module, the main control board receiving the environmental data collected by the sensing module and generating a motion control signal and a splicing control signal, the splicing control signal being sent to the steering engine and the hollow cup motor, and the motion control signal being sent to the electronic speed regulator and used to control the motion speed and posture of the underwater robot.
[0019] The application further provides a splicing method of an underwater robot with a splicing function, comprising:
[0020] Step 1: the current underwater robot and the target underwater robot establish a communication connection, exchange relative position and body posture information with each other, and transmit the information to the main control module;
[0021] Step 2: the main control module generates a motion control signal based on the relative position and body posture information, drives the robots to approach each other and adjust the posture, until the limit rotor of the current robot is aligned with the limit slot of the target robot;
[0022] Step 3: the main control module of the current underwater robot sends a splicing instruction, the steering engine controls the rotating splicing module to extend out of the waterproof shell, when the pressure sensor value reaches a preset contact force threshold, the hollow cup motor drives the limit rotor to rotate forward, the outer telescopic arm drives the inner telescopic arm to expand, until the inner telescopic arm rotates to contact the limit protrusion and is locked, at this time, the free end of the rotating telescopic arm is clamped into the inner side of the annular platform of the limit slot of the target robot, and the mechanical splicing is completed;
[0023] Step 4: after the group operation is completed, the main control module of the current underwater robot sends a separation instruction, the hollow cup motor drives the limit rotor to rotate reversely, the outer telescopic arm drives the inner telescopic arm to retract, until the rotating telescopic arm is completely retracted between the limit rotor and the hollow cup motor support; the steering engine drives the rotating splicing module to retract, and the limit rotor and the through hole of the guide protrusion restore the sealed fitting state.
[0024] Compared with the prior art, the application has the following beneficial effects:
[0025] (1) The underwater robot with splicing function can be combined through the splicing mechanism on the basis of completing individual tasks, and different combined shapes can be switched according to the use scene to adapt to the task demand, so that the group task that cannot be completed by the traditional individual robot is realized, and the adaptability and execution ability of the underwater robot group to complex tasks and environment are improved.
[0026] (2) The splicing function is realized by the telescopic device and the rotary limiting device, compared with the robot splicing mode based on magnetic force, the splicing mode proposed in the application is more stable, and can better adapt to the complex and changeable underwater environment; compared with the robot splicing mode based on buckle, the splicing mode proposed in the application is more rapid in action; compared with other robot splicing modes based on mechanical limiting, the splicing mode proposed in the application has high robustness, and can better adapt to the fluctuating underwater environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotary telescopic mechanism of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the hollow cup motor support structure of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the rotary telescopic arm in the unfolded state of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0032] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the splicing process between the single units of the underwater robot with splicing function;
[0033] In the figure, 101 - top sealing cover, 102 - waterproof shell, 103 - limiting groove, 1031 - annular platform, 104 - guide protrusion, 105 - rudder sinking groove, 201 - battery, 202 - battery support frame, 301 - visual perception unit, 302 - inertial measurement unit, 401 - main control board, 402 - voltage stabilizing circuit board, 403 - electronic speed controller, 404 - heat sink, 501 - horizontal drive motor, 502 - vertical drive motor, 503 - motor support frame, 6 - rotary telescopic mechanism, 601 - steering engine, 602 - hollow cup motor support, 6021 - support limiting protrusion, 603 - hollow cup motor, 604 - rotary telescopic arm, 6041 - telescopic arm fixed end hole, 6042 - telescopic arm free end hole, 605 - limiting rotor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] The present application will be further described and illustrated with reference to the specific embodiments. The embodiments are only exemplary and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. The technical features of various embodiments in the present application can be combined accordingly without conflict.
[0035] As shown in Figure 1 , the present application provides an underwater robot with splicing function, the shell of the underwater robot is hexagonal prism, which is composed of a top sealing cover 101 and a waterproof shell 102, both of which are made of ABS material by 3D printing; there is a boss structure with a stepped through hole on the front side plate of the waterproof shell 102, which is a guide protrusion 104, the stepped through hole includes a larger hole outside and a smaller hole inside, and a waterproof ring is used for waterproof treatment at the through hole; limiting grooves 103 are arranged on the remaining five side panels of the waterproof shell 102, the limiting grooves 103 are connected by a tapered hole gradually tapering inward and a groove, and the groove is a cylindrical groove; the small end diameter of the tapered hole is smaller than the opening diameter of the groove, so that an annular platform 1031 is formed at the connection, and the limiting groove 103 provides a guide limiting function in the splicing operation of the underwater robot; the rudder sinking groove 105 is also arranged on the inside bottom of the waterproof shell 102.
[0036] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the side plates of the waterproof shell 102 are provided with protruding waterproof grooves at the top, and the bottom of the top sealing cover 101 is provided with a groove, and a waterproof strip made of silica gel is arranged in the groove, which can be matched with the waterproof grooves on the side plates to achieve waterproof effect.
[0037] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , they are respectively the internal and external structure schematic diagram of the underwater robot proposed by the present application, the present application integrates five modules inside and outside the waterproof shell 102: power supply module, perception module, main control module, driving module and rotary splicing module.
[0038] The power supply module is used for powering the whole underwater robot, comprising a battery 201, a battery support frame 202 and a waterproof switch (not shown in the figure), wherein the battery support frame 202 is fixed on the rear side plate of the waterproof shell 102 and is used for supporting and fixing the battery 201; the battery 201 is preferably a lithium battery, which is fixed on the battery support frame 202 by a bandage and powers the whole underwater robot through the main control module; and the waterproof switch is left on the outer side of the waterproof shell 102 and is used for controlling the connection and disconnection of the battery and the main control module. The sensing module is used for acquiring the relative position of the nearby underwater robot and collecting the body posture information of the underwater robot, and transmitting the collected information to the main control module, comprising a visual sensing unit 301 and an inertial measurement unit 302. The visual sensing unit 301 is composed of two RGB wide-angle cameras and is fixed on the upper part of the front side plate of the waterproof shell 102, which is responsible for collecting the image and distance data of the nearby underwater robot and the surrounding environment and transmitting the data to the main control module. Specifically, the two cameras can acquire image information within a range of 120° in front of the robot, and can identify the marks on the body of the nearby robot to obtain the identity information of the nearby robot, and then fuse the data of the two cameras to obtain the distance information within a range of 60° in front; the inertial measurement unit 202 is installed in the equipment fixing slot (not shown in the figure) on the inner side of the bottom plate of the waterproof shell, which is responsible for sensing the posture of the underwater robot itself and transmitting the posture data to the main control module. In addition, the sensing module can also be provided with a communication unit for realizing data exchange with other underwater robots, and the communication unit is connected with the main control module through a serial or Ethernet interface to support real-time data transmission, and this part can be realized by using the existing communication function of the underwater robot.
[0039] In a specific implementation of the present application, the inertial measurement unit 302 can be selected as needed whether to be installed or not. In the case of not installing the inertial measurement unit, the motion of the underwater robot can be controlled by remote control.
[0040] The main control module is used for managing the data provided by each module, making decisions and sending control signals to the driving module, comprising a main control board 401, a voltage stabilizing circuit board 402, an electronic speed regulator 403 and a heat sink 404. The heat sink 404 is embedded in the middle part of the bottom plate of the waterproof shell 102 and is made of aluminum alloy material through CNC process and is used for efficiently cooling the main control module; the electronic speed regulator 403, the voltage stabilizing circuit board 402 and the main control board 401 are sequentially installed above the heat sink 404, and the bottom plate of the waterproof shell 102, the voltage stabilizing circuit board 402 and the main control board 401 are fixed and supported by copper columns, the voltage stabilizing circuit board 402 and the electronic speed regulator 403 are used for converting the voltage provided by the power supply module into a working voltage matched with the remaining modules, the main control board 401 loads the data acquired by the sensing module, performs motion planning and motion control, and sends control signals to the driving module.
[0041] The driving module is used for accepting control signals of the master module and changing the motion speed and motion posture of the underwater robot, and provides driving force for the underwater robot, and comprises two lateral driving motors 501, four vertical driving motors 502 and four motor support frames 503. The motor support frame 503 is installed on the inner side of the waterproof shell 102 and is used for fixing the vertical driving motor 502. The driving end of the vertical driving motor 502 is connected with the electronic speed regulator 403. The two lateral driving motors 501 are integrally installed on the outer side of the bottom plate of the waterproof shell 102. The driving end of the lateral driving motor 501 is connected with the electronic speed regulator 403. The lateral driving motor 501 is used for changing the motion direction and speed of the underwater robot in the motion plane in a differential model control mode, and cooperates with the four vertical driving motors 502 to flexibly adjust the motion posture of the underwater robot.
[0042] The main body structure of the rotating splicing module is a rotating telescopic mechanism 6, which can be matched with the limiting groove 103 and the guide protrusion 104 on the waterproof shell 102 to complete splicing operation with a nearby underwater robot.
[0043] As shown in Figure 3 Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the rotating telescopic mechanism of the underwater robot, which comprises a steering engine 601, a hollow cup motor support frame 602, a hollow cup motor 603, a rotating telescopic arm 604 and a limiting rotor 605. The hollow cup motor support frame 602, the rotating telescopic arm 604 and the limiting rotor 605 are all made of ABS material through 3D printing.
[0044] The steering engine 601 is fixed in the steering engine sinking groove 105 and is used for receiving control signals and outputting rotating motion. The driving shaft of the steering engine 601 is upward. The driving shaft of the steering engine 601 is connected with the hollow cup motor support frame 602 through an eccentric transmission mechanism. The eccentric transmission mechanism comprises an eccentric wheel and a connecting rod. The driving shaft of the steering engine 601 is fixed with the eccentric wheel and can drive the eccentric wheel to rotate in the horizontal plane. One end of the connecting rod is hinged with the eccentric wheel, and the other end is hinged with the tail end of the hollow cup motor support frame 602. Under the driving of the eccentric transmission mechanism, the hollow cup motor support frame 602 can move linearly, that is, the rotating motion of the steering engine 601 is finally converted into the linear motion of the hollow cup motor support frame 602.
[0045] The hollow cup motor 603 is installed in the hollow cup motor support 602, the bottom of the hollow cup motor 603 is provided with a pressure sensor, the hollow cup motor 603 is installed in the axial direction and is provided with a movement allowance, the "D" shaped output shaft of the hollow cup motor 603 is fixed with the inner end face of the limiting rotor 605, so that the hollow cup motor 603 can drive the limiting rotor 605 to rotate; the rotary telescopic arm 604 is composed of an inner telescopic arm and an outer telescopic arm, the inner and outer telescopic arms each include three arc-shaped blocks, one end of each arc-shaped block is provided with a telescopic arm fixed end hole 6041, the other end is provided with a telescopic arm free end hole 6042, the telescopic arm fixed end hole 6041 of the arc-shaped block located on the outer side is hinged with the three mounting holes on the limiting rotor 605 through a locking screw, the telescopic arm fixed end hole 6041 of the arc-shaped block located on the inner side is hinged with the hollow cup motor support, as shown in Figure 4 , the top end of the hollow cup motor support is provided with a mounting plate, the mounting plate is provided with three mounting holes and three arc-shaped support limiting protrusions 6021, the curvature of the support limiting protrusion matches the curvature of the arc-shaped block, during installation, the telescopic arm fixed end hole 6041 of the arc-shaped block located on the inner side is hinged with the three mounting holes on the mounting plate through a locking screw, and the telescopic arm free end hole 6042 between the arc-shaped block located on the inner side and the arc-shaped block located on the outer side is hinged through a locking screw, therefore, a rotary pair is formed at the telescopic arm fixed end hole 6041 and the telescopic arm free end hole 6042 of each arc-shaped block, and the rotary pair can rotate around the locking screw.
[0046] As shown in Figure 5 (a), when the limiting rotor 605 rotates forward, it can drive the three arc-shaped blocks in the outer telescopic arm to expand outward synchronously and equally, thereby driving the inner telescopic arm to expand outward, that is, the entire rotary telescopic arm 604 rotates and expands, and the maximum diameter of the rotary and expanded rotary telescopic arm is not less than the inner diameter of the annular platform 1031. As shown in Figure 5 (b), during the expansion of the outer telescopic arm and the expansion of the inner telescopic arm driven by the outer telescopic arm, the rotary telescopic arm is locked when it touches the support limiting protrusion 6021. Similarly, when the limiting rotor 605 rotates reversely, the entire rotary telescopic arm 604 is rotated and closed to the hollow cup motor support 602 and the limiting rotor 605.
[0047] In a specific implementation of the present application, the limiting rotor 605 is an integral spherical crown structure with circumferentially distributed sunken mounting holes, the inner side is a plane, the outer side is a spherical crown curved surface, the sunken mounting holes serve as the mounting fulcrum of the rotary pair, the thickness of the limiting rotor 605 does not exceed the groove depth in the limiting groove 103, the diameter of the limiting rotor 605 is smaller than the diameter of the small end of the tapered hole of the limiting groove 103 but not smaller than the larger hole diameter of the guide protrusion 104 of the robot shell, the diameter of the hollow cup motor 603 matches the smaller hole diameter of the guide protrusion 104, and the motor can extend out of the smaller hole while ensuring the sealing. The limiting rotor 605 moves linearly under the drive of the steering engine 601, and when the steering engine 601 resets, the limiting rotor 605 abuts against the guide protrusion 104 of the robot shell to form a sealed structure, and when the steering engine 601 drives the limiting rotor 605 to extend out, the extension amount meets the splicing requirements of the two robot units.
[0048] Figure 6 The rotation splicing principle diagram of the two underwater robot units is shown, and the splicing process includes underwater robot docking process and underwater robot separation process. In order to facilitate the description, the robot unit that controls the operation of the rotary telescopic mechanism is referred to as the current robot, and the other robot unit is referred to as the target robot. The underwater robot docking process is specifically as follows:
[0049] The current robot communicates with the target robot to exchange the body posture information collected by the sensing modules of the two robots, and controls the two robots to gradually approach and align the limiting rotor of the current robot and the limiting groove 103 to be spliced of the target robot. The steering engine of the current robot works, the steering engine 601 pushes the hollow cup motor support 602 out of the guide protrusion 104 on the waterproof shell 102 and makes linear motion along the axis of the through hole of the guide protrusion 104, the bottom of the hollow cup motor 603 is provided with a pressure sensor, when the hollow cup motor support 602 is pushed out to a pressure value reaching a threshold value, the hollow cup motor 603 drives the limiting rotor 605 to rotate forward, the limiting rotor 605 drives the outer telescopic arm to expand, and the inner telescopic arm is expanded when the outer telescopic arm expands, and the inner telescopic arm is locked when it rotates to the support limiting protrusion 6021 at the top end of the hollow cup motor support 602, at this time, the free end of the telescopic arm of the current robot is clamped in the inner side of the annular platform 1031 of the limiting groove 103 of the target robot to complete the limiting, thereby realizing the splicing.
[0050] The underwater robot separation process is specifically as follows:
[0051] The hollow cup motor 603 of the current robot drives the limiting rotor 605 to rotate reversely, drives the rotary telescopic arm 604 to retract to between the limiting rotor 605 and the hollow cup motor support 602, the steering engine 601 drives the hollow cup motor support 602 to retract into the waterproof shell 102 through the connecting rod, at this time, the limiting rotor 605 resets and keeps sealing with the through hole of the guide protrusion 104.
[0052] In addition, the inner side surface of the limiting rotor 605 can also be provided with a groove to avoid axial deviation caused by the thickness of the lock nut during the expansion / closure of the rotating telescopic arm 604.
[0053] Based on the above, the application also provides a splicing method of an underwater robot with splicing function, and the specific steps are as follows:
[0054] Step 1. The underwater robot (current robot) communicates with the target underwater robot (target robot) to be spliced, and each obtains the relative position and body attitude information of the other robot, and transmits the collected information to the main control module. Specifically, the visual perception unit obtains the image and distance data of the nearby underwater robot and the surrounding environment, and the inertial measurement unit perceives the attitude of itself;
[0055] Step 2. The main control module analyzes the data information obtained by the perception module, solves the control signal of the robot motion state based on the body attitude information, and sends the control signal to the drive module for body attitude control; based on the relative position of the nearby underwater robot, the control signal for aligning with the nearby robot is solved, and the control signal is sent to the drive module to realize the mutual approach and alignment of the underwater robots, until the limiting rotor 605 of the current robot aligns with the limiting slot 103 of the target robot; here, when the body attitude is controlled, the drive module receives the control signal from the main control module, drives the underwater robot to move forward through the horizontal drive motor, and adjusts the position and posture of the underwater robot through the vertical drive motor;
[0056] Step 3. The main control module sends a control signal to control the rotating splicing module to extend out of the waterproof shell through the rudder 601, and when the pressure sensor value reaches the threshold value, the limiting rotor 605 is driven to rotate forward by the hollow cup motor, the outer telescopic arm is driven to expand by the limiting rotor 605, and the inner telescopic arm is driven to expand when the outer telescopic arm expands, and the inner telescopic arm is locked when it rotates to the bracket limiting protrusion 6021 on the hollow cup motor bracket 602, at this time the free end of the telescopic arm is clamped inside the annular platform 1031 to complete the limiting, so that the underwater robot can be spliced with other underwater robots;
[0057] Step 4. After the group operation is completed, the main control module of the current robot sends a control signal, the hollow cup motor drives the limiting rotor 605 to rotate in the opposite direction, the limiting rotor 605 drives the outer telescopic arm to close, and the inner telescopic arm is closed when the outer telescopic arm is closed. The rotating telescopic arm 604 is retracted between the limiting rotor 605 and the hollow cup motor bracket 602, and then the rotating splicing module is controlled to retract to the original position through the rudder 601, and the through hole of the guide protrusion 104 is sealed.
[0058] The above embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for ordinary skilled persons in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can be made, which are all within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.
Claims
1. An underwater robot having a splicing function, characterized by, The underwater robot comprises a waterproof shell (102), a sensing module, a main control module, a power supply module and a rotating and splicing module which are installed in or outside the waterproof shell; the sensing module is used for environmental sensing, the main control module is used for decision control, the power supply module provides energy support, and the rotating and splicing module realizes mechanical splicing between robots. The waterproof shell is a hexagonal prism, a guide protrusion (104) with a stepped through hole is arranged on the front side plate, and limiting grooves (103) are arranged on the remaining five side plates except the front side plate; the limiting groove comprises a tapered hole which is tapered inward and a groove which is connected to the inner side of the tapered hole, and the connecting part of the groove and the tapered hole forms an annular platform (1031). The rotating and splicing module comprises a rudder (601), a hollow cup motor support (602), a hollow cup motor (603), a rotating and telescopic arm (604) and a limiting rotor (605); the rudder is fixed in a rudder sinking groove on the inner side of the waterproof shell, the hollow cup motor support is connected with the rudder drive shaft through an eccentric transmission mechanism, the hollow cup motor is installed in the hollow cup motor support and is provided with a pressure sensor at the bottom, the limiting rotor is fixed with the output shaft of the hollow cup motor, the rotating and telescopic arm is composed of an inner telescopic arm and an outer telescopic arm through free end holes, and the inner telescopic arm and the outer telescopic arm are respectively hinged with the hollow cup motor support and the limiting rotor through fixed end holes. The rudder drives the hollow cup motor support to move linearly along the axis of the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion; when the rudder is reset, the limiting rotor is in sealing fit with the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion; when the rudder works, the extension stroke of the limiting rotor meets the docking distance requirement of two robots; the hollow cup motor drives the limiting rotor to rotate and drives the rotating and telescopic arm to expand or close, and when the rotating and telescopic arm is expanded, the free end of the rotating and telescopic arm is clamped into the inner side of the annular platform of the limiting groove of another underwater robot to realize mechanical splicing.
2. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, The inner telescopic arm and the outer telescopic arm of the rotating and telescopic arm each comprise three arc-shaped blocks, and each arc-shaped block is respectively provided with a fixed end hole and a free end hole at two ends.
3. The underwater robot with splicing function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The top end of the hollow cup motor support is provided with three arc-shaped support limiting protrusions (6021), when the rotating and telescopic arm is expanded to the maximum angle, the arc-shaped blocks of the inner telescopic arm are in contact with the support limiting protrusions to realize mechanical locking.
4. The underwater robot with splicing function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The limiting rotor is in the shape of a spherical cap, the inner side is a plane, the outer side is a spherical cap curved surface and is uniformly provided with three sinking installation holes for connecting the outer telescopic arm in the circumferential direction, the diameter of the limiting rotor is less than the minimum diameter of the tapered hole of the limiting groove and is not less than the maximum diameter of the stepped through hole of the guide protrusion (104).
5. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, The taper of the outer wall surface of the guide protrusion (104) matches the taper of the tapered hole of the limiting groove (103), the stepped through hole in the guide protrusion (104) comprises a larger hole near the outside and a smaller hole near the inside, the diameter of the larger hole matches the diameter of the limiting rotor, and the diameter of the smaller hole matches the diameter of the hollow cup motor.
6. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, A waterproof ring is arranged at the stepped through hole.
7. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, The sensing module comprises a visual sensing unit (301) installed on the front side plate of the waterproof shell and an inertial measurement unit (302) located in the waterproof shell.
8. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, The underwater robot further comprises a driving module, which comprises a plurality of horizontal driving units and vertical driving units installed on the bottom surface of the waterproof shell, each driving unit being driven by a motor connected to the main control module to control the movement speed and posture of the underwater robot.
9. The underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, wherein, The main control module comprises, from bottom to top, a heat sink, an electronic speed regulator, a voltage stabilizing circuit board and a main control board, the voltage stabilizing circuit board converting the voltage of the power supply module into the working voltage required by each module, the main control board receiving the environmental data collected by the sensing module and generating a movement control signal and a splicing control signal, the splicing control signal being sent to the steering engine and the hollow cup motor, and the movement control signal being sent to the electronic speed regulator and used to control the movement speed and posture of the underwater robot.
10. A method of splicing the underwater robot having a splicing function according to claim 1, characterized by, The method comprises: Step 1: the current underwater robot and the target underwater robot establish a communication connection, exchange relative position and body posture information with each other, and transmit the information to the main control module; Step 2: the main control module generates a movement control signal based on the relative position and body posture information, drives the robots to approach each other and adjust the posture until the limit rotor of the current robot is aligned with the limit slot of the target robot; Step 3: the main control module of the current underwater robot sends a splicing instruction, the steering engine controls the rotating splicing module to extend out of the waterproof shell, when the pressure sensor value reaches a preset contact force threshold, the hollow cup motor drives the limit rotor to rotate forward, the outer telescopic arm drives the inner telescopic arm to expand, until the inner telescopic arm is locked when it rotates to contact the limit protrusion, at this time, the free end of the rotating telescopic arm is clamped into the inner side of the annular platform of the limit slot of the target robot, and the mechanical splicing is completed; Step 4: after the group operation is completed, the main control module of the current underwater robot sends a separation instruction, the hollow cup motor drives the limit rotor to rotate reversely, the outer telescopic arm drives the inner telescopic arm to retract, until the rotating telescopic arm is completely retracted between the limit rotor and the hollow cup motor support; the steering engine drives the rotating splicing module to retract, and the limit rotor and the through hole of the guide protrusion restore the sealed fitting state.
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